Third Trimester!!!

Today is the first official day of my third trimester, and while that is very exciting, if last night is any indication of how the next 11 weeks will go, I want no part of it! Last night was, by far, the worst night of this pregnancy so far. Due to the amount of estrogen my body is producing, I have these little bumps on my feet that cause my feet to turn red and itch like nothing you have ever felt before. When it first came up, I thought it might be athlete's foot or something along those lines. I remember reading in the pregnancy books about red, itchy hands and feet, but I assumed that wasn't the cause because my hands weren't itching. So I asked my doctor about it when I saw her on Wed. and she confirmed that this was due to my hormone levels!!! YEA! I had the hardest time falling asleep last night. When I finally did, I woke up about 45 minutes later due to the fact that I was scratching my feet so hard...ughhh....I have tried everything. Lotion to keep them moisterized, alcohol to dry them out, witch hazel to stop the itching, anti-fungal cream(back when I thought it was athlete's foot). Crazy thing, nothing works, and after showing my feet to my doctor and her confirming that it was the hormones, neither of us thought to ask or give advice on what to do!!! So I will be making a call today! I finally got back to sleep after wrapping my feet in witch hazel soaked gauze and then covering them with socks, only to wake up about an hour later because my jaw was hurting so badly! I have a problem with clenching my teeth and I haven't really dealt with it very much lately, but usually if I am not feeling well, or I am to the point of extreme stress I will clench my teeth together....aparently the stress of my feet and not getting any sleep caused this to happen which caused my entire mouth to hurt as well as my head to throb! Ughh....I got up and took some tylenol...couldn't sleep, played a game on my phone and finally fell back into slumber land ~ then woke up 45 minutes later due to the fact that my back was hurting so badly I felt like I had been hit by a truck! Now usually in pregnancy women complain about their lower back causing a lot of pain...this is definitely true although other than a few sciatica flare ups, my pain is always in the center and upper part of my back! I got up to get the heating pad....got it all set up, then laid there wondering how to make it work considering I needed to lay on my back in order for the heat to get to the area causing the pain, but I am not supposed to lay on my back...I decided to risk it, I laid there for 15 min. then turned to my side, then back on my back....meanwhile JR's alarm went off so I helped him wake up...He got up at 3:30 this morning to go to the Texans Training Camp. *** I finally fell back asleep (thank god my heating pad automatically turns off after a certain time!) then woke up at 6:00 because I had to pee! Getting back to sleep wasn't difficult this time around, and I went back to sleep until 9:30 when Logan woke up...Luckily he was in one of his cuddle moods and we just laid in my bed until 10:30 talking and cuddling and playing. My back still hurts, my feet still, itch, I have an aweful headache, and I have been having stupid contractions which range from not so bad, uncomfortable, major cramps, and the best one...oh my god! This hurts like crap! So again...if this is any indication as to how my thrid trimester will be...I dont want to do it! Bring back the smooth sailing! PLEASE! Ha!

***Texans Training Camp is going on today, tomorrow, Sunday, Monday, and Thursday. JR is determined to make it to every practice! Soon after Logan was born we bought him a little Andre Johnson onsie jersey, and thought we would get it autographed, but we always seem to miss Andre...Last year, we went to Training Camp and got a lot of autographs and JR got one of Steve Slaton's gloves, ehich we wants to get autographed this year. We also bought Logan a red Mario Williams jersey that he wears all the time, that we are going to try to get signed. The problem is, they dont tell you which days people are signing, so JR is wanting to go everyday. I am hoping that we get all the signatures we need by Sunday, and then we wont have to mess with it anymore! Ha! Today, the offensive lineman were the ones doing autographs...JR got all their autographs on a football...but none of those are the ones we truly want. But it is neat that we have then Texans 2007 team autographs, 2008 team autographs and now we will have 2009 team!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

You Be the Judge!!!

Does this seriously look like 8 pounds of growth to you??

