Rader Family of Four!!

Happy Fall!

2008-11-10T10:59:00.017-05:00

The kids and I went out to play in the leaves today! It was pretty chilly, but we got bundled up and headed out to the backyard. Ben didn't seem to mind laying in the leaves too much. Madi had fun raking and going down her slide.

Things have been pretty busy here lately. It just seems like we are always running running running. Madi and Ben are both doing well. Madi is talking up a storm and is putting a lot of sentences together. It's really cute. I can really see how her mind is working. When I say something, she sits and thinks about it, and then asks a question. It's so awesome to see her growing up! And she is about 75% potty trained. She has been doing great with it! She has an accident every now and then, but during the day she almost always goes on the potty every time. What a big girl!

I also have some exciting news! My brother, Nathan, and his wife, Mary had a baby on Thursday! Madi and Ben have a new cousin, Elliot! This baby is a true miracle. They tried for over 10 years to have a baby, and didn't think they would be able to. We are all so excited to meet him! They came home yesterday and are trying to settle in to their new "normal"! Congrats, Nate and Mary!!! We love you!

My most terrifying moment

2008-10-30T04:46:00.003-04:00

What was your most terrifying moment in your life? I have had some scary experiences but nothing compares to this...

When Madelyn was 17 months old, we were on vacation in Cape Vincent, NY. We were staying in a house right along the St. Lawrence River. I knew that Madi was cutting her molars, all 4 of them. On June 26, she woke up from her nap with a fever of 102. I gave her some Tylenol, and checked her temp again around 5:30, about an hour before her next dose of Tylenol would be due. About a half hour after that, she was asleep in her daddy's arms when she started having a seizure. Gregg jumped up right away screaming and ran her into the shower. He stood there with her limp convulsing body in his arms trying to get her fever down. My parents and sister and her family were there with us, and we all just started screaming and crying. At some point I screamed, "Call 9-1-1!!!" Madelyn was turning blue, and all that was going through my mind was "How am I going to go home without her?" I honestly thought she was dying before my eyes. I was throwing my arms in the air reaching up to God screaming for Him to help us. She continued to seize for about a minute and a half, at which point she was very blue and not breathing effectively. Gregg laid her down on the floor in the bathroom and I just said "I have to do CPR!" In my mind I knew she had a pulse, but I was thinking about all the steps you have to take when doing CPR, and I put my hand on her arm to feel for her pulse, and she stopped seizing. Her breathing was still not good, she was definitely working hard to take in each breath.

While Gregg and I were in the bathroom with her, my mom was on the phone calling for the ambulance. Since we were on vacation, none of us knew the exact address of the place we were staying. My sister ran from one house to the next screaming trying to find out the address. Eventually, somehow the crew figured out where we were. It took about 35 minutes from the beginning of the seizure for them to get there. It took us another 30 minutes to get to the hospital.

To make this a little shorter, the doctor came and checked her out and explained febrile seizures to us. They happen to 1 in 20 kids. Supposedly they are harmless, do not cause brain damage or learning disabilities, and do not mean the child has epilepsy. They don't treat the child with medications or admit the child to the hospital. The only thing they do is find the source or reason for the fever. In this case, it was from teething. Hard to believe a child can get a high temp from teething. Madi always got a temp from teething. If the child has one febrile seizure, the chance is 50% that they will have another one, and is usually in the year after the first one. I thought we were in the clear after a year had passed...but then we basically replayed all of this again on Oct. 1 of this year.

She was at my mom's for the day while I was at home. I called my mom at 10:45am and she said that Madi had a fever and that she had just given her Motrin. Madi had cold symptoms the day before with a runny nose and cough. Well, my dad called at 11:10 and cried, "Lisa, come quick, she's having another seizure!" -- They told us the same thing this time too. Basically just made sure she didn't have an ear infection or strep, and sent her home. Their only instructions were if she gets a fever again, immediately alternate Tylenol and Motrin every 4 hours.

On Oct. 22, I was at work when someone came to me and said, "Lisa, they just paged you overhead. You have to call the emergency room." No one ever wants to hear that. Madi had another seizure when she was home with Gregg. This time, she had no cold symptoms, and no reason for us to believe she was sick or had a fever. Regardless, her temperature spiked, and she had another seizure. It was 101.9 when she came to the ER. They gave her Tylenol and as soon as her fever broke, she was back to normal running around, being a 2 year-old. They checked her for strep, did a chest x-ray, and urine sample and everything came back fine.

Our family doc said now that she has had 3, there is a chance that every time she gets a fever, she might have a seizure. That makes for two paranoid parents! We just have to alternate Tylenol and Motrin every time she gets a cold or anything, and even with doing that, she may still have a seizure.

Now that we are experienced with this, it's not quite as terrifying as the first time. But nothing compares to seeing your child convulsing on the floor and turning blue. Madelyn is such a precious gift to us, and a fun, beautiful little girl, and I couldn't imagine my life without her!

More updates to come!

Just pictures for now

2008-10-27T13:47:00.010-04:00

Here are some long overdue pictures for all my faithful blog readers. I am hoping to write a long update in the next couple of days.

Two cute kids

2008-08-15T13:54:00.004-04:00

A couple weeks ago, I walked away from Madelyn for one minute while she was drawing with markers. This is what I found when I came back in the room!
Here's the little cutie pie. He'll be 4 months tomorrow!

Happenings

2008-08-13T01:34:00.003-04:00

Ok, I admit it. I am a terrible blogger. I keep telling myself that I am going to start posting more often, and I never do! I am sorry to all of my faithful readers that I don't give updates more often.

Things are going great for us! The kids are getting so big! Madelyn has been doing AWESOME with potty training. A couple weeks ago I decided to do all out potty training, and it is going better than I could have imagined. She has had 3 accidents in 2 weeks, and never pees in her diaper except naptime and bedtime. When we go somewhere, we put her in a diaper just because we don't trust her yet in the car and stuff...but as soon as we get to our destination, she goes on the potty! She is really doing well, and I am so excited about it! We have saved so much money on diapers, just in the last 2 weeks! And Madi loves the idea of wearing panties. She picked out Little Mermaid panties. :) She is also starting to talk a lot more. She's not quite making sentences yet, which frustrates me. But she is starting to say more words and trying to repeat what I say. It's so cute! She is really becoming a little girl.

Benjamin is doing great too! He is still really on the small side. I wish he would get some rolls! But it's kinda fun having him little too though because he isn't growing up too fast. He will be 4 months in 3 days! I can't believe how fast these last 4 months have gone. He continues to be a very content, happy baby. He is sleeping good for me during the day now too. We are no longer swaddling him and that makes things a lot easier. He wanted to be swaddled up until about 2 weeks ago. He's sleeping between 8-10 hours at night. Nursing is going well, but I worry about my milk supply when I work. I've been working 12-16 hours a week and am having trouble pumping enough when at work. I hope I can keep up with pumping on the days I have off so my supply doesn't drop, and so I don't have to give him any formula. So far he has had none! It feels great!

Ben is really beginning to become a social little guy! We have conversations with each other, and his little voice is so precious. He loves to be included in the family activity. Sometimes if I think it is naptime (like around dinner time for us), he cries in his crib, so I bring him out to the dining room with us and he acts as though he just didn't want to be back in his room by himself. He wants to be where the action is! And he loves his big sister, and smiles at her all the time. Madi sometimes gets too excited about her baby brother and gets too close for comfort and he lets us know!

A couple weeks ago we went to Knoebels. My friend's 15 year old sister, Tiffany, came with us. She's been helping me this summer with playing with Madelyn during the day so I can do housework. She also comes with me when we go shopping. Taking two kids to the store by myself is nearly impossible. Madi's not crazy about shopping. Just give her a year or two! :) I hope! She likes to take the Nuk out of Ben's mouth when he's in the bottom of the shopping cart in his car seat, and she likes to stand up in the cart. So Tiffany comes with us. She takes a cart and I take a cart and it makes things a whole lot easier. I will be so lonely when she goes back to school in a couple weeks.

Ok, so back to Knoebels. We went on a Friday. Gregg took a vacation day and we all piled in our new minivan. Madi loved the rides! She even went on the big rides with us. She got a little nervous when her belly fell out on the big ship, and she didn't like the big wet ride. But she loved the kiddy rides and the tilt-a-whirl and rides like that. I got free tickets to Dutch Wonderland and am planning on going either on Friday or some day next week with my mom and the kids. I can't wait!

Oh yeah, by the way, we got a new minivan. We decided it was time to trade in the Saturn. It was too small for getting the kids in and out, and when the kids were in the car, there was no room for anything else. And forget trying to fit the double stroller in the trunk. Plus the Saturn sounded like it was going to die any day. Neither Gregg nor I wanted to be driving around with a 2 year old and a baby with an unreliable car. We did our research and decided on a Toyota Sienna. It's so nice! We have so much more cargo space, and Madelyn loves it too! I will post pictures sometime this week. A lot of young moms I know say, "I will never drive a minivan!" But I kinda like being a "Minivan Mom" :)

Gregg and I are doing well too. It's hard to find time for the two of us now that we have a busy life with two little ones. But we wouldn't trade our lives for the world! We love being parents to the two cutest kids in the world!

