Off to the doctor!

Not for me though. I had to call and schedule Ariel an appointment for the pediatrician because last night at walmart I put my hand around her neck to lead her away from the toys, and I felt a lump. Of course my heart is racing with all the bad thoughts that can overcome your mind with something like that. I had Jesse feel it and we decided to get it checked out. It's probably just a swollen lymph node from her being sick this past week... but I'm not taking any chances. I sent her inside the grocery store with him last night after we left walmart and I had a good cry. I knew I couldnt do it in front of her or let her see me worried & scared. It felt good to get that out. So at 3:15 pm today we'll be at sylva Pediatrics hopefully being told that's she's fine and feeling relieved.

I got a call from Lisa this morning and I watch Alley & Emiley this weekend from 6 am- 2 pm both days. So that will help with Jesse having to take off of work early. I really dont want him having to take off some Monday for my appointment.. I may just cancel. lol. okay scratch that. I just called and I have an appointment at the same time as Ariel today. Luckily they're in the same area next to the hospital so I'm going to get to Ariel's early, fill out all of her paperwork and Jesse is going to stay with her while I run over to my doctor (with Clarity.. fun fun.. hehe). So we're knocking out all appointments today and Jesse wont have to miss any work Monday. Phew. Busy day. We'll probably get some of our grocery shopping done while we're out there as well.

Busy, busy, busy!!

Nothing More than Rain!

I can't even begin to tell you how relieved I was when out of nowhere the storm system weakened (the weather channel wasn't expecting that one.. must have been all the prayers!) and we didnt get more than rain and wind yesterday. I feel for all of those who weren't so blessed... the last count I saw on CNN this morning was 55 deaths and I dont know the count of actual tornadoes but it did say over a thousand warnings went off! That was crazy scary.

Yesterday I ended up sleeping all day long. God must've known I needed it because Clarity slept with me on the couch and Ariel bless her little heart just quietly entertained herself by watching cartoons, coloring or playing with her dinosaurs. She honestly is such a blessing and such a great little girl. Clarity is too, don't get me wrong, it's just amazing that Ariel let me get all the sleep I needed. She didn't bother me for anything (of course I did get up and feed her lunch and snacks... I didn't just sleep and let the kid go hungry. lol).

Today though, I dont want to be so lazy. I have great ambition to get all of my laundry caught up and put away and clean the office as well as my usual dishes, cleaning the floors, straightening up and cooking dinner. So I'm about to go grab a shower and get started. Hopefully I wont tire before I get done... lol.. I'll do my best! Hope everyone has a happy day!

A Nervous wreck!

The weather is awful. Not here... not yet. Just in the southeast. They are saying it's one of the worst February tornado outbreaks in history. So far the count is 57 tornadoes in three states and 31 deaths (although unfortunately since it happened at night the numbers will more than likely climb as daylight allows damage surveys and rescues). I've been watching a storm move towards murphy all morning... a tornado warning for Chattanooga Tennesse, then Cleveland, now it's Polk County (the next county over from mom and dad). I can't even tell you how sick I am. Between being tired and overly stressed... I feel like throwing up. I'm actually surprised it hasn't happened yet. I didn't want Jesse to go to work but I couldnt ask him to stay home. I'm worried about my parents & family, the girls and myself, Jesse. I hate that we're all apart. I keep praying to God this monster will weaken and we'll all be fine. More than likely, we will, but you know me and my fear of storms and tornadoes. It's my own personal demon. so tons of prayers going out this morning to those who have gone through this and those that have to deal with it later. Prayers that my family will be kept safe and we wont even see any severe weather. I'll be back on later today... hopefully to say that nothing happened and all is fine!

