Holiday Decorating

The weekend after Thanksgiving is always reserved for our Holiday decorating. This year was no different, except we were able to get the decorating in the house completed on the night of Thanksgiving.

Our decorating is simple; an artificial tree with simple ornaments and a few things around the house that were either gifts or handed down to me. Each year, we usually add something to our Holiday light display - we're still looking for the new piece this year.

When my Grandma passed away, I was given a large green Rubbermaid tote. It sat in my laundry room through the entire fall. Although I had glanced inside at its contents, I never really went through it. I pulled it out while we were decorating and found Grandma's Dickens Christmas Village.



It brough back lots of fond memories. Grandma would have my Grandpa set up a big table in the living room (heck, for all I know, it was a big sheet of plywood stacked on boxes!) She would cover it in white quilt batting that looked like snow and set up the charming village. She would put some of the boxes underneath the batting to raise up some of the pieces - I remember always staring at it in wonder as a child. The little houses would light up and the figures looked like they were just coming home from a grand Christmas party.



Although I was really happy to have the village - I had no idea where I would put it! There just isn't room in our house to set it up in such a wonderful way like Grandma did. Even if I moved out some furniture, there would be no where to store it through the Holidays. I was stuck and didn't know what to do. Then I looked around our family room. Nearly all homes with finished basements in MN have a ledge that wraps around the outside walls of the house. AHA! That is where I will put Grandma's Village!



The ledge is already painted white - so I added some lighted garland to hide the cords and went to work.

The Village goes across the entire ledge on one end of our family room. It's impossible to get a picture of the entire thing!

I remember I always loved this little house and the couple that I imagined were coming home from a party.

The village shops are so adorable. They look like small town America - the little towns that you can't help but love. There is toy store, a flower shop, and a book store as well.

I'm so happy that I was able to find a place to set up the village. It's a lot of work - and with little hands around, I might not set it up every Christmas for awhile. This Christmas, being the first without Grandma, it's especially important to have it set up. Madison is amazed by the little village and is constantly asking for it to be turned on.

good news!

My BP was down at my Dr. appt. this morning. So, I get to work for another week! YAH! Too bad I got most of my work done already and don't have much to do in the coming days!

Wicked

I had the pleasure to join several of my college girlfriends at the Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis for a showing of the musical Wicked.

All I can say is WOW.

I wasn't sure if I would like the musical. It is based on the Wizard of Oz, a movie that I have LOATHED since I was a child. I used to look forward to it's annual showing on TV and then I would cry through the entire movie. Strangely enough, Madison just watched it for the first time and she loved it!

The day started with a breakfast buffet at The Local. A very cool downtown Minneapolis restaurant and bar.

The show was sold out - and if I remember correctly, we bought these tickets all the back in early May. We have been planning this girl's day at the theater for a long time!

Wicked isn't really a prequel and it isn't really a sequel to Oz - it's a little of both. It takes place after the wicked witch is killed, but most of it is a flashback that tells the story of how the Wicked Witch became Wicked, how the Good Witch became good and it even ties in the cowardly lion, the tin man, and the scarecrow.

Let's just say, things aren't always what they seem. I think that is the true moral of the entire story. The Wicked Witch really wasn't all that wicked, more like misunderstood. The good witch, althought not bad, was not all that good either. She just did things for all the wrong reasons. I think a lot of people could relate to both the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch. There are lots of twists and turns throughout the entire musical and it gives an entirely new meaning to the movie.

The understudy played the roll of the Wicked Witch - and she was AMAZING. That woman had some serious pipes. She could really belt out a song and there were many times that I had chills just listening to her sing. It made me wonder if it would have been even better had the person who was originally cast for the role performed! The woman that played the good witch was delightful. It was impossible to not like her - one person in our party said it best when she said "Glinda could really deliver a line!" She was spot on. A lot of her performance reminded me of some Saturday Night Live skits and she was perfect for the part.

I'm so glad that I was able to enjoy a day with my girlfriends! It was great to see everyone and I really enjoyed the show.

It's a bird, it's a plane

It's SUPER MADISON!

Grandma snagged some Halloween costumes for Madison at Target. My plan was to let Madison play with one and put the other away for next Halloween. That plan failed miserably when Madison had to try both costumes on! She loves to play dress up, so even if one isn't saved for next Halloween, it will get a lot of use over the year.

Her favorite is the super girl costume. The witch costumer is actually a "Good" witch but she thinks it looks like a scarrrrry witch!

Expert diaper changer

Madison is the official diaper changer in the house! She learned how to change diapers in her big sister class last night. The teacher sent an extra diaper home for Madison to practice. When we got home, she immediately put the diaper on one of her dolls - perfectly! She was so proud of how well she put it on! I'm so excited to have an extra pair of hands for all those diapers we will soon be changing!

