26 weeks

It has been awhile since I updated everyone, but just like everyone else, our lives are totally crazy right now.  This weather is crazy...

Lots has happened in the past few weeks...

First of all, I fell and likely fractured my tailbone.  We can't confirm since xray is out due to BW2 but either way it stinks.  The baby is fine but it makes one uncomfortable momma even more uncomfortable.  Thanks to some friends, I did find a great chiropractor that specializes in pregnancy and am currently working with her to get things in tip top shape for delivery.  Working with her is crazy painful but she has helped the baby move up a few inches so some of the pressure if off my pelvis. 

In the meantime, my OB wanted to make sure all the pain in my low back and pelvis were legitimately a result of the musculoskeletal issue and not a sign of early labor so we got a few extra tests this month.  Thankfully my cervix had not thinned any from the last visit. 

At my last visit we did get to discuss delivery and my doctor assured me that the IUD alone is NOT a reason for me to have a c- section, as I had read in a couple of sources.  That will only come to the table if there is some sort of complication at time of delivery.  He did reiterate that it will be imperative that the IUD comes out with the baby, but he expects that to happen and for us to not run into anything else crazy.  He has advised us to be ready for an early baby since at around 36+ weeks the IUD can irritate the cervix or burst your water.  Then again, there is a similar chance she will be like her sister and stay 41+ weeks.  Fingers crossed. Cutting back at work has been suggested by him numerous times, but anyone who knows me and my field knows that really isn't an option.  Praying that my sanity and body hold out as long as possible so I can maximize my time with her and Jazzy after delivery. 

Entering my third trimester we have decided we may want to get busy getting ready for this little bunny so we have finally started redoing both girls rooms.  A big girl bed for Jazzy!  She is very excited, but I forsee many injuries as she is already a little monkey jumping on the bed! 

Looking forward to our next U/S at 28 weeks and getting to see this little gal again <3. 

Maybe Christmas Doesn't Come from a Store...

"It came without ribbons.  It came without tags.  It came without packages, boxes, or bags.  Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."

This season, social media has been full of so many people questioning Santa.  If your kids believe in Santa are you lying to them?  Are you teaching them to be greedy? Are you forgetting the true meaning of Christmas?  Is it really fair to the kids? People, please!  Your killing me! 

My parents are the greatest at Christmas. Still, to this very day.  My brother and I literally believed in Santa until we were 13.  My parents were just that good.  Jake got a bell from Santa's sleigh before The Polar Express was even cool.  My mom made teeth marks in carrots so we knew Rudolph enjoyed his snack.   Jake tried to "catch" Santa every year, setting up traps and cameras in our living room.  One year he put our video camera on the kitchen counter and aimed it at the tree, knowing he was going to get him.  After working the midnight shift, my dad got up, put trash bags over all the windows to make it look like night, dressed up as Santa, delivered some presents, pretended to notice the camera and ran over to turn it off.  That tiny glimpse of the man in the red suit in our living room was enough.

  And guess what?  We are fine.  We are both productive members of society.  Our childhood was amazing, even with Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy ( gasp!).

We still went to church on Christmas Eve and sang Happy Birthday Jesus as a family in my grandmas basement every single year.  We give and donate and volunteer.  We aren't greedy or jaded or feel like our parents lied to us all those years.  Because to us, Santa is real.  He is the spirit of all that is good and right in the world.  He is magic and wonder and charity. 

So it was only appropriate that Santa bring us the best gift of 2013.  News that 19 weeks in, we still have a healthy baby, and that little baby is a girl!



 As you can see, Jaslyn is thrilled. 

For the record, I was 150% convinced this one was a boy.  So if your pregnant in the future, and I say " I think its a boy/girl" you can pretty much bet on it being the exact opposite of whatever I believe.

 Our ultrasound went well, the baby was very active and much more cooperative than big sister was for her ultrasounds.  All baby's organs look good and my placenta and fluid levels are normal.  The IUD is still visible but is being pushed farther and farther into the uterus as the baby grows.  This may cause another complication towards the end of my pregnancy if the IUD becomes imbedded in the uterus and they cant retrieve it when the baby is born.  But we will cross that bridge when we get there.  We go back again on Dec 30th and will hopefully discuss delivery options, as I want another natural birth and the IUD may present complications at delivery. 

Another girl means Jeremy will officially be outnumbered 5 to 1 (our cats Hattie and Harriett are both girls).  He said he is getting a male dog, but I'm holding out for baby #3 in a few years.  :)

 

Now to pick a name.  Hopefully it's easier than it was with Jaslyn who was nameless until we signed the birth certificate. 

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Everything from our family to yours!

 

 

No News is Good News

Another visit to the OB this week and another positive report.  No change.   At the 16 week mark, BW2 was active, as always, with a HR of 134.  So far it looks like the IUD is not causing any new problems.  All of the additional testing they did due to my high blood pressure readings turned out normal, and it looks like my BP has returned to normal.  Maybe just all the stress? 

