One Month Old!

I can't believe it. Quinn is one month old already! He is doing great...with the exception of the very frequent crying and screaming he partakes in (sometimes around the clock). But that's getting better and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, so we're thankful for that.

He had his one month check up on Monday and weighed in at 10 pounds 13 ounces and was 22 inches long, so he's growing pretty fast.

Cooper is still doing a fantastic job at being a big brother. He loves Quinn and is super sweet to him.

T. has been at home since Christmas Eve and will be off until the 5th, so I am thankful for that help with the transition. He's been amazing and has taken on so much around here.

I'm still trying to figure out how to make it out of sweats each day, but I'm sure that will get easier as the days pass. :)

Here are some pictures of the big boys...

Cooper thinking he owns the kitchen. :)

Quinn frequently has this look on his face...either he's confused or just irritated.

Introducing...

Thomas Quinn
9 pounds 2 ounces
20 inches long
Arrived at 3:07 pm

Week 38 Dr. Appointment

I went to the doctor again on Wednesday and there's a little progress. I'm about a centimeter dilated, which is something at least. He feels like my body is now starting to do what it needs to to get ready to have the body and that by next week things will be good to go. He seemed to think that I'll go to the induction date of next Saturday the 29th. (We'll see!)

Halloween Pictures (late)

I just realized that I didn't put any pictures of Cooper up from Halloween! Here are a few...

Week 37 Dr. Appointment

Just had my check up for this week...still no change.

He did schedule my induction, however. If the baby doesn't come earlier, I'll get induced on November 29th. So at least we know that now!

I've tried to get myself prepared in case baby does come early. We've got the car seat in the car, the nursery primed, neutral clothes washed and put away, a bag packed for me and a bag packed for the baby, arrangements for Cooper for middle-of-the-night and daytime runs to the hospital, and a double stroller ordered.

I would honestly love for baby to come before the 29th because I'm just hurting and I don't see how my belly can get any bigger. BUT! I know God's plan is perfect and definitely better than mine, so that's what I'll pray for.

Week 36 Dr. Appointment

I'm actually close to being in week 37. I saw the doctor today and all is well. Baby sounds great and there is "no change" so he said he would see me next week. No induction date is scheduled right now. He said we'd talk about it next week.

I felt like baby was coming Monday, so I'm a little surprised that nothing is going on.

I'll keep you posted in the days to come.

Cooper's Birthday Party

Cooper's party was a lot of fun! He absolutely loved all the people being here to celebrate him. It was the cutest thing ever! When they sang "Happy Birthday" he got the biggest smile and put his head down like he was embarrassed to be the center of attention. Too funny! Here are a few pictures...

The Birthday Cake

Singing "Happy Birthday"

Opening presents

Playing "Ring around the Rosey"

The Party Table

Ultrasound - 34 Weeks

Baby weighed in at 6 pounds 5 ounces Tuesday! That's one ounce less than Cooper was when he was born - and his birthday is still a week and a half away! He said the ultrasound was very reassuring and looked great. As of right now the doctor is still talking about inducing at week 39 if the baby hasn't come by then (that will be the week before Thanksgiving).

I'm scheduled to go back to the doctor next Tuesday. I'm feeling generally uncomfortable with a lot of back pain and pressure. But I'm able to get quite a bit done with a lot of breaks during the day for sure. Cooper has been such a great little boy lately and that helps sooo much. I've also had help from family visiting the past few weeks and that has been great as well.

Right now I'm praying for a labor and delivery that includes T being here from start to finish. I'm nervous about calling him on the way to the hospital while he's away on a recruiting trip. Please pray with me about this...I don't want to have to beat anyone up if he's not there! :)

Cooper's Glasses

PREGNANCY UPDATE: They have put me on bed rest for at least a week as of today. I was having severe pains in the center of my belly accompanied by a tremendous amount of pressure. They did a non-stress test on the baby and verified that it is a very active baby and all looked well through the test. There were no concerns of being in preterm labor or anything; she just wants me to take it easy so as to not push it I guess. I think there is also added concern because I delivered Cooper preterm. I go back next Thursday to find out if another week is needed. This will be interesting because T is traveling and I don't exactly know how to do bed rest with a 2 year old by myself. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.

