Oh the joys of bedrest!

This morning I headed off to my Doctor for my routine visit knowing it wasnt going to be so routine this time around. The contractions had started back up to 2-3 min last night with another migraine so I knew I was in trouble. I decided to wait it out until my appointment this morning hoping not to end up back at the hospital. However once I arrived this morning the contractions were getting more intense and 2-3 min apart still. My caring Doctor was sad to hear I was having such problems. But he checked my cervix which was no longer thick. The first layer was 2 cm dialated but the inside was still closed which was good. But I was changing since Wed. So the doctor sent me to the hospital for another shot of Terbutaline to slow down my contractions and to had the baby monitored. After a few hours I was able to go back home! I was happy except for the terms. I had to go home with my own terbutaline and take it every 4 hrs and go on bed rest. This medicine is always hard on me at first bc it gives me so many headaches and migraines, but after a week or 2 I will adjust and be fine. But man does it help with the contractions so far. Im able to eat again bc my tummy isnt so upset anymore.
I must say Scott and I have handled it much better this time around. I still have many mixed feelings but I feel like I can manage. We are so blessed to have help nearby. Scott's Mom (Pam) is willing to be here whenever we need her since she only works cleaning apartments at OMS when there are conferences. Pam knows my girls schedules and how I like things done since weve been through all this before so it is nice to have her help. My mom is without a job right now so she is able to help out a little during the week as well when she is needed. My mom wont do too much but we are thankful when she is willing to help out. Our biggest problem this time around is that we are in the middle of a home renovation so Scott works a ton so we have to have someone here literally all day! But with the support we have we know it will all work out as long as I dont panic that things wont get done it time! (If you know me!) We pray that this baby will stay inside me until 38 weeks and we know it is possible. So for now I will spend the rest of my summer lying on the couch wishing that people would leave and let us have our family back! hahah!

Problems have begun!

Well on monday the contractions started up. They were only an hour apart but concerning to say the least. However, I was determined to make it to my friday morning appointment to talk to the dr about it. But by Wed evening I was having so many contractions I could barely eat my dinner! I knew I need to be checked and monitored based on my history of pre term labor with Bekah starting at 27 weeks! So Scott and I went in by dr orders I as expected. I always hate going in because I always doubt myself and what I feel. I figured they were 2-3 min apart but I wouldn't tell the nurse that in case I was wrong. But I was right! They watched me a half hour and immediately knew they needed to stop the contractions. They gave me a shot of terbutaline which by the way is so painful if youve never had one! The shot did help though and slow my contractions back down to one an hour or less. They also did a test called the fetile fibronectin test (the one that put me on bedrest with Bek!) and it came back negative. That just means that I have a 90% chance of not delivering in the next two weeks which is very good news! They also checked my cervix and it has not dialated but is thinning. That made Scott and I feel much better! As scary as all this can be Scott and I felt pretty relaxed since we had been through it all before. We just worry about our little one and really want it to make it to 38 weeks! I will be 30 weeks on Sunday! Today I woke up with a terrible migraine from the shot of terbutaline but am recovering now from that. The contractions have started back up too but not as bad as yesterday yet. I see my dr Friday morning and hopefully will get a game plan of what we will do next to keep things calm. Our hope is to stay off of bedrest as long as I can! Ill update you again soon if anything else happens.

No more babies in this house!

Well we did it!! Neither girl use pacifiers anymore! After such a torturous week trying to wean Ryan from hers we decided Bekah's should go too before she is as addicted. Bekah never really sucked on it just chewed it until she fell asleep. Once she was asleep she didnt use it. She would then give it to us as soon as she woke up. So we decided to see how she did if we didnt give it to her. The first night she asked for it and I just said, "nah you dont need that." She just laid down and held her hand towel to go to sleep (yah she has an obsession with my kitchen hand towels!). Yep it was that easy! That has helped Ryan tremendously! Ryan does still ask but no more screaming tantrums at nap time and she is now sleeping all night again. We also switched the girls from whole milk to 2% since Bekah is old enough and gaining weight. We waited to switch Ryan because Bekah didnt always drink enough to buy only her whole milk. Since Ryan is far from over weight we knew it wouldn't hurt her. The other big switch is we quit using baby laundry detergent for their clothes. They are officially Tide kids! I guess you can say it's been a week of changes for these girls! Ryan was upset to give up the red milk for the blue but otherwise I think they are adjusting well! So for 11 weeks it will seem like we have no babies around here anymore! That is until tomorrow when one of them has a meltdown and I have to change Bek's diaper! haha!