3 month photo shoot

2008-07-22T14:38:00.004-04:00

These are pictures of Ben last week on his 3 month birthday. He had his checkup yesterday and he is 10 lbs 6 oz. He's in the 5% for weight! I guess I make small babies. I like him small. :) He is doing great with naps! Today he took two 2 hour naps. YAY! No crying when I put him down, no demanding the Nuk. No waking up screaming after a half hour. And he is so happy when he is awake! Laughing and smiling and talking. It's been a good couple of days.

Thanks for the lesson, Sarah!

2008-07-17T15:51:00.010-04:00

Things have calmed down here a little bit. We were on vacation last week, up in New York along the St. Lawrence River. It was a wonderful getaway. We went with my parents, and my brother, Evan, and his wife, Sarah. The kids were great the whole time. Ben is becoming an easy baby again, and he has been sleeping through the night! No more bassinet! He's sleeping in his crib for all naps and nighttime!

Our fresh catch of the day. If you've never had perch, you have to try it! It's so good fried. And nothing beats free meat for dinners!

These are pictures my sister-in-law, Sarah took and edited. Aren't they great!? She used picnik.com, a free photo editing website. It's so cool all what you can do for free! I am so excited to try it myself.

2 is enough!!

2008-06-27T09:22:00.015-04:00

Things have become a little more hectic around here lately. For the first month or so, Ben was a great sleeper. He took long naps, and never had a hard time going to sleep on his own. Then things changed! He is definitely a snuggler, and pretty much wants to be held all the time. I am lucky if he takes one good nap all day.

He usually cries for 10ish minutes when I put him down, and then falls asleep, only to wake up a half hour later screaming. And he doesn't cry himself back to sleep. He'll cry like mad for a while, and eventually gets himself unswaddled. He tolerates the swing or bouncy seat for a few minutes, but always cries to be held. I love to hold him, and would sit on the couch all day holding him if I could. But he has a 2 1/2 year old sister that needs attention, and I just can't hold him all day long. That leads us to long bouts of crying in the swing or his crib, when I just can't get to him and hold him. My stress level skyrockets when he's crying.

When Madi was a baby, she would be content to be in the swing or bouncy seat for even an hour. And she didn't cry much compared to him. She was sleeping through the night at 12 weeks, for 8-9 hours. Ben's 10 weeks now, so he better hurry up and learn how to go longer at night. Last week he had a couple 7 hour stretches of sleep. But last night he woke up every 4 hours and wasn't settled in between either. I was constantly reswaddling him, and putting the Nuk back in his mouth.

I am trying to go by the Babywise parent-directed feeding method, but it's very difficult because he is not sleeping well throughout the day. I tried putting him on his belly a couple times for naps last week, but it didn't make a difference. Any advise would be greatly appreciated!!

Aside from all that, we are doing well. On Saturday, Me, Gregg, and Ben went to Hershey for my cousin's wedding. Then on Monday, I went with my parents and the kids to my sister's house in Baltimore. The girls had so much fun together, and I am glad they got a chance to be together again. Wednesday (my birthday) was pretty crazy. Darryl was home and watched their friend's little boy, Owen. So we had 4 kids to watch. :) I don't think I want 4 kids. 2 is more than enough for me!

Here are some pictures from the last couple days.

God is using Craigslist in amazing ways!

2008-06-16T14:48:00.005-04:00

I have a story to tell....God is making himself evident in my life like never before!

Gregg and I got married when I was 19, and at that point most of my friends were off at college. I stayed home and went to community college, and did not make many Christian friends. For years, Gregg and I tried to find a church for the two of us, where we could really feel like we belong...so I didn't really make any new friends at church. I have been telling myself a lot lately that I don't have many friends. I need Christian friends that I have stuff in common with. This is where the story gets good!

About a month ago, Gregg and I decided it was time to find a new home for our dog. I had been talking to him a lot about it for about a year, but the timing was never right. We both felt that if we gave our dog away, that we were betraying her, and that she should be a part of the family just like any of us. But when Ben was born, our house became very chaotic, and we decided to look for a home for her. We were planning on going away over Memorial Day week, and would be gone for the entire week. We needed to find her a home by Friday because we were leaving early Saturday morning. We talked about what would happen if we couldn't find her a home by the time we were leaving for vacation, and we decided I would take her to a shelter on Friday if I couldn't find her a home. So I put up a post on Craigslist. I got a lot of responses at first from scammers, and I got a couple real emails but the families just didn't sound right. But on Thursday, Gregg and I decided that we could not just drop Chasey off at a shelter, and that we would pay to send her to the kennel during our vacation, and find her a new home when we got home. Well, I was changing Ben's diaper on Friday, about 10 minutes before I was leaving to take Chasey to the kennel, when my phone rang. It was a 20 year old girl from the next town over who saw my post on Craigslist and wanted to meet Chasey. She sounded really sweet, and she really sounded like she was excited! I called Gregg right away at work to tell him, and we were both excited. The girl said she would be over soon to meet Chasey, and she was bringing her Border Collie. About 15 minutes later, Ashley arrived at our house with her dog, her dad, and brother. Chasey and Ivy, the other dog, got along as well as could be expected. There was some growling and barking, but no fighting or biting. And we could tell that they were warming up to each other. I told Ashley and her dad that if they took Chasey and they realized that it was not working out, to just take her to the kennel that we were going to take her to, and that we would pick her up when we got home. So we packed up all of Chasey's belongings, and she got in the car, and left with Ashley and Ivy. I have to be honest, I was a little sad. I knew Gregg and I would both miss Chasey. And I was worried that she wouldn't be happy. I wanted her to have a family that would pet her, and hug her and make her theirs. Ashley and I exchanged phone numbers and emails so we could be updated about Chasey.

When we got home from Canada the following Saturday, I called Ashley right away and she said Chasey was doing great! Ivy and her were getting along well, and she was definitely happy. She finally had a fenced in yard to run in! We exchanged a bunch of emails with pictures of Chasey in her new home, and talked about how she was doing. To make this story a little shorter, I found out that Ashley is a born-again Christian. She is a pastor's granddaughter, went to Christian school all her life, is a big scrapbooker, and has other similar interests that I do. We both said that God had a hand in our friendship. She really is a sweet girl, and I can't wait to get to know her better! We are going to hang out sometime soon! So there's one new Christian friend that God brought to me!

Here's the second story:

About a year and a half ago, I met online (on MySpace) a girl named Kim. She is also born-again, around my age, with a daughter just a couple months younger than Madelyn. We both said that we would have to meet sometime and let the girls play! But then Ben was born, and with the way our house has been so chaotic, I haven't gotten to meet her and hang out.

Just last week, I posted again on Craigslist. This time with an inflatable swimming pool for sale. We had used it a couple times, but decided it was too big, and wanted a smaller one. So I got an email from a girl named Kim that was interested in the pool and wanted to see pictures. I emailed pictures to her, and she said she would take it and would be by sometime this week to pick it up. She said she was going to her parents house in New Jersey for a few days, and would come get it when she got home. I knew that the Kim from MySpace had family in New Jersey, and for a split second wondered if it was the same Kim. Well today she came to pick up the pool, and we both looked at each other and said, "I met you on MySpace!" It was amazing! I have never ever put anything on Craigslist before. So in the last month through Craigslist, God brought me two new Christian friends, and I cannot wait to get to know both of them! A friend reminded me that I keep saying I don't have many Christian friends, and that God finally said, "Here are your new friends!"

One more picture

2008-06-08T17:28:00.002-04:00

Here's one of the two of them. I just got it now. :)

Back to Blogging!

2008-06-08T14:56:00.053-04:00

Ok, so I know it's been a while. That's why I am going to play catch-up a little bit. I know I need to post Ben's birth story, but that will have to wait. For now I am just going to let you all see a bunch of pictures.

This is the day we brought Ben home. My mom and dad and the kids.

The day we brought him home. It was about 85 degrees outside!

Still in the hospital getting ready to go home. This little outfit was NB size! And he was swimming in it! Now he's about 9 1/2 lbs and wearing 0-3 months.

Madi getting to know him the day after he was born.

Gregg's sister's kids, Kyle and Becca getting to know Ben on the night he was born.

The night he was born, Gregg got me a Wegman's hoagie. I was so hungry for one after not being able to have one for the whole pregnancy. It was delicious!

Madi getting to know her brother only about 15 minutes after he was born.

Mommy sees Benjamin for the first time!

About 30 seconds before I started pushing. I hoped it would happen quickly. They said I pushed for 11 minutes, but it felt like one minute. Ouch!

Waiting to get to 10 centimeters.

This was just a couple weeks ago. Madi was having a little tantrum! She loves to get into the Desitin, and then she comes to me with it all over her fingers. She got in trouble this time.

Over Memorial Day week, we went with Gregg's parents, his brother in law, his brother in law's brother, and our niece and nephew to Cranberry Lake in Ontario. It was a lot of work, and we were happy to come home, but we had a great time. Here Madi is eating a roasted marshmallow by the campfire.

These girls love each other! They had so much fun together during the week. And Becca was a big help. She entertained Madi so I could relax too. They even had a sleepover in our cabin one night. :)

Becca, Madi, and Kyle on our boat.

Madi playing in the backyard last week. I got her a cheap pool and she loves it!

Ben had been using a new blanket that was fuzzy. Here's the fuzz between his little toes! :)

Just hanging out outside while Madi played in her pool.