Comparison: Top picture 23 weeks, Bottom picture 28 weeks

update

Okay, so I had my appontment with my OB/GYN and as of right now I have gained a total of 24.8 pounds....which was what I had hoped to gain as an overall~ I still have 11 weeks left (thank god for the c-section otherwise I would still have 12 weeks...and 1 week means everything! Ha) I gained 8 pounds this month, I am still not really sure how, but oh well. I have been getting some exercise, and I have been eating well...but somehow instead of gaining 1 pound per week, I am gaining 2 pounds per week. My doctor said, some women tend to lose or not gain any weight in the first trimester, then have a large spike in the second trimester, then plateau and gain a very minimal amount in the third....I am hoping that is me.!!!! With Logan I lost weight in the first trimester, gained a very small amount in the second, then gained 9 pounds in the first 4 weeks of my third trimester, and then kept it relatively smooth until he was born! I guess we will see! I was tested for anemia and given a glucose tolerance test. I got the orange drink, which was so much better than I remember the lemon-lime drink being. It was still aweful, but better than last time. What was really bad was the intense headache and dizziness that followed the drink. IT finally went away, but the headache lasted until late last night. She also had a difficult time finding the heartbeat which made me pretty nervous. I knew my little girl was okay because she was moving like crazy while we were in the weighting room, but it is still very stressful when the dopplar is sitting there on your stomach for 30 seconds or more, and you cant hear a heartbeat. Turns out she had the dopplar pretty low and my little princess is still hanging out around my rib cage! My blood pressure is still on the low side 107/60 but I told the nurse that it was actually very normal for me....my blood pressure is always on the low side! Anyway, all was well. I have another appointment on Aug. 26 which will be my final monthly visit....after that I will go in every 2 weeks. At the next appointment my doctor and I are going to schedule my c-section. I am very excited and filled with emotions. I can not believe that we are only a month away from 2 week visits and we are already to the point of scheduling the delivery. Its crazy how something can seem like it has gone by so fast and at the same time so slow!

untitled

How can you be doing pretty much nothing and still be stressed out. I decided yesterday that I was going to try to relax more. I even took an hour nap yesterday. I basically did nothing all day....and yet somehow my stress levels are still through the roof. JR is on his way home, he decided to keep Logan here and not go to the appointment with me, which is fine, although I really wanted him there. I woke up this morning at 5:15 having some VERY uncomfortable contractions, which continued throughout the morning until I finally got out of bed. I know that they are just Braxton Hicks contractions but they still suck. I am very glad to have an appointment with the doctor today because I feel like something isn't right...its probably just a reaction to the contractions - I never had or at least never felt them when I was pregnant with Logan, so this is a new thing for me, and to tell you the truth, it is kinda scary! Also, I am sad to admit that this will be the third consecutive month that I have gained 6 or more pounds in a months time....I am trying not to get too stressed about my weight, but seriously - it is irritating me! I am also irritated that my appointment isn't until 3:45, which means I wont be getting weighed until around 4:00 which sucks because I weigh a good 2-3 pounds more in the afternoon than I do in the morning. My goal was to stay under 175 for my pregnancy and I just dont think its going to happen which is dissapointing. I guess I will reevaluate my goal when I get home from the doctor. It just sucks, I weighed 16 pounds less when I got pregnant this time than what I weighed when I got pregnant with Logan...and somehow I am going to have the same ending number!!!!!! Ughhhh.....As long as its under 190----OMG! I seriously can't imagine weighing 190 pounds. I was at 189 when they weighed me right before my c-section with Logan. AHHHHH! Holy Crap! I seriously need to stop thinking about weight. Maybe I should start turning the opposite direction when they weigh me, and just not even look - yeah right, I think not knowing will drive me even crazier. JR says my OCD has really picked up in the last month, which I am starting to think that maybe he isn't joking - and maybe that is what is making me so stressed....the constant need for something to be done, and be done a certain way..... Oh thank goodness I only have 12 more weeks...holy crap, I think that is just long enough for someone to truly go nuts! Ha

