Baby time!

Well, after a LONG DAY yesterday I decided to err on the side of caution and go in today to have the baby monitored. Her heart rate is usually in the 140's, but yesterday it was in the 130's and today in the 120's. She also isn't her normal active self. This could mean nothing, or it could be a sign somehting is wrong. So today at 4pm I'm headed to the Family Birthing Center in Durango to be induced. They are trying a low dose of prostoglandins tonight and if I need more help to get labor jump started they will do that in the morning. Please be praying! Inductions do scare me a bit, but God is in control. Hopefully tomorrow we will have sweet Sarah in our arms!

Due date, shmoo date.

This will be a quick little update. Yesterday I remembered that when I first had an ultrasound, they said my due date was May 10. Then it was moved to May 6th. Then somewhere in there it was moved up to May 2, but the midwives just decided to stick with April 30th. So maybe this little girl isn't late? Maybe I'm not actually due until May 10th?? Hmmm. I guess we will know more after the non-stress test on Friday!

Hayes Happenings

Pregnancy is Weird

(Warning, this update contains more info than you want to know.)

On Saturday I was standing in the kitchen making lunch and all of a sudden there was "water" all over the floor. Now, friends, just between you and I, I may have peed myself a little during this pregnancy. On occasion. This, however, was different. There was A LOT of water (or whatever). Our company had just left and both Moses and Jeremiah were napping when this happened. At first I was a bit taken back. Then I thought, "Oh man, I'm about to go into labor. This is really happening." I called the midwife; Mary Louise was on call, and she asked if I was still "leaking", but I wasn't. She said that there is another pocket of fluid that sometimes rests above your cervix, about 1 cup, and that if I did not continue to leak and I wasn't having contractions then that ruptured. I had never, ever heard this before. If it wasn't Mary Louise telling me this information I don't know if I would have believed her. And, well, I'm still pregnant so she must have been right. Pregnancy is weird. And a tease.

Paxson's

Our wonderful buddies, Stacey and Alex Paxson, came for a visit this weekend and it was so wonderful to spend time with them and their little people. Thank you guys for coming and distracting me from my lack of labor :) (Also, I forgot to mention that Stacey interviewed me on her blog last week! Click HERE if you're interested!)

Moses and Hope on a blanket ride.

The Back Yard

The good thing about my lack of labor was that we really made some headway on the back yard! We planted the grass seed and laid mulch along the back fence! We weren't able to start on the garden, but since it was supposed to SNOW on Sunday that's not too big of a deal!

The garden is going in the empty lot on the left. In time we will be able to put a swing set and a clothes line to the right of where we're hoping the grass will grow!

We were also able to plant our blueberry bushes and a few grape plants!

And, of course, the cutest little helper on the block!

Thank you, Grandma Kat, for playing with Moses so we could get so much done!

Moses

And as for a little Moses update, this guy is loving his cars, trucks, and trains. The sound effects are pretty great, too!!
Happy Monday! May my next update be telling you all about labor with #2!

40 Week Appointment!

I have gained about 30 pounds. I can live with that.

While I was weighing myself, Moses decided to splish splash IN THE TOILET. Gross.

Mary Louise thinks the little lady is, well, little. Glory be.

I am at 1-2 cm and my cervix really needs to get crackin.

In light of the above, Mary Louise thinks I will still be pregnant in a week.

In the event that I am still with child next week I am scheduled for a non stress test on May 7th.

I'm sure you can all breath a lot easier knowing the above information.

Maternity Pictures!!

The wonderful and talented Brittany Mirabal took some family pictures for us last weekend. Many of you Facebook folks have seen some of these, but for those who haven't, here ya go! She did such a wonderful job! Thank you, Brittany!!

We are waiting on you, little Sarah! Come as soon as you're ready!!

Diaper shower!

What a weekend around here! Not only did Cris come up for a visit, but Bonnie and Brittany threw me a wonderful diaper shower!