Our next appointment for an ultrasound and lab work is the 17th.  This will be a focused ultrasound to look at the baby's anatomy and give us a better idea of where the IUD is and if it remains stable.  If this baby cooperates, we should be able to find out the gender!  Baby Jaslyn was not so participative, and we had to wait 20+ weeks to find out she might be a girl.  Our doctor asked "Would you like to find out the gender or wait for a 40 week surprise?" which he immediately followed up with "You've probably had enough surprises for this pregnancy."  I think he is right!  We are definitely leaning towards this little one being a boy.

The new medications have significantly improved the nausea I was having which is awesome.  I've yet to feel my energy return with the second trimester, but I'm still holding out for a miracle.  I would be perfectly content to eat Vanilla Cupcake Goldfish and sleep all day, but I guess I have to work, and graduate, and cuddle Jazzy Bear.  It could be worse :)  When we ask Jaslyn to "give the baby a kiss" she kisses my belly, which absolutely makes you melt.  The only downside is she doesn't differentiate my baby belly from anyone else's--when we tell her to give the baby a kiss she heads for the nearest belly- daddy's, Mimi's, Grandad's.  She likes to share the love ;)

BW2 Update

We had a quick check in with the nurses at my doctor's office today to make sure everything is going ok.  I'm happy to report that BW2 is still looking great.  My fluid levels are stable, placenta looks good, and the baby was moving everywhere.  I had some testing done due to the high BP readings at my last appointment, but thankfully they all look good at this time.  We will see the doctor again on Dec 1st and will hopefully know what the baby's gender is in time for a Christmas surprise!  Thanks to everyone for the well wishes!  We are still being very cautious due to the circumstances but are more excited for this new life with each passing day!

Baby Wooten #2

And just like that....BAM! Baby #2 is on the way. 

No, this is not a Halloween trick!  And yes we are as shocked as you are!  Good lord willing and the creek don't rise, Baby #2 will be making his/her appearance around the middle of May. 

So not considering that we have a 10 month old, I work way too much, and I graduate with my doctorate right around my due date, we are really excited! 

 

Jaslyn is probably less excited, but right now her main concerns in life are kittens, pumpkins, and snacks so we are pretending like she is as excited as the rest of us!

I decided to blog about this baby because as you may have guessed by now, BW2 has came with some very special circumstances.  I thought writing about them here and periodically updating about the baby's status would be the easiest way to make sure all our out of town family and friends stay in the loop.  Right now we need all the prayers and happy thoughts we can get for this little peanut!

I am currently between 12-13 weeks pregnant.  We aren't sure of my exact dates because the baby was unexpected.  A few weeks ago, I was feeling really poorly and basically wanting to sleep all the time.  My mother (who honest to goodness knows everything, I swear) kept asking if I was pregnant.  My answer was "No! Of course not!" because I have a Paragaurd IUD.  An IUD is a birth control device that is placed in the cervix to protect against pregnancy without hormones. 

 

 

Paraguard looks like this.  According to the manufacture and general contraceptive teaching, IUD's are the MOST EFFECTIVE form of reversible contraception.  More effective than pills, patches, shots, ect... A copper IUD like Paragaurd is good for preventing pregnancy for up to 12 years.  The pregnancy rate with Paragaurd is less than 0.01%.  In comparison, the pregnancy rate with tubal ligation is up to 3.7%.  Even if pregnancy occurs, they are often in the fallopian tubes or are non-viable.  But I digress...

 

So fast forward to when my mom finally convinces me to take a test, which is positive, but a pregnancy is impossible because I have this very very effective form of birth control.  I go to my OB, who also thinks the test was likely a false positive or maybe I have a tubal pregnancy.  We immediately go for an ultrasound which reveals....

 

 

One healthy, viable, 10 week old fetus.  Say what?!?!

 

Since my doctor has never had this happen to a patient, we did not really know what to expect.  I went to WVU to see a high risk perinatologist, who tried to remove the IUD but was unsuccessful.  Somewhere in the course of 3-4 days the IUD had moved from my cervix to the top of my uterus, above the baby.  And that is where it will stay for the remainder of the pregnancy. 

 

So what does all this hoopla mean for us?  First of all, I am high risk which means more frequent monitoring and trips to the doctor.  So far every ultrasound and exam has showed a healthy growing baby.  Glory be to God. 

 

It also means I am having some unwanted complications and my risk of second trimester miscarriage is higher than other pregnancies.  I am on light activity and generally don't feel as great as I did with Jaslyn.  I have had a couple of big scares but my doctor has been very attentive and reassuring. He has described this pregnancy as a "miracle" and "meant to be".   The IUD is causing me to have some intermittent pain that is pretty severe but not threatening to the baby.  Most recently, I was diagnosed with pregnancy induced hypertension.  In light of that I am having some more testing done next week to determine how we can treat it to keep me and the baby safe for the next 6 months.  Early delivery is more common in women who carry babies with IUD's so that is always in the back of our minds.  The perinatologist at WVU has assured us that while the IUD does make the pregnancy more complicated the actual device does not pose any risk to the baby while in utero.  If I have a natural birth the IUD should be delivered with the baby.  He said he has literally seen babies born holding the IUD  ( I am hoping he is really joking).   

