24 Weeks

The 24th week of Maggie's pregnancy proved to be somewhat eventful. Jack's big boy furniture arrived, I started the preliminaries for the nursery, I had a DR's appt, and we prepared to embark on our first ever beach vacation with other families.

The furniture and big boy room was a smashing success. Almost too successful for my liking. Jack wanted to move into his "big boy woom" immediately. I was planning on giving him a month to warm up to it--he had other plans. And guess who won? Yes, he did. He is moved in and hasn't looked back once. I have lots of pictures to share of the room as soon as the window treatments are complete. It looks like Friday, August 7th is the day. So keep checking back for pics!

This of course led me to wanting to pick paint for Maggie's room. I ordered her bedding last month. It is finally complete and was mailed to me last week. Let's just say, 'it is very pink'. Maybe I feel that way because I have been staring blue in the face for the past 3 years. So, what I thought was going to be a September project has turned into an August project due to Jack's jump of the gun into the big boy room. Believe or not, this paint project has been consuming my every waking thought for a week now. Who knew pink and yellow were so hard? The painters come on Wednesday August 5th for the nursery. However, you will have to wait a while on those pics. I have a lot to do in there.

I went to the DR for my 24 week check up. Everything was great. Maggie was rolling around, I measured right on time (which means nothing, because I did that through my whole pregnancy with J and he turned out huge). Looking back at my charts, I gained the SAME EXACT number of lbs with Jack at 24 weeks. Weird, huh? And I started out at the same weight. I'm wondering if she will be a big baby too or if it's just a big butt this time. Even more exciting, I get to schedule my C-section at the appt after next, which will be in September! Crazy to think I get to pick Maggie's birthday.

And last, but certainly not least, I spent the 24th week of my pregnancy packing suitcases and beach bags for our trip to Seagrove. We went with 2 other families. That was 6 adults, 3 two year olds, 2 infants, and 1 nanny. What a fab time! Lots of wet, sandy pictures on the way!

Can't wait to see what the next 16 weeks hold!

Jibber Jabber Jack

So...there is a silver lining to this thunderous cloud called the "Terrible (oops, I meant the TERRIFIC) Two's.

For me, it's all of Jack's new jibber jabber. He talks nonstop and I am loving it. His new coined phrases crack me up and amaze me at least a couple times a day. And they also make me realize what I say way too often!

Here are a few of my favorite. (you knew I would record this--can't take the risk of forgetting...say, 10 years down the road:)

*Where are we? --this occurs anywhere and everywhere that is not home

*What's that?--said repeatedly as he points and touches EVERYTHING! I've learned to turn it around on him when it's something that he already knows the answer too

*I don't want to like it--after I've introduced a new food and pronounce, "try it, you might like it"

*What's that about?--most recently used when he heard the water running through the walls after flushing the potty

*Where is Sophia?--all the time, anywhere, and especially if we have just said good bye to her

*snug, bug, rug!--what he says when he is ready to be tucked in at bedtime, of course it's suppose to be 'snug as a bug in a rug'

*oh, yeaaaa--anytime he agrees with me about an observation I've made & it's very animated

*can't see it--whenever I point something out it in the car and we have already passed, he relays this message to me for the next mile

*Cosbeeee, come back here--anytime Cosby leaves his sight and he is aware

*danyer, danyer--he points anything and everything I have ever warned him about with this phrase

*Grandma Margie--when asked what his baby sister's name was going to be, I guess Margie and Maggie sound a lot alike, however, we don't call Grandma by her first name--hilarious that he put it all together;)

*see all the frwens--when we announce that he has school the next day

*buy a new one--anytime something breaks or is lost--uh oh!!

*Go away bugs!--when he is outside and a bug even lands in his vicinity, usually paired with dramatic swatting

*If say so--obviously suppose to be "If you say so", cracks me up when he says this with a shrug of his shoulders after I've told him something

*I'm okay--any time he falls, trips, stubs his toe, slips, tumbles, anything...he jumps up and announces this with confidence. We swear it would take a broken bone to make him cry over pain--not interested in testing out that theory though

*Soooo silly--his last 'soooo silly' was when he saw a turtle statue painted like the American flag, everything is silly to Jack

*Do it self--the infamous phrase at our house

*Be Careful Jack--yes, he reminds himself of this in any perilous situations he finds himself in

Over The River & Through the Woods

...to GG's house we went! And FINALLY, here are some pics of our long weekend!