In the class, the teacher asked all of the kids who would be staying with them when Mommy goes to the hospital to have the baby. When it was Madison's turn to answer, she said in the softest, sweetest little voice "nobody." It broke my heart! Does she truly think she will be abandoned when the baby is born? I guess, we really haven't talked much about what will happen when the baby comes. It must be time to start talking with her so she knows what to expect.

Despite her heartbreaking answer to the question, she does seem very excited for her baby brother. She has started carrying dolls with her everywhere and proudly tells everyone that Santa Claus is bringing her a baby brother. She wants to buy the baby a present to give him when he is born. We might even make little birth announcements with treats for her to give out to her friends at daycare.

Big Sister Class

Tonight, Madison and I are going to Big Sister Class. It is a class offered by the Mayo Clinic to help her learn what it will be like to be a big sister. She will even get a t-shirt proclaiming her the big sister. I can't wait to see how she reacts to being a big sister.

She is so excited about the class and talked about it the whole way to daycare. When we got there, she had to tell everyone that she was going to Big Sister Class tonight.

She is supposed to bring a doll to practice diapering and swaddling and a newborn baby picture of herself. We got both ready last night and put them in the car today. She insisted on bringing a bottle for the doll. When I told her I was afraid she would lose the bottle, she became very upset and worried that her baby would get thirsty. Too cute.

As we approached daycare, Madison asked me "Mommy, will Big Sister Class be like going to school?"

She has been very interested in school lately and keeps asking to go to pre-school, even though our daycare is beginning to offer some pre school curriculum.

Since I'm not sure what to expect in the class, I told her it will be like school in that she has to sit quietly and listen to her teacher.

Let's hope the class doesn't scare her into not wanting to be a big sister anymore!

Gestational Hypertension

I had my 34 week appointment today and the news wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either.

The good news is the baby is just fine. No worries there.

My blood pressure is still high. Today, it was 120/89. Since all of my labs are coming back normal, I have been diagnosed with gestational hypertension. Basically, that means that my blood pressure has gone up for no apparent reason other than the pregnancy. It doesn't mean much for the baby, but it could be dangerous for me.

So - what does that mean? My doctor normally starts going with every other week appointments at 34 weeks. Instead, I will now have weekly appointments to monitor my blood pressure. If my blood pressure hits either 140 on the upper end or 90 (I'm just one point shy) on the lower end, I will no longer be able to work.

If it continues to rise, we will look at delivering earlier than planned. The goal, of course, is to get to our planned delivery date of December 22. If the blood pressure doesn't cooperate, the next goal is 37 weeks. That is a mere two and a half weeks away.

So - as if I weren't stressed enough by trying to get everything done when I thought I had almost five weeks, now I'm really stressed knowing I may only have two and a half weeks! I'm sure that is just great for my blood pressure.

Great quote

I was feeling tired today and just wanted to go home to sleep and sit on my butt. Then I found this quote on Heidi Swapp's blog:

You can't make footprints in the sands of time if you're sitting on your butt. And who wants to make buttprints in the sands of time?

-Bob Moawad

It made me laugh and it was just what I needed to get my tushie moving today!

Early trip to Labor and Delivery

Well - I made my first trip to labor and delivery this evening. My swelling and severe edema continued throughout the day again today. As the day progressed, I felt worse and worse with my ankles and hands getting larger and larger by the minute. My lips started to feel puffy. I had a dull headache and a pain in my right side. I searched mayoclinic.com for ways to combat the swelling and noticed that I had all of the symptoms for pre eclampsia and even remembered having some blurry vision and seeing stars briefly yesterday.

I called my pregnancy advisor - and even though I have a very low risk of developing pre eclampsia, she advised me to get it checked out.

Mike picked up Madison and brought her home while I headed down to L&D.

I spent nearly three hours hooked up to fetal monitors, blood pressure machines and giving blood and urine samples. Fun.

I normally have very low blood pressure and it has been low for my entire pregnancy. The first couple readings were very high - 145 over 80. Now, that is just inside the range for pre eclampsia, but it is extremely high for my normal.

The fetal monitors showed a very active baby that was doing just fine.

But I was very concerned about my blood pressure readings.

They did an ultrasound and baby boy Lee is doing very well. He is active and measuring right on target for size.

As I laid there, watching Jon and Kate Plus 8, I started feeling a lot better. Gradually, my blood pressure returned to normal. I'm still extremely swollen, but laying in a hospital bed without worrying about cleaning the house and laundry, gave me some time to relax and catch a little rest.

Thankfully my lab work all came back normal. I was sent home with orders to lay on the couch and put my feet up. The blood pressure thing is probably a combination of all the stress that I am under this week and the effects of late pregnancy. I only have to get through a few more days of this killer accounting class and then I can kick back and relax.

Cankles anyone?

OMG.

That is all I can say.

I was sitting at work and my shoe kept pinching my foot. I kept adjusting my stocking and nothing was helping. So, I pull off my stocking to see if there is something causing the trouble - and then I nearly fell out of my chair.

HOLY CANKLES BATMAN.