Better Today

Everyone seems to be on the mend... THANK GOD! Ariel said she's feeling pretty good. Her cough and sore throat are gone and she hasn't had to have any Tylenol so that's great. She also slept through the night (as did Clarity). It was so nice having them both asleep before 11... Jesse and I kicked back in the loveseat and enjoyed some Mythbusters before he was out. Then I went and slept on the couch with the girls. We havent slept in our bed in weeks... I just find the couch more comfortable right now and I guess Jesse hates being by himself so he usually sleeps in the living room with us. Clarity also seems to be doing nearly 100% better from yesterday. She's rowdy and hyper and bugging her sister. lol. She ate cereal and spaghetti o's and drank her juice and hasn't cried with a stomach ache or thrown up. I forgot to ask Jesse how he was feeling when he called on his lunch break. I guess he's fine. He was more concerned with how the girls were doing and to make sure I was okay. He was happy to hear all was good.. I think it makes his day easier to know that.

They've put him in charge of templating so he's going out on his own all the time. I bet he loves that. It probably makes the day go by a lot faster. He's never thrilled when he's stuck in the shop, so I'm happy for him.

We just got over our weekend and I'm already counting down this upcoming one. As long as I'm not watching Emiley and Alley we're going to hit asheville again. We still need to pick up a carseat cover and head cushion for the baby. It's still so weird to me that a huge mall, Target, Kohls, Chuck E Cheese, and pretty much anything else I can imagine is just a half hour drive away. I guess that's what happens when you're stuck with being happy with only having a super walmart for so many years! lol.

Update on today!

Thank goodness it went great! Lisa and her girls (alley and emiley) came over and I have to say I liked all three of them. I think they liked us too... all four girls (hers and mine) had a blast running around, squealing and playing with eachother while Lisa and I talked. It thrilled me that they were all getting along! Then Emiley made my day by drawing me a picture. It's nice to know that these girls wont feel terrified and they liked it here. When Lisa was trying to round them up to go they kept saying they didnt want to and Lisa asked them if they would like to come back later and they excitedly replied "yeah!". She said she'll definately need me. She's just starting her job tomorrow but she wont need me for a few days because the girls' dad will have them. So we shall see. Any money coming in is great and honestly I'm looking forward to those girls coming back because they were so blessed cute and mine had so much fun playing with them! Turns out Emiley rides the bus that drives right by our house.. so if Ariel ever rides the bus.. she'll know someone! That's a relief!

Oh and Clarity finally woke up from her hours on end nap when they showed up and she seems to be feeling a bit better. She had energy to play and she's taken a bath and eaten some banana. Hopefully all the puke is over. I pray so! It makes me so sad to see her choke and struggle.. I hate that so badly!

It's raining.. it's pouring

Literally and figuratively speaking! It has been a dreary, cloudy, rainy day all day long. And this morning didn't start off so hot. I almost had the girls ready for my doctor's appointment (Jesse was giving them breakfast) when Clarity came and started acting all sleepy in my lap. Next thing I know the poor baby is throwing up all over the place. So I had to take her and get her in the shower and all cleaned up. So we get on the road and once we're in Sylva we stop at a gas station to get some donuts. Clarity's all wanting some and she seemed fine, so I gave them to her. Jesse parks in the doctor's office and him and the girls wait in the truck (dont want to contaminate the place with germs). As I'm waiting to see the midwife, my phone starts going off. Poor Clarity had thrown up all over Jesse. I ask my nurse if she had any paper towels I could run out to them and she was sooo sweet and helpful and even gave us some clorox disinfectant wipes. lol. So Clarity got stripped down and had Ariel's sweater put on her and Jesse just wore his jacket (he had to take off his shirt) and PJ pants (thank goodness he was dressed in double layers preparing for it to be cold, when it wasn't that bad today). I went back in and finished my appointment... lol...

As far as my appointment goes all is okay, I guess. I had to leave two urine samples. The first one had blood and white blood cells in it. So they wanted another to send to the lab to see if it's a bladder infection or just my body preparing towards the end of this pregnancy. If they call that means infection and I have to start on antibiotics. yay!

