This Girl is on the move.  With her new higher levels of iron she is ready to go.   She only lasted on the rocking chair for about 15 seconds before she was on her way down. 

Some of you know that our living space is quite small … this makes me a little worried about what happens when she does actually officially crawl … by the way, she is very close.  So I asked Farmer Neal what we were going to do about that.  He said “well, we will have to put up a barricade between the livingroom and the room that houses the wood stove.”  I said “but how?”.  He said “hay bales”. 

He really does make me laugh.  Miss E. thought it was funny too … but I think that she thought the idea of barricading her was more of the joke. 

Sigh.  Good thing she is such a cutie.

Hi all.  Still here, awaiting the next week to pass before we hit the big 3-4 week!  Hard to believe that I have been pregnant this long.  Nothing new to report but I thought that I would just share a little story that I heard Farmer Neal telling Miss Evelyn today.  Obviously it was a one-sided conversation but she appeared to be listening intently. 

I happened to walk or waddle by … both descriptions work right now … and he said “wow Evelyner’s, Mommy is looking pretty pregnant, she is almost as big as a house.  What do you suppose that we will do when she outgrows the house?  Hmmm … maybe we could put her in the shed outside, cause that would fit her pretty well.  But maybe a better idea would be the double garage cause it has a wood stove that would keep her warm.  Plus, it has a 10 foot door so there wouldn’t be any trouble getting her in there.  Yep, I guess that is what we will have to do once she outgrows the house in the next 9 weeks.” 

He seriously makes me laugh.  I have however asked him to quit saying 9 weeks cause that seems like a very long time … even though I know lots of women go to 42 weeks I am banking on less than that.   I should also note that he is a big fan of the big pregnant look … I don’t know if that is odd or not since it is all I know, but I appreciate it very much. 

Farmer Neal … still the sweetest man I know.

Have a great day.

Hello!  I know it has been awhile here and the last two posts are far from exciting but that is my life, far from exciting … bedrest will do that to a girl.  But I decided to break the rules for a couple minutes and update, even though the update is quite literally the same.  I figure that even if the info is the same, those that check back for one will be pleased with a different post title and few new words. 

So, still on complete bedrest here.  Complete means that I can get out of bed (or out of a reclined position on the recliner or on the couch) to use the bathroom.  I can also shower once a day … which honestly doesn’t happen.  Why would I need to shower everyday when all I do is lay.  Anyway, I can also sit to eat.  Overall I have been the most excellent patient … even surprising myself, but now that it has been 20 days I am being a little “less than excellent”, but still very good.  

My next appointment is Thursday.  We will do another cervical length ultra-sound and another fetal fibronectin test (click the link for info) and as long as both of those are good … meaning the length is long which is good and the fetal fibronectin test is negative, which is good then there is a great chance that bedrest will be lifted slightly until we hit 34 weeks.   34 weeks (which we will hit on Saturday the 13th) is our short-term goal.  At 34 weeks we should be able to deliver in our nearby hospital with our amazing doctor.  Ideally we want to deliver after 38 weeks but we will take what we get.

So that is the bedrest update.  I am hoping to get some pictures of little Miss Evelyn yet this week and post because well, she is just so adorable. 

Have a great day!

Cause apparently my vagueness is not going over so well.  :)  I wasn’t intentionally being vague for the record.  I am just supposed be laying and not sitting at the computer.

The bed-rest is precautionary at this point.  Basically my cervix is shortening.  We have been checking it via ultra-sound at each appointment since it is one of the few things that we can look at to see if there is progress before there should be.  It’s been great but this past week we lost a centimeter.  The goal is 3cm, we were down to just over 2cm.  Hence the bed-rest.  Also my blood pressure was high which came with some medication and that may have caused some of the shortening cervix issue. 

We also have been doing a test … which I fail to remember the name of … that tells us if a certain hormone that is only released prior to labor, is being released.  This test is good for 2 weeks and is 99% accurate.  If you show the hormone, there is a 75% chance you will deliver within 2 weeks.  Both of the tests I have taken have been negative … including this past week.  We thought we were in the clear until the cervical ultra-sound, but since that wasn’t ideal the bed-rest was prescribed. 

So there you have it.  No dilating, no contractions, just a couple little red flags to keep us on our toes.  We have the most amazing doctor who is more fantastic than I can explain.  Thanks for the thoughts and prayers and I will keep you posted!  Our next appointment in Wed. morning.  Hopefully we are not progressing and the bed-rest is keeping this little one in and growing.

Bed-rest. 

