Am I the only one obsessed with fruit right now? Man, I can put away some fruit. Good grief. I know it has to be pregnancy, because a strawberry will pop in my head and my mouth will instantly water.
I should probably go ahead and tell you -- this post is a jumbled mess! :)
There are a lot of things different about this pregnancy. I often sit and try to remember, did I experience that with Elias? And either I've just forgotten or it never happenned. I feel like this week I have sprung into second trimester, without actually being in it. I say this cautiously because I realize I may get hate mail for it, but I am not experiencing any, to very little nausea. It's weird. Literally overnight it disappeared. And. To make matters even better, I have much more energy. I know, I'll go ahead and give you my address....
I actually think it's due to my husband's pleading to the Lord for mercy. . .
On top of all this stuff, I am starving. all. the. time.
I guess that explains my 16 week, sized belly at 10 1/2 weeks. I officially had a stranger reference the child in my belly the other day, and literally about wet my pants. What if we'd tried to wait until 12 weeks to tell people? I'm pretty sure there would have been people laughing behind our backs.
They think they can fool us?? :)
So those are definite differences. I think I remember one stranger noticing my preggo bulge with Elias...the entire time I was pregnant! There are even people that I saw on a regular basis at the kid's school who never once commented on my pregnancy, or the fact that it suddenly disappeared. Either people just didn't notice or were uncomfortable asking. I told a lady that I see about twice a week at the school that I was pregnant a few days ago, and mentioned my previous pregnancy to her, how far along I was, etc. and she had no idea I had been pregnant.
Looking back on it, maybe the fact that I didn't get obviously pregnant was a blessing. I never had to answer a bunch of questions to people who didn't already know the situation.
So I'm half nervous, half relieved to be gaining what seems to be a normal amount for a second pregnancy. I stayed worried about Elias because I simply was not putting on weight with him. I gained about 2 lbs the entire 19 weeks I carried him. By 20 weeks, they suggest that most women gain almost 10 lbs. I pretty much stayed stagnant after 15 weeks, which makes sense, because that's about what Elias' measurements suggested.
With this pregnancy, I've already almost gained that amount! Like I said, it makes me a little nervous ;)
Other than physical differences, this time has been obviously different in so many emotional ways. Of course I battle worry and fears that we won't make it to term, but I also battle with guilt over being excited for this baby or sad over Elias.
For months I felt guilty if I was having too much fun or felt too happy, because in my heart I wanted to keep hurting because I missed Elias so. I've been slowly connecting with this baby over the weeks, and I've let go of a lot of that guilt, but it's been replaced with a different form.
My babies are having sibling rivalry! Now, I feel guilty if I feel the pull to grieve over Elias. It's so messed up. I have this innate desire to live life for both of these babies, and deep down, I know that I need to be both happy and sad for each of them. If I don't completely grieve and heal over Elias, then baby E will feel that effect. And if I don't make a conscious effort to enjoy this pregnancy and bond with this baby, then I'm not really honoring Elias' life like I should.
If anyone believes that getting pregnant after a great loss will fix the hurt, you're so misled. I will say that it helps. I don't feel that sting of pain as strongly when I see a pregnant woman or baby. But that didn't come the second the test turned positive. It came as I began to bond with this baby. It came when I saw a pregnant woman or baby as a sign of hope, instead of something I lost.
But throw a little, toddling boy in the mix, and I'm running for my life, away from the hurt.
I feel so incredibly blessed and excited about this baby, and that is the bottom line. But my heart wishes it could have been different. My heart wishes it could have been two years from now because I would just now be nearing the very end of Elias' pregnancy.
I'm at the point in this process where I think if I'm sad and grieving over Elias, then I'm making some conscious decision to wish for him over this baby, which isn't my heart at all. Nor does that make it true. I struggle balancing with being happy with my life at this moment, and also wishing it had been different.
I guess that's how you dance in grief and joy....in many ways, they must go hand in hand. To have them both in my life, doesn't negate the other, and that's something I'm learning. It's not a this or that, type of thing, it's both.
