...Time to Come Clean...

BABY #3 IS ON IT'S WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, it's official. Baby #3 is well on it's way! Get ready to read a little "let's get you up to date" novel!

Shortly after Amelia was born (though, some of the HARDEST months I've ever faced in my life), we knew that our family was not complete. We knew we needed one more little one to make our family whole. Once I was back to work, and we were all settled into our lives, I sat down and looked at our budget and what we had coming up over the next couple of years. At the time, we had virtually no savings, lived basically paycheck to paycheck, had some small debt on a few credit cards and our line of credit, we had Christian's truck payment and our big visa debt. Don't get me wrong - we were getting by just fine. We had cable, internet, cell phones...we enjoyed life, went on a small trip here and there. We've never been about being millionaires - we want to LIVE, get by and provide a good life and future for our children. That's ALL we want. But, in looking at everything, we knew it would be some time before we could responsibly bring another child into our family.

So, I came up with our financial plan. Slowly but surely we did away with a few luxuries, and everything was paid down...first the small credit cards and loans, then the truck, and finally the visa. We've been completely debt free now for going on a year, and it still feels amazing. In the midst of all that, we changed our tax withholdings, we modified our mortgage and our income started looking brighter. And, once everything was paid off, we finally started saving.

When I came up with our plan (and, our desire to have a spring baby), we decided we would start trying in the summer of 2013 for a spring 2014 baby and see how it went. I hadn't met my weight loss goal (which actually stalled out over the previous winter), which was really disappointing to me - but I'm hoping that gives me the extra motivation I need after the baby is born (I actually already have a plan written up and ready to go - but that will depend on how my body recovers, and reacts). But, our other requirement, being able to put a LARGE down-payment on a new vehicle for me, should come to fruition in time, so I was feeling comfortable.

Now, here is where things get a little..."technical".

I ended up going off the pill in late-mid June 2013. Amelia was conceived VERY soon after going off, so I was hoping for the same results. My first cycle off the pill came early, just like with Amelia, and I started tracking, assuming a "regular" cycle (since I had nothing else to go off of at the time). So, we proceeded, assuming that was the case, and 4 weeks later I was late. After a few days, I took a test - negative. A couple days later I took another test - again, negative. Took one last one the next day - negative. And, finally, on Day 37 my next cycle started up. I was disappointed - but not because we hadn't conceived right away - just frustrated that our bodies don't just whip back into shape. So, onto the next month we went. I tracked the next month on both a "normal" cycle, and the 37 Day cycle I had just had. And, I started using ovulation tests. Again, not because I EXPECTED things to happen right away, I just wanted to have as much information as I could in case it did end up taking a long time. So, around Day 10 I started using the ovulation tests, and proceeded to for about 3 weeks. EVERY day they were negative (according to the instructions). Both potential ovulation times came and went, with no positive tests. I was getting pretty frustrated about it. I mean, if my body isn't going to work, I don't even have a fighting chance! So, I stopped taking the tests at that point, and just decided to let it happen, when it happens. I actually spent a weekend really debating waiting another year to try again. If we waited another year, we'd be even better off financially, AND Amelia would be starting Kindergarten when the baby started daycare. The idea started becoming very appealing. Then, I realized that I was now late, based on both cycles. Not only that, but I was definitely feeling some symptoms. I was extremely emotional - EVERY little thing that went wrong would make me cry and make me unreasonably upset, I was getting some pretty consistent bouts of nausea and I was beyond exhausted, all the time (my main symptom with both of the girls).

So, on Tuesday 9/10/13 - I took a test, first thing in the morning (my ovulation tests came with one pregnancy test). Sure enough, it was as positive as positive could be. The second line was BLARING through. Of course, I started panicking. Could we REALLY handle 3 kids?!? How are we going to do this?!? I was excited, and happy - over the moon, but very nervous at the same time.

I immediately shared the new with Dawn, my friend from Indiana who left me the happiest, most excited, heartwarming voicemail ever and really comforted me. Once at work, I told my work BFF Brad right away, who was also very excited for us. Over the day, I shared the news with one of my mom's groups on facebook, my "Working Moms" group from Olivia's birth club. It felt REALLY good to have them to talk to all day about it. And, I finally got in touch with my best friend Kari (who, is also pregnant and due in January) in the afternoon. YAY, we're having babies together!

My mind was consumed, and racing all day. Other than being super nauseous all day, it didn't seem real. Once home, I took another test, just to make sure before I let Christian know. Again, sure enough, the positive sign came through loud and clear, right away.

I put Amelia in Olivia's "Big Sister" shirt and had her go up to Christian. He was happy, and excited. And, immediately declared "THIS IS IT!". LOL, that's my man!