Boredom

Today, I realized that being bored isn't all that wonderful! I (in my boredom) decided to try to give Logan a mohawk! I am now waiting for JR to get home to fix it! Hahaha.....I also searched the internet for more homes, even though there isnt anything we can do right now. JR talked to a realtor yesterday who said that we can fill out all our information now but that we can't really put in an application for a particular home until 15 days before we are ready to move....This is something I find stupid - You have to give a 30 day notice that you are moving out of one place but you cant put in an application until you are 15 days away from your move date....ummmm, what if we dont get the house? Stressful!
I have a doctor appointment tomorrow, JR is going to be there for this one due to the fact that I will have to be there for over an hour and I cant handle being there with Logan for that amount of time, so JR is going to stop and pick Logan up and take him home...I am hoping he will stay for the first part of the appt. so he can hear the heartbeat again. He finally got to feel our little girl moving around last night. She has been extremely stubborn when it comes to moving for him. It seems that everyone else has felt her move except JR...but finally it happened! I am about a week away from finishing her blanket...if I work on it every day for at least an hour. I am hoping to finish before then, plus I started a new book last night that is pretty good. I think I have read about 9 books in the past 3 weeks! Anywho....with any luck we will be moved in to a new home by Sept. 1.
I know that I should be cleaning, or packing or doing something productive with my boredom...but I dont want to! Ha. Plus, I will have plenty to do once we find a house, then plenty to do after we get into the new house, so I am going to enjoy this time and try to relax a little! Also, I am excited that we are going to have a little family outing pretty soon! We are going to dinner and Main Event with some friends of ours before they leave on their honeymoon to Hawaii next week! Yeah! It will be interesting to see how well Logan does!

What Life has in store for me...

As you know we have been looking for a new place to live. I finally felt truly productive this weekend. We got on the internet (for the 900th time), picked out 8 houses, then headed into Houston to go and look at the outside of each one. We narrowed it down to three and were planning to make an appointment to look at the insides this morning. When we called, we were informed that our #1 choice has just been contracted out, our #2 choice already has 13 applications on it, and our #3 choice isn't even the house in the picture!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH! This is me SCREAMING JR decided to call a realtor, who sent us an application and said that they will do the looking for us, send us possible houses and we can look at will...GREAT! In the coming weeks I will be looking at houses and trying not to get overwhelmed which will be difficult because I ALREADY am!
I have finally figured out why I feel constantly frustrated. I CANT BREATHE! My intestines and probably just about every other internal organ has now shifted up under my rib cage to the point where I can not take in deep breaths. JR asked why it was so important...and the truth is, I am not really sure...but when you are used to being able to take a deep breath whenever you want, and then all of a sudden you can no longer do it....It is irritating as hell! I know that I have less than 3 months to go, which is great...In 4 days, I will begin my 3rd and final trimester which is also great....but once again I am tired and stressed out and wishing we were already moved!!!

Are you kidding me????

90 days left....OMG! wasn't it like a month ago that I was saying there was only 100 days left. I think I may be pregnant for forever!!! The dreams are kicking in! More on that later


Gotta find a plae to live!

Percentiles!

I have absolutely nothing to say!!!

I did however find out that Logan is in the 90th percentile for his height and the 80th percentile for his weight!!!

Have a Good Weekend everyone!!!

Yea!

So I finally figured out how to add links on here! Hahaha Maybe its because I finally took the time to actually try! I get bored very easily these days. I am beginning to swell all over. Not to the extent that I fear something bad such as preeclamsia or anything but my right ankle is swelling and I have started to have to sleep with out my wedding rings. I usually still put them on after I wake up, but it is more comfortable to not wear them wile I sleep. My butt is swelling as well as my arms, neck, face, thighs, and breasts! Hahaha. My stomach on the other hand seems to have reached a plateau for now. I haven't noticed a huge amount of change within the last 4 weeks, which I find odd, but not too concerning. I think that its because it is starting to widen instead of growing straight out like it has been doing in the previous weeks. We will see. I go to the doctor next Wednesday, so hopefully all will be well when she measures my belly. Like I said, I am not too terribly worried about it. I have gained 22 pounds and the baby is kicking, moving, rolling all the time. I am really starting to get a sense of her personality. I am still working on her baby blanket, but it seems to be turning out well...I will have to wait until it is complete to decide how much I like it! Thats about it!