Other than that not much to say. Baby did move down some (don't know if it turned around or not, I forgot to ask with all of the Clarity drama). She said I'm measuring smaller but that's probably because baby has dropped some. I did notice it's a bit easier to breathe but I'm still feeling a lot of action in my ribs so it didnt move too much!

So now I'm home with the girls and Jesse's at work. Clarity ate some chicken noodle soup (just a bit) and went to sleep on the couch so far no more throwing up, I pray it stays that way. Ariel is still kind of sick, but nothing meltaways don't help. Hopefully we'll get done passing germs and viruses before the new baby gets here. This is exactly why I dont even want the girls going to the hospital.. all it takes is a minute to get some germ on your clothes and then I have a sick newborn on my hands. Hate, hate, hate cold and flu season! Jesse and I are getting a carseat cover so we can carry it out of the hospital without exposing it to anything (plus it keeps it warm too).

I'm meeting with Lisa and her girls today around 3. So I'll probably be back to update how that goes. I pray these are great little girls and they get along with mine and I pray Lisa likes me and decides to use me to watch her kids. Any extra money is good right now!

wheeee!

You've got to love winter time. The snow, the cool air, the holidays and my favorite the germs! bleh! Last night as we were leaving Wal-mart Ariel complained of a tickle in her throat. An hour or two after we get home she had a cough and and her throat felt worse. She wakes up crying at around 4 am and I get up and get her some tylenol meltaways. Thank God that did the trick and she was sound asleep within a half hour. I however, didn't get so lucky. I tossed and turned and couldnt get comfortable. Then wake up this morning and I felt okay... not great but I assumed it was from lack of sleep. I cleaned out the fridge and did the dishes then ate some breakfast. Here it is nearly noon and wow has it hit. I feel like a semi truck has plowed into my body. The body aches and headache are awful! I took some tylenol (and I hardly ever take anything so you know it's bad) and Jesse gave me some vitamin C. He says he's feeling "run down" too. Hopefully this is very short lived and we'll all feel better tomorrow. Lisa (the girl that wants me to babysit) called yesterday while we were all fine... and I think we're supposed to meet tomorrow and if she works (and likes me), I'll probably be watching her little girl. So this bug better vacate asap. Knock on wood.. there are no fevers.. so that's something to be happy about! Oh and so far Claire Bear is doing okay... I pray God has mercy on her since she had the tummy bug the other day and we didn't... and she doesnt catch this mess!

A bit of a heavy heart

Today I went on the Hannah and Lily blog... I hardly go on there because of the emotions it evokes for me. Hannah is the reason I started blogging myself and her mom is just amazing. A pillar of strength. How she keeps such a positive outlook on things after losing her five year old is beyond me. In her entry she was saying how she thanks God everynight for the time he let her spend with Han. She's sad she's gone but she knows God has a reason and she knows she was blessed to have had her in her life. Wow.

Then tonight I read about a family whose two year old son woke up with a cold, passed out, was taken to the hospital and died. So between Han who was the same age as Ariel and this little boy.. who was probably around Clarity's age.. I'm just sad for these famililes and giving the girls more hugs and kisses than normal. I can't even imagine losing one of my babies and it's selfish but I pray I never have to face that harsh reality. I don't think I'd have a positive outlook, I don't think I could make it.

Right now Jesse took the girls out with him and left me home (a first!). T hey went to pick up Pizza Hut and some milk. I thought I would relish this time of peace but I miss them. This house is way too quiet.

My Poor Pumpkin!

