i think we need more apples...

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away...

Well, JR got tubes in his ears on December 1st. So far things seem to be going well for him other than another cold...

My princess had her pre-op apointment today. Looks good. She should be ready to have her tonsil's and adnoids out on December 29th.

I go to an endochronologist on December 17th. I've been having thyroid issues and we want to discover exactly why and what to do for it.

At my daughter's pre-op I asked our doctor about my own snoring problem and if my tonsil's may have something to do with it. He took a look and thought it might definately be a problem. So, looks like I'll be getting in to my children't ENT sometime soon!

What a life

Well, Here's what's been going on and what is going to happen...

Two weeks ago my Prince took himself out of the gene pool. We decided 2 kids is enough and he didn't want me to go through another surgery since I've had 2 c-sections.

Last week, my pastor died of stage 4 Colon cancer. He had been handling treatment well, so this was completely unexpected. He was only 46 and left behind 4 children (The oldest is a freshman in college and the youngest I think is in 6th grade).

This past weekend we went to Albertville to see my cousin... and then to Rochester to visit some friends... and then to the Mall of America (the kids loved the Underwater Adventure and Lego Land)... and then to St Cloud to see a friend (she is my Prince's ex-girlfriend). It was a really fun but busy weekend.

JR has been dealing with a ton of ear infections. He is only 9 months old... we have decided to get tubes in his ears... He goes in for surgery December 1st.

I have been overly exhausted and cold lately... yes, i know i have 2 small kids and its winter, but that isn't the problem... I have an appointment with an endocrinologist on December 17th. My last thyroid test showed my hormones to be out of whack so we need to see what the problem is.

After spending a long weekend in hotel rooms with our Princess, we are tired of her loud snoring. I took her to an ENT this week and he says her tonsils are really huge! They could shrink, but might take until she is 12 years old! We don't want her to have to put up with this for the next 9 years, so we are scheduling her for a tonsillectomy.

So... that's our life in a nutshell.

Life goes on...

Well... its been one thing after another. My prince has been to New York, Miami twice, and Killdeer, ND in addition to other smaller places closer by... Its like being a single parent only not... So, I've taken the kids to my sister's, my parents, and the in-laws.

JR has 2 teeth on the bottom and the two top front ones are starting to show... maybe within the week... He is almost walking... he tries so hard to chase the Princess! So funny!

My princess has finished her first gymnastics class. She loved it so much! We decided the next couple months will be too crazy to continue class, so we'll wait until spring.

I joined the local YMCA... I really want to get back into a better shape than I am, especially since we hope to go to colorado this next year... we hope to do a bunch of hiking and stuff.

This has been a hard week. My prince had a vasectomy Thursday. We've decided two kids were enough especially since they were both c-sections. So the kids stayed at their grandparents for several days. But that's not the hard part (although I missed them a lot!) Thursday morning our Pastor and good friend was found by one of his daughters struggling to breathe. His oldest daughter gave him CPR until the ambulance got there. He went into a coma and never came out. The disconnected life support Saturday and Pastor Miller went to be with His Maker yesterday morning. He was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in April and had been handling the treatments well. This was very sudden and the doctors were not sure what caused his problems. The funeral will be Thursday. This is going to be so hard for his family as well as our church family. Please pray for us!

Second Verse same as the first

It feels like last fall all over again. My prince is going to be gone most of the next month! Starting the 19th, he will be in Miami, FL until the 24th... then the 27th-29th he'll be in Killdeer, ND... then the 30th-5th he'll be back in Miami! I hate his schedule taking him away from me and the kids so much. we are hoping the kids and I can go to Killdeer with him... We'll see...

And then yesterday I met a woman on Facebook whose husband has been in Iraq since last November and won't be coming home until February... How foolish I feel! Making such a big deal of my Prince being gone when she has been a married/single parent for 11 months!

More of the same

Well, This past week my prince left for a week in Plattsburg, New York... again! And as soon as he left everything went wrong. My Princess got pink-eye... JR got another ear infection... we all (including me) came down with colds... a good friend of the family died suddenly during the night last night... and I was told by my doctor today that I have a large cyst on my left ovary... Ain't life great!

Here's a picture of happier (and healthier) times.

Getting back in the groove... someday...

