This, That, and The Other...

A random post
Christmas was good!
We started out on Saturday the 20Th and headed to Nebraska, it took us 7 hours because of the icy roads, and blowing snow.
We did Christmas with my dad sat and Sunday. Headed to my moms on Monday did Christmas with her on the 24Th and then went to Columbus to my Grandmas for Christmas day and headed back to Iowa through another ice storm on Sat. the 27th where we had to abandon my car and load baby, dog and bags into the truck( ean drove a truck home he bought for his dad). My car couldn't make it up the Hills.
We then made it to Joellyn's house Saturday evening. We did Christmas with her and Trista Sunday morning, Grandma Seaba Sunday for lunch and Grandma Caskey and Papa Caskey Sunday Afternoon.
WOW that was a quick rundown of our very busy very fun week of Christmas!!
Chasen finally got to meet his Great Great Grandma Florence.
here is our 5 generation picture. Grandma Flo was so excited and so proud!

After that long week I went back to work yesterday. I'm very exhausted. I know in my last post I said Chasen was sleeping through the night.....that is no longer the case. Last night he was up at 2am and 5am. The 5am KILLS me because then I can't go back to bed before work and I am NOT a morning person.
Today I took him to the Dr. at 7am b/c he has thrush ( a yeast infection of the mouth) I was joking with my boss that as soon as I came back to work he would get sick, but I didn't think it would be the first day!
He has a gel you put in his mouth 4xs a day and it should go away.
Grandma Bud is here all week with uncle Jackson watching Chasen then he goes to daycare on the 5th :(
Have a Happy and Safe New Year!

I'm still working on the New Year letter....it may happen.

Silent Night

Santa came early to my house and I got the best gift ever.....
SLEEP
Chasen went to bed last night at 9:30 and got up at 6am :)
That is eight and a half hours of sleep!!!!!!
Who knows it may never happen again but it was amazing!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night:)

Shaken not stirred

The 5 P's of motherhood (my motherhood)
Pee -- being peed on, cleaning it up, but not having time to do it myself :)
Poop -- cleaning it up and obsessing about if he has went enough or to much is it a weird color/consistency.... seriously its werid.
Pump -- pumping is my 2nd job
Play -- reading, singing, bouncing, swaying, Shaken not stirred
Praying -- for sanity, strength and guidance
Pass-out -- That's what we do at 8pm if possible

Our First Christmas

A post from Chasen

Tonight we celebrated our first Christmas as a family!
Mommy finally got the Ottoman to match our new living room furniture, it even opens to hold all my toy's and blankets!
Santa brought me bubble bath and toys to hang from my car seat!
Daddy got some clothes and a "honey due" list beer mug
Because Im such a hand full mommy did not get around to making a Christmas letter but here is our christmas photo.


I heard her mention that she may get around to New Years cards....but maybe she will do a Christmas in July letter. Either way I know she will be writing about me because Im so cute and all ;)

Lets Play!

Chasen is changing daily and he loves to play! He has a book with baby faces and he loves to lay and look at them and talk to them, we are following toys and like toys with lights, he even grabbed at his first toy today. He can hold his head up forever and can turn on his side. But he does get over stimulated the he gets this pouty face and cries,its kinda cute. He is also falling asleep with out having to have a bottle. he cries and tries to fight sleep but after about 5 min and some rocking/shaking he falls asleep. He is starting to have a "social" smile, which we have yet to capture on camera. He smiles when I talk to him and he smiles at his baby friends (in the book). He also likes it when mommy watches MTV and we sing and dance to the videos, and if mommy stops moving I scream!!! .... Hey Im just helping mommy keep the weight off:) He is almost sleeping through the night. He goes to bed around 10:30-11 then gets up between 3:30 and 4:30 then again at 7:30. Not to bad!!

he loves bath time

and this is how he likes to sleep He also likes Kevin here is a video of him riding kevin .... of course Ean had everything to do with this, your not surprised, I know.

We will be great pals someday soon!

growing and growing

Remember this outfit...I came home for the hospital in it and it was kinda big, well mom put it on me today and Im to long for it!

A Baby Changes Everything.....

I think this explains exactly what it feels like to become a parent:

Prepare.
Ready for a miracle?
Nobody’s ever ready for a miracle.
Ready for a baby?
Ready or no, it’s coming sure as Christmas.
Just like the first big drop at the start of a rollercoaster
-- You know its coming, it’s what you signed up for, your locked in, you’ve counted the clicks as the car cranked higher and higher
You know what’s coming,……….sort of.
You what’s coming and your EXCITED and TERRIFIED and you’re short of breath and you feel ready to scream
and you can’t wait
and you hope it never comes
And you hope it comes soon and you….
And……and…..and……….Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Yeah, you’re never quite ready,
And you can hardly wait.
Terrifying. Terrific.

If you like it you should check out the book it came from
A Baby Changes Everything by KK Wiseman, Tim Nichols, Craig Wiseman
And Check out the song by Faith Hill.

Everybody is happy when baby sleeps

So yesterday Chasen screamed allll day, after every feeding, he also threw up after every feeding. He is still taking his acid reflux meds so I know that's not it.
Im pretty sure he is allergic to something I am eating because he isn't like this all the time.
So I had heard from several people to try mixing bottles half breast milk half formula. So For the last 3 feedings I have done that and the kid hasnt screamed!!

I recommend consulting your Dr. before trying this, Im calling mine this morning just to make sure its okay!