I think he looks just like my brother, Evan, in this picture! Does anyone agree?

Here he is last week. Madi was taking a nap so I took the opportunity for a photo shoot. :)

Last week a friend of mine went with Madi, Ben, and I to Jungle Fun. It was nice to get out of the house on a rainy day. Madi took such a good nap after this playtime!

Madelyn is teaching Ben all about the hanging animals. They play nice together already! And Ben loves his big sister.

Madi loves playing with water, and will sit in her highchair for hours just pouring it from one cup to the other and soaking it up with sponges.

Ben loves bathtime.

When I am not paying attention, this is Madi's favorite thing to do. Get into the pantry.

Daddy worked all weekend putting up a swingset and now it is finally done! We spent most of the day yesterday outside and a lot of today too.

Ben smiling at my dad last night.

I told her to smile and show me her teeth.

That's it for now. I hope to write some more this week! By the way, I go back to work this week. :( I am only working Wednesday this week, but will be going back 2 days a week starting next week.

Ben is 4 weeks old!

2008-05-14T11:25:00.004-04:00

My Adorable Baby Boy!

2008-05-10T11:53:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was Gregg's 31st birthday, and my due date! It's hard to believe that Ben has been here for 24 days already. The time has gone so fast. Ben continues to be a very good baby, allowing me to sleep a good 6-7 hours at night consistently. It's been great!

Last night Gregg and I went on a date for the first time in a long time. We went to a nice restaurant and really enjoyed being together. I got some delicious linguine with lobster tail, clams, shrimp, and mussels, and Gregg got the same thing basically except his had calamari and scungilli (sp?) which was like little octopuses. Then we came home and had homemade ice cream cake. :) It was a good day.

Ben has a lot of nicknames already. I call him: Little Man, Benji-man, Benj, Benji, Bum (which is what Madelyn calls him) and Ben.

Here are some pictures of the Little Man from yesterday.

2 weeks already!

2008-04-30T20:02:00.007-04:00

Ben is two weeks already! I can't believe it! It seems that before I blink my eyes, we will be celebrating his birthday. These past two weeks have gone so fast. Our little family is thriving. It's amazing to me how good I feel having given birth only two weeks ago. I don't hurt at all any more, I am getting 6-7 hours of sleep every night (not in one stretch), and I really do feel great! I've already been to Walmart 3 or 4 times, Babies R Us once, and Target once. My mom goes with me for most trips, but today I ventured to the pediatrictians office with the two kids by myself!

Ben had a quick checkup today mostly to check his weight gain. He is back up to 6 lbs 8 oz, which makes me happy. He is eating and gaining weight, and getting big already! He won't be fitting in newborn stuff much longer. I knew little boys often pee when they are getting their diaper changed, but he seems to do it a lot! Yesterday he went through three outfits just from peeing!

Madelyn has been doing a lot better these last few days. She is taking naps without a problem, and going to sleep at night without a problem. Every night before bed and every naptime, we pray with her that Jesus would be with her, and He will help her not to cry. It seems to do the trick! She is so precious with Ben, and always wants to cover him with kisses. She is like a little mommy. It's so fun to have a boy and a girl. :)

I have to go get Madi to bed so I can go to bed after Ben's next feeding. I am tired tonight, and need some sleep! Good night!

Little Man

2008-04-28T12:23:00.007-04:00

Here are some pictures from the last couple days. Ben is doing great! He is an unbelieveably easy baby. At night, I pretty much have to wake him up to feed him, and during the day sometimes too! He loves to sleep, and is a very soud sleeper.

Madelyn is doing well with him, but we can see adjustments are difficult for her, and she shows signs of jealousy at times. In the evenings, she wants to be right on top of me when I am feeding Ben. She also has been having a hard time at bedtime, and puts up quite a fuss. We are hoping to break her of that real soon. Right now she is napping, and it was a piece of cake to get her down. She needs lots of positive reinforcement. She is still my girl, and I want her to know she is special, and very loved, and the fact that we have a baby boy now doesn't change that. She is such a good big sister! Please continue to pray for her and the rest of us as she is adjusting!

This pic was taken the day he came home, and I think it's the sweetest!

I had to get a picture of him watching the NFL draft with Daddy! :)

Happy Happy Joy Joy Lisa has a baby boy!

2008-04-24T15:42:00.009-04:00

Madi hanging out while Ben got a bath. She is such an awesome big sister!

Both kiddos are sound asleep, so I wanted to post some new pics from today and yesterday. See the picture of him in the swing?? My mom and I-- well, mostly my mom-- made a new seat cover for the swing when I first found out I was pregnant. Isn't it cute? Ben loved getting his hair washed. The first picture is right when I got online, but he didn't last long in the bouncy chair. He really just wants to be swaddled and put in the bassinet and allowed to sleep. He likes peace and quiet. And this picture below is him coming home. I can't argue...I think he is the cutest baby in the world!

Updates from our family of four

2008-04-22T15:29:00.002-04:00

This post will be in lower case-- i am typing with one hand and nursing ben with the other. we are all doing great! ben has been sleeping and eating incredibly well. unfortunately we were not able to avoid the bililight, because of him being so early... so he has been on it since yesterday. it's a pain in the neck, but this too shall pass! thank you all for your sweet comments. i have not really had much time to get online, and can't post pictures right now, but i hope to soon. madelyn absolutely loves her baby brother, "bum". she seems to be adjusting well, but has also decided that she is not going to take naps anymore, and also makes bedtime at night difficult. please pray that we can get her back on track.

God has blessed our family once again, and we couldn't be more grateful! Gregg goes back to work tomorrow, so we could really use your prayers for a smooth transition! my mom has been an awesome help, willing to be here whenever we need her, so that's been great. I will try my best to post more pictures tomorrow, but can't promise anything.

Love to you all!
Lisa

Baby Ben is home!

2008-04-20T12:18:00.005-04:00

Hi!!! I just got a quick opportunity to jump online, and I know you all have been waiting! Baby Ben and I came home on Friday. He is eating and sleeping far better than I could have ever hoped or imagined, and believe it or not, I actually feel rested! Gregg and I covet your prayers that we all stay healthy and that Benjamin continues to do as well as he is! He has been getting his blood tested for jaundice, and we are hoping and praying that the levels stay low enough that he doesn't need the bililight that Madelyn needed. Here are a couple quick pictures to tie you over! I will try to get some more up as soon as I can.

Ben is here!!!!!!!

2008-04-17T16:09:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone!! I am posting this from my hospital room 28 hours after the birth of our son. Gregg and I are so blessed!!! Benjamin Isaac Rader was born on April 16, 2008 at 12:41pm. He weighed 6 lbs 5 oz and is 18 1/2 long! He is ADORABLE! And healthy, and the sweetest thing we have experienced since Madelyn's birth! I will post more either tomorrow or sometime on the weekend. I will at least post pictures tomorrow, and his birth story in the next few days. Just know that Ben is healthy, and we are all happy and doing great! Thanks so much for all your thoughts and prayers! I look forward to you all getting to meet the new addition to our family!

Nothing passes the time like chocolate chip cookies!

2008-04-14T07:53:00.009-04:00

Last night, Gregg and I made chocolate chip cookies-- not like we need them in the house! It was really fun though, and now we have a big bowl of them just waiting to be eaten. :)

He made me take off my socks and slippers so I could be "barefoot and pregnant" in the kitchen. :)

36 weeks

2008-04-12T16:53:00.002-04:00

Here I am at 36 weeks. I had another appointment yesterday and I am 2 cm! The doctor thinks he will probably come in the next two weeks. I am getting pretty stir crazy. I have cleaned everything I can think to clean. Madi and I went to the park 3 times this week. We also walked to the store. I hope he comes sooner than later, or I think I will go nuts. Tonight the three of us are going to an Iron Pigs baseball game. We decided we better do something fun that we can't do with a newborn. My best guess is that Benjamin will be here sometime in the next 5-12 days. I want to do lots of fun things this week that I won't be able to do when he is here. It's been beautiful out the last few days. I have had all the windows open, and today it was all the way up to 73! I love spring!!!

Countdown

2008-04-10T08:38:00.002-04:00

Today I am 36 weeks pregnant. That is just totally unbelieveable. Even though I am feeling Ben inside, and am doing lots of things to prepare, I can't believe that I am going to have a brand new baby in just a week or two! If he comes as early as Madi did, that is in 8 days!!!! Whoa!

I have a doctor appointment tomorrow and am very anxious to see if I am any more dilated than I was. I have been having a lot of Braxton-Hicks contractions (practice contractions) and even the other night I was timing them. They ended up being very irregular, but were still coming about 8 times an hour. I think it was just because I needed to drink some water. I had not been feeling good for a few days and wasn't drinking enough. Finally today and yesterday I am starting to feel better. My allergies were really bad.

I feel like I have gotten a lot of things done in order to prepare...but I know I can never be prepared enough. The house has had a thorough cleaning. The ironing is done. The freezer is full. My bags are packed...all three of them. One for me, one for Ben, and one for Madi who will be hopefully staying with my parents at least one night. What else is there to do? I do need to work on birth announcements. I am pretty behind with them. I guess I should get working on them to pass the time more quickly. I think I am going to need about 35ish, and I have about 20 of them 70% done.