Well, August is almost done and I haven't hardly gotten on this thing yet! Since I wrote last, lots has happened.

We went to the county fair at my hometown the last weekend of July. Then I helped lead VBS at my church. I had the 4th, 5th and 6th graders most the week but filled in the for the k-1st graders on Friday. My princess went in the preschool class for her second year and had so much fun!

That weekend we helped my brother move to Sioux Falls where he started a new job as sous chef ant the Wild Sage grill. So far things are going really well for him there.

JR has started crawling. and he pulls himself up to stand by the furniture whenever possible. Still no teeth...

My prince has been on the road a lot this month. Fortunately I've kept the kids and myself busy by either hanging out at home or going to my sister's house. The kids and I have been having one summer cold after another this month.

This weekend was my 32nd birthday. We went camping at Itasca State Park with my parents. It was perfect weather for it! We took the bikes, but the kids both caught colds, so we left the kids with my folks and got in a bike ride, my prince and I. They have a fire tower you can climb... after a 1/2 mile hike up hill, you climb a 100 foot tower. It was really windy that day and the tower was swaying. I'm scared of heights but the view was definately worth it.

My Prince is gone again this week. and JR has his 6 month appointment on Wednesday. Then we will head out to my sister's for a day or two. Hope your summer was equally fabulous. I'll get some pictures posted one of these days, I promise!

Crazy Summer!

We went to the annual Jensen family camping trip Memorial weekend at Lac Qui Parle State Park. We had reserved a group site and there were over 20 of us! It was a blast!

We have our 3rd wedding to go to this weekend.

My prince has been out of town alot again. I've used that time to take my kids to my parents and my sister's homes.

My princess is a girly girl who insists on wearing a different dress every day. We've been going to the library weekly and look forward to new books and movies as well as meeting other children.

JR Is 5-1/2 months. He has been teething for quite a while now, but no teeth yet. He is rolling over and has actually started to scoot forward. He can "crawl" only an inch or two forward but travels the hole room backwards!

I've been sick again. I think I'm on the mend finally... but I'm so exhausted all the time that trying to read the princess a story puts me to sleep!

I'm hoping to get back into blogging... It seems like I always have a kid on my lap making typing hard to do...

Ruby Rebel

I've been reading an interesting blog called Families against Feminism: The Great Debate. On April 8th, 2008, she talked about being a Virtuous Woman (A Ruby Rebel) from Proverbs 31:10. I like what she had to say. You can check it out at http://heartsforfamily.blogspot.com/2008/04/vurtuous-wife-ruby-rebel.html

A lot of nothing

It seems like there has been tons going on since I logged on last, but yet it was a lot of nothing. The kids have been sick one after another... ear infections, respiratory infections, strep throat. I've been doing therapy for my bad back. The prince is still slaving away... and checking out other options... more on that as it develops!

The prince and I were able to get away for an evening to attend Larry the Cable Guy. I hate to admit it, but a lot of of it was really funny even though it was all picking on somebody's race, weight, politics, sexual orientation or gender... and even one gag where he teased about a "retarded" gang member. What does it say about our society that something like this is so popular? And what does it say about me???

We also got to go to my sister's house one weekend. They have 4 new bottle feeding lambs that we got to play with for a bit (one is crippled and they don't know if it will make it). It was my niece's 10th birthday party. After the party, M and her sisters T & E, had a gymnastics expo. The princess could hardly sit still and desperately wanted to get on the gym floor and do the routines, too. Looks like we'll have to get her signed up this fall...

I'm trying to lose weight again. Previously, I was a mentor at The Lord's Table (Setting Captives Free link on the side of my page) and had lost 35 pounds in a year. Its going to be a little tougher this time as I'm nursing still... but I have faith that God will take control of my eating again and I'll Gain more of Him as I lose some of me!

We also had JR's dedication at our church one Sunday. My folks and the Prince's folks were able to be there. A dedication is not an infant baptism. Its basically just praying for the baby and the family and the church promising to help the family raise the child up to know and love God.

Speaking of church, pray for my pastor. A couple months ago his wife admitted to having an affair with another member of our church. And just in the past couple weeks it was discovered that my pastor has a couple masses in his large intestine, colon, and near his bladder. They haven't found out if they are cancerous yet. The have 4 kids, the oldest graduates from high school in a couple weeks. Its an incredibly messy and stressful situation which I don't want to get into details about, but please pray for them all.

