This Fall is going to be strange, to say the least. Brookie will be going to Pre-K and it will be the first time that I've sent her to any type of school. I've never dropped her off with a bunch of strangers before so this is going to be HARD.
We wrestled with decision for so many months. I was going to send her to preschool last year but seeing as how I HATE school, I kind of wanted to keep her out of that structure for as long as I could. This year I really didn't want to send her off but after much thought, I realized that it would be a disservice to shove her out the door to kindergarten next year without first letting her test the waters.
She'll be attending the universal Pre-K program in our school district which will either be from 8:15- 10:45 in the morning or from 11:30 to 2 in the afternoon 5 days a week. We requested the morning program but have yet to hear if we got it or not. Either way, picking her up and dropping her off will pretty much consume my day.
We were going to send her to a private preschool here in our little town but the curriculum and facility didn't nearly compare to the public school program. We would have spent the money on it if we felt it was best for her but the universal Pre-K gets rave reviews from everyone we talk to. When we met with the teachers for the screening we were amazed at how they brought Brooke out of her shell and related to her. It was really reassuring! It's also nice because she'll be with the same kids that will attend kindergarten with her next year and she'll also be in the same building for the rest of her elementary school career.
It's going to be convenient that John works nights because he gets home at 7:30 in the morning. That way he'll either be able to run her down to school or sit with Adrienne and Bailey so I won't have to lug them out each morning. They have bus transportation but there is NO way my baby girl is getting on that bus! She seems to think she'll be fine but that's why I'm the mom here:-)
We went today and got her all news clothes and shoes for school and her daddy will be taking her for a trip to pick out her new lunchbox and backpack. It's really setting in that my oldest baby is about to go off into this big, cruel world. It helps that she's so excited and beaming with happiness every time someone asks her about it. I know she'll succeed but the thought of being away from her every day is a little hard to swallow.
Man, I never thought this day would come so quickly. It's just Pre-K but I'm starting to realize that she'll never again just be home as my baby with no agenda. Kind of sad but VERY exciting for her! I'm so looking forward to watching my girl as she grows and adjusts to this next phase of her life.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Running.... BLEK!
Well, after taking my entire pregnancy with Bailey off from exercising, plus the first 4 months of her life, I decided it was time to get back into the swing of things. I really am not the type that enjoys physical activity but I LOVE how it makes me feel about myself. It boosts my self image and confidence. Not to mention, it's super good for you, too!
I had been super into aerobics while losing the baby weight from Adrienne and I really enjoyed it. However, having THREE kids now, it's hard to find time alone to fit in the aerobics. Even if John watches the girls for me, they are still present and interested in what I'm doing. It's not that I so much mind that but I feel guilty if someone gets in a fight or starts crying and I don't acknowledge what's going on.
So, my sister had been doing this program called "Couch to 5K" which trains you to go from not running at all to running a, you guessed it, 5K (3.1 miles). She looks great from her running and seems to really be making amazing strides so I jumped on her "band wagon." I'm now on week 2 of this whole process and I HATE it. Not just a little bit but with a passion. The problem is that I have a bad case of asthma and I wake up at night gasping for breath so you can imagine what running does to these awful lungs of mine. I come home from my runs feeling like I'm going to die but I keep telling myself that this is normal and that my endurance will increase. It has to, RIGHT???
I'm also wondering what will happen if I end up enjoying the running... Will I be able to run in the ice and snow? And will my lungs allow me to run, even in the Fall where I usually get EXTREMELY sick? Fall is, by far, the worst season for my asthma and I often end up with at least one trip the hospital. It's horrible. I guess I'm afraid that I'll finally start to succeed at this and then my body will shut down, like it does every year.
Who knows... Maybe in a couple of weeks I'll feel better about running. As for now, I really do hate it. I'm stubborn, though, and I am dead set on succeeding at this.. Even if it kicks my butt... and my lungs!
I had been super into aerobics while losing the baby weight from Adrienne and I really enjoyed it. However, having THREE kids now, it's hard to find time alone to fit in the aerobics. Even if John watches the girls for me, they are still present and interested in what I'm doing. It's not that I so much mind that but I feel guilty if someone gets in a fight or starts crying and I don't acknowledge what's going on.