Glasses

So little buddy has to get glasses! He finally had his appointment with the ophthalmologist Tuesday and he determined that Cooper is farsighted. He said that because Cooper has been having to focus so hard on everything that is close up, he is now over correcting and that is why his eyes are crossing. He did say that he has improved a great deal from the lazy eye issues he had when he was a baby, which is very encouraging.

He had a fitting for some glasses on Tuesday and they should be in this coming Tuesday. Now we'll just have to wait and see if he'll tolerate them. (Please pray on our behalf for this.) He's not the biggest fan of having anything on his head or face, so needless to say, the fitting didn't go that well and makes me have little hope in a quick adjustment. I just pray that he'll soon realize he can see better with them on and decide to leave them on.

I'll post some pictures of him as soon as I can catch him with them on for any duration.

Dr. Visit - 30 Weeks

I went to the doctor for a check up on Tuesday. All went well. My belly is measuring right on track and the baby's heartbeat sounded great. I did sadly gain 8 pounds, but I didn't get in trouble this time since I haven't been able to walk like I had been. :)

I'll start going to see him every 2 weeks now! Crazy! We're in the home stretch. He said that we will do another ultrasound in a month to check on the baby. He seems to also be concerned about me trying to deliver a big baby. That was the concern last time too, so evidently it could pose a problem.

Hopefully I can figure out how to post the ultrasound pictures when we get them.

Jackson's Birthday Party

Cooper went to a big ol' birthday part this past Saturday. It was a ton of fun and so impressive! It was a firehouse theme with a pretend fire in the front yard, a visit from a friendly fireman and a little ride-through firehouse. The kids also got to go on a hay ride! Cooper was a little unhappy about that at first, but quickly decided he loved it! Jenn made two cakes that were impressive also. One was a fire truck...3-D and all! And the other was a sheet cake with a fire hydrant on it. (Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of them.)

Cooper absolutely loved being around all the kids. At one point he walked up to the arm of the couch and rested his head on it, looked around at all the kids playing, smiled really big and just sighed. It was like he was so thankful to be there with everyone and was soaking it up. Too cute! He did a really good job of keeping up with the kids and would have done better if mom hadn't had to be a foot from him at all times while he was on the concrete. I had to watch for any scary falls, but I know I looked like a crazy mom.

The evening was so much fun and we are so blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know the Sullivan's!

Hay ride!

Looking out the fire house window!

Mommy and Cooper on the hay ride.

What's been going on...

So I just thought I'd put a little post up to fill y'all in on what's been going on around our home the past few weeks.

My poor son has been in and out of the doctor 6-7 times in the past 6 weeks, the ER twice, and now has three doctor appointments lined up in the near future. First he had a viral sore throat that ended up clearing up pretty quickly. The week after that we had to take him to the ER with what we thought were severe abdominal pains - there ended up being no official diagnosis with that one, but they did give him a big dose of an antibiotic. He quickly recovered and then relapsed two days later, which put us at the doctor's office again. Still no diagnosis, but they decided to give him a big antibiotic for 10 days since he responded so well to the one he received in the hospital. Again, he quickly returned to his normal self; finished his 10 days; and on day 11 started to get sick again. This time it led to very labored breathing and another trip to the doctor to receive a nebulizer and a 30-day prescription of breathing medication. This medicine again quickly benefited him, and he quickly learned that he would be allowed to watch cartoons if he sat still and let the nebulizer do it's thing (picture in a previous post).

Then last week he fell and hit his head pretty hard. He had a normal "good" reaction and no signs of a concussion or anything, but the next morning I noticed his eyes were crossing (mainly the right one). So I had a small moment of panic and then called the doctor who referred us to the ER, yet again. They were worried that he had injured his brain and wanted to verify that there wasn't any swelling. We went to the ER where they did a CATSCAN and found a small skull fracture on the back of his head. They admitted him for observation and a repeat scan the next morning. No changes were found in the second scan and they determined that his brain was not causing his eyes to cross. So we left with no explanation for his eye situation and the very valuable knowledge of a skull fracture. The fracture will heal on it's own, but we have to be very careful with him for three months. He is seeing an opthamologist at the end of the month about his eyes and has a follow up with the neurosurgeon in two weeks.

