Day 10

16 days until 32 weeks

30 days until 34 weeks

44 days until 36 weeks

Currently: 29 5/7 weeks

We're up to double digits for our stay...day 10. I had another ultrasound this morning to check cervical length and unfortunately, it's down to 7 mm (from 12 on Monday). So that just means I'm not going home anytime soon. In all reality, it gives me a sense of relief...it gives BOTH of us relief! We both know that as long as I'm here, I'll be monitored closely and if something happens, we'll know sooner. Jon and I both feel like I can make it to at least 32 weeks as long as I am in the hospital. If I go home, we feel like it will be sooner than that. For all things involved (especially Monkey being in the NICU), we need to get past 32 weeks. If the doctors told me to hang upside down from the ceiling to keep this baby in, I'd do it! So right now, as horrible and tough as it is not being home and not seeing Jack and Jon every day, I know it's what needs to happen and I'm okay with this.

When I talked to Jon today, his first comment was, "Well, looks like we'll be having a baby sooner than later." And I immediately said, "Not necessarily." Just because my cervical length is less, doesn't meant that this baby is coming soon. One of the things that they do to help boost premature babies is giving betamethasone (a steroid) to help their lungs. I had that done when I came in and they don't repeat that. The other thing that they do is give Magnesium Sulfate to help protect the baby's brain. Premature babies have an increased risk for intracranial (inside the brain) bleeding. This can cause some major problems and be a huge indication of life long problems. MagSulfate is most effective when it is given two days prior to delivery. Right now, there is NO talk of needing to start this. I've asked every time my length drops and they keep saying 'not yet.' Now, the day that they tell me that we need to start MagSulfate will be the day that I get a bit more nervous. When they finally pull that trigger, I will know that delivery is soon. So as for right now, we are doing ok. There is not any talk that Monkey will be arriving in the next few days. I will do another cervical length on Friday and we will see what that brings. My contractions have slowed down a lot, which is a blessing. I'm still having a few here and there, but nothing consistent enough to make any changes. Monkey is very active and moving all over the place, so that's also good news! Keep sending the prayers and I'll keep cooking this baby! Thanks for checking in!

Jon, Libby, Jack and Monkey 

Day 8

18 days until 32 weeks
32 days until 34 weeks

46 days until 36 weeks

Currently: 29 3/7 weeks

So we finally have a plan of action. My ultrasound today is, for the most part, stable. I went from 14 mm down to 12 mm, so yes it's a drop, but not as significant as previously. I also have not dilated anymore which is good news. I can sit like this for quite some time, which gives us some comfort. So right now, the plan is that we will do another ultrasound on Wednesday or Thursday and if that is stable then I will go home. That gives me 1 week of being "quiet" and that gives us a sense of relief.

Now when I go home, I will continue to be on complete bedrest. I know this will be more challenging at home than here at the hospital, but it's what we have to do. I'm nervous that being home will only confuse Jack and he'll think I can just get up and do a few things and won't understand that it's just like at the hospital...Mommy can only get out of bed to go to the bathroom and shower. Pray that when we are home, Jack does well with this transition. It will be challenging, but we will do whatever it is to get a few more weeks. Thankfully, our moms are out of school and able to help out soon. I will have weekly doctor's appointments and cervical lengths. Dr. McNamara (another one of the perinatologists) reassured me that even one contraction is enough for me to go back into the hospital if need be. (I think they're all catching on to the high anxiety that I've been feeling about going home and are doing anything to try and reassure right now...more comforting than they know.)

So that's the plan for right now. Wait a few more days to make sure things are truly stable and then home until delivery. Once again, every day is a blessing. Every day is one more day that we're not in the NICU...one more day to keep Monkey safely growing inside. Please continue to pray for each and every day we can get. Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers. Every text, post on facebook, phone call...it's all so encouraging and appreciated!!

Taking things day by day...

Jon, Libby, Jackson and Monkey

Day 7

19 days until 32 weeks

33 days until 34 weeks

47 days until 36 weeks

Currently: 29 2/7 weeks

Okay, so I knew this day would come that all of this would hit me. Yes, I understand the seriousness of all this and yes, I understand that this will all be fine and that we are trusting in the Lord to keep us safe through all of this. But tonight is a rough night. Probably because I had Jon and Jack here almost the whole weekend and they just left. Or maybe it's because my ultrasound is tomorrow and to be honest, I'm terrified. I don't know what is causing all of it. I know that things have been somewhat stable, still contracting, but nothing excessive, no other signs of labor, but I'm still scared. I'm terrified that even stability doesn't mean that Monkey will stay inside. I'm scared that if I am stable enough to go home, I won't know I'm having contractions until it's too late and I'll deliver even earlier than expected. I'm scared if I go home, that no matter what, this baby will come sooner than later. For some reason, being in the hospital gives me the comfort of knowing that the doctors (and myself) did everything possible to keep this pregnancy going. If I go home, that's solely on me. What if I miss contractions AGAIN and I don't come in soon enough to be able to do anything about it? What if I feel like I'm doing fine and start thinking I'm ok to get up every so often, knowing what I should do, but thinking, oh putting in that load of laundry won't be a big deal and then that happens too much and it is a big deal? Will I know that I'm pushing myself too much before I'm seen again? I know that I'll have frequent doctor's appointments, but what if once a week isn't enough or I have major changes the day after I'm seen and don't realize it and I'm not scheduled to be seen again until next week, will I know? I have so many 'what ifs' that it's driving me nuts. I'm trying to keep my brain occupied by reading, watching movies, etc...but honestly, the best thing has been this new found hobby of crocheting. Sounds old ladyish...I know! But it keeps my mind busy. I have to count stitches, I have to figure things out and that is good for my very preoccupied mind right now!

But I'm still scared. I'm worried and nervous about what the future holds for us. If Monkey arrives in the next few weeks, what long term effects will we have? Will he/she have long term health problems because of this, will it be a miracle and he/she will turn out as perfectly healthy as Jack did? How will having a baby in the NICU affect Jack? Is he old enough to understand and comprehend all of this? Are we expecting too much out of him? I don't know. It's all of the unknowns that run through my brain. And all I can do right now is pray. Pray for understanding. Pray for peace. Pray for our family.

I had a friend stopped by today and it was the best conversation and exactly what I needed. She is a labor and delivery nurse so she understands this...from all sides. She has a son about Jack's age, so she gets how this affects our family. She's a labor and delivery nurse, so she understands all of my fears. Not that our other friends haven't been able to understand...it's just that she got it. She said a lot of things that made sense and put my mind at ease. Going through all of this is going to have to force Jon and I to do things and let go of things that we never have before. We don't have the complete control that we did before, and that's okay. She helped me realize that as tough as all of this is, this will make us stronger. Stronger as a couple, stronger as parents, stronger as a family. It was a blessing to have her stop by and I'm sure she'll never fully realize how awesome and amazing that was.