So, my sister had been doing this program called "Couch to 5K" which trains you to go from not running at all to running a, you guessed it, 5K (3.1 miles). She looks great from her running and seems to really be making amazing strides so I jumped on her "band wagon." I'm now on week 2 of this whole process and I HATE it. Not just a little bit but with a passion. The problem is that I have a bad case of asthma and I wake up at night gasping for breath so you can imagine what running does to these awful lungs of mine. I come home from my runs feeling like I'm going to die but I keep telling myself that this is normal and that my endurance will increase. It has to, RIGHT???
I'm also wondering what will happen if I end up enjoying the running... Will I be able to run in the ice and snow? And will my lungs allow me to run, even in the Fall where I usually get EXTREMELY sick? Fall is, by far, the worst season for my asthma and I often end up with at least one trip the hospital. It's horrible. I guess I'm afraid that I'll finally start to succeed at this and then my body will shut down, like it does every year.
Who knows... Maybe in a couple of weeks I'll feel better about running. As for now, I really do hate it. I'm stubborn, though, and I am dead set on succeeding at this.. Even if it kicks my butt... and my lungs!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
4-Month Stats
Well, it seems as though my littlest girl is not so little after all! She had her 4-month appointment today and she weighed in at a whopping 16 pounds, 5 ounces and was 24. inches long. She's in the 95th percentile for weight and 75th for height!! Wow.
I went back and looked at her bigger sisters' stats and Brookie was 15 pounds and Adrienne was 15.5. It's funny to me because Bailey was my smallest baby at birth by a few ounces and she's now my biggest baby. The other girls were shorter than her at this age though so she probably gets some of that extra weight from her length.
It's hilarious to me because my girls stop growing once they hit one, basically. They get big SUPER quick and level off once they start moving around. Adrienne was 20 pounds at 1 and is now only 23 pounds. It's hard to believe that she and Bailey are only about 7 pounds apart.
I'm always happy to get a clean bill of health for my baby, chubby and all! I'm so thankful for her in every way:-)
I went back and looked at her bigger sisters' stats and Brookie was 15 pounds and Adrienne was 15.5. It's funny to me because Bailey was my smallest baby at birth by a few ounces and she's now my biggest baby. The other girls were shorter than her at this age though so she probably gets some of that extra weight from her length.
It's hilarious to me because my girls stop growing once they hit one, basically. They get big SUPER quick and level off once they start moving around. Adrienne was 20 pounds at 1 and is now only 23 pounds. It's hard to believe that she and Bailey are only about 7 pounds apart.
I'm always happy to get a clean bill of health for my baby, chubby and all! I'm so thankful for her in every way:-)
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Summer Sickness
It's been an exhausting couple of days around here! I thought that we would skate through this summer without anyone getting sick but that's been anything but the case. Blek!
Brooke started running a fever early, early on Thursday morning. I didn't come back until late that evening, which was kind of weird. Her fever would get really high really quick (in the 104's!) but when she didn't have the fever, she acted completely fine- Normal amount of appetite and energy. Weird. I ended up taking her to the doctor where they gave her a broad spectrum antibiotic to treat a bladder infection because her urine had white blood cells and other bacteria in it. They sent the urine out for a culture and if it comes back fine after all we're supposing that a virus was causing the fever. Either way, the fever has been gone since we started the antibiotic. It could very well be a coincidence, though.
John came down with pink eye on Wednesday and then Bailey, of all people, caught it and started showing symptoms on Saturday. She actually had a fever and was having lots of diarrhea and other stomach issues. The doctor said that sometimes the bug that causes pink eye can cause other irritants in the body. She has been extra fussy when she's awake but also extra sleepy. She's had one bad night of being up crying off and on but other than that, she has continued to sleep through the night, despite not feeling great.
I'm praying that nobody else catches any of this! We've been shackled with somebody being sick since Wednesday and it's NOT fun! My eyes have been itching but I'm so allergic that it's not uncommon. If I wake up with pink eye I won't be happy!!! I must wash my hands every 2 seconds to avoid it at ALL costs.
Children are wonderful blessings but goodness gracious.. Isn't it the worst when they're sick? It's just awful. Let's hope that we finish the remaining weeks of summer without anymore sickness!
