Pictures from the Weekend

The inside of the train
I didn't realize that my favorite actor is in this movie... Colin Firth (I just love his accent!)

Bryce exploring around Dickin's London

Bryce morphed into Scrooge

The train

The blowup theater (we got to see clips of the movie) with the B&O Railroad Museum next to it

Inside the museum on a train

Bryce's soccer game on Saturday morning

Hayride @ FreightFest at Six Flags America!

What a great weekend!

We had a fantastic weekend. On Friday we went to the B&O Railroad museum to see the Disney Christmas Carol Train that has been touring around the USA. It was adorable. Thank goodness there was no wait and we cruised right through it. It was a little old for Bryce but I think he enjoyed looking at everything. I loved it - the pictures were fantastic and the decorations were amazing. The first train had a beautiful blue ceiling that looked like the sky and every car was decorated with gorgeous upholstered wallpaper. It was pretty interesting.

Then it was off to see a sneak peak of the movie. Bryce had absolutely no desire to see it so David watched him outside while I took a sleeping Cole in to the movie. I am glad Bryce didn't come with me... it was a little scary and VERY loud! The 3D was neat but I remembered why I am not really a 3D kinda person. My eyes have trouble focusing and it gives me a headache. I can't imagine watching 2 hours of a movie in 3D. 2D is just fine for me.

After the fun it was off to Ale Mary's in Fells Point. We'd never been there before but boy, was it yummy! I had the Thankful Turkey Sandwich... roast turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce with some mash on the side. MMMmmmm good.

Saturday we had Dave's parents, Aunt & Uncle and cousin over to meet Cole. I cooked Autumn Pork Roast with butternut potatoes. Dave's Aunt brought some potatoes au gratin over, spinich dip and an apple pie. I also made some caprese salad and a pumpkin cheesecake.

On Sunday we attended FrieghtFest at Six Flags America. We went with 2 other families and the boys had a blast! Cole got to ride the Merry Go Round and he seemed to enjoy it. He was tracking things with his eyes and didn't get upset at all. He also seemed to like the Halloween Stunt Show. His eyes followed the actors around on stage and he didn't even flinch at any of the loud sounds. Bryce of course loved all of the fighting in the show.

I'll have to share some photos tomorrow since I haven't downloaded them from the camera yet and the lil' one is starting to rouse.

A Bucket of "Cole"

In the "new" house (we moved in 2.5 yrs ago already) we have shower doors on our bathtub. I haven't taken them off yet so it's too difficult to use the baby tub we have in it. So I've been using the tub on the floor of our master bath. I take the shower head and use it to fill the tub up. The water usually splashes up out of the tub onto the floor making it a bit slippery.

Well, about 2 weeks ago I filled the tub... without realizing how much had splashed out of the tub - went to get Cole, walked into the bathroom and slipped. Bam - fell right down onto my bum... HARD. Mind you I couldn't brace myself with my hands because well... I was carrying the baby! Thank goodness I didn't drop him... he was absolutely fine. But ouch, ouch... my bum hurt! So I figured this is the end of that and we're off to find a better tub!

I had seen this type of bucket style tub online and they were running about 60 bucks. I figured... gosh, I'll just get a bucket... that will be easier! Well, I then ran into the Prince Lionheart "Wash Pod" which was only $18 bucks. It had "legs" to stabilize it from tipping over, a cushy seat at the bottom for Cole to sit on and it was tall enough to support his head. I was sold.

He LOVES it! So do I... it's SO much easier now! It uses less water and I'm not constantly worrying that he's getting cold since more of the water covers his body now. He also gets to splash around in it at an earlier age. Yay!

The Newest Addition

On July 23, 2009 Cole Joesph joined our family. He was 5 lbs 8 oz and 19 inches long and absolutely beautiful! He was about 3 weeks early because I began showing signs of pre-eclampsia again. We had an appointment with the high risk dr. the day after we got back from Florida and my blood pressure was elevated. Since there were no signs of protein in my urine (sorry if that's TMI but its the classic sign of pre-eclampsia) the dr. didn't admit me to the hospital. For the next week though I was in and out of the hospital and saw a different dr. every day (my regular OB wanted me in every other day and the high risk dr. saw me on the days I didn't go to my regular OB - it became exhausting!). My OB admitted me to the hospital for frequent non-stress tests and blood pressure monitoring.