It's been a great couple weeks. Gregg and I both decided that we really think we are actually ready to have another baby. God has richly blessed us both with good jobs, a nice comfy home, wonderful families, and a beautiful daughter. We can't wait to add a son to the mix!

That's it for now. I keep thinking the next time I post, I may be at the hospital. Who knows? Only God knows!

35 week Dr. appointment

2008-04-03T12:05:00.002-04:00

I just got back from a doctor appointment a little while ago. I am already 1 cm and 80% effaced, and the baby's head is low. It sounds as though Ben will be as early as Madi was, if not earlier! The doc said if I go into labor now, they would not stop it. She thinks he is over 5 lbs! When she was walking out of the room she said, "I don't think it will be long!"

So my goal today is to get some housework done. Last week I was up to 11:45pm making a double batch of lasagna to keep in the freezer for those first couple weeks home. I also made muffins on Monday, and froze half of them. I think tomorrow I am going to make some chicken noodle soup to put in the freezer. When Madi was born, I had not prepared meals and was overwhelmed with the thought of having to come up with something for dinner. I had a bunch of meals brought to me, and my mom made some, too. But looking back, I wish I had made something to have when she came home.

Aside from thinking about meals, I need to do some cleaning so that when he comes home, I come home to a clean house. Clean the bathrooms, dust, vacuum, clean the microwave and the burners. Those are the things on my list for today and tomorrow!

Hopefully this weekend I can get out and get some consumables for Ben's homecoming. Good old nursing pads, and sanitary pads....as well as newborn diapers and pillow pad things for the wipe warmer.

I am trying to enjoy every minute of these last few days and weeks. I want to relish in his kicks and turns. It's awesome to feel a baby inside, and I am loving it.

That's it for now! Have a great rest of the week and weekend! :)

Chasey

2008-04-02T20:10:00.005-04:00

Ben's room is ready!

2008-03-31T10:34:00.007-04:00

Now all we need is Ben! Gregg's dad is making us a changing table, and it isn't ready yet, but other than that, his room is ready for him! I spent a lot of time this weekend getting it done. It's so exciting! :)

Last night's project

2008-03-27T10:33:00.001-04:00

I did this page last night in about 2 hours.

Lots of pictures

2008-03-27T09:49:00.019-04:00

Madelyn's favorite thing to eat is yogurt. Here she is enjoying some.

These next couple pictures are from my grandfather's viewing. I got some cute shots of Madi, Chloe, and my grandmother.

Right before the viewing, after checking into our hotel, Gregg and Madi had a chance to go swimming. Madi was just about to go under in this picture. :)

Here I am today, at 34 weeks! We are getting so close now. I can't wait to meet our little guy. I am feeling great, especially now that I am done working. We have a lot to do yet to get ready, and I needed to stop working so we can take advantage of the weekends, and so that I can take advantage of getting as much sleep as possible before Ben's arrival.

Here is our completed den. I am soooo happy to have redone it before Ben's arrival. It feels so good out there, and Gregg and I have been using the room a lot more even in the last week. I think I will be scrapping more now that it's all out in the open, and I don't have to retreat to the back of the house to do it.

All the paneling you see is new, as well as the crown moulding, and the sliding glass door. Everything is so fresh and new!

It looks pretty crowded, but all this stuff was basically in Ben's room.

Here is Ben's room! We just finished painting and putting the trim and closet doors back up. We have maybe an hour of work yet to do, which I am hoping to do during Madi's naptime today.

Finally, last night we took Madi to the park. She loved it! It was a little cool outside, but that didn't stop her from having a blast! Every time we drive by the park, she squeals.

Playing Catch Up!

2008-03-19T16:21:00.002-04:00

Just thought I would post a quick and short update. I am now 33 weeks, and find it hard to believe that this little guy could be here in 4 weeks. If he comes as early as Madelyn came, he will be here on April 20th! That's only 4 weeks and a couple days.

We have been making huge progress in the den. I will post pictures tonight, I hope. Tomorrow, Gregg is taking off and we are going to town on Ben's room. We have to take apart the home gym and put it back up in the den. That is our goal for tonight. We hope to have the room painted by Friday! I have to work this weekend, and then I have off the following weekend. I am only working 2 more weekends after that, and then I am going on maternity leave. I can't believe he is coming so soon!

I found out today that my good friend, Abbey, who used to live nearby, but now lives in North Carolina, just had her baby. I don't know if she was born last night or today, but I know her name is Cameron Elaine! CONGRATS, Jake and Abbey!!!! Can't wait to see her and hear the birth story! :)

That's it for now. I am going to do some better catching up on here tonight.

30+ weeks!

2008-03-05T20:55:00.005-05:00

Madelyn has a new obsession with these boots. She wants to wear them all the time.

Here I am at almost 31 weeks! :)

Tomorrow Gregg, me and Madi are on our way to Western PA for my grandfather's funeral. Please keep our family in your prayers.

The angels came for Grandpa today

2008-03-03T15:03:00.004-05:00

This is a picture of me, Madelyn, and my grandpa last year. Today at 1:35 p.m., the angels came and carried him to Jesus. I know this isn't a very good picture, and I am going to try to gather up some pictures of him from years ago to post. I am glad that I have pictures of him and Madelyn so one day I can show her who he was.

Ever since I can remember, my grandfather struggled with Parkinson's disease. When I was a little girl, my brother and I would make fun of him and how his fingers shook. I didn't know then that he had a disease and that he couldn't help it.

My grandfather was always very loving, but very protective of us. Even when we were teenagers, he would not let us ride our bikes in the street. We always had to be on the sidewalk. We were not allowed to get into his junk drawer for fear we would hurt ourselves on his scissors. If we did manage to get his permission to look in the junk drawer, he would watch over our shoulders like a hawk. And the pencil sharpener mounted inside the basement steps-- we were not allowed anywhere near it!

I have a million fond memories of my grandfather that I could go on forever telling. I am so very sad that he left this world, but I know that he is in the presence of God, and I couldn't be any happier about that! He had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and I know he has eternal life in Heaven with Him.

There is a song sung by David Phelps that seems like it was written for my grandfather.

Fly Again

Words & music by David Phelps

His trembling hands held the church pew that day,

stuggling to stand when they asked him to pray.

With wisdom and strength his words were spoken.

but his body grew weary for his wings were broken.

But he will fly once again.

He will soar with his wings unfolded.

Hear the angels applaud as he rides

on the wind to the arms of God.

And he will fly. He will fly again.

And on that day when he left for the sky

I saw him smile as he told me goodbye.

No more would he weep for missed tomorrows.

No more would he suffer in this land of sorrows.

But he will fly once again.

He will soar with his wings unfolded.

Hear the angels applaud as he rides

on the wind to the arms of God.

And he will fly. He will fly again.

I know that he’s in a better place.

I still dream of the day when I’ll see his face.

Then we’ll embrace, and...We will fly once again.

We will soar with our wings unfolded.

Hear the angels applaud as we ride

on the wind to the arms of God,

and we will fly. We will fly again.

Julius Eugene Arnold

September 25, 1927- March 3, 2008

Pregnancy, Party, and Snow!

2008-02-22T14:39:00.023-05:00

Today marks 29 weeks of pregnancy for me! Can you believe it? I can't!!! This little guy will probably be here in about 9 weeks! WOW! Do I have to even say that I cannot wait!? I think I am ready for the sleepless nights, breastfeeding woes, and the joys of bringing home a new baby. Well, actually we are nowhere near ready. We haven't made much of any progress to Ben's room yet. We still have to install the sliding glass door in the den, and get moving on moving all the junk out of his room into the den. We don't have much time! I just want to get it done! As far as how I have been feeling....Ben is kicking up a storm in there, often hurting me with his strong kicks. I can't believe how much more active he is that Madelyn was. I am enjoying it though, for the most part. I have been having quite a bit of heartburn, but nothing that a few Tums can't help. I go back to the Dr. the first week of March, and then I start going every two weeks! I know the time from here on out is going to fly.

I think Madi has a little bit more of an understanding of Ben and his soon to be arrival. Without me mentioning anything she says "Bum" and lifts up my shirt. She sees clothes for him and she says "Bum". So she definitely knows something is up with "Bum".

I mentioned a while back that Gregg had sprained his ankle while jogging. He still is not 100% with it yet. He can jog on it a little, but he still complains that it hurts at times. It's been 9 weeks since he did it, and we both thought it would be better by now, but it's not!

So far Madelyn has taken 3 naps in her big girl bed. Most days when I put her in it for a nap, she wants to play in it, and doesn't settle down for a nap, and she ends up taking a nap in her crib. Today I am lucky that she is sleeping in it though! We have not tried any nighttime sleeping in it yet. I want to have a good monthsworth of naps in it before we try nighttime. It looks as though we will be borrowing a crib for a few months for Ben until Madi is out of her crib. I don't want to rush anything. As far as potty training is going-- she went on the potty I think about 5 times and then totally lost interest. So I put it away. I just got it out a couple days ago again, and she seems to have a little bit of interest, but has not done anything on it yet. I think we will hold off for a while, unless she really seems ready. I think trying in the fall would be best, because by that time, we will all be accustomed to having a new baby in the house, and she might be ready by then. So we'll see!