Happy Firday!!
Joellyn is coming to babysit tonight too, so Ean and I are going on a date....to walmart and target to get groceries and finish christmas shopping! and we may even go out for dinner :)

Happy 1st month

Thumbs up


Dec 4th was Chasen's 1 month birthday, he shared it with his aunty alyssa who turned 20.

Chasen went to his first basketball game. Jackson plays on the 8th grade team and we went to cheer him on. He did pretty good and enjoyed all the lights.

We came home from the game to eat cake and celebrate Alyssa's birthday and Chasens 1 month and much to our surprise Kevin had reached, and ate the cake. we still put candles on it and sang to her. :)

We came to Nebraska for thanksgiving and to celebrate Alyssa and Jacksons birthdays.
Chasen did really well on the car ride down. We only had to stop once.

this post was a little late but I had to get the pics in there.
Chasen still isn't sleeping right and his mom is about to loose her mind.....I'm ready for Christmas because there will be other peole around to help with him and them my mom comes for a week while I go back to work!

this pretty much sums up my days and nights

A message to Chasen

Chasen Michael if you don't start sleeping better at night you WILL be an only child.

last night he woke up for his 2am feeding and stayed up until 4am....sorry kid but the bar closes at 2am....you don't have to go home but you can't stay here....
Mommy and Chasen slept in the living room so daddy could get some sleep, if he continues to do this when I got back to work I don't know what I will do, sleep while I pump at work...probably not, its kinda hard to sleep and pump...I've tried.

I sware if someone came to my door last night at 3am I would have given him away.
Okay maybe not but he is grounded!

We made up this morning when he woke up all smiley and then we had a photo shoot!
I will have to wait till Ean gets back with his computer to upload the photos, I also have pics from his one month bday that he shared with his aunt lissy, who turned 20!
I get to have a visitor today!! Melissa is coming over at 1 :)
and Kasi is coming over on Sat. and we may go have a bloody mary if Ean is home to watch Chasen:)
ahhhhh to see people

Laugh with me...or at me which ever!

So I though I would share with you how my day is going so you could have a good laugh.
First of all im running on nooooo sleep, Chasen has his days and nights confused because of our long car rides and sleeping 6 hours during the day, so he was up from 9pm to 1am fussy and sleeping for like 15min then up and crying, it was baaaaad.

any way on to today....

Chasen and I just did hhmmmmmm...about 30 some laps around the island in our kitchen. I was pushing him in the stroller :)
It was the only thing that would make him stop screaming, I would stop for a little bit and wash a dish, or put something away, then he would cry and we would walk some more. Kevin is scared of the stroller so he kept running around the house whining.
ahhh yes...good times!

also I thought of something else that I never shared with the world.
The day Chasen was born my then 13 year old brother was holding him for the first time and after a few minutes asked if anyone else wanted to hold him and my sister siad
"oh bubba, you can hold him longer"
and Jackson said
"no, someone needs to take him cause I just really wanna squeeze him" :)
how cute is that!??!

well,
happy tuesday

Where everybody knows your name....

So we have been patients at our Dr. office for exactly 3 weeks and I have seen 2 of the 3 Doctors, the receptionist, I sware, knows my voice when I call in and EVERYONE has heard Chasen scream! The nurses know us very well too.
I guess that's what happens when you have children.
Since Chasen was born we have been to the Dr for his 2 week check up, once for the GERD thing, a follow up for the GERD and ANOTHER follow up for the GERD and I went for mastitis ... thats 5 times in case you weren't counting.
Chasen hasn't even had his shots yet..that's in Jan. sometime and Im sure we will be back before then.
But I hope we aren't.
Ean has even went, unwillingly to get his flu and tetanus shot. He just thought he was going with for Chasens check up but I had scheduled him an apt. to get his shots and he was pretty surprised! (insert evil laugh)
I really think they should have a punch card or a frequent flyer type deal at the Dr. office...
or the vet for that matter.
Kevins bill alone was $250 (worth it though cause we love him, and that seizure thing was really scary)
any way I'm on antibiotics for this mastitis and if my one boob that is plugged doesn't drain on its own I'm gonna have to go get it drained, so if that happens the whole breast feeding thing may come to an end. Mastitis is REALLY painful. That and Im not producing as much milk so we are using up the stuff I started to freeze for daycare.
At least they do make formula and my kid wont starve.
I want to keep breastfeeding 1. for Chasens benefit and 2. the weight loss.
I would like to take this opportunity to toot my own horn (all though I ha vent really done anything) I have lost 35lbs since I had Chasen and I only gained 20. Now none of this has to do with me exercising or eating healthy it has to do with breastfeeding and not having time to eat enough lol.


on another note we were supposed to head to NE today but it looks like we will be leaving early tomorrow morning.
I hate when things like this dint go as planned. I'm kind of a plan freak...only for certain things.

Chasen weeks 2-3

So week 2 was my first week alone with Chasen and by Friday I had lost it. Chasen started to not sleep more then an hour at night he wouldn't let me put him down during the day, I wasn't able to eat till ean got home because every time I layed him down he would scream. So by Friday I was at the end of my rope and at 2:30 after hours of screaming I put Chasen in his car seat and we went for a drive, the only way he would sleep. We drove around for and hour while I cried then I realized I could go through the drive through at hardees and actually EAT something! When I got home he started crying again and I called Ean and told him he had to come home early because I didn't think I could do it any more. He casually says oh, well my mom will be there in an hour and she is gonna babysit so we can go on a date.
"WHAT??!" why didn't you tell me this earlier, my prayers have been answered!!
so Ean and I went on our first date!

