Parasite or Baby?!

Over the past two months, I've begun to wonder if I'm pregnant with an actual baby or a parasite. Because whatever it is, it's literally sucking the life right out of me! I know pregnancy is supposed to be one of the most amazing and wonderful times in a woman's life. Well, not so much for me. I just don't think my body is cut out to bear children. If I'm not vomiting, I feel like I could at any moment. I've already had to go to the hospital on three occasions to be treated for dehydration because I just couldn't manage to keep any liquids down for a long period of time. The actual medical term is called hyperemisis gravidarum. Basically it's a severe form of morning sickness that can last an entire pregnancy!!! This comes as no surprise to me, since I experienced this with Austin as well, but I just HOPED this time would be different. My latest trip to the hospital involved me getting 3 bags of IV fluids and some wonderful phenegren in my IV. After running some labs, they considered actually admitting me to the hospital, which would not have been fun at all. Right now, I'm in my 15th week and I've lost 15 lbs. so far. And it's just so hard to function when you feel like crap 24/7. Thankfully, Jordan and the rest of the family have been really great at helping out and picking up the slack in taking care of Austin when momma's not feeling so hot.

I'm hoping things take a turn for the better here in the next couple weeks. But if not, I know it will all be worth it when I hold this sweet miracle in my arms in January. I guess I should try to enjoy this pregnancy a little bit, since it'll be the last time. :(

Happy Birthday to my Hubby!!!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful hubby, Jordan! Hope you enjoy the last year of your 20's!!!! Love you!

What a great vacation!

Whew! I can't believe our vacation is already over and we're back to reality. :( We got up early last Saturday and headed to the airport with ALL of our luggage. Since I cashed in 100,000 miles to get mine and Austin's tickets, we were 'Priority Access', got to board the plane first and got to check all our bags for no fees! Woohoo! And the flight went great. Austin was awake playing and eating for the first hour and then slept the remaining hour and a half. I was so proud of him doing so well on the flight. Nobody would have even suspected there was a toddler on the plane! Then we headed to the hotel in Miami. All of us stayed in a two-bedroom suite at a Hyatt, which the setup worked out perfect for us. After relaxing at the hotel for the rest of the day, we got up on Sunday and headed for the cruise terminal. With our VIP status, we were checked in and boarded the ship in about 30 minutes; it was great. We headed to the Lido deck for a delicious lunch, 'Specials of the Day' drinks, and started enjoying the good life.

The week was filled with lots of family togetherness, gambling, drinking, eating too much food, soaking up the sun, and chasing my monkey around! The first full day was a 'fun day at sea', so we wandered around the boat all day and also took Austin to 'Camp Carnival'. He absolutely loved it in there and was an instant hit with all the staff! Oh, and it was my birthday! Jordan got our cabin all decorated, and they sang Happy Birthday to me at dinner. Day two we stopped off in Grand Cayman. Katrina and I took Austin to the Seven Mile Beach for his first beach experience, while Mom, Jordan and Logan went off to swim with the stingrays. I was worried Austin wouldn't like the sand or getting dirty. Boy, was I wrong! He got in there with his bucket and shovels and just went to town! The next day we stopped off at a hidden hideaway-Isla Roatan, Honduras. What a beautiful little secluded island! Another trip to the beach for all of us. Mom watched Austin for a bit while me, Jordan, Kat, and Logan took a ride on a paddleboat.....what a workout! Our next stop was Belize. Jordan and I had previously been to Belize, which is primarily a jungle destination with mostly high intensity excursions. So, we elected to stay on the boat that day with Austin and enjoy some downtime. Our last stop was in Cozumel; but it rained most of the day, so another lazy day experiencing life on the ship. The excitement and hustle of the vacation was starting to wear on us, so it was a welcome idea.

Throughout the week, we would take Austin to Camp Carnival for a little bit, so that we could enjoy some adult time to enjoy the casino, sun, or a show. Overall, he did pretty good in there. In the evenings, we would drop him off at 10pm, thinking he would be asleep in no time. When we arrived back at 1am, we were surprised to find a little boy up and still playing. But since he stayed up late, it also meant that he would sleep in, so that was okay for us! The casino was touch-and-go throughout the week for all of. We finally got Mom to leave the slots and come over to the darkside of Blackjack and she instantly became addicted. Close to the end of the week, I walked away from the table with $700 and was very proud of myself! Jordan, well, he wasn't very consistent. His consumption of double Crown and cokes often clouded his judgment.

On our last day, it was time to say goodbye to the ship, and also to Katrina and Logan who would be headed to Omaha for a baseball tournament. In the meantime, Mom, Jordan, Austin, and I ventured to the Miami Seaquarium to blow off some time before our flight back home. Needless to say, we were a little disappointed with it. Mom said it best, that it reminded her of the marine park in the episode of Jaws where they brought the sharks in to try to attract more customers. Yep, it was a little rundown, and it was so hot outside. We quickly grew hot and tired and headed to the airport. After entertaining Austin for two hours while sitting in the airport, we were exhausted. I was worried how he would do on our jam-packed flight back to Dallas after being so tired and ready to get home. Much to my dismay, he fell asleep before we even took off and slept the entire 3 hours til we got to our gate in Dallas! Hallelujah!

Overall, it was a great trip. It took us several days to recuperate and get back in the swing of things of everyday reality. To see the joy on Austin's face while playing at the beach was enough to make it a success in my book. As for me, I will never go on another cruise pregnant again! My nausea and vomiting came and went most of the week, and the exhaustion got to me. Not to mention, no 'Specials of the Day' for me either!