I still ache to know and hold my son. Every day I wish for the ability to both, turn back the clock, and fast forward 30 weeks. But slowly, I'm learning to rejoice in the fact that we've been given a new gift...and that gift will never change or take away the one who was given to us, and who is waiting on us.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Sweet Baby 'E'
This morning I had an ultrasound. I was a little nervous because we knew there would be a chance that the baby would be big enough, and in the right position, to see any accumulating fluid. Well, as it turns out, baby 'e' was big enough....
From what they can tell at this point, it appears that our baby is fluid free.
Fluid free.
I cannot tell you what it felt like to see a baby at this point in the pregnancy, and not see pockets of fluid everywhere. It was the most bittersweet moment I have experienced on this journey so far...
I will go back in another two weeks because right now the baby is too small to measure the space in its neck, but they can at least tell there is definitely not a hygroma, which Elias had at 12 weeks gestation.
I expressed some nervousness to our ultrasound tech before she began, and she said "we're gonna have good news this morning."
We're all rooting for you, sweet baby!
All of us....
From what they can tell at this point, it appears that our baby is fluid free.
Fluid free.
I cannot tell you what it felt like to see a baby at this point in the pregnancy, and not see pockets of fluid everywhere. It was the most bittersweet moment I have experienced on this journey so far...
I will go back in another two weeks because right now the baby is too small to measure the space in its neck, but they can at least tell there is definitely not a hygroma, which Elias had at 12 weeks gestation.
I expressed some nervousness to our ultrasound tech before she began, and she said "we're gonna have good news this morning."
We're all rooting for you, sweet baby!
All of us....
"Look at me!"
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Dinner Horrors
Yesterday I was reading my friend Ashley's blog, and literally laughed out loud. Ashley's avoidance of cooking isn't something I personally relate to, but I know SO many women who struggle in this area.
What's for dinner? The dreaded question.
I feel I need to preface this post by saying that I am still learning. My husband still gets off work, walks to the kitchen, then turns to me with a sad eyes. You're gonna have to boil the water yourself, bud. Tonights an oatmeal night. But I wanted to share some things that have really helped me in this world of domesticity. It doesn't have to be this dreaded thing. In fact, it can really become a way to give back to your family in a way that nourishes them, and creates a specific time of the day where you can all sit down and communicate about your day.
For many women, I would venture to say that when they get married or have a family, they feel this pressure to yank out their inner Betty, but for some, this can be anything but natural. Maybe they didn't grow up in a family where their mom cooked, so there wasn't much of a model. Maybe their mom worked and had to resort to Hamburger Helper or takeout. Maybe for others, they just weren't interested in observing their moms in order to learn.
Whatever the reason, it's not an overly new phenomena to find a newly married woman standing in front of the fridge on Wednesday evening, terror stricken, because she needs to come up with something for her family to eat.
I will begin by saying that I was blessed that my mom was home full time and she really reveled in providing meals for us each evening. I had the opportunity to see first hand how much time it took to prepare a meal. And that prep doesn't always start the day of a meal. And it certainly isn't going to happen after everyone is whining over hunger. HA
I have adopted some of my mom's tricks for making dinner so a lot easier, and I've added some 21st century tricks of my own. Here they are:
1. Plan meals before you grocery shop. This may sound completely crazy to some, but here's the deal: when you go to the grocery store, list and menu in head, you will walk out the door with everything you need for meals within that grocery period. Period. Well, unless you forget garlic salt...then you may need to revisit the store.
I go to the grocery store every two weeks, so I plan meals two weeks out. Since I'm working right now, the crock pot is my friend....best friend, in fact. I use it at least once a week.
2. Keep it simple. If you're not a novice cook, keep that in mind when picking out recipes. Don't pick something that will cause you to stress out because as Ashley said in her post, "How do you boil the peas, drain the pasta, fry the chicken, etc. all at the same time?"
How to keep it simple: If multi-tasking, cooking is an issue, than remember that when you choose meals for your grocery period. Google "skillet meals" or crockpot meals...those seem to be pretty easy. At first, you may have the best luck with a dinner that is what I call a "one pot meal." One pot meals often do not need sides! :)Another tip may be sticking with a five ingredient recipe. Easy.