Joellyn had the same problem with Chasen where she couldn't lay him down without him screaming she mentioned that Garin had had acid reflux. So over the weekend it got worse and he was throwing up after every feeding and I was having to sleep with him on my chest which means I wasn't sleeping because I was scared I would roll over on him. Finally on Monday after I was covered in puke I took him to the Dr. and they diagnosed him with baby acid reflux, prescribed him so zantac and we are doing better. He sleeps with a wedge so his head is elevated and he has mostly stopped puking after his feedings.
We both go back to the Dr. tomorrow, Chasen goes for a weight check because he had lost 4oz and I go to get antibiotics for mastitis. Hopefully this will be the end of Dr. bills for a while, between Kevin and chasen we have spent around $350 this month.
Kids are expensive.
In other news Thanksgiving was good we were in north English for 5 days and it was so nice to have grammie help with chasen and I know she enjoyed it too!
Ean has a roofing job in ashland neb. so we are leaving wed. morning for my moms! I'm excited because i get to celebrate Alyssa and Jackson's bdays with them :) but I'm nervous about the 5hr car ride with chasen and Kevin...we will have a full car.
I've updated with several pictures, 1st bath, 1st bottle, ect...check them out http://documented.smugmug.com/Caskey%20babies

What the heck just happened???

Wow i know its been a while,but chasen has baby GERD (thats a whole post in itself) Im sick and life is busy.
So let me begin with yesterday morning, Its 6am Im sick with the chills and a fever, Im on the couch (at Joellyns) nursing chasen who keeps throwing up all over me this went on for about 45min then we both fall asleep, Kevin comes out around 7am and is whining because he has to potty, I told him to go tell his dad and he went back in the bedroom and whined but wasn't loud enough to wake dad. So after 10 min or so of listening to him whine I decided I would get up and let him out.
Well he heard a truck started barking and then started running around running into stuff, I couldn't really see him because I was trying to get out of the couch while holding chasen, but once I could see him I knew something was wrong because he was sprawled out on the floor shooting around like a pinball in a pinball machine I yelled for ean as Kevin shot down the hallway running into the walls, he ended up in Joellyns bed room and Ean and I figured out he was having a seizure, ean held him so he didnt hurt himself any more and he just kept shaking, vomited and pooped all over. Joellyn took Chasen while I call the ER vet, we ended up taking Kevin to the vet to have them do blood work and they found nothing, no toxins so he didnt get into anything, They said that sometimes dogs will have epilepsy and they will put them on meds if they have more then one seizure a month so we are to continue to monitor him and bring him back if he has another one.
It was so scary and so sad because he looked so scared as he was having his seizure, of course I was balling and though he as dying but so far everything has been good, he did throw up last night but I think he is okay.
we were joking that maybe it was a pseudo seizure for attention since he doesn't get as much attention any more ;)
I have been sick since Friday and now realize that I have mastitis. FUN FUN. I go to the Dr. tomorrow to get some meds. as for right now im sitting here with cabbage on my boobs, they say it helps.....whatever it takes.

1st Dr. apt

Chasen had his first Dr. apt yesterday, he is in the 50th percentile for everything
weighing in at 8lbs 6oz and 21 1/4th inches long.
They said he was healthy and that all the crying he does is because he is still adjusting.
I HATE when he screams, as I'm sure most people do, but its so hard when you don't know what they want.
Ean does really well with him when he screams, I on the other hand almost have a heart attack, my blood pressure gets so high.
I hope he adjusts soon!!
I ordered birth announcements and some how I ordered 125 instead of 50 like I wanted, here comes the momnesia.
So if you want one send me your address!

GO HAWKS, GO BIG RED

The past two weekends both the hawkeyes and huskers have won!!!!
Chasen is a little good luck charm :)I can't wait to take him to his first games.
Today we are traveling to North English for Grandma's birthday, our first long trip!

I'm so cute

Mommy survived her first day alone with me, she even managed to take a bath while I naped in my car seat on the bathroom floor.
Mom cought up with her pictures today go check them out http://documented.smugmug.com/gallery/6505692_ArLdo