On July 22 my OB said that they found significant amounts of protein in my sample and admitted me to the hospital. I figured that this was it, I was going to deliver today, so before going to the hospital I went home and picked up my bag. I called my family - and to my surprise found out that my brother in law had also been admitted to the hospital (unfortunately, the hospital in the town next to us). He had been stung by a bee and had a reaction to it. Work took him to the ER and they gave him Epinephrin... but the wrong dosage. The nurse gave him 10 X the normal amount which sent him in to shock. He was then admitted for testing to make sure they didn't damage his heart. Yeah, so it was a busy day! Oh yeah, did I also mention that everyone else was out of town on vacation? My in laws were in Dewey with Bryce and my parents were still in Florida. What a mess!

Anyhow- the hospital didn't find any traces of protein at all (tested it twice) and after 3 hours I was discharged. The next day I went to the high risk dr. and they again did find traces of protein. He then decided that due to the things he was seeing on the sonogram (they can actually see the beginning symptons pre-eclampsia on a sonogram before you start showing outward physical signs of it) and the fact that he was convinced that I was spilling small amounts of protein (no matter what the hospital thought) that today was the day to deliver. I, of course, asked him if I could wait till after the weekend when people would be coming home - and was told, nope. He thought that if we waited 3 days that I would then be sick and could need an emergency c-section. He told David that after 3 days my symptoms could possibly include seizures and that if I was his wife he'd have me deliver right now. Well, that sealed the deal and we were off to the hospital.

Of course, I try to fit everything in before I deliver... so on the way to our hospital we stopped by my brother in laws hospital to make sure he was ok and to visit with them. By about noon I was admitted to the hospital and taken to the prep room to get ready for my c-section.

But wait! Throughout this whole pregnancy we had been discussing having a VBAC so I was very confused! One of the reasons I was also delivering early was so that I was healthy enough to have a VBAC instead of a C. Thankfully I mentioned to the nurse my concerns and she called my regular OB and fought for my decision. My OB had thought it would be easier/safer to do a C but the nurse told her that it was my desire to try to be induced and they should do what the patient wanted. So at 1:15 I started pitocin. Since Bryce was born way early by C-section I had never experienced any type of labor so I was very eager to know what I missed (yes, I know... odd). I have to admit - the beginning stages were pretty darn easy. I had always wondered if contractions were worse than my IBS stomach aches - and really, they weren't.... in the beginning.

At 5:00 pm - my water broke naturally and that's when the fun started. WOW. Pitocin induced contractions after your water breaks are INTENSE! That's when I begged for the epidural! My inlaws arrived back from Dewey Beach with Bryce (we had called them in the morning) and the epidural was in place and working by about 5:30. After that - it was smooth sailing! I didn't feel a thing and I was progressing nicely. The OB told us that by midnight we should know if the induction would work or if we'd have to do a C.

Well - I then started dilating fast and to the dr's surprise I was fully dilated and ready to push by 9:30 pm. At 9:43 pm - Cole Joesph entered the world!

It was pretty amazing. I am soooo glad I decided to do a VBAC. If we had had another c-section I would have always wondered what labor was like. All the gals get together and talk about their birth stories and I never had any of the experiences the other ladies had. I always wondered what it would be like - and now I know. Plus, to tell you the truth... it was fun!

P.S. Thank goodness my brother in law ended up being ok and his heart wasn't damaged. He ended up spending almost a week in 2 different hospitals! It was a huge mess.

After the wedding...

Mid June Bryce and I traveled down to Fort Myers, Florida with my parents and GG (my grandmother). They own a townhouse down there and Bryce & I stayed with them for 3 1/2 weeks. We had a great time - although I was very out of breath, tired & noticed that my blood pressure was starting to go up. It didn't concern me too much though because I was past 28 (when my pre-eclampsia symptoms started with Bryce) and I wasn't swollen at all.