7 months

I am officially in my 7th month!!! The third Trimester starts 1 week from tomorrow. Baby is kicking and doing well, I have an appointment next wednesday. I have gained 22 pounds OMG! My little sister got to feel and see the baby kicking - she was completely amazed by it. My grandfathers funeral went well. My grandmother was much stronger than I could have imagined. We spent over 20 hours in the car in the last two days and are very glad to be home again.

My grandparents, mom, aunt, and uncle.

The Shepherds

Goodbye ~

Not much to say....My grandfather passed away this afternoon. Thank you to all of those who have given me kind words and thoughts.

some pics

Me at 23 weeks

Me at 26 weeks (see I told you, I haven't grown very much!)

Last week (Picking out the winner!)

Reading the Program

Eating his hot dog (big boy style!)

Gulf Greyhound

We went to the dog track last night- I didn't win a single race...Grrrr! I hate to lose! But I still had a blast...I got to see some of the people I used to work with in Wimberley when I worked for the school district. All the 4th grade teachers from wimberley are in La Porte for some teaching conference so they came to the track for some cheap beer and margaritas!!! Dana came as well (her mom is one of the 4th grade teachers!) It was good to see her. It was really nice to see all of them, of course its been 6 years or so, so there are only 4 or 5 that I actually knew, and the other 4 were new or at least new to me! I can't believe its been that long! Anyway, JR won on one of the races, and it was just enough to cover the loses of the night, of course...then he kept going! In JR's mind, if you win money, then it just gives you more to gamble with! Hahaha.... we both started with $40 and we both walked away with $21!!! Honestly, I think I spent all mine but after he won, I used his winnings to gamble on! Hahaha!
26 weeks---yea! Only 4 more until I get to 30....I am ready to be at 36! Hahaha...I want my baby! My weight is tapering off, and I feel like I am not getting any bigger, or least I haven't gotten any bigger in the last couple of weeks, which is wierd...but maybe I was right, maybe I had my growth spurt early!!! I will post pics later!

Yesterday

As far as the general things go....yesterday was a pretty good day. I decided to make lemon bars for my mom and grandmother (my mom's friend and my uncle are also there). Logan was a big help. He helped stir the eggs and powdered sugar. He got pretty pissed at me when I told him it was my turn to stir (I had to get the clumps out, and he just doesn't stir fast enough--hello, he's only 2)!!! My mom had one yesterday and said that they were really good..I had two of them, and my uncle Jim ended up eating three! My grandmother called me this morning to tell me thank you and that she thought they were really good. She said that she has already had three of them. I think I have found my secret weapon for making sure that she is eating....I may be doing a lot of baking!!! It may not be healthy but at least its something - she has lost TOO much weight.

As far as Logan goes...ughhhhh! He had a very hard day. He didn't want to take a bath, so he screamed and cried through the whole thing. He didn't want to get dressed. He didn't want to get out of the car once we got to Galveston. Then he didn't want to be at my grandmothers, then he didn't want to leave. IT was one thing after another...I thought I was going to lose it - until I heard my mother telling my dad on the phone how I was doing very well handling his tantrums....she even said, "She has a lot of patience, because if it were me, his ass would be black and blue by now!" I remember always getting spanked or whatever and I always said that it would only be a last resort so I was pretty proud of myself. I was in no way being a push over...but I let him throw the fit...then after a certain period of time I would pick him have a talk with him and if it got better, great. If not, he went to the corner in the other room! I was actually impressed that my discipline skills were working! Even if I did feel like I was the meanest mother ever yesterday....I also got a quick lesson in picking my battles.....after everything we went through yesterday, I decided that some of the stuff he was doing wasn't big enough to get on to him about!!!