November 4, 2008 --- Chasens Birthday

Here it is...The Birth Story:
I went to bed Monday night anxious about my OB apt the following morning because I wanted to have made some progress and wanted to talk induction.
I woke up at 1:30am with a contraction and thought...hmmmm this could be it since its a contraction that woke me up. I went and got some water, went to the bathroom and layed back down. I slept till about 2:15 and had another that hurt pretty bad so I got up and grabbed a pen and paper, went to the bathroom, drank some more water and had another one about 2:40am, this one hurt and I was unable to lay down for it so I started to walk around the house to ease the pain. At 2:58am I started to write down the contractions and they were 5min apart, I was so anxious, excited, nervous I had a lapse of mind and couldn't remember how to count contractions and got online to make sure I was doing it right. At around 3:25 I woke up Ean and said "hun, Im having real contractions 5min apart for the past 30min, what should I do?" He was like "are you serious!" call mercy.
we went back and forth cause I felt like it was early to call and I figured they would tell me to stay at home but they had been so consistent every 5min so at 3:30 I called and she said is this your 1st, "Yes" She told me to wait an hour, take a bath and call back when the contractions are so bad you cant talk through them.
The thing about that is everyone has a different pain tolerance and I thought mine were really strong but I was able to talk...sorta.
So I got in the shower and they kept coming about 4min apart at this time. When I got out of hte shower I decided it was time to call and tell them I was coming. So at 4:15am I called mercy and told them I was coming in, she said "okay, but you may labor here for quite a while if that's okay with you?" Sure, whatever, I just want to come and see what is going on.
So Ean got in the shower while I paced around the house. Some people are able to sit or lay through contractions, but I COULD NOT.
Ean got dressed grabbed the car seat, bags and we were in the car.
We got all the way down our gravel road and I realized I had forgotten my head phones, Ean was like well we can go back and get them we have time. So we turned around got them and headed on our way.
I called my mom around 5am to let her know she needed to head on her way. She said I sounded really out of breath. Ean called his mom and sister so they could meet us at the hospital too.
The contractions were really strong and 3min apart, I was holding the "O shit" handle in the car the whole time. By the time we got to sutliff bridge I couldn't stand it any more and Ean started to speed more because according to him and my breathing they were about 1.5 min apart. I couldn't talk through these and was not breathing correctly because my fingers and lips were going numb and I was hyperventilating.
Ean called his sister and asked if this was normal that they were so close together, I think he thought I was gonna have the baby in the car.
He ran 2 red lights and passed one car in the median.
We got to the ER at 5:30am. It took me forever to walk from the car to the hosp. which was only like 200 meters away, because I kept having contractions. I passed up the wheel chair (cause I'm bad ass lol) and we went up to labor and delivery. Got up to the desk rang the bell and they needed me to sign some papers. I was able to sign one and Ean had to sign the rest. The nurse immediately told me to slow down my breathing because I was hyperventilating. (which is why my hands and face were tingling)
Much to my surprise Brandi (one of Ean's good friends from high school) was the other nurse there and I must admit when I saw her I was relieved to have a familiar face there to help me. We went right into a delivery room, Ean helped me change into a gown and to the hospital bed I went, Brandi gave me my IV (didn't hurt at all, I had never had one before)and asked what options I was thinking about for pain and I said anything lol. I could NOT stand the contractions laying in that bed. So she got me some nubain which takes the edge off so you can rest for the now 30sec between each contractions, while she was giving me the nubain the other nurse checked me and I was dialated 7cm!!!!!!! WTF THIS IS GOING REALLY FAST (was my thought). They called the anesthesiologist (Dr. Chong :) our cats name is Chong) for my epidural so I didn't miss my opportunity.

I remember her putting the belt around my stomach to monitor the contractions and I couldn't stand it being so tight and asked her to loosen it, but she said she couldn't, I think that was the only time I was a lil crabby otherwise the nubain kicked in and I was pretty much in la la land. I could still feel the contractions but just didnt care as much and this helped me slow down my breathing
The epidural wasn't as bad as I thought either, I only had to sit still through one contraction, that was really the only part Ean had to help with too, he had to help me stay in a curved position sitting on the end of the bed. I could feel it going in which was a weird sensation but not painful.
The Dr. came in after I got the epidural and said we would be having a baby by 10am, holy crap! My mom probably wasn't going to make it. The Dr. said the epidural would slow down my contractions (and it did) She said if I hadn't had the epidural I would have had the baby with in the next 45min to and hour. WOW!
Ean's sister and mom arrived shortly after I got the epidural, I napped and they talked with Ean.
In between napping I would wake up and get sick to my stomach, poor Ean, Joellyn and Trista took turns holding my puke bucket. At one point I was on the phone with my mom and had to let her go cause I was gonna get sick. I think it was a reaction to the drugs and the nurses said it can also indicate that I'm ready to deliver.
around 10:30 the Dr. came in and checked me and I was ready to push...just like that! She said that the baby's heart beat was good and if I wanted to we could wait another half hour so my mom might be there for the delivery. So we waited!! My moms parking ticked said 10:58 and Chasen was born at 11:17.
The pushing was hard for me because of the way they make you sit, it was just really awkward, but I pushed for 47min and he was out!

Ean cut the cord and did an amazing job helping me.
Ean couldnt believe how big he was the only newborn he had ever seen was Garin who was 4lbs...chasen was almost twice his size.
we just can't believe how perfectly everything worked out with my mom being able to get there in time, Chasen being so healthy and me having probably as easy of a delivery as I could.
We just never though we would get to the hosp. and have a baby within 5 hours, we were ready to walk the halls and use a birthing ball, squeeze the crap out of ean's hand, but we didnt have to do any of that!
Next time we won't wait and hour at home we will go straight to the hosp. since I deliver quickly.
Well that is it....our really long birth story :)

and this is him Chasen Michael Caskey. He looks just like his daddy with his mama's nose.

One week!

Wow that flew by!
Chasen is now one week (and 1 day)old.
My mom has been here all week to help out. He is a pretty good baby though, he does have his nights and days mixed up but its getting better, last night I got 3 hours of sleep in a row....TWICE!! Tonight will be different lol.
He had his one week check up yesterday and he is PERFECT!!
Back up to his birth weight. Take home weight was 7lbs4oz and he is already back up to 7lb 11oz and its 21 1/4th inches long. No jaundice, his pee pee is healed and belly button is about to fall off. All and all everyone is doing good!
My mom and I are going to take Chasen on his first outing tomorrow to my work to show him off to everyone, and so I can get out of the house!!!

HE is here!!!!!

Introducing
Chasen Michael Caskey
Born 11/4/2008 at 11:17am
7lbs 11oz
21 inches long


Introducing The Caskey's Abby, Ean and Chasen


Mama and Baby


HELLO WORLD!!!




I'm working on posting the labor story...... I must say it was very fast and easier (thats a tricky work but) it was easier than I thought!

Today we peed on our own head, and puked on our new outfit, all in all it was a productive day!

