Landon's a BIG BROTHER

Arlan Jarrett Keller came absolutely RACING into our lives on Wed morning, June 18. Here are the stats:

Born 10:16 am June 18, 2008

Weight: 8 pounds, 8.5 ounces

Length: 20.5" (exactly the same as Landon)

The story behind RACING?

At my doc appt on Tues, I was 1 cm dilated. So the waiting game had really begun. John and I spent the evening with Landon, and making final preps, waiting waiting waiting ('oh, maybe that was a contraction). Then we went to bed.

I woke at 6:10 to go pee (of course). When I laid back down I though "hmm, that might've been a contraction". About 10 minutes later, same thing. John and I started discussing if he'd go into work or stay home, knowing we didn't have to decide on that until 7:30. I was thinking I'd let Landon sleep until 9:30, get him ready to go to Ricki's, and we'd go from there. The contractions began to be noticeable shortly before 7, so I knew it was the real thing. We got up at 7 and I was already talking that we may have to wake Landon by 9, no, maybe by 8:30. Almost immediately my contractions went from 10 minutes to 4 or 5 minutes within 1 or 2 contractions. We made our calls (my mom, Ricki & Trish who would be watching Landon throughout the day, John to his work). By now I'm saying we'll get Landon up no later than 8.

So we got Landon up, I spent a few minutes with just him (kind of 'good-bye' to the 'just us' times....). We got him dressed and in the car and over to Ricki's by ~8:30 and were at the hospital at 9. I thinking we hit triage at about 9:10, I was 6 cm dilated. I requested an epidural when we walked through the doors ... no such luck. By the time they could assess me, get me into a delivery room, and request an anesthesiologist ... no time. Arlan likely would've arrived quicker had the dr arrived sooner to break my waters. Three pushes and BAM! A beautiful, squawling baby boy. 10:16 am ... I hadn't even been admitted until ~9:30 (I was one of those moms who was in the delivery room while dad was admitting me!!).

We came home Thurs morning. John and Landon came to the hospital to pick us up. Landon took the baby in stride ... even offered Arlan his puppy blanket in the car, and insisted on having his hand on Arlan's head while we were driving (in newborn fashion, Arlan's neck was cranked right over, poor thing). The day's since haven't necessarily been all that glorious for Landon - it's a tough adjustment. But Grandma and Grandpa came for a quick visit to spoil Landon, and John's off work for a few weeks to spend time with him too. He is mostly jealous of Arlan when he first gets up -- he's very used to having mommy in the mornings. And I've been trying hard to find time for Landon every day. The first couple of days were pretty good - Arlan ate, pooped and slept. Now Arlan's a bit more demanding ( I say that tongue-in-cheek ... that kid can WAIL), eating what feels like non-stop, and it's harder to get that time with Landon. But we're adjusting ... stories on the couch beside mommy, lots of kisses, and I try to get in to see him before he goes to sleep at night for at least a couple of minutes.

Hopefully in a couple of weeks we'll all be better adjusted -- John to his new domestic duties, me being healed up, Arlan to opening his frickin' mouth when he latches on, and Landon to sharing mommy a bit more.

So that's really that ... LONG post as I've been off for awhile, and who knows when I'll get this chance again :-/

Belly pics...

Here are a couple of belly pics from tonight. The belly is definitely a biggun! lol I'm ready for baby to come, hopefully the baby is ready soon too :-)

No baby yet...

just a post to report on dr appt. No baby yet!
Baby is low and ready to go. Should be any day now. Heartbeat at 142. My BP still great at 101/70. We're busy doing 'last minute' things all the time ... trying to prepare but it's hard when you don't know when baby's coming.
But I'm off for a snoozers before I miss my chance and Landon wakes up. He's still got a runny nose, but slept well last night so hopefully a runny nose is all that it will be :-/ He had a blast this morning playing outside, it's a beautiful day here. I love the nice weather too - so nice to enjoy coffee on the deck in the morning!

No Baby Yet...

Sorry for taking so long to post - esp for those watching this waiting for baby news!

We've had a good week. Went swimming again with Landon last Wed, he had fun and I do enjoy just relaxing in the water a bit :-) We'll see if I can find the energy to take him again this week.

