Dr. Appt

I got to go to Alicia's appt yesterday. She's been going once a week now....I'm glad I got to go. For starters, they still havent recieved her records from St. Joe's. The doctor told Alicia that she can still have a VBAC if she wanted. The doc explained the different types of cuts that may have been made when she had Christian. In an emergency C-section there is usually a special cut they make (Alicia may have this kind of cut) and this type of cut can cause an increase risk. If the scar tears open during a contraction then it could cause internal bleeding for her along with other complications. It can also effect the baby as well, in extreme situations it can cause death to her or the baby.

After the doctor explained the possible risks of having a VBAC, Alicia decided that she just wanted a C-Section. She wasnt too upset because she was told her whole pregnancy that she had to have a C-Section until she got to the Reading Hospital. They told us that by ner appt next week they will have a date and I assume a time set so we can let everyone know. They told us some where between May 14th and May 21st. It was a little weird because they told us a C-Section is done a week before the due date, we'll her due date is the 21st...

Last night Alicia and I were talking about it...the baby...and with Christian she had so many complications and with this new one she hasnt had any problems. Christian was born at 31 weeks and this kid may be born at 40 weeks...heres hoping its a 9lb baby!

I cant believe it...its all over!

We finally finished the back yard this weekend! We started it about three weeks ago and we completed it yesterday. Well, I did most of it and Alicia helped where she could. We went to home depot and bought sod, a garden fence and new soil. It took me two days to put it down and finish digging up the old, dead grass...but its done. It was a big project we wanted to get finished before the baby comes so that we can enjoy it for the summer! The hard part is done now we need to put the finishing touches on it...like on the left is going to be our garden, someday!

We didnt do much this weekend. We spent most of it outside because it was so nice! We had the windows opened and the doors and it was so nice, except that it was 88 degrees inside...Alicia and I slept in the basement last night because it was so cool. Christian was having a rough night. He was extremely tired but fought it. He didnt go to sleep until after 11pm. We did his normal routine around 7:30 and at 9:30 he was still screaming and throwing things so we let him sit on the couch with us and watch some tv and tried again at 10:45 to put him down. Still screamed and fought it.

Alicia is doing really well. The baby shows no signs of coming out anytime soon! Its very active, you cant watch her belly roll and all the babies kicks. Its really neat to watch. It cool when the baby moves and it gets "stuck" in a spot and you can press on that spot and feel the baby. Alicia is definitely ready for the baby to come out. She's had enough of it. She drank at least a gallon of water this week...I know I'm ready for everything to be over so Alicia can feel better and do "normal" things...like walking up a flight of stairs!

We got Christian a present this weekend. We got him something he can play with outside in our "new" backyard. Its a water & sand table...it has little gadgets you can send water or sand through. It has a race track around it and an umbrella too! He played with it for an hour straight last night!

37 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel. Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Our Big Night

The weather turned out to be nice yesterday...in the morning it was overcast, cold, windy and rainy. Our appt for the photos was at 5 but she came early, around 4:45. We thought it was just going to be a few photos and thats it. The photographer for the Reading Eagle was Lauren and she was really great. She said she loves to photgraph kids and does it in her spare time. She took over 150 pictures! We took a few stages ones, sitting in the grass, sitting on the front step...then we just played with Christian in the front yard as she took pics.

Christian did really well. He listened to her when she asked him to stand somewhere or to smile. He answered all her questions too. We even got a few shots with KC in them. She didnt do as well but....Lauren was there for about 45 minutes. It was a lot of fun and I asked if we would be able to get copies of them and we can! They will make a nice picture for our wall...

Dr. Appt

I guess no news is good news? Alicia said they didnt say too much...She may have a UTI and they are going to test her for that. If she does they need to treat it right away. Over a month ago the Reading Hospital had Alicia fill out a records release form for her records at St. Joe's...they still dont have them. So we arent sure if we can do it naturally or have to have a C section. The doc said that they will have to "get aggressive" about it because the day is coming up very quickly. Its about 3 weeks away, May 14th.

I got to talk to Christian when Alicia called and he was telling me about hearing the baby...and about the cars on the road. Her next appt is next Wednesday at 2:45 so I can go to that...

Were like....Famous now

Well, not really and not even close to that but...I dont know if I mentioned this before but I got an email from an editor at the Reading Eagle about including our family in their Mothers Day Edition of the Reading Eagle. They asked us a bunch of questions about our life and asked if they could photograph us. Well, I recieved a call from the editor again and they would like to photograph us! I know were not the only family to be asked but its such an honor to be asked. They will be coming out to our house tomorrow night at 5 to take pictures.

Also, tomorrow is Alicia's doctors appt.

Such a Big Boy!

Sounds good to me!

The babies heart beat! Enjoy!

Best Day off Ever!

My day off yesterday was very productive. Not only did I get a lot of things done around the house, I got to spend some one on one time with Christian. We did go to the Hands on House in Lancaster. It was a nice drive there, only 30 minutes and we got to see a lot of horse drawn carriages.

