27 week update

Today my OB came back from maternity leave so I had a check up with her.  She travels to Rock Rapids once a month so it is nice not to have to travel to Sioux Falls for all my OB appointments.  I had my 1 hour glucose test and my regular check up.  Baby is measuring 1 week ahead and has a good strong heart rate.  The nurse called me that afternoon to tell me that my 1 hour glucose test came back.  My levels were a little high.  Normal is between 74-134 and mine came back at 165 so I was required to do a 3 hour fasting glucose test.  Ross took me to Sioux Falls so I could complete this.  I stayed in the lab while Ross did some shopping.  I was technically there for 4 hours which seemed like forever.  Thankfully there was an area for people doing the 3 hour test.  I got to sit in a recliner and watch tv and I also brought my kindle to help pass the time.  I had my blood drawn 4 times.  We left there around 1:00 and went straight to Fryin Pan so I could eat dinner.  By that point my blood sugar had dropped and I was getting very shaky.  I ordered a regular Coke and that seemed to help.  The nurse called later that afternoon and told me a few of my blood draws were abnormal which means I indeed do have Gestational Diabetes.  They scheduled me for an educational and follow up class in Sioux Falls on November 8th and 14th.  Unfortunately Ross is unable to go with me to the educational class so I am taking my Dad with me.  Who better to taken then someone who has dealt with diabetes for a while now.  I will have to test my blood 4 times a day and watch my carb intake.  Hopefully I can keep it under control and avoid medication for the remainder 12 weeks of my pregnancy.  I always figured I was having a big baby because Caleb was 8 lbs 3 oz. and Ross was a big 10 lb baby.  But now with the gestational diabetes diagnosis I believe I have a better chance of having a big baby. 

The holidays are going to be the hardest of all but it's all worth it for this baby.

Isaac turns FIVE!

It's hard to believe that we've had Isaac for 5 years.  Isaac has made so many changes in the past year.  He's overcome a lot of obstacles and is turning into such an amazing little man.  We've made great progress with his Sensory Processing Disorder and he's now willing to wear his Crocs, cowboy boots or work shoes whenever we go somewhere.  We no longer have struggles and we no longer try to get him into any type of tennis shoe.  Isaac started a play therapy program and we have done 11 out of 12 weeks and have seen amazing changes in him.  We just needed a little extra help in figuring out what works for Isaac in regard to listening and discipline.  The last 2 months have been amazing and Isaac rarely misbehaves.  I know a lot of it has to due with his age and that he's growing up but I really believe our therapy sessions have helped us become closer to Isaac and to be able to find what he needs and what works for him.  He is in Preschool this year and seems to enjoy it for the most part.  He has a little bit of an attention problem but nothing the teachers can't handle.  In fact the teacher told us at conferences that she's seen a lot of changes in him since September and he's willing to try a lot more things instead of giving up like he did in the beginning.  He's not real interested in school work yet but he's getting there.  He's at least attempting to write his name and he's recognizing a lot of letters and numbers. 

Isaac woke up on his Birthday at 6:30, came in our bedroom and announced "It's my Birthday today, I am Five".  He was so excited that I let him open one present which was a Transformer.  His favorite Transformer Optimus Prime.  He was beyond thrilled.  That evening the 4 of us made a trip to Sioux Center.  We let Isaac pick where he wanted to eat and he chose McDonalds.  We ate supper and then I dropped Ross and the boys off at the swimming pool while I did some grocery shopping.  The boys really had a blast. 

I've heard so many times over the past 5 years how lucky Isaac is to have us as parents.  In reality, we're the lucky ones to have Isaac.  Adoption is no easy journey and there was a couple months this summer that Isaac started to process what adoption meant.  He's emotionally not there yet and so we will revisit the questions when he's older.  I know it's only going to get harder as he gets older but I truly believe Isaac is where he needs to be and God planned our family exactly how it was meant to be.

We love you Isaac Avery.  Happy Birthday Buddy!

24 week check up

I had my 24 week check up and things seem to be going as well as they should.  I saw the PA again this time because my OB won't be back from maternity leave until the end of October.  She said I must have quite the active little one because it took a long time to get a good strong heart beat.  He kept moving away from the doppler, little stinker!  She finally did get a reading of 152. 

I asked the PA about my 20 week ultrasound.  Another PA had mentioned that one of the measurements had shown a small femur measurement and that it was only in the 8th percentile so I asked about it because I've been a little concerned.  The PA told me that the final report came in and they aren't doing any follow up so it is not a concern at this point.  Apparently, since the overall size of the baby was in the 32nd percentile and all other measurements were within normal range they think it was just the way the baby was positioned.  Of course what do I do when I get home, yep I google "short femur" and of course I really shouldn't have done that.  Everything popped up with possible "Downs Syndrome" or other chromosome issues.  I'm not super worried yet because nothing else measured abnormal and they said they would probably see another measurement not accurate if this was Downs Syndrome or something similar.  Of course I'll probably ask my actual OB when she comes back just to ease my mind.

