Prayer Requests

Hi all, I am requesting extra prayers for Craig in the next few weeks. On Friday he interviewed for a Quality Assurance position with the brewery side of Widmer. It would be such an amazing thing for Craig to use his science background in the brewery business. I know he would thrive in a way that is impossible with research jobs. The interview went well but there are several other applicants that have QA experience. He probably only got the interview in the frist place because he works at the Gausthus. Of course he would do a fantastic job and they would be lucky to have him but who knows if he will get the chance to show them that.

I am also requesting extra prayers for me. I have had a rough few days with lots of aches, pains, cramps and Braxton Hicks contractions. I am feeling very down physically and emotionally with anywhere from 3-8 weeks still to go.

Ash Wednesday

Despite the threat of rain Katya and I walked to church today for noon mass. By the time we left to walk home it was raining pretty good and I got nice and wet. I did have my trusty rain coat (which to my surprise still zips up, although barley!) and Katya was under the protection of the visor on her stroller so we did okay. It has gotten even more windy since then so I am glad we got outside when we did.

My ultrasound this morning went fine and our baby is growing just right. They estimate her weight at 4lbs 15oz (45 percentile) and all the measurements were within a 32 to 34 week gestation range which is correct (I am now 33 weeks). She is head down and definitely tight on space. I have been stretching everyday for 20-30 mins in preparation for childbirth. I use my exercise ball a lot for this while watching TV in the evenings. It is nice to feel like I am doing something in preparation of the big event, whether or not it really helps I am not sure but I do know the midwives would be happy with me:0).

I was super productive early in the week, blasting through my "To do list" in 2 days. Monday I cleaned the house from top to bottom which caused an increase in the number of Braxton Hicks contractions I had that day. On Tuesday evening I was very sore and tired from all the work but I like staying so active. I want to do everything I can to encourage this baby to come a little early or on time! I am really hoping that I don't have the weeks and weeks of false labor that I did with Katya. It was so frustrating!

Poor Craig is still pretty miserable with a cold and having a hard time sleeping. I feel so bad for him and will probably sleep in the nursery tonight so that hopefully we can both get a better night of sleep. I wake him up going to the bathroom so frequently and he woke me up last night the several times that he got up.

I have not yet decided what to give up for Lent this year. I love going to Mass on Ash Wednesday because it gets me reflecting on how much Jesus gave up for us. I feel like this reflection is what Lent is all about and makes us think about giving up some of the comforts in our modern life's so that we may better serve others. This can even be as simple as holding back a nit-picky comment to our spouse. I love today's gospel which reminds us to not make a show of our sacrifices but to do these things for God and God only.

Here is a cute picture of Katya at the park a few weekends ago.

Life with a toddler

Katya is just about 19 months old now! She is growing like a weed and oh so cute. She has turned into one of those picky eaters that is so common at this age. Great. It is very frustrating; oh the good old days, when she was a baby and would eat everything! She all but refuses vegetables although we are diligent about offering them a few times a day. Sometimes when she just sees me put them on her tray she starts with her emphatic "NO! NO!" She also eats very little meat or legume protein. She still loves fruit, cheese, plain yogurt, and some bready stuff. We are following the rule that "the parent says what and the child says how, if any." They say if she is really hungry she will eat and all we can do is offer her healthy choices. Many days she eats only bits of her lunch and dinner and we have to resist the urge to fill her up on fluff or milk. Things she use to love like beef, beans and broccoli are out the window (or on the floor to be quite literal). Breakfast is her favorite meal (just like her mom!) and she usually eats a good amount. She like oatmeal which is nice. She also likes eggs and cold cereal.

She continues to hit whoever is within her reach when she gets mad. We are doing our best to patiently and consistently give her time outs. Her latest thing is to hug and kiss me immediately after hitting to try and make up for it. I thank her for the hug and kiss but give her a time out for the hitting. I have taught her that it is okay to stomp her foot when she is mad and we talk about how that is an appropriate way to express her anger. She has not been able to control the hitting and use stomping instead yet but when with I ask her "what can we do when we are mad?," she stomps her foot. We want her to know it is okay to feel upset but she needs to learn to channel that emotion in a non-distructive way. She also says "mad" now. She signs sorry after her time outs (with prompting) and gives kisses.

