Life as a Leach

The other day, I was watching TLC's A Baby Story when Caleb came down from his nap.  There was a woman on there who was nursing (tactfully--you can't see anything at all), and Caleb asked what she was doing.  I told him the baby was eating and he asked where the bottle was.  Hmmm...so I told him that his mommy gives him milk from her body, to which he asked if Abby was going to eat from my belly when she was born (I just let the body-belly thing go because I didn't feel like going into all of that...).  I explained that Abby was going to eat from a bottle so that Daddy and Caleb could help feed her.  Of course, he then had a miriad of questions about how the baby gets milk from her belly and all that.  Amy, all I have to say is that you'd better get one of those nursing blankets that hooks around your neck, because this boy is all-kinds-of-interested in how babies get milk from their mommies! In other news:  Canada, here we come!  I may not b...

I visited the urologist today and have been officially cleared to go to Canada!  He basically said there's not much they can do when you're 22 weeks pregnant, which I knew.  I just wanted to make sure my kidneys weren't going to shut down or anything.  But, I'm good to go and we'll just have to stop every five minutes every now and then to use the rest room.  Canada bound on Saturday (after Laura's wedding!!)  :)

Wow....in the midst of all of this, I know I have a lot for which to be thankful.  I'm actually realizing it more and relishing in it, which is good for me. I'm thankful that Abby moves around like crazy.  It may or may not be true, but I feel like her constant movement means that she is still able to move her neck around, which you have already read is really important.  I'm pretty sure she could still kick without neck mobility, but it makes me feel better.  I don't have to wait very long to feel her move.  I'm thankful--as I often tell people--for our insurance.  Say what you want about our school system.  We have amazing insurance and I can't imagine facing the medical bills we will most likely have without it.  I've been making some calls about insurance benefits and they really do pay for a lot.  Along the same lines, I'm thankful for AFLAC!!!  While some might wonder if we're trying to make money off our child's i...

5.  He cries when you get out to put gas in the car as if you're going to leave him forever. 4.  He kicks and flails his arms when you try to put him in the shopping cart. 3.  He tries to grab everything he can reach off of the shelves in the food aisles. 2.  He throws a major tantrum about going to the bathroom, then promptly announces that he needs to go potty almost as soon as you have left. And the #1 way you know your child needs a nap.... 1.  He screams, "I'M NOT TIRED!!!!" at the top of his lungs when you tell him it's time for his nap. I guess after a morning of errands, a quick trip to Walmart was just a little too much to ask!  ;)

What Faith Can Do Everybody falls sometimes You gotta find the strength to rise From the ashes and make a new beginning Anyone can feel the ache You think it’s more than you can take But you’re stronger, stronger than you know And don’t you give up now The sun will soon be shining You gotta face the clouds To find the silver lining I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains Hope that doesn’t ever end Even when the sky is falling I’ve seen miracles just happen Silent prayers get answered Broken hearts become brand new That’s what faith can do It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard Impossible is not a word It’s just a reason for someone not to try Everybody’s scared to death You may decide to take that step Out on the water But it’ll be all right Life is so much more Than what your eyes are seeing You will find your way If you keep believing Overcome the odds When you don’t have a chance (That’s what faith can do) When...

Last week I was worried about a kidney stone. This week I'm worried about the birth of my daughter. Last week I was researching bed sets and infant clothes on Ebay. This week I'm researching NICUs, newborn intubation, and insurance benefits. Last week I spent an hour during nap time watching A Baby Story. This week I spent an hour during nap time on the blog of a little girl with similar problems as Abby. Last week I was lamenting that the itching was keeping me awake. This week I can't get my brain to stop long enough to sleep. Last week I was planning to deliver my baby at our local hospital with a doctor I love and trust. This week I am accepting that I will be induced/C-sectioned with some of the best perinatologists in the area. Last week I was fighting over beautifully smocked dresses with my sister. This week I'm pouring over articles and information. Last week I was looking forward to Canada as a restful vacation. This week I'm depending o...

I'm pretty sure These two Are destined To be married. What do you think?

I'm not sure who the creepy person is, but someone has left a few strange comments on my blog.  I have deleted them and changed my settings to only allow registered users to comment.  If you aren't a registered user, it's not difficult to do.  This will hopefully discourage the creepy person from leaving any more comments.  If I continue to have problems, I will make the blog private.

So much of the next 4 months is against my nature as a planner.  I like to know exactly what I'm doing and how to deal with it.  Well, this is very much a wait and see situation.  Needless to say, I don't like it! This might be funny to you considering my general personality, but the one thing that I really don't like to plan is when I would go into labor.  I am an advocate for natural childbirth whenever possible and don't really mind the idea that I could go into labor at the grocery store.  So it makes me kind of sad to know that I won't have that experience again this time.  Instead, I'll wake up one morning in November, drive 1 1/2 hours to UMD-B, get an IV started, get hooked up to a bunch of machines, and either have a C-section or start a Pectosin drip.  It's not quite as fun and exciting as when I contracted irregularly all morning with Caleb, called Matt to come home, waited until my contractions were 4-5 minutes apart, waited ev...