Thursday:

Jack and I drove up by ourselves--our first road trip on our own. I was a bit nervous about the 6 hour trek, but everything went well and it was thankfully, pretty much uneventful. That is, minus the check engine light coming on. Talked about freaked out, however we made it and all was okay.

As soon as we arrived at the lake, Jack spotted GG's sprinklers whizzing around. From there it was one happy & naked boy outside until dinner time. Toddler entertainment at its finest.

Friday:

We spent most of our pre-nap time outside again. This time in and out of the sprinklers, but mostly down at the lake. Jack loved running down GG's huge grassy yard to the lake shore. There he found his favorite outdoor toy...rocks. Beware to anyone who is near Jack and a rock--his aim is pitiful. With a little coaching, most of his rocks went into the lake. Jack did some swimming, or should I say raft floating, and played with his new boat GG had surprised him with. A two year old's paradise. He and Cosby even braved an uphill hike into the woods until he realized Mommy WAS NOT following him.

After naps (notice the plural--I was exhausted early morning and could not figure out why, the answer is all too clear now), I headed to the airport to pick up Daddy. He flew into the the tiny 2 gate airport near my Grandma's house. Pick up was a breeze--loved it!

From there we headed back to the lake for yummy BBQ, both Clay's and my fave when we visit. However, I was having trouble enjoying it at this point and I was quickly heading downhill. After BBQ, we drove over to a cute nearby village and had dessert. (This may have been the highlight of Jack's trip and the end of my Oxi-Clean bottle.) Following dessert, we did a little sight seeing and made a visit to a petting zoo of sorts for J.

Saturday:

This was suppose to be our boat day. Daddy was finally here and we had a captain. But, between the stormy weather and my dreaded illness, which was in full force at this point, our plans were slightly altered. We spent most of the day indoors. I rested, got sick a lot, slept, tried to get dressed and feel better, went back to bed, etc, etc. Jack, GG, and Daddy played with all of the toys GG had prepared for J's visit, read books, and even took a walk during a rain break. Jack didn't care what we were doing--he was just LOVING being at GG's house.

After naps, the rain had cleared and there was just enough time for a late afternoon boat ride. I sat this one out while GG, Daddy, Jack, Cosby, and Nina hit the lake. Jack was very hesitant at first, but once the boat took off he was a happy skipper. The bumpier the ride the better! And no that is not lake water on J's head, that is what you call a busy boy who sweats A LOT!

Sunday:

This was departure day. We couldn't leave without one more boat ride. This time I decided to hop aboard. I thought (or at least hoped) I was feeling better, clearly I wasn't. Regardless we took the boat to the Marina and had breakfast. Jack was oohed and awwed over by the entire staff and he was eating it up. I'm sure we will return to the "turtle place" on our next visit per Jack's request. On our short walk back to the boat dock, Jack inquired several times, "where is Jack's boat?". I had to laugh, two rides and it's already his!

So even with rain and a severe illness, we had a lovely lake trip. Thank you GG--we love you and hope to be back soon!

What The Teacher Said...

...when Clay picked Jack up from Summer Camp on Wednesday...

"He is an angel...absolutely perfect. I would have taken him home with me."

Hmmmm....is there another Jack in the class?


p.s. feeling much better with no additional trips to the hospital--on the road to recovery:)

The Unexpected Hospital Visit

I was admitted into the hospital yesterday--July 13th. You should have seen my admissions paperwork. Today's Date?....July 13th, Your date of birth?...June 13th, Babies due date?...November 13th. There is something about me and 13's.

The reason all stemmed from a stomach bug/virus/flu/salmonella/something/ that I came down with this past weekend when we went to see my Grandma at the lake (which I have lots of pics to post of soon!). It started on Friday and was relentless until Monday A.M. I talked to my DR twice on the phone while out of town. The second conversation ended with her wanting to see me Monday morning. I, of course, was overly concerned with Maggie, while my DR was concerned about my comfort.