Thursday I had a good visit with Amy - she was up staying at Ricki's. Landon had fun playing too - Keaton has tons of trucks so Landon was well entertained!

Friday we went to the Science Centre, met Heidi and the boys there. It was an absolute ZOO again, so we spent most of our time in the Children's Museum. I really like the place, but it was overwhelming for me, let alone for the little ones :-/ There are so many school groups there all the time, and usually older kids, all running like mad. Maybe the weekends would be better....

Uncle Bob and Aunty Rosemary were here for the weekend ... we had a wonderful visit! Sat night they went to watch John play -- the new back-up singer has really added to the band and I guess they sounded great. Sunday we had a pretty low-key day. We walked down to the Northern Hills Summerfest for pancake breakfast, but we were too late :-/ So we walked on back home, as all the bouncy castles and everything were soooooooooo lined up it just wouldn't have been worth the wait for Landon - who may or may not have liked them. But it was a nice walk nonetheless. The weather is finally nicer, so we spent much of our time outside, either playing with Landon in the back or whatever. And we all had nice snoozes in the afternoon too. They went back to Saskatoon today, and Landon was soooo sad to see them go. He LOVED having them here for a visit. He could say Uncle Bob very clearly, and Aunty Rosemary was improving quickly throughout the weekend too (to 'Anty rrsmary' by today).

And we're still just a waiting for baby to decide to come along. We were hoping for yesterday - since we had babysitters here for Landon - but baby didn't cooperate. So we'll just have to see. I have dr appt tomorrow, so we'll see if there's any 'action' down there yet.

that really is the news. Oh yeah - we have a gopher living under our driveway; I discovered him today. Hopefully we can get rid of him - I really don't want a gopher living here ... :-/ Maybe we'll have to borrow a cat for a few days or something!!

So, just because I don't post, don't be assuming we're having a baby. I'm just really super tired these days, and I'm trying to do things with Landon every day so that I'm not just sitting here waiting. Now that the weather's nicer, Landon and I were outside all day today. Hopefully this weather holds, I'm so sick of rain.

And I'm hoping Landon doesn't get too sick - he woke up with a cough last night a couple of times - a real barking cough, and you could hear the congestion in his throat and chest. He woke up much better today, although he was a bit out of sorts. He had a good nap. He has a runny nose, and it seemed to get worse tonight. I gave him decongestant, and we'll see how he sleeps. Hopefully well. His eyes were watery tonight too, I sure hope it's not allergies .... we'll have to see what the next few days bring. Poor kid.

That's the news for now....

Doc Update...

No news thus far. Baby is where it's supposed to be. All signs still good. Next week is the internal, so we'll know if there's any action on that front at that time. Assuming there's no action before then ... Today I'm feeling that I'll likely have the baby next week -- 18 or 19. Mostly because I refuse to envision me going to the due date (or heaven forbid beyond my due date of June 22), and also because my mom and dad have a short trip to Regina planned for the 19, so of course we'll have the baby then!! LOL
It's raining here again ... of course. I'm VERY sick of rain. Hopefully we'll have a nicer July to make up for this. I don't need (or want) 30+ weather, 20 is fine, just get rid of the rain!! Poor Landon - all cabin-fevered and half nuts. We'll go swimming again tomorrow morning, and have a visit with Ricki and Amy planned for Thurs morning, and a trip to the Science Centre with Heidi and boys booked for Friday morning - so even if the rain keeps up we'll be getting out of the house. I'll most definitely be napping after those events!! LOL I'll relax on the weekend and let John play with Landon...

Today I was buying 'bring home' outfits, a girl one and a boy one. I asked Landon if he thought he was going to have a little brother or a little sister. He looked at me very solemnly, shook his head, and said "no little brother. no little sister". Guess it's a good thing the stork didn't arrive today ... we have a few more days to convince him it's ok to have a little brother or sister :-/

Well, I'm off to make supper. Marc is in town for a visit, and the boys should be home soon. Until next time....

Where do the days go?

