On my last post someone name "SARAH" wrote a post and asked me some questions - but I have no way to know who you are!! If you read this post will you email me so I know who you are and have your email? Thanks!!

We found out it's a boy last week!! We are very excited for Levi to have a brother close in age!!

I am tired.

I'm tired of feeling sick 24/7.

I'm tired of craving food with actual flavor all the time and not being able to eat it.

I'm tired of peeing on a stick every day to see how dehydrated I am.

I'm tired of weighing myself every day.

I'm tired of wanting to sleep 24/7.

I'm tired of asking John to do so much for me and Levi.

I'm tired of John having to cook for himself.

I'm tired of measuring how much fluid I drink and keep down daily.

I'm tired of not being able to leave my house whenever I want.

I'm tired of feeling even worse for days after every time I do leave the house.

I'm tired of not going to church.

I'm tired of getting poked numerous times for new IV's.

I'm tired of the tubing catching on everything and anything that sticks out.

I'm tired of my Zofran medicine pump.

I'm tired of having to calculate when I shower based on when I'm tube free.

I'm tired of not dressing cute.

I'm tired of looking like I don't feel good.

I'm tired of people asking if I feel better and not being able to say 'yes'.

I'm tired of cartoons.

I'm tired of Levi watching WAY more TV than he should because I can't entertain him like I usually do.

I'm tired of not keeping the house as clean as I want.

I'm tired of not having the energy to get off the couch.

I'm tired of wearing the same velour outfits every day.

I'm tired of not being able to exercise or go on walks.

I'm tired of waking up every day hoping and praying that this is the day I start to feel a little better.


But...I have so much to be thankful for and things could be SO much worse.

Every day I wake up to the sweetest, most adorable little cutie pie and I smile and remember it will be worth it. My husband is helping as much as he can, when he can.

I was recently talking to a friend who's wife is pregnant and I was telling him how blessed she was to have him get up with their little girl each morning. He said, "It's the least we husbands can do for you pregnant women." Oh my, music to my ears. While John has been good to help he has never uttered words like that!! I shared that conversation with him and now...he says it all the time.

"Honey, will you bring me a new IV bag and flush?"

"John, would you make me some Rice?"

"John, would you get me some water?"

"John, would you go pee for me so I don't have to get up?"


John: "Its the least I can do for my pregnant wife."

AHHHHHHHH!! THAT makes me feel better!!

Update on Me

I keep meaning to post new updates on how things are going but I keep putting it off. Since I last updated I have remained on the Zofran medicine pump and have been on and off the IV. Every time the nurse came to start an IV she had a very difficult time getting one started. About a month ago they had everything set up to have a PICC Line put in which I was fine with because then I wouldn't be poked extensively each time. However, after being on the IV for a few days I started to get extremely depressed. I don't sleep well because I have to pee every couple of hours, I also have to keep my arm in a particular position to protect the IV from infiltrating. I kind of had a freak out and called and begged them not to do the PICC Line. I started guzzling fluids to hydrate myself. Every morning I take a test to see how dehydrated I am, as well as, I weight myself every morning - I then have to report these to my nurses at Alere (home healthcare company) daily. The Zofran that I take doesn't work as well when you are dehydrated and I am not able to keep anything down when I get dehydrated - so it is important to stay on top of my hydration levels.

I have had an IV started 3 times since then. Last week they poked me 7 times to get it started. I have found a couple of people who are willing to come and watch Levi and help me keep the house in order a couple days a week so. This has been a huge blessing because I can rest like I need to. Motion makes me sicker. Having to be up cleaning or running after Levi takes its toll on my body - it is especially difficult when I have to go out of the house.

John just finished one of the houses he was flipping so he has been home to help me during the day as well. It has been amazing to have him around to help. Currently he is in Breckenridge snowboarding with a friend that is in town. I have had my sweet Andrea here to help me while he's been gone. I'm so happy he is up there - he deserves some fun!!