Happy Anniversary to us!

April 20th my prince and I celebrated our 6th anniversary. Its amazing how God has blessed us through the years. I am looking forward to my future with him. Tonight we are going to the country club my brother is a head chef at for supper. Its our first time going and my brother is an awesome chef!

Birthday party

Easter weekend we had a birthday party for the Princess. We got a hotel room for my parents so we could go swimming. The Prince's parents came and my sister's family as well as my brother and another friend of mine. My parents had a room with a kitchenette, so it was large enough for all of us to hang out and have pizza. Here are some pictures. I made the cake myself!

Check it out!

One of my favorite people has just gotten a blog! Patsy Clairmont is so funny! Check her out!

http://www.patsyclairmont-blog.com/

Happy, Happy Birthday , Baby!

Yesterday (the 14th) was My Princess's birthday. My baby is 3 years old! We took her to sears to get her pictures taken. We were going to have pics with JR, too, but after the first one, he just cried! After pictures we took her shopping at Toys R Us where she got to pick out her present. If you've ever seen "Barbie: Island Princess", she picked a Princess Ro playset... She loves it! and then off to the Dairy Queen for ice cream! No party this weekend, we are going to have family over Easter Saturday.

I'm so glad I decided not to have her party this weekend. I went to the doctor this morning because now I'm sick with a sinus infection!

Enjoy the pics! :)

My crazy life!

Well, since I wrote last, JR has been taken to the doctor for bronchitis and an upper respiratory infection. He is on his last dose of antibiotic. He also went in for a 1 month check-up and he is now 9 pounds! He is in the 50th percentile for weight for his age.

I also had my Princess in to the doctor with a 103.8 fever. She has an ear infection and swollen glands. So, she is also on antibiotics. My princess turns 3 on the 14th of March!

I have been fighting some cold bug again. I went to bed with my throat starting to hurt last night.

My prince has been fighting a cold too. To top things off, he flies out at 4am Monday for 3 days in Texas for work.

More about delivery

Well, JR has been home for 3 weeks now. What an adjustment it has been! My Princess adores him and is always wanting to snuggle him and shower him with kisses. My Prince, when work hasn't sent him out of town, is so super helpful with JR and other chores around the house.

We had JR's 2 week checkup last week. Our usual doctor was out of town, so we had a different one. We didn't like him at all! He was concerned that JR hasn't gained weight since being home (he eats all the time and is super cheerful!). Since he wasn't our regular doctor he didn't know (or care once it was mentioned) that our princess was slow to gain weight too! And then, since he was a tiny bit jaundice (It had been improved since even the day before) the doctor insisted on putting JR through the torture of a bili-ruben (spelling?) test. Poor baby!

I went for my check-up on Monday. According to their scale, I only have 10 pounds to go to be at my pre-pregnancy weight!

I decided to go to a lactation specialist this week and had JR weighed on the same scale he was weighed on at birth. Turns out he is right on track and it was just the scale at the clinic was off compared to the original scale.

As promised, here's how the week JR was born progressed to birth! :)My prince had been sent out of town the Tuesday before JR arrived... and he was several hours away... and didn't make it home until 5:30am the following day (it wasn't supposed to be that long of a trip!). So, Friday comes along and due to all his overtime, he stayed home from work. However, at noon he got a call from work and he was sent right back out of town... a couple hours away! I had been feeling good this whole time, so wasn't too concerned when he got home about midnight.

About 2:30am I got up to use the bathroom and no sooner sat down when I felt a "pop"... my water broke with my Princess in the middle of the afternoon at home, so I recognized the feeling but was shocked it happened so conveniently on the toilet! My prince had gone to bed on the couch that night to avoid my worsening snoring (due to a cold and pregnancy). He is a deep sleeper and I had to call to him 3 or 4 times before he came to see what I needed. He was at a loss as to what to do to help! He brought me my phone and I started making calls to find somebody to come stay with the Princess. By 3am a friend made it over to stay the night. A blizzard was on its way, so the in-laws weren't able to make it in to town to help.

