Welcome Eli Richard!!

Eli was born June 27, 2008 at 2:32pm. He was 8lbs 3oz- 4oz smaller than Rowan(despite the diabetes!) 21in. long. He has so much hair, even sideburns! I ended up with pitocin but it was very quick and I didn't have any drugs!! I'll write more about the birth later, but am feeling way better than I did last time! Rowan loves him and wants to hold and kiss him all the time! Enjoy the pics!

Our Last Night as a Threesome- in Pictures

Rowan trying to dig in the garden- before he was removed!Playing with his new green ball from Culver's!

Flying the big airplane

and of course no night is complete without
S'MORES!!!

Trying to catch lightning bugs

Family pic- Rowan insisted on saying "cheese" to daddy not the camera!

Grocery Shopping

It may not sound very exciting, but we woke up early (thanks Rowan!) and headed to the local Amish area to check out the deals at the salvage grocery store. We like to go there every once and a while we can really stock up and not spend nearly as much as we would at the grocery store. We thought we should get a bunch of stuff for easy meals for the next few weeks since we will probably be busy. We got a bunch of stuff to freeze that is precooked so they will make quick dinners. STocked up on fruit- we can't get enough fresh fruit lately!!

As we were walking through the cookie aisle, getting Rowan the usual animal cookies. I suddenly remembered that this baby will be out in 2 days!!! Two days, that means in two days I will no longer have gestational diabetes. My meals (and life) will not longer revolve around how many grams of carbs or sugar there are in everything I eat. I will not have to poke my finger 4x's a day to check my blood sugar, I will not have to "pee on a stick" every morning to see if there are keytones in my urine.

So today at the store instead of drooling at all the stuff I can't have I bought it!! I bought pudding mixes, a brownie mix, a cake mix and... my favorite

a package of......and I may just eat them all myself!!

Soon There Will Be TWO!!!

Rowan's daycare provider is on vacation for 2 weeks, perfect timing right? So while I am hugely pregnant and trying to stay positive about these final days, I don't get my peaceful break from 8-3. He has been pretty good during the morning- even helped me clean his room today-, but as soon as nap is over he is like a different child. He wakes up whiney and demanding and bossy!! He tries to kick and scream when it's time to change his diaper- but won't use the potty. He yells (loudly) A LOT!! He constantly calls our names out and starts throwing a fit if we do not answer the second he wants- like if Mike and I are having a conversation.



I am really hoping all this lovely new behavior is because his routine has been messed up and not what we have to look forward to as he turns three!!



On a positive note he has been napping pretty well, and still goes to bed easily. Although he has been up later, but that is more our fault for wanting to enjoy the gorgeous evenings before the sun goes down.



I've been noticing lately how much Rowan talks now- especially since he NEVER stops talking!! I remember last year right before he turned 2, he talked but not much he hardly ever said mom, most of his words had to do with the important things- dad, truck, train...- and now a lot of the time he even uses correct grammar!! I think 2-3yrs is such a big year and can't believe all the changes he's gone through. He is definetly a big boy now!! If only he would get with the whole potty training thing we'd be all set! :)

And the countdown begins...

There was no change in my cervix again- uugghh what the hell is wrong with my cervix!! All of the tests on the baby look fine though, so we are scheduled to go in Thursday night. I still have a little hope that I may actually go into labor on my own, but if not oh well. So Thursday at 5pm I have orders to call L&D and they will tell me what time to come in, I'll get my cervidil and then be on the monitor for 2 hours. Then they want me to try and sleep. The midwife suggested I take a sleeping pill, but I was kind of looking forward to staying up late and watching cable tv!! We don't have cable so Mike and I are thinking of this like a little vacation- no Rowan, cable tv, meals delivered... oh I guess the pain of being in labor and giving birth will probably remind me that I am not going to a hotel!

40+ Weeks Belly Picture

40 weeks

and as a comparison... me at about 4 weeks pregnant- a little different!!!

The Evil "I" Word...

I was induced with Rowan, not because there was a major medical issue, just because I was a few days overdue. I wish I hadn't let the doctor so easily talk me into it, and I really do think that it led to me spending the whole day of labor in bed...which led to the epidural...which led to the HUGE episiotomy....which led to the months of awful pain afterwards. Now I know I still could have had all of that even if I wasn't induced, but that's just how I feel about it.

I wanted it to be different this time, the hospital we are at has midwives, I was hoping to not even have to mess with a doctor. A doctor who would most likely treat my pregnancy as a medical problem instead of something that my body was made for. I feel like I'm treated differently when I have an appointment with a midwife, it's so much more personal. I thought I would finally get the experience I wanted.

Then I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and suddenly my pregnancy became "high risk." I had to rotate appointments with a doctor, and I did feel treated different at those appointments than with the midwives, but thankfully I was able to stay off insulin so I will still get to have my delivery with a midwife.

Yesterday I had another check-up, which started with an ultrasound for amniotic fluid check (looks good!), a Non-Stress Test (baby looks great, and I had 1 contraction on paper, and I didn't even feel it!), and an appointment with a midwife. I of course said I wanted to be checked and she agreed and asked if the doctor I had been seeing had ever mentioned how far overdue she would let me go- no it wasn't something I had ever wanted to ask her. So she checks me, well tries to check me apparently my wonderful cervix is still too far up or back or whatever! She did say it was VERY soft which is a good sign.

She went to find the doctor to see what her verdict would be. The doctor told her I could have until 40weeks 6days, next Friday the 27th, if I didn't go by then I would be induced with pitocin. Now I did not have pitocin with Rowan all they did was break my water, but I have heard enough about pitocin to know that I do not want it! I would also have to be monitored constantly and wouldn't be able to use the hot tubs or any water on pitocin. So at this point I feel like I want to cry- I am still pregnant and all hormonal and stuff!

We then talk more about the next week and the appointment I will be scheduled for on Monday. I will once again have an ultrasound( this will be #6- I really hope these are as safe as they claim) and Non-Stress test, but this time they will be doing a biophysical profile. I'll have another exam and if there is no change in my cervix we will schedule the induction. I will have to go to the hospital Thursday night and they will insert cervidil and hopefully that will work while I sleep. If that doesn't strt me into labor then Friday morning I will get pitocin. If my cervix has changed by Monday (or even Friday) then they will have other options- sweeping my membranes, or even breaking my water.

I feel a little better about my chances of not having pitocin, and maybe even going into labor on my own- I would like to find out if my body can do this! I am glad to know there is some end in site, and if nothing else by this time next week I will be drinking a pop!!! MMMmmm!!!! Oh and I'll have my newborn baby boy- I guess that's better than the pop! Although I do love McD's Dr. Pepper! :)

^^^I learned to link^^^

^^^^Notice that my ticker is now going backwards, isn't that nice!^^^^