This morning I was supposed to meet with a girl, her fiance, and their four year old about babysitting for them. So I'm cleaning the house and getting ready and Clarity keeps laying in the middle of the floor. I figured she was just having a hard time getting up and moving.. which isn't unusual for her. I did ask her if she was sick and she looked at me and said "uh huh". I still brushed it off... she wasn't running a fever or anything so I kept doing what I was doing. Well I hear Ariel call me, "mama! Clarity is sick! She just threw up!". So I go into their play room (the only room with carpet of course) and see a huge splatter of throw up. Then there's another one in the kitchen. Clarity's not crying (Thank goodness...I was afraid she'd hit freak mode since this is her first time really throwing up) but she's walking in circles spitting and has a horrible face. The first thing I did before cleaning it was I called that girl and left her a message. She's newly pregnant and I didnt want to expose her or her four year old to a stomach virus. Lord knows no one wants to deal with that. I dont know if I'll hear from her again or not but that doesnt matter. It would have been nice to make some money but my priority right now is my sick baby girl. She's been sleeping on the loveseat most of the day but actually woke up to eat lunch so fingers crossed it stays down! I'm also hoping none of the rest of us get it. I guess that would be one way to bring on labor.. but I really dont want to go that route. lol.

Oh I wanted to post pics of some of the stuff we bought for the baby last weekend.

Here's the Rainforest Playpen with bassinet. It plays music, has a nightlight, a mobile and all that stuff. Plus it's cute!

And here is the carseat. We got a graco

snugride in Jungle adventure. It has these cute lions, hippos, giraffes, and alligators on it.

I'm having trouble finding a pic of the diaper bag we got. It's a big brown Classic Pooh one. It has the older version of Pooh and Piglet on it and it's sooo cute but guy enough that Jesse will carry it around. Plus it has tons of room! I'm sure I'll get around to taking real pics of the stuff we bought as soon as it's all ready. We still havent set anything up yet. Not sure why we're wating.

Well my heart is pounding. Clarity just came in crying about her foot. I look at it and it was bright red and looked like she was having a bad reaction of some sort. So immediately I'm grabbing her up and examining her feet wondering if I should make my call to Jesse to come home or 911. She stopped crying and it went away so I'm wondering if she stood in front of one of our heaters and that made it all red. I swear nothing makes you worry like your babies! She's fine now. Her and Ariel are laying in the living room on the blankets Heather made for them (which are soooo cute and soft! I need to get pics of those too) and they are watching the Backyardigans.

Clarity ate two helpings of chicken and dumplings and drank a whole glass of chocolate milk. I wanted her to take it easy and eat a bit and drink water... but nope... not her. She was hungry! lol. So far so good. I'm saying my prayers!

Thought I should add

A complete tragedy. Prayers and thoughts are with his family, friends and loved ones. We'll miss you Heath!!

More on this past weekend...

Since I had my big pregnancy whine party, I'll talk about the girls and what we did this past weekend. We took them to Chuck E Cheese this past Sunday since we got out of David's Bridal and having dinner a bit late. Of course I forgot my darn camera at home and didn't get any pics, so that figures! The place was a madhouse. Linda, Ricky and Brittany stopped in to see the girls for a bit and they loved that! They also loved seeing Lori and David over the weekend. Ariel said she remembered David and we talked about how he was a police.. that's her big thing now.. she wants to be a police. lol. Lori is being so sweet about letting both of the girls be flower girls in the wedding. I can't wait to see it.. I bet it will be so cute. She picked the most adorable dresses for them to wear. They looked like little Cinderellas when we had them try them on! Beautiful! Ariel's excited for the wedding.. she keeps asking me how many tomorrows away it is. Hopefully both of the girls will be happy and cooperative on May 3rd and the wedding will go off perfectly. I'm sure it will be gorgeous. I'm looking forward to it! Since I didnt have a wedding, I'll live vicariously through Lori. lol.

Tired and Done!