 

So there is the condensed version of the roller coaster ride that has been our lives for the last two weeks.  Right now we are taking things day by day and are forever grateful that God has chosen us to bring another beautiful life into this world. 

Here is the most recent shot of BW2 --- with his/her tiny leg kicking up in the air!

 

 



Babe in a Mug

Dad is out of town and Birdie has been having a particularly rough week, deciding she doesn't care much for sleep anymore, but she does love to poop on every outfit I put her in.  Especially at daycare and Mimi's house.  So I have been dragging.  Literally dragging.  But even at her worst she always makes me smile.  In fact, most of the time she cracks me up.  Especially when she is in a coffee mug....

One of our favorite blogs is Mommy Shorts.  It's hilarious, her kids are adorable, it lets me dream about mommyhood in the big city, and it never fails to cheer me up.  This week she posted pics of her adorable kiddos in her signature Mommy Shorts mug. 

No photoshop required, just the babe and a mug.  You don't even need to be creative.  My mom and I were cracking up taking pictures of Little Bird.  You can take your own pic of your babe and tag them #babeinamug on Instagram.

We were super excited to see that she featured Jaz and some other mug cuties on her blog this week! 

#babeinamug #meanmuggin

So tonight at 2 AM after you've snuggled your little monster back to sleep for the 5th time, pop on over to MommyShorts and crack up at all the other crazy, sleep deprived parents who are putting their babes in kitchenware for their own personal entertainment. 

DIY Taggie Teether Blanket

Miss Birdie is starting to show interest in playing and toys ~ she loves to lie on the floor and kick and squawk and squeal.  So far the only toys she really loves are her taggie blankets and teether blankets. They are soft, they make a lovely crinkly noise she is particularly fond of, and she can squish them up just enough to shove them in her mouth.  She is in heaven.

The design of these little blankies are pretty simple, and I recently taught myself to sew, so I thought, Hey! I can make those!  And I bet I can make them super cute and pink and girlie.  Light Bulb. 

So I grabbed some ribbon and fabric and got to work.  Here is what I came up with.

And she loves it!  It may not be as perfect as the store bought kind and the stitches might be a little crooked but her momma made it just for her <3

Here's how I did it:

You wil need:

Fabric

A towel or terry cloth

Ribbon (various colors, textures, sizes)

Mylar gift basket wrap (Crinkle paper)

Sewing machine and thread

**Create, Craft, Conserve Tip:  If your a DIY junkie like me, use whatever supplies you have already around.  I didn't have to purchase anything for this project.  Your kid is literally going to cover it in spit up and slobber anyways.

1) Pick your fabric and ribbon.  Grab some crinkly paper out of your gift wrap stash.

2)Measure your fabric, terry cloth, and crinkle paper to your desired size.  I made mine 9x6.  I plan on making her a round one soon ---you can choose any size or shape. 

I find it easier to lay all three pieces of fabric I'm working with down on my cutting mat, make sure they are even, and cut through all three at once.  Cutting anything is my major craft flaw. I don't know how I ever passed first grade art.  I should still be using safety scissors.

3) Cut your ribbon to the desired length.  You need to make sure you cut pieces long enough to double.  However long you want the ribbon hanging out of the blanket, double it.  My pieces are approx 4 inches long and stick out of the finished project 2 inches. 

4) Pin your 3 pieces of material together.  We are sewing from the inside out, so your middle piece of material is on top (the crinkle paper), followed by the top print, and the bottom terry cloth.  The right side of your print fabric (the side you want to show on your blanket) should face the right side of the towel.  Once you have sewn the blanket, you flip it inside out and the pretty sides of your material will show.  Sewing this way also helps hide flaws in the stitches, which if your anything like me, you will have. 

          

5)  Fold your ribbon in half, and stick in between the pins in your fabric.  You can space your ribbons however far apart you like and you can have as many or as few ribbons as you wish.  I put more on the longer sides of the blanket.

Here's what it looks like from the inside.

6) Now that everything is in place, start sewing!  I use a basic stitch all the way around the blanket, leaving a 3-4 inch gap to flip the blanket right side out after sewing.  The crinkle paper is delicate but I had no problems with it tearing while I stitched. 

You also have two options regarding securing the ribbons.  I add another top stitch to my blanket after it is turned right side out to give it a finished edge.  This gives me two strong lines of stitches over each ribbon.  If you don't want to top stitch your blanket, I suggest you back stitch over every ribbon to secure it.  You don't want your little one pulling out a ribbon that isn't secure in the blanket.

7) Once you have sewn all the way around the blanket, turn it right side out using the hole you left. 

8) Use a pen or other tool to poke out the corners.

Here is the small gap you left to turn your blanket right side out.  You can hand stitch this hole closed now and call it quits or you can top stitch the entire blanket to give it a finished edge.

9)Now your blanket is turned out correctly and you need to close the gap you left. Tuck the edges of the fabric into the opening to create an even edge and place back under your machines presser foot. Sew  another basic stitch around the outer edge of your entire blanket.

Ta-da!  Handmade (with love I might add) Taggie Teether blanket.  A big hit with the little bird <3