Thank you ladies! I had a blast!

Brittany hand made each cupcake holder! Too cute!

Moses eating a cupcake and guarding his sister's stuff...

Oh my word. I am sucker for anything resembling a tutu. I cannot wait to get this on the little lady!

What is going on here?

Look! Look! 20 cloth diapers ready to go! Man, adjusting these little suckers to fit a newborn was no small feat. Thankfully Kat and Cris did most, okay all, of the work!

Alright, little Sarah, we're just waiting on you! Feel free to come any day now!

37 weeks and other news.

I saw the midwife today! 37 weeks, no group b strep (PTL), and everything is looking good. She's going to check me next week to see how things are progressing and I just hope all these Braxton Hick's contractions are doing something! Tuesday they were so intense I thought I may be in labor, and I quickly took a bath and went to bed :)

Cheeseball picture of yours truly in a shirt that I should have retired months ago...

And in other news! Moses now has no hair!

Before...

After....

And.. um... my walls are now all patched and we painted them all the WRONG color. Turns out our painting company mislabeled the paint. Well, after we had patched and painted every.single.knick. we realized that the paint wasn't changing as it dried. Lovely, right?

My nesting urges can handle this... as I start twitching...

And just for fun, here is my view most of the time. I sure love this kid!

Happy Thursday!

Hayes Happenings

Somehow I am surrounded by sickies and have managed to stay healthy. While I am grateful for that, I'm also ready for Moses and Jeremiah to get well. Moses has a lingering cough that keeps him up half the night and just as Jeremiah was getting well he now has something else. I'm just hoping it's not strep throat and that Moses and I manage to not get it. I would like to send a memo out to humanity: If you are ill, stay home. Thank you!

On to happier news: THE NURSERY IS DONE! Waa hoo! And, go figure, the camera has bit the dust. These pictures, taken with my phone, will have to do.

Here are those sweet flowers I told you all about. We painted them pink and cream and I think they turned out lovely!

We searched high and low for a side table and settled on this one from Target. It was the color of Pepto Bismol so Jeremiah was nice enough to paint it for me.

Sigh, so so cute!

And her name, hanging right over the sweet changing table that belonged to my dad.

This is odd, Moses was born the day before my dad died and this sweet little lady is due the day after his birthday.

We have named the little miss Sarah Elizabeth Hayes. We just love it and it feels like it is what her name is supposed to be. BUT! If we see her and feel like it just doesn't fit we aren't afraid to change it!

Less than SIX WEEKS!! The end of this pregnancy is much more uncomfortable than round one and the "3am dates" have returned. While I would rather have a full nights sleep, no feet in my ribs and be able to waddle around pain free.. it's really not that bad. All part of being a mama, right?! And in just a few short weeks I will have to share this little lady, right now I've got her all to myself :)

Hayes Happenings

Yesterday the crib arrived. Baby Girl is getting b-i-g and I'm starting to feel feet and limbs, not just movements. My back's starting to hurt. All of these things are making this much more real: my second child is due next month. Whoa.

First of all, here is my first born. His favorite game is peekaboo and he doesn't mind if his hands are covered in spaghetti! His eyebrows are still orange.

My men preparing to put together Baby Girl's crib!

I had one of those "whoa" moments passing by the nursery this morning. I have TWO cribs set up in my house! Awesome!

Another "whoa" moment. Nothing makes it feel more real for me (well, I guess going into labor..) than a laundry basket full of little people clothes!!

These are Mo's clothes that he has OUTGROWN! What?!

And isn't the bouncer cute?? Thanks Jamie!

Today I have managed to organize and store all of Mo's clothes that no longer fit - thank you nap time! Tonight Jeremiah is starting on the buffet/changing table. Things are really moving along! I just need to buy some sort of storage unit for Baby Girl's wardrobe and pick out some fabric for her shades!

Baby shower!

