Biding my time...

(Ivan played in the pool for like 3 hours that day! No kidding. The kid is part fish!)

(Right before she got in trouble for giving Ethan wedgies and had to get out!)

(soaking up the sun)

(Where I spend the majority of my time these days)

Well I am finally taking a minute to sit down and update my blog. There has been a lot going on but if you have been following me on facebook...well you are pretty much caught up. But lets see what I can do...

This week I have tried to relax and take it easy. I am so grateful to my Mom because I have been able to lay down a lot. :) My doctor even let me know that she was spoiling me!

I have non-stress tests every Tuesday and Friday. These are supposed to be one hour long appts but have turned into 2-4 hours! It is taking it's toll and I am ready to be done with them.

After being in the hospital all last weekend, I had to go back on Tuesday. I was checked again and was having a lot of regular contractions while on the monitor. The dr. decided to have me admitted to the Mother Baby Unit and given a shot of medicine to stop the contractions. This did work and they resided for awhile.

Wednesday and Thursday I did a little more activity and was rewarded with some soreness and contractions.

Friday I went to a different dr. ( oh how I love military hospitals) and he was completely different than my other one. Personality wise. Very laid back and easy going. I wish I would have had him the whole time! He did an ultrasound and said three things that filled me with relief...1) Mason has really chunky legs! Why is that good? Because it means that he weighs enough! 2) Mason was "breathing". In the womb, they don't really breathe, but they do mimic it. Why is this good? It means his lungs have developed. 3) I have lots of amniotic fluid. Why is this good? Apparently with gestational diabetes babies that can be a problem. So even though my blood sugars weren't perfect...he is looking fabulous. So bring on labor...right?

Well...yesterday Mom and I took the kids to eat and play. Then I was home for a little bit and Ben and I went to Home Depot. Walking around made me so tired, that I opted to sit in the car while he ran into K-Mart. I felt sore and was having contractions so took it nice and easy for the evening.

Until 8:30 when contractions started full force. At first they were coming every 12 minutes. Then got down to 8..then 7. Ben was at a Hail and Farewell and I had to call him home! We made the decision to go to the hospital.

We got there and I got an IV of fluids, put on a monitor...you know all that good stuff! They checked my cervix and I am now between a 3-4. I am 60% effaced. However, because I am only 35 weeks they won't do anything to "help" the labor. In fact, they keep giving me drugs to stop it! We ended up coming home at about 2:30. Tired and still no baby!

So where does that leave us? I have keep taking my perscription. Ben has round 4 of his tests for his architects license on Tuesday. I am trying to wait until then so he can go take it. No promises though. The doctors have said that I can stop the perscription at 36 weeks which would be next Saturday. However...I am going to stop on Wed. I know I am not following doctors orders. But I really don't believe that 2 days will make a huge difference! All of these appts., perscriptions, going in and out of the hospital is taking it's toll. Physically and emotionally. I am done with this pregnancy, what can I say?

I know everyone has probably fallen asleep by now but that is what we have been doing around here. The kids have cabin fever as they have been stuck at the house. We did get them a pool the other day and they had a blast playing in it. So that is what the pictures are from. They are at each other's throats and I know are just getting sick of each other. I am going to "research" some summer boredom busters because they are driving us crazy! Hey, does anyone have a child who wants to have a pen pal? They could write some letters, that would be something fun.

Anyway, I am closing this novel of a post. I will keep you updated on Mason's big debut!

update

We had decided that if my Mom were ok with it, we were going to fly her out to help us when Mason made his debut. However, we weren't sure about the timing. I didn't want her here to early and just kind of waste her time, but I also didn't want it to be too late in case we headed to Japan or something.

Well after a week of contractions, and being told that I need to come in for non stress tests twice a week, we decided to get her out asap. Friday morning (around 2:30 am) we made our way home from the airport. We got a little sleep and than I had to go up to the hospital for a couple of routine tests. I also had an appt at 2:30. So with all the contractions that I had been having, I really wanted my cervix checked to see if I had dialated (sorry to all males or anyone who thinks it's TMI!). Ben was there with me and I think that is the only reason the doctor checked me. Anyway, he said I was between a 2-3. He wanted to do a test (by this time it was after 4) but the results wouldn't be in for an hour. If the result was positive, that would mean that I was dialating too fast and would need to come into the hospital.