My foot looks like a club more than a foot. It's a wonder I can even walk on it.

I wonder what my boss would say if she caught me leaning back in my chair with my feet up on my desk?

Cookie baking time

Madison loves to bake. So, I had hoped for some cookie cutters and new cookie sheets for my birthday - and my wish came true! With baby day quickly approaching, Madison and I decided we'd better get moving if we had any hope of having Christmas cookies this year.

Last weekend, we got busy baking our sugar cookies. Mommy measures, Madison pours and stirs. It's a good arrangement!

We made candy canes, Christmas trees, gingerbread men, and stars. We are slowly decorating them each night after supper and getting them into the freezer for Christmas.
When it comes to decorating cookies, Madison is the queen of sprinkles! I frost the cookies, and she adds the sprinkles. I also use cookie gels to create designs on some sprinkle free cookies. I'm not sure if there are more frosting and sprinkles on the cookies or on Madison!

After all the baking and decorating, both of use were tired and sacked out on the couch for a little nap!!!

Halloween Recap

First - the pumpkin carving. Madison picked out her pumpkin a few weeks ago at Northwoods Apple Orchard. She picked out a big pumpkin for herself and the tiniest pumpkin she could find for her baby brother!
Mommy helped draw the face and scoop the goop out the pumpkin. Daddy carved the scary face! Madison drew with a marker on her brother's pumpkin.

For our night of trick or treating, Madison dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood. She loves anything with dresses so she was excited for the costume. I had picked it up last fall on clearance and put it away. It's kind of ironic - after my Grandma passed away in September, I was going through some of her pictures and found a little journal she had been keeping. It was nothing big, mainly notes about all the visitors that she had while she was sick. In the journal, she always referred to Madison as Little Red. I had not idea that she called Madison this until I found the journal. So, it is only fitting that Madison dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood this Halloween. I thought about my Grandma a lot as I helped Madison get ready for her night.

Madison did not like the cape and had to be bribed to wear the cape and hood for the pictures! She was especially excited that Mommy helped her put on some blush and lipstick to complete her look! If we only had a dog that could have played the part of the big bad wolf....

We hit the houses on our street before going to visit Grandma and Grandpa Lee, Great Grandma Dubbels and Great Grandma Lee. She doesn't get to see her great grandmothers that often, so Halloween is always a good excuse to go visiting. This was the first time that Madison went door to door to the houses in our neighborhood. She had fun, but had enough after going to the houses on our block.

Madison filled an entire gift bag with candy - and even had a few extra things that she had to carry outside the bag!

Overheard in the car

As you can tell from previous posts, Madison and I have our craziest conversations in the car. On Friday our conversation went like this:

Madison: Did the doctors take my baby brother out of your tummy yet?
Mommy: No Madison, they will soon, when Santa Claus comes.
Madison: Oh. When the doctors take him out, will they push your belly button back in?
Mommy: No response. I was laughing and choking so hard over her concern about my normally "innie" being an HUGE outtie that I simply couldn't respond.

She has since taken to pushing my outtie in - and poking her Dad's innie.

T-minus

49 Days.

Yes, folks, seven weeks from today at approximately 8am, we will be welcoming our little boy into the world. Unless, of course, he decides to make his debut early. My aching body welcomes that thought, the planner in me says "but everything is planned around him being born on December 22!" I'm not a fan of my plans being changed.

I have been getting a little worked up over the anticipation of another c-section. The anxiety of knowing I will be voluntarily going under the knife has been getting to me. I keep thinking to myself, "I took fertility drugs and gave myself injections so they can cut me open???? And I did it voluntarily??" As if getting to this point wasn't work enough. I am feeling a bit better about it though. I remember my last c-section being a difficult recovery. I had pushed for three hours - so not only were my abdominal muscles overworked and sore, they were sliced in half. After taking our c-section class at Mayo, I learned that it will be much easier this time around. I won't be working those muscles at all, so the recovery will be much faster. The actual procedure will be much more relaxed and won't include the scary chaos that is typical of an unplanned c-section.

Some other cool things will happen too - at Mayo, we get to take our camera into the operating room with us. I'm not sure if we had that option at OMC with Madison - things moved so fast once the doctors decided to do a c-section that we never thought about the camera. Also, at OMC, Mike and the baby left the operating room while I was stitched up and then I went to a recovery room for an hour and a half, alone. I laid their worrying that everyone in the world was seeing and holding my baby before I did (Thankfully, Mike respected my wishes that nobody hold her before I do and he kept everyone out until I had a chance to hold her). Madison was nearly two hours old before I got to hold her. At Mayo, they will stay with me while I'm stitched and we will go to a recovery room together where I will get to try nursing and get to hold my baby right away.

Also, after talking to a friend who just had a repeat c-section two weeks ago, I feel so much better. She is already looking and feeling great and said it was so much better than her first unplanned c-section.

So - I'm looking forward to the next 49 days flying by. We are all ready for our little family to grow.