We got me settled into my room at the birthing center about 3:30am. I was actually starting to feel contractions! I never felt any with Princess when she was born. They were getting worse, so the nurse checked to see how things were coming. I had only dilated to 1 by 6am and JR hadn't dropped yet! They gave me some morphine which helped the pain, but things just weren't progressing. They decided the safest thing for me would be a second c-section. By this time I was all for it! So much for a v-bac... I didn't want any more pain.

I walked to the OR just before 9am, and at 9:11am I was looking at my beautiful, but quiet, baby boy from across the room. The morphine I had been administered made him to tired to want to breathe on his own. I remember being concerned for him but yet not feeling the normal fear I would have otherwise felt. They gave him a shot of something to counteract the morphine and he screamed! What a beautiful noise! My prince went with JR to the NICU for a few minutes observation. They stitched me and glued me shut and wheeled me back to my room. Shortly I was joined by my hubby and our beautiful bundle.

precious

Just 3 days old.

Meet our newest addition!

JR was born on February 9th at 9:11 am via c-section. He was 7 lbs 13.3 oz and 20 inches long. He had a little trouble in the beginning as the morphine I had been given made him so lethargic he didn't want to breathe on his own. The NICU gave him a shot of something to counteract the morphine. As soon as the shot got into his system, he was fine and has been doing good ever since.

The rest of the story later!

No changes - 37 weeks

Well, I had a doctor appointment yesterday. It went well. I had her check if I was dilating yet, and I'm not, which is a relief as my prince is about 4 hours away today. Baby is getting big. I'm scheduled for another ultrasound on Tuesday next week to check baby's size. I'm also seeing a regular OB instead of my midwife to make sure my body can handle a vaginal after having a c-section last time.

Rough weekend

Well, I was feeling pretty good until mid morning on Friday. I started getting really bad cramps in my back and alot of tightening in my stomach. We took of for the in-laws anyway so we could be there for Grandpa's visitation at the funeral home that evening. The whole ride there was agony. We even had to stop halfway there (about 25 minutes into a 45 minute drive) so I could get out and stretch and use the bathroom. We got to Prince's parents and he rubbed my back a while. It helped some... but the cramping came back. On our way to the funeral home, I called the birthing center where I plan on having baby. After telling them my symptoms and and asking a few questions, they almost wanted me to come right in! I told them where I was and why and they decided that I should do my best to relax and go lay down as soon as possible. It was probably stress of the weekend causing my issues. So, we went to the funeral home but didn't stay the entire time. Instead we went to our hotel and got to bed early. One thing that the nurses said that have me stressed is that the midwife I attend should have had me see a regular doctor to get me approved to have a vaginal birth after having had a c-section. I haven't had that yet and didn't know it was necessary! Luckily, I see my midwife on Monday and can ask her about that. The nurses says they usually don't want you to have cramping/contractions with c-sections if possible. I can completely understand as miserable as I was feeling.

Well, Saturday I got up feeling much better and had much fewer cramps. Still some tightening of my stomach, but I survived the day. The funeral was very nice and it was fun visiting with all the relatives. We spent most of the day at the church and headed home instead of back to the in-laws. I got another early nights sleep and have been feeling mostly good today. I few spots on my tummy that pull that hadn't pulled before, but otherwise not to bad.

I'm 37 weeks today, and my Princess was born at 37 weeks... so anytime would be good. HOping to get a new picture posted in the next day or two as my tummy is again changing shapes and sizes.

Sadness with joy

This morning my Prince's grandfather passed away. He was 96. He has lived in a nursing home for several years but this past week seemed to go steadily down hill. He was a feisty full-blooded Norwegian. I remember the day I met him. He was sitting at the kitchen table at their little, old country farm house. He teased me from the moment we met and always made me feel like I belonged with their family. Even in the nursing home as his speech and memories started to fail him, his face would light up when he saw me. He gave his life to Christ a couple years ago, so I know I'll see him again. That is where the joy comes. And my Princess has had a chance to get to know him and love him, too. That makes me happy as most of my great-grandparents were deceased before I was born. My Prince was very close with his Grandpa and is saddened but relieved that his Grandpa is now free of his old body. The funeral is Saturday. I am waiting to hear back from my doctor if it will be ok for me to travel to the funeral.