What a wonderful weekend! Thank you, Cris, for throwing such a wonderful shower, and thank you, Carol, for hosting it in your home. Jeremiah and I were overwhelmed with everyone's generosity and we are now well on our way to being ready for Baby Girl!

I don't know how.. but this is the only photo I have from the shower!

This will be my project for the next 5 weeks! I want to have her room done by 37 weeks.

And on to the "new" changing table!

Jeremiah is going to start the sanding the changing table this week and I need to pick out the color. Here is the bedding, and the crib and chair have a cherry finish. I'm wondering what color you all think would work? Can't wait to hear your ideas!

Now.. I need to go sort some cloths!

29 Weeks!

I am not a huge fan of pictures.. while pregnant.. but here ya go, eat your heart out! Barefoot and pregnant, go figure!

I had another ultrasound today and everything is looking fabulous. Thankfully the placenta moved far away from the danger zone so there is no need to talk about a c-section. Hallelujah. Right now Baby Girl is 2lbs 12oz and looking good.. although from the size of my belly you'd think she was twice that size! Time is flying, she will be here before we know it!

Hello Third Trimester!

Can you believe it?! This pregnancy is flying by! I can hardly believe that in 3 short months we will be welcoming our sweet little girl into this world - it will be here before we know it. In many ways it is a blessing that the first half of pregnancy is so rough for me. I think it makes these last months so much sweeter. I relish all these baby movements and now that I know what it is like to have a newborn I am relishing my sleep, too! And while I do still get sick every now and again.. Moses thinks it's hilarious. He follows me everywhere.. so if I need to get sick it's not long until he is in the bathroom too - CRACKING UP. Yep, if Mom is heaving Moses is laughing. How wrong is that?!

I have been busy prepping this place - our garage is organized, the pantry has been rearranged and we have cleared out the nursery in preparation for decorating. Now I just need to actually decorate (and furnish!) her room and stock up the freezer and I think we will be as ready as we can possibly be.

I have also been talking with Moses about his little sister.. but he so doesn't get it. I'll keep trying!

A baby, Mama? But I am your baby!

Happenings.

First

We bought a new computer. As a result I 1.) feel kinda dumb.. or old.. 2.) have no idea how to upload pictures 3.) my laptop just bit the dust so until I figure things out there will be no photos around here.

#2

I have not really been feeling the sweet baby girl move which I thought was a bit concerning. My midwife has just informed me, however, that I have an anterior and low lying placenta. As a result I cannot feel her kicks as well and I have to have another ultrasound at 28 weeks to check the location of the placenta. The placenta is low lying in about 10% of pregnancy's during the second trimester and they usually move to the top of the uterus where the richest blood supply is. IF mine does not move it is called placenta previa or partial previa and we have talk c-section... but let's not until after 28 weeks okay? Deal. Gives me the ebee jeebies.

#1

Moses has been loving, LOVING, these plastic balls that Kelli bought him for his birthday. He rolls them all over the house, sometimes for 30 minutes at a time. THANK YOU!

The house

We are finally settling into the house and a bit of a routine. I was feeling mildly overwhelmed at all of the housework, but I have divided it up by day and that has been working wonderfully. There is talk of hiring someone to help once we get closer to the birth of Baby Girl and after she arrives, but we shall see about that.

Also! Jeremiah has almost finished our dining room table, it is beautiful and I can't wait to show you all!!

Be blessed!

A baby girl and a big move!

We found out yesterday that we are having a baby girl! We are thrilled! I will try to get some pictures up in the next couple days of her sweet profile!

We finally did it! We moved! I have been waiting to upload pictures, hoping that I could dig my way out of the mess. Who am I kidding? I will be working on that for the next few months! Hopefully some of the nesting urges will help out with that! Until the, there are some photos from this past weekend!

Our living room! Ba ha ha! It basically still looks like this :)

Our dining room. The blue piece of furniture under the window was my dad's. I am going to repaint it and find some new handles for it. I love having it!