100 or less

I am officially at 100 days left until my due date and almost 2 weeks until the third trimester begins. I can't hardly believe it. Sometimes, I feel like things are flying by and other times I feel as if I am living at a snails pace. Last week and the week before flew by at the speed of sound, but this week is dragging on for forever, and its ONLY wednesday! Yikes! I am excited about my third trimester being right around the corner though - mainly because it means that we are in the home stretch! I can tell it is getting close because I am starting to panic more.
All of a sudden I am not as certain as I was in the beginning that I am carrying a girl, so I am seriously thinking of scheduling another sonogram to be certain. I am stressed about the living situation...I want to move NOW, so that I can start on the nursery....I guess I am in the "everything needs to be done NOW" phase. I remember going through it with Logan....it didn't start until the eighth month though with him, then I rushed around getting everything done that I was bored for the last couple of weeks of pregnancy...which I think happens no matter what. I truly have less than 100 days (probably around 93) since I am having a scheduled c-section, and I am wondering when my doctor is going to talk to me about scheduling it. I still have 2 weeks until my next appt. in which I will be getting tested for anemia and gestational diabetes. I feel like it was forever ago that I went to the doctor...geez!
Today I am headed to Galveston, I have made the decision to go see my grandfather. I would rather see him than always regret not seeing him. Then I will probably hang out with my mom for a while. She has been having a really hard time lately and my stupid older sister isn't making anything better for her...I feel like baking something for her...or buying her flowers. Just something to make her feel better!

BAD continued

Okay...sorry I had to take a break after writing about my grandfather. More of the bad...My breasts are now overflowing my 2 week old DD bra...they are actually painful, so last night I did something I NEVER do....I slept without a bra on! I told JR I might as well do it now before they start leaking...ooops! I woke up this morning with a lovely crusty ring all around my left nipple, so I guess they are already starting the milk production! Oh Goody!

My back has seriously started to hurt and the sciatica has begun, although it isn't terrible, yet! The other thing that has started is the water retention....luckily, FOR NOW, my feet are only swelling when I am on them too much - but my hands feel so tight when I wake up in the mornings and all I want to do is run them under cold water. I also enjoy running my feet under cold water when I am on them all day!

On a good note---Logan has been AMAZING! He is becoming so self sufficient and I find myself going ot check on him quite a bit due to the fact that he is so quiet....once I get back there to his room I find him either playing with his cars, reading his books, or watching his movie. He is adorable...I took this yesterday at nap time!

All bad

My grandfather is dying.
He will not leave the hospital. It is very bad. Apparently 5 days ago my mom, aunt, and ucle were told by the doctor that he was not going to get any better and that his kidneys were beginning to fail which would mean the start of dialysis. They were told to make a decision on the course of action they wanted to take. Of course, my grandfather has a living will that gives all decisions on his behalf to my grandmother in the event that he is not capable of making them himself. So my mom and her siblings discussed what they were told and decided that it wasn;t fair to keep doing this to my grandfather, and that he wouldn't want to be like this. I think the hardest part for them is the fact that he wakes up and although he cant talk, he can write on a clipboard. He isn't always lucid, but ou can talk to him and ask questions and he can nod yes or no. 3 days ago, the doctors says that the time has come to make the decision (this time he is telling my grandmother) he explains that he isn't getting any better and that once the dialysis starts he will basically have machines doing all the work for him. Dialysis to keep the kidneys working, the pace maker to keep his heart working, the chest tube is still there to keep the lung inflated, they have to come in and drain the tube thing oterwise his lungs will fill up with fluid and he will drown. The ventilatior to keep him breathing....his had a trachaeotomy which has to be suctioned every couple of hours. Today marks the 35 (5 weeks) day he has been on his back. He now has bed sores that are quite large and growing. I am so incredibly sad. I dont know what to do, and because I have been getting most of my information from my grandmother, I feel completely snowed. I feel like I am just learning the severity of it although I think I always knew but wanted to deny it. Anyway, so 3 days ago, my grandmother, my mom and the siblings go into a private room to discuss the course of action...my mom being my mom, speaks first and says she thinks they should turn off the ventilator and let nature take its course, that she doesn't think papa would want to live like this....My uncle Jim says he agrees but it was up to my grandmother, and my aunt Angela (a doctor) says that the decision is my grandmothers and she will support her no matter what.... My mom was furious, they all talked about it and when it came time to say something, they just let her say what they all thought and then didn't back her up! My grandmother isn't ready to let go yet, and she still has it in her head that he will turn a corner and be able to come home. Finally, after 32 hours of not waking up, my grandmother admits that the time has come to take him off the machines. They all go up to the hospital, and the doctor says hello to my grandfather. He then tells my family that it is unethical to turn off the machines because my grandfather indicated on 3 occassions that he wanted to keep fighting. So my aunt Angela goes to him and asks, "Dad do you want to keep going, or do you want us to leave you alone." He responds by nodding his head yes, and the doctor says that as long as he can comprehend questions he is still in charge of his own life...BUT what was he nodding yes to? going on or leaving him alone????? So, the doctor says he is much more lucid and responsive and therefore will not turn the machines off. My grandmother was so relieved and to be honest, when the time comes to make the decision again, she wont do it. My grandfather does have a DNR so in the event that his heart stops, that will be the end. This is so confusing to me because that is why he got the pacemaker....his heart kept stopping due to so many arythmias...so how did they bring him back? Plus 2 days after he went in to the hospital they had to do CPR because his heart stopped....my said it was because the doctor believed it was completely reversible, but I thought that a DNR meant NO MATTER WHAT- reversible or irreversible - they can not bring you back....Anyway...I am sad...I am mad for the fact that I am going to lose him and that my family was ready to turn off the machines without even telling all of us. I am mad at myself for not going to see him more - and for not being strong enough to go now, I just dont want to see him like that, I wont be able to handle it. My grandmother is losing so much weight, and with all the people in the house with her I am pissed that they aren't watching her more closely. They should be making sure that she is eating and when I said something to her, her response was..."It's hard to eat when your never hungry." If it were me, I would be shoving food down her throat 3 times a day. Ughhhhh. I seriously CAN NOT lose my grandmother....I just can't do it.