Gilman, you will be missed.

Update: I've been approved for travel so unless something changes, I will be attending the funeral Saturday.

36 weeks

Well, I'm getting bigger and closer to my due date. I had a touch of some bug yesterday. knocked me totally out of commission. I even ended up going in to my doctor although my appointment wasn't scheduled until Wednesday. Baby is good. Heart rate 156... pointed the right direction (hopefully won't decide to try for breech). I'm doing well, now... I got a ton of sleep last night and feel so much better than yesterday.

My prince is going out of town on another overnight trip tomorrow. He told his boss no more as of January 31st, so I hope his boss will be understanding. It doesn't look like travel will ease up for my Prince after baby comes, either. The other coworker who does what he does put in his 2 weeks notice last week leaving only my hubby for these long trips out of town.

Gone again

My prince is gone again. He left early this morning but should hopefully be back before I go to bed tonight. But he leaves again tomorrow morning for an overnight trip. I admitted to him this morning that my biggest fear/worry is that I'll be out running an errand alone with Princess and my water will break. Especially with him far away. All these trips this week are atleast 4 hours away... Princess was born just over 4 hours after my water broke (born by c-section)...

speaking of my prince's work... Things are about to get crazier. 2 of his coworkers have left or put in their 2 week notice as of this week. This is going to make his job harder and will mean his boss will have to try and pick up some of the slack, which usually means problems and more complication. Keep praying that something will open up somewhere else for My Prince soon!

Some graphic content

Well, I had my doctor appointment yesterday. After telling her about my trip to the hospital a week and a half ago, she wanted to check me out for a vaginal infection... you thought a speculum was bad... wait until you are 34-1/2 weeks pregnant! The good news is no infection. The bad news is they still haven't decided exactly why or what fluids I'm leaking. They also did the group B strep test so they could get the results back before baby is born since Princess came early. Really gross...

...anyway... baby is doing good. Heartbeat was strong at 156. I'm now measuring 36cm (I was 33 two weeks ago). I actually lost 1/2 pound in the past 2 weeks (it helps being sick, I guess).

More good news... My prince will be home from New York today! And My Princess is coming home from 4 days at Grandma's house today! It was a nice quite week without them both, but lonely, too. I missed them. Nothing is so sweet as hearing your almost 3 year old say "I miss you too!" on the telephone.

Week 33

Looking at this picture, I feel I have grown immense since the last photo! My next doctor appointment is next Wednesday (the 16th) so we'll see how I measure up then!

What a life!

Ok... so life is pretty good right now. I'm feeling much better than I had been. Its been tough getting adjusted to my anti-depressants. I'm finding they make me really drowsy, so I'm going to start taking them at bedtime in hopes that they'll help me sleep better!

My Princess is making some good adjustments to my new state of health. I can't really left her that easily anymore, so she gets to jump anytime she wants to get on my lap. That makes it fun for her and the upward momentum makes it easier to pick her up. Next week when my Prince is back in New York, my dear mother-in-law is going to take my Princess to her house so I can get some rest and less stress.

Speaking of my Prince... he informed me last night that his boss wants to send him to Montana for a few days soon... His boss has been informed that he doesn't want to leave the area as of January 31st since I'm getting close and Princess was born early. Well, the sooner he goes the better. I don't know how long this baby is going to hold out!

My Prince has been absolutely wonderful since we got home Sunday, too! He has been doing dishes and taking care of Princess as well as being super helpful and supportive of me. I'm doing what I can for him, which at this time isn't much... but I need to find some way to show him how much I appreciate him and all he is doing for me. He has even given up the bed for me right now (in addition to other things...).

Prayer request

Hi all! What a weekend it has been!

Thursday I went to my church for a meeting with my pastor about a Bible Study my Prince and I would like to be a part of the leadership. We had just finished when my friend Jan, who helps me decorate the church sanctuary, called to see if I wanted to take down Christmas decorations. I was feeling good, had a sitter and no other plans, so we did!

We were just about done when my sister called and said she was coming to town. She was going to take my Princess and I to her house for the weekend since my prince was going to be stuck out of town until late on Friday. My family was gathering at her house for one last Christmas celebration. Well, after getting home from the church and packing, I felt horrible. Exhausted and like I was going to be sick. My sister has had 4 kids and didn't really want to leave me home alone with my toddler if I was sick, so we went with her.