So he sent me home, and than said if I didn't hear from him by 6, I was in the clear. I had maybe been home 20 minutes when he called and said I was to check into the hospital for a 48 hr stay. Oh joy! Luckily my Mom was here!

I went in Friday night and was poked, prodded, tested, monitored, drugged. It was a long night. Saturday was not as bad as I wasn't "chained to the bed". I did have a scare Friday night when 3 nurses came in and put oxygen on me and Mason's heart beat dropped. Luckily he was back up to his baseline very quickly.

Saturday night I had them rush in because I was having major contractions. They had given me a sleep aid and I hadn't even felt them!

Well today is Sunday for me. I was told if I hadn't had any change, they would send me home. I am on a perscription to help slow it down and apparently it worked. I was the same. So I was home by 11:30 and was very happy about that. So this is the rundown for now...

I am 34 weeks. I go in every Tues & Friday to get a non stress test. They will be checking my cervix at every appt. to check for dialation. If I go into "real labor" this prescription will not work. So there would be a possibility of going to Japan. BUT, while in the hospital I was given steroids to help his lungs develop, treated for Group B strep (just a precaution) and those are some of the biggest concerns. If this perscription does it's job and we make it to 36 weeks, then I can stop taking it and they will let nature take it's course. And we would be out of the woods with having to go to Japan.

So, phew that is what is going on. We will keep everyone posted!

Energy...where are you?

With Mason's arrival rapidly approaching I find myself with a mile long to do list. Things that "need" to be done. Things I "want" to get done. And things that would probably fall more under a nesting category than anything else. However, my energy seems to be depleting. Today we worked for a couple of hours on unpacking. I also did a couple loads of dishes, made meals etc. But I was spent! Then a family trip to the store...yikes. I wasn't sure I was getting up from the couch. Why is it that something that gives you such a wonderful blessing, can make you so miserable? I am ready for this pregnancy to be done...as long as he is healthy of course!

diabetes frustration

Have you ever felt perfectly fine, and than you go to the doctor and they tell you otherwise? That is how I am feeling. I went in on Tuesday and was told that my blood sugar journal was "highlighted all over the place". Meaning I had a lot of high ones. So I was put on an insulin pill. Well can I just tell you that the past couple of days have been awful? I mean awful.I have done my best, and tried really hard. But my blood sugars have been between 72 (that is low for a "normal" person) all the way up to 176!I have been nauseas, completely shakey, and just feeling awful. I felt better when I was doing nothing! I go back in on Tuesday and I am going to have a talk with the doctor. This has been awful!!

Lists of lists

(Awww...enjoying our alone time)
(kukabura)
(A crocodile burger...tasted like a turkey burger)
(sun coming up, view from our hotel)
(A very preggo me in front of the Great Barron Falls)
After going to my appt. on Tuesday, two things became abundantly clear...

1) I only have a "guarantee" of two weeks, after that it is a guessing game of when this baby makes his debut
2)and I have a ton to do!!

I am a total list maker. So here is what I am trying to do. One of the reasons I love blogs is the interaction. You can get ideas that you wouldn't have thought of, or maybe gentle reminders. Feel free to share. No, let me rephrase, please share. I know this is my 5th time around...but you can always learn more! Here goes:

-a list of what to bring to the hospital. I have never successfully packed a bag for the hospital. I have forgotten everything from changes of clothes to a contact case.- I don't know what all this hospital provides so...

-a list of what to bring for Mason. Yet another bag I have never been successful at packing fully. Forgetting items.

-a meal planish for the days and weeks after he comes home. Do I plan on making 5 course meals every night? Ha! I am thinking of survival mode here. What things to stock up on so that Ben can easily pull things from the freezer/fridge/pantry and make something. Any ideas? Foods that freeze well? Anything that saved you after just having a baby?

-along with that is a list of other things to help us get by. For example, paper plates, cups, etc. Dishes are my most hated chore so I want to make my life easier.

-packing bags for the kids to stay over somewhere (if in the middle of the night)

-making arrangements for babysitting, and lots of back ups (making sure to get cell numbers)

I am sure there are tons of others...but this is what is on my mind right now. Ideas and advice gladly appreciated!

And since I have yet to post about my trip, here are some pics. Although if you are on Facebook with me, you have probably seen them!

Before I get in trouble...

I apologize for my lack of posting. It is just so, so, so busy! But I wanted to post about my appt. today so that everyone is caught up! And no, I haven't forgot that I still need to post about Cairns!