Over the next few days, I told a couple of close friends, Kelly and Melissa, at work, who I've talked to before about our "plan" and I told my other January 2009 birth club group. Everybody was really supportive and happy for us. Christian told his good friend Lorenzo, and I cut him off there. LOL

I had some pretty hardcore nausea for the next week or so, and was still pretty tired, but nothing horrible. My heart would randomly race like crazy, for a few minutes, then stop. I had a few stomach aches and a little back pain, but nothing too horrible.

With the girls, I started showing pretty early. And, that was no different this time around. By 7/8 weeks, I would say you could look at me and definitely wonder if something was going on. I was 6, going on 7 weeks when we went to Chicago, so I was a little nervous about that. Everything turned out well though.

On Monday, 9/23/13, Christian told his parents our news. Following that up, I told my mom that Wednesday. Things were getting more real! I don't think our parents were SUPER excited about it, I think they probably think we're taking on more than we can handle...but clearly, they don't know the extent of my planning and preparation. I know they'll love this baby just as much as the girls though, and that's all that matters. Next up, my boss and my Dad and Stepmom.

On Friday, 9/27/13, I ran into some issues. I woke up in the middle of the night, cramping really bad. The pain would go away for 15-20 minutes, then come back for a minute or two, and continued all day. In all honesty, it felt like contractions. I was at work, pretty miserable. I finally called the BabyLine, who sent a message to the clinic nurses. They talked it over with the doctors, and by 1:30 they asked that I come in for an ultrasound, mainly to rule out an ectopic pregnancy. I was pretty nervous at this point. I was holding it together, but it was pretty scary not knowing what was going on. They didn't have any open appointments, so I just had to go and wait...until they had time to squeeze me in. They must have just finished their lunch break when I got there, because they immediately brought back 3 appointments. I thought I was in for a long afternoon, but one of the girls was in and out in maybe 5 minutes, so they got me in right away. Thank God, she immediately found baby, AND the heartbeat. Everything was good, strong (163!) and right where it was supposed to be. She checked my ovaries and everything else, and didn't spot any cysts or other issues, so I was on my way. I was still in a lot of pain, all night Friday, and then all day Saturday. I still had a few episodes Sunday and Monday, less and less each day. They said it could be stretching and natural growing (though, I've NEVER had any of this with the other two), it could be dehydration, they aren't sure. In the end, I honestly think I had the stomach flu. I think because I'm pregnant, my mind went right there, but by Friday night, I realized that I was having a lot of the same issues and symptoms that I'd had with the flu earlier in the year. I felt kind of dumb for going to such extremes, but I guess it's always better to be safe, than sorry.

On Monday, 9/30/13, I decided to tell my boss at work. It's early still, 8 weeks, but I want to make sure she has all the time she can to plan and prepare for my leave. Explore as many options as possible for picking up that slack. She was of course very happy for us and needed to know all the details, which was great, but I could tell it was just one more thing on her plate to stress over and deal with, and that makes me feel pretty bad. Luckily, again, my super organized self will come to the rescue and have everything in tiptop shape by the time I go, so it's easy to pass on.

8 Weeks (9/29/13) - I started showing EARLY with each girl, and this time was no different. I swear, I start showing the second a baby is conceived in this body. 

9 Weeks (10/6/13)

On 10/9/13, just over 9 weeks along, I took the girls out to take some "announcement pictures". Seriously, it's sad that I'm able to take an announcement picture at 9 weeks! Ugh. The girls thought it was pretty fun, and we got some picture pictures. I put together a facebook cover to post as our big "public" announcement. But, at this point, I figured we'd just wait until after my first appointment...hopefully hear the heartbeat and get that extra comfort, so it would still be a couple weeks before we post.

10 Weeks (10/13/13)

On Saturday, 10/19/13, I finally made my way over to my dad's for a visit...not only to catch up, but with the main intention of letting them in on the big news. I held off until now, not for any bad or worrisome reasons...I just 1) wanted to tell them in person, and life is WAY too busy, and 2) I knew my stepmom wouldn't wait long to tell my sisters, and it would spread like wildfire through the family. My Grandpa and aunt ended up being there for dinner as well, so we let them all in on the secret. Everybody seemed pretty excited and happy for us, which felt really great. My Grandpa seemed particularly excited...I'm sure the only real good, exciting news he's received since my Grandma passed away a few months ago. It felt good, and relieving to finally have all of our parents in on the news. My first prenatal appointment was coming up in a few days, so we were getting anxious to let the world in on the excitement.