So yes, tonight is a tough night. Tomorrow will be another day. We will have more answers tomorrow about what the plan is and know more about how Monkey is doing. Pray that tomorrow is a better day! So in the mean time, I'm going to keep reminding myself day after day that God never, ever gives us more than we can handle. In every situation that He puts us in, He knows that we can handle it. He knows what He's doing and we just have to trust in His plan. Day by day...

Day 6

20 days until 32 weeks

34 days until 34 weeks

48 days until 36 weeks

Currently: 29 1/7 weeks

Same story...different day. I'm still having contractions here and there, but nothing consistent. Both Jon and I are anxious for Monday to get here so we can see if there has been any more dilation or thinning at all. We're praying for neither...anything steady and stable would be good. The biggest concern is that I'm not feeling the contractions every time they  happen. You'd think it wouldn't really be questionable, but at this stage in pregnancy, it is! Talk about frustration...I feel fine and then they tell me I had a few when I was on the monitor...oops, didn't notice those! That's really what is buying us our time in the hospital. We'll know more on Monday if there is a possibility of going home or not.  

Last night, Jon and Jack spent the night with me. It was so nice to finally have our family in one place for an entire night. While 6 days isn't all that long, it feels like an eternity all at the same time. Especially when it comes to our family and being together. Jack was excited to come up last night for our sleepover. He brought his sleeping bag and slept next to my bed. We watched Toy Story 3 and then went to bed. It took a little while for him to get settled, but I think he'll do better tonight. I reminded him that he needs to bring some of his movies from home, as there are only a few cartoons on the free movie list! Hopefully we all get a bit more sleep tonight.

The highlight of my day was getting to go outside for a while. Dr. MacNamara (one of the other perinatologists) gave me the go ahead for wheelchair rides a few times per day. We took Jack over to the front yard of the castle to run around. They have a nice path with big circles and squares to run around. He played at the fountain for a while. It was just a huge blessing to get some sunshine and fresh air...even if it was only for about 45 minutes. It'll be hard to see nice weather outside and not be able to enjoy it! A few days a week will be nice though! While I can tolerate these 4 walls, Jack has some troubles, rightfully so! It's a lot to ask a 3 1/2 year old to entertain himself and play in the confinements of a hospital room. I'm grateful that they'll let me go outside so he can burn off some energy.

Hopefully tomorrow is another boring day for us. Please continue to pray for our family and this growing miracle. We need all of the prayers we can get!! Thanks for checking in.

Jon, Libby, Jackson and Monkey

Day 5...21 days to go

21 days until 32 weeks

         35 days until 34 weeks         

49 days until 36 weeks

Currently: 29 0/7 weeks

Well...it's day 5. The good news: I'm still pregnant! The bad news: I'm still in the hospital and not going anywhere anytime soon. I was hoping they'd do another ultrasound today, but Dr. VanEerden said that even if my cervix was thinner, we wouldn't change the plan that we're on, so he felt Monday was okay unless things change. I'm not having many contractions that I'm noticing (although, I feel like I've had some, just not when I'm being monitored). I'm not ruptured and I haven't shown any other signs of active labor. If that changes, then I'll have another ultrasound but unless things change we'll wait until Monday.

On Wednesday when I realized I probably wasn't going anywhere, I realized I needed something to do besides look through magazines, read books and watch TV. So I figured I could learn how to crochet. (crazy thought, I know!) Nikki stopped by Hobby Lobby for me and brought some yarn. I did lots of youtubing that day, trying to figure it out. Wasn't working out well, but I figured I had some time! Well, my night nurse, Sandy, came on and she knew how to crochet, so showed me how!! I made a hot pad thing of some sort (basically it's just a bunch of rows for practice). I figured if I could accomplish that, I could move onto a hat. So I made a hat, but it wasn't very big. It would fit Monkey if he/she arrived right now, but we don't want that, so it was just practice. I googled and found all sorts of blogs and started another one. Mission accomplished and I've made a hat! It's pretty girly, so Nikki is going to pick me up some more boyish yarn so there's a hat if this is a boy and one if it's a girl. I may have a hat for every day of the week done pretty soon!

Like I've said before, I'd rather sit here in the hospital any day, keeping this baby inside, than sit with our baby in the NICU. There are days that are very long, but I know that the days will be even longer and harder over there. At 29 weeks, there are so many complications that can happen and I keep reminding myself every time I start getting sad or start thinking about how much this sucks, that this is better for Monkey and better for all of us. At 29 weeks, we risk Monkey having breathing problems and ending up with life-time lung problems. Some babies have a hard time with feedings and have lots of issues with that. Every day that I can keep this baby inside reduces those risks minutely. Not a lot, but every day is one day better than the last. They say that every day the baby sits inside, decreases your NICU stay by 2-3 days. So even though it's hard missing every bedtime at home and it's hard not getting the extra snuggles that Jack wants in the morning and it's hard missing the good-bye hugs, every day is a better day than the last for Monkey. I sit here often and wonder why this is happening, why our family, why now but I know that God has a plan for us.

"For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

We had that verse at our wedding and I think of it often through all of the things we've been through. I know and trust that God has a plan for us and that it is glorious. I know that God would not do anything to harm us, although at the time, it's devastating. He has a plan for us and everything happens for a reason. There is some sort of reason for this and although we don't know what it is, nor may we not until we meet God himself, I know that it will be okay. It's times like this that strengthen my faith, when some people would just question. I know through my whole mind and body that God knows what he is doing and he has a plan for us. I have to remind myself of this often, because it is very easy to slip back into the 'poor me' thought process. We have awesome doctors, my nurses are amazing. Nikki has been a huge help. Jon has been strong for me and Jack is doing alright. He's old enough to understand what's going on and accept what is happening. I'm sure there will be a break down at some point, (I mean...he's only 3, what do you expect!) but we will get through this with God that gives us strength.

Tonight we are having a sleepover and Jack is very excited. He's got his sleeping bag all ready to go, pjs packed and movies ready. I secretly think he's most excited about taking a bath in my big whirlpool tub, but let's be honest...who wouldn't be?!?! It's really nice! I'm ecstatic to see them tonight and have more than just a few hours with Jon and Jack. 

So for now, we're just hanging tight, baby-growing our way through the day! Thank you for your continued prayers and keep sending them our way!! 