It was raining on Wednesday so we weren’t able to play in the outside garden at the Hands on House. He kept asking to play because they had tractors you can ride and a sand box….like I said the other day, it was only $14 for the two of us…not even half of what it would have cost us if we went to the Please Touch Museum in Philly.

The first theme of the place was the outdoors. They had a tree house and a cave. They had a little fishing pond that you can catch two different types of fish. There was also a little race track that you can build and race your own cars. Of course Christian played there the most…he’s really into his cars! In the outside area they had a bug table with all different types of bugs. They also had front porch where you can paint your own face. Christian didn’t really want to do that (thank god!).

The next area was Local Farm. They had a produce stand set up with a people and a pig. Next to that they had a wall of corn that you can pick ears of corn and place them in buckets. There was a chicken coop set up where they lay eggs and you have to pick the good ones out and all the cracked ones go into another bin. There was a cow there and you learn how to milk the cow…it was just weird! Christian loved the tractor they had set up…he spent a lot of time sitting there. They had a TV in there and you click on the different tractors and it shows you what they do.

The next area was the Corner Grocer. It was a whole grocery store set up with the “freezer” section, seafood section, produce…even the cash registers. Christian’s favorite part was the seafood and “catching” the lobsters. He found a banana and asked me to open it for him! He picked up the basket and grabbed the shopping list they have and walked around the store…

The only part of the place Christian didn’t like was the “Almost Make Believe” place. It was a huge room with mirrors and a stage. In the middle was chest full of different clothes and outfits. They had hats, body armor, dresses, suits…Christian didn’t want anything to do with it. They had a pirate ship in there that he played with a little bit but it wasn’t anything to exciting.

Christian spent most of his time in the “Factory”. It was an assembly line set up and I really don’t know what they heck you were suppose to do. They had baseballs and that’s what got Christians attention. He walked around gathering all the balls and wouldn’t let anyone touch them…he didn’t know what to do either but he made up his own way of what to do. He took the ball and tried to put them in different hole. They had a section that was kind of neat. It was tubes and you got to make your own maze for the balls to go through.

All in all it was a nice time and I would love to go back again with him. The family membership was only $60 a year with would pay for itself in two visits. Its something to think about…I felt a little out of place. I was the only father there. It was all moms and their kids. I noticed though that half the moms where on there cell phones and wouldn’t be more then a foot or two away from their kids. I felt like saying, “Its okay, let your kids play.” There isn’t any need to be on top of your children. They need to learn and play on there own. As long as your near, let them explore.

We were there for two hours before I had to drag Christian out. He was getting frustrated and throwing fits…that’s probably because he only took a 20 minute nap…but he did well. He played well with others and it looks like he really enjoyed himself.

Christian & I

Tomorrow is our special day! I was originally going to take him to the Please Touch Museum in Philly but its a long drive and who knows when Alicia can go. My friend at work Cathleen recommended I take him to the Hands on House museum. Its over in Lancaster which is about 30 minutes away, not an hour or so. She said it was featured on John & Kate, they took one of their kids there for their birthday.

I checked out the website and not only is it closer but it cost way less then the Please Toouch Museum, only $14 for the two of us! The recommended age is 2 to 10 so its perfect! Below is the link for the site...hopefully Christian will like it!

http://www.handsonhouse.com/default.asp

A taste of whats to come

Alicia is already use to not sleeping. I am not. We went to bed after watching the new CSI: Miami, around 11. It took a little to fall asleep...I woke up around 3am and just couldnt go back to bed. I laid there with my eyes closed talking to myself, telling myself to just sleep. I rolled over and the clock said 3:25. Alicia woke up to take her nightly pee break and asked if I was okay. She laid back down and fell right to sleep.

Everything I could think of I did. I was thinking about the trip I took with my Grandfather to France and all the site we saw. I was then thinking about my uncle Mike Formica. I was thinking about the baby and about work. I thought about how uncomfortable my pillow was and I thought about Christian. I continued thinking about anything and everything I could.

I rolled over and looked at the clock and it said 3:40. Alicia awoke again and asked again...she said she'll sleep on the couch and see if that helped me. Nope. I tossed and turned for another 25 minutes. I went down stairs. Alicia was wide awake on the couch, now she could sleep. I asked her if we could have sex...some times it helps me sleep! We both agreed that it wasnt going to happen. We laid on the couch and watched an epsiode of CSI, sometimes watching tv helps. I started to feel sleepy and my eyes were heavy. When the episode was over we laid on the ocuch and tried to go to sleep.

I actually felt tired so I said lets go to bed. It was 5:15 when we laid in bed. The alarm was set to go off at 5:45 so I chaged it to the lastes possible time, 6:15. I felt my self drifting to sleep, my mind still racing with thoughts. Now I was singing a song my Pink...The alarm went off at 6:15 and I never went to sleep.

Easter

What a busy weekend. It was nice to see everyone, we went to my families dinner first, then her families. Uncle Mike and Wendy had Easter at their house. They have such a beautiful house! We ate dinner there and had dessert at her aunts house. I got to meet and hold Lilly! Its weird to think that in a month or less I'll be holding my own child...All in all, it was a great weekend and we hope to see everyone on June 13th for our Everything Party!