What I thought was going to be a quick baby check and prescription turned into a 12 hour stay at the hospital. There was fear I was dehydrated. And with my symptoms of aching fevers, constant fatigue, dizziness, splitting headaches, and not being able to keep anything down for 3 1/2 days straight, they were probably right. However, I didn't know that dehydration can cause early contractions.

So, I was whisked to the labor/delivery floor of the hospital. Yes, literally whisked...wheel chair and all. I can't even begin to tell you how silly I felt. I had driven my car down there by myself for goodness sake.

Once nestled in my hospital bed, it all made sense. Just not "tyring to feel okay" made me realize how bad of shape I was really in. The nurse came in pronto and started an I.V. drip of fluids. After she poked me, I remember thinking, 'this doesn't feel good', not that I.V.'s ever do. But my arm felt like a lead block. I literally could hardly lift it from the bed. 'So, maybe I'm being paranoid, I thought'. When the nurse returned a few minutes later, I expressed my concerns very nonchalantly. (Don't ask me why I never looked down at my arm). But, according to the nurse, my "perfect vein" she had commented on earlier, was infiltrating. It looked like I had a giant baseball under my skin right before the crook of my elbow...and it hurt. On to arm number 2...more of those "perfect veins". But, yes, it happened again. Of course we caught this one much faster.

Next thing I know, Nurse Becky is calling in the "I.V. Team". Oh how I expected a a team of masked men and women to swoop in the hospital room door, surround my bedside, and begin poking me all over. It was nothing of the sort...just one nice lady with a cart. She too commented on my "great veins" and I told her "if she liked those, she should check out my legs!". She then explained that this was occurring because I was sooo dehydrated and this was too much fluid in too big of an I.V. too fast. So three's a charm and I was up and running with fluids a WHOLE hour later. But, boy did it feel good when it started flowing (or maybe that was the anti-nausea drug they injected too--by the way, where was that my first tri-mester?).

They hooked up lots of machines to monitor Maggie and my vitals. She was moving a little slow initially, but was perfectly fine. Later in the evening, after 3 bags of fluid, she was up to her old acrobatic tricks. What a relief. I slept like a baby, even with nurses and what not in an out of the room.

When I woke from one of my naps around 7 pm, I was ready to go home. Not so fast, the DR had written orders for me to stay overnight...what!?!?!? After much convincing that I was doing better and missed my 2 year old dearly, they gave me crackers and a bland dinner, watched to see what happened, made me rest a lot longer, and finally discharged me about midnight. I was given strict orders to rest and sip liquids. Not so easy once I got home.

As for how I'm doing today?...better, but no where near great. My energy level is basically zilch (although I did take J to music--that really zapped me). I still have pounding headaches, but I was able to eat a little lunch ( which did not turn out to be a good idea--I got sick about 3 hours later). I'm just really tired of this. I mean, I have things to do. Things like...laundry, grocery shop, calls to return, errands to run, not to mention a 2 year old to chase around and a fetus to keep healthy!

I'm sure you're wondering, what are you doing on the computer then? Good question...but, it actually relaxes me. I'm sitting and thinking instead of feeling sick and stressing about all of my "to do's" which I can't physically do right now. And then there are times when my headache is soooo bad, that I can't lay down anyway. Something about being horizontal worsens it, so again I can sit and semi-rest quietly at my computer and it lessens the pain slightly. Trust me, once I am able to tackle my chores, this computer will be at the bottom of my list for a bit.

The DR wants to see my again on Wednesday. I'm really trying to avoid it by telling her "I feel better". Which is a bit of a white lie, but as long as I can feel Maggie rumbling around in there, I don't really see the need. If, and I pray they don't, the symptoms continue, I guess I will be back in this week.

Thanks to all my friends for offering to help. It is so greatly appreciated with no family in town! Right now, all I ask for are prays for little Maggie Grace ( it's so fun that she has a whole name:). I will be fine, but I can't help but worry about her a bit.

Now, off to rescue my tot from his 3 hour nap...gotta love it at a time like this!

Update as of 7:30 p.m.: the fever is back, spoke to the DR, chance I could be back in the hospital if I can't keep some broth down...here goes nothing...

She Has A Name

I must first thank all of you for your wonderful comments and help with our "boy" name dilemma. We actually took a lot of your advice to heart and because of your help we were very close to finalizing the boy name until...