Landon and I did go swimming on Wed, and he really enjoyed it. I will try to go again next week, assuming no baby and that we're feeling good. It was nice for me too, just sitting in the water while Landon played and splashed around. He has me concerned though - he was going up to all of the girls and giving them kisses....*sigh* He also says that some toys are 'girls toys' when he doesn't want to play with them, just like things he can't have are 'daddys' or 'mommys' things. Heh heh Funny how those things get entrenched so young. I've been trying to use this to my advantage with things like 'soothers are baby toys' and stuff like that!!

We got the Amby bed, the bassinet, the swing and the bouncy chairs out and washed up last night. I've been bugging John, and last night I think he understood that I meant him to get them up NOW (as in this baby is going to come soon man, get this sh!t done!! LOL). Poor John - I think he finally had the realization last night that we're having a baby VERY soon (I had that realization about a month ago and have been panicking ever since!). I wasn't feeling well, and finally he asked if I was going into labour. When I answered that I was starting to wonder that myself, he 'got it'. Any day now ... 10 days to ultrasound due date, 2 weeks to dr due date.

Landon has been handling the rainy weather pretty well ... as well as any 2-year-old who's couped up inside while wanting to play outside. Yesterday Stephanie and Iden came for a visit - it was so nice to have them. Iden and Landon played very well together. It took Landon a little bit of coaxing to share all of his toys - whatever Iden had Landon wanted, even if he hadn't played with it in ~3 months or so. But he really enjoyed having a friend over, and I REALLY enjoyed getting a chance for a visit with Steph.
Tonight I think Landon and I will make chocolate chip cookies again ... or rather, he can eat the cookie dough and I'll make cookies! LOL Then we'll have to figure out what sort of fun we'll have tomorrow to beat the cabin-fever crazies..........

Belly Pics and Doc update...

Here are some pics of the belly from today. According to the doc, I'm 37 weeks, 2 days. According to the ultrasound I'm 38 weeks. Only time will tell...

So my bp is still crazy low (explains why I'm dizzy when I lie down, when I sit up etc) at 106/63 today. Baby's heartbeat was 144 bpm. My ultrasound showed everything is really good (amniotic fluid, etc), the baby is 3.6 kg right now (just over 7.5 pounds ... not quite as scary as the 8 pounds the ultrasound tech mentioned -> maybe she meant estimated weight at due date???). So all is ticking along quite fine. I'm having more and more trouble sleeping, even my afternoon snoozes are disrupted now (those used to be undisturbed). I just can't get comfortable, and when I finally do fall asleep I wake up frequently because I've rolled over to an uncomfortable position. but I can't complain too much - Landon's still napping for ~2 hours in the afternoon, so I get a chance to lay down and rest if nothing else. The heartburn hasn't been too bad - actually I haven't had heartburn at night since I stopped brushing my teeth before going to bed (I know....eeeewwww). I think that might've been the source ...

So the countdown is on ... I definitely feel more like "c'mon out kid, let's get this show on the road" this time, whereas with Landon he could've stayed snuggled in there for awhile longer as far as I was concerned :-) Funny how a person's outlook changes.

Now if we could get some sunnyshiny days so that my cabin-fevered kid quits driving us nuts! Tomorrow we're going swimming, so hopefully that'll help.....

Ultrasound Update...

All of the appointments are done for this week, and I was VERY happy to have a day to be at home. I haven't been sleeping well, between sore hips, peeing every 13 minutes or so, and heartburn from hell (something I didn't experience at all with Landon). Last night it was so bad I had to get up and sit right up, even just reclining a bit was out of the question. So I've taken to sleeping in the bonus room, propped up with lots of pillows and blankets on the futon on those bad nights. Usually by 2 or 3 am I'm able to get to sleep (!!) and I sleep late with Landon (surprise surprise). Landon and I have been napping VERY well in the afternoons as well ... 2 or 3 hours on some days! Thank goodness or I'd be completely wiped out. He's still going to sleep fairly well at night too as long as we get him outside to play and stuff.
Today was so nice, Landon and I went to the park for ~1.5 hours this morning. He loves to swing and swing and swing. We took his soccer ball too, and he was able to kick it around with another little guy there for awhile. Tonight we all went out back and kicked the ball and played with the neighbours and stuff. I LOVE this nice weather!!