Also, Jeremiah is making us our dining room table! I can't wait to see the end product!

Our kitchen!

Here are the shelves Jeremiah built for our living room area.

That's it for now!

Our little family.

Moses

My little baby is turning into a toddler! Thankfully we have another little one on the way to make the transition a bit easier on me.

Not everything has changed, he still cracks us up with how he sleeps!

I don't know why blogger is turning pictures on their side!

He is pulling up on everything! In no time at all he will be walking!!

Doing crafts with Grandma...

His new favorite game. He gets excited when he sees this blanket and crawls over quickly to hop on for a ride!

He is eating more and more new things, and has made the transition from formula to milk with no problem at all! My pocket book is breathing a big sigh of relief! He still loves his blue elephants and we have had to sneak them away for cleaning every now and again, they get yucky pretty quickly. He loves having his back scratched, and snuggles with mama in the chair. He isn't happier than when Grandma is around and he gets non-stop attention!

#2

I have stopped taking Unisome and B6 during the day! I cannot express how excited I am about this! I still take them before bed and an occasional Zofran - this is a big improvement! We are counting down the days until December 15th when we find out if we're having a boy or a girl.

The House

We are waiting with baited breath to hear about our gas line, and hoping it will be installed in the next week. Big news! We got our certificate of occupancy! We are so thrilled, but we can't move in without gas (stove, heat, and hot water depend on it) so we wait. We have started the process of closing on our loan with the bank and it will be done in the next week. We have to get another appraisal and are hoping there is no problem there. The last phase seems to be dragging on and on, we thought for sure we would be in by Thanksgiving. We are trying to head over there each night and get a little cleaning done and tie up lose ends - easier said than done with no heat and Moses! I will upload pictures as soon as we're in!

16 weeks... or 17

I had a check up with my midwife yesterday. I was really looking forward to hearing the heartbeat and having Mary Louise tell me the baby is doing great. I have been concerned this go around because it seem like I am having a harder time taking care of myself (eating right, exercising, and whatnot) this pregnancy. I have also been concerned about my weight gain (10 pounds, even with all the throwing up! How did that happen?! That's how it goes when you keep down pizza but throw up apples :), but Mary Louise says I'm doing just fine and not to worry - which I am happy to do! The heartbeat was great, and Moses was great entertainment. Mary Louise said I am due April 30, according to her estimates, but seeing how Moses was 9 days "late" they may decide to move my due date back into May. That will be decided after my ultrasound on December 15! I really love all three of the midwives for different reasons. Mary Louise has a way of setting me at ease, she has a confidence that comes from delivering so many babies, I really trust her.

I have every intention of getting a picture of my belly up this weekend!

Be blessed!

Updates on #1 and #2.

I have a #1 and a #2, there is something about that that just makes me smile. It's starting to settle in... I am really pregnant. I am really going to have another little baby. It's not so overwhelming anymore. I'm thrilled!

#1

First of all, Moses had a well baby check up. It was supposed to be at 9 months, but we have to drive to Durango for our appointments so the pediatrician said I could put it off for a month so I could do my ultrasound and prenatal appointment on the same day. Moses is doing great! He weighed in at 19 pounds 12oz, which put him in the 26th percentile. I know the kid looks like a chunk in the pictures I post here, but he's really not. The doctor's not worried at all, he is gaining weight at a good rate. They did take an iron test, and I am really wondering what the results will be. He eats very high quality solids, but the mainstay of his diet is still milk at this point and he has very little interest in it most days. Sometimes only drinking 2oz or so per feeding. Again, the doctor's not worried, but it does concern me a bit when he won't eat.

Also. The kid is mobile. He is crawling and into everything! Everyday he gets a bit bolder. I think as part of that developmental step naps and bedtime have become a struggle. We have struggled with naps before but bedtime has always been a breeze around here, this is new territory for sure! That said, anytime we travel or when Mo gets sick (all 3 of us have a cold right now) it seems like I have re-teach Mo how to sleep. It is a challenge, but it's worth it!