11 Weeks (10/20/13)

On 10/22/13, I finally had my first prenatal appointment. I was originally scheduled for a few weeks earlier, but I had something come up at work, and had to reschedule (and, my midwife is only in the clinic one day a week). So, I decided to just to push it back a few weeks, in hopes of hearing the heartbeat. So, appointment day was finally here. It started with the pile of paperwork. Next up, a nice long meeting with the nurse to hear all of the stuff I've heard twice before all over again. And, take my blood pressure, which of course, per tradition, was high (the retested before I left and it was normal). Then, I met with my midwife for a while. We basically just caught up and went over the basics. I didn't need an exam or anything, so that was nice. And, she did mention that the midwives, and our hospital, now do water births, which is kind of exciting and I'll be looking into that more. She checked for the heartbeat, but we still weren't able to hear it. She said 10-123 weeks is typical (I was 11 at the time), but that it really depends on when the baby moves above the pelvic bone, because the doppler doesn't read through bone. So, no luck this time. She wasn't concerned though, and said my uterus was growing, so I'm trying not to be concerned about it. After that, I stopped into the lad to donate a million vials of blood, and I was no my way. Everything came back normal and so far, so good. I'll be heading back in 4 weeks for a check-up, to FINALLY hear the heartbeat, and for the quad-screening. I already feel like time is flying by!

That same day I let in a couple close friends on our secret, in anticipating of officially going public in the next week or so. Things were getting very real, and we are getting more excited with each passing day.

And, with that, you are up to date on Baby #3!

2013 - Week 42

*Disclaimer - this post is totally lacking in pictures. Totally been sucking in that department lately.

Another week (another late post). This time around, things went much better with Christian out of town. The girls were MUCH better behaved, and we stayed pretty well-organized. And, the weekend was much, MUCH more low-key, which was very much needed. Winter seemed to make an appearance though. Ugh!

Monday was Columbus Day. Working for the government, you would typically get today off. However, our unions negotiated it out years ago, in exchange for the Day after Thanksgiving. So, pretty much every day of the year that's a much better deal, except ON Columbus Day, when it would be nice to be home. LOL. The girls' school was closed today for teacher meetings, but luckily my mother-in-law had the day off, so she watched the girls for us. Christian had a pretty tough day in North Dakota today - he still wasn't feeling great, and they were doing a lot of heavy lifting and exhausting work. I was just exhausted from our busy weekend. When I picked the girls up, they were just getting up from their nap. Olivia was bawling, complaining that her ear hurt, again. I asked her if she needed to go to the doctor, and she said yes, so we got our stuff and made our way to Urgent Care. By the time we got there, she was laughing and playing and acting pretty normal. We had a little chat to make sure she REALLY needed to see the doctor, and she still insisted. It turns out they have a new "care clinic" program, which is similar to a MinuteClinic, and for things like ear infections, you can go there. Basically, you see a nurse practitioner instead of an MD, so it's cheaper. So, that worked out. She did indeed have an ear infection...apparently, pretty bad in one ear, and starting in the other. So, we stopped into the pharmacy to get her meds, and made our way home for dinner and some relaxation before bed. Not exactly how I expected the night to turn out, but hopefully the meds kick in quickly!

While I was drying my hair this morning, Olivia asked for her morning treat. I told her she'd have to get it herself, and waited in anticipation to see what she would come up with. She found some Ziploc bags and filled two up, one for her and one for the sleeping beast, with some peanut butter ritz crackers. I thought it was pretty dang cute! What a sister.

Tuesday was a pretty regular day. Olivia said her ear was already feeling better, so that's a good sign. The girls have been doing great in school...no bad reports lately, and Amelia hasn't been sent to the toddler room for a while, so that's promising. Christian had another rough day at work, but it sounds like it should be a little lighter the next few days. We finally get our cost of living raises, with backpay to July 1st, on our checks this week, which is pretty exciting. Out of curiosity, I went online to look at my paycheck today (I usually never check it...it's always the same), and it was painful. Seriously, I suggest you never, EVER look at your paycheck. It is SO crazy how much they take out for taxes, insurance, our "401k" and health savings plan, etc. And I mean CRAZY! That was definitely a mistake. Tonight was much less chaotic. Just a regular night of playing, dinner and hanging out.

Wednesday wasn't anything too out of the ordinary either. We did have our annual health fair at work today, which, as an extreme freebie lover is a dream come true with all of the little samples and stuff they give out. That was pretty fun. And, I did get our family pictures from my friend, Dawn, from this summer back today...I was pretty excited to see that package! They're so cute, and I can't wait to get some new pictures printed for the living room!