This series of posts is meant to keep family and friends updated on Abigail's medical journey.  We want to make sure that the information that is given out is accurate and keeps everyone in the loop.  Everything that we feel is important to share with you will be blogged.  If you see any posts titled, "Abigail's Journey," you'll know they relate to her medical care--both in utero and after birth. So....deep breath...here goes... We had our official OB sonogram on Monday and I left feeling a bit uneasy.  Our wonderful sonographer took a ton of pictures of Abby's head, and I felt like there was something wrong.  Matt assured me that it was just because Abby was in a weird position and it was hard to get the picture she needed.  Still, I felt that something wasn't quite right. Turns out, my mother's intuition was right.  Tuesday evening, we got the call from my OB's office that Abby's jaw was measuring a bit small .  At this point, we had no...

Daddy is home!!! Can you tell???

I can't think of anything wonderfully exciting to say and I am sad to admit that I haven't taken many pictures this week.  That's probably because I've been lacking the energy and feeling too much pain to put in the effort, but alas, it goes against my normal daily rituals of being at home.  I will try my best to remedy that this week and perhaps we'll do more exciting things this time.  Miss Abigail has been tap-dancing away in my belly.  I swear I didn't feel this much movement for weeks and weeks with Caleb, and not only is this girl waking me up around 4 a.m. every night, but she's putting on a visible dance show!  Craziness.  Dr. Strider said energetic babies in the womb come out very calm and sweet.  Let's hope so!  :)  Seriously though, I love this girl so much.  What is it about a girl that gets me all worked up and emotional all of the time?  I have no idea.  If this blubbering mess I've become is any indication of how...

I found out that we were having an Abby on Wednesday.  Since then, I've totally had shopping on the brain!  It's funny how having a girl can send you over the edge!  I'm trying to be smart and not blow the budget, so I'm choosing carefully and checking out some E-bay deals.  These are two of the crib sets I'm considering.  The first one is my favorite because it's not pink.  :) http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2FBoutique-Baby-Girl-Crib-Bedding-Set-Purple-Flowers-Chic-%2F170514251952%3Fcmd%3DViewItem%26pt%3DLH_DefaultDomain_0%26hash%3Ditem27b37100b0&h=35952lTla8mSjrd4xc-s4QqoEww http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3158176 This morning, Caleb and I headed to SMILE (a thrift store) and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they were having a 1/2 off sale on all clothes!  I found 7 pieces + a little toy for Caleb for $2.25!!!  All of the items were name-brand (Carters, Janie and Jack, etc.) an...

...Abigail Elizabeth Leach! I had a sonogram today to check out my kidneys and make sure my stones aren't causing a blockage.  Turns out, they needed to check the baby to make sure it wasn't in distress.  Of course, I couldn't resist asking about the gender!! She hid her face the whole time, peeking out every now and then but not long enough to get a clear picture. Peace out, Momma!  I love this one.  :) I think she might be sucking her thumb, but I couldn't tell for sure.  Nope, not gonna let you see my face!  (The sonographer tried soooo hard and took 11 pictures!!) AND, the girl parts!  The sonographer was pretty certain! Because the scheduler originally told me that they couldn't do an OB sono and a kidney sono at the same time (turns out they can!), we actually have our OB sono on Monday.  Matt will be home for this one, so he'll get to see Abigail dancing around on the screen too!  They'll do all of the measurements then an...

Needless to say, I'm thankful for the little girl that has been dancing around in my belly!  I'm pretty sure she's going to be a tap dancer! :)

"Admittedly, a tough-minded kid is tougher to raise and at times may push you right to the edge.  That wonderful assertiveness and determination will be an asset when your child is grown.  That irritating temperament was a gift from God, and He makes no mistakes.  You should also recognize that these kids often possess a certain strength of character that will help them grab the opportunities that come their way.  When they make up their minds to reach for something, they are likely to stay with it until the goal is achieved."  --Dr. Dobson, The Strong-Willed Child Something to ponder.  :)

I love being crafty with Caleb.  One fun craft we have done is make rainbow crayons.  To make them, simply take broken crayons, make sure they are in small pieces (A whole crayon should be split into 4 or more pieces) and put them in a cupcake tin.  I have done stars and hearts (I bought the heart one on clearance after Valentine's Day!!) but the hearts were much easier because it was silicone.  I let Caleb decide which pieces he wants in each cup.  We fill each one about 2/3 of the way up with crayon pieces and make sure that each one has a mixture of light and dark crayons.  I've also seen where you make each one a solid color, but I like the rainbow effect more. Put the tin in the oven on a low setting (I did 275 degrees) and let the crayons melt.  This usually only takes about 5-7 minutes.  Take them out of the oven and let them cool completely.  Don't try to pop them out until they are totally cool or they will crack (learned that ...