3 days

Next time I get pregnant I don't want to know the due date.
just give me a month and that will be enough.
I'm way to anxious wondering why this baby hasn't come yet. But I'm not anxious enough to have high blood pressure, which would seal the deal for an induction.....hmmmm.
I go to the Dr. tomorrow, but I don't think its going to be a good visit unless I'm dialated enough to have her say
"oh sure we can induce you, when would you like to have it?"
Seriously, I think I might cry right there in her office if she tells me we are going to wait it out another week.

Ean put the windows in in the living room last night and I LOVE them!!!


He still needs to put the trim on and clean up the mess but ....THEY ARE IN!!!
I also bought Kevin a new dog bed so he wont whine to get up on the couch anymore. He still sleeps in our bed of course, but sometimes when I get up to pee he will be in his bed, I guess it depends on if he's had a bad dream ;)

isnt he so cute
Tonight we took some ribbon and tied it around my belly and put it in the baby book so we hae a memory of how big I was. Then as I start loosing weight I can pull it out as encouragemtne!!
good night....speaking of night... I HATE that it is dark at 5pm

Happy Halloween!

5 day's till baby (I hope)
Today I was a pumpkin in all orange, (shirt, sweat pants, and shoes)at work. And we had a fun Halloween party. We did this activity where we hung donuts on a string and you had to eat the donut off the hanging string with out using your hands, it was really fun and better then bobbing for apples in a tub with everyone elses spit!
Allot of the clients dressed up in outfits too and we had 60 some kids come trick or treat!
The baby is still kicking from all the sugar I ate :)
Now Ean and I are going to eat popcorn and watch scary movies---the most mellow Halloween I've ever had!
Maybe I shouldn't speak so soon...I could go into labor!!!
No, I couldn't be that lucky.
I did make plans for the weekend, hoping that making plans would make the baby come.
Tomorrow Im watching the hawk game with pep and some other friends where I plan to eat spicy wings!! Then after the game Im taking Amy out for a birthday dinner and renting a movie.
Ean is going to a bachelor party......BUT he is sober driving the 15 passenger van so no worries he wont be inebriated for the potential labor.
Sunday is our 6 year dating anniversary so we are going to go on one last date before baby comes (it better be here by next weekend!)
Well thats all I got!!
Dr. apt is tuesday...hopefully Ive made lots of progress :)

Just waiting for YOU!!

I have lots of pictures to post!
My mom took some outside for us of our hands like hearts over my belly.

Dad's hand

Mom and Dad's hands


The 3 of us in the front yard

38 weeks... can I get any bigger!??!

So we have 9 days left.
Everyone is getting anxious and excited...I can tell by the number of phone calls I receive from family and friends on a daily basis. Don't worry I'm not complaining, it's nice to know Im not the only one anxious for D day :)
Had my appointment today...no news, the baby's heart beat was 144 for like the 3rd month in a row...I wonder if she really takes it or just makes it the same as last time, I'm sure she takes it.
I'm still only 1.5cm dialated
gained a pound and a half, we are up to 16.5lb total
She did say that she could feel the baby so it must be pretty low!!
I asked her how long over due she would make me go and she laughed and said we could discuss induction dates at my next visit which is Nov. 4th, election day, and 2 days before my due date. I'm going to request to be induced on Friday the 7th and hope to have the baby on the 8th because that was my original guess as to when the baby would be born. :)
But now that I have a plan, I'm sure the baby will do something different lol.
My house is clean, car is packed....(windows aren't in...maybe this sat??)
we are ready .... just waiting on YOU.

2 weeks to go!!

Ugh!!
I'm so ready to be done anticipating this BIG day.
I've taken all the classes. Have all the clothes washed, organized and put away. Car seat is installed. The new windows are in (not in out house yet). Ean found a single insurance plan for the babe. I have most loose ends tied up at work. Mine and baby's bags are packed...Ean is on his own lol.
But I really need to work 3 days in NOV. So I hope I don't go until after 5pm on Nov. 5Th.

I had my baby shower this weekend, it was so much fun to have all my family and friends around. I seriously have everything that I think I need :)

Went to the OB yesterday
I'm 1.5cm dilated and 75% effaced.
Gained 15lb total so far
Baby's heart beat was `144 again.

Last night we had our breast feeding class which I think was pretty helpful. But if I get engorgement, mastitis, or bloody nipples...the buck stops there. That looks way to painful.
While I was at the class I had some wicked braxton hicks contractions, I was in the hospital so wasn't so worried but they really hurt in my lower back, once I walked around then went away. But I had them again today at work for a while and in the car. Much stronger then before, but not the real deal. I guess my body is just doing some practicing.

well thats all I got for now!
Ill be posting some pics from the baby shower later..stay tuned...

Making progress

I went to the Dr. again yesterday and this time I was dilated 1cm!
I thought I might be because I have been having braxton hicks contractions about 10-20a day and they hurt in my back, but nothing that is timeable so I know its not labor.
They are worse at the end of the day from about 3pm to 7pm and every time I bend over.
My next apt. is Tuesday where they will check me again. The Dr. actually said Ill see you Tuesday if you're still around.....
So I guess that means I literally could go any day now, I hate not knowing when its going to happen. I feel like a ticking time bomb with out the timer lol.
This could be a really long 20 days....or less. But they say you can walk around for weekes 1-3cm dilated and have fake contractions...so who knows!!

The baby shower is this weekend!! Im really excited to see all my friends and family :)

25 days to go!!

happy early halloween!!!

4 more weeks!!