Brooke started running a fever early, early on Thursday morning. I didn't come back until late that evening, which was kind of weird. Her fever would get really high really quick (in the 104's!) but when she didn't have the fever, she acted completely fine- Normal amount of appetite and energy. Weird. I ended up taking her to the doctor where they gave her a broad spectrum antibiotic to treat a bladder infection because her urine had white blood cells and other bacteria in it. They sent the urine out for a culture and if it comes back fine after all we're supposing that a virus was causing the fever. Either way, the fever has been gone since we started the antibiotic. It could very well be a coincidence, though.
John came down with pink eye on Wednesday and then Bailey, of all people, caught it and started showing symptoms on Saturday. She actually had a fever and was having lots of diarrhea and other stomach issues. The doctor said that sometimes the bug that causes pink eye can cause other irritants in the body. She has been extra fussy when she's awake but also extra sleepy. She's had one bad night of being up crying off and on but other than that, she has continued to sleep through the night, despite not feeling great.
I'm praying that nobody else catches any of this! We've been shackled with somebody being sick since Wednesday and it's NOT fun! My eyes have been itching but I'm so allergic that it's not uncommon. If I wake up with pink eye I won't be happy!!! I must wash my hands every 2 seconds to avoid it at ALL costs.
Children are wonderful blessings but goodness gracious.. Isn't it the worst when they're sick? It's just awful. Let's hope that we finish the remaining weeks of summer without anymore sickness!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
5 Gallons of Change
In our laundry room sits a mostly empty 5-gallon water jug. As for the part that's not empty... It's filled with our loose change. We have big dreams for this water jug, let me tell ya! In a few years, it will be our funds to go to Disney World.
Once upon a time when John and I were dating, we saved all of our change. Little did we know that it would FULLY fund our honeymoon, which was a 5 day Cruise to Key West and Mexico. It was over $1200 to pay for our cruise and our airfare and we hardly felt the sting of paying for it because we just rolled up our change. So when John saw this empty water jug that we have now, he got the wonderful idea to use it to save for something our whole family could appreciate.
I think that this is a great lesson to our children! It not only shows them that things cost money... And in this case, A LOT of it, but it also shows them to wait patiently for something really big. Brooke is so precious because when we started throwing our change into this jug she also began to throw in her spare money. She did it with such joy and excitement but it somehow broke my heart. Then, when I thought about it, I realized what an awesome teaching tool this whole jug has turned into!
This jug to me stands for so much more in our lives right now. We could go to Disney World if we wanted to but it doesn't mean we should. We really try to live a minimalistic lifestyle and enjoy living on less now so our future has a brighter picture. The massive amounts of coupons that I clip, the older cars that we drive, the infrequent trips to restaurants... These are all things that kind of fall into our "5 gallon jug" lifestyle. We are learning so many lessons on the way!
Once upon a time when John and I were dating, we saved all of our change. Little did we know that it would FULLY fund our honeymoon, which was a 5 day Cruise to Key West and Mexico. It was over $1200 to pay for our cruise and our airfare and we hardly felt the sting of paying for it because we just rolled up our change. So when John saw this empty water jug that we have now, he got the wonderful idea to use it to save for something our whole family could appreciate.
I think that this is a great lesson to our children! It not only shows them that things cost money... And in this case, A LOT of it, but it also shows them to wait patiently for something really big. Brooke is so precious because when we started throwing our change into this jug she also began to throw in her spare money. She did it with such joy and excitement but it somehow broke my heart. Then, when I thought about it, I realized what an awesome teaching tool this whole jug has turned into!
This jug to me stands for so much more in our lives right now. We could go to Disney World if we wanted to but it doesn't mean we should. We really try to live a minimalistic lifestyle and enjoy living on less now so our future has a brighter picture. The massive amounts of coupons that I clip, the older cars that we drive, the infrequent trips to restaurants... These are all things that kind of fall into our "5 gallon jug" lifestyle. We are learning so many lessons on the way!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Conflicted
After I had Bailey I started to have some nasty stomach problems. My stomach gets very upset and I have issues if eat fatty foods or heavier meals. At first I thought that it was just because I was recovering from the surgery and all but it hasn't gone away. I also started using Weight Watchers to lose the baby weight and I figured that the new diet was what was bothering my stomach. I don't eat fatty, greasy foods very often anymore so when I do my stomach goes nuts.