Well this pregnancy WAS flying by... now each minute seems to just tick tick tick. 37 weeks and 2 days. It's getting really difficult now. Nausea is back in full force and I never feel like eating. I asked my doctor about it and she said it's completely normal and sometimes it's just easier to throw up. I dont want to! Been there, done that, and dont want to look back! Also found out the baby is posterior. Wonderful! This means it's back is facing my back instead of the other way around like it's supposed to. She said if it doesnt turn, it probably will during labor but this makes labor long, painful, and difficult. It also means bad back labor.. which I pray I dont have to suffer through because I HATE back pain. yay! Should have known I wouldnt have a breezy labor like I did with the girls. The whole pregnancy has been a pain in my butt! lol. I guess we'll see how things go within the next few weeks.



Jesse and I did get our carseat, playpen/bassinet, diaper bag and a few sleepers while we were in Asheville this past weekend. So we're ready enough! lol. For some reason buying this stuff made it hit me that this is really happening. Jesse of course thought I was crazy but I was nearly having a panic attack thinking about it. There is no turning back. I'm going to be a mama to three. Crazy!



We had a fun weekend. It was nice seeing Lori and David. This is the dress I ended up picking out for my bridesmaid dress. It comes with optional spaghetti straps. I guess I'll decide if I'll wear them or not once I get it altered and see how it looks both ways. I love this dress.. at first I wasn't sure about it, but it really is pretty! I'm glad Lori picked a gorgeous color too. I love it!

So ready... so not!

36 weeks and one day... and the countdown is on. I'm almost to the full term mark of 37 weeks but that doesnt mean much to me. lol. Ariel came at 39 weeks and 3 days and Clarity came at 40 weeks and 1 day so I don't consider myself a candidate for going much earlier than that anymore. Jesse told me that was a silly way of thinking... I think he's paranoid. It's sneaking up on him. lol.

We still havent even gotten a carseat or the bassinet yet... so if I were to go early, we'd be in trouble. I think he wants to go back to Target this weekend while we're in Asheville and pick up the stuff we were looking at last weekend. So not only are we not ready for this baby to come in that aspect, I'd like to get the house totally ready and get our taxes done (OMG that is a chore and a half and I HATE it).

My 36 week appointment was yesterday and went okay. As good as could be expected anyways since they had to do the strep B test. I'll find out next Monday if that came out positive or not.. knowing my luck this pregnancy it probably did. lol. I'm still gaining weight (ugh that can stop anytime now, I'm at 130 lbs) and my blood pressure was good. Baby is head down still but high (big surprise.. I could have told her that being I can barely breathe all the time). No dialation yet but she said my cervix is soft. Maybe we'll have some progress soon. Well even that wouldnt mean much... lol.. I was dialated 3 cm for over 3 weeks with Clarity and she still made her appearance a day late! Stinker!

Ariel's birthday was terrible! Clarity decided to be an escape artist and snuck out the door (I always check the latch as soon as I get up, but that morning, I just forgot). Anyways I realize the door was open and go flying outside to see a red car with some lady asking Clarity where her mama was. I scoop up clarity and the lady starts screaming at me what a horrible mother I was, how dare I let my baby run the streets and that was a good way to get her killed. As if I wasn't beating myself up over it already! I felt if she were about to stone me. It was an accident. A stupid one on my part.. but that's what it was. I spent the entire day and most of the night (I think I stopped at midnight) crying and feeling horrible. We were supposed to take Ariel out to Chuck E cheese that night but since I was so depressed we waited until the next day. We did end up having a lot of fun and I took some super cute pics with the digital... but yesterday I realized Ariel had gotten it down to take "her" pictures and deleted them all! I'll have to take them back this Saturday. Jesse, the girls and I are meeting Lori in Asheville to go to Davids Bridal and try and find me a bridesmaids dress and get the girls fitted for their flower girl dresses. I'm looking forward to it.. just hope I can find something that looks decent on me!