The good stuff!

Hmmmm...well Saturday I was able to talk JR in to going to register for baby items...I will try to put up a link on here to my registries....We got to Target and Babies R Us, but the bedding and room decor we want is only available online at JC Penneys so we registered for that online. We are re-using a lot of what we already have, but there are still things we need and want! Any way...we were brave enough to do it all in one day! Hahaha...it did take a long time and we were pretty tired by the end of it, but it was no where near what we went through when we registered for Logan!
On Sunday, I slept in again, then I went to the store, came home and CLEANED my butt off! I still have a few more things to do around the house (laundry, vacuum my bedroom, etc.) but it is all minor stuff. I made a homemade milky way cake---no cake batter, I did it all from sratch! It turned out OKAY! I think I am more impressed with the fact that I did it than how it turned out. I made the cake for my friend Nikki -HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! She, her husband, Travis, and new little baby, Aiden cam over for dinner. It was pretty good, I probably should have made more broccoli but oh well, I am not used to cooking for four, so I had an enormous amount of rice and chicken and cheese potatoes and not enough broccoli! Ha! But everyone enjoyed it and then we each had a piece of cake. I was glad for having them over...it gave me the perfect excuse for cleaning my house, which I have been wanting to do for days, but am just too lazy to actually do it. I am still waiting for the cleaner clapper to be invented...you know- where you clap your hands and things magically get cleaned! Hahaha! I gave JR a bunch of little but important tasks to do, which was such a big help. He did most of them, although I did catch him laying down quite a few times at which I POLITELY explained that I was doing all the big stuff and cooking a meal and I would hugely appreciate it if he would help with some of the smaller things and not make me have to ask more than twice!!!! (Asking only once is just not going to happen!) Now...after all the cleaning I did yesterday I will say that JR did the dishes without me asking, and he put away the left overs!!!!He didn't clean the stove...but hey, I will take what I can get! It is a HUGE help that he did the dishes and I appreciate it soooooooo much.....My feet were thanking him!
My dogs apparently dont like it when we clean....I woke up this morning to find two piles of poo and urine in different places of the kitchen floor......This is why they spend the majority of their time OUTSIDE. They are impossible. In fact, Dexter likes to mark his territory so much, that I actually have to use the swiffer on a daily basis around the trash can, because he urinates on it as soon as he comes through the door....I finally bought some puppy pads and I strategically placed one on the side of the trash can that he marks, so we will see if that works....The thing that grosses me out though, is I wonder where else he marks??? You know?
Anyway, that was my weekend in a nutshell!