So I went today and got some info! First off, we will start with the diabetes factor. Blood sugar levels are still high (no I am not suprised)and I am going to start taking an insulin pill 2x's a day. No fun, but it is supposed to help. Meanwhile I need to do much better about being on a low carb diet. (Right there with you Susan!)I was too late today to get the perscription so will start tomorrow. Excitement! Not really but...

Mr Mason is measuring at 32 weeks! Yikes, give me my 2 weeks back! I went from having about a month(if we have him at 35 weeks like the others) to having around 3 weeks. Possibly more...but you know what I mean. The dr. checked my cervix and nothing is happening yet. So he told me he can pretty much guarantee me 2 more weeks.

I have an appt. again next Tuesday. But than the week after I have to start going 2x's a week. It will be a lot of work...especially considering that the kiddo's will be out of school, and the move.

I am probably forgetting stuff but there is somewhat of an update!

We are home...and busy!

It is amazing how fast you have to get back to real life, after a vacation isn't it? I woke up with an "oh crap, it's 7:20!" Yeah the kids bus comes at 7:40. I was lucky that the kid's clothes had been washed and I had bought plenty of lunch stuff before I left. Honestly, I don't think I have ever got the kids out the door that fast!

I do want to blog about our fabulous time in Cairns, but like I said it was back to reality...fast! The boys are headed to a father/son campout tonight. Harmony and I are headed out for a girls night out. Saturday is baseball games. We are trying to get all the packing done so that we can move. Plus there is still more baseball practices (we are almost done, the end is in sight!!)Girl Scouts, Dr. appts, finishing up school, packing, oh and did I mention that we are going to have a baby coming pretty soon? Yeah, lots going on.

I have an appt. on Tuesday. After that they will start checking me ( I believe once a week but not exactly sure). Connor and Ivan both came at 35 weeks, which believe it or not, is only 5 weeks from now. This pregnancy has gone by so fast. As for the diabetes, well I just got done reading my sisters blog, and I now how she feels. I have certainly not been the best patient when it comes to testing, recording, avoiding the wrong foods etc. Having said that though, I have been feeling fine. The weather right now is AWFUL, as hot as hot can be, and so that has made things worse.
Mostly I just feel dehydrated faster. So I have been drinking more gatorade and water to up my fluid intake. Other than that, things are going well.

Well I have a house to clean, clothes to unpack, a picnic dinner to make for my campers and more. I will try to update with our trip this weekend.

sleep deprived

(This picture has nothing to do with this post. I just don't like to have too many picture-less entries)

3 nights ago, I barely fell asleep around midnight. This was not due to a lack of trying. Just couldn't get comfortable. Ben nudged me at 6:30 (this is when I go get the kids up) and he said I just snored on. I woke up at 7 and was shocked at "how long I had slept in". It put me behind for the rest of the day. *Sigh*

2 nights ago, I spent from 12-2 throwing up. I am still not sure why. I felt completely fine afterwards. However sleeping from 2-6:30 is not a lot of sleep. I was GRUMPY. Harmony decided to make her own lunch, and I got upset because I felt like she wasn't grateful for the lunch I made her. Hello? A little tired are we?

Yesterday, I was sooo tired. There was nothing I could do about it. I just slept walked my way through the day. Seriously. Finally by 1:30 I put Ivan in front of his V-Smile. I went and laid on my bed and slept until after 3!! I only woke up when the kids got home from school. But I was still tired. I just kind of laid around all day. Dropped the boys off with Ben, and let him know to pick up McD's for dinner on the way home. I am awful I know!!

While they were gone, Harmony and Ivan and I, all ate dinner (also McD's) and than laid on my bed and watched a movie. After watching Finding Nemo a million times, Harmony put in a "girl movie". So we watched Polly World. The boys came home and had dinner and baths (did I mention I still hadn't gotten out of bed?) Then I sent all the kids off to bed. Ivan and I watched Veggie Tales( uhm I was just trying to get sleep) when Ben came home. He sent Ivan to bed. After Bones, I rolled over and fell asleep. I slept until 6:30 this morning.

Because of the whole "lying around all day and not doing anything" I am a little behind today. But my friend just called and I am not babysitting today. Wahoo, no babysitting and no scouts. I feel free, light and most importantly AWAKE. Time to get my house back in order.