On February 11, my dad turned 60, so on the 9th, my mom and siblings threw him a surprise birthday party. The whole weekend turned out great! He was very surprised all the way up until he walked in the door! My entire family was together for the party, and it was great to see all my siblings and their spouses together. Here are the girls before the party started. It was difficult to keep them entertained while we tried to get ready. They have so much fun when they are together!

Ouch! They bonked heads!

Awwww!

SURPRISE!!!

Back row: My brother, Evan, and his wife Sarah, Gregg and I, my sister, Amy, Chloe, and Amy's husband, Darryl, and my brother, Nathan.

Bottom row: My cousin's daughter, Ashlynn, and her twin brother, Caleb is on my dad's lap. Then Madelyn, my dad, Nathan's wife, Mary, and my mom.

The rest of these pictures are just random pics. I just love Madelyn's hair, and after every bath, I blow dry it and brush it. She isn't afraid of the hairdryer, but I have to distract and entertain her with toys and books to get her to sit still.

Here she is before her bath the other day. She loves the scale!

All of these pictures are from today. We got about 5 inches of snow last night and today, and we went out and played for about 50 minutes. She LOVES the snow, and I love taking her out in it!

We made snow angels. Can you see them?

Mmmmm!

Blog addiction

2008-02-18T03:29:00.002-05:00

I recently found a blog about a family that lives in North Carolina. Just to give you a rundown--
The blog is written by a dad and husband, Nathan. His wife, Tricia, is about a month older than me and has Cystic Fibrosis. She was in the process of planning for a double lung transplant, when they found out they were pregnant. Their baby, Gywneth, was born January 8, at a little over 24 weeks gestation. I have been checking up on them at least a half a dozen times a day, and I guess you could say I am addicted to their blog! Nate and Tricia are both born again Christians, and their story has made a huge impact on my life. There are pictures of the three of them on Nate's blog : www.cfhusband.blogspot.com. Check it out, and remember to pray for them. They are an amazing family with an amazing testimony!

Slumbering Sweetly...

2008-02-06T14:45:00.000-05:00

...in her big girl bed! Right now Madi is asleep in her big girl bed for the very first time. I put her down in it yesterday for naptime, but she only wanted to play. I think my mistake yesterday was not giving her a few minutes to explore the bed rail before putting her in the bed to sleep. Right before I put her down for her nap today, I explained that she was going to take a nap in her big girl bed, and that if she got up I would put her in her crib for her nap. I checked on her every 2-3 minutes at first just to make sure she was behaving. And the last time I checked on her, she was sound asleep. She is just so precious. I am hoping this nap lasts as long as her naps usually do-- around 2 to 2 1/2 hours. I almost wanted to cry when I was taking these pictures. What a little miracle she is, and how much she has blessed our lives. Thank you, God, so much for this gift you gave to us. We couldn't love her more!

25 weeks!

2008-01-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

Last week we got about 3 inches of snow, so we took Madi outside to play in it. She hadn't been to play in the snow yet this year. We didn't really mean to make a snowman, but the snow was perfect for it, and it only took about a half hour or so. It was really fun! The next day it got to be 40+ outside, and very sunny, and he fell over! :( It was fun while it lasted.

Here's my handsome hubby on Christmas

These pictures are a little out of order....but this is my dad when he found out that we are having a boy.

My mom opening the card that announces the sex of our baby. My sister, Amy, and her husband, Darryl are looking on.

Here's my mom with Madi and Chloe, Madi's cousin. They are 8 weeks apart.

I know, I know, it's been way too long since I posted. I wish I had the discipline to post every day like some bloggers.

Things have been great here in the Rader household! We've been really busy lately working on our den. The panelling is almost all done. We have the door to do, and all the trim yet. We can't wait until it's all done and we can get our house back in order! The panelling looks great, and it is so nice to have nice fresh walls. We wanted to do drywall, but there was no drywall under the existing panelling, and we have had enough experience with hanging drywall from our house in Nazareth that we decided we would take the panelling route. It looks really good though. Gregg did it mostly on his own with just a little help from my dad and his dad. Good job, Gregg, and thanks for getting the job done!

It seems that Madi has taken on a little bit of the "Terrible Twos"! She is a really good little girl for the most part, but lately she has been having some temper tantrums, which is a surprise, because she never really showed this kind of behavior before. She also has a real interest in all of our DVD's on our shelf, and has taken to chewing the boxes, and taking the DVD's out of them. She never lets up, it seems! She still chews on everything, and I cannot wait until that is over! You name it, she chews it. She has play food that goes with her kitchen set, and she has chewed visible holes in about 1/3 of it. She also chews the rough part of velcro and her coat when she's wearing it. It makes me nuts! I guess if that's the worst she does, I can live with it. She still is the sweetest thing!

Ben is doing great too! He is growing and thriving wonderfully. I can't believe I am 25 weeks already! In reality, I only have 3 months till he is here. He will probably come early, like Madi did. We have to get working on his room! I am starting to feel like I am running out of time.

We've been talking to Madi about her baby brother. We like to watch The Baby Story, and Bringing Home Baby on TLC together. She always gets excited and says, "Baby!" I tell her that Mommy is going to bring a baby to our house. And that she is going to be a great big sister, and help Mommy with the baby. She points to my belly, and lifts up my shirt. She knows something is up. She calls Ben "Bum". Sometimes I think she thinks I named my belly button Ben. I'm not real sure how much she understands. I guess she'll figure it out real quick when he comes!

In case anyone is wondering, I registered for a few things at Babies R Us. Even if you just want to see the crib set we picked out-- it's cute. It has zoo animals on it, and its brown and blue. For the few family members that might want to get something, they will have an idea what we want.

Also, if anyone reading this has any questions, ask them in a comment. I have a hard time coming up with things to post.

Happy Birthday Madelyn!

2008-01-07T16:51:00.000-05:00

Madelyn is 2 years old! She was born Thursday, January 5, 2006 at 11:01am. She has grown and changed so much since she was born. But she is still the cutest, most lovable little girl I know. It is so wonderful being her mommy. Here are some pictures from the last week or two.

Santa got her this kitchen set for Christmas and she has been having a blast playing with it! She cracked me up when she stuck her whole upper body into the fridge, that I just had to take a picture. :) She has been baking batch after batch of cookies, and has had at least a dozen tea parties already. Her favorite is when Daddy sits next to her at her little table and has a cup of tea! Then when he is at work, she points to the chair he sits in, and says, "Dada". It's too cute!

Here are the pictures from her birthday. When she got up from her nap, there were a bunch of balloons waiting for her. She excitedly exclaimed "doolah!" when she saw them. That's how she says balloon! I always wondered how parents or anyone could understand what a little kid was saying. Now that I have my own 2 year old, I can understand just about everything she says. It's funny.

In the afternoon on her birthday, my mom and I took her to Jungle Fun. It's kinda like Chuck E Cheese, but it's mostly climbing and sliding stuff. She had so much fun!

Num num! Time for cake! She loved all the attention when it was cake eating time, and she loved being sung to!

I have been feeling great lately! The only thing is that most days I could go to bed at 8:30 at night and get up at 10:30 in the morning. If only my family allowed me that much sleep!

In prep for Ben's arrival, we have been working on our den. Taking down paneling, and putting up new paneling, etc. We are also planning on putting in a new sliding glass door on Saturday. Then we have to clear out Ben's room and move most of it into the den. I can't wait to get started on doing his room!

Madi had her 2 year check up today. She pretty much screamed from the time the nurse walked into the room until when the doctor walked out. The doctor said she looks very healthy. She is in the 75% percentile for height, and weight! She doesn't have to go back to the doctor until she turns 3! I am sure Ben's visits will make up for that though!

That's it for now! xoxo

21 weeks!

2007-12-29T18:06:00.000-05:00

I can never seem to really get a good belly picture. They always have a way too busy background or something. We took this picture today, and I am 21 weeks and 1 day. Now it's off to work I go!

He wanted us to know!

2007-12-29T03:58:00.000-05:00

Our plan going into the ultrasound was to find out on Christmas morning. We told the tech that when we went into the room. We had taken a card with us so she could write the sex of the baby in it. Ben had his own idea though! She started scanning my belly, and pretty much right away, Gregg and I both saw something on the screen. The tech tried to inconspicuously snap a picture real quick, but Gregg and I saw what we needed to see. We looked at each other and we both asked her if we saw what we thought we saw. She smiled and said, "Congratulations! It's a boy!" So even though we were going to be surprised on Christmas morning, our little Ben wanted us to know before then.

Gregg and I are both so excited that it's a boy. He has already mentioned that he wants to paint his room Eagles green and put up a border with "deer, fish, other animals, and guns"...my response to that??? "We'll just see about that!" LOL.

We have a lot to do to get ready for Ben's arrival. His bedroom right now is full of other stuff. Gregg's home gym is in there, and all of my scrapbooking stuff. I don't know where we are going to put everything! I am going to start working on it after this weekend. I have off next weekend, which makes 11 days off.