I am reading The Strong-Willed Child by Dr. Dobson and am learning a lot.  First, I realized that he must have met Caleb somewhere along the line, because he described him to a tee!  :) I'm also getting some good ideas about discipline from it.  With a strong-willed child, counting to three (like everyone pretty much does) just gives them an excuse not to listen until you get to 2 1/2!  That is sooo Caleb.  He does whatever it is he was supposed to do riiiiiiiight before I get to 3 to avoid punishment.  Dr. Dobson made the point that if you want him to do something, he should do it the first time you ask.  I will still give a reminder (he is 3) but I'm trying really hard not to count.  I have caught myself several times! There are some areas of the book that I'm skimming/skipping (I don't need to read about adolescence yet...I'll just save the book until then and read that section when the time comes!), but as a whole I've found it useful. ...

...by Caleb ***Matt will be off on an adventure on his 32nd birthday, so Caleb--with a little help from me--wrote a list of 32 things he loves about him! 32.  He gives me grace sometimes when I have been bad. 31.  It's fun when he sets off fire works. 30.  He cuts the grass. 29.  Daddy puts together my Trick Tracks and plays cars with me. 28.  He does all of the boy jobs like taking out the trash. 27.  He lets me watch tennis. 26.  I like when he is the commissioner and I am Batman. 25.  He watches lots and lots and lots of sports. 24.  We watch cartoons together. 23.  He reads me books. 22.  It's really fun when we wrestle. 21.  I like doing the Head-Sit Manuever on him! 20.  We play Batman when Daddy is Mr. Freeze or the Joker. 19.  Daddy plays games with me. 18.  He teaches me how to play golf. 17.  He's big. 16.  He lets me help him clean up. 15.  He likes cookies. 14....

Remember how I was painting Caleb's door with magnetic paint?  Well, here's the final product! I'm really happy with how it turned out.  The twine that is hanging the sign is just temporary until I can get some clear fishing line.

These were taken from my front porch this morning.  I have never been so incredibly thankful for rain!! The ground just soaked in the water. Sweet raindrops! Venturing out into the down-pour.  Notice my shameless avoidance of watering my hanging baskets today! A little dancing in the rain in their pajamas never hurt anyone! Close examination of a flower petal. Caleb is thankful for the rain too! It wasn't just a quick shower either.  It was fairly steady for most of the day and you can see the happiness all over my perked-up flowers!!!

A friend and former colleague of mine lost her husband very suddenly early this morning of a heart attack.  This is a young father of two who loves the gym and is extremely athletic, so he really wasn't one who would normally be at a risk of a heart attack.  My heart goes out to her and her sweet family.  She has a 7 year old boy and a 3 year old girl, and I can't imagine how they are feeling right now.  Please pray for them in this extremely difficult time.  It is making me seriously appreciate my husband.

I'm tired and dizzy today.  I think all of the work I've been doing has caught up with me and my body is saying, hey, you are pregnant, you know!  Slow down a little!   So today I'm going to drink lots of liquids and try to rest.  We're also going to spend some good quality time with Daddy before he leave tomorrow, but he is currently at the car dealership trying to get our AC fixed in the van.  Yay for warranties!

Today I'm thankful for air conditioning and sprinklers so that we can beat this ridiculous heat wave we've been having!!!  My poor 8 months pregnant sister has to get a whole new unit and it may be more than a week before they're cool again.  UGH!

I just finished painting Caleb's closet door with magnetic paint.  He has a magnet collection and we thought it would cool to have it in his room.  Since the paint is black and it would be hard to get the door white again, I decided to paint it navy blue.  I ordered this sign  and am hoping that it will add to the room!

We went to a Build-A-Bear party on Monday for Caleb's friend...Caleb!  It was lots of fun! Listening to the person's directions before they get started. Stuffing his puppy Brushing the dog and getting him nice and soft! The Calebs were really into the cleaning! Bat Dog, Woody, and Bunny :)

I made it through my challenge week....and I only cried twice!  :)  Matt said I'm his hero.  Some of the highlights of our week: *  The kids made stools at VBS, so we painted them outside.  Caleb chose yellow (shocker), Sara had pink and blue, and Owen decided on all blue. *  Caleb and Sara "jumped" off the diving board (sat on the edge, held Ms. Kandi's hands and slid off) on Friday!  A snow cone promise will do it every time... *  VBS raised $1,875.00 for the Calvert Churches Community Food Pantry!  *  Erin, Scott, and Emma came to visit for the weekend.  Caleb had fun playing with Emma and was sad that he didn't get to say goodbye when they left early Monday morning. *  We spent most of Saturday as an entire Leach family unit, which doesn't happen too often since half of the Leaches moved to NC.  We had lots of laughs at poor Ezra's expense (there's something about a two year old in a half-body cast that jus...

Caleb has become quite brave in the pool in his puddle jumper.  He will jump off the side and swim just about anywhere on his own.  Tuesday, we were at Uncle Tom's pool for a little while after swim lessons, and he decided he wanted his swim ring instead.  I was adding a little extra air to it and made Caleb sit on the step.  Welp, the boy forgot he wasn't wearing his puddle jumper and jumped right on in!  It was one of those surreal moments.  I could see his wide eyes, but the way I was holding the ring, I couldn't get out to get him.  Thankfully, my quick-thinking nephew grabbed him and pulled him up.  Good job, Owen!! Dare Devil, of course, just laughed and thought the whole thing was hysterical. And this is exactly why I will never, ever, EVER go to the pool on my own with kids!