Oh yeah, but I should mention - I did spend 2 days in the hospital mid June because of some complications. One night at around 1:15 am I started bleeding... a lot. I called my in laws to come over and watch Bryce, went downstairs to tell Dave we were going to the ER (yup, we're night owls) and left once the in laws arrived. By 1:45 am I was admitted to Labor & Delivery and already receiving an IV. They did a sonogram and said that everything looked ok. They discharged me directly to my high risk dr after 2 days and had another extensive sonogram their. He said all seemed to be ok and they couldn't figure out where the blood had come from - but according to them it did not come from the placenta or the baby. Whew. I was sent home to rest and after the weekend I was told I could return to "normal" life. After a few weeks of no complications they released me to take my vacation! Thank goodness - granted, if I wasn't able to go... I wouldn't have... but I would have been pretty darn bummed about missing the beach for the whole summer!

Ok - so back to Fort Myers. We had a great time. We went to the beach everyday and Bryce had SO much fun playing in the sand and the water. The beach their is just glorious! After 2 1/2 weeks Daddy flew down to meet us. Bryce was thrilled to have Dad in Florida.

We spent most of our days looking for "sea creatures". There were tons of sea slugs, shrimp, baby clams and baby snails to collect in our buckets. We even got to see some sting rays in the water! Thank goodness we didn't step on any! I was very careful to shuffle in the water... we only saw 2 in the 3 weeks we were there... but I wasn't taking any chances!

Bryce had a GREAT time at the community pool. He finally got the courage to put his head under the water and really enjoyed the new freedom that it gave him. He was able to get his head wet which meant he could also splash around because the water didn't bother him so much if it got in his eyes. He watched the other kids jump in the pool and eventually tried it out himself. He was so proud to show off his cannonballs to the other kids!

We returned home mid July and while we had a great time down there - I was happy to be back in my house! The beach can be exhausting! Although... I am looking forward to returning over Spring Break in April!

The beach at dusk - red sky at night... sailor's delight!

Hide and Seek at Times Square, Fort Myers Beach

Bryce was a huge help with getting to the beach!

Sea Slug

Shrimp!

Bryce wore his goggles a lot because he didn't like the salt water in his eyes

Hawaiian Sundae at Love Boat Homemade Ice Cream (YUMMY!)

Mommy & Bryce

Daddy and Bryce playing Frisbee

Cannonball!

Underwater at the Pool

What I've been up to...

So after a long break I've decided to return to my blog. Now that Bryce is back in school and the new little one takes great naps in the morning... I have some time to type while I'm gulping down my morning cup o' joe.

So you ask - what have I been up to? Well... Bryce and I had a very interesting summer. After school ended in May we got ready for my sister in law's wedding. Bryce was the ring bearer and my hubby n I were both attendants. We had a blast and it was a gorgeous affair. The weather was spectacular and she ended up with some fantastic outdoor shots! Everything went smoothly (unlike my own wedding) and we all had a glorious day. My bridesmaid dress actually looked stunning - I was afraid of looking like a tent considering I was 7 months pregnant. I was very happy with the outcome of it.

My favorite part of the reception?... the yummy appetizers! I actually took a break from dinner to run back to the bridal suite to get me some more of the appetizers that were still set up! MMM mmm good!

Bryce was the most adorable ring bearer! He did a great job and was so proud!

Here are some pics of the wedding for now... the new little one is hungry right now so I've got to go feed him... I'll update some more tomorrow!

I've been away...

Well, I am on week 19 of my pregnancy. This morning we found out we're having another boy! I'm just hoping that this boy is a little calmer than the first! I love Bryce to pieces but I'm not sure I could handle 2 of them!

Also - in other news (sad news) - we put Emmi down on Friday. Emmi was our rescue dog. She was the sweet cuddly one that everyone loved. Well, towards the end her legs were getting so disfigured and crippled from her arthritis that she became pretty cranky (reasonably so!). While it was incredibly hard to do - we thought it would be best for everyone involved (us and her) to let her go.

I miss her tons... although I miss the old Emmi. The last year or so has been very hard with her and I think we were all a bit miserable. I miss the sweet cuddly Emmi that we had before the arthritis took over.