Gregg and I decided on the name Benjamin a long time ago. I think it might have been during our first or second year of marriage. We are still talking about a middle name though. No decisions have been made there yet. Ben already feels like a Ben, and I actually refer to him that way. He really started moving around A LOT in the last two days. I absolutely love it. Gregg has felt him a bunch of times too. A couple days before Christmas, my mom had her hand on my belly and was feeling him kick. Madelyn saw what she was doing and came over and ever so gently put her hand there where Nana's hand was. I don't think she had any idea what we were doing, but she wanted a part in it! It was so cute. People ask me what Madelyn thinks about having a baby brother. I don't really think she thinks anything about it, to be honest. I talk to her about her baby brother and that she can help with him and play with him and stuff. And she kisses my belly, but I really don't think she has any idea that there is going to be a new baby in the house. Maybe by the time he is due, she will understand more.

Madi and I have both had a nasty cold for the last couple days. I am ready for it to be over with! There are a lot of people sick at work with the stomach bug. I have already been in the hospital twice with that in the past. Please pray for us that we would start to feel better, and that we would not get the stomach bug.

Happy New Year!!!

Madi's going to have a............

2007-12-26T14:30:00.000-05:00

BABY BROTHER! IT'S A BOY!!!!

I'll post the story later! Right now Madi needs some medicine...she has a fever. :(

Daddy's BooBoo

2007-12-21T10:45:00.000-05:00

Well, I wanted to take belly pictures last night and post them. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned! At least I have a good excuse this time.

Gregg called me at about 5:30 last night and said he wouldn't be home till about 6:30 because he was still going to go for a jog. Around 6:15ish he called and said he had twisted his ankle really bad and was walking the last mile of his jog. I wasn't real worried at that point...I just felt bad that he had to walk a mile on a hurting ankle. So around 6:45 he got home and could barely walk. He said he was running (in the dark-- with a headlamp on) and hit a crack in the pavement and twisted his ankle. I could tell just through his socks that it was swollen. So we ate dinner and he laid on the couch for a while, using me as a crutch to get around. We finally decided he better go get it checked. Neither of us thought it was broken, but figured we should get it looked at. He was getting a little more swollen and black and blue, and he couldn't walk on it. Fortunately my mom lives about a mile and a half from us, so we took Madi over to her house for the night. She ended up sleeping over. At the hospital, they did an x-ray and looked his ankle over and finally said he has a bad sprain. So now he is at work, with an air cast on his ankle, propped up, with ice on it. My poor hubby :(

So that is why I didn't get any belly pictures. Maybe tonight!

Lots of new stuff!

2007-12-19T22:41:00.000-05:00

I am feeling very euphoric tonight. Gregg and Madi are tucked into bed, and here I sit looking at pictures of Madi when she was tiny. I cannot wait to have a tiny little baby again. These pictures bring it all back to me. I can't wait to push out another slimy squirmy pink baby. All of my life from when I was just a little girl myself, until now, I have dreamed of being a mommy. I dreamed of having a little baby all to myself...well, for me and Gregg I guess. :) I still find it hard to believe that I am a mommy at all, let alone a mommy of two before long. I am living out my life dream every day. I thought I would post some old pictures of our little family. I hope everyone enjoys them as much as I do. I kept picking more and more, and couldn't seem to stop!

In this picture, Madelyn is 19 days old. This date was actually my due date!

Here she is about 10 minutes after we brought her home. I was trying my best to keep her in the sun. She had jaundice, and we were told to expose her to indirect sunlight. Unfortunately, my efforts were not enough, and as you can see in the next picture, she had to have a bililight on her for 5 days. What a nuisance....but, anything for my little one. She was 6 lbs. 2 oz. at birth, and when we brought her home, she was 5 lbs. 10 oz.

Here I am Christmas 2005. 11 days before she was born!

As I mentioned before, Madi loves green peppers. All she needs is a little ranch, and she could eat about half of a green pepper in one sitting.

The other day we were just about to go to the store, and I had to get a picture of her. I thought she looked so cute!

This is our tree this year. We got a skinny one! Sorry I forgot to flip it!

Madi is obsessed with a wooden Santa we have, and wouldn't put it down when I first got it out. She loved it last year too! Chasey's sneaking in for a snuggle.

Helloooooooo!!?!?!?

Here she is last Christmas. She has grown up so much!

Last but not least, here's a cute video from the other day when we made cookies. She got tired of telling me what it was. "It's a cookie... ok, Mom??" You can't see it, but when we said "Chasey, NO!" the dog had licked the cookie! Eeewww!

Tomorrow I am going to get some belly pictures, and hopefully post them. I know I keep saying that.....sorry! Also, we had our ultrasound, but you'll have to wait till Dec. 26 to hear the news! :)

Almost 20 weeks!

2007-12-16T22:33:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I am hoping to post some belly pics this week. Sometimes I feel like my belly is really beginning to stretch. Whenever I eat a big meal, it feels like it is being pulled out! Along with that, I have been feeling a little short of breath lately, too. Kinda like I can't catch my breath. Other than that, I feel great! I am feeling a lot of kicks now and I just love it! Gregg has felt the baby kick too. I've only gained about 2 pounds, if that. I think I will start gaining more, as my appetite is coming back.

On Tuesday, the 18th, we have our 20 week ultrasound, and will have the U.S. tech write the sex of the baby in a Christmas card. That is if the baby cooperates! We got the idea from my brother-in-law. (Thanks, Darryl!) It's hard to believe that in 9 days we will know the sex of this baby. I can barely contain my excitement. Everyone that knows me knows that I will be out at Babies R Us the day after Christmas looking at stuff since I will know the sex. I will probably spend all my Christmas money on baby stuff! I am sooooo excited. I will be posting the sex of the baby by the day after Christmas, so be sure to log on! :)

As for other family news....

Madelyn has been so much fun lately. Every day she says something new. The other day we made peanut butter cookies together, (I made them and she watched!), and she said, "cookie" for the first time. She says it all the time now. It's so cute! She walks into the kitchen, reaches up to the counter for the container of cookies, and comes to me with it saying "cookie".

We put our tree up last weekend, and Madi helped me decorate it. She loves the tree, but doesn't bother it much, which is pretty surprising. She goes nuts when she sees anything inflatable in anyone's yard.

It's hard to believe I am the mother of an almost 2 year-old. These last two years have gone soooo fast.

I have a lot of pictures to post in the next couple days, so check back soon. It probably won't be tomorrow (Monday). My parents are coming home from Florida tomorrow night and I won't have a babysitter, so I will probably be planted on the couch for most of the day!

One more thing...
I just wanted to say I have a new founded addiction to The Office. If you haven't watched it, do. It is hilarious. Hopefully the strike is over soon so they play something other than reruns. We borrowed the first and second seasons on DVD and have been both addicted to it. Just thought I would add that! :)

17 weeks

2007-11-27T16:03:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow I will be 17 weeks pregnant. I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going! It's sad to think that I will probably never be 10 weeks pregnant again, and I will never be just finding out that I am pregnant. Unless I can convince Gregg otherwise, this will be our second and last child. I am trying to enjoy every second of this pregnancy!

Here is a picture of me yesterday. We have our big ultrasound on December 18, but will be waiting to find out the sex of the baby on Christmas morning.

I am feeling pretty good these days. I still have moments of nausea, particularly when brushing my teeth. It almost always causes me to gag! I am finally gaining some weight, although only a pound or two so far.

My family had Thanksgiving at my sister's house which is about 15 minutes north of Baltimore. We had a great time eating, relaxing, and watching the little girls play. Madi's cousin, Chloe, is 8 weeks younger than her and they have a blast playing together. I hope you had a great holiday!

Christmas is just around the corner...I have to finish shopping this week. :) I love a good excuse to get out of the house to go shopping! :)

Madi's entry to this world

2007-11-19T03:36:00.000-05:00

For those of you who haven't heard my birth story with Madelyn, I am going to share it with you now! There may be TMI for some of you, and I am going to include a lot of details, so it will probably be long! I could tell the story 100 times and never get sick of it.

My due date was January 24. On January 4, my mom came over for a while to put up the border in Madi's room. Halfway through the day, I went to the bathroom and realized I thought I lost my mucous plug. I was excited. I had been saying for a while, "I just want her to be here!" I couldn't really tell for sure if it really was my plug or not, so I wasn't too excited. My mom didn't tell me this then, but later she said that if I thought it was, it probably was. So I called Gregg at work and first thing I said was, "I think I lost my mucous plug!" He was like, "Uh ok. What does that mean? Should I meet you at the hospital?" He was a little upset with the way I said it. I guess I was just thinking he knew what that meant. A little while later, he called me back and said, "I think you should call out tonight." I was scheduled to work that night at 7pm. I think I was on the schedule yet for another week or so. I didn't really know why he said that. He said, "I just think it's time for you to stop working." At a doctor appointment the week before, I was already dilated 2-3 cm and the dr. said it could be "any day". I felt bad for calling out, especially if it would be days or weeks till she arrived, but I obeyed my husband and called out. :)

I had slept in late that day thinking I would have to be up all night at work. So when Gregg went to bed around 11, I wasn't tired enough to go to bed. The night before I had had some gassy pains and thought maybe it could be contractions but after going to the bathroom, that feeling went away. As I was tucking Gregg in bed this night, I felt those pains again, but didn't say anything to Gregg. Instead I said, "I am going to Wegmans" and left the house around 11:15ish. I had read that raspberry tea can bring on contractions, and with the thought that I may have lost my mucous plug, I was too excited, and wanted to see if the tea helped. So off I went to Wegmans. When I got there, I was still having those gassy pains. They were like mild menstrual cramps, not even as bad as my normal monthly cramps. So I figured I would go to the bathroom and see if that helped. It didn't. I walked around Wegmans for a little while, got some raspberry tea, and the cramps continued. I figured, "If this is labor, I better be prepared. I might not be able to get to the store for a while." I picked up headbands for labor, nipple cream, a magazine, and some snacks for Gregg. When I got home, I made a cup of the raspberry tea and then got into bed.