week 25

I have less than 15 weeks to go....GEEZ! That seems so long from now - but its a good thing because I haven't even started to get stuff for the baby. I keep saying, we will get stuff once we know where we will be living....but that situation is proving to take a lot longer than expected, so now I am thinking that I need to start doing the baby stuff and just move it with us when we go! Ughhhh!
We went to the dog track last night, I had a very good time. I won on 3 races and was so excited!!!! It wasn't much and not enough to cover what JR lost, but we walked away happy and all had a good time. Scott and Ashley came with us and they seemed to have a great time too. They didn't gamble, but they did enjoy the $0.50 hot dogs and beer! Logan ate his first hot dog (big boy style) Usually we cut it up for him and he only ends up eating the weenie part...but this time he ate the whole thing bun and all without it being cut into bite size pieces. I am amazed at the fact that he is now a little boy and no longer my little baby, and although I miss it sometimes, I quickly remind myself that I will soon have another little one. I vow to enjoy every second that this little girl is a baby....I enjoyed everything with Logan, but I now realize how quickly it all goes by.
I still have to go to the grocery store...I am doing that in a few minutes! Right after I get dressed.

Update

Today marks the 30th day that my grandfather has been in the hospital. Ughhh! He is still in the ICU with no word on when he will be moved to the floor, nor how long he will stay there before being moved to a rehab facility of IF that is even possible. On Tuesday, He had a permanent pace maker put in, he was taken back to ICU where things seemed to be going okay, until they realized his oxygen level was low and declining - luckily they were paying attention, and took him for a CT scan which is where they realized they must have punctured his lung during the procedure. They put in a chest tube and inflated the lung again! Ughhhh! I think I said a long time ago that my biggest fear about him going into the hospital for surgery was that it reminded me of a old car...once one thing goes wrong, ten other things go wrong, and you never seem to get back what you took in. That is still how I feel. Things keep going wrong. We get one thing fixed and something else goes wrong.
We are going to the dog track tonight with some friends...I am pretty excited about it. It isn't really that big of a deal, but its nice to get out of the house! I have so much to do around here. I started some laundry and I seriously need to hit the grocery store, but I am feeling soooooooooo lazy...I am still in pajamas and I dont want to move!!!! I need some sort of encouragement!

Finally back Home!

Well this last week has been ridiculous!!! First my family ended up not coming...this was a good thing. JR and I were able to do some of the things we wanted. On the fourth, we went to hang out with friends and Logan got to go out on the boat with us to watch the fire works over Clear Lake....It was a great time, and he was awesome. On Sunday we went to the Houston zoo....It was SO incredibly HOT....we ended up calling it quits before we got around to everything...Logan learned about Nemo! We were so happy to be back home in the AC until about 10:30 that night when we realized that after turning it down to 70 the thermostat still read 85 degrees. OUR AC WENT OUT! Grrrrr.....we had all the fans blasting and even a plug in fan going, but we were all still miserable. None of us got any sleep, so at 5:30 in the morning while JR was getting ready for work, he insisted that I pack a bag and go stay at his moms house in Galveston. When we left the house at 6 a.m. it was 89 degrees. After noon on Monday, I went to my grandparents house to hang out with my mom and family (uncle, aunts, and cousins). We ended up staying the night there....JR had stopped by the house to pick up some over night things and said the house was about 120 degrees! AWESOME----There was also a note on our front door that said ----"You are killing your dogs, put them inside" Hahahaha.....I laughed profusely. I told JR he should have left the note up and replied to it saying - AC is out. 120 degrees inside. Which is more humane? I have heard from several people this past week and a half telling me how aweful it is that I put my dogs outside in the heat. I love my dogs, but, well - they are dogs! Oddly enough dogs have been living OUTSIDE for longer than they have lived inside, and they are still around! Ha. They have food, they have water, and other than about a 20 minute period in the day they have shade. I have always had outside dogs. And while I do feel that they are perfectly safe outside...provided that they have food and water, I still splash them with water, put ice in their water bowls, leave them inside (sometimes until 1 or 2 in the afternoon). They come inside at night to sleep. I am not cruel to my dogs. Come take a look at their belly! Oh, and just in case anyone was wondering - my vet said that they are perfectly healthy!!!! Ha! Anyway, after seeing the note, we didn't feel comfortable leaving them there over night - I could just imagine someone steeling them, which is still scaring me, so we loaded them up and took them to JR's moms house. On Tuesday, they replaced the entire AC unit but didn't finish up until around 6 so JR and Logan came home around 9:30 and I got home around 10:30. The AC is working great! YAY! It was nice to sleep in my own bed, although my grandmothers is super comfy. I seriously feel like I have been away from home for a whole week!

