Very uneventful…lost 2 lbs., baby is just the right size. Heard the heartbeat and that was it. Nothing much else to note. Still not sure about this doc. It’s just really strange. No pics or anything.
Category: Uncategorized
Thanksgiving 2009 and family Christmas pictures…oh my!
Very good holiday, moved by WAY too quickly. All four Hortons joined us this year for Thanksgiving. That in itself brought much to be thankful for. Mom is here too, which is great. There were so many years that we didn’t spend the holiday together. I wish I could get them back. Since we can’t I can only hope for many more family filled holidays.
Chip pulled the turkey out on Monday to thaw in garage. It certainly has been chilly enough. The hum of the holiday is starting to pick up which is nice.
Hortons arrived late Tuesday. We stayed up too late right away. Before they came in we actually hung up a bunch of pictures on the wall. It actually feels like we live here after almost a year and a half. Wednesday was fairly uneventful at work. Slow day, but managed to hang in. I’m still fighting tired and morning sickness. I’m never sure whether to eat or just wait it out. It is SO not fun. I’ve tried both. It’s bad to eat bad stuff, it’s worse not to eat at all…right?
Thursday morning the girls came in to join us for the holiday. It had been about a month since I had seen them last. It’s always so wonderful to have them come out of the airport. Gillian will be staying until Christmas Eve. Kaitlyn went back today, but will be back the week before Christmas.
Chris and Keith had asked if we wanted to get together for a softball game. So all of us jumped in the car and headed to Joyce’s. The boys were overwhelmed, but it was good. They loved Joyce’s new dog and kennel. Forget the toys, bring on a dog kennel! So we all hopped in the car and headed to a middle school and had a wonderful afternoon. Mom and Joyce had the dogs and watched. Well Joyce gave it one try and knocked it out! Danny and I watched the boys and the rest of us played softball. It was really, really a great afternoon. The boys really enjoyed themselves just running around. No nap and completely out of whack for them, but they seem to just go with the flow. A little crabby in the car and all three fell asleep.
We came home and finished up dinner. This year seemed effortless compared to other years. Cooked the turkey for the first time in my new roaster. Turkey (as warned in the instructions) did not turn brown. Looked a little odd, but it was the most tender turkey I’ve ever eaten. We all agree that the roaster wins, hands down. The additional bonus is that the oven is free to cook other stuff. Mom made an amazing apple pie. She did the lattice top and everything. Beautiful and yummy! We had a delightful meal. Great family with really good conversation. Moments that are special and memorable. I love those kinds of days. I was dragging with morning sickness and just plain tired. Made it through though.
On Friday I had to work…casinos have the worst benefit plan on the planet. Nothing going on and lucky for me my boss is really cool and I came in late and out of the office early. I was thankful to get home early and be at home with the rest of the crew. We watched Four Christmases, which was pretty cute.
Mom had a great idea to head to a craft fair at the convention center so me, mom, Bunny, Gillian, Kaitlyn and Danny loaded up in the minivan and headed to town. The craft fair was pretty weak but had great deals. Mom and I talked to the vendors quite a bit. Great to meet the locals and just talk about all kinds of stuff. I bought a couple of things. Bunny found quite a bit.
Sunday came much too quickly. It was quite a morning. Hortons were getting ready to depart and we were getting the boys and the rest of us ready for a family pic. Now call me crazy, but I really wanted to get a professional family picture with the whole family. That includes 3, yes 3, two year olds. Oh my god, I had no idea just how crazy it would be. Ben wanted nothing to do with being held in any way shape or form. He was just not having it. No one wanted to be confined. Finally they starting taking pictures. The best one we could get of all of us had a big yellow duck in the picture and Ben was crying. It was such a calamity of errors that I finally pretty much gave up. They took well over 100 photos. Girls together, boys playing, Chip and I, all of us…it was a true experience. A 20 minute appointment took and well over an hour. Finally I had to leave because we had to get the boys down for a nap. I did go back right away. Of course like the session trying to get pictures, buying them was no picnic either. They advertise a discount but of course there were so many limitations that it was nearly impossible to get. Eventually all came around and we left after we lightened our cash load by $200. Yep, $200. They will only be two once and it was so good to get the girls and us in various pictures. Well worth it. Time was pushed to the limit on Sunday. I buzzed home and grabbed Kaitlyn and took her to the airport to go back to Vegas. Phew! Every day is like this though. Moving from one thing to another. Some days are better than others.