Worry and stress

They suck! Badly! I dont know if it's the pregnancy or what but I will wake up in the wee hours of the morning with my mind racing about all the different things in my life I'm worried about. Money...bills.. and lately... Ariel starting kindergarten! I know it's not until August but I'm dreading it. I won't be there for my baby and it kills me that I won't know what's going on with her. If she's being picked on, if she's sad, if she doesn't understand something. She keeps asking me how long until she starts because she's nervous and not ready to go. Her being worried about it makes me worried about it. Will she adjust okay? She's such a mama's girl and even though she's a total tomboy, she's super sensative too. God it just kills me I'm stressing out over all of this already!

She's going to be five tomorrow *cry*. It's just hitting me how fast the past five years have gone by. I look at pictures of her as a newborn.. a toddler.. and now a gorgeous little girl and I just break down. Why do they have to grow so fast? Why can't I just slow it down? Life just seems to breeze by once you have a child. I wanted to just curl up and cry last night realizing every year they get older is a year Jesse and I are getting older. I just pray to God I have a long, long time to spend with these beautiful people God has blessed me with.

Okay *deep breath* I need to dry my tears and get my face cleared up before Ariel realizes I'm upset. Right now she's outside playing in the snow. Yes, snow! We got a couple of inches last night and she's having a blast. I let her play out for a few minutes then bring her in to get her warmed up.. then she's back out again. She's thrilled.

Okay I definately must go now. Clarity just walked in and appearently little miss got into the nesquick powder. Her face and hands look like she's been playing in mud! Time for a bath! Thank God I have these angels to cheer me up when I feel worry and stress getting the best of me.

34 weeks 2 days

and I am so over this pregnancy crap! lol. This time around has been unbelievably difficult compared to Ariel & Clarity. A few weeks ago I woke up with this horrible sharp pain right under my sternum and I could hardly breathe let alone move. That dang pain lasted from 5 am until 3 pm. It stopped right as I was deciding I had suffered enough and was going to the ER. I was worried it was a gallbladder attack. But it hasn't returned... THANK GOD.

I did have to go to the ER the other night. My ankle had been hurting (felt like a sprain even though I hadn't done anything to it) for a few days. Well when the pain started moving up into my calf I started looking it up online and worried myself sick that I had DVT. So we went to the ER.. rather be safe than sorry...and they did an ultrasound to make sure there were no blood clots. All was clear so that was a huge relief. Just another crappy effect this baby is having on my body.

I am a total whiner! I'll be glad to have this baby just so I dont hear myself. I hate whiners. I hate crybabies.. and yet that's all I'm doing lately. Gah! Just a few more weeks!

On a bright note.. my last doctor appointment went well. I'm up to 128 lbs so she was happy about that. Baby's head is down. They are not doing another ultrasound (boo!) because they said my uterus has been measuring right on for being due Feb 18th. They said they'll use caution though and if I go into labor around 37 weeks (please God let it happen.. lol) even though that's full term for the Feb. date they'll have me have the baby in Asheville just in case because they have a neonatal unit. If I go a week past Feb. 18th.. I get induced. So either way it's happening next month. It can't happen soon enough for me!

We shall see!

Winter storm warning! Supposedly we could get between 4-6 inches of snow starting tomorrow. What a way that would be to start the new year! But I'm not so optimistic.. I'm always hoping to see some nice winter weather and then they change it to rain at the last minute or it misses us. But then again.. that was when we lived in Murphy. My hopes might not be so squashed here. lol.

My house is nearly completely in order. I can't believe it. All I have left to do is put a bunch of clothes away... mostly compliments of Ariel & Clarity. How do two little girls aquire sooooo much stuff? It's insane! I'm hoping to work on getting that done today and then we have a few random boxes of "junk" I can muddle through and toss stuff or put it away but I'm really impressed at how much has actually gotten accomplished. Our plumbing is really screwy right now and our landlord is supposed to have a plumber come out. One toilet is barely working, the other we're refusing to use, when we run the washer (which I havent done lately because of this) the suds come up in the toilet we're not using. lol. Now for the fun tidbit.. our house smells like shyte. I have no idea what's wrong but it needs to get fixed.. ASAP! That's one reason I'm glad we rent, when something serious happens... it's not us that has to deal with it!