I had my last 2 week check up on Tuesday. Now its weekly.
I have gained a total of 13lbs have several more stretch marks since my last post, my BP is good I'm NOT dilated but I have thinning out or about 20% effaced. Baby's heart beat was 144 and he/she is head down.
So in other words all is good and I have time to wait. Which I'm feeling indifferent about these days, Im so ready/anxious to see the baby and know what it is and meet the little guy who has been living in my body for 9 months.
I'm anxious about all the changes Ean and I are about to go through, the pain I'm about to endure, the sleeplessness and I just want to rip the band-aid off and get it over with.
The other side of me doesn't want to go yet because I want to enjoy a few more naps, uninterrupted episodes of greys anatomy and a peaceful dinner date with ean.
But all and all I'm ready!
especially ready to lay...not sleep ;) on my stomach!

Yesterday my awesome co-workers threw a surprise shower for me at work!
It was so nice because the participants got to be involved. I feel like I have 80 grandmas and grandpas sometimes because they are all so interested in my pregnancy and ask me several questions everyday, which can get old but I know its something that is exciting to them and they get to feel like a part of my big "even" too. Not to mention all the great advice and stories they have, on average most of them had 3-6 children!!! And gobbs of grandchildren :)
we played games and they won prizes, we had cake, and I got some awesome gifts including a monitor, a wide variety of clothes, and a literal booger sucker! It has a chamber like end that you stick in the baby's nose with a tube hooked to it then you put the end of the tube in your mouth and literally suck the boogers out!!
Don't worry it has a filter to catch the boogies so you don't have to eat them lol.

Ill will be posting a 36 week pic in a day or so that I think you all will enjoy ;)

:( bummer

it happened.....
I
GOT
STRETCH
MARKS
:/
they are UGLY, currently they hurt and itch and I'm pretty sure you can't get rid of them.
Im way to young to have to ware a one piece swimming suit on my next tropical vacation...
Not to mention all the tubing and boating I have planed for next summer since I couldn't do it this summer.

I knew this was going to happen. I only have a month left and they just couldn't hold off.

oh well, such is life.
and yes I know I will have a beautiful baby inspite of it all, but Im still bitter :)

its football saturday!!!

GO HAWKS

GO BIG RED......or CARL BIG RED
hehehe that was funny for thoes who live in NE and know what Im talking about!

How low can you go!??

Today I was at work and all of a sudden I felt continuous pressure in my lower back and lower abdomen, it felt like the baby was gonna come out!
I wasn't having contractions so I didn't know what was going on.
I called Ean who was 3 hours away (shame shame) and he told me I better call the Dr.
I really didn't want to call because since I wasn't having contractions or discharge of any kind I knew it wasn't labor. But something was defiantly going on. My first reaction was that the baby had dropped, but several people I have talked to said they didn't feel their baby drop. It only hurt when I stood up, and when I sat down the pressure/painful feeling went away.
So I called the Dr. which happened to be my OB, who I just saw yesterday, and she said that the baby had probably just dropped and that unless I was having contractions, bleeding or my water broke not to worry. So I came home and put myself on bed rest till work tomorrow.
Everything I have read about engagement/lightening AKA the baby dropping has explained the same symptoms I had today, but I think that most people don't feel it was intensely as I did, most people just notice that they can breath easily, have less heartburn and pee more often.
I dont know why I felt it so intensely, maybe I have a small pelvis, who knows?
When I got home from work I could tell just looking in the mirror that my shape looked different, lower.
So needless to say I had myself my first little scare today. I will be 34 weeks tomorrow and that is exactly when Trista went into labor with Garin!

My appointment went well yesterday
I gained another 2lbs in the past month
my BP was good
baby's heart beat was 148 and it was moving around so she kept having to move the Doppler.
She also felt for placement of the baby and she felt that it was head down, which would explain all the kicking in my ribs!
My next apt. is Oct. 7th where they will do a strep test and a pelvic exam, which Im not to excited about (I think it will be a lil painful), but I am interested to know how low the baby is and if Im dilated or if I have a short cervix.
Some women experience allot of painful pressure if they have a short cervix and some women just have babies that drop really low, so low that they can actually feel the baby upon and exam.
They say that the baby can drop several weeks before labor, so hopefully that is the case for me!!
Please stay in there till Nov. 6th, PLEASE!!!

Getting Ready

My grandparents and aunt came down this weekend and we were able to clean out the 2nd guest bedroom so now I have 2 bedrooms/beds and a blow up mattress so people have a place to stay when they come visit baby caskey! (don't worry we will have space heaters up stairs, it will be warm!)
We also went shopping and I got a few outfits for baby 2 newborn and 2 for 3mo.


these two outfits Im gong to take with me to the hospital! I love the cow one and it has a hat with ears :)


We also got the rocking chair which Kevin and Ean tested out!


I have another OB appointment tomorrow morning and Ean and I have our 3rd baby class!!

Pamper

...and I'm not talking about diapers.
today was MY day of pampering.
I got off work at 1
got a massage, hair cut, went shopping, and had applebees car side to go for dinner!
The only thing that would make this day perfect would be if Ean was here but he is staying in Sioux city tonight to help the guys finish a roof....so I get to cuddle with Kevin!
Speaking of Kevin... I put the bassinet together last night and while I was doing it he kept running in and out of the room whining at me. I think he knows something is up. I let him smell the diapers and of course it went straight to his mouth like it was a chew toy, same with the baby rattle I got as a gift from one of my clients the other day (which was the sweetest thing ever! its like I have 100's of grandmas!)
Ean wanted to put Kevin in the bassinet but I didnt let him because I dont want Kevin to be scared of it or think it is something bad...all though it would have made for a great picture....maybe later:)

8 months

Here we are at 8 months...32 weeks



Ean and I rearranged our bedroom today and now have room for the baby bed, rocking chair and possibly another dresser. We already have the bed and the rocking chair will be here next week!!
Getting excited :)

BOY???