The ultrasound was good, although I didn't get any pics to bring home this time. You just can't see so much now that the kid is scrunched in there! But all the parts seem to be there and the technician didn't seem concerned over anything, so hopefully it's all good news. I will find out on Tues at my next dr appt I guess. What scares me the most is that the baby is estimated to be 8 pounds already! I'd better not go overdue....!!!! I guess we'll just play the waiting game....

Appointments for baby!

It seems that all we do is run to appointments for the baby :-/ Yesterday I went in to have my blood work done, today was dr appt, tomorrow is ultrasound. Then we're good until next Tues (another dr appt).
I am B-strep negative this time (was positive with Landon) which is nice as I won't need antibiotics via IV when we go into labour. Dr appt was fine - heartbeat of 144, bp 115/65. Landon has learned to be such a patient little stinker while waiting for the dr, or for me to get bloodwork done, or whatever. He makes me proud. Tomorrow John is coming home from work to stay with him while I go to the ultrasound though - I don't think it'd be fair to ask him to be THAT patient!! LOL Hopefully we get some pics of baby from the ultrasound.

I'm feeling good - tired but good. Actually today I had more energy again - I think that's because the sun was out FINALLY. Am still hoping to plant trees on the weekend, then I think my yard work will be done for the spring / summer. Maybe in the fall I'll have more energy again - we'll see.

Landon has been as adorable as can be. Singing lots - today was Rock-a-bye Baby, which surprised me, I didn't know he knew that song. He's pretty demanding from the backseat now too. Not only does he want 'sing songs', but he wants specific ones (mostly bumble bee and wheels on the bus) and when he likes the song he says 'louder' so I turn it up for him :-D He loves his sing songs, but he loves metal too .... we played Metallica and he danced his little butt off Sunday night. His dance is pretty funny to watch, mostly involving little hops with a right kick out to the side (a high kick too!) while he bops his head. I will try to get that on video for sure!

the basement is coming along well. We have people coming in the morning to fix our two cracks, and then John can finish the framing, wiring, etc etc etc etc. It'll be going on for months! LOL But we will have walls for a bedroom and a toilet down there at least for when Grandma and Grandpa come for a visit!

I am starting to 'nest' a bit too. Washed up all of baby's clothes -- SO SMALL! And did the big grocery shop today for canned and frozen goods ... we shouldn't have much to pick up aside from fresh produce, milk, bread, etc. I will have to get the hospital bag packed soon, as well as Landon's bag should he be needing to spend the night elsewhere when we go into labour. John promised to get the bassinet, Amby bed, playmat, etc out of the basement soon too, so I will get those things ready as well. The dresser is in our room right now (until we can move the spare room furniture to the basement), and is all full of baby's clothes. *sigh* Such little things ... so exciting for when he/she will be coming home. Only 25 days to go!

MMMMMM Cookies!!!

Well, Landon learned today that despite the hand blender making an almost scary noise, there are good things to be had in the kitchen. He wasn't at all interested in helping me put cookies on the cookie sheet for baking - but I do have a taste-tester extraordinaire on my hands!! I had to cut him off of the cookie dough, or we wouldn't have had ANY cookies I'm afraid!

It's still raining - so we've been doing what we can to entertain ourselves in the house. Last night I went to a friends to help watch her and another friends' kids. All 3 of the 2-year-olds stood at the back door looking forlornly out at the rain-drenched deck, wanting to go out and play in the sandbox. Poor things!! At least Landon got out to play with some other kids, to help alleviate the cabin-fever at home!

Tomorrow I think I'll do some shopping - pick up a few more baby items, etc. Hopefully getting Landon out of the house, even if just for shopping, will help too :-/ Poor Landon ... just ask him! lol

Tonight I washed up more baby stuff. Sooooo small. The little newborn diapers, the little onesies and sleepers....*sigh* I know it's going to be a tough slog for the first weeks, but I am looking forward to this little aerobics instructor's arrival. I have an(other) ultrasound on Wed, I'm very much curious as to what we'll get to see now that the baby takes up my entire abdomen. There are lots of kicks and dance moves happening these days, moreso it seems than I had with Landon, or maybe that's just a trick of memory *shrug* Between 1 and 2 am though, wowsers there's a lot of action going on in my belly!! LOL

General Life Update...