Enjoying the cool weather!

We've had some crazy July weather lately and are loving it! It actually feels like September which by the way is the best month of the year! Anyway, on Friday night we decided to take advantage of such cool weather and take the girls camping for one night. We actually stayed right in Greenwood on the OMS compound back in a little wooded area. The girls dont know any different and we figured it was nice and close to home so that we could leave if I or one of the girls needed to. Well the girls had a blast staying up late catching lightning bugs, building a fire, playing in the tents, playing on giant logs, and exploring. Ryan has been wanting to sleep in a tent for quite some time so she was thrilled. When we finally went to bed at 10pm Ryan went right to sleep Bekah however did not! I was to sleep with Bekah but once 11pm hit I was done. She didnt cry but she wouldnt settle down either. She was wired but rubbing her eyes at the same time as you could imagine 3 hrs past her normal bedtime! So Scott and I decided that Bekah and I would head home and sleep in our beds knowing we would both sleep better anyway. To be honest my hips were not too excited to sleep in a tent anyway! Scott and Ryan had a great night of sleep and didnt wake till 9am! Ryan has been talking about her camping trip non stop and cant wait to go again! Scott and I cant wait till we can camp more regularly with our kiddos but that would require us to quit having them! haha!

Celiac Disease or allergies? That is the question!

Right before vacation we had started eliminating things from Bekah's diet because the diarrhea was not improving and we were not excited to go to Riley for a scope. We first started with oats. This was hard bc the girl loves oatmeal, granola bars, and cheerios! But we had to do it. This seemed to work very well for a few days and so we thought we figured her out. But soon the diarrhea was back again. So then we decided we had to try getting rid of wheat, barly and rye as well. We were not excited in the least bit as this can be so very difficult especially since vacation was soon approaching! But we also didnt want diarrhea on the trip. But after a rough time feeding her while dining out we learned a lot! This diet seems to work very well for her, but the hard thing is that she seems very very sensitive to any gluten! She cant even handle cross contamination! This means no french fries at fast food bc it is the same oil they use for battered fried food. Or even one bite of wheat flour gives her several rounds of diarrhea. It does help that Scott's Mom is already on this diet so we know more about it than most people however it is so hard to tell Bekah no on some of her favorite food items such as hamburger buns! But after 3 weeks on this diet she is getting used to it and not asking as much for those foods. The dr said it could easily be celiac and if it is we need to know bc then she could never have wheat, barly, oats, or rye again in her life bc it can cause her not to absorb nutrients and then cause osteoperosis, anemia, or even cancer later in life. However it could just be her digestive system is not fully developed and by two she could be fine. Or it could be allergies to those foods which she could grow out of too. So the decision was that if this continues to work then we keep her on this diet till her 2nd bday and if the diarrhea continues we have to go back to GI at Riley to have the scope done. So we shall see what happens!

Bekah did turn 18 months this last month and has changed so much! She is adorable! She talks non stop in her own language, she eats with a spoon so neatly (unlike her 3 yr old sister!), she loves to play playdoh, and play outside! She is finally starting to like books too! There is hope! She thinks when Ryan and I do school that she should do it too! She gets so excited if she hears the word school! Bekah went to the dr and she is very tall 97% and very skinny 5%! Ryan and Bekah have a blast playing together when they are not fighting! haha! Good times! It is so much fun to watch Bekah become her own little person!

3rd Trimester!

Caleb or Karly?