Day 4...24 to go

So here we are on Day 4 in the hospital. 24 more days to hit our first goal (32 weeks)! I had an ultrasound done this morning to check cervical length and unfortunately, it was down to 14 mm (from 18mm). So I'm still here. They decided against checking to see if I've dilated any more purely because my contractions have slowed down. They'll do another ultrasound in a few days and check cervical length again. If it remains stable, then they will check to see if I've dilated more with a possibility of going home if that is stable.

Right now, Monkey has flipped around and is now breech. But when you're only 28 weeks...there is still alot of room to flip and rotate around! The ultrasound tech did say that the fluid around the baby looked slightly low, but nothing to get worried about yet. Monkey still moves around a lot and is very active, which is great news.

Unfortunately, this is all just a waiting game. Waiting to see if my cervix is thinner...waiting to see if I've dilate more...waiting to see when this miracle will make it's entrance into the world! Our first goal is 32 weeks...and then we'll re-adjust our goal at that time. I asked Dr. VanEerden what my chances are of making it to 32 weeks, or 34 or 36 for that matter! Of course, it is hard to predict, but he did say that he has a mom next door who is pregnant with twins. She came in at 26 weeks, with a cervical length of 5mm and dilated to 5 cm. She's been in for 6 weeks and is still holding on. So with a story like that, it gives us hope!! Hope that the only thing we have to do is bedrest and we'll get through all of this with a healthy baby at the end!

There are so many things that you hope for when you find out that a baby is going to join your family. I think one of the last things people hope for is a term pregnancy...it's just expected. With every bump in the road along this pregnancy, it has shown me just how strong our marriage is, how strong our faith is, how strong our family is and how truly blessed we are. We have Nikki living with us and able to help out with Jack. We have a wonderful church family who is willing to help us out with Jack and help with meals. We have a wonderful team of doctors and nurses who are doing everything they can to keep this pregnancy going. We have a mom at our daycare who is a Child Life Specialist who can help Jack to understand a lot of this. We have Jen who has the patience of a saint with Jack, as he tries to understand all of this. It's summer, so we have my mom, Jon's mom, and Jon's aunts available to help since they're out of school. I have a group of nurses that I work with that stop by to break up my day. We have numerous friends who check in and pray. We truly are blessed with so many things. But most importantly, I've realized what an amazing husband I really have. Jon has been my rock and I am so thankful for that. I am lucky that he does so much with Jack and he isn't one of those dads who is just there. Jack is lucky to have a dad like him and I know that with our faith we will make it through all of this.

Well, that's probably enough for today. We'll see what tomorrow brings and go from there. Jon and Jack are going to come up for supper tonight. Last night was a bit too busy, so I'm anxious and excited to see them both! Thank you all for the continued prayers and keep 'em coming!!

Jon, Jack, Libby and Monkey

Day 3...25 more to go for our goal

I've been waiting for Jon to bring our laptop up so I can keep everyone up-to-date! So Sunday afternoon we all came up so I could get my second betamethasone shot. I was expecting to come in, get my shot and continue on our day of groceries and graduation receptions....not so much! They hooked me up to the monitor to just check and I was having a few contractions. Couldn't feel them or didn't notice them, so they just kept watching. Got my shot, figured we'd be on our way, but then contractions started coming more frequently. My nurse kept asking if I noticed any and I said nope, not at all! Makes me a tad bit nervous that I'm not noticing something as important as contractions...yikes! Because of the frequency of contractions, the nurse suggested just staying for a few hours and watching things. So I sent Jack and Jon grocery shopping and waited...still contracting, so the nurse asked to check and see if there were any changes. Let the tears begin..."You're 1 cm dilated and about 60% effaced." Yikes...28 weeks and starting into labor is not a good thing. She called my perinatologist and the decision was made to start some medication and keep me in for at least 48 hours to watch things. So Jon took Jack home and got him settled in with Nikki and came back to the hospital. Took my first dose of Indocin...still contracting. Things slowed down until I needed my next dose early in the morning. Lots of contractions around that time, but then things started calming down.

So here we are, at Hotel Sanford, watching and waiting. When I first was pregnant and talking with my doctors, we had the goal of at least 37 weeks...they felt that was very possible and things looked good. So change in status as my cervical length wasn't so hot to start. Then the goal went to 34 weeks (when Jack came). Now the goal is 32 weeks. So that gives me 25 more days to go. Every day from here is absolutely a blessing. For every day that this baby stays inside, is said to save about 2-3 days in the NICU. From working in the NICU, we completely understand this. Dr. VanEerden was in this morning and I'm still having some contractions here and there...nothing consistent, nothing to get that excited about. But that does mean I'm still here. I'll be switching medications and POSSIBLY going home in the next few days. Doubtful, but possible. I'll have another ultrasound to see if my cervical length has shortened again and see if I've dilated anymore. That will depend on if my bedrest continues in the hospital or if it continues at home. Everything is a waiting game and as far as I'm concerned...I'll wait 70 days if it means I'll have a healthy, term baby. Please keep our family in your prayers as things are a bit crazy with coordinating schedules and Jack and everything. Thanks for checking in!!

28 weeks

Well...28 weeks before a scare is pretty good I guess! Nothing to panic about, everything is fine, just need closer monitoring now. If you don't like details, then don't keep reading please! I went to the bathroom yesterday afternoon and had a streak of blood. Now, I normally wouldn't panic about a small streak of blood, but this is exactly what happened when I started dilating and went into labor with Jack...so at 28 weeks, kinda scared me a bit!! I talked with my perinatologist (high risk OB doctor) and he wanted me to go in and get checked out just because of my history. Unfortunately Jon was golfing in a tournament (luckily in Brandon), but fortunately Nikki was home, so we ran Jack over to Erica's and headed into the hospital. I got checked in and the resident came and did an exam. Thank the Lord, my cervix was still closed. It looked like I had an infection of some sort and that's what caused a little bit of bleeding. They also checked a fetal fibronectin, which is a protein that can detect if you're going to go into labor and that was negative, which is good. She talked with Dr. VanEerden and he wanted them to do an ultrasound to check a cervical length (same thing I've been doing every 2 weeks). That's where things got interesting. I've been sitting around 26-30mm for my cervical length and yesterday, they got 22 mm....big change!! Dr. VanEerden had said if it went below 25mm, then that would mean steroid shots (to help boost the baby's lungs). So needless to say, I'll be getting 3 IM injections this weekend.  Two betamethasone (steroid) shots and my progesterone shot. So there's the scoop...Monkey looks really good and was active, cervix was closed, but just in case, we're doing the steroids to be cautious. I have another ultrasound on Monday and that may or may not result in bedrest. Please pray that my body will allow for Monkey to stay inside a LOT longer!! Every day/week from here on out is a blessing.