A nurse in coming today to restart on IV on me. I am severely dehydrated again. We continue to pray and believe that I will feel awesome soon. Anytime between 14-19 weeks is what we are expecting. Will you pray with us? It is very difficult with the IV pole and Levi. I get frustrated easily because the tubing gets caught on everything that sticks out and my pole is not easy to take with me. I had to put nails all over the house so that I have somewhere to hang the IV bag without my IV pole following me everywhere!!

On a bright note I found a 3d/4d Ultrasound business in town that will tell us the sex of the baby at 15 weeks! I am so excited and can hardly wait to find out! Normally we would have to wait until 19 weeks. It is a blessing to have that to look forward to in less than 2 weeks!!

New Seat Belt Law

Effective April 1, 2009, in ALL states. The National Highway Safety Council has done extensive testing on a newly designed seat belt.

Results show that accidents can be reduced by as much as 45% when the belt is properly installed. Correct installation is illustrated below.

Please pass on to family and friends. THIS MAY HELP SAVE A LIFE!




A bunch of my girl friends emailed me back telling me that this needs to be a mouth strap for the man...but the way I look at it, the mouth strap is forever whoever is in the passenger seat!!!

Fun at the Park

Good Reminder

This is so sweet.

Song for a Fifth Child.

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

Update

Everyone has been asking me how I am doing with this pregnancy so I thought I would write an update. The last time I was pregnant I was sick and throwing up 5-10/day the entire pregnancy. I became seriously dehydrated. Due to severe dehydration the nurses had an impossible time finding a vein for the IV. This was extremely traumatic as I was poked endlessly to get an IV started. Finally I ended up with a permanent PICC Line (a line inserted surgically into your arm that goes through a vein and stops above your heart) so that I could receive IV fluids, Vitamins, and other medicines 24 hours a day - without being poked 6-7 times every dew days. An awesome home healthcare company came to our home and taught me how to take care of my PICC Line and how to add everything to my IV fluid bags. It was BRUTAL. This is called Hyperemesis Gravidarum and only 1% of pregnant women will have it. 99% will be better by 19 weeks.

This time I am educated and know what I am up against. While it isn't guaranteed that you will have it with every pregnancy we were prepared. As soon as I got nauseous at 6 weeks I began to take Zofran (anti-nauseau meds) and I immediately stopped eating anything other than bland foods. I also have to limit fluids because it is a surefire way to vomit immediately. Having said that I was only throwing up once a day because I knew how to manage things this time. We were hopeful that this time would be different. However, as time has gone on I have gradually felt worse and I have to monitor what I eat carefully.

Today the home health care company is coming to hook me up to a Zofran pump that I manage. It is like an insulin pump in that I have to insert a new needle (on my stomach or thighs) every 24 hours and change the meds as they run out. This is not fun because I get hard red knots the size of baseballs wherever the needle and medicine are inserted - these knots last at least a week. Along with that I will be getting an IV inserted so I can get some fluids for a few days. The key here is that hydrating me and getting me on the Zofran pump this early will go a long way in preventing what happened last time. I do everything I can to not throw up - it is hard to stop my body from constantly throwing up once I've started the trend.

I am still in my first trimester so I have a ways to go - but we are praying I will be better by 19 weeks this time!! Thanks for the prays and concerns!!

That Sweet Face

The Fun of a Box & A Naked Booty

Celebration of Levi

Last September for Levi's birthday I put together this video to celebrate Levi. Through many events my computer died right before we showed it at church and it ended up on my father-in-laws computer because his computer was working (then he went back to Missouri and I didn't see the video until now)!!! So I am just now getting the video back into my hands and onto my new MacBook.

Levi's original due date was the 10 Year Anniversary of my Ovarian cancer diagnosis. This video includes pictures from my diagnosis and treatment in 1998, our wedding in 2004, and Levi's birth up to his 1st birthday. It is about 10 minutes long...but I hope you take time to watch it.

Poppy's Hat Again