3. Organize recipes in a way that's easy to find. For instance, I post recipes on Pinterest. It's easy peasy! I used to print them off when I would cook, but now I have a smart phone, so I just pull up the recipe, if I'm using one, and go for it! Pinterest has made meal planning so much easier for me. I love that I have visual aids, and that they're all right there. Another thing about my food board on Pinterest, is that I don't post recipes unless they fit my meal planning, bill. They must be affordable, not time consuming, and husband-friendly. ;) You're not going to find some wacky recipe for dinosaur shaped chicken on my board... :)
4. Create a recipe repertoire. For those of you who are just starting out, instead of trying a new recipe every time you cook, how about picking 4-5 recipes and mastering those first. Once you feel comfortable with them and don't feel stressed while cooking, then try something new. Remember you can always create variations. For instance, do you love that vegetable lasagna recipe? Next time add some ground beef to it. This will really help your confidence in the kitchen. Sometimes it takes making a recipe a few times before it's exactly right. Practice makes better. :)
I honestly cannot wait until I'm home full time because I love being able to take my time and spread out when I'm cooking. Right now I cook on the weekends and pray it's enough so I don't have to cook mid-week! HA :) But if I do, I always put something in the crockpot.
Here are two easy recipes that fall under the "one pot meals" and "crock pot meals" categories.
The great thing about cooking a whole chicken, is that you can cook it with potatoes, carrots, etc. and you have a whole meal. Then the next day you can take the leftover chicken off the bone and use it in another recipe or even make chicken salad out of it. And don't forget to save and freeze the broth...you will find *free* chicken stock to be an awesome save because so many recipes call for broth.
Here is another recipe we love. You can use that leftover chicken for this one! Or make it easy and buy a rotisserie, which I occasionally do. We love mexican food, so this is a great spin off that santa fe flavor.
I hope this is helpful! Of course, this is only one way of going about meal planning. Just take your time, and remember it doesn't have to taste perfect!
What's for dinner? The dreaded question.
I feel I need to preface this post by saying that I am still learning. My husband still gets off work, walks to the kitchen, then turns to me with a sad eyes. You're gonna have to boil the water yourself, bud. Tonights an oatmeal night. But I wanted to share some things that have really helped me in this world of domesticity. It doesn't have to be this dreaded thing. In fact, it can really become a way to give back to your family in a way that nourishes them, and creates a specific time of the day where you can all sit down and communicate about your day.
For many women, I would venture to say that when they get married or have a family, they feel this pressure to yank out their inner Betty, but for some, this can be anything but natural. Maybe they didn't grow up in a family where their mom cooked, so there wasn't much of a model. Maybe their mom worked and had to resort to Hamburger Helper or takeout. Maybe for others, they just weren't interested in observing their moms in order to learn.
Whatever the reason, it's not an overly new phenomena to find a newly married woman standing in front of the fridge on Wednesday evening, terror stricken, because she needs to come up with something for her family to eat.
I will begin by saying that I was blessed that my mom was home full time and she really reveled in providing meals for us each evening. I had the opportunity to see first hand how much time it took to prepare a meal. And that prep doesn't always start the day of a meal. And it certainly isn't going to happen after everyone is whining over hunger. HA
I have adopted some of my mom's tricks for making dinner so a lot easier, and I've added some 21st century tricks of my own. Here they are:
1. Plan meals before you grocery shop. This may sound completely crazy to some, but here's the deal: when you go to the grocery store, list and menu in head, you will walk out the door with everything you need for meals within that grocery period. Period. Well, unless you forget garlic salt...then you may need to revisit the store.
I go to the grocery store every two weeks, so I plan meals two weeks out. Since I'm working right now, the crock pot is my friend....best friend, in fact. I use it at least once a week.
2. Keep it simple. If you're not a novice cook, keep that in mind when picking out recipes. Don't pick something that will cause you to stress out because as Ashley said in her post, "How do you boil the peas, drain the pasta, fry the chicken, etc. all at the same time?"
How to keep it simple: If multi-tasking, cooking is an issue, than remember that when you choose meals for your grocery period. Google "skillet meals" or crockpot meals...those seem to be pretty easy. At first, you may have the best luck with a dinner that is what I call a "one pot meal." One pot meals often do not need sides! :)Another tip may be sticking with a five ingredient recipe. Easy.