And then, on Wednesday he woke up with a runny nose and a fever! I feel so bad for the little dude. Today his fever is down, but he's still very snotty and his eyes are so puffy.

In between the ER and the new fever, I found out that I have a stress fracture in my right foot. They put me in a soft cast and a "post op" shoe for at least a week. (I had been walking around in pain for like 12 days, so this little injury is taking up a lot of time.) This pregnancy is becoming more and more uncomfortable and with my little hobble it's hard to get things done and be very active.

Amazingly, and by grace, the mood is still very joyful and peaceful around here. I'm thankful for the pains this little baby is causing in my belly because that just tells me how strong "he" is. T has yet again proven his "amazing-ness" and is constantly helping me here at home and is doing such a good job at work. He doesn't complain about how much more I need his help, but instead constantly offers support with love and encouragement and understanding. Cooper is continuing to make amazing improvements in all areas of his therapy and we are so encouraged and proud of that. He is walking better and better every day with more strength and balance. He loves to go up and down the slides at the park and is in love with walking in the grass now. He's also filling the shoes of a two year old little boy very quickly. He's constantly climbing on things and testing his physical limits...and his parent's limits. We are looking forward to his big birthday party coming up and can't wait to celebrate another year of his sweet, joyful, precious, exciting and amazing life. And most of all, we are so honored and thankful that we get to be his parents.

The Lord has blessed us in so many ways and has done such great things in our family!

Glucose Test Update

The doctor called today about my 3-hour glucose test...

They said my numbers were NORMAL! I passed! Woo Hoo! It's amazing and a miracle. Thank you for the prayers. I'm so pumped about this situation!

Dr. Visit - 26 Weeks

Update: I got the call today that I did in fact fail my glucose test. Boo!!! Anything over 139 is considered high, and my number was 148, so it wasn't too bad. I go back for the big bad 3-hour test next Wednesday. I'll let you know what happens. I'm going to keep hoping and praying for a passing score.

Today I had a check-up at the doctor, which included my 1-hour glucose test. I am happy to report that I did not gain any weight this past month, the baby's heart rate sounded great at about 143 bpm, and my belly measured right on track at about 26 cm. The glucose test was very bearable. I must say the drink seemed way bigger than it did last time, but it didn't taste horrible at all. Cooper was at a friend's house, so he didn't have to sit through the wait...and I didn't have to chase him during the wait - so that was nice. I have high hopes for this test to come back with good results. I've been working really hard to eat well (and in moderation) and exercise every day to try and get around the diabetes this time. I'm praying for good news.

On another note, Cooper and I are currently both sick. I think mine is mainly allergy related. His started as allergies I think, and then turned into breathing issues. I took him to the doctor yesterday and they sent us home with a nebulizer and two different breathing medications for it. They also gave him an oral steroid to help him heal faster. It was a slightly stressful day yesterday since I'm sick as well (and hormonal and pregnant) and T. is at camp evaluations. So, prayers would be welcomed.

And I'm including a picture of Cooper on the potty...we aren't really trying to do the potty training right now. We're just trying to make him aware of it and let him get use to it.

Cooper getting familiar with the potty.

Cooper having one of his breathing treatments.

BBQ Pizza

Okay, I'm stealing the recipe posting idea from my friend Megan, but it's such a good idea and we so loved this recipe that I had to share it.

BBQ Pizza
1 store bought refrigerated pizza crust
6 tablespoons BBQ sauce (we used Sweet Baby Ray's)
1 cup cooked BBQ pork, diced or shredded
- (The day before I cooked 2 pounds of ribs in the slow cooker and used the rib meat on the pizza. We also used way more than one cup and loaded it down!)
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 tablespoons pickled jalapeno rings
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese (we just used Fiesta Blend Cheese)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Roll out the pizza dough and place on a pizza pan or large baking sheet. Spread the BBQ sauce all over crust. Top with the pork, corn, jalapenos and cheese. (We sprinkled the top with Italian Seasoning.)

Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the crust is golden. Top with fresh cilantro.