We got to her house and of course I had to pee... but when I stood up, I discovered my jeans were damp! Great! I'm an hour from my doctor! Maybe it was sweat as her van has heated seats... or maybe I spilt more club soda on my lap than I thought I did. The fear and worry made me feel worse so I called my doctor. Since I wasn't still leaking, he wanted me to try and drink something and eat a cracker and cheese to see if it would stay down. I did my best... and it stayed down, so I thought maybe I just needed sleep. I called him back and he agreed... get rest, lots of it! Thankfully, my sisters oldest (she is 9) happily helped me get My Princess ready for bed.

The next morning I was still feeling weird, but better in a way. But after being up just a short time, I discovered my jeans were damp again. I had a little breakfast, a decent (yet small)lunch and did as little as possible all day. By evening I was feeling kind yucky again. My neice helped get Princess ready for bed. I didn't sleep well that night. Had a weird pain in my side.

When I woke up Saturday morning, I felt horrible! I even threw up a little. I didn't have much in me, which was good. I felt slightly better after that and nibbled graham crackers and drank club soda or ginger ale all day. I managed a little lunch and even a little supper, but by supper time, I noticed damp jeans yet again and decided to call the doctor again. I spoke with a nurse at the birthing center and she decided it would be best for me to come in as soon as possible just to make sure my water hadn't broke. So, My prince and I left my sister's house (and my Princess!) to go to the hospital. On the way there, He held my hand and prayed for me and the baby which made me feel better. Then I made a couple phone calls to people at church to give them a heads up on what was happening. (Jan and I were supposed to finish taking down the decoration son Monday!)

After registering and getting taken up to my room, we waited and I got hooked up to monitors. Baby was very active. Heartbeat was great! My blood pressure was good. They took a urine sample because they were suspicious of a bladder infection, but thankfully that was negative. The test for amniotic fluid was also negative. After talking to the doctor on call, she decided what probably was the case is that baby is at a phase where it wants glucose all the time. If I'm not eating often enough or staying hydrated enough baby takes my supply of glucose leaving me weak and icky feeling. She gave me a glucose iv and sent me home. Since it was already 10:30pm and takes an hour to get back to my sister's, we decided to just go back to our house so I could get a good nights sleep.

This morning I managed to eat a little and drink a little and although I was super tired still, I felt good enough to head back to my sister's house. Princess had done fairly well without us... of course she had Grandma and Grandpa, a couple aunts and several cousins taking care of her!

We ended up have a great day. I am wearing liners to keep from getting too wet (baby is causing too much pressure on my bladder is what they think). But I was able to enjoy most of the food my younger brother (the Chef) prepared. It was wonderful! I slept all the way home. This evening I started feeling weak and sleepy again but My prince was wonderful! Without me asking he went and got me some graham crackers! :)

I'm not looking forward to the week starting. Galen is supposed to be around all week... and his mom may even come to town tomorrow... but I dread feeling worn out and watching Dinah alone. I don't have the energy to fight with her... Pray for me!

BTW, I started taking anti-depressants Thursday, too... Hope they kick in soon!

Some discomfort

Well, I should have asked around long before now, but just assumed it was nothing. Apparently I've had some Braxton-Hicks contractions for several weeks now. I just thought the baby was pushing on me or something because it always seemed to happen when I stood up from a comfortable position. Its never been painful, just tight and uncomfortable.

I had a doctors appointment today. All is well! Baby is pointed head down. Heart beat at 140. I'm measuring 34 which she says is a little big, but nothing to be concerned over. I go back in 2 weeks for my next appointment.

My prince is going out of town again! He leaves tomorrow morning and won't be back until sometime Friday evening... He'll still be in North Dakota, but opposite ends of the state! Then, in two weeks he leaves Monday (14th)and returns Thrusday(17th)... back out to New York! Better be a quick trip! I don't want to have this baby without him there!

I've decided I should go back on antidepressants, but forgot to mention that to my doctor today. better go give her a call! I've been on the low end of the spectrum for weeks now and since I had post-partum after the Princess was born, I want to be prepared for this one!