3. Organize recipes in a way that's easy to find. For instance, I post recipes on Pinterest. It's easy peasy! I used to print them off when I would cook, but now I have a smart phone, so I just pull up the recipe, if I'm using one, and go for it! Pinterest has made meal planning so much easier for me. I love that I have visual aids, and that they're all right there. Another thing about my food board on Pinterest, is that I don't post recipes unless they fit my meal planning, bill. They must be affordable, not time consuming, and husband-friendly. ;) You're not going to find some wacky recipe for dinosaur shaped chicken on my board... :)
4. Create a recipe repertoire. For those of you who are just starting out, instead of trying a new recipe every time you cook, how about picking 4-5 recipes and mastering those first. Once you feel comfortable with them and don't feel stressed while cooking, then try something new. Remember you can always create variations. For instance, do you love that vegetable lasagna recipe? Next time add some ground beef to it. This will really help your confidence in the kitchen. Sometimes it takes making a recipe a few times before it's exactly right. Practice makes better. :)
I honestly cannot wait until I'm home full time because I love being able to take my time and spread out when I'm cooking. Right now I cook on the weekends and pray it's enough so I don't have to cook mid-week! HA :) But if I do, I always put something in the crockpot.
Here are two easy recipes that fall under the "one pot meals" and "crock pot meals" categories.
The great thing about cooking a whole chicken, is that you can cook it with potatoes, carrots, etc. and you have a whole meal. Then the next day you can take the leftover chicken off the bone and use it in another recipe or even make chicken salad out of it. And don't forget to save and freeze the broth...you will find *free* chicken stock to be an awesome save because so many recipes call for broth.
Here is another recipe we love. You can use that leftover chicken for this one! Or make it easy and buy a rotisserie, which I occasionally do. We love mexican food, so this is a great spin off that santa fe flavor.
I hope this is helpful! Of course, this is only one way of going about meal planning. Just take your time, and remember it doesn't have to taste perfect!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
10 Weeks!
I cannot believe we have already hit 10 weeks! Actually, yesterday we hit ten weeks. I feel very thankful that this first trimester is flying by. I remember with Elias, I was SOOO anxious to get out of the first trimester, so it seemed to draaaag. We were also waiting to tell people, so that probably made me more anxious to get to 12 weeks.
I want to do an update on my blog each week. This is something I didn't do with Elias, and although it's understandable why I didn't, I still wish I had those little updates. I can already tell you, this pregnancy is super different, and I'm even showing quite a bit more than I did with Elias at this point! I LOVE that.
I want to do an update on my blog each week. This is something I didn't do with Elias, and although it's understandable why I didn't, I still wish I had those little updates. I can already tell you, this pregnancy is super different, and I'm even showing quite a bit more than I did with Elias at this point! I LOVE that.
Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 10 Weeks (and 1 day)
Size of baby: Baby E is the size of a brazil nut
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Not sure. Will know this Thursday at the doctor.
Maternity Clothes: I wore a maternity t-shirt on Sunday :) (Eager beaver, I know.)
Gender: We're SO excited to find out around 16 weeks.
Movement: Not yet
Sleep: Sleeping is great....can I do it now?
What I miss: not worrying! HA
Cravings: PEACHES, strawberries, and salt and vinegar chips.
Symptons: The last few days my morning sickness has lessened! And I feel my energy picking back up a bit. Trying to rest in that, and not allow my mind to worry because of fewer symptoms.
Best Moment this week: Buying maternity shirts!!! Woohoo!
So here's my oversized, baby bump! My husband took this picture, and failed to tell me I basically covered it up with my hands! lol Maybe it isn't that big after all ;)
Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day! We were SO sad to go back to work today :(
Friday, May 25, 2012
A Long Road
I sat in the same nurse's office, loaded down with pregnancy information and pamphlets, some 6 months ago. Today I sat and fidgeted with my dress, coughing every two seconds as the nurses flipped through my chart and commented about how annoying colds are while you're pregnant. She asked if I had morning sickness, and laughed when I said "yes, I've tried it" to every possible remedy she could think of.
"I guess you're just one of those!" She said smiling.
A few minutes later she stopped, flipped a page of my chart backwards, and then to the front again and sighed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know" she muttered...