So when I first got pregnant EVERYONE said I was having a girl.
Now, based on you recant votes BOY is winning by 1 vote.
"Election day" will come soon 50 some odd days!!! actually our due date is the actual election day.

Still working on uploading my 8 month pic.

Being Thankful

So, I have been so excited with my pregnancy and the coming of the little one that I almost forgot about how hard it was for us to actually get here in the first place.
It was a year and one month ago (August 19Th to be exact)that I went to my first OB apt. and told my Dr. I...WE wanted to get pregnant. Then started the blood testing, stupid hormone pills and continued blood draws for 9 months.
Its amazing how time flies, but back then I thought this day would NEVER come!
I just can't believe a year ago we thought we would never get pregnant and now I sit here LARGE and uncomfortable because OUR BABY is kicking me in the ribs :)and I bought my first pack of diapers, wipes and desitin last night!!
.......................... Who would have thought?................
I'm so thankful that this has worked out for us and that we didn't have to wait any longer :)

Also I thought I should let you all know that September is PCOS Awareness month, which is the condition I have and part of the reason I started this blog in the first place. Because when I was struggling it was nice to read other PCOS blogs and know I wasn't alone.
There isn't much publicity out there for people with PCOS, no walks or major publicized fundraisers, but I think its good to get the word out there so this is me doing my part. Someday when I have money I will be able to donate it!



IN BABY NEWS:
Ean and I attended our first birthing class on Monday night, It went really well and made me really anxious and nervous for "D" day! It was nice to be able to ask questions..or have other people asking questions, all of us in the class are first time parents so it feels like we are in the same boat and no question is a stupid question! Ean enjoyed the class as well. He said a few words and watched the birthing video without passing out. Our next class is on Monday again and this time we are working on breathing and Lamaze stuff....should be interesting! Ive decided to use an ultrasound pic of the baby as my focal point during contractions!!
I think we are going to sign up for a nursing class as well, Ean is not to thrilled about going but I told him he had to go so that when the baby wont nurse and Im freaking out he may be able to remember what we learned in class. I think Im more nervous about nursing then giving birth.

Yesterday marked 8 months!! whoo hooooo :) Ill be posting a belly pic soon.

Nesting

so since my nesting instinct has been replaced by my urge to lay in bed everynigt and eat chocolate my mom, aunt, and brother did some nesting for me this weekend and cleaned my whole house!
I also went to the hawkeye game this weekend and almost passed out due to the heat.
We were in the 78th row (there are only 79) and I started to have blurred vision, nausea, and numb fingers and feet so I stood up really quick and decided I had better get down to the lower are before I passed out up there and caused a really big scene. I dont think ean really knew what was going on. But I made it down the stairs using complete strangers as hand rails and sat on the ground in the shade while ean got me some ice cream. I never did pass out but it was sure scary. All i could think was "im not passing out all the way up here"
So we sat under the stadium for about half and hour while I cooled off and made it back up to our seats( i had left my purse or else I would have just said lets leave) in time to watch the bad play of course:) by then our seats were in the shade so I was happy eating my chocolate ice cream and was able to stay to the end of the game!
I drank tons of water and Gatorade, i didnt even have pop.
I think it was a combination of heat, total sun, THE BABY, the fast long walk, and only having coffee cake before the game.
I dont think I will be doing that again, unless we get free tickets this weekend....even then, if its hot or our seats are really far up Im not going.
Now if it was a Husker game I would totally be there and tough it out ;)

9 weeks till baby!!!
I hope I start to grow out instead of up because I can't even slouch I have to sit up straight, any more and it will be in my throat.
Yay for short torsos. :/

HEARTBURN

Thats all, I have a ton of heartburn.
Had my 30 week MD apt today.
I gained 2lbs grand total of 10lbs so far.
Baby's heart beat was 144bpm and I measured 30 weeks, which is perfect.
Now I have appointments at 32 weeks 34 weeks 36 weeks and then every week after that till we deliver!!
That makes it sound ..... not very far away :)
Im not quite ready for the baby now, but I am ready to not be pregnant any more.
I'd rather wait till the actual due date though because I don't want to rush around, we dont even have our room set up for the baby yet, we need to order and install new Windows down stairs, and I need to order my rocking chair.
I gonna go do that now!(order my chair)
have a good long weekend




oh wait I almost forgot...I was going to post on this the other day but went to bed.
I had a nursing meeting the other day and when I walked in the door the one lady asked if I knew what I was having, I said no. and she said, oh well, you are having a boy for sure, I can just tell by how you are carrying it.
So then at the end of the meeting one of the other ladies asked me to wait around a sec. and she grabbed a piece of string and a paper clip and held it over my belly and she said if it swung one way it was boy and the other it was girl, according to her "test" its a boy.
This was so weird to me because everyone else I have seen or talked to has said I look like I'm having a girl


so ..... maybe its a boy:)

A Hard Week

This week was by far the hardest week I have had so far in this pregnancy.