I tried to fall asleep, but between being excited, and not really being tired, I just couldn't sleep. A little while later I woke Gregg up and said, "I think I am having contractions." All I felt was something different. It wasn't something I could time. There was no beginning or end to it. It was just like, "I feel a little crampy." Gregg rolled over and said, "Are you serious?" I explained what happened the night before and what happened at Wegmans. And he said, "Why don't you call the Dr.?" So I got up and called my OB who said, "I'll meet you at the hospital. What time do you think you can be there?" I wanted to take a shower first, so I replied "1:00".

The whole way to the hospital-- all of 6 miles-- I still felt crampy off and on. I was worried that it wasn't really labor and here I go getting the doctor out of bed and getting Gregg out of bed when he has to work the next day. When we got upstairs to triage, they put the monitor on me and the nurse asked, "You are having pretty strong contractions, do you feel them?" Still, all I felt was slight cramps. When the doctor got there, she said, "You are 4 cm, and this is the real thing. We are going to keep you. Why don't you get checked in , get your IV, walk around a little bit and we will talk about breaking your water if we need to." BREAK MY WATER!!!???? THIS ISN'T EVEN LABOR!!! IT CAN'T BE! That scared me. I didn't want my water broken prematurely and I still wasn't convinced I was in labor, having only slight cramps.

A couple hours later after walking, getting my IV, getting a little rest, and making a few phone calls, the doctor came back and checked me and I was 6 cm. I tried to sleep, but was too excited, so talked to the nurse instead. Gregg tried to sleep in the recliner. He was tired, and barely had any sleep. About 2 hours later, the doctor came back and checked me and I was still 6 cm. She suggested breaking my water, and at that point, I believed I was in labor, so I agreed. I still wasn't having much contraction pain, but once she broke my water, that all changed. I think this was about 7am or so. I wanted to see if I could to without the epidural. I tried it for a little while, but was worried that it would be hours and hours till the little one arrived, and I didn't know if I could make it. So at about 8:00 I got the epidural. I think I slept about an hour, and the doctor came back and checked me and I was 8 cm. My parents arrived at the hospital soon after I got the epidural. Around 10:30 ish, the doctor came back and checked me and I was fully dilated and Madi's head was "right there". She asked me if I felt any urge to push, but I didn't. She got all set up and I started to push. HOW EXCITING!! Up until this point, my labor was a breeze, and I was already thinking, "I would do this again in a minute!" 22 minutes of pushing, and out came our daughter at 11:01 a.m. She was beautiful! She had a good strong cry, and was nice and pink. I just started sobbing, and didn't stop for about 20 minutes. There is no feeling like seeing your child for the first time. What a little miracle she was, and still is!!

Falling

2007-11-19T03:09:00.000-05:00

I have to admit, I am falling behind here in keeping you all updated! I haven't posted a belly picture in over 5 weeks, and there is definitely a change! I am definitely feeling the Little One kicking and flipping in there. It's so nice to have a little companion again. Feeling those little kicks in there makes everything more fun. Even going to work is more fun because I know I get to take him/her with me. I've been enjoying the moment right before I fall asleep, because I am still and can really feel those movements. They aren't strong enough yet to keep me awake or make me uncomfortable. Give 'em a couple months though! In a way it's hard to believe that I will be able to love a baby like I love Madelyn, but I am beginning to understand how it is possible. I am really starting to bond with this one. The further I get in the pregnancy, the more excited I get. I have dreams about the baby...mostly about being in the hospital and breastfeeding. But in every one of my dreams, I am asking Gregg how the labor was and all the details about how long I pushed and everything, as if I wasn't even there for it! In these dreams, he answers something like "Yeah, it went very well." :) I wish all my dreams were about the new baby. I feel so good when I wake up after one!

We have been talking to Madi about the baby in Mommy's belly. She kisses my belly, and when we ask her where the baby is, sometimes she pokes my belly. But for the most part, I don't think she has a clue what we are talking about! She loves her baby dolls, and I just think she is going to be a great big sister. It will be weird seeing her in a new role, and I feel a little sad that she won't be the center of attention anymore, but I am sure she will adjust.

Since before we even thought about trying for kids, we picked the name Benjamin Curtis for a boy. Curtis is Gregg's middle name and his dad's first name. We have a couple girls names picked, but aren't so sure about any one of them. I guess we will have to find out the sex of the baby, and then decide.

We took a bunch of belly pictures last week, and I was going to post them but I guess I should take new ones now. I am really going to try to post them by Tuesday.

Accomplishment

2007-11-07T15:45:00.000-05:00

I can barely contain my excitement!!!!! Today Madelyn went peepee on the potty twice! I always knew this day would come, but now that it is here, I can barely contain myself. The first time she did it was after her bath, just like before. The second time was this afternoon I casually said, "Do you want to go peepee on the potty?" She walked to her room, I got her bottoms off, she sat down and I tried to look like I wasn't paying attention, and she peed! If you don't have kids or have never experienced this, you don't know the excitement, and you probably think I am crazy for getting so excited, but I really am! She is getting so big, and I am so excited to think she is actually potty training! She got a reward of a half a small box of Nerds, (from trick or treating) and she was all happy. It's pretty convenient that we just had trick or treating, because I don't have to buy rewards!

I keep thinking I am feeling the baby move, too. I know it's early, and they are not strong kicks by any stretch, but they are little twinges, I guess you could say. I am absolutely loving it and can't wait for the baby kick like crazy!

It's been a great day. I hope everyone is having a great day, too.

P.S. If you are reading this, leave me a comment. I want to see who reads it and who doesn't.

22 months and 13 weeks!

2007-11-04T01:09:00.000-04:00

Madelyn at 22 months is a bundle of fun! Her vocabulary is exploding and it seems every day she is saying something new. It's so exciting to wake up every day and wonder what she will say today! I think my favorite new thing she is doing is how she says "Booboo". My hands are very dry this time of year from washing them so much, and I have a couple tiny cracks on my knuckles. When she notices them, so gets real quiet and points to them and almost whispers "booboo". The tone in her voice sounds so much like she is saying "Awww. Mommy has a booboo. Poor Mommy." You have to hear it to really appreciate it, but it is so precious. It's so hard to get a video of her doing or saying stuff on command, but if I happen to get that on video, I would definitely post it. She is really starting to show empathy, and it is soo cute! She also LOVES to squeal! She loves trucks or big vehicles of any kind. When she sees a bus, a tractor, or anything that resembles them, she goes nuts! Her favorite movie is Cars, and she can't even get through the first 5 minutes without squealing! She does the same thing every time she sees an airplane or helicopter. It's so awesome to see everything through her eyes while she experiences so many new things. I just love this age!!!

I am a little over 13 weeks pregnant now. Everything seems to be going just fine. I often think the nausea is gone to find in an hour that it's not. I haven't gained any weight yet, actually have lost about 5.5 lbs. I can't seem to get much of an appetite. Sometimes I have to force myself to eat. I go back to the doctor in another week and a half and I am hoping by then I have at least gained back the weight I lost. I know I should be eating better, but it's so hard!

We definitely want to find out the sex of this baby, and we are very anxious to know what we will be having. I will probably be having my ultrasound a week or so before Christmas. Our plan is to have the tech write the sex of the baby in a Christmas card, and then open it together on Christmas morning. That is if we can hold out that long! I think I will have to have Gregg put it in the safe and lock it up...I like to snoop!

A couple of times I thought I felt the baby moving. Nothing real strong yet, but very gentle kicks. I might just be hoping....but it is an awesome feeling, nonetheless. :) I should be feeling it soon anyway. I just cannot wait! That is what makes pregnancy so fun. I really enjoyed almost every minute of my pregnancy with Madelyn, and I can't wait to feel this baby too! How can you possibly not believe in God once you have experienced pregnancy?? I know he is doing amazing things in my body that I can't see, and every day I thank him for that.

I am on my second day of my three day work weekend, and then I have off for 11 days again! I live for my weekend off.

Lots of love to all our friends and family. xoxo

Pictures

2007-10-30T16:30:00.000-04:00

Time to post some new pictures from the last week or two. Madelyn has just been so sweet the last few days. She says something new every day, and is just growing and learning so much. It's so awesome!

Here's Madi with my mom, who we call Grandma. A couple times we think we have heard Madi say "Nana", but we aren't sure if she was actually meaning Nana or just saying those syllables. She loves her "Nana"! Every time we pull into Nana and Grandpa's driveway, she squeals and squeals. She gets so excited to see them, just like they get excited to see her!

Last week I had just gotten Madi out of the tub and dried her off, and she was still naked when she sat on her potty and peed! I couldn't believe it, and I think I probably scared the heck out of her by screaming and going crazy! She hasn't done it again since then, but is very interested in her potty and sits on it all the time. It's so hard to get pictures of her because she is always on the move, but she had just been sitting next to the potty and clapping when I snapped this picture.