I didn't realize it had been over a week since I've posted! Ooops.....

We've had a good week. Landon and I picked out trees at the nursery, and some flowers too. He was a big help. mostly he just wanted to see the kitty (which was always sleeping, so Landon would stand there "wake up kitty!" ... very cute if you ask me). We got our annuals planted on Sunday - exhausted me for 2 days! LOL The trees were delivered yesterday, so now I have to wait for the rainy dreary weather to pass and we'll plant trees (likely on the weekend). There are 5 columnar aspens, a lilac, and a double-flowering plum. Should help to make the yard look a bit nicer.

We've spent most of our time outside the past week. It was HOT and beautiful all weekend, so we were out more than in. Landon loves the yard, and keeps asking me to 'make grass' (rake). He plays with his little swing/slide thing in the back now (which he ignored when we first got it last fall) and loves to kick a ball around most of all. I love having that yard, let me tell you!!

His ear is hopefully getting better. We go for our follow-up appt tomorrow morning. His last day of antibiotics is today. He hasn't been miserable or anything, sleeping a bit more maybe, and his nose is still runny and he has a bit of a cough. Poor kid ... hopefully this will be the last illness for awhile! He'll have enough to contend within a few weeks.

I'm feeling ok. Getting big though. My hands really bother me (retaining fluid I guess) - they are almost always numb and stiff :-/ But other than that, and a bit of heartburn at night, I can't really complain :-) Baby likes to move the most between 1 and 2 am, so I find that I'm waking up lots then - likely a sign of things to come... Dr appt yesterday was fine, my blood pressure was 110/63, baby's heartrate was 144. I go for an ultrasound next Wed so I should have some new pics.

That's the news, such as it is. Landon and I are going to ride the C-train downtown today, to go to McNally Robinson (he has a gift card from Aunty Margaret for his birthday). Hopefully he likes riding the train -- we'll see. Heh heh

dr appt update

I had my dr appt this morning, and everything looks great. I'm retaining water, so my hands have been bothering me ... the doctor said I should lay down in the afternoons for a couple of hours - NO PROBLEM! heh heh Heartbeat was 142 bpm (slightly higher than the 138 that has been so consistent). Everything else is looking good :-D

Landon's getting to be very good and patient while at the dr office. I have to scold him less and less. He likes to hear the baby's heartbeat too. And he even helped the nurse to take my blood pressure this morning (which is still nice and low ... 115/65).

And I can't say it enough - I LOVE A FENCED BACKYARD!! Today we bought groceries, and when we got home, Landon wanted to go into the backyard. So I locked him in there (we have locks on the gates so that he can't get out) and was able to unload and put away groceries in peace :-D How wonderful! lol Ah, the little things that a person appreciates so much now.

It's a cloudy, dreary day ... some rain. Blech. Hopefully it doesn't last too long - but it's giving me time to be inside and work through some yard planning. Hoping to get to the nursery this week, and start 'working' on the yard on the weekend (which will be simply choosing spots for trees and starting to prep soil). I'm hoping to plant some trees before the end of the month -- then the yard work will be on hold until the fall I'm thinking ;-)

Well, I'm off to lay down - doctor's orders!

The Long Awaited BELLY SHOTS!

Here it is, on full display :-) My belly is definitely getting rolly-polly-er! lol I checked it against pics at ~32 weeks with Landon and i'm actually a pretty similar size. I thought I was bigger this time, but that must just be my butt. *sigh*

Dr Appt went well today

Landon is getting soooo big... makes me amazed and somewhat sad that he's getting so big! lol He's 35.5" tall, and 30 pounds! So that's about 75th percentile for height, 85th for weight (which is somewhat surprising since he's such a wiry little bugger! There isn't much fat on Landon, that's for sure. But he is very strong, which is where the weight is coming from I guess *shrug*
So he's doing well. He still has a bit of an ear infection, so he has ear drops for the next 5 days. Hopefully he'll be fully recovered to go to Grandma's house! Poor kid. He still hasn't been acting like he's in pain - he does pull at his ear a bit, and he wants a soother all the time, and he's been chewing on his fingers alot -> all of which I thought meant he's teething (I hear horror stories about 2-year molars!). But maybe it's just been his ears.