Changes, Changes Everywhere!!

Phew...it's been a crazy month for us! I know, I know...I'm lacking on updates lately!! Although, I do have just a few excuses for the lack. So we've been in our new house for three weeks now...and we LOVE it!! I still can't believe how fast a house can feel like a home...even with all of the boxes still around here! I'm so jealous of those people (aka, Crystal!!) who can move into a house and boom, 2 weeks later...everything is in a perfect place and presentable. Our house, not so much! It's a very slow work in progress...hence, no pictures yet! There's a few too many boxes to have pictures of this place yet. So far, the kitchen has fallen into place rather nicely. We need to paint, but overall, that room is almost complete! The family room off of the kitchen is my next project I want to complete. I got a slipcover to help disguise our not-so-fabulous hide-a-bed and really helps a lot. It took me over an hour to pick out an area rug for that room, but it's all a work in progress. The living room is basically empty, minus a new TV. No idea what we're going to do for furniture, as it is kind of a long room and I can't figure out the best arrangement. It'll come to me eventually, I guess! Someone had asked us about building one time and my response was, "I can't even pick furniture, let alone absolutely everything for a house!" The living room may get the best of me yet...hopefully it'll fall in place sometime soon!

Monkey has also been causing his/her own distractions! This may be a bit personal for some of you, but we've all talked cervical lengths before, so nothing new! Well, the 48 mm cervical length we got last time seemed to be a fluke. My cervical length was 26 mm the first time they measured and well...this last time was 26 mm again. So my perinatologist went and looked at all of the measurements and confidently said my cervix is 26 mm. Now you're probably wondering what's the big deal...well, they don't really want it to be less than 30 mm. So 26 mm isn't a huge dip below, but at 25 mm, that's where they start intervening. By intervention, I mean betamethasone shots (steroids to boost the baby's lungs) and magnesium sulfate (to protect the baby's brain) in case I would go into labor and deliver sooner than later. If my cervical length drops drastically (like 26 down to 18), then intervention will more than likely start happening. If it goes to 25, then it sounds like just more ultrasounds. So we've been a bit nervous about all of this. I'm only 23 weeks and that's barely over half, barely over viability. After working in the NICU, my mind is always more at ease after 27 weeks. My only hope and prayer is that Monkey just stays put and things continue to stay stable at 26 mm. Having a baby before 27 weeks is terrifying for me. There are just so many things that can happen. Like I said, my only prayer is to make it past 27 weeks. I have my next ultrasound on Monday, so that will determine a lot! So for now, we continue with progesterone shots (which hurt like a b*tch by the way!) and keep watching.

Monkey definitely has a different temperament than Jackson. Jack would move around constantly and you'd have something touching my stomach and Jack would punch right back! Monkey...not so much! Jack has been trying very hard to feel Monkey move around and Monkey just doesn't want to be discovered yet! Not even by Daddy either. We'll see if this babe's temperament truly is completely opposite of Jack!

I'll post again after our next ultrasound...send up lots of prayers!! Monkey has a LONG time to bake and keep cooking!

Halfway mark!

Well folks, we've made it halfway! 20 weeks is upon us and things are looking great! I had an ultrasound this morning that looked great. Cervical length was thicker than last time...not sure how it gets thicker, but there's lots of factors that contribute...time in pregnancy, ultrasound tech measurements, etc. We'll take what we get and are thankful for that! Monkey was much more cooperative this time around and gave us some good pictures this time. Our computer is back on the fritz so we need to wait until it comes back to scan them in and get them up. We were joking at work that this babe will probably be better documented prenatally than after! Ultrasounds every 2 weeks with pics every time...I could make an entire scrapbook of just this! There has been much more Monkey movement lately which is fun. I can't wait for Jon and Jack to be able to feel the kicks...both are excited about that!

Shots are going better than expected. Jon is doing an excellent job! There's another lady at work who is a few weeks ahead of me and she's also doing shots. She's having some of the nurses do it for her and Jon was fairly excited when I told him that she had bruises from her shots. Haven't had that yet...Jon is proud! :) Still not fun, but going well. 3 down...15 more to go!

Our big move is this week...Jack is being very helpful with packing up his own things, although he does get a tad confused about what we're taking with us. Toys...yes. Counter...no. Bikes...yes. Walls...no. He'll get it figured out eventually! Our next blog will be at our new address...how exciting!!

Ta Da!!

Here's the pics of Monkey! Our small being is definitely a bit bashful though!! It wouldn't show their face at all...just a few profile pics. Everything looks spectacular and the baby is growing as expected! And this child did a very good job of keeping it's gender a secret...so don't ask, we have no idea!!

heart beat: 157

Upside down

profile shot

I had my first progesterone shot today too, which while it wasn't exactly pleasant, I am pleased to say it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! Maybe after 18 weeks of this, I'll be able to do shots with no problems. I think Jon is secretly excited that he gets to give them, but won't fully admit it! :) Jon and I decided that it's good to set goals, so our goal is to get all 18 shots in! That means I would be at least 36 weeks...good goal to shoot for! Thanks for checking in!

18 weeks and counting...

This is the last time for about 18 weeks that I'll be able to remember my hiney not being stabbed! That's right...I have the joy of starting my progesterone shots tomorrow. Because Jackson decided to make an early entrance into this world, I will be getting to do weekly progesterone shots to help maintain this pregnancy until 36 weeks. Now, to most of you this wouldn't be a huge deal (and in all reality, it probably won't be...I'm sure I'll get used to it) BUT for me...I hate, DESPISE, dread, will do anything to avoid shots!! I make people go with me to hold my hand for a stinkin' flu shot! This is not going to be fun, but maybe, just maybe it'll get me over my needle phobia!

Tomorrow is also an exciting day, as we will be having our big ultrasound tomorrow! And no, for those of you out there who are wondering, we will not be finding out the sex of this little being. We were surprised with Jack and loved that surprise so will be doing that again! We're just hoping for a nice, healthy baby. We've got names picked out for both a boy and a girl (and yes, those will also be kept a secret!) so we're ready to go!

I'll post ultrasound pictures tomorrow!

Week 17

Week 17 is upon us! Over the last week, I thought maybe the puking was going to stop as I went 2 days without the fun, but no such luck...came back in full force last night and seems like today will be a repeat.  :(  Monkey's acrobats are definitely becoming more distinct now, which is a lot of fun. Jack is convinced that he can see Monkey moving around when we're getting ready for bed. I keep telling him it's just Mommy breathing, but he still thinks it's Monkey. Jack is so excited to be a big brother...every night at bedtime, he lifts up my shirts, lays his little head on my belly and says his prayers and sweetly as can be. Then he talks to Monkey for a while, gives kisses and rubs my belly.