Friday night was supposed to be trick or treat in our township, but it rained all night, so we stayed in. But on Sunday I got up a little early and went up to Gregg's parents town and went trick or treating with his sister's kids and Mimi. It was a lot of fun, and Madelyn LOVED it! She knew just what to do, it seems. As you can see, she went as Pooh, and has learned to say Pooh, but it sounds more like "Boo". She got lots of yummy treats that we---- I mean SHE has been enjoying. ;) I kept telling her to pick the good stuff...like Kit Kat and Reese's, but she likes lolly pops. :) We had a blast and then we all went back to Gregg's parents house for lasagna! In Madelyn's words, "Num num"!!

I plan on taking more belly pictures tonight and hopefully will post some tomorrow.

New camera

2007-10-19T10:49:00.000-04:00

We got a new camera last night, so I thought I would share some snapshots of our night with Madi. She was in such a good mood and had so much fun with daddy. She is the joy of our lives!

Here I am!

2007-10-18T15:01:00.000-04:00

I had another doctor appointment on Tuesday, and here is what I saw! He (for this post, I am going to refer to the baby as he) looks great. His heartbeat is great and he is growing great. It is so exciting! We could see his little legs kicking, though it will be a few weeks until I will be able to feel it. He is 4.3 cm from head to butt. I always feel wonderful after a doctor appointment. At times it is hard to believe that I am pregnant again, but seeing him on the screen really makes it real. My nausea is just about completely gone. But the fatigue is still hanging around. I have been going to bed by about 9:30 every night, and even that feels late. The measurements she got indicated that he is ahead of what we thought, and that the due date would be May 6. But she said that they keep the due date at what the nurse documented at the OB education appointment, which was May 9-- Gregg's birthday! We think that is pretty cool, but I am hoping the baby doesn't go that long! I've been seeing so many babies lately, and I cannot wait to hold a tiny little one again!

Finding Nemo on Ice was a blast! It was so much fun. When Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy came out on the ice to do the intro, Madi started squealing and didn't stop for about 10 minutes. There was a teenage girl sitting next to me, and she kept looking over at her, and seemed to be thinking, "Make her be quiet!" Wait till she has a kid! When a fun song came on, Madi started doing a little dance, it was so cute. Gregg and I both loved it, too, and we both said we would definitely do it again. Here are some pictures from the night.

This is Madelyn squealing when they first came out. (Sorry, my hand got in the way)

Madi and her daddy before it started.

Most of the pictures I got were too dark, but this one was the best.

These last 21 months have gone so fast, and Madelyn is a big girl now! I was at Walmart the other day and was getting diapers and was in the baby section, and it hit me that there is not much in the baby section for Madi anymore! Only sippy cups and diapers. She doesn't eat any baby food at all. Not even Graduates. It made me sad that she is growing up but at the same time, excited for where we are going with her. She's discovered she loves to color and draw with a pencil. She does a bunch of animal sounds now and it just sounds so cute! When I am holding her, she pats my back. She is doing something new every day, and I am totally loving it. Oh yeah, I forgot a couple words she says. Hello, hi, byebye, and booboo can be added to the list. And she also LOVES raw green peppers. Green peppers and cucumbers are about the only veggies I can get her to eat without fighting with her.

I am back to work this weekend, so if I don't post, that's why. :(

Finally figured out how to post pictures!

2007-10-11T11:21:00.000-04:00

Updates

2007-10-10T13:47:00.001-04:00

Today I hit the big 10 weeks! The nausea seems to be letting up a bit. Today I am wearing a maternity outfit for the first time. I actually feel like I got bigger just today...maybe just wishful thinking. :) My appointment on Sept. 28 went very well. The baby is still measuring right on for May 8th. Wouldn't it be something if I delivered a day late, on Gregg's birthday? Madelyn was 19 days early, so I am not anticipating going late, but it still would be cool! We heard the heartbeat during the ultrasound, nice and strong at 172. At work this past weekend, I wanted to see if I could hear the heartbeat with the doppler we have on our unit. Low and behold, we could hear the wonderful sound. :) I had all the girls at work grinning from ear to ear. Even one girl who I barely ever see smile was smiling so big. It was awesome. It is really reassuring to be able to hear the little one every time I am at work.

I am enjoying having off from work now. The weekends tire me out. I haven't gotten much done in the way of housework, but it sure is wonderful to get caught up on some sleep.

I can't wait! Tomorrow night Gregg, me and Madi are going to see Finding Nemo on Ice!!!! It's in Reading. I have never been to anything "on ice" and I am sure it is going to be an experience. I will be sure to post some pictures of tomorrow night, as well as some belly pictures in the coming days.

Some updates on Madelyn:
Here are the words she says (I may forget some)
- No
- Momma
- Dadda
- "om" (home)
- "dis" (this)
- Oh no!
- Oh my!
- dirty
- bubble
- Bible (sounds a lot like bubble!)
- moe (more)
- ha (hat)
- yay!
- ball
- go

I know there are more, but I can't think of them right now. Some of her favorite foods are
cucumbers, spaghetti, pizza, raisins, milk, Cinnamon Life, Strawberry Frosted Mini Wheats, cheese. She does not like potatoes at all and will only eat french fries or tater tots. She doesn't like eggs either.

I am going to try to post a picture of her and then I have to go get some housework done!

Our big news

2007-10-08T15:47:00.000-04:00

This is just a quick post. I just worked the weekend, and have been up for 24 hours with only a 2 hour nap. I am exhausted. But, we are ready to tell the world our big news, and I will be posting pictures soon. I am off work now for 11 days, so I hope to update you all on how things have been going. So long for now.

Our Little Peanut

2007-09-25T09:09:00.000-04:00

It's been a long time since I posted, and pretty soon I am going to open this up and let everyone know!

I had my ultrasound on Sept 14 and it went really well. The Dr. said the baby is measuring exactly the size I thought it should be, and it showed that I was 6 weeks and 2 days. We only saw one baby. We saw the flicker of a heartbeat, but we couldn't hear it yet- it's just too small. What an awesome feeling! I felt pregnant all along, but there is something about seeing it on a screen. We are really excited, and have told a few people, but we are going to wait another week or so to tell the world the news. I have another ultrasound on Sept. 28 to be sure of the due date, but for now it still looks like May 8.

I am much more nauseous with this pregnancy than with Madelyn. With her I was about 20% nauseous all the time, but only really got sick once. This time I am about 65% nauseous all the time. It is hard to eat anything, but I am hungry at the same time. I can't wait for this trimester to be over, and hopefully the nausea will go away. My pants are beginning to get a little snug, but I am still able to wear them.

Two days!

2007-09-11T11:15:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update-- I am still feeling all the early pregnancy symptoms- nausea, extremely tired, starving, mood swings....etc. On Thursday we go for our ultrasound and see if there is more than one baby. I know I said this before, but I keep thinking it's twins. Gregg doesn't want me to talk about twins. I think it overwhelms him. But I still feel like it might be. I feel like my belly is already getting bigger (I am only 6 weeks), I feel way more tired than I remember with Madelyn, and get really nauseous and then really hungry within the same minute. These could just be regular pregnancy symptoms, but I am still thinking two. I will feel pretty silly when the Dr. says there is only one.

I just can't wait to see that little heartbeat and know that there is a baby growing and thriving in my belly. I love being pregnant!!!!

Tired

2007-09-03T17:42:00.000-04:00

There's not much to report here. I have continued to be nauseous this whole week and weekend, although I have not gotten sick yet. I am also very very tired all the time. I worked this weekend Friday, Saturday, Sunday and I work tonight (Monday) and every night at work I think I dozed off for a minute or two. I have been having such a hard time keeping my eyes open, but then when I am home during the day to sleep, I don't sleep well. I can't wait till tomorrow morning! Gregg's been busy the whole weekend with Madi. On the weekends when I am working, he has Madi all day. Today they went for a bike ride and then this afternoon, he took Madi down to the river to see the boats. He said she kept saying "ga ga ga ga" at the boats. She doesn't talk a whole lot yet, so we have been hearing a lot of "ga ga ga ga". I have to go get ready for work now. :(

Levels

2007-08-30T16:44:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I am all excited. I just got the call from the Dr. My levels went from 30 on Monday to 115 on Wednesday. She said that is a really good increase. They look for levels to double every 2-3 days, and mine doubled in one day. I guess we will have to wait for the ultrasound on Sept. 14 to see if there are two babies!

Madelyn's going to be a big sister!!!

2007-08-30T14:15:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! Gregg and I have some big news. :) We are expecting our second child!!! We weren't exactly trying, so it came as a surprise, but a welcome surprise. We found out August 27. I had been feeling kinda queasy for a few days, and also dizzy at times. Something just told me to take a test...and it was positive! Gregg was quite surprised and asked "How could you have gotten pregnant?" :) To say the least, we are very excited and can't wait to meet our little pumpkin! I am really looking forward to buying and wearing maternity clothes again. I absolutely loved being pregnant with Madi, and can't wait to get a belly!

Please pray for us for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. He/she is due May 8, 2008. Right now I am waiting for the doc to call back re: my bloodwork. In the back of my mind I am hoping for them to say "It could be twins!" :)