Katya's latest obsession is "walk" which is her general term for not only walking but being outside. We have been spending a lot of time in the backyard so that I can be close to a bathroom. Taking her to the park or on walks in the neighborhood is fun but challenging since I only last about 20-30 mins between bathroom runs. She throws an absolute fit when we have to come back home. She continues to enjoy books and often wants to take a book to bed with her. It is so cool that she can sit through a whole story now (when she wants too). I like reading longer stories to her while she is in the bath. She still loves her baths which I try and give her everyday.

She is also obsessed with the color yellow (which she says really well) and talks about it all day long. She points to things and says yellow (whether they are or not) especially if the object is orange, or actually yellow. It is fun to work on her colors with her. I have also been teaching her about emotions and she does the cutest face for sad or crying. I taught her "weep" because it comes up a few times in her favorite book, "A Christmas Carol." She squints her eyes and rotates one fist as if crying. She has displayed some concern for characters in her books who look to her to be precariously perched. It is pretty funny. She first noticed the mouse in "Goodnight Moon" sitting up on something high and she said "boom." Now she thinks Crochet (Christmas Carol) is going to go "boom," off his stool and the "Geiling on the ceiling" is going to go "boom" in "There's a Wocket in my Pocket."

That's about all the news with Katya!

Good news, bad news

My heart skipped a beat yesterday when Craig came home saying he had good news and bad news. I knew it was the news we had been waiting for and it was. The bad news first: the grant his lab was hoping for did not get funded. The good news: 2 other Dr.'s in the department are going to pay Craig's salary for about another year. So we are relieved that Craig still has a job, for the time being; this of course is VERY good news. But we are disappointed that the grant did not get funded since that would have guaranteed his position for much longer than one year.

As I understand it, Craig will still be working for his current boss Julie. She still has enough money from earlier funding to continue her research for a while. I asked Craig why the other guys are willing to pay his salary, why does it benefit them? And he said that it will allow them to be co-authors on any papers that come out of the work Craig is doing. Okay, whatever as long as they can actually pay him!
The only other gal that was left working for Julie is out of a job at the end of March. That could have very easily been Craig so we are counting our blessings. Craig talked with Julie and the 2 Dr.'s that will be paying him yesterday and feels they are being very honest with him. He kept asking everyone "so I don't need to be looking for a job?" and they said no, they prefer he did not.

Of course Craig will still be looking out for positions that give him better job security and the same or more pay scale, as he has done for the past year. But since there have been so few opportunities for him we are thrilled that the job hunt is not yet dire. I am surprised that I don't feel more relieved than I do, it is good news but we all know how fast a year goes by. The job market could very well be worse in a year. It does give Julie more time to try and get funding which is what we are hoping for. It also gives me time to re-enter the work force.

Craig continues to work only 2 shifts at Widmer which is so nice. He is home 6 nights a week and only works one double day of lab and Widmer. Thanks for all the prayers, for now they have been answered!

32 week check

My midwifery appointment went good yesterday. I saw one of the practitioners I really like. Everything checked out fine, I gained almost 2 lbs in the last 3 weeks which continues to be a little on the low side but fine. She did offer me a ultrasound to check babies growth rate because I have been concerned with my slow weight gain and my belly measurements were a little off at the last visit. I could not turn that down so I will be going in for an ultrasound next Wednesday.

I talked to her a bit about labor and delivery and asked if they charge extra for a water birth. They do not even though it costs them a bit more. They want it to be available to all their patients and insurance companies like it because it lowers the chance of expensive interventions like epidurals. I told her that I love the idea of a water birth but since I am not committed to an epidural free delivery I feel unsure that I should even pursue that option. She said that there is no reason why we can't "leave it on the table" and if I want it at the time fine, and if not that is fine too. They can have the birthing pool set up in the room and if I end up choosing an epidural they will be fully supportive. She also said that having a midwife present through labor at the hospital will be a big change from the lack of support I had when I labored with Katya. She feels that women are naturally better at coaching other women through childbirth then men, and while husbands mean well, they are not always very helpful. I totally agree with this:0)

There are several reasons why a water birth sounds cool to me. The warm water is a natural analgesic; the birthing position will be more up-right and therefore using gravity; and it is suppose to be a calm and less traumatic way for baby to enter the world. I am excited that this is going to be an option for me.