Next Monday is our big ultrasound, which I'm super duper excited about. We can't wait to take another peak at Monkey and watch the acrobats that I've been feeling! We'll get to do a 4D ultrasound, which is really cool to see. Sanford (our hospital) is doing a research study, called Safe Passage, to study prenatal care and SIDS. I got chosen for this study and it certainly is interesting! They asked everything from how much macaroni and cheese I ate the month before I got pregnant to when was your last alcoholic drink prior to conception and what was it.  Odd to say the least and hard to remember! One of the bonuses to this study is some extra ultrasounds throughout...I can certainly answer some odd questions if we get extra peaks of Monkey! After the baby is born, they will do some extra hearing tests, watch brain waves and movements...also random, but we know this research study will do some good!

Well...the brownies I made are calling my name, along with the mint oreo ice cream! The only benefit to all of this puking is minimal weight gain so far...my sweet tooth is thankful for that right now, I guess!  Until next week!!

Here's the pics we've taken of Monkey's growth!

And we're at 16 weeks!

We've officially made it to 16 weeks...only (let's hope it's this long) 24 weeks to go!  Everyone keeps telling me that "oh you're in you're second trimester, the puking will get better." But I'm still waiting for that to happen!  Took a new medication that my doctor gave me, but it makes me feel a bit drugged and sedated...so what's worse?!?  Feeling nauseous or so tired I may forget I have a child to take care of?!? Hard to say! 

Jackson has lovingly nicknamed our baby, monkey, and continues with it, so that's what this babe will be called until his/her arrival!  Monkey is starting to do some mild acrobats over this past week.  Seems that Monkey likes sweets or just eating in general, as that's when I feel the most movement!  Jack is still very excited and wanting to talk with Monkey and sing songs, but has a hard time remembering that he can't just run and jump on Mommy for a while.  Gentle reminders...and it'll happen soon enough! 

Here's to hoping that everyone is right with the prediction that puking will stop soon!  It'd be a huge plus to our lives right now!!  We'll catch up soon!

Jon, Libby, Jack and Monkey

P.S. This week's homemade ice cream will be Mint Oreo...I'm ecstatic!!

It's Baby Time!

I guess it's time to make the official post!  Jackson is excited to announce that he's going to be a big brother in August!!!  My official due date is my best friend's birthday...August 5th!  So yes, everyone's curiosity about why we are moving is correct...we need another bedroom!  Jackson is extremely excited!  The night that we told him, he did his nervous/excited giggle for like 2 or 3 minutes straight!  And then it was right into talking to the baby, giving the baby kisses, singing songs to the baby...over and over.  I had an early ultrasound that Jack got to come along for.  All he said was, "it looks like a little monster."

Overall, I've been feeling OK...well, scratch that idea.  I've puked almost every single day since about 8 weeks...7 weeks of getting sick every night is not my idea of fun, but what do you do!  It's all a part of making a miracle I guess.  I've tried different meds and nothing seems to do the trick.  My doctor gave me something else to try and said it might cause some drowsiness...HAHA!!  I felt like I had taken a horse tranquilizer!  I took it at 5:30 and was dead asleep on the couch at 7:30 and didn't even move until 10:30 when Jon woke me up to go to bed...and then slept until my alarm went off!  So scratch that one off the list!  Other than getting sick almost every day, I've felt pretty good.  Hopefully it continues that way!

Now because Jackson decided to make an early arrival, it bought me a visit with a perinatologist (a doctor who specializes in taking care of high risk pregnancies).  Lucky me, starting at 18 weeks, I'll get to be doing progesterone shots.  If anyone knows me extremely well, I HATE shots and HATE needles!  Oh well, it's all a part of pregnancy I guess!  Jon will be learning how to administer these and he's been given 1 warning...if he doesn't do a very good job....I'm finding someone at work to give them!  I'm sure it'll be fine...I'm just not looking forward to it at all!!  I'll also be getting ultrasounds every other week to check my cervical length.  They don't know when I actually started with preterm labor with Jack, so we're being extra cautious this time.  We're not planning on finding out what gender this little being is until he/she arrives, so hopefully with that many ultrasounds....it stays a secret! 

Come back often to see how things are going...with this going on, I'm hoping to be better at updating our blog! 

Woooo Hooooo!!!

YAY!!!  Our house sold and we found another one!!  It's the house we've always imagined and it's great!!  Right now, our closing date is March 25th.  So if anyone is available to help move...we'd gladly take it!  Here's some pics!

Happy Halloween!!

                              

Jack had a great halloween!  The youth group at our church had a trunk at the trunk or treat, so we headed over there to play some fun games and get lots of candy! 

5 Days down

Jack is slowly recovering...day by day!  Sunday was a little rough, but we're making progress.  He doesn't want to eat a whole lot, but who can really blame him.  He went back to Jen's house today and she said he did well there.  He ate more than he has here, which is great news!!  We finally got him to sleep without argument tonight in his own room...we'll see how long that lasts!  All I have to say is that I can't wait for him to be able to get through the night without meds and feel ok in the morning...getting up every 3 hours is kinda tiring...forgot what that feels like!  Thanks for checking in on us!! 

Jackson sans his tonsils!

Yesterday was the big day for Jack!  We all woke up bright and early and headed into the hospital at 7:00!  He even woke up nicely and didn't complain in the least when we told him he couldn't eat anything for breakfast.  *for those of you who know him well...this kid could eat 3 breakfasts a day...so going without we thought would be horrible...but we were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't a big deal!* 

We checked in and got our pjs on.  They brought in this great big bag of kiddo surgical hats for him to pick on.  After digging through most of the bag, he landed on a Lightening McQueen cap and plopped it on!    It was soooooo cute!!  The nurses were all great.  We had to wait a while for Dr. DeSautel to finish up his first case and the nurses knew it was taking a while...so they brought him a little package of things to do. 

His surgical nurse, Julie, got his wagon all ready to go and in he went!  We walked with him to the big red line, gave him lots of hugs and kisses and said "see ya later dude!"  When we left him, he was giggling as Julie was "racing" around the corner with lots of sound effects! 

It took about 15 minutes to get him to sleep, and about 15 minutes for the procedure.  Dr. DeSautel came in and said he did great...yes indeed, his tonsils were big and ugly and needed to come out.  It took about 30 minutes to get him to wake up and back from the recovery room.  I used to work with Jack's nurse, Rosemary, in the NICU so it was nice to see a familiar face.  She kept us updated on how his recovery was going. 