November cont’d
More in November…
Work continues to be tense. A person I don’t particularly trust has come into my end of the sales department. Originally going to report to me but then that was pulled back. Now there is clear “marking of the territory” by this person. Don’t trust her farther than I can see her. Lots of poking around to see what it is I do. I have much hesitation about her when I take leave for maternity.
I still am not loving my job, another serious run in with the marketing department. Verbal attacks by the PR person. Caught VERY off guard. Defended myself, but we’ll see what happens. PR guy goes on vacation and his boss attempts a private apology. I’m very proud I stood up for myself and my skillset. May not matter though. This particular company may not be ready to take on a social media strategy. It’s frustrating.
Lots of morning sickness. I’m very tired all the time. It’s hard to keep up with the basics both at work and home. Thank goodness for the help and support from Chip, mom and the people in sales that actually believe in what we can do.
The boys are still growing like crazy. They are putting together 2 and 3 word sentences. Its just been in the last couple of weeks that they are all saying “I see you” and “I want…”. Ben is still the quietest, but he’s an observer. He does, however, do a much better job of sticking up for himself. He loves to jump on the sofa. They all do, but it’s Ben’s deal to start it.
Ryan is still the most vocal. He repeats EVERYTHING. He’s very particular too. Loves red clothes, especially if it has stripes. If he can’t be in control he freaks out in the morning. He says “Ry Ry’s ….” for whatever he has, wants or thinks is his. He does a wonderful job of trying to trade with his brothers when they have something he wants. It’s so interesting to watch them. Ry also loves the book “Ham” (Green Eggs and Ham). He flips the pages and then on Ryan’s timeline it becomes AH DONE. Ryan is strong willed and spends the most time in time out, but does well with it most of the time. He truly misses his ‘Nina Nina since she left us. Every girl in a magazine is ‘Nina. He asks “Where’s my ‘Nina?”. Super cute, but it makes me want to force her to come back.
Gary is super funny with his silent takedowns. When he’s getting picked on or pushed, he steps back and then gets back up for another round. It’s very funny to watch. Then he’ll basically tackle Ryan but not say a word. Ryan of course starts wailing, but Gary just doesn’t let up. Gary is still the most emotional too. His feelings are easily hurt and he likes to snuggle. It’s very sweet that Christina taught him how to eskimo kiss when she was here.
All the boys eat bacon and eggs like CRAZY. They can put down almost a pound of bacon. It’s insane. We’ll be seriously broke soon thanks to the boys eating. It’s all good, but we still crack up on a daily basis. We’re seriously worn out every single day…
Jeff got laid off from Les Schwab and lucky for Kristy and Jeff, she got a job at Khoury’s Market in Winnemucca. Hopefully things will get better. The last month has not been kind to them with losing out on a refinance and repossession. Makes me worry.
I’m still very restless and would love to do some consulting along with my job. So much to do so little time. Looking forward to Thanksgiving. Kristy and Jeff will be missed, but we’re happy to be hanging with mom and the Hortons.
First Big OB Appointment – Nov. 2, 2009
We met our new Reno doctor and had our first appointment with Sierra Women’s Health. Dr. Farringer. Good midwest boy. Very to the point. Took a ton of history and did an ultrasound. We did see very clearly the normal development. We will deliver at Renown and I plan to have my tubes tied after the birth. The doctor also moved our due date out from 6/5/2010 to 6/11/2010 based on the size measurements on the ultrasound. He said everything looks good and that I’m a good “baby maker”. That was based on how long I carried the boys and the “unremarkable” births with the girls.