My next appointment is at 27 weeks on 10/31 and I have my glucose test done that day too.  Hopefully I will pass!

This little guy is moving more and more and I'm just starting to be able to feel him from the outside.  Hopefully Ross and the boys will be able to feel him soon too.

20 week ultrasound!

I've made it to the halfway point so that's good news.  We got to see the baby in regular Ultrasound and 4D which was really neat.  Baby was more active then at 13 weeks but still quite laid back.  Everything looked good with baby.  Baby is about 10 ounces right now and right on track.  The tech let us hear the heart beat and said the rate was 157.  Considering Caleb's heart rate was 160 about this time I had a strong suspicion and I was right....WE'RE HAVING A BOY!

All along I had this feeling I was carrying a boy, I just never admitted it to anyone.  Contrary to what most people think, I am very happy.  I honestly always had a easier time picturing myself rasing 3 boys instead of 2 boys and a girl.  We have all the boy clothes and toys and 2 pretty awesome big brothers!!! 

I picked the boys up from daycare and told them in the van.  Caleb was excited but as expected Isaac was sad.  He prayed and prayed and prayed for a baby sister.  Every night before dinner he would ask God for a sister.  He was certain this was going to be a girl.  He was very disappointed to say the least.  Once I started reminding him of all the things he could teach his little brother and do with his little brother he came around.  He seems pretty excited now and hasn't mentioned anything about a sister. 

Here's some ultrasound pictures and the video reaction of the boys!!!  Priceless!

First Day of Preschool

Okay I cheated a little bit.  We took the boys over to the school the weekend before they started school and took their pictures.  I didn't want to be taking pictures with all the parents and kids around at 8:15 am so I thought this was a much better idea.  I "thought" it was a better idea and it was where Caleb is concerned.  But for Isaac he wanted absolutely nothing to do with pictures.  This is really no surprise to me because my strong willed Isaac likes to do things when HE is in control :-)

It took some coaxing and it took Caleb's cooperation to start off with pictures together before he would agree to any individual pictures.  I had printed some signs off of Pinterest but of course Isaac wanted nothing to do with holding the sign.  Caleb was a big helper!

The first day of school for the boys was September 4th (Tuesday) which also happens to be the day I have off each week.  It worked out perfectly and I was able to take the boys to school and pick them up.  The boys are in separate classrooms this year which I think is going to be very beneficial to them. 

Isaac has the ability to go to the sensory room the first thing in the morning which I think is really helping his focus/attention.  I'm glad that since we don't have a lot of sensory items at home, he's able to get this help at school.  Isaac has made a lot of progress in the past year.  We're even overcoming his shoe issue.  We're now up to him being able to wear cowboy boots, hightop work boots or crocs without any issue.  I really beats the hours of tantrums we had last year.  Who knew that Sensory Processing Disorder could cause such a huge impact on a little guys life.  Speaking of little, my guy is going to be FIVE next month, where did the time go???

After school the boys said they had a great first day and it sounds like they may just enjoy preschool!  I hope they do anyways.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a way to end the summer!

Tonight after I got off work I dropped the boys off at Grandma and Grandpa K's so the boys could "farm" with Daddy.  Ross called around 6:00 and said he would be bringing the boys home in about 10 minutes.  Well about 20 minutes passed and the phone rang again.  Ross told me to come pick Isaac up and that we had to take him to the hospital.  He cut his leg and needed stitches is all I was told.  When I got to Uncle Nolan's to pick up Isaac they had Ross' shirt wrapped around his leg and secured with duct tape.  I saw the injury for the first time at the hospital.  Wow was it deep.  Apparently Isaac had fallen off of the tractor ladder onto a hay spear.  Thankfully nothing worse happened.

Dr. Springer came in and after one peek he said well it looks like this is going to take a few ...
S T I T C H E S.  Yes we have to spell a lot around Isaac.  It took both Ross and I, 2 nurses and the doctor to get the job done.  He got 5 stitches.  It was a very traumatic experience for Isaac as most visits that include shots or blood usually are.  Luckily as soon as it was done he was a happy camper and even smiled and started chatting away with the nurses when they brought him a cookie.

Here's the injury before stitches...pretty disgusting.

17 weeks

Today I headed to Sioux Falls because my regular OB is on maternity leave.  I saw a PA instead.  She found the heartbeat right away and then the baby moved.  She said I have a very active baby.  Heart rate was at 147.  I think at this time Caleb's was around 160.  We find out the gender in 3 weeks and I can hardly wait.  I'm ready to get the nursery set up before I lose my energy again :-)

13 weeks

Today I am 13 weeks.  I am still battling the nausea but am hoping and praying it will ease up soon.  I went in for another check up.  The OB got the doppler out to find the heartbeat.  She thought she heard it for a split second but wasn't sure so she sent me down to ultrasound again.  Baby grew quite a bit in just 4 weeks.  Still not much movement but he or she did move their arm a little bit.  Still saw the beating heart so all is well.  The ultrasound still put my due date at February 6th but we're sticking with my January 30th due date for the time being.