Pretty soon, we heard a lot of "oh, he's so cute!" and popped our heads out...sure enough, Jack was rounding the corner in this big huge bed!  He looked so small in there!!  He was halfway awake with this dazed look going on!!  The nurses said he was delightful and was one of the best kids to recover!!  Always a nice thing to hear!!  We picked Jack up and he slept for the next 2 hours...one tired boy!!  *on a side note...when you have to wake up Jack, it's not a pretty sight...even when it's not after surgery...so this wasn't a fun process to get him awake and alert enough to drink!* 

Aunt Nikki showed up during nap time and stayed to hang out for a while.  We finally got Jack up and somewhat alert...convincing him to drink something was another story!!  I didn't know if we ever were going to get him awake enough to drink!  After some lovely hydrocodone, he agreed to a popsicle...red, of course!  So when the twin-pops showed up, all he wanted to do was share them...what a sweet boy!  We got 2 popsicles down him and then some chocolate milk.  Time for the IV to come out and we'd be on our way home! 

By about 1:30, we were on our way home.  After a quick stop at Wal-mart for a supply of popsicles, juice boxes, yougurt and a new movie...we headed home...only to make an emergency stop about 2 min from Wal-mart because our sweet little boy puked up every last little thing in his little tummy...NOT FUN!!  We had red puke all over Jack, his blankie, carseat and the van...not fun at all! I luckily had packed an extra pair of clothes just in case we ended up having to stay overnight.  A quick change of clothes and we headed home.  Cleaning up red puke is not fun...it's only the 2nd time Jack has actually puked, so all in all, I think we're fairly lucky! 

He came home, snuggled on the couch for about 10 minutes and then was ready to go.  So much for "quiet activity" today!!  2 popsicles, a container of pudding, half a container of yogurt and numerous crackers later, Jack was rearing to go!!  It was such a nice day, so we took him for a walk.  Got home, made some soup and beer bread.  He ate almost 2 pieces of bread, but didn't really like the soup so much.  His next request:  "Lets just watch a movie and snuggle."  I'm okay with that, so we made a little bed on the couch and snuggled on in.  We were waiting for 9:00 to roll around so we could give him another dose of meds and then we headed to bed.  He didn't think sleeping in his room was a good idea, so he laid on our floor.  Fine by me, since they told us to wake him up in the night to stay on top of his meds...and right at 3 hours, he'd start getting squirmy and whiny so with a quick dose of hydrocodone or motrin, he'd fall back to a sweet slumber!  He woke up about 7:30 and just wanted to snuggle. 

We're onto day 2 and he's doing pretty good!  He's active as ever and if you saw him, you wouldn't think anything had happened!  We're having a hard time today getting him to eat anything, but hopefully that changes.  Overall, we're pretty pleased about his recovery!!! 

We're working on getting our house ready to put on the market so there's been a lot of craziness going on around here!  Between painting and recarpeting the entire upstairs, our house is kind of looking crazy!  Best go help Jon with the basement...I can hear the track going downstairs so Jack will be entertained for quite a while!  Thanks for checking in...hopefully things keep going well and he'll be feeling normal in no time!

Well...

It's been a while since I've updated, we've been so busy lately!  When Jack was in for his 3 year check up, Dr. Wallace asked what Dr. Desautel thought of his tonsils.  (We had been to see him back in Jan/Febish) and I said 2+.  Then that look "oh" look crossed her face.  She said they looked more like 3+ now.  So I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Desautel.  Yes indeedy, Jack's tonsils are large!  So he is buying himself a tonsillectomy & adnoidectomy (T&A) on Oct 22nd.  We're anxious and nervous about it, but know that he will be fine.  Dr. Desautel is the peds ENT and does this all of the time...so I'm thankful for that!  We've started talking about it with him and explaining that his throat will hurt but it will help him not get sick.  It may be an interesting weekend for us, but better sooner than later! 

Since this isn't that "fun" of a post, thought I better add some pictures!!

Picture Time

Jackson had his 3 year pictures taken a few weeks ago.  We only have a few of them, but this is what we have so far!!  Really excited about how they turned out...can't wait to see more!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Jackson Conrad!!

Jack had an awesome 3rd birthday!!!  No party would be complete without great friends and family, lots of smiles, great presents, a cool cake and tons of fun!  When you as the big guy, his favorite gift was the 3D elephant picture that Aunt Boo Boo got him!  I mean, come on, when you consistently have been asking for an elephant for your birthday, how does that not top the list?!?!  :) 



Jack was super excited to get a new digital camera, which he promptly needed opened and has proceeded to take lots of pictures of people's legs and other odd things.  The biggest surprise to both Mom and Dad was how awesome Jackson did with his new big boy bike.  Neither of us thought he'd be tall enough to reach the pedals and really get going.  Boy did he prove us wrong!!  He got right on that bike, started pedaling like he had been for years and away he went!!  Up and down the sidewalk, around the corners at high speeds...he did awesome!! 

This morning, Jack got woken up with candles on his birthday cookie.  Yes, everyone gasp and pick up your jaws!  We let him have a monster cookie for breakfast in bed!!  He thought that was great!!  Then Mommy headed off to work and Daddy took over birthday duties.  Jack got to pick whatever he wanted to do!  Fishing and mini-golfing it was.  What a Daddy!!  Jack had so much fun and couldn't stop talking about it!  Tonight, we attempted to go to Daddy's softball game....attempt being the key word!  We got there, it started sprinkling.  Jack really wanted to go, so we went.  Pretty soon, it's sprinkling more steadily...and then suddenly, here comes the rain!  Daddy ran in from the field and finally convinced Jack we needed to go home.  So grab my purse, attempt to hold on to the blanket, pick up Jack and run!  Hauling a now 3-year-old is hard work!  Man oh man, was I wiped!!  Jack thought it was hilarious running in the rain.  When we got home, all he wanted to do was feel the water from the rain spouts...didn't bother him at all that we were both soaked!!   



Jackson, we both love you to the moon and back a million times!!  You have brought us so much love and joy over the past 3 years!  Thank you for all of the lessons you have taught us, all of the love you have shown us and all of the wonderful years to come!!  We love you!!

Here's to July

To start our July out right, Jack and I went on our first mommy/son double date with Erica and Logan.  We took the boys to see Toy Story 3 and they had a great time!  Cute movie and the boys did a great job during the movie.  Afterwards, there was a comparison of injuries, making crazy faces and having fun! 