Like I said, there really isn't much going on that is blog worthy. Just in case you didn't believe me!

update

I have had a lot of people ask how I am feeling and doing with the pregnancy. So here goes...

This Sunday I will enter my 25th week! It is hard to believe that time has gone by so fast. Although I know the closer I get...the slower it gets! Because of my early labors, I am going to start going in and getting checked at 32 weeks. Hard to believe that is only 7 weeks away! We are really hoping to push his delivery off until 4th of July weekend. If we make it that far we 1)most likely will not have to go to Japan and 2) Ben will be able to make his trip home in Aug 3) if I don't have to go to Japan...I get to go on my trip in Sept! So let's all pray that Mason decides to wait!

As for me, I have been feeling fine. I have started to really show and I have had a lot of people comment that, " wow you look pregnant". I always answer with," because I am". :) I know that when you start out on the not so smallish side, it is harder to tell if someone is preggo or just...well you know. So it is nice that it is now at the point where I can say yep, there is a baby in there!

Mason has started to do all of his in the womb aerobics! I can constantly feel him kicking around and doing his thing.

The only "problem" I am having right now is a lack of sleep! I am almost into my last trimester, and seem to just have no energy! I feel tired all the time. Plus I can't seem to get comfortable at night so I do a lot of tossing and turning. Add a bathroom break 2 times a night and you see where I am. Last night I fell alseep a little after 9. I slept soundly until 1:30 and than was up every hour. Ben sleeps on his side or stomach, but at 4:30 this morning he was on his back. So I snuggled up to him and promptly fell back to sleep. Until he pushed me off! He said he got too hot! So no sleep for me.

I have always read it is natures way of preparing you for what is about to come! The kids are still very excited. Ivan was playing with a flashlight yesterday, and shined it on my belly. He started laughing and said, " I got it on Mason!". He also told me that Mason will like him.

So that is it. Nothing too exciting! Of course if anything gets more exciting, we will let you know! Just pray I start getting some sleep!

It's a...

After quite a bit of uncooperation (totally made that word up) we got the result. And it really should not come as a surprise anymore....it is yet another boy for the Turner family. The boys shrugged their shoulders...Harmony bawled. She wanted a sister so badly. Unfortunatley, this was her last chance!

Although the middle name has not been completely decided on, we have decided that his first name will be Mason. The kids would like the middle name to be a vowel so his initials will spell something. So I am leaning toward like Mason Allen or something. Like I said, middle name is yet to be determined! :)

I had hoped and prayed for a girl, but was honestly not dissapointed when I found out. How can you complain about a healthy baby right?!

*******************UPDATE****************************************************

After talking to Ben, we made a change with the middle name. We have decided the middle name will be Charles (after his grandpa). So there you have it, Mason Charles Turner.

Stay tuned....

Today is the day! We have our ultrasound at 1pm local time It is only 7:30 now! The kids are so anxious. The three older kids want a girl soooo badly! I keep telling them that Heavenly Father will send whoever needs to be here. They don't listen though and have been crossing every toe and finger and chanting girl!girl!girl!

As for me, I think everyone knows where I stand..."as long as the baby is healthy" :)

Personally I do not want to have to deal with the older kids if it's not a girl. They will be very upset!

I will announce it when I get home, lucky for all of you, I can't keep a secret!

Answered prayers

I don't really talk to much about my religion/faith on here. I guess I just find that crazy things my kids do to be more interesting! :) But I am going to share something with you. Now I realize that not all of you who read this are Mormon. So you can feel free to skip this post....

When I found out I was pregnant, I was very happy& excited. But also racked with guilt. At the time, Ivan had hardly been in school and we were still struggling with how to help him. He had a lot of struggles at the time. I felt guilty because I kept wondering how could I give to another child, when my other 4 are not getting all that they need? Then of course, bring on the morning sickness and I really wasn't good to anyone! :)

So while I was feeling physically & emotionally..."spent" I still had a lot of things on my plate. Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, church, babysitting, not to mention that it was the holidays! ( Apparently I forgot to send my Mom a family picture in her Christmas card...at least she got one I guess!)I felt a huge burden.

For a while now I have been talking about clearing my schedule and how busy we are. But I honestly didn't know what to do about it. Maybe because "I" was trying to figure it out. I want to be the best Mom & wife that I can be, but I knew that I was failing miserably. I prayed. And I prayed. I was emotional, tired, frustrated etc.