I didn't expect her to remember me. She sees patients every day and goes over the same routine: no lunch meat, take your vitamins, call us if you start spotting, here's the schedule for paying for this precious child you're carrying; and so on. I looked exactly the same as anyone else who comes in there for that meeting. But I don't always feel the same.
I couldn't see my doctor today because as her nurse told me "a mom is pushing at the hospital." I cannot tell you how badly I wish I were in that mother's hospital gown right now. The ability to skip over the next 30 weeks seems like a super power I would pay good money for.
I chose to have the baby's heartbeat checked by another doctor. He walked in, shook my hand and said he didn't think he'd ever met me before. I corrected him and said that actually we had met, "You discharged me in the hospital a few months ago." He looked confused and asked what for. Luckily, when I told him I had delivered my 19 week old son, he didn't act awkward, but instead was very apologetic.
Sometimes I walk through those halls and feel like such an outsider. I had this baby and loved him so much, but knew I would never get to keep him. As all the other moms passed me in the halls, glowing and excited, I just felt awkward. And it hurt. It still hurts.
I'm 9 weeks and 4 days today, so we took a shot and tried the doppler for the first time. It took awhile, but the doctor finally found the baby's heartbeat, strongly beating at 178 bpm. I'm not sure why, but I just started crying. The doctor put his hand on my shoulder, understanding the moment.
If I'm going to be honest here, I would say that deep down I really feel like this baby is going to be okay. I would say that I feel like this Christmas is going to be just so special. But I have moments, like today, where I still feel so bruised. There are those moments when it's hard to believe this pregnancy could have a different outcome than their brother's. It's hard to believe I could be part of this elite club without it being ripped away so harshly.
One thing I've been struggling with recently is that although I believe God will remain the same no matter our outcome, I also realize that doesn't change our outcome. In other words, my God may be the same, but that won't keep another baby from dying. Truthfully, I'm terrified of what it would do to me. To clarify, this is my head talking for my battered heart. Trying to translate all of these emotions and fears; that's what my head has come up with.
I'm so thankful that my heart can know and believe the real truth, which is that the God who created this baby, has each of their days already numbered. They are fearfully and wonderfully made. God did not give me a spirit of fear, but of love and a sound mind. What little bit of suffering I endure on earth will bring eternal reward.
The entire theme of this blog is focused on keeping our eyes on eternity; on things we can't see. I want to always be reminded that our home isn't here, and if this pregnancy does nothing but bend my heart to that truth, then so be it.
I realize if this baby makes it to 40 weeks, then I have a long road of fear, and simply wanting a baby to hold on this earth, ahead of me. There are moments when I can literally smell and feel that sweet baby I long to rock one day. It feels unbearable at times. I'm struggling with savoring and really enjoying each moment because I just want to sprint to the finish line.
As you can imagine, long distance training has never been my strong suit ;)
Overall I have been pleasantly surprised that I feel as calm as I have felt. I only have God to be thankful to for that. As a personality tendency, I am pretty much a control freak -- so worrying is all one can do in this type of situation! The fact that I haven't been very worried, is such a blessing. Other things to be thankful for are that at this point, I have had no issues at all that would cause worry. For instance, I spotted twice early on with Elias.
As the next few weeks progress, the baby will be growing bigger -- which we want! With this growth, we'll be able to get some good profile shots soon...it was around 12 weeks that we saw the beginning issues with Elias. I expect that some anxiety will rise as we near those milestones. Number one prayer request would be that this booger does not have the issues his or her brother had, and also for my anxiety levels.
It's easy to think that if we expect the worst, then maybe the news won't be as hard. But that is simply not true. So my goal is to stay positive and continue trusting that the Lord has His hand on this baby regardless. He has given us permission to hope...so that's what I'm doing.
"I guess you're just one of those!" She said smiling.
A few minutes later she stopped, flipped a page of my chart backwards, and then to the front again and sighed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know" she muttered...
I didn't expect her to remember me. She sees patients every day and goes over the same routine: no lunch meat, take your vitamins, call us if you start spotting, here's the schedule for paying for this precious child you're carrying; and so on. I looked exactly the same as anyone else who comes in there for that meeting. But I don't always feel the same.
I couldn't see my doctor today because as her nurse told me "a mom is pushing at the hospital." I cannot tell you how badly I wish I were in that mother's hospital gown right now. The ability to skip over the next 30 weeks seems like a super power I would pay good money for.