This last week, Reid, Stacy, Ethan and Rebecca came up from Texas over the 4th of July.  Jon had to work that weekend, so we met Oma in Sioux City on Friday and Jack and I headed down to West Point to go hang out with everyone.  The kids had a great time playing together in the pool Oma had in the backyard.  A lot of time was spent outside!!  Oma and Opa's shed was converted into a clubhouse for the week.  My old kitchen set that my grandpa made me was in there, along with the cradle he made for my dolls, plus a great new tool set for the boys.  Man did they go to town with that!  Hard hats were put on within minutes and Ethan's boom-boom (aka hammer) was with him most of the time!  Ethan was ready for projects!!  On the 4th, we headed down to the park to play and have supper.  Jon got to West Point around 7 that night.  Because of some lovely rain/cloudy weather, the dinner was moved into the Nielsen Center.  It was air conditioned, which was a welcome relief.  The band was setting up, so once the boys got enough guts to go, we headed up to the stage to watch them set up everything.  The guitarist even let Ethan strum a few times and gave him his pick...he was stoked and was trying to pick up some chicks with it later in the night!  Our good friends, the Wimmers, are always in charge of the firework show.  Andrew is amazing and coordinates music to the fireworks and always has an awesome show!  Miss Rebecca slept through the whole show!!  Ethan just kept saying "fireworks go BOOM BOOM" and would pound his fist in the air...it was funny! 



On Monday, my best friend, Melissa, came up to West Point with her husband and new baby, Rowan!  It's been a long 7 weeks waiting to meet Rowan...Jack thought she was pretty awesome!  He couldn't wait to hold her and give her snuggles and kisses!

On Tuesday, we headed to the Omaha Zoo and met Aunt Boo Boo.  The kids did really well and had a good time!  Our biggest story from the zoo was Jack and Moe.  If you're Dylan and Austin, you know who Moe is!!  He's a huge silverback gorilla.  We were standing on the ledge, watching this adorable baby gorilla play with Rosie, the grandma who always looks a little cranky.  Jack was standing there...watching, laughing, having a good time.  Well, Moe was at the other side and started slowly walking across towards the baby gorilla (sorry Boo, can't remember the baby's name!).  All of the sudden, Moe starts picking up speed and I was thinking he was going to swoop by the window and run past...nope!  Moe picks up speed and at full speed, shoulder butts the window...right in front of Jackson!!!  I've never seen his eyes get so big and the tears come so fast!!  Boy did that scare the little man!!  He cried until we got out of that gorilla house and then continued to talk about it until well after lunch!  He still is talking about it...minus the tears though!  So yeah..besides that little incident, we had a great time.  Jack, of course, loved the elephants and all of the kids loved the penguins.  They let them up by the window now, so Ethan was running with the penguins, up and down...it was cute! 




Wednesday, we headed into Lincoln and went to Pioneer Park for a while.  The kids got to watch one of the elks walk around and then we had a picnic.  After that, we met up with Melissa and Rowan at the children's museum.  Talk about a big hit!!  Wish we would have been able to stay all day and night.  There were so many things for them to do and they had a blast!  Ethan was all about driving the semi truck and firetruck...Jack was all about the face painting.  Opa was in charge of him for a bit and when I got there, Jack had painted his entire face, both arms and called himself a tiger.  We met Uncle Jay and David for supper and then Oma and Opa took the kiddos back to West Point and we stayed to hang out with Jay and David. 

Thursday was a pretty quiet day...until the UPS truck arrived!  Oma and Opa got the grandkids a jumping house!!  Talk about a hit!!  After naps, the jumping house was up and man did they have fun!  Jack convinced everyone to move the pool next to the slide and man oh man did things get crazy!  Rebecca would stand at the top of the slide, raise her arms each time as if she was a gymnast, and jump...except she would jump so far that she would skip the slide all together and land into the pool!  They had an awesome time...it was great! 



So that's our trip in more than a few words!!  It was great to see the Texas clan again and we wish every day that we could see them more often!  Love you guys!!

Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!!! We have had a wonderful father's day weekend.  Friday night, we took Jack to a Pheasant's baseball game in Sioux Falls.  He had soooo much fun!!  One of the kids near us had a baseball glove and was talking about catching a ball, so Jack asked where his glove was.  Well, we told him that if a ball flew our way, he could just catch it in his hat!  Needless to say, he sat the rest of the night with his hat ready to catch that ball.  The cute part was that any foul ball that was hit, it was always a long ways away...he'd reach out his hat as if it was coming his way!  He certainly kept our row well entertained with that.  The Pheasant's played a good game, hit a few homers and won the game.  They had fireworks after that, which Jack thought was really loud, but thought were cool. 

Jackson was so excited for today!  Yesterday, I worked on setting up a treasure hunt for Jon and Jack to do this morning.  Lucky for me, Jon went to bed before me last night (rarely happens...I was busy doing Arbonne things!) so I could go hide all of the clues and presents while he was in bed.  All of the clues were Jack-isms that he says commonly (such as 'don't push me' when he's on his tryke, so the clue went in the basket on his tryke).  Jack and I made monkey bread this morning and took Jon breakfast in bed.  Jack thought that was really cool to eat in our bed.  Good thing we only do that a few times a year!!  So then we gave Daddy his cards and away they went on their treasure hunt.  Jon would say the phrase and then you could see Jack's wheels spinning and off they'd go!  It was cute to watch them work together and find the next present. 
                           
So after that, we went to church and then headed to town for lunch.  Since it was Father's Day, we took Daddy to Red Lobster (gasp....what, Libby went to Red Lobster?!?!  yes, I can handle it once in a blue moon...just not often!!)  One of the waitresses even got a lobster out of the tank for Jack to hear.  He thought they were really cool crawling in the tank...not so much when it was out of the tank!  She showed him the tail and his legs and talked about his nose being long to protect its eyes, but Jack was most interested in putting it back!  It was very cool for the waitress to do that though...Jack talked about it most of the way home!  After a long nap by a few of us, (Jon watched the US Open, I fell asleep on the couch) Jack woke up and immediately requested to go on a bike ride.  So we packed up a picnic lunch and headed on our bikes for the pool.  Jack wasn't so sure he liked the big pool, but was much happier at the wading pool.  Bike trip home, a few quick books and then off to bed.  What a great day!! 

Thank you, Jon, for being such an amazing father!  You far exceed the typical dad and Jack is so lucky to have you!!  From all of the extra snuggles you give, to helping out around the house, to putting us before your job, to all of the sand castles you've built, to all of the love you give us...we both say thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!  We love you!!

Yucky Kisses!!

