30 weeks

This last Monday I hit 30 weeks!  I had Dan take some pictures so I could share.  I've been measuring right on target the whole pregnancy and feel so huge!!!  Which is probably because I have always measured small!  This week has been pretty stressful as far as contractions and other things have gone.  Wednesday, I woke up and it hurt to walk and toward the end of the day I felt as though the baby was pressing down and was having some pretty painful contractions.  I was up on and off through out the night and called the my doctor in the morning and they had me come in.  She did a fetal fibronectin test which came back positive.  Let me explain what I understand about the test.  Fibronectin is a protein that is secreted through the cervix as you get close to going in to labor.  The fFN test is to see if fibronectin is leaking through the cervix which COULD (not necessarily that you WILL) indicate that you are going to go into labor.  The test is more accurate if it comes back negative, rather then if it comes back positive.  If it comes back negative, you have a 1% chance of going into labor for the next 2 weeks.  If it comes back positive is increases your chances of going into labor and if you are having contractions and fibronectin is present you are a lot more likely to have cervical change.  If would like to know more you can check out : www.ffntest.com

So the knowledge I gained from going into the Dr. on Thursday was 1) the baby's head has dropped and my cervix has started to soften (it may of thinned but she wasn't going to be too invasive) and 2) I have a higher chance of going into labor because of the protein that is present. The Dr. just told me to take it easy (like that will happen :) and they will keep my treatment the same as in I will still just  be going in every 2 weeks.  No medicine or anything.  So that gives me some relief knowing that the Dr. isn't concerned but is also a little frustrating.  I am thinking about asking for a shot to mature this little guys lungs just to be on the safe side.  I am going to be prepared though just in case he does decide to come sometime in the next 2-3 weeks.  If we can make it to week 34 that would be the best case scenario for a preemie......which isn't that far off.  So here we go!!!

Easter 2012

We had a lot of fun this Easter as a family.  We had a special family home evening talking about the meaning of Easter and decorating Sugar cookies.  We went to the town Easter egg hunt, which was rained out so the girl's just got a bunch of eggs dumped into their baskets and then we did the walk downtown to the different shops to collect more Easter eggs.  We dyed eggs for the first time together which was followed by bath time and then an Easter egg hunt around the house.  Easter morning the girls awoke to their Easter baskets full of goodies and we had a special breakfast of monkey bread and grapes.  I wish I had gotten pictures of the girls in their matching yellow Easter dresses!  We went to church were the primary kids sang an Easter song while I played the piano for them (I'm the primary pianist for our ward).  Later on in the day we went up to Durham for a family Easter dinner and birthday celebration.  Easter was lots of fun for our family this year!

Excited Hannah holding her Eater basket on Easter Morning.

Bella was more interested in eating the candy then what was actually in the basket.

Before going to bed on Saturday, we had an Easter Egg hunt around the house.

Our dyed eggs.

Dan's creation :)

We had an evening of dying Easter eggs. 

Dan had been outside most of the day working on our fence, he is definitely sporting a sunburn!

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Fuquay had a walk down Main St. where the kids could go from shop to shop and collect eggs from the owners.

The Monday before Easter we decorated Sugar cookies for Family home evening.  The girls really enjoyed putting on the frosting and sprinkles.  They also really enjoyed eating them!

Recent projects

I just finished a baby blanket and two burp cloths for this little guy who is due to arrive in the next 3 months (Yeah I know, it's crazy for me too that I'm in my third trimester.  I'll try and get some pictures soon........it's like all of a sudden I just kind of popped out and everyone is like, "So you really are pregnant, it's not just a rumor!").  I want to try and finish another blanket because every baby needs two new blankets made just for them.......plus it's always good to have a back up when one is dirty.  And it wouldn't hurt to make some more burp clothes.  Some more projects I've been contemplating for him would be baby boy bedding for his crib.  Luckily I have a months until I have to have that done, he'll be in a bassinet for the first few months!  And I've been debating on borrowing, making or just buying a suit to bless him in.  Not sure what I'm going to do yet.  It seems like I haven't really done anything to get ready for him yet.  I bought a bassinet, a car seat and some newborn and 0-3months clothes for him at a  recent consignment sale.  I am hoping to find more for him at garage sales, if I can get myself up in time :) I had to laugh when a neighbor left out two nice and perfectly fine car seats to be thrown away and I brought them home to realize.......I now have not 1 or 2 but 3 car seats!  So I need to figure out what to do.  I am hoping to find a good deal on a baby swing or just borrow one.  I know I have a lot to do to get ready but at least we have the bare essentials.  I also have plans to make a diaper bag.  I've gone through so many and there was always something more I wished they would have..........so I figured I should just make my own and then I can add as many pockets and zippers as I need. I'll stop there before this turns into a post just about the baby. But so everyone knows we DO have a name picked out and will share it when he comes!

My mother in-law bought a glider rocker for us from a garage sale because she knew how much I missed the one we got rid of back in Provo.  I was very touched.  I decided to cover it with a soft ivory faux suede fabric that I thought would nice for nighttime feedings with this little one comes along. Pictures below.