I am so grateful that even though I don't have all the answers, I can pray to someone who does! Today I recieved a call from Ivan's teacher. He has made such huge strides, that he will now only be recieving two days of services. His speech therapy has been completely stopped because they feel that he doesn't have a problem with language at all. He is making such progress. He has also been declared "not severe enough" to need summer school. He is now only in school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Leaving me 3 days during the week to get all those things done that I have been slacking on. That I have needed help on...that I struggled with.

I have had a lot of experiences with the Lord answering my prayers. However this time it just means so much more. I was wondering why I got pregnant if I couldn't handle it. Now I know that when we follow the Lord and do what he asks, we will be blessed. He will make sure that we are getting what we need.

Happy Birthday Seabees!!!

(Don't we look like we are having fun? And that I am trying to keep my top from showing anything!lol!)
(Navfac wardroom aka the people Ben works with)
(The spouse club)
(My very fancy ball shoes! My dress was really long and you couldn't see my feet. I also knew that the parking garage was not close to the ball room, so I took advantage!)

(The birthday cake with frosting that turned your mouth blue!)
(My centerpiece that I won, thanks to Ben!)
I have really struggled to keep this blog updated, ecspecially on non-pregnancy related issues!:)

I was trying to decide if I wanted to go to Seabee Ball this year. Finding a formal maternity dress, figuring out hair, make up, jewlery, babysitting etc. etc.It is a lot of work! Once I found a dress though, I was all in! I found it online and was excited when it got here on time! The top was a little big and needs to be taken in, but thanks to safety pins and double sided tape...it worked! :)

Our friends took the kids over night. It was so nice because we just met them at church the next day. I didn't even have to wake up early with kids. Ben and I slept until 8! Lovely sleep, lovely!

We had a great time and I was glad I went. Last year I was really involved in our Spouse club, but with my crazy schedule this year that just hasn't happened. So it was fun to get together and catch up. Although I have to say that my favorite part (besides being all dressed up and on a date with Ben) is when everyone stands up and sings the Seabee Song. I just love it! Anyway,it was a lot of fun.

**And just to add some little pregnancy news, 2 more days until we find out! Wahoo!

the diabetes question

Ahhhh...I am so happy. I have NOTHING that has to be done today. OK laundry but seriously that is like an every day thing that has to be done. :)

So I have had some people ask me about the diabetes situation. Are you ready for this? OK here goes...I am normally the kind of person who follows my doctor's advice to a T. I listen and assume that they know what is best. After my meeting with the dietician I am feeling...not so sure about the information given. When they called to make the appointment, the phrasing used was, " Your levels are just way to high, you have to start checking your blood sugars." I was scared. To be honest, I did a few days of research and read all about things that go wrong and things that go right. But I was nervous. OK I was really, really scared!

Imagine my surprise, when I went in and found out that I had "failed" my tests by 4 points. Uhm, those are "seriously high"? They were less than what I had at the one hour test. We talked and she gave me an 1800 calorie a day diet. As soon as she said that, I could see red flags. I am a pregnant Mother and you are telling me to eat that little? A "typical" lunch is 2oz. of protein, 2 servings of a fat, 1 grain and 2 servings of vegi's (did you know a serving is only half a cup?) oh and 1 serving of fruit. So I had a salad with 1 cup of lettuce a little bit of chicken breast, salad dressing as the fat, a slice of toast and a half cup of pears...And I was starving. All I could think about was food. Did my blood sugar stay low? Well yeah,but I was starving not only myself but the baby.

The dietician I saw is not diabetic, she doesn't have any kids and so has never been pregnant. I thought she was a very nice person but...wasn't sure if she knew exactly what the answer was. Ben reminded me that military doctors do not have the same kind of experience as civilians. Yes they go to med school, and have their military training but then they are thrown right in. Ben thinks that they are very, very cautious.

This post is getting long but this is where I am right now. I don't feel like my blood sugar is the main problem. I feel like the problem is my weight and activity level, which of course leads to adult onset diabetes. I have been talking to people with diabetes (Mom, sister, friends) and they have all given me advice. I have researched and prayed and feel like my answer does liewithin watching what I eat. Not necessarily sticking to a low carb diet, but eating low fat well rounded meals. I have been really careful and eating low fat, good healthy foods. I am not starving myself. I am not starving the baby. I have had lots of energy and am not feeling dizzy or anything. So I am doing what I feel is right FOR ME.