I chose to have the baby's heartbeat checked by another doctor. He walked in, shook my hand and said he didn't think he'd ever met me before. I corrected him and said that actually we had met, "You discharged me in the hospital a few months ago." He looked confused and asked what for. Luckily, when I told him I had delivered my 19 week old son, he didn't act awkward, but instead was very apologetic.
Sometimes I walk through those halls and feel like such an outsider. I had this baby and loved him so much, but knew I would never get to keep him. As all the other moms passed me in the halls, glowing and excited, I just felt awkward. And it hurt. It still hurts.
I'm 9 weeks and 4 days today, so we took a shot and tried the doppler for the first time. It took awhile, but the doctor finally found the baby's heartbeat, strongly beating at 178 bpm. I'm not sure why, but I just started crying. The doctor put his hand on my shoulder, understanding the moment.
If I'm going to be honest here, I would say that deep down I really feel like this baby is going to be okay. I would say that I feel like this Christmas is going to be just so special. But I have moments, like today, where I still feel so bruised. There are those moments when it's hard to believe this pregnancy could have a different outcome than their brother's. It's hard to believe I could be part of this elite club without it being ripped away so harshly.
One thing I've been struggling with recently is that although I believe God will remain the same no matter our outcome, I also realize that doesn't change our outcome. In other words, my God may be the same, but that won't keep another baby from dying. Truthfully, I'm terrified of what it would do to me. To clarify, this is my head talking for my battered heart. Trying to translate all of these emotions and fears; that's what my head has come up with.
I'm so thankful that my heart can know and believe the real truth, which is that the God who created this baby, has each of their days already numbered. They are fearfully and wonderfully made. God did not give me a spirit of fear, but of love and a sound mind. What little bit of suffering I endure on earth will bring eternal reward.
The entire theme of this blog is focused on keeping our eyes on eternity; on things we can't see. I want to always be reminded that our home isn't here, and if this pregnancy does nothing but bend my heart to that truth, then so be it.
I realize if this baby makes it to 40 weeks, then I have a long road of fear, and simply wanting a baby to hold on this earth, ahead of me. There are moments when I can literally smell and feel that sweet baby I long to rock one day. It feels unbearable at times. I'm struggling with savoring and really enjoying each moment because I just want to sprint to the finish line.
As you can imagine, long distance training has never been my strong suit ;)
Overall I have been pleasantly surprised that I feel as calm as I have felt. I only have God to be thankful to for that. As a personality tendency, I am pretty much a control freak -- so worrying is all one can do in this type of situation! The fact that I haven't been very worried, is such a blessing. Other things to be thankful for are that at this point, I have had no issues at all that would cause worry. For instance, I spotted twice early on with Elias.
As the next few weeks progress, the baby will be growing bigger -- which we want! With this growth, we'll be able to get some good profile shots soon...it was around 12 weeks that we saw the beginning issues with Elias. I expect that some anxiety will rise as we near those milestones. Number one prayer request would be that this booger does not have the issues his or her brother had, and also for my anxiety levels.
It's easy to think that if we expect the worst, then maybe the news won't be as hard. But that is simply not true. So my goal is to stay positive and continue trusting that the Lord has His hand on this baby regardless. He has given us permission to hope...so that's what I'm doing.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
The Dog
My dog. Bless her heart. She is one of the sweetest dogs I have ever known, and I'm not just saying that. From the moment we met her, she went nuts licking, jumping, and just begging for us to love her. I'll never forget that day. My sister was with us and we'd seen several other (calmer) puppies. All the other puppies barely made eye contact, and laid helplessly while we looked them over. Not Rory. We could hardly hold her, she was so out of control, excited. My sister, Carrie said "you HAVE to get her. She has so much personality!"
So we did. I was actually kind of nervous about her "spirit" and wondered if she'd be too hyper, but we got her anyway. We loaded up our car with Rory, her new crate, bed, various toys, food, and multiple bows. :) I mean, if you're going to buy a froo froo, white dog, why wouldn't you buy bows too? Although she doesn't really chew things up, she has managed to ruin countless bows....
