Saturday, October 18, 2008

Sweet Berry Farms




We went out to Sweet Berry Farms this weekend with friends from church. It was a blast. I've been looking forward to this trip for weeks. We did the hayride and the corn maze in addition to spending too much money on pumpkins. We bought one for each family member including Oscar (wonder whose idea that was). One of the highlights for me was being able to pick zinnias for $1/cup. Zinnias are some of my favorite flowers. I'm running out of space for adding pictures so these are some of the highlights. You can see more pictures here.

Lincoln's first hair cut





It had been driving me crazy that Lincoln's hair was over his ears and down his neck a good ways. My goal was that we'd get it done before our trip to Sweet Berry Farms this weekend. Ken made an appointment for him where he gets his hair cut - Sportsman's Barber Shop (insert grunting and other masculine noises). He was thrilled when he finally found somewhere with enough dead animals on the wall. While we waited for Mrs. Kim, the kids played with the toy basket. Coralee was a little concerned that one of the toys did not have Elmo on it - no doubt it was made in the pre-Elmo days. Anyway, he loved his lollipop and did really great. There towards the end he was exhausted from not having a morning nap and almost fell asleep.

A little randomness





I haven't taken as many pictures as usual here lately. Here's a little description for the pictures. Ken & Coralee went to a high school football game one Friday night and Ken caught a t-shirt for her. She's worn it a few times as a night gown. Just for the record, her favorite part of the game was the dancing, of course. The kids have traded being sick so we've stayed at home a lot because of thatthe last two weeks. I was going a bit stir crazy and Coralee "stamping" her brother's face (he was being good) was icing on the cake. On that note, poor little guy is following in her footsteps and is doing breathing treatments for bronchiolitis. Let me tell you, he's getting those meds deep in his lungs with all the screaming!

Friday, October 03, 2008

A May Surprise

Monday morning I took a pregnancy test and to my surprise it came up positive immediately. My progesterone levels with Lincoln and Coralee were low so I called my ob/gyn's office and had blood work done on Tuesday. I should back up a little and say something about Ken's reaction. With the other kids, I just called Ken on the phone but decided that this time should be different. So, I made him a card with pictures of May flowers or a June bug and attached the pregnancy test. It was hard to keep quiet all day and once he got home, he talked to our neighbor about their new baby for a while. I could hardly wait for him to get inside. All he kept saying was "What?". It was sweet. He prayed with me with Lincoln crawling all over us.

So, fast forward to the next day. I had a follow up appointment with my endocrinologist about my thyroid stuff. On the way, I "bonked" another car. It wasn't bad at all thankfully (just a small dent on Ken's car and a scratch on the other man's car). Needless to say, my blood pressure was super high when they checked it. After I was done there, I went down to Dr. Seeker's to get my blood work done. I met Ken up at work to trade vehicles/get the kids and we ran some errands and then went to the mall for lunch with a friend. I did a little shopping after lunch and by then Lincoln was melting. He cried the entire way out of the mall.... right when the nurse called me back with results.

I got the kids down for their nap and checked my messages. The nurse said that I was definitely pregnant but my progesterone was really low. She asked if I could come in that afternoon for an ultrasound to check for a heartbeat. I didn't really think I could be that far along. Ken came home and stayed with the sleeping kiddos. As usual, I had to wait a while to see the doctor but the great news is that we did see a heartbeat and I am now 9 weeks pregnant with a due date of May 8. So, if I was surprised initially I was even more surprised by how far along I am. I go back next week for another ultrasound and my official first ob appointment. As for the progesterone stuff (my level was 9.15 and they want it to be around 15), they gave me a progesterone shot there in the office and I got a prescription for suppositories.

We told Coralee Tuesday evening and she didn't seem too excited. As the days have gone by she's named the baby "Patches" and given it kisses before she went to bed. She's colored pictures for it, too. She has suggested the name "Carter" (you know, like Carter's or Penney's - maybe we shop too much). At first I thought that was a good name then I realized we have a Lincoln - one of the best presidents. I can't name my kiddo after one of the worst. So, back to the drawing board on names. :-) Needless to say Lincoln has no opinion although I think he may have been one of the first to know since he weaned himself pretty much once I got pregnant.

It is so amazing to me to look back over the last few years. 5 years ago we were in the beginning of an IVF cycle. I can't begin to say how hopeless I felt after that didn't work. To sit here and be pregnant with my 3rd child is just incredible. All I can think of is this verse, "He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the LORD." Psalm 113:9.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Birthday Party Pics

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Birthday Pictures

We went to Portrait Innovations for birthday pictures this time. I was really happy with the results. Here's the slide show.

Sea World

We love Sea World and figured Lincoln would have more fun there than at Fiesta Texas. We had fun feeding the dolphins (thankfully I didn't have to touch a fish). Lincoln loved watching the fish and sharks in the big aquarium. Next we went to see Shamu. Coralee and the Pearces sat in the splash zone. Where they were didn't seem like you could get all that wet but I didn't want to take any chances so Ken, Lincoln and I sat a little further up. Next we headed to the water park and the kids played in the kiddie pool. We saw Ken's favorite.... Viva and he didn't even fall asleep. :-) Next were the stinky penguins, the log ride (where Lincoln had fun eating his sister's leftover fries in the pictures) and then back to Shamu's Happy Harbor. The girls rode the Shamu roller coaster. Actually, everyone got to ride that now that I think about it. Lincoln refused to go to sleep but did pass out in the carrier finally. Coralee was so tired she was snoring on the way back home.

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Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Trip to Fiesta Texas with the Pearces

I'll start at the beginning. We talked with the Pearces about going together when NI rented out Fiesta Texas for the day. I made reservations for us to have a 2 bedroom suite and the girls could sleep on the sofa bed. They were so beat that first night (think it was because I gave Coralee dramamine on the way down to San Antonio) that they didn't talk much. They just passed out asleep. We had some trouble with the room that gave us a better deal. None of the outlets worked in David & Teresa's room and we woke up Saturday morning to cold showers. That'll wake you up. On our way to Fiesta Texas, we stopped at the mall so I could get more contacts and then parked practically in the front row. It was awesome. We grabbed our free drink cups and went into the park. The girls had a blast with the kiddie rides and Ken even got Coralee to ride a "real" roller coaster. She wasn't so fond of it. The adults also took turns and got to ride a little bit. At lunch Lincoln had ice cream for his big day and made a pretty cute mess. We decided to ride the raft ride and ended up soaked. Coralee wasn't sure about riding with Mommy anyway but when we got wet, she was really unhappy with me. We closed down the park with a train ride and then headed to Zio's for dinner after everyone took baths.... warm ones this time.

Trip to San Antonio with the Pearces

My Little Cuties

My little cuties
Here are a few pics before I get to the busyness of the last two weeks. :-)