So yucky kisses started getting passed around this house a few weeks ago.  Let me explain...Jack started refusing kisses from Daddy stating they are yucky!  He wouldn't let Jon kiss him at ALL...and for those of you who know Jon, it almost killed him!!  After a few weeks of this, Jon came up with a solution...trick the toddler...tell Jack HIS kisses are yucky and see what happens.  What do you know, the intelligence of the adult took over...works every time!  If Daddy refuses yucky kisses from Jack, the kisses only increase!!  Now he'll only kiss Daddy if Jon says Jack's kisses are yucky.  If he tells them they're nice, Jack stops.  So night after night, Daddy tricks Jack into bedtime kisses by throwing a "fit" about getting yucky kisses!  Ah...the innocence of toddlers!  No complaints here...he dishes out the kisses if they're yucky enough!  : )

We went to see Luke and Talia's new little guy, Beckett, this last week.  Jack thought it was so much fun to hold Beckett and give him kisses!  He held him quite a while without letting anyone take Beckett from him.  He's certainly growing up!! 

More Jack-isms

So a couple more Jack-isms from tonight!  We were driving into town and I was asking him what everyone's favorite color was.  I got to Aunt Nikki and he sat there for a little bit.  "Uhhhhhhh....i don't remember how to say it!"  :)  He didn't say he didn't know it, just that he couldn't remember how to say it!

And then a few minutes later, I got "When big boys drink beer, they laugh at other big boys."  So I inquire a little more and he told me that's what happened with Daddy at the softball game.  Guess our little boy is very observant!! 

Big Ambitions!

So a quick post about the ever-so-hilarious Jackson!  Yesterday, we were sitting at the table and all of the sudden he announced "When I am a big person, I'm going to get gum, eat flower seeds (sunflower seeds), get a girlfriend like Uncle Adam, and play football with my friends and wear a helmet!"  And that was that...he has some big ambitions in life!! :) 

As the Wheels Turn

Well ladies and gentlemen...we have a rider!! Jack can officially ride his trike!! He's been working since last summer to get his little legs long enough to hit the pedals and put himself into motion! He did it once for Jon about a month ago and hasn't done it since then. I caught him one time doing a 3-pedal around but he wouldn't do it again for me to catch it on video. Well, tonight...same story, different day! I pull up and he's pedaling his little heart out down the sidewalk with Oma. I run inside to get the video camera...he won't do it for me again. Soooooooooo....major bribing on mom's part...I offered ice cream for riding his trike for the video. And it worked!! So here's the little guy riding his trike...big accomplishment in the little man's life!
So on a side note: I've been driving my mom's Bug this week so she can have the van if need be. Let's just say there's 2 problems with that: #1- It's a stick shift. #2- I haven't driven a stick shift in a LONG time!! Now this stick shift is a little different that what I was "raised" on...the reverse is right next to 1st gear...totally throws me off and makes me nervous!! Yesterday, I had to parallel park on a hill...MAJOR disaster for Libby. Oh yeah...when I pulled in I had to reverse to try and get closer...that wasn't working well...I reved the engine, rolled forward...not a good situation! And then to top it off, I watched someone park right in front of me...and get incredibly close. I just kept hoping and praying that the car was gone by the time I got off work...no such luck! So i sat in the Bug for a while and thought maybe if I just wait, they'll show up and drive away. Now I just have to try...so I crank the wheel, very slooooooooowly get going and start moving, get nervous that I'm too close and slam on the breaks. So I'm thinking, great, now I have to reverse and I'm not good at that (remember, rolled forward earlier in the day trying to do that exact thing!). So I take a deep breath, inch slowly forward, luckily did not scratch the car in front of me and got out...sigh of relief!! Well tonight I'm driving home, pull up to a stoplight, which also happens to be on a small hill. And then the dreaded...a car pulls up behind me! I'm almost in a panic attack thinking I'm going to roll into this guy. The car in front of me turns right, so it's, of course, my turn to pull up to the light. STAGE FRIGHT!!! I try once, roll backwards...get nervous, so I flag the guy to go around me. Talk about mortifying...I was almost in tears!!! So he pulls up next to me, still can't get into the turning lane, so there I sit...frozen....great. So I finally got up the little hill, made it home with only one stall (had two on the way in!). Maybe Jon should take the bug tomorrow so I can be safe in my wonderful little Honda...

Happy Month of May!!

Once again, I need to get back on the ball with blogging and keeping this up-to-date! We've had a crazy couple of weeks up here! Three weekends ago, Grandma and Grandpa came up for a visit. Jackson got a new sandbox that weekend and boy was that a hit!! It took convincing Daddy that it would be worthwhile to get it and it has proven it's point all by itself. Brandon has a local group called the Brandon Edge (combo of Jaycees and the Optimist Club) and every year they do a sand drive. $15 for 4 wheel barrels of sand = more fun than Jack ever realized!! He spent the entire afternoon out there, most of the next day and it took some major convincing to keep him inside on Monday when we got home as well!! He loves it and it was certainly well worth the $15!!

The next weekend Oma and Opa came up to help stain our deck. Jack wanted to be a helper himself, so we had to come up with some other activities for him...which included running through the sprinkler and "painting" the neighbor's fence...with water, of course!! The deck turned out great, thanks to some extra sunshine on Sunday. We almost missed being able to do it because it rained Sunday morning, but God sent us some sunshine and we stained away!

This last weekend, we took an extra special trip down to see Dawn, Ryan, Dylan and Austin. Jackson was superb in the car!! I was fairly nervous for the 6 hour drive, but Jack proved us otherwise!! He even drove the whole way over in his big boy underwear, warned us when he needed to go, held it in until we got to a gas station...impressed me!! We had a great time over in Williamsburg. Dawn and Ryan have certainly found a wonderful town to live in and raise those two boys!! When we got there on Friday, we ate supper and then they had their neighborhood Friday Night Lights, where everyone gets together at one house, has a fire pit and the kids all play. Man how I wish our neighborhood was like that!! Saturday, we got to enjoy the park, Java Lounge, and later swimming. Saturday night, we headed into Iowa City and ate at a great pizza place. The boys had a lot of fun entertaining each other and there were lots of laughs! Adam and his girlfriend, Bethany, came down on Sunday which was great to see them!! Sunday afternoon we went golfing and then had a family softball game, which proved the point that this lady isn't so hot at sports!! :) It gave me a decent workout though!! Monday morning, the ladies took a quick trip to the outlet mall in Williamsburg and then we were on our way back. A quick trip to Acute Care and then safely into our driveway. Poor little Jack contracted Hand, Foot, Mouth disease from somewhere, but managed to hang in there and not be too cranky! He had some mild fevers and a rash, but overall did alright. There wasn't much sleeping, but luckily, with lots of flexibility from the other Burns family, we managed just fine!! Thank you for such a fun, relaxing and enjoyable weekend guys!! We miss you already and can't wait to see you again!!