Thursday was my Friday at work. YES!!!!!!! However, my computer was down most of the day. Apparently some people were fine, some computers didn't work, and some phones didn't work. I was one of the lucky ones without a computer. LAME. I literally cannot do a thing without my computer. So, I ended up using another work station for most of the day. That is such a pain! The only good thing to come of it was that I fell in love with having two computer monitors. It made life SO much easier, since I'm almost always working off of two or more documents at a time. So, I will be requesting my own second monitor, immediately. Our last evening of girls week went well. Another pretty standard night. Olivia seems to be back to normal completely - she insists she doesn't need her medication anymore. So, I had to explain that it might still be there, and we need to make sure it doesn't come back. Then, she was all about it.

On Friday, I made pretty good use of my day off. I dropped the girls off, had a little breakfast, and then started my day. First up, I brought Chuy in for his rabies shot and some nail clipping. They ended up talking me into their wellness plan, which is a monthly fee, and covers all of his vaccinations, two visits a year with complete bloodwork and physicals, unlimited office visits and discounts on pretty much every other service they provide. So, it's a pretty good deal, and it will be nice to keep him up to date on everything. So, he ended up spending the whole day there. Next up, I stopped at Target to grab a few things for the house. Once home, I did a little cleaning and laundry, and caught up on lots of Hulu. I picked up the girls a little after 5:00, and we made our way to the jeweler to get my rings cleaned and inspected, before picking up the dog. Everything went well with his appointment and they didn't have any concerns...they even comped his nail clipping, which was awesome! We made our way home and started dinner. Christian got home about 30 minutes later and immediately noticed something was wrong with Chuy. Apparently in the time we'd been home, his face had swollen up pretty bad, and was getting worse. His nose was HUGE, and his eyes were swelling. I called the vet, who was closed and directed us to the Animal ER Clinic. Of course, they insisted we bring him in, which would be a minimum of $150. So, I turned to facebook to see if anybody had dealt with animal allergic reactions before. Sure enough, a ton of friends posted that they had, and suggested we give him Benedryl. Luckily, we had some Children's Bendryl on hand...I looked up the dosage and gave it to him, and within the hour he was already looking better. What a scare! Try to keep him healthy, and I make it worse - imagine that! He is supposed to go back in 3 weeks for booster shots, but I'm not sure what to do now. What a pain! Finally, the girls were in bed, and we were able to sit down and relax (and keep an eye on Chuy for a while). We watched this week's premier of "The Walking Dead" and a little TV before passing out. What a day!

Saturday was a pretty relaxing day. Chuy seemed 100% back to normal and perfectly fine. We quickly got ready and decided to go to Perkins for breakfast. YUM! Next, we stopped into Menards to pick up a few things, and then headed home to the backyard to do some fall clean-up. Christian took to digging up the gardens and pots, while I started picking up all of the yard toys, tables and chairs and getting everything organized underneath the deck. I gave the girls the task of picking up all of their sandbox toys and packing them up, which seriously took them FOREVER - so distracted! When they finished up, and played for a bit, I brought them in for a quick lunch and put them down for naps. I started trimming the bushes in the backyard before a pretty bad headache came on and I had to call it a day. I took some medicine and relaxed while Christian tilled the gardens. Then, it started raining pretty bad, so we were officially done for the day. Once the girls were up, we showered and got ready, and we were off to my dad's for a visit and dinner. My aunt and Grandpa were over, so we were able to visit and catch up with everybody. My stepmom had a little Halloween Craft for the girls to do, and a goody bag for them and they had a blast playing and showing off for everybody. They fell asleep on the way home and were right off to bed. Christian and I cuddled up with some popcorn and watched "World War Z", FINALLY, and loved it. Finally watched a little Saturday Night Live before it was time to call it a night.

It was Christmas at Menards!

No pumpkin patch for us this year! We got exactly the number we needed in our own little patch, and they're perfect!

Chuy, back to normal!

Sunday was another relaxing day. No football, and no swim class this week, so we had the whole day free. It was sleeting most of the day, so no more yardwork (darn). I finished laundry and cleaning around the house, then we kicked off some Halloween fun. We carved our pumpkins and did a few little crafts I'd picked up on sale last year (well, I did 99.9% of it, but whatever). Christian left mid-day, while the girls napped, to help move our friend Mariano pick up a couch and bring it to his apartment. He and the girls' BFF Bella stopped over, so the girls played, colored and watched some videos for the day. We spent the night chatting, hanging out, doing our crafts, eating some dinner and relaxing. Great end to the week!

So, that's that. Our house is whole again, Olivia is feeling better, and winter is in the forecast. Gross. I swear, winter JUST ended. It's not right.

Until next week!