I have been reminded that I am my own advocate. I know what my life is like. I know my history. I know my religious beliefs. I know my priorities.

I did have to laugh at one point when she told me that I was to eat 3 meals and 3 snacks a day. And I should have "no problems following the schedule because since I have kids we already have a set schedule". I laughed at the set schedule part. Monday's schedule is different from Tuesday's. Tuesday is different from Wednesday and so on and so forth. For example last night I had a snack at around 5:30 but had a church meeting at 7:30. By the time I got home at 9:30 I was hungry and decided to eat dinner. At almost 10 at night. I don't think that is a normal "dinner time" do you?

So give me some opinions here...How many of you have ever thought that your doctor/s weren't right and did your own thing?

answering machine...

" Hi Mrs. Turner. This is Dr. Borja calling. I just wanted to let you know that we re-checked your glucose levels and....they are just too high. You are going to need to start testing your blood sugar...." Why don't doctors ever call just to tell you that you are absolutely fine and to have a great day?!

I was VERY cranky with my kids this morning. Then I felt in a bad mood. I was somewhat productive while Ivan was at school, so I felt better. Until I got that message. I need to get out of this funk...but how? Normally I would turn to chocolate, but I think that is probably what got me in this mess in the first place!!

more pregnancy woes

I just got a call from my doctor, informing me of "elevated glucose levels". During my first glucose test I scored a 189. Normal levels are 100 or under. So I went back and took a 3 hour test and 2/4 of my samples were elevated.

I am waiting on a call from the nutrionist. I am being put on a diabetic diet, and than a few weeks from now, around 26 weeks, they will retest me. If they are still elevated I will have to start checking my blood sugar levels and all of that good stuff.

So that is what is going on for now. The ultrasound appt. is set for March 18th!! We are excited to find out who exactly this little peanut is!

Nesting

You might be nesting if....

** you spend 2 hours weeding in your yard. The last time you did this was...uhm...good question

** You are cleaning out drawers and closets

** You would like to learn how to sew. Purely for craft projects. All clothes will still be purchased :)

**Looking through lots and lot of home & garden magazines

**Looking through lots and lots of organzing magazines

**Spending time on home blogs for organizing, decorating, recipes and crafting

**baking and cooking lots

**thinking of ways to change your home so you like the decor better

**planning menu's and finding new recipes to try

**walking through the baby aisles just touching stuff :) Not actually buying because you don't know the sex yet!

**thinking of things to add to your garden (adirondak chairs, garden flags etc)

** a sudden desire to learn to crochet or knit so that you can make cute little booties (or something else)

**planning out your Spring/Easter decorations

Or it could just be that you are a woman and these are the things you are interested in right now. Hmmm...what do you think?

Amazing

(cutest wolf scout EVER)

(CUTEST 7 year old EVER)
(candle-less cupcakes)

(bestest brothers)
(Harm and the birthday boy)
(Mom with her favorite grandkids!)
Like most people, our lives are so busy. Insanely busy sometimes. But it is amazing to me what all can happen in just a matter of days!!! So grab a snack and something cold to drink as I update you on our lives. It may be long, but if you don't read it all, you are going to miss out! :)

Starting from the youngest to the oldest...

Baby update. I went to get my glucose test done. I scored a 189. Unfortunatley, normal is under 100. So I have to go and take the 3 hour long test. Yippee. But we got a bit of a shock at the info that the doctor gave us. Ethan's delivery was pushed off until 37 weeks. However, Connor and Ivan were both born at 35 weeks. Because there is absolutely no NICU here, any child born within 34-36 weeks is medevaced (is that how you would spell that? hmmm?)out to Okinawa. Ben doesn't believe this will happen, because while they have come early, their health has always been good. But we all know that "if ye are prepared ye shall not fear". So we are trying to come up with any possible scenario and try to make plans accordingly. I forgot to mention that, even if the baby only needs a couple of days, we could be in Japan for up to 8 weeks because the baby can't go until it has a passport. Which is why we would have to fly someone out to take care of the other kids. It would be crazy!! So we are trying to prepare, but are hoping it doesn't come to that.