I also decided to make my own laundry detergent!  It has been interesting and seems to work just fine if not a little better than the stuff I was buying before. Pictures below as well.

I also am almost finished with my ABC quiet books!  It has taken 1 year to complete both of them but I am almost finished!!!  I just need to finish putting in the eyelets and making a cover for them and they will be done. This is a project Shalyse and I have both been working on so we will both be putting pictures up as soon as they are done........which should be by the end of this month.*cross you fingers* :)

Before picture.  I forgot to take one before I started but this one still gives you a good idea of the change that was made.

After picture.....it's heavenly to sit it!

The ingredients I used for my laundry detergent.  Next time I think I will use more purex crystals to enhance the smell.  I'm all about smells right now!

The finished product!  The the yellow things you see are just the the bars of soap that have been grated, nothing else :)

Our New Addition

The front of our Mazda MPV.

 Today I became the owner of my very first car (I've never had a car in my name before, so it's pretty exciting to me)...a 2001 Mazda MPV.  I am overjoyed and we've been having a blast with it.  We are happy we were able to get such a great deal on a minivan that is in such great shape.  The MPV  doesn't have a lot of the fancy features like a lot of the Honda Odysseys we drove, but to us it is all new and fancy (and the price was a lot more affordable).  Like the fact it has power window and locks, that's pretty fancy to us.  A few cool features it has is that the passenger door windows can roll down and the second row captains chair can slide over to make the second row into a bench seat.  We also really like that the third row is a 'stow'n'go' which means it folds into the trunk so you can have more hauling capacity.  We are still learning about it and I can't believe it's mine!  Again, nothing overly fancy but we are still extremely happy with it!  We are now ready for baby #3!

Valentine's 2012

For Valentine's this year we had a blast! I made a special dinner of a garden salad w/ homemade oragne vinegarette, stuffed baby portabella mushrooms, french dip sandwiches and ginger glazed carrots. Followed by a dessert of chocolate dipped strawberries and whipped cream. I think we all enjoyed it. One thing that would have made it better was feeding the kids first and putting them down for bed........something to keep in mind NEXT year! Hannah helped me to clean the china, stemware, and the flatware. She also had fun helping to set the table. She was pretty excited that we were using all these special dishes and I was excited to see her so excited :)

I did a 14 days of Valentine's for Dan, with valentine notes that had some treat attached. There was some corny ones but I think he looked forward every morning to see what I had left him.

Dan got me some red tulips and a pink t-shirt that said "My Husband Loves Me." It was a pretty fun gift :) He also surprised me a few mornings later with chocolates, some perfume (I use to wear this certain kind when we were dating that had a really neat cap on it and we both liked it, so it was fun he went out and searched for it ) and an invitation to a night out on the town. He came home early to pick me and the girl's up. We exchanged babysitting with Ben and Shalyse. After dropping the girls off, we went and had a delicious dinner at The Cheesecake Factory and afterwards when to a ballet. It was fun just being with him, especially when we got lost. We also weren't in love with the ballet we went and saw but it was a fun experience to have together and we look back with fond memories.

I thought I would throw a picture of the baby bump at the end because, it's one of the only one's I've had taken so far :) I'm about 16 weeks here.

Bella is 18 months

Bella turned 18 months last month. So far she has gone to nursery 3 times and the nursery leaders have been impressed with her. She walks in and begins to play and is happy and content all through nursery. I keep thinking she'll start crying at some point but so far she goes in and has a great time. She helps to put away toys at cleaning time and eats all her snack. Everyone is so much happier during 2nd and 3rd now! Bella is very sensitive and loves giving and receiving hugs. She is very calm and relaxed when she is on her own. When her and Hannah are together it kind of changes everything :) I love how she helps me to clean and is always eager to go down for a nap! She also loves putting on shoes and clothes. It's kind of ironic because Hannah is the complete opposite the less clothing she has to wear the better. Bella, is a very sweet little girl.

I've been having so much fun with her hair! I love doing her hair!

It took a while but Bella is finally coming in to her teeth. All four of her molars, five teeth on top and three teeth on the bottom are all making their way through her gums. She is pretty much going to double her teeth this month once they all finally come through :)

Bella doesn't say more than a handful or words but she is good at getting her point across. When she is hungry or thirsty she lets me know by bringing me a plate, bowl or cup.

I have these soft fuzzy socks that she loves to put on. I always crack up because they go clear up her legs :)

Being bashful!

We are pretty sure she has food allergies. She gets these hives all over her chest and stomach. She scratches and scratches at them. They keep her up some nights. This is a picture where it is just the shoulders and it is a little washed out but this was a rough day for us both.

I've been treating the hives with hydro-cortisone and then children's benedryl when it gets really bad. Does anyone have experience with this and have a tips to share? It's really rough when it wakes her up and night and then we spend hours between waking up and falling back asleep.