Family Photo Shoot

 Here are some of the photos from our recent family photo shoot.

Careful What You Wish For...

It might come true.  I had wanted to see the labor and delivery floor of the hospital at which I’ll be delivering the baby; I got my wish, although not in the way I had hoped.  This last Saturday I woke up feeling a bit off, like I might be coming down with something but tried to ignore it -- since we had Noah’s Boy Scout campout that night.  We had contemplated staying the night but at the last minute decided against it, since it would be Amelia’s first time camping.  I would have probably skipped the campout all together with how I was feeling. But I was in charge of leading the boys in our den through two skits at the campfire that night.  As soon as we finished our last skit, we were out of there.  I had been feeling like I was on the verge of throwing up for hours, and as soon as we got home I ran to the bathroom. 

I felt a little better and tried to go to sleep, but not 30 minutes later I woke up to horrible stomach pain.  Long story short, I spent the next nine hours straight vomiting every 20 minutes.  Around 1:30 in the morning, Mike went to sleep in the guest room, so at least one of us would be able to take care of the kids the next day.  I thought it would eventually stop but it didn’t, and around six am was feeling like I should probably go to the ER.  I decided to weigh myself since I had lost so much fluid, and I was horrified to see I had lost eight pounds.  I got Mike up; once he realized that I hadn’t stopped vomiting all night, he called our neighbors to come watch the kids so he could take me to the ER. 

After being in the ER for about an hour and getting an IV and blood tests, they decided I needed to be admitted for at least the next 24 to 48 hours.  My OB happened to be on call at the hospital, so she had me sent up to “L & D” (Labor & Delivery) so she could monitor me.  I ended up getting 9 or 10 IV bags and a constant stream of anti-nausea medicine.  I am so thankful for good friends.  Our neighbors watched the kids when we left for the ER and then my wonderful friend Melinda and her husband Dean watched the kids until I got out.  Thankfully, because I stopped vomiting, I begged my OB to let me go home and sleep in my own bed . . . I was released that evening.

Mike was amazing through everything; he was not only Super Husband, Super Dad, but also Super Nurse!  We’re still not sure what caused me to get so sick, but I am feeling better every day. 

It's a...

BOY!  We actually found out at my13-week ultra sound; the technician said that at 13 weeks, it’s only an 80% chance of being correct . . . but, she was 99% sure it was a boy.  Even though she was sure, I thought it would be best to wait and share the news until it was confirmed at my anatomy scan.  This time the technician said, “If it’s not a boy, then it has a third leg!”

I recently bought my first outfit for him (okay, four outfits), and this has made it feel so real.  We have been talking about boy names and are completely stumped.  I feel like we’ll have a son with no name his first few weeks of life.

I have been trying to get family pictures taken for four weekends in a row and, for some reason (usually the weather), we’ve had to reschedule.  Well, this past weekend I grew impatient and was worried that Amelia wouldn’t be able to wear this adorable dress I got her from Janie & Jack, because it would be too cold by the time we took pictures.  So, I got the kids dressed up and tried to take some myself.  I am NOT meant to be a photographer; especially one who takes pictures of kids… it was exhausting!  From now on, I’m going to leave it to the professionals!  I’m crossing my fingers that the weather cooperates for the session scheduled this weekend.

This one cracks me up!

I LOVE this one!

We've had a rough couple of weeks dealing with various illnesses involving Noah, Amelia and me.  After Amelia and I had a bad cold with a persistent cough for over three weeks, I decided it was time to do something.  We went to see doctors, and she was diagnosed with pneumonia, and I was diagnosed with an upper respiratory/sinus infection.  She had to get a chest X-ray; since I'm pregnant, I couldn't go in with her -- but she was such a champ and cooperated perfectly with the nurses.  If that wasn’t enough to deal with, Noah got a really bad stomach bug and was in terrible pain.  At first we thought it might be appendicitis because of the symptoms.  We spent six hours last Thursday night in the ER, and he, too, was a champ!  He had to drink this gross liquid before having a CAT scan, and he had have an IV.  I'm happy to say that we are all healthy now.  Mike has the immune system of a “super hero” and stayed healthy.  He was such a big help when I wasn't feeling well, and I'm so happy he's been staffed in town for so long!

Waiting for her X ray.

She is very proud of her sticker pumpkin she decorated!

As you can tell from the video, she is completely back to normal.