And I'm doing well, and baby #2 is doing well. When the doc was listening to baby's heartrate, s/he didn't like it too much. They moved from one side of my belly to the other, and when the doctor followed with his heartbeat-hearing thingy, the baby kicked him and moved again! LOL Fiesty little bugger already!! aiaiaiai

Last night Landon was a very good boy for his babysitters. John and I went out for dinner with some friends, and they're kids looked after Landon for the evening. He didn't even cry or fuss when we left. But those poor sitters - they were pretty tired by the time we got back from dinner! LOL He even tires out the teen-agers that kid! I was very glad that he was so good, hopefully we'll get out a few more times before #2 comes along.

I'm getting geared up for Landon's birthday party on Saturday. We're hoping Nikki, Fabian and the girls are able to stop on their way through to Edmonton. Plus Aunty Trish will be here, as will Grandma and Grandpa. I know Landon will be very excited to see Grandma and Grandpa, that's for sure. I haven't even mentioned that they're coming yet - he gets so worked up!! LOL I'm picking up the Thomas cake pan tomorrow - then the fun will begin :-/ Ah well, I'm sure it will work out just fine.

So that's our news for today...

Look at Landon!

Landon is just a busy little stinker these days. If I'm downstairs, he'll go upstairs. So I go upstairs, and he heads downstairs. LOL And always to explore things he's not supposed to have. Today he discovered the sugar bowl. He dumped some on the cupboard, then spooned some into his mouth. MMmm...MM! He thought that tasted pretty darned good.
Then he brought me the snack mix that Grandma made - he REALLY likes goldfish!

And every time he's doing something, he's saying "look at Landon!". And we have to look, or he just keeps repeating that over and over and over and over and over...and over. Usually he's doing something really amazing, like standing up on the arm of the couch, or jumping on the table, or doing the surfer-stand on the rocking chair, or some other such wonderful, heart-stopping feat! Fun.....heh heh

I had my second ultrasound this morning - VERY active baby, which I don't feel much of because I have an anterior placenta (meaning it's on the belly side of my uterus, cushioning my belly from feeling all of baby's antics). But all the bits and pieces seem to be there and in the right places which is wonderful. And I am starting to feel more movement, which is thrilling of course.

So that's the news for now ... will post some more pics shortly when I get through them all. Right now I'm off for a snoozer...

Still on the mend...

Well, our household certainly isn't 100% yet. Landon seems to be faring the best of the three of us, but that's likely because John and I do all the work and all he has to do all day is play :-D He is waking up crying at night though - maybe a bit of a habit formed from when he was really sick and we'd go running in there at every snuffle and squawk? I wasn't running in there last night, so John actually got up to check on him. By then Landon had found his soother and was calming down - so hopefully tonight we'll get a full night's rest!!!
So we haven't done a damned thing for the past week beyond just trying to get through it. Actually that's not altogether true -- I went to see my Ped on Monday, he will see me through the rest of the pregnancy and delivery. Things are good - heartbeat at 136 bpm (for those who are noting these things for guesses). I'm gaining weight, a bit, but mostly belly which is good. My next ultrasound is in 2 weeks (jan 22) and I'm really looking forward to it.

And we saw Trish on the weekend - finally! It's been awhile. She's moving to Calgary though which is great news! Landon actually played shy when she first arrived, but he very quickly warmed up to her.

And that really is it. Hopefully I'll find the energy to get through some pics in the next few days - I know everyone's waiting for them :-/ until then..TK

Baby #2!!

Here's #2!! The ultrasound today went well ... they think I might be more like 13 weeks, as opposed to 12 (which would move my due date from June 24 to about June 18 ... we'll see if that's what the doc does).
But everything looks good. This ultrasound was testing for chromosomal abnormalities (such as Down's Syndrome) and our risks are determined to be very low, which is great news! Also I was just glad to see the little stinker, see the heart beating, see s/he moving around. What a wonderful feeling!!
That's it for now, just a quick post that all's well!! Until next time...