Quick and easy if you plan and prepare ahead of time. We were pleasantly surprised!

*Recipe from www.foodnetwork.com; italics my additions.

Dr. Visit - Week 22

I went to the doctor today for a check-up and all was well! Belly measured well, heartbeat sounded great, baby was moving all over the place. This baby is so low! She said that the baby may have a growth spurt soon and move up, but it's very different from how Cooper carried. I have all new pains with this baby for sure. One amazing thing was that I had only gained 2 pounds this month! Last month I gained 6 pounds, which he wasn't too happy about. I worked really hard to eat better and exercise this month and it seems to have paid off! Yay! They were much happier this time.

Cooper and Mommy at camp on pizza night!

Slideshow

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Week 18 - Dr. Visit

So I had a check up last Tuesday for the baby. All went well...he measured my belly (don't know the measurement) and listened to the heartbeat, which sounded great! I was kindly told to start eating better because I've gained 17 pounds so far and I think that he's worried about the gestational diabetes. We're trying to get around it this time. So hopefully in a month when I go back he will have better things to say.

I'm feeling the baby kick a lot...real kicks I can finally feel on the outside of my belly! It's exciting!

Camp is almost over...two more weeks! It's crazy that it went so fast. It's been great, but it's also exciting to know that some normalcy is just around the corner.

Cooper driving the golf cart with his daddy.

Ultrasound with Fetal Medicine Doctor

We went to the Fetal Medicine doctor last Friday to check the measurements of the baby. All went perfectly well! His brain looked good and all the other "checks for abnormalities" came back good. The baby is even measuring a little bigger than our due date, which is November 29th for sure. We shall call the baby "he" since we don't know the gender and I just can't stand calling the baby "it." So, he was squirming everywhere! It was amazing how much he was moving around. We got to see almost every part of him...both hands and feet, long legs, cute little nose like T's. And he yawned sooo big one time! It was just adorable! Here are a few pictures!

His profile, with a little stretch and a view of his spine and belly.

Another profile view and you can see his brain.

His face, arm and hand...and then his feet at the bottom.

The back of his head, his back, his right arm and leg...and a little booty shot.

Camp Has Started

So T is about to start his last week of training with the staffers for camp. Cooper and I have moved out to "Casa de FEMA" (as T calls it) Monday through Friday. We are coming home on the weekends to have some normalcy and room for Cooper to do his own thing. It also gives me a bit of a break because I'm not having to tell him "no" all the time and keep him from getting into stuff. So far so good...some adjusting is happening for all of us, but we'll make it.

Some big news is...when we got out to camp on Monday, Cooper literally took off walking all around the worship center! Out of nowhere! He wouldn't do a thing for his PT that morning and then all the sudden he was walking, stopping, turning, and clapping while walking. It definitely brought tears to my eyes. It was amazing! He's not walking everywhere yet. I think if he sees there's not a lot of room for him to walk, he'll get back on his knees and crawl. But he can do it. He wasn't even using a "high stance" the other day! (That's where he keeps his hands up by his head and kinda guards himself.)

So that's it for now. We have another doctor appointment on the 2nd. I'll update after that with news on the baby. I will say I've been feeling the baby move a lot lately. And there are those definite pregnancy pains now. Crazy!!

Cooper and his new swing!

2nd Check-Up

I had my second check up yesterday and it was quick and easy. I gained a couple of pounds, which he liked, and we got to hear the baby's heartbeat! It was crazy! He said it's the earliest heartbeat he's heard in a while and he was very happy to hear it.

We go back in early June for another check up, and then we'll have an ultrasound at the next appointment in July. But...we are planning on not finding out the sex of this baby. We are both pretty sure we can do it. We really want to experience that side of finding out.

Camp is starting soon for T. and for us as a family. I would have to ask that y'all be praying for us in this big first summer for us at camp. We'll post soon!

Here's a recent picture of Cooper at 17 months old going on 16...

And so...

We are pregnant again! We are on about the same schedule as we were with Cooper - the end of November.

We found out on Easter Sunday and it was quite unexpected. We are totally pumped and Cooper couldn't be happier.

We'll keep you posted throughout this pregnancy too! Love you all!