I wasn't overly concerned about any of this until the weight started coming off faster than it had been. A few weeks ago I lost 4 pounds, where I had been losing weight steadily at like 1.5 pounds a week. The weight is still come off a little quicker and I had myself convinced that I had cancer or something was really wrong. I went to the doctor and she sent me for an ultrasound on my gall bladder. I was relieved that she thought there was something up with that and that she didn't think anything bigger was going on. As it turns out, there are some polyps on my gall bladder, which apparently can grow when the gall bladder doesn't properly operate. She said that she needs to do a dye test of my gall bladder to watch its actual functions to be 100 percent positive that that's the culprit. However... The test would leave me radioactive for 24 hours so I couldn't hold Bailey, or any of the girls, for that matter. This test would be impossible because of that.
So I'm in a rough spot.. The doctor says she has reason to believe that I'll need my gall bladder removed but they can't really be certain without doing the test that I can't have done. She said that they could send me to at Gastroentorologist and they could use a scope to go into the gall bladder but that sounds like an awful lot of work. She also said that while the symptoms I'm having are frustrating that they aren't life threatening or worrisome in and of them self. As of now, I think I'm just going to wait until Bailey's older and deal with the annoyance of the issues I'm having. It will only help me achieve my weight loss goals, right??
I'm also dealing with some nasty sinus and allergy issues, which is pretty much my life. The doctor thinks that I would benefit greatly from sinus surgery and am going to see another doctor about that in a few weeks. I'm excited about that appointment because I would LOVE to feel better but I'm a little anxious about the word "surgery."
I'm starting to feel like a lab rat or a head case... One or the other. Between the severe allergies and asthma, all the sinus issues, and now the gall bladder I might as well just apply for a new body! I'm only 25... Aren't I supposed to feel well???
I wasn't overly concerned about any of this until the weight started coming off faster than it had been. A few weeks ago I lost 4 pounds, where I had been losing weight steadily at like 1.5 pounds a week. The weight is still come off a little quicker and I had myself convinced that I had cancer or something was really wrong. I went to the doctor and she sent me for an ultrasound on my gall bladder. I was relieved that she thought there was something up with that and that she didn't think anything bigger was going on. As it turns out, there are some polyps on my gall bladder, which apparently can grow when the gall bladder doesn't properly operate. She said that she needs to do a dye test of my gall bladder to watch its actual functions to be 100 percent positive that that's the culprit. However... The test would leave me radioactive for 24 hours so I couldn't hold Bailey, or any of the girls, for that matter. This test would be impossible because of that.
So I'm in a rough spot.. The doctor says she has reason to believe that I'll need my gall bladder removed but they can't really be certain without doing the test that I can't have done. She said that they could send me to at Gastroentorologist and they could use a scope to go into the gall bladder but that sounds like an awful lot of work. She also said that while the symptoms I'm having are frustrating that they aren't life threatening or worrisome in and of them self. As of now, I think I'm just going to wait until Bailey's older and deal with the annoyance of the issues I'm having. It will only help me achieve my weight loss goals, right??
I'm also dealing with some nasty sinus and allergy issues, which is pretty much my life. The doctor thinks that I would benefit greatly from sinus surgery and am going to see another doctor about that in a few weeks. I'm excited about that appointment because I would LOVE to feel better but I'm a little anxious about the word "surgery."
I'm starting to feel like a lab rat or a head case... One or the other. Between the severe allergies and asthma, all the sinus issues, and now the gall bladder I might as well just apply for a new body! I'm only 25... Aren't I supposed to feel well???
Friday, July 22, 2011
A Year Ago
It's hard to believe that exactly a year ago from today I found out that I was pregnant with Bailey! I never really had the chance to write about how I found out that incredible news because I didn't want to announce my pregnancy until I was further along so today seems like a good day to tell the story.
It was the week of Vacation Bible School at our church and it was HOT. I remember that John and I had been talking a lot about whether or not we would have a third baby and we had pretty much decided that we would stop at two. Then, on the first day of Bible school we were swarmed with kids and that only added to our feelings of wanting to be done. Lol
I had been feeling a little run down that week but because I was doing all of the cooking for church I thought that that was the culprit. I had another really strange symptom, though... I was dropping EVERYTHING. When I'm pregnant I don't what it is but I always drop and spill things left and right. It was so bad that my friend, Lindsey, who was working with me even noticed how clumsy I was being. I took a Dollar Store pregnancy test that night and got a faint line but decided that it looked more like an evaporation line than a positive and I just brushed it off.