We found out Baby Cibula was actually a girl!

And at that exact moment, all of our name worries were gone in an instance. For as long as I can remember, I always wanted a Margaret. It's a very dear family name. It's my wonderful Grandma's name, who I love and cherish beyond words. And it is also my Mom's name who is as equally important to me. When Clay was on board with the name, way back when--even before Jack's pregnancy, I knew it was a done deal. Well, a done deal, if I ever had a girl. And trust me, I was expecting all boys. So not only am I thrilled to be carrying a sweet baby girl, but also thrilled to use the name Margaret.

Because there are already two Margarets on my side of the family, we're going to call her Maggie. Thankfully it works with Jack..."Jack and Maggie" and it works with Cibula..."Maggie Cibula". Two for two!

The only minor issue we have run across is the middle name. We really wanted to use a name from Clay's side, but haven't been able to make that work. We needed a middle name that worked with Margaret, Maggie, and Cibula. And don't forget my issue with that soft "C" in Cibula...such a pain!

We tossed around Claire...Maggie Claire, but I wasn't crazy about the 2 "C"s in the initials.
We tossed around Jane...Maggie Jane, but our niece on Clay's side is a ___ Jane.
We thought about Kate...Maggie Kate, but we know two little Kate's that we play with often--too confusing.
And then we narrowed it down to our top two...Maggie Grace or Maggie Elizabeth. We've debated now for about a month. We worried Elizabeth was too long, although I didn't care--I LOVE that name. And we worried about the soft "C" in Grace with Cibula, even though she will hopefully marry one day and get an easier last name.

I've asked Clay his opinion everyday for the past month and each time he changes his mind. Finally this weekend, I decided a decision needed to me made. However, I did not want to be the decision maker! So, we went to big brother Jack. "Jack do you want your baby sister to be Maggie Grace or Maggie Elizabeth?" And our sweet two year old answered very emphatically, "aggie gace". I've asked him 3 or 4 times since and he has not wavered on his decision. So there you have it, baby girl Cibula finally has a full name...

Margaret Grace Cibula

Mister "Independence" Day

Isn't it funny that just about the time we celebrate our Independence as a country, my vivacious toddler has begun to celebrate his Independence as a person?

I knew it was coming. All of my friends with older tots told me about it, the books said so, and I could see Jack beginning to do things on his own. It's just like everyone described... he is torn somewhere between wanting to be his own person and needing the security of Mommy.

Emphatic "Me do it" and "Do it self" are constant phrases around here. But, only a few short minutes later they will be followed by whining pleas for "Mommy" or "help peeeas". It's just as frustrating and exciting for Jack as it is for me.

A menial task, such as getting into the car to go somewhere, can turn into a challenge that causes us to be 15 plus minutes late. Ironically on Independence Day, this is a scenario that took place...

'Jack hop in the car, it's time to go'

Jack climbs half in and gets stuck on the floor board of the car in between the door jamb.

'Here let me help you", (as I begin to boost him up)

'No, ME DO IT!!'

(Hands off--I wait patiently...for quite a while)

Jack struggles while chanting, 'do it self'

Finally he is in and up on the back seat!...and then the challenge starts all over again with getting him into the actual car seat.

On the flip side one of the great perks about Jack's self declared Independence is it's one of my best discipline tools to date. For example, "Jack it's time to go. You can come over here by yourself of Mommy will do it for you." And just like magic, 90% of the time it works. Jack would rather "do it self" than have Mommy do it for him. (That is unless he is in clingy Mommy mode)

So this weekend while Jack was struggling between Mister Independence and " Where is my Mommy?" we celebrated the true Independence of our country with lots of pool time, friends, family and food. It was a nice reminder that anything worth having (in this case Independence) is worth working for...even it makes you 15 minutes late anywhere you go!

Happy 4th to all! Here is a peek at our celebration...

"Jack let me help you with that big boy cup"...Jack answers,"Do it self!"


Soooo Patriotic!

Mommy and "Mister Independence"

This is Jack's new photo face...tongue out! I have several pictures from the weekend like this...lucky me!

Okay, I really don't like this picture of Clay and I, but I couldn't resist that precious Jack smirk...mmmm, love that boy!