False Alarm 2

I woke up around 4 this morning and Alicia was already awake, sitting up in bed. I asked if she was okay and her answer was obviously NO. She said she had cramping on her left side and she couldnt sleep. She said she's been awake a while...I grabbed the book from the Hopsital to read about warning signs or pre labor pains. Alicia had 4 of the symptoms. She had nausea, lower back pain, cramping and fever...Alicia called the hospital and they told her to take a hot shower and see if the pain goes away. She tried it and it helped when she was in the shower, once she got out of the shower the pain was worse.

I packed a bag for the hospital while we waited for the hour to be up. Mean time, Christian's been awake the whole time, since just before 4am! The hour was up and she called back and told them the pain was getting worse. Alicia couldn't even walk thats how bad the pain was! So off to the hospital we went.

We got there around 6:30 and they put her into a room and began to do tests and monitor the baby. They checked to see if she was dialted and she was, nothing significant...one or two cm. The nurse said that it doesnt look likely that she will be having a baby today so around 8:30 I left to take Christian home. He was really getting tired to I laid him down. Shortly after I got home Alicia's mom was arrived so I can go to work.

I'll update everyone with the progress when I know more.

***UPDATE****
12:46pm

Alicia is home now. She needs to rest and take it easy. It seems these episodes she's having are getting worse, maybe the end is coming?

False Alarm 1

Alicia had her doctors appt yesterday. I gave Alicia a list of questions to ask since I wasnt able to go...at 10:45 I got a call from her. She sounds nervous on the phone, "They're taking me upstairs. The doctor wants to monitor me because he's concerned about the baby." On the list of questions we wrote down, the main one was the lack of fetal movement. For about two days she didnt really feel anything and we were concerned.

The doctor took her upstairs to monitor her and the baby. I left work shortly after thinking this was it, our baby is going to be here! The drive never seemed so far...

The baby isnt here yet...and they baby looks fine. The heart beat is okay and the baby doesnt seem to be distressed in anyway. Alicia was feeling a lot of pain, during the monitoring and well after. She said the braxton hicks contractions were getting worse as the night went on. Alicia described the pain as the same she had with Christian the morning he was born. The pain wasnt as bad when we went to bed.

While the baby isnt here yet, it may be soon.

I had a dream last night that we found out the sex of the baby and it was a girl!

It was an okay weekend. I realized that its my last 2 day weekend before the baby comes. I'll be working 6 days a week until the baby comes...thats about 5 weeks to go!

Alicia's mom and grandmother came down on saturday afternoon and we all went tothe fairgrounds mall. They really wanted to go the JC Penny Outlet store. Not much exciting on Saturday. We just did a lot of cleaning and organizing...preaparing for the baby.

Sunday morning I finally got around to painting the front door, well the weather finally was nice enough...It looks so nice. The door was orignally a peachy color and its now a classic red! At first it looked like Barbie pink!

Still not done the door, still need to paint the window slates white but it looks much nicer!

The Ice Cream House down the street had a little Easter Egg hunt. We took Christian there and he had a lot of fun. Somehow he knew just what to do! There was a lot of kids in the 1-3 age group, there was probably more parents then kids...I stood near Christian and let him do his thing...it was so neat to see him running to all the eggs and shaking them. Alicia stood at the end and took pictures. Below is the picture, more parents then kids...and there's Christian, in the front and center of the pack!

After the egg hunt we went for a drive to Blue Marsh lake since the weather was so nice. We decided that we would finally drive by the John and Kate Gosselin house, we live so close to it but never actually drove by. Its only 5 minutes down the road...so we found it and its weird to see it on TV and then in person. They have huge solar panels on the roof and the house is actually closer to the road then it looks on TV. And the icing on the cake, Kate and one of the kids were playing on a tractor on the driveway!

The last time we went to Blue Marsh Lake it was frozen over and covered in snow. We went to the boat launching dock and walked around. KC was scared of the water and the waves crashing. She would whine everytime the water came near her so I solved the problem by throwing her into the lake. After that she was fine. Christian had a good time walking around and throwing rocks into the water. He like watching the boats too. Below is a picture of us watching the boats...

Our next door neighbor gave us a lot of girl clothes. Her daughter just turned a year old on Friday and they wanted to clean out their closets so they know that we are pregnant (obviously) and that we dont know the sex of the baby but gave us clothes from newborn to 12 months that are all girl clothes. She gave us a bathtub and offered us a bassinet and a baby swing. Were so close and I wish we knew!

Quick, call 911 we have a mystery to solve...

It started like any other morning, eating breakfast and watching Little Einsteins...then it hit me, I had to go to the bathroom. I made a mad dash up the stairs and quickly shut the door. As I sat on the toilet I felt a sense of relieve. I heard a noise, who was it, what was it...I glanced over at the door and let out a blood curling scream!




Christian colored on the bathroom door and we still dont know where the marker is...

TO BE CONTINUED???

34 Weeks!

Here's an article from babycenter.com. Click on the title of this post to go to the site!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies

On this day, April 1, one of the greatest people ever was born...

Happy Birthday Mom!