That day started quite an adventure for us. She is nothing short of a social butterfly. She LOVES people. Ruben says that during the day when I'm away, she literally just drags her head, completely depressed that she's been left. When I finally get home each evening it takes a good hour to calm her down.
Rory also does what her breed calls "blitzing". I have never gotten good footage of this because every time I get the camera out she thinks it's food or something and immediately stops what she's doing to attack me. I rarely get good photos or videos of her. But, I encourage you to go on youtube and look up blitzing. It's hilarious, and it happens at least 5-6 times a day in our living room.
Another little treat with Rory is her bladder and bowel control. Yes, I just went there. Something I had read, but figured I would cure, was her breed's issue with potty training. They are highly intelligent dogs. In fact, we took Rory to puppy training after we got her and the only way she would "sit" was if she was on a soft surface. High maintanence? We literally had to place a pillow on the floor or put her on the bed in order to get her to sit. Now, she just sniffs our hands, and if she smells a treat, she'll sit, if not, she walks away. I'm NOT joking.
Clearly, she's a smart animal, but the whole peeing and pooping in the yard is a little inconvenient for her. One of our earlier experiences with this issue, was one evening when we were driving home in seperate cars and Rory rode in Ruben's car. About halfway home, she decided she needed to use the restroom and it didn't appear that Ruben was pulling over for her, so she just did her business in his car. Rory is Ruben's first experience with indoor dogs. It's taken some serious adjustment for him. I'm honestly a little nervous about how he will react to his child's uncontrollable bowels... :)
Since that night she has randomly used the potty in the house. Again, she prefers soft places -- carpet, rugs, BEDS.
I will never understand why this dog chooses to use the bathroom in the house, other than that nagging feeling that she just wants to. Last night I went to bed fairly early after a long day of being pregnant and dealing with allergies. At some point I shifted and felt that my leg was wet. I immediately turned on the light and noticed a huge wet spot on the bed. And Rory is nowhere to be found.
She knows! Not only did she pee on the bed, but she peed on ME!
So today I lugged our huge comforter out of the house to find an industrial sized washer to wash her pee stain out of it.
uuggghhh. To be perfectly honest, this isn't often, but it's enough to think the dog has some serious rebellion in her heart. :)
Even with all the mess, HA, no pun intended, I wouldn't give her up. She is so loving, and I know she will be great with kids!
By the way, my sister is now eating her words because everytime we go to her house, Rory waits until we're not looking, runs upstairs to her room and poops under her bed!
I could not lie about such things....
So we did. I was actually kind of nervous about her "spirit" and wondered if she'd be too hyper, but we got her anyway. We loaded up our car with Rory, her new crate, bed, various toys, food, and multiple bows. :) I mean, if you're going to buy a froo froo, white dog, why wouldn't you buy bows too? Although she doesn't really chew things up, she has managed to ruin countless bows....
That day started quite an adventure for us. She is nothing short of a social butterfly. She LOVES people. Ruben says that during the day when I'm away, she literally just drags her head, completely depressed that she's been left. When I finally get home each evening it takes a good hour to calm her down.
Rory also does what her breed calls "blitzing". I have never gotten good footage of this because every time I get the camera out she thinks it's food or something and immediately stops what she's doing to attack me. I rarely get good photos or videos of her. But, I encourage you to go on youtube and look up blitzing. It's hilarious, and it happens at least 5-6 times a day in our living room.
This is how much she loves me. (Please ignore my goofy self :))
Another little treat with Rory is her bladder and bowel control. Yes, I just went there. Something I had read, but figured I would cure, was her breed's issue with potty training. They are highly intelligent dogs. In fact, we took Rory to puppy training after we got her and the only way she would "sit" was if she was on a soft surface. High maintanence? We literally had to place a pillow on the floor or put her on the bed in order to get her to sit. Now, she just sniffs our hands, and if she smells a treat, she'll sit, if not, she walks away. I'm NOT joking.
Clearly, she's a smart animal, but the whole peeing and pooping in the yard is a little inconvenient for her. One of our earlier experiences with this issue, was one evening when we were driving home in seperate cars and Rory rode in Ruben's car. About halfway home, she decided she needed to use the restroom and it didn't appear that Ruben was pulling over for her, so she just did her business in his car. Rory is Ruben's first experience with indoor dogs. It's taken some serious adjustment for him. I'm honestly a little nervous about how he will react to his child's uncontrollable bowels... :)
Since that night she has randomly used the potty in the house. Again, she prefers soft places -- carpet, rugs, BEDS.