It's true!!!!

I think everyone knows just about now as Facebook is where I update the most.  But for any of you that only view my blog, we will be expecting baby #3 the end of January.

The boys were super excited when we told them.  Isaac has been asking for a baby siter for over a year now.

A lot of people were very surprised when we told the news.  In fact we are still in shock too.  I actually expected it to take a lot longer like it did before.  We're just very excited and can't wait to meet the newest addition.

The end of June I met with a new OB that comes to our clinic once a month.  I went down to ultrasound to confirm a due date.  There was a tiny little peanut there with a beating heart.  The ultrasound put my due date at February 6th but so far they aren't moving my due date.

Vacation to Park Rapids

We decided to try a cabin type vacation for the boys this year.  We made reservations at Sleeping Fan in Park Rapids.  We left Saturday morning and got there Saturday afternoon.  The drive itself took about 6 hours.  The boys did great riding in the van and I was very impressed with how good they were.  We only stopped once for lunch and then we stopped at a grocery store when we got into town to get some things for the cabin.  The resort was very nice with only 6 cabins and a private lake.  Its pretty much exactly what we wanted.  The only downfall was that there was no tv or air conditioning.  Our cabin didn't even have a fan.  We finally had to ask the 2nd night there for one.  Sleeping wasn't the best but we had a great time.  Isaac and Caleb loved the hammock just outside our cabin.  Isaac would swing on that for hours.  They also had a pontoon we could rent which we did 2 days.  We also could go on the kyacks, paddle boats and row boats.  The boys had a blast.  Isaac was a fish and loved jumping in the water off the docks and boat.  Caleb never stepped foot into the water.  The last night there was Caleb's birthday.  That night we planned on going out to eat and doing something fun in town for him.  Unfortunately he wasn't feeling the best.  He didn't touch his supper.  We went to a little old fashioned icecream shop which had amazing icecream.  Caleb had a few bites but left the rest.  I knew he wasn't feeling well when he wouldn't eat his icecream.  We tried to go see Madagascar but of course it sold out.  So we went to Walmart and let the boys pick out a toy and a movie and went back to the cabin and watched it on the laptop.  Caleb's fever shot up to 102 but he never threw up.  He said his tummy hurt.  By the next afternoon he was fine so we figured it was from all the sun and heat as it had hit the upper 90's about every day we were there.  We headed back home Tuesday.  The boys loved their vacation and so did we.  We hope to go to another cabin, but maybe a little closer this time :-)

Caleb's 4 year check up

I took Caleb in for his 4 year check up.  He's growing like a weed, but still tall and thin.  He's 38 lbs and 42 1/2 inches long.  Unfortunately we ended a good check up with 2 shots in each leg.  He cried so hard.  This Mommy felt very bad for the poor boy.  We went straight to Casey's and he got to pick out a juice and a donut.  The tears stopped shortly after that.

We still haven't gotten Isaac's 4 year shots and technically he can get them when he's 5.  If you know my Isaac it's going to take a herd of us just to hold him down.  Caleb was nothing like that but I'm sure those shots hurt like crazy.  Poor thing.

I looked up Isaac's stats and at his 4 year check up he was well over 40 lbs and 1/2 inch taller.  It will be interesting to see how tall they end up.  I still think Caleb is going to pass Isaac at some point, but I thought he would have done it by now. 

I can't believe my little guy is 4 years old!  Where has the time gone.

It's party time!

Caleb had his Spiderman Birthday party.  It was a very special and exciting day for him.  We sent out special Spiderman birthday invites which Caleb thought were pretty cool.  Caleb isn't much for cake and brownies so I tried to figure out something to get him instead of a cake.  I opted for a birthday cookie decorated with Spiderman.  The bakery did it for me and did an amazing job.   However it was packed with frosting so he still didn't eat it.  Oh well it looked adorable.  Grandma Kooiker made the 2nd cake per his request (chocolate with white frosting) but I think he maybe had one bite and that was it.  He's obviously not my kid if he doesn't like cake and brownies :-) 

We set the pool up and Daddy finished the sandbox before his party so he was able to play in both of those for a while.  We had pizza from Pizza Ranch followed by cake/cookie and icecream.

He got some new sand/beach toys, a couple spiderman things, a new skidloader for either inside or outside.  He got a new play-doh set, pliers just like his brother.  He also got a cool remote control car, money and a football. 

I can't believe my baby is FOUR!

Caleb had a check up at the doctor which included 4 shots in each leg :-( but he was a trooper.  He measured in at 38 lbs and 41 inches.  He's tall an thin like his Dad.  Surprisingly his brother was a 1/2 inch taller at his 4 year check up.  I still think Caleb will end up being the taller one.

Here's a few pictures from his party.