My next appointment is not for 4 more weeks (besides the ultrasound) unless I have concerns. I will be 36 weeks at that time and very close to "full term!" Wow!

Cloth diaper update

Well it has been over a month that we have been on cloth diapers and I have not used any disposables! I expected to be using disposables occationally but I have not had too. I have used flushable liners a few times (like when I am out and expecting Katya to poop) which cost half the price of a disposable diaper. They go in the cloth diaper and make clean up easier. They also come in handy if I have to use diaper cream because they protect the cloth diaper from the cream. But for the most part I am not needing anything but the cloth.

I am very happy with my decision to buy the Bum Genius brand over the Fuzzi Bunz brand. It was so hard to decide; of course everyone has a favorite and Bum Genius is turning out to me mine. They keep Katya drier than the Fuzzi Bunz and rarley leak. I find that if I am not changing her every 1.5-2hrs with the Fuzzi Bunz they leak and her skin is a bit red but the Bum Genius I can easily go 2-3hrs AND she stays drier.

I am still having trouble with the washing process and trying to get my system down. By following the recommended washing instructions the diapers and inserts come out smelling a bit like urine. I am having to do additional cycles which is time consuming and uses more water and energy. It is frustrating because so many people I have talked to about it do not seem to have this problem. I don't understand why it is different for me. I am using a highly recommended type of detergent and following all the proper instructions. Hopefully I will work it out soon.

Katya eating BBQ

Craig requested that I post some of the pictures we took at a BBQ joint a few weeks ago. It was the first time Katya had pork ribs and french fries and she thoroughly enjoyed it! The restaurant was busy and it took forever to get our food but it was delicious. I inhaled my pulled pork sandwich and it really hit the spot. It was getting late by the time we were eating and I thought Katya would not last long but turns out we were waiting on her to finish. Love and prayers, Brenda

Bad afternoon for Katya

My poor girl had a rough day yesterday. She was usually tired in the morning and I ended up putting her down for her nap a little after 10am and she slept until noon. Two hours is a regular nap for her but since she is use to going down around noon instead of getting up then I think it messed her up. In the later afternoon she became very cranky and tired and when I asked her if she wanted to go "ni-night" she repeated "ni-night" and asked for "bink" and "mon." That is usually a pretty good sign that she does need to go down so I tried her for a second nap. She fussed for about 20 minutes in her crib so I got her up but she continued to be very fussy. She got extremely upset over silly things and cried and cried. It had be a bit worried because she would get so upset and was inconsolable. The happiest she was was lying on the couch with Craig or me reading a book. She was not interested in eating and we ended up putting her to bed at 5:30! Craig rocked her in his arms and she practically fell asleep. But then she kept waking up crying off and on and I ended up laying down in our bed with her. Craig had the idea to give her a warm bottle, which she usually does not get at night, but it is comforting and we figured she was thirsty from skipping dinner (she drinks cold milk with dinner). She sucked the bottle down in bed with me and then said "night-night" and fell asleep. I was surprised how easily she fell asleep with me. She slept away but I did not because I had a very small area of the bed and it was hard to get comfortable. I move around in bed so much these days to reposition (which is a major undertaking). Craig came up shortly later and carried her back to her crib for me. She woke up a little but went right back to sleep and slept fine until 7am (her normal time). It was fun snuggling with my baby for a little while even though I was not comfortable and I could not spoon her because she would have her feet in my belly. I am really paranoid about her hurting my belly which she did earlier in the day with an elbow to my abdomen. Here is a picture of her suggling with daddy before bed.