Mom and dad are coming over today. I know the girls are thrilled. I think that's the only thing Ariel misses about Murphy.. being able to see Grandma and Abu all the time. But she really loves it here. Actually we all do. It's a nice change and I'm happy we did it.

I had a panic moment this morning that I havent had the whole time I've been pregnant. That "will I love this baby as much as I do the others" feeling. I had that complete fear when I was pregnant with Claire and of course, it was a complete waste of my time feeling that way because when she came it was like she had been here all along and I love both of my girls the same... with all my heart. I guess I'm really worried about giving equal attention to three. I mean with two.. Jesse can devote to one, me the other and then trade. Three is going to be crazy. But then I think we have two wonderful little girls that are going to help give the third attention. Ariel is actually excited (for now she's over her jealousy thing and is looking forward to her new baby brother or sister) and I know Clarity is going to be thrilled. I just have to trust God that it will all fall into place and that this is what is meant for our family.

2008... Right around the corner

Hard to believe another year has come... and gone. I dont know what it is but the older I get, the faster time goes. My little princess is going to start kindergarten this coming year. I knew it was coming, but wow, it still just shocks me. I actually laid awake for hours the other night thinking about that and worrying. worrying kids would pick on her or that she'll feel left out. Worried she'll miss being home and be sad. I know she'll be fine, but my mind really plays things up sometimes. Still so hard to believe how fast the girls are growing.

Christmas was good. We just stayed home and celebrated with the girls and that was nice. I missed mom, dad & Patrick but I'm sure they'll be coming to visit soon. They got the girls a lot of nice stuff and I made sure to tell Ariel it was from Grandma, Abu, Patrick & of course Santa. I can say one thing about Christmas this year.. it was nice not hearing anyone gripe about anything. lol.

I'm still waiting for my snow! We've only seen flurries but I'm hoping living out here closer to the Smokeys, we'll see more than we did in Murphy. I think we're supposed to see snow showers on new year's but we'll see. So far everytime they've said that, it's just been rain.

Well I better go and help Jess finish unpacking and cleaning. I'm finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel in that department. Slowly but surely!

Christmas Pics

Yay!

Jesse is now working a normal 8-5 job Monday through Friday. He's working at a granite shop in Asheville and making just as much as he did doing satellite work. He's still going to do the satellite thing on Saturdays but at least we'll always have sundays together and evenings. I dont know what we'll do actually being able to spend time together! We're really excited. We'll only have to fill up the gas tank once a week and he'll always be a half hour away. I cant believe it. It's funny because he's the only American guy there. Everyone else is from like Russia, Ukraine, or Turkey. There's only two men that can speak english so theres a bit of a language barrier. That's interesting to say the least but they really seem to like him so that's good!

I can't believe how close Christmas is! OMG. I have so much to do. Last night I had a rough time with contractions and a backache. I nearly made Jesse take me in to be checked but I fell asleep and all seems well today. How can they expect you to take it easy when you have a house to take care of and two other kids? I went in to the doctor the other day and she has to consult with the midwife on my due date. By my period it should be mid February (they say 18th, I say 22nd). Yet during my ultrasound the baby was measuring like it's due March 4th. The doctor I saw the other day said they should use the March date because they generally go by the ultrasound but my uterus was measuring like I'm due around the 18th. So she's going to talk to the midwife and see if they're going to keep the Feb. date, move it to March, or do another ultrasound to double check the baby's size. I'm hoping for the ultrasound. lol. They better not move me to March.. I'm having doubts about making it into February!

Well that's about all that's new for now. I need to go clean my floors. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays (I've totally got my Nsync going and I'm so in the Christmassy mood)!

Moved in.. not exactly settled!