OOPS!

We went to visit Nikki and Travis last night...they are doing very well....but tired. Nikki looked amazing! I couldn't get over how beautiful she looked. Aiden is a very handsome little baby. He has so much of the two of them. He has Nikki's hands and Travis' feet! He was so incredibly tiny and has the bluest eyes. He is perfect! I am an idiot and didn't take a single picture!

It has been in the plans for well over a month now that we would be going to Wimberley for the 4th of July. I have been pretty excited about it, but as the time got closer, I was actually starting to dread the trip for many reasons. Since my grandfather has been sick everything has been put on hold. I talked to my mom last weekend and she said she wasn't sure what the plan was. Then she ended up coming on Sunday and has been here all week. I just got a text from my little sister yesterday asking if I was still going to Wimberley, so I assumed that was still the plan, although JR and I were contemplating whether we would still go. Then, I got a call at 10:30 from my older sister saying that they were packing up there things and were coming down here, would I mind if they stayed with me??? UMMMMM....how do you answer that? So, now instead of spending the day relaxing (as planned) I will be cleaning my house, doing laundry, going to the store for groceries to feed her and her kids. I understand that it isn't her fault - I mean it wasn't her idea to come down, and maybe I am being incredibly selfish, but I am not looking forward to this! So much for enjoying a family weekend, with no community service...we were going to go to Moody Gardens, and the Houston zoo! Looks like those trips are now cancelled...who knows when we will have another opportunity to do it! Iam so frustrated....and the sad thing is....this is completely TYPICAL behavior. Other than not wanted to spend the money, my sister is the main reason for me not wanting to go home this weekend, and now I get to be trapped in my own home with her. YAY! I am seriously thinking about telling her that my house is an alcohol free zone! But, then she would probably leave her kids with me and leave to go drink! I just dont have the patience for her.

On another note...I found out that the day after my grandfather was moved out of ICU, he was put right back in. This means that 2 out of the 22 days he has been in the hospital have NOT been in the ICU. He is again taking a turn for the worse, and it seems to me that his organs are shutting down- but I am not a doctor. His kidneys are no longer functioning properly, he was given a temporary pace maker two days ago, his lungs are still having to be drained from fluid and have still not recovered from pneumonia, he has cancer in his colon and liver. He spends every day on his back, unable to move, unable to talk (although he has a clipboard in order to write things down.) HE goes about 2-3 hours on the ventilator and about an hour breathing on his own, and is only lucid about a quarter of the time...every one says we have a long road to recovery ahead of us, but I am beginning to wonder is recovery is even an option. IF he recovers from this he will go to a rehabilitation center until he is strong enough to get around on his own---we are talking MONTHS here, and then we still have the cancer to deal with. I am very sad, trying to stay positive, but starting to realize that he may not ever leave the hospital. Everything that makes up my grandfather---his stubbornness, his promptness, his drive - all of it seems to be gone - he just isn't my Papa anymore.

Welcome Baby Ward

Nikki and Travis had their little boy sometime either late last night or this morning. His name is Aiden Gregory Ward. He weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz. and is 20 inches long. Congratulations to the new parents! Here is the first picture they sent, JR and I are hoping to go visit them tonight so I can get more pictures.