Oh look, that is only one word!  Guess I will also add that since I am not supposed to be sitting here, posts will be few and far between.  Just wanted to let you know.  :)

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday Dear Evelyn!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy first birthday baby girl!  :) 

Ready … set … go!  Here is my plan … to organize a bunch of “spaces” this month.  I know, I say that all the time but really, this time … I am ready!  And honestly, so far so good this week.  See, now that I am officially not working (since Monday) it seems that I have lots more time.  Go figure.  It also has helped (somewhat) that Farmer Neal isn’t working right now so he can help with a few things here and there that this large pregnant body just shouldn’t do.  I will share with you some of the projects in pictures.  I am sure that you are very excited.  Some projects are large, but most are small.  I am tackling most of the small ones first since that just makes good sense. 

Project #1 … we took down Christmas (as small as it was) and organized the upstairs storage room and entry way.  It was a big project but took less than an hour. 

Project # 2 … De-cluttering the Refrigerator.  It was bad.  I eliminated all the old pictures and replaced with the most current ones that I have.  I also had to make a tough decision … “who exactly get’s to stay on the fridge”.  Immediate family only won.  Well, with the exception of my friend Martha … she is just too great not to keep a picture of.  When we receive new pictures throughout the year they will make the fridge until the next great de-cluttering day.  I also wanted to limit photos to the top section and leave the bottom section with “kid friendly” magnets. 

before

after

Nice right?  Yeah, it took like half an hour.

Project #3 … Limit the amount of utensils in the utensil drawers.  Another “not pretty sight” were my TWO utensil drawers.  Who the heck needs “two” … and these are big drawers.  I also have a little caddy that holds all my “use all the time” utensils.   Needless to say I am somewhat of a utensil junkie.  I love them.  I don’t use them, don’t need them, but I love them.  Most of these I purchased but a few “came with the place”, and they were kept since we had the room.

before

during

the keep, maybe?, and your outa here piles

after

 

In the end, I still have two drawers since there is not an immediate need for another drawer, and honestly … there is still more than I need.  Old habits are hard to break and I try to think ahead … for example … “do I need 4 types of rolling pins?”.  The answer would be obviously ”no” since I have one set of hands.  However, what happens when Evelyn’s two little hands, and the new babies two little hands  join the kitchen prep in a few years.  So yes, there is still more than I need, but not more than I “may need”.  See how that works?  I am great at justification.   But don’t they look nice?  Farmer Neal has yet to go through the “must go” box and plead a case for keeping them, but I only suspect a couple will be saved from the exiting of this great farm kitchen.

So there you go.  I have a couple more projects in the works today and will share as the time presents itself.  Here’s to hoping that I don’t get put on bed rest in the near future and my great organization challenge of 2010 goes down the drain.  Speaking of drains, I really need to clean under that sink!

Look who’s feeling better! 

What a nice change it is to see this face.  Needless to say it has been a very long 7 days for both Evelyn and the parents.  Farmer Neal told me more then once that it would take a week for her body to fight the cold … he was right … I don’t always appreciate when he is right.  Not surprised are you? 

So thankful that she is better.  Not so thankful that now I have what they had however.  But, it could be worse and I am not about to complain about a cold.

We are feeling a bit under the weather.  Well, this little one most certainly is. 

Can you tell?  Her face from this morning pretty much says it all.  Not sure I would mess with her if I were you. 

Farmer Neal was a little sick and the little lady who adores him just couldn’t resist getting what he had. 

Here’s hoping for a restful night.

I haven’t ever been a huge fan of new years resolutions.  I think that maybe back in the day when I was young and dumb I may have thought that they were a great idea but now that I am older and a little wiser I don’t even attempt at the “most likely to fail new years resolutions”. 

This year though I did think it would be a nice idea to at least write down some “goals”.  I have been hearing this a lot, about people skipping the resolutions and going towards the idea of goals.  I honestly wonder what the difference is. 

But for me, my goals are small ones.  You know like to organize the closet that holds the hundred plastic grocery bags, the bags that are stuffed in random areas rather than in one bag nice and tidy.  Or like a goal to clean off the desk by simply filing the “to file” pile. 

Simple goals … that is my goal for this year.  Small tasks that get overlooked but that will only take a few minutes if I just made the decision to do them.  There are no deadlines for these goals but I am writing them down when I think of them so that hopefully at some point they are completed.  They are not going to make or break anything if they don’t get done but life would be a bit more organized and dare I say a bit better if they were done. 

I just added “pluck eyebrows” to my goals list.  Hmmmm … I am not sure how sad that is, but it’s on the list.   Like I said, simple goals.