We're in our new house now. I hate moving. I hate it! I hate it! I hate it! Did I mention I hate moving? lol. But we're finally here. I still have a lot to do but I need Jesse's help. It seems if I'm standing for too long or I work at something too hard.. I start getting contractions and my tailbone starts throbbing. So I have to take it very easy. I'm only 31 weeks.. much too early to deal with that stuff.

Oh I can't believe I havent had the time to update this blog but I passed the 3 hour glucose test. It was miserable as I expected and Jesse and I swore I wasn't going to keep from throwing up that first hour.. but somehow I trudged through it. My numbers didn't go down like they were supposed to, but I wasn't above the limit so they considered me passing. I was so glad. I go to the doctor in a couple of days so I should be able to find out when I get my second ultrasound.

Well the past few days have been so much fun (insert sarcasm in my voice here). My parents have spent the past two nights which has been great, especially because they were so helpful. But the first night they stayed Ariel complained she had a belly ache. I asked if she felt sick and she said no, it just hurt. I gave her a children's pepto tablet and we went to bed. Not even an hour later I wake up to find her sitting there just throwing up everywhere. Poor Jesse woke up and was in a daze. Its like he didn't grasp what was happening then she let out a huge flow of it and he jumps up "OH GOD". lol. So I got her in the bath while he stripped the bed (thank God we use a waterproof mattress cover). After I got her out, I made her and I a little bed on the floor with blankets because since our mattress cover was dirty, I didnt want to risk her getting sick on the bed. Well it's a good thing.. she threw up every 45 mins to an hour from 11:30 pm until 5:30 am. It was so sad to watch. I didn't even sleep. I wanted to be awake to comfort her everytime it happened. She's so brave.. she never cried. She would start to panic and cry and I'd just rub her back and hold her hair and tell her that she was fine and that I was there and her body was just getting rid of a bad germ. The next day she was okay.. ran a fever all day and slept. Only drank gatorade. Then today she woke up begging for popcorn. Nothing else would do. I finally gave in and gave her some and then she threw up on my couch! I felt bad because I actually got mad. Really mad. Not at her.. I know it wasn't her fault, but at the situation that I had to clean my new couch and pray the puke smell didnt stay. She seems okay now. She's eaten chicken noodle soup, drank gatorade, water & sprite and even ate some cheeseburger and fries from McDonalds (her request). So I pray we're over the worst and that Clarity doesnt get it. So far so good *knock on wood*. I despise stomach viruses!

Let's see.. what else. Oh Jesse's looking for another job. We moved all the way over here because they were always sending him this way and we couldnt afford the gas. Now that we're here, I bet you can't guess where he's been being sent to lately. *rolls eyes* Maybe things will work out. I pray so.

Well Patrick is sick. He's in a mental hospital right now being evaluated. They've given us a diagnosis but he wants it to remain confidential and that's his right. The only reason I know is because it needs to go in the girls medical history. The good news is at least someone has finally taken the time to figure it out. I always thought he was doing things for attention or just because... I had no idea he was sick like he is. Things will be okay now that we know what is going on. Not sure when he'll be released (it wont be long) but right now he's only 10 mins from our new place so that helps that mom and dad can stay here and then go visit him during visitation hours. Mom's dealing with a lot right now and it doesnt help my grandma wants to pry and is dying to find out what's going on with him. She's never cared any other time.. why bother now? And her comments about him being on crack certainly dont help. Mom told her we finally have a diagnosis but she doesnt want it spread all over cherokee county. Grandma got all offended.. "oh so I'm going to spread it around?" um... duh. lol. Of course she'd tell Linda and then Linda would tell Ricky and Ricky would tell who he wanted to. It's a vicious cycle. I like how well Grandma kept my pregnancy quiet so I had time to mail my announcements out (they still sit in a drawer.. why bother now that she told everyone). Sorry for my little tirade. Just frustrated that people dont back off and give my family space when we need it.

If you want to help us.. just pray. That's what we need.