The next day we were at Bible School and I had finished cleaning up the kitchen and needed a few groceries. While John finished doing the games and the girls stayed in their classes I ran out to get those errands out of the way. As I walked by the pregnancy tests on the shelf, they were calling out to me. I couldn't help but buy one just to make sure that the previous test was accurately negative. I got back to church and there was still like an hour left to kill so I went back and forth to the car... One time leaving the pregnancy test in there, another time shoving it in my bag, and so on. I couldn't decide if I really wanted to pee on it at church.
Because I was completely certain that the test would be negative, I went ahead and peed on it in the church bathroom. BIG MISTAKE. It was a First Response pink dye test and when the bright pink line quickly appeared I just about had a heart attack. It was the most unexpected shock of my lifetime, to say the least. We certainly were NOT trying to have a baby!! I could hardly compose myself.
John was outside with the kids and I was shaking. I went out to hug him just to get some type of reassurance or comfort. He said, "Baby, what's wrong?" I said, "Oh nothing... We'll talk later." He got worried... "Jillian, did you lose your debit card again? What's wrong??" I then told him that it was MUCH MORE than that. Lol. And for lack of better words to say, I blurted out, "I'm pregnant." He just held me as I cried and a million kids ran all around the church yard while I melted in his arms.
It's a funny memory to look back on that time. It's not that I didn't think I could handle another baby or not already love the baby that was growing inside of me... I was just shocked. It was a lot to process and definitely a lot to think about. Now that it's all said and done, though, I can't imagine never knowing Bailey's beautiful face. Never having the experience of being pregnant with her. Never knowing the joy of her smile or the music of her laughter. I am so thankful that God added another little life to our family! I'm pretty positive that He won't be doing that again though! Lol
It was the week of Vacation Bible School at our church and it was HOT. I remember that John and I had been talking a lot about whether or not we would have a third baby and we had pretty much decided that we would stop at two. Then, on the first day of Bible school we were swarmed with kids and that only added to our feelings of wanting to be done. Lol
I had been feeling a little run down that week but because I was doing all of the cooking for church I thought that that was the culprit. I had another really strange symptom, though... I was dropping EVERYTHING. When I'm pregnant I don't what it is but I always drop and spill things left and right. It was so bad that my friend, Lindsey, who was working with me even noticed how clumsy I was being. I took a Dollar Store pregnancy test that night and got a faint line but decided that it looked more like an evaporation line than a positive and I just brushed it off.
The next day we were at Bible School and I had finished cleaning up the kitchen and needed a few groceries. While John finished doing the games and the girls stayed in their classes I ran out to get those errands out of the way. As I walked by the pregnancy tests on the shelf, they were calling out to me. I couldn't help but buy one just to make sure that the previous test was accurately negative. I got back to church and there was still like an hour left to kill so I went back and forth to the car... One time leaving the pregnancy test in there, another time shoving it in my bag, and so on. I couldn't decide if I really wanted to pee on it at church.
Because I was completely certain that the test would be negative, I went ahead and peed on it in the church bathroom. BIG MISTAKE. It was a First Response pink dye test and when the bright pink line quickly appeared I just about had a heart attack. It was the most unexpected shock of my lifetime, to say the least. We certainly were NOT trying to have a baby!! I could hardly compose myself.
John was outside with the kids and I was shaking. I went out to hug him just to get some type of reassurance or comfort. He said, "Baby, what's wrong?" I said, "Oh nothing... We'll talk later." He got worried... "Jillian, did you lose your debit card again? What's wrong??" I then told him that it was MUCH MORE than that. Lol. And for lack of better words to say, I blurted out, "I'm pregnant." He just held me as I cried and a million kids ran all around the church yard while I melted in his arms.
It's a funny memory to look back on that time. It's not that I didn't think I could handle another baby or not already love the baby that was growing inside of me... I was just shocked. It was a lot to process and definitely a lot to think about. Now that it's all said and done, though, I can't imagine never knowing Bailey's beautiful face. Never having the experience of being pregnant with her. Never knowing the joy of her smile or the music of her laughter. I am so thankful that God added another little life to our family! I'm pretty positive that He won't be doing that again though! Lol
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