Thoughts on labor

I am having Braxton-Hick contractions consistently, mostly at night and they are becoming a bit painful. It worries me slightly because by definition they are suppose to be painless but they hurt me with Katya too. I have realized that I am super sensitive to pain and I seem to feel EVERYTHING! It is frustrating because I have always considered myself tough but I did learn from nursing school that people truly do feel pain differently. Some people are fortunate enough to have higher pain thresholds than others. It is just the way it is. I am thankful for the marvels of modern medicine and the fact that epidurals are so very safe for unborn babies. I am not 100% positive I will get an epidural with this labor but I feel it is a very good possibility and I am not going to feel bad about it! Believe you me, I felt plenty of pain during my 2.5hr second stage labor (10cm to delivery) despite the epidural. Plus I think I was one of those cases were the epidural actually helped me progress by relaxing me.

I hope to labor at home as long as possible and if I am lucky enough to progress very quickly maybe I won't get one. I also hope to have better support during this labor. Poor Craig was like a deer stuck in headlights when I was in active labor the first time around. I had made him a list of things to encourage me to try but he never even pulled it out and I was in too much pain to direct him at all. We have talked about how he needs to be more aggressive in directing me this time around and I think he will do better. Once I get to the hospital the midwife will be in the room with us and should help in coaching me. This is really cool since RN's and OB's are barley around until you hit 10cm and start pushing (generally speaking).

Of course like most moms I have my ideals about how I would like labor to go but I am not as emphatic about what I want as some moms. Interventions are can be very necessary and I will put my trust in the health care providers to do what is best for my and baby Reagan's health and safety.

Happy Birthday Patrick!

We had fun at Patrick's first birthday party yesterday. Can't believe that he is already a year! He is so cute and looking like such a big boy. It was fun to watch Katya interact with the other kids. She is pretty reserved in big groups. I don't think she is particularly shy but she is quite and observant when in groups. When we left yesterday she became very talkative on the way home and is always happy to be home. And of course she is at the developmental age were she plays near other kids but not with them.

Katya is so cute with blowing kisses. It is her way of expressing love; when I talk about how we love daddy or someone else she blows kisses. She has yet to say the word love. She blows kisses when we talk about Grandma's and Baba's and she really likes Melanie and blows kisses to her too. Katya is really into books right now. She will grab a book and if she says "Katy," that means she wants to look at it herself but if she says "mama" or "daddy" then she wants us to read it to her. She likes lots of her books but especially her 'fishy' book from my parents and the foam pop-out-book from Craig's parents. She is also obsessed with "A Christmas Carol" which she wants us to read over and over again.

I bought drapes for Reagan's room which I will hang behind the valance I made. They are energy efficient and black out the room which is so nice. It should also help keep that room cooler. I also ordered the crib sheets that were on back order and they should be here soon. Hopefully they will fit better than the ones I took back. 9 weeks left and counting...

Happy Tuesday

We are having some really nice weather here in Portland. Yesterday Katya and I went to the park and walked around the block and I could not believe how warm it was! Today we walked to church for our playgroup; it was a slow walk but we both enjoyed it. I am still feeling extremely tired and having a hard time sleeping.

Craig has a short week at Widmer which we are excited about. He only works two shifts, yesterday night and Sat day, yeah! It will be nice having him home in the evenings this week and hopefully he can get caught up on sleep.

I am 30 weeks along now which I feel is a good milestone since baby Reagan's chances of survival outside the womb are much higher now. She would still need help breathing and would spend a month or two in the NICU but it makes me feel better. Of course there is no reason to thing she would be premature and I am sure she will stay in there a minimum of 7 more weeks and be full term. She is somewhere around 2.5-3lbs and getting strong! Her movements are painful at times when she shoves my organs around and head butts my bladder. I think she is head down but I was never great at "Leopold's maneuvers" (figuring out baby's position by palpating moms tummy) so it is just a guess. It is still early and she has time to flip but hopefully she will end up head down for the big day.

We are still set on the name Reagan even though it is getting more popular (as I predicted it would). It has really moved up on the name lists since I first fell in love with the name 3 years ago. I am trying not to let that bother me and it doesn't really matter now because Craig and I feel like it is already our daughter's name. I am still undecided on a middle name but I am leaning towards Eileen after Great Grandma Thompson.

I am getting excited for labor even though it is a horribly painful experiance. It is definitley the most amazing event despite the pain and I CAN'T WAIT to meet our baby!