On Ryan's birthday was also another big milestone! I hit the 3rd trimester! Hard to believe really and Ive kinda been dreading it because the 2nd was going so well. But so far things are still going smoothly. The migraines are still only at 1 per week so we hope that continues on and I dont have to increase any medication. I had another ultrasound to check on baby bc of the medicine I take and everything looks great. It was already 2 lbs and extremely active! The tech wished me luck with this one! haha! But here is a pic of me at 27 weeks! Im getting fat all around but that is what happens to me so Ill just have to nurse the fat away again!

Ryan turns 3!!

My 2nd Bday (In case you forgot how much Ive grown!)

Well it happened! Ryan turned 3! Im gonna tell ya this transition to 3 has been rough but as with any stage it comes and goes and somehow we look back and think "was it really that bad?" When we returned from our vacation we were finally able to have Ryan's Mickey Mouse birthday! Im pretty sure she had a blast! This girl gets so excited about her birthday cake every year so there is a lot of pressure on me to make it look good. I was pleased with how it turned out and so was she! She had lots of little friends and family come over. She scored herself an art easel, soccer goal with ball, books, puzzles, stickers and many other things that she loves! We are so thankful for everyone coming to make it a special day for her!


Im 3!!



I love my cake!


Since Ryan turned 3 we made her get rid of her paci. I never knew it would be so hard on her. The girl always has her hand in her mouth now. She has thrown a 20-40 min fit the last 3 days at nap time in her bed. Fits Ive never seen from her before. It is very hard because I know she is having a hard time but at the same time I cant allow her to act like that. We feel bad and really wish we could give it back but we know better dont ya worry! When we check on her after she is asleep her mouth moves as if she is sucking on her paci. We know after another week or so this will all be over she was just really addicted!

On a more positive note while we were on vacation Ryan started pooping in the potty! I dont know why but sometimes you just dont ask questions or try to analyze things. She actually had only one accident our entire time away. I cant say she is still doing perfect but she is still going on occasion which was much better than never. I think we may have her trained before she is 5! Actually I would be so happy if she could be trained by the Oct baby! But we cant ask for too much!

Ryan is a lot of fun at 3 even though she can be more difficult as she is trying to be more independent. We look forward to another great year with our Big Girl!

Vacation!

Well we actually went on vacation this summer that wasnt to the Smith's lakehouse. Not that I dont enjoy a free vacation every year it was nice to go somewhere different. This year Scott's cousin Josiah was getting married up in Conneaut OH (NE OH for those who have no idea where that is!) on July 4th so we decided to go there for our vacation. We actually rented a hotel and stayed 5 days! It was awesome! We are normally campers but with the pregnancy and two under 3 we decided a hotel would be better. Anyway, on the way we stopped in Fort Wayne to help our friends the Biedenbachs install a new water heater and water softener. I enjoyed holding there newest member not even a week old! That definitely made me excited to hold our newest soon! Then we stopped to visit the Smith's before heading out the next day for OH/PA! Our 5 hr drive took us 8 hrs bc of a potty training child and a child with a very difficult diet (which Ill explain later). Oh yah and Ryan throwing up all over the back of the car took 45 min to clean up! Other than that the girls really did well without a whole lot of entertainment for the ride. We had a great time at the wedding seeing family that we hadnt seen in 4 years! On Sunday July 5 (Ryan's bday) we spent the day at the Ring's farm. Ryan and Bekah had a blast! They have a total of 13 kids and lots of animals to see so the girls had plenty of entertainment!They also sang happy bday to Ryan which made her day! Then our final day there we spent some time on the beach of Lake Erie. The water was only 65 degrees but the girls still had a good time with their daddy! I think they enjoyed the giant sand box the most though! Finally, we traveled home with two completely exhausted girls and our 6 hr drive took 9 hrs! Within ten min of our drive a came down with a migraine as frustrating as that was we were so thankful I was migraine free the during the fun part of the trip! Here are some pics!

Some of Scott's cousins who live on the farm!

The day at Lake Erie!

Hugs from cousin Simeon!