BUT everyday has been so much fun, I enjoy spending the days with him so much, he is a crack up!

#2

THE MASS IS GONE!! Thank you, Lord! The baby is healthy and they bumped up my due date a few days, May 6th is the new due date and that makes me just under 11 weeks pregnant. I am so, so close to being out of the first trimester!

Here is the little peanut:

This is funny.. my midwife said that she recommends that I don't pick up Moses. Ba ha ha ha!!

AND, another wonderful thing to report is that I have been having good days! As of today I haven't been sick since SUNDAY! There have been close calls, but I am happy to say that I really am feeling better most of the time. I have even been able to keep down some healthy food. I've been trying to have Ezekiel bread with Laughing Cow spread and avocado for breakfast every morning. It gets a ton of nutrition in first thing and I feel good about that. I have even been able to keep down an occasional salad. Next on my agenda: exercise! I have become a pudgy little slug laying on the couch and I am itching to get back out and RUN! I can't wait!

Another baby update.

I spoke with one of the midwives today and she thinks that we do need to do another ultrasound. On one hand she said that she isn't too concerned but she was very insistent that we do a follow up ultrasound before my appointment on October 12th.

Hope you all are having a happy Wednesday.

Baby #2 Update.

I apologize for this photo, I don't have a scanner!!

While in Albuquerque last week (pictures to come!) I went to Carenet for a pregnancy test and ultrasound. I am 8 weeks pregnant and due on May 10th, my mom's birthday! I don't know if you can tell from the fuzzy ultrasound photo, but the baby is the on the top and there is a mass right below him/her. The woman that was doing the ultrasound said she had never seen anything like it. She said it could be that I was carrying twins and one didn't make it, it could be a vascular mass.. but the bottom line is that she doesn't know. I sent the info to my midwife and she said the same thing. As long as there is no bleeding/cramping they are not concerned. I have struggled with how I feel about this, but the bottom line is that could be nothing and I don't want to grieve the potential loss of a child unless I know for sure that is what happened. Right now we are rejoicing in our one healthy little peanut.

And as for the morning sickness.. it is still going strong. I am still taking Unisome and B6, and I have added Zofran. The combo is pretty good, but most days are just miserable. Right now it is 8pm and I am still in my pajama's. I spend the day on the couch or sleeping while Moses sleeps. Honestly, I have a hard time keeping a good attitude since so far it has been just as bad as it was with Mo and that lasted 6 months. 4 more months of this?! Yikes! However, I must say that I am so grateful to have the Ohst's here, Kat who comes and helps with Moses and such a wonderful husband. They have been so helpful and I am very, very grateful!

Update:

A doctor that reviews ultrasounds for Carenet recommended that I see my midwife asap to evaluate what she called "a placental mass". I will let you all know if my midwife suggests that we do anything more.

What to do?

Morning sickness. Bleh. Yuck. I thought I was going to be in the clear this go round. Not so much. After a weekend spent on the couch and each day worse than the one before I have realized that I have to go back on the Unisome and vitamin B6 if I am going to function at all. So far I am only down a few pounds and have been able to keep down some toast and, of all things, macaroni and cheese, so I think I had better get on the medicine as soon as possible.

AND! Would you look at this guy? We have a mobile creature on our hands! He is trying so hard to crawl, but even though he can't yet he is still all over the place! I think I may have to get out the pack and play on the rough days.

Some of my main concerns are things like how am I going to get the groceries? Leave the house? Do things with Moses? We will soon be adding two more people to this house with only ONE bathroom. What will I do, get sick outside if the bathroom is in use? We have our dear friends arriving today! I know it will all work out and that the important things will get done. I'm just hoping the medicine kicks in quickly and that it works like a charm!