On to Ivan. Ivan had his yearly appt. with the developmental pediatrician. While they are easy to find in the states, out here they only come once a year. After talking for awhile about struggles & triumphs and letting the doctor observe Ivan, she said she is not convinced that he is autistic!!! We are ecstatic at this news. Does he have delays? yes. Does he have a lot of things he has to work on? yes. Was this still good news? Heck yeah! She felt that 1)he understands a lot more than he lets on 2) that his need for order is more just how he is personality wise, than because he is autistic. (Maybe a little OCD?)3) That he is very bright. He does crave order and so she (and his teacher) believe that if he is put on a regular routine, given lots of warnings about what is coming next, that he will really excel. So I am working on labeling all his drawers and toy buckets with pictures, coming up with a working schedule/routine with him (including pictures)so that he can have that order that he craves. Such happy, happy news!

Connor is 7 today!! I can't believe it! We went to TGIFridays the night that my Mom was here. Ivan was so tired that he fell asleep in the booth! :)He also got cupcakes on Monday. We were very laid back with his birthday. So laid back that I forgot to make sure I had candles for his cupcakes. He ended up with 7 MATCHES! I felt bad but you know what? He didn't seem to care!

The boys had their Blue and Gold banquet for Scouts while my Mom was here. It was fun to see them get awards. We enjoyed good food and good conversation.

Let's see, what else? Lots of drama from Harmony (of course).She went to a GS Valentines Day party where her leaders had made them all poodle skirts. They turned out so cute. Tomorrow we are going to go out to World Thinking Day and I am excited to see Harmony's dance. They each choose a country and do different things (dances, food, housing, etc)

To be honest, this is just a small sampling of all that is going on. But some of the more major.

We enjoyed my Mom's visit so much. I wish she could have stayed longer. I know she and my Dad really missed each other though. So I sacrificed and gave her up! :)

So there you go, all updated!

Marie & baby health update

So I honestly hadn't meant to cause any concern or leave people in the dark. Here is the rundown of what has been going on...

Tuesday: As I was in there getting the IV, we had a nice long talk about my previous pregnancies and deliveries. My doctor ( who also is our family practice) said that she wanted to see if maybe I should be seen at the hospital instead. The way it is done here, is that I go to my regular doctor until 24 weeks and than you start going out to the hospital. So she put in a consult with OB up at the Naval Hospital.

Wednesday: I was dropping Ivan off at school, when I got a phone call from the hospital. They wanted me to get my OB chart from the clinic and than bring it up to the hospital. I also had to do a 24 hour urine collection ( oh the joys). So I went and did both of those.

Thursday: A nice long talk and the filling out of a lot of forms up at the hospital. Because of going into pre-term labor with Ethan, and my pre-term labors & deliveries with Connor&Ivan, they decided I should just stay at the hospital, instead of going back to the clinic.

Friday: Dropped off my nice big jug of urine and than made the appt to get my one hour glucose test. Which is standard. However I usually have to do the 3 hour one also.

So there you have it. Tomorrow ( my Monday) I go in to do my glucose and than on Thursday I have my 16 week appt.

We are fine. I just have a really cautious doctor. She is the one that caught Ivan's delays, so I appreciate her cautiousness. Is that a word? Anyway that is what has been going on. No need to worry!

pregnancy woes

I swear, that everyone I know who is pregnant ( which is actually quite a few) are having issues. Large and small. And I get to include myself in that number. :(

Sunday afternoon I came home from church with a headache. It didn't go away. I tried everything. Not wearing contacts, drinking lots of water, staying in a dark room, rest, tylenol, and more.Nothing was working. It felt like every time I bent over, someone was pounding me in the head.

Last night I decided, that if I woke up with it, I would call the doctor. I woke up with a throbbing head ache and called the appt. line. Luckily I was able to get in with my doctor by 10.

So after a couple of bags of IV fluid, tylenol,a nausea medicine, and a big nap, I am feeling better. I feel "drugged" but ok. The nausea medicine makes you tired and so that isn't helping.

Ben and the kids have been wonderful. Thanks to our neighbor (thank you so much Tara!) who watched Ivan, Ben was able to be there with me. Once the kids got home from school, they were very concerned about me and the baby. Harmony got me a book to read and some gatorade. Ethan made me some soup (he forgot to heat it up the first time)and Connor kept me company by watching Clone Wars next to me.:)Ivan was very concerned about my bandaids. I had to have my blood drawn and they can never find my veins, so they tried 3 times.

It was a long day and I can't wait to go to sleep. Although I have to try and hold out until after The Closer. Thanks to all those who have been concerned.

And to all those other preggo mommies out there, take care of yourselves. After all, "Life is hard enough without having someone kicking you from the inside!"