Austin's Going to be a Big Brother!!

Yep, it's true. :) I'm about 10 weeks along now, with Baby #2, with an expected due date of January 30, 2011. I'm still shocked at how quickly it happened this time; I thought for sure we were in it for the long haul again. But I guess at some point, your body figures out what it's supposed to do. I found out pretty early, and called the doc up right away. After an exam and several rounds of bloodwork, I was put on some meds again to make sure this little one stays put in there.

I wished so much that things would be different for me this time around, but it hasn't. Constant nausea and vomiting, all day long. Yuck! We've only had to make one trip to the ER so far for IV fluids, and hoping not to have to go back again. And I'm just completely worn down and tired. It's so hard to function like this, but I know it won't last forever (let's hope not!) and will be completely worth it in the end. I'm already down 10 lbs. And once again, I went on a cruise pregnant, on my birthday, again. Not as fun as they used to be. :( I swear, the next cruise I go on, I will not be knocked up! ;)

We had our first ultrasound at 8 weeks, right before we left for vacation. We were pretty nervous, and had suspicions that maybe there were two in there. Yikes! Don't get me wrong, we would have been happy either way, but when we saw only one baby in there, it was a little bit of a relief. I don't think it's really set in all the way yet, that our family will soon be complete! But this is it for us, no matter what the gender is. I would be perfectly fine having another sweet little boy, or would also enjoy the unknown adventure of raising a little girl. We are just very thankful and feel very blessed.

I hope the end of the pregnancy goes better than it did with Austin, too. Being put on strict bedrest at 34 weeks was no fun at all, due to my blood pressure and swelling. But at least we know we'll be having a scheduled c-section this time around. Last time, we found out a day and a half before that this kid was only coming out by c-section, and it was alot to swallow, since that wasn't in our original plan. I love my doctor and know that he will take great care of me and our baby!

Well, that's our big news! Sorry for holding out so long, but we wanted to wait until we were sure everything was great, and little longer before I spilled the beans at work. I'm not so sure they're going to be so happy that I will be missing out on busy season.......again. But I have no control over when I get pregnant; it's out of my hands. So, here we are! Many more updates to follow!

Bon Voyage!!!

Pack, pack, pack!! So much to get ready for our big trip! We fly out Saturday morning to Miami, where we'll spend the rest of the day. Then Sunday morning we'll head to the big ship! Since we've upgraded to a suite this time, we are happy to be considered V.I.P. and get to bypass all the lines. :) Our week of fun consists of stops at Grand Cayman, Belize, Honduras, and Cozumel. While we're gone, we'll be celebrating Father's Day for Jordan, Mom's Birthday, my birthday, and Katrina's graduation, so it should be a great time for all! Well, that's just my quick update for now. Next time I post, it'll be full of details, pictures, and fun news!

18-Month Checkup!

Whew! Is it really June 1st?! This year is just going by so fast; I can't believe summer is already upon us. We took Austin to the doctor this morning for his 18-month check-up. He weighed in at 27lbs. 4oz. (60th percentile) and measured 32 1/4" tall (short) (50th percentile), and his big 'ol head was still in the 95th percentile. Some things never change. :) He wasn't so excited to see Dr. Granger today and all his toys he uses to look in his ears, eyes, etc. He was much more interested in just latching onto Mommy. Only one shot today, screamed for about 5 seconds, and then we were on our way.

Austin has such a great personality, but still throws his tantrums here and there. I think we may have actually entered the 'terrible two's' a little earlier. If he doesn't get his way, he proceeds to throw himself on the floor kicking and screaming. It usually only lasts a few minutes, and then he forgets what he was mad about to begin with. He is definitely an outdoors-lover! Anytime he hears/sees the backdoor or garage door open, he's like a bolt of lightning trying to escape. Once he's outside, it's usually a chore (and a tearful struggle) to get him back inside. He's managed to master his new playset out back, being able to climb the ladder solo and slide down the slide all by himself (all under close adult supervision, of course).

They've had 'Concert by the Lake' on Thursdays the past few weeks in Rockwall. We load up a blanket, picnic dinner, snacks, and head down for some fun and people watching. I was nervous about how Austin would do. But he loves to people-watch and pet all the puppies that are in attendance. And the music is great too, especially for my little dancing maniac. He LOVES to 'dance dance', as he commands CiCi when she pulls out her iPhone. He'll snap his fingers, stomp his little foot like it's the Cotton-Eyed Joe, and spin around in circles. It is absolutely the cutest thing; I'll have to take a video of it to share. Since summer is finally upon us and the Texas heat is rising, we've ventured up to the community pool and splash park a couple of times to cool off, too.

Happy Mother's Day!

Another Mother's Day, filled with so much love and happiness of finally experiencing motherhood. The Friday before Mother's Day, Austin's class had 'Muffins with Mom', so I showed up a little early to share breakfast with my little monkey. Then he gave me his gifts he made; the first one was a sweet little poem with his hand print inside. Then there was another gift wrapped in tissue paper. When I unwrapped it, there was the cutest frame, decorated with little puzzle pieces that read, 'I Love You to Pieces!'. Too sweet!! It definitely brought tears to my eyes. And to top the day off, Austin sent me some beautiful pink and purple tulips to work.

On a side note, I want to thank my mother for always being there for me and showing me how to be a great mom to my own kids. Love you momma!