Now let me back track: this statement makes me believe all mom's when they say you wont remember labor days after its over because I remember saying months ago the my worst week was when I was puking every morning...I have already forgotten about it lol (sorta)
Now, why was this week the "worst week ever" ...I could NOT get enough rest (part of this is my fault for watching the Olympics so late and by late I mean 10:30)I can not get comfortable at all, the amount of pillows I use is ridiculous. Another major problem is the leg cramps, I will wake up and almost scream in pain, of course waking Ean and he probably thinks Im in labor, but I grab my legs in pain. The cramps have moved up to my thighs. I actually woke up yesterday morning and my leg muscles were so sore that I felt like it was the first day of xc practice (which is kinda ironic because they started preseason on Monday), even my butt muscles hurt. Strange.
Its just amazing to me how hard it is to just exist some days, even breathing can be hard, mostly when the baby is sitting high right under my ribs. Which it is doing right now!
Im also having back pain, in my lower back and right between my shoulder blades.
Its crazy to me how much my body hurts and physically Im not doing anything.
The lack of sleep has made me emotionally drained, I have allot of things I want to get done before the baby comes, but its so overwhelming and without sleep all small problems are magnified.
So I ended my worst week by coming home yesterday elevating my feet and taking a 2 hour nap! then today I was suppose to sleep in but was up at 8:30, oh well.
Now Im waiting for Ean to get home so we can go register for the baby shower,get groceries, and I have quite a list of things around the house for him to lift and move since Im rearranging out bedroom to make room for baby!

79 days to go!!

7 months

Turkey's done!! my belly button is now an outtie

So my glucose test came back good, but Im anemic and have to start taking iron pills. No wonder Im so tired, that and Im as big as a house and can't sleep. So Im taking iron, which Im sure will make me constipated...yippie!

The baby is moving allot. Ill be working and the baby will just be kicking away and its werid because you can see it on the outside. And at night, when Im relaxing it really kicks hard, and sretches.
When I get home at night all I do once I lay down is watch the olympics and watch my belly...its so cool!
Speaking of the olympics...Usain Bolt ....he really made me mad...you ALWAYS finish a race. I HATE cocky people. Yes, its amazing how fast he is, but have a little class.
Thats one reason why distance runners are so much better :)

Sleeping Mama

So I haven't posted in a few weeks because I really have nothing to post about.
Sleeping has become quite the chore I have these wedge things that I sleep with, no not kevin and ean lol
I lay on my left side with my tempurpedic pillow under my head and the other under my arm, then I place the skinny wedge under my belly another pillow between my legs and the thicker wedge under my back/hip it takes a while to situate it all and then once Im in DO NOT MOVE ME!!!! The wedge in my back really helps me to not roll over it allows me to roll a little bit and when I do it supports me so I don't wake up when I move. I have actually started to sleep pretty good until I have to get up to pee and then try to get situated again, that sucks.
Ean and Kevin (yes Kevin is entitled to part of the bed and his dads pillow) have lost allot of their space in the bed, but hey Im 2 people now...Kevin can curl up at the bottom of the bed instead of laying like a person.

other then that,

Kicks are strong
back hurts
pee allot
eat allot

oh something new...... I get leg cramps at about 5am every morning, but I'm used to those cause I used to get them when I was running in college, so I can deal!

Next apt is the 28th the day before Ean's bday!

Saaaaweet

Today I had my glucose test done and the sweet drink was exactly that, it actually burned my throat and made my tummy queasy for most of the day. Good news is its only about half of a keg cup (yes I know how big a keg cup is) and its liquid not thick like I though it was going to be so you dont really have to choke it down. Any way I dont get the results back from that for about a week, but I hope its neg. so I dont have to do it again.
The baby is measuring a week early. Im currently 26 weeks and measured at 27 today. I guess thats good that the baby is growing.
The heart beat was 140bpm and my BP was good. So not much to report.
I have only gained 8lbs total so far, so im really excited about that!!!!

My belly button is about to pop :0 so I will take a picture of that as soon as it happens...I know you are dying to see it and all its weirdness lol.

The baby thinks that my ribs are monkey bars and enjoyed playing with them all day today. I was sitting at my desk trying to chart and was leaning forward and could feel that I was squishing something...an arm, leg, foot, who knows all I know is that it wouldn't move and I wasn't giving in. Starting my "tough love" parenting skills early! ;)

Well thats all for now....good night!

Quit your itchin'

My belly is starting to itch quite a bit. I don't even notice how much I do itch it until someone mentions "oh` your starting to itch" oops! Today my legs were itching like crazy! My legs aren't swollen yet and I hope they don't swell. But they sure did itch today.
Today I’m 25 weeks and all that energy I had a few months ago is GONE and I'm back to being really tired. Probably because I am waking up between 2 and 3 every morning to pee and I’m sleeping much lighter due to the fact that I’m heavier and can't get comfortable. I like to sleep on my side but if the baby is positioned a certain way it really hurts and since its a stubborn "girl" it wont move for me to be comfortable so I have to resort to trying to sleep on my back. I think all my rolling around (yes I can still roll around on my own)has been bothering Ean because he has been awake every night this week when I get up to pee.
Sorry honey!
The baby is now a pound and a half and is 13 1/2 inches long! and the kicks are very strong and visible under my shirt.
Our MD appointment is on the 30th and I get to drink that nasty drink, I hope my glucose test is neg. so I don’t have to do it again.
That’s all for now!
PS I WANT TO KNOW WHO THINKS IM GOING TO HAVE A 9LB BABY??!!?!

Just Kidding....

Opps! Just kidding I did get bigger, I just didn't notice because Im used to it I guess.



We didn't get to finish the baby room because it was so humid the paint wouldn't stay on the walls to paint the stripes. But we did get 2 walls done, and the mold cleaned out of our future bedroom AND I organized most of the drawers in the Kitchen.....lets just see how long they stay that way.

Im ready for fall....Im way to hot.