This is our first comforter set that she ruined (she made a doody on it.) Luckily, I didn't really like it anyway :)
I will never understand why this dog chooses to use the bathroom in the house, other than that nagging feeling that she just wants to. Last night I went to bed fairly early after a long day of being pregnant and dealing with allergies. At some point I shifted and felt that my leg was wet. I immediately turned on the light and noticed a huge wet spot on the bed. And Rory is nowhere to be found.
She knows! Not only did she pee on the bed, but she peed on ME!
So today I lugged our huge comforter out of the house to find an industrial sized washer to wash her pee stain out of it.
uuggghhh. To be perfectly honest, this isn't often, but it's enough to think the dog has some serious rebellion in her heart. :)
Even with all the mess, HA, no pun intended, I wouldn't give her up. She is so loving, and I know she will be great with kids!
By the way, my sister is now eating her words because everytime we go to her house, Rory waits until we're not looking, runs upstairs to her room and poops under her bed!
I could not lie about such things....
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
New Digs!
Here is the new look and design I have been talking about! I get so tired of the same thing, so I was definitely ready for something new. What do you think? Eventually I will change the URL, but for a while I'm going to keep it the same so it's less confusing. At some point you will probably still be able to type 'poppins life' but it will redirect you to a different site, for instance, www.intheclouds.com or something like that :)
This weekend was such a bummer. We were supposed to go out of town this weekend for our anniversary, which was on Monday, and life just happened instead. I have been pretty sick with this pregnancy, and have really marveled at how different things are in comparison to Elias. Although I had the typical pregnancy symptoms, they weren't as severe, and I never once caught any type of illness the whole pregnancy. Even in the middle of winter. I knew I had been lucky with Elias, as far as my health went, so I was prepared for a harder pregnancy this go around.
Friday morning I woke up with a horrible cold. You know how miserable a good cold can be normally. Well add nausea, the inability to keep your coffee down, and exhaustion. :) Life has been interesting. I'm pretty sure I said the exact words "I want my mommy" at some point.
Friday morning we took Rory for her monthly "hair appointment" and I was SO glad it fell on my sick day. She is only a year old and if you know anything about Bichons, you know they have tons of energy. She has been known to jump on my head without remorse. Her being awaygave me the opportunity to sleep for THREE glorious hours.
So I need some nausea advice, ladies. Friday was such a hard day on me, as far as nausea goes, so I gave my doctor a call. She prescribed Zofran. It was awesome for about an hour, and then it gave me the worst headache for at least 24 hours. Evidently that is a side effect. My doctor mentioned several other prescription options, and for whatever reason I chose this one.
Have any of you had good luck with any other nausea medications??
This weekend was such a bummer. We were supposed to go out of town this weekend for our anniversary, which was on Monday, and life just happened instead. I have been pretty sick with this pregnancy, and have really marveled at how different things are in comparison to Elias. Although I had the typical pregnancy symptoms, they weren't as severe, and I never once caught any type of illness the whole pregnancy. Even in the middle of winter. I knew I had been lucky with Elias, as far as my health went, so I was prepared for a harder pregnancy this go around.
Friday morning I woke up with a horrible cold. You know how miserable a good cold can be normally. Well add nausea, the inability to keep your coffee down, and exhaustion. :) Life has been interesting. I'm pretty sure I said the exact words "I want my mommy" at some point.
Friday morning we took Rory for her monthly "hair appointment" and I was SO glad it fell on my sick day. She is only a year old and if you know anything about Bichons, you know they have tons of energy. She has been known to jump on my head without remorse. Her being awaygave me the opportunity to sleep for THREE glorious hours.
So I need some nausea advice, ladies. Friday was such a hard day on me, as far as nausea goes, so I gave my doctor a call. She prescribed Zofran. It was awesome for about an hour, and then it gave me the worst headache for at least 24 hours. Evidently that is a side effect. My doctor mentioned several other prescription options, and for whatever reason I chose this one.
Have any of you had good luck with any other nausea medications??
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