Sunday, April 1, 2012

Joshua Turns 4


Joshua has waited for this birthday more than any other one so far. Last summer we watched his cousins play tee ball and baseball and Joshua was SO intrigued. We told him that he had to be 4 years old before he could play and he just couldn't wait for March to roll around. We heard about teeball and baseball all winter-it was so sweet!! I can't believe how big he's gotten.

Last November, when Madelynn turned 2, Joshua picked his birthday party theme and has NEVER changed his mind. He stuck with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and the party turned out great!! Here are a few of the decorations:

Joshua was able to celebrate with cake and ice cream,

lots of family, and presents

...what better way to spend your birthday??

Oh and no birthday party would be complete without a little tea :)

Thanks to all who came out to celebrate and for all of you sharing in our celebration through this blog :)

I just can't resist a change to get snuggles :)

Saturday, March 31, 2012

New baby update


So a few weeks back we had our 3rd ultrasound and had our first GOOD look at our little one growing. It was confirmed at this ultrasound, done at 12weeks5days, that we did have, at one point, twins inside my growing tummy but that one didn't make it. The 2nd sac was still evident on the ultrasound, though it was smaller than the one containing our little one who is thriving. The dr and u/s tech told us that my body would absorb the baby and the sac and they would not worry about it. Doing anything would put the entire pregnancy at risk and something that I am defiantly not willing to do.

At this 12/13week u/s they usually try to do some measurements that would give us a better idea if our baby will have a genetic condition that would be cause for concern. Unfortunately our little one would not work with the tech and we were unable to get the readings they needed and therefore they could not tell us much about what is going on. I am a carrier of a genetic disorder, most likely the cause for MY miscarriages (we know for sure that 2 of them had Trisomy 13) so this is something that we'd like to know ahead of time, to prepare mentally, though nothing would change in terms of how we will proceed. We have our next u/s scheduled for April 20th and will have a 'gender reveal party" around Dan's birthday (May 7th) to let our family know what we are having, then we will pass on the news to our friends...sorry you'll have to wait a bit longer...in the meantime you can enjoy these pics :)

Joshua thinks that our little one is a boy, and I have to agree with him, based on my feeling and on the past pregnancy likeness that this one has with Joshua's. Madelynn's so different than both of them, though I carried both of them very low, and I seem to be doing the same with this one..see?!?!
These 2 pics were taken at 14weeks, so a few weeks after my u/s and a few weeks ago now and I feel like I am about the same overall. Sometimes I feel bigger, sometimes I feel smaller, but it all depends on what kind of and size shirt I am wearing :) The dr told me that I may appear smaller as my body absorbs the little one we lost so I wonder, at times, if that is what is happening. I am officially down 20lbs but the morning sickness has FINALLY gotten bearable. I am no longer puking all day and the constant nauseous has lifted but now I am faced with blinding migraines and the occasional nauseous, but still the daily puking, but nothing like before.

I"ll take all of it, and more, if it means that this baby will make it. We have been so blessed with the ability to conceive easily but holding onto a pregnancy is the tricky thing. Please pray that things continue to run smoothly and that when we have our next u/s on April 20th that we will get better answers as to any issues, if any, that lie ahead. We also pray that the baby will show us everything we need to know if it is indeed a little boy or if Dan is correct in his inkling that it is a girl.


As I lay here writing this now, at 10:30pm, I am being kicked like crazy from the inside. This movement started earlier this week and I LOVE it! The kids and Dan are still unable to feel it but I can't wait until they can...Joshua loves to lay on my tummy, Moo too, like he did when I was pregnant with Madelynn, and I can see both of them falling asleep to the kicks of the baby, their heads on my tummy, like Joshua use to do with Madelynn. They are going to be such good big siblings for this little one...I just know it!!

LOTW G

What words start with letter G??
Joshua's list : gaga, grandpa, girls, goons, goldfish
Moo's list : GOONS!
They crack me up!!


This week we we talked about gumballs, girls, granparents, gingerbread: cookies, houses, men. Here are some of our activities for the week:

Writing letter Gs

Goldfish collage making

Letter tracing with polished stones


Moo coloring :)
My beautiful Moo girl!


Do-A-Dots
And finally...our gingerbread house :)

These were just a few of the highlights from our week :)

Friday, March 30, 2012

Homeschool Catch Up...LOTW F


So life happened...again, and I am getting WAY behind on this thing. Sorry to my followers :/ I have actually received a few emails from followers asking for updates :) So here are some home-school updates, going back to letter F:

Finding and circling all the letter F's in the paragraph


Counting Fish

What comes next??

Fish Graphing

Writing letters


Letter Stamping

Making a "F" Fox

Thursday, March 15, 2012

ASL Spring Classes!!

Class registration is NOW OPEN-YAY!!!


The following classes are offered through the Anoka-Hennepin Community Education Program.


Spring 2012 Classes

Introduction to Baby Play and Sign --- click to register here ---

Baby Sign and Play 1 --click to register here ---


If you have any questions about purchasing products or classes available please email me atpewjumper@signingtimeacademy.com

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Blighted Ovum

Have you ever heard this term?

I had no clue what it was when my midwife mentioned it to me a few weeks ago when we had our first ultrasound. At this first ultrasound it was noted that I was 6weeks3days, my uterus was measuring 12weeks2days, and there were 2 sacs inside my uterus.

Being that I was so early they were only able to see a baby in one sac and told me that there were a few things that could come of this:
A.) we could have TWINS!!
B.) it could be an empty sac-something they called a 'false pregnancy'
C.) it could be a blighted ovum

We scheduled another ultrasound 1.5weeks later and we were eager to see what they would be telling us. I went in, they started the u/s and right away there were 2 sacs :) I was really excited, yet overwhelmed at the thought, that it could be twins, but waited to hear what the tech would say about what she was seeing. She informed me that yes there were 2 sacs, but only 1 had a baby in it. She called the empty sac a 'blighted ovum'.

I asked her to explain that term to me and she said that it is a missed miscarriage. Basically we miscarried the other twin, leaving only one baby left in my growing belly. And growing this belly is as it is now measuring (well at this baby was 8weeks1day) 15weeks.

My midwife later confirmed this all to be true, when she called me yesterday (my u/s was on Tuesday of this week). But she had some other news to tell me too...

Apparently when you have a blighted ovum you have the potential to spot and that can cause some concern regarding the healthy baby growing inside. She informed me that there was a sac of blood in my uterus right now that she is hoping will absorb into the body (something that happens often when the baby transplants into the uterus). I am suppose to call her right away if I have any cramping or bleeding but otherwise do not be concerned (easier for her to say when she is not the one who has lost 3 babies in a year).

So now we continue to wait until my next ultrasound on February 28th, and pray that everything continues to go well and that baby will continue to be perfect! I have seen and heard the heartbeat twice now and it is an amazing sound!! At our last ultrasound I was able to see it move it's little arms and kick it's little foot. So amazing!!

So friends, please say a prayer that everything is going to continue well and that we will not have any hiccups along the way.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

:)

1 pregnancy test
2 early ultrasounds
3 weeks of keeping nothing down (and counting)
4 anxious people in the harrison household
5 pairs of pants that don't fit
6 hours of sleep per night
7 trips a night to the bathroom (to pee or puke)
8 weeks pregnant :)

**baby coming early September 2012**