Its a truly weird experience to have 2 babies, then multiples and then another single (that was a total surprise). Being here vs. Vegas hasn’t been great with medical people. I’m hoping this experience will change things.
I certainly didn’t have a warm and fuzzy feeling about the new doc, but Chip told me to give it time. I am seriously emotional and kind of sad this pregnancy. I can’t explain it. Well, maybe I can a little. I feel so up and down about this one. I love all of my children and they are ALL a blessing. Everything happens for a reason and I believe that about this too. Everything seems very amplified though. Work isn’t fabulously fun, life is challenging in general and adding another child to the mix is going to be interesting.
Anyway, the appointment was a long one and it as informative and good to spend so much time together. 4 weeks until the next one.
October through Halloween…
Girls headed to Reno for Halloween. A lot of battle with their dad over costumes, who pays, etc. John gets Kaitlyn a flu shot without my consent.
Halloween…all 3 boys were cowboys. Of course I was very last minute with costumes. Lucky for me Grandma had bought the boys hats and Celia hooked them up with cute little stick horses. The party store had 3 outfits left and so it was a quick purchase. On the big day Kaitlyn dressed as Bella from the Twilight movie and her new guy next door Nick was a zombie. Gillian was a ladybug that was super cute. Then we had our little cowboys. It was pretty chilly out, but once the boys got going they had blast! I made the mistake of letting them get out once and oh jeez, it was a mess.
Boys came home and tackled the candy. They definitely know “M&Ms” and “Candy”. They also tried lollipops for the first time.
The boys are the hit of the neighborhood. People made so many comments about seeing the boys out with Chip on their daily walks and waiting for them to come by. It’s really cool.
We all had a great time. Chilly by the time we got home, but I had put chicken corn chowder in the crockpot. Lucky for us! All of us ate a late dinner and called it a night.
Catching up – End of September through October
As usual, time flies. End of September brought the Bards moving out of the house with no rent paid. Again, we totally get screwed. Just made it through the Sweet Jewel mess and here we are with a new horrid situation with Fair Play. Deann and Carlos have been so generous and have come from Summerlin to Henderson to show it. It’s fantastic that we have such good friends, but it’s horrible when people don’t show up.
September ended on a high note, as I had applied to get a job at a casino doing social media marketing which is really my new passion. I enjoyed some wine with Candy and then headed home. Things were looking up considering the job hadn’t been very fun. Still a lot of conflict with marketing.
Chip’s birthday on 10/1 brought more than just birthday wishes. I wasn’t feeling well. Feeling pretty weird actually. Very emotional. I had definitely felt this way in the past but hadn’t really put it all together. So on a hunch I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. Yes, I said positive. That afternoon I went to the doctor (after taking another pregnancy test) and took a blood test. Yep, sure enough I am pregnant. The hcg count was 118. I went off to St. Paul for work and had to wait until I returned to do the next blood test. We told mom first and she was happy. Then we Skype’d with Hortons for Chip’s birthday and told them as well. The next morning I called and told Kristy and it was sort of offensive. She asked why Chip didn’t get snipped and if we knew how that happened. Of course we do. It was just strange. I was already trying to deal with the shock myself.
I geared up to to go to St. Paul, MN (October 3 to October 8) for my first trip to the MLT travel agent show. It was a really cool visit. I saw Susan Haigh-Bishop and traveled with Terry and Michelle from Atlantis. The trade show was fine, but I was not very energetic and tried to keep up. On top of being a neat city and being able to walk all over, I was also in the city for the first Vikings vs. Packers game with Favre playing for Minnesota. The buzz of it was so cool to be a part of. Even more, the Twins were finishing their season as well. Lastly, but not most important, I visited the Mall of America. Oh my god, it’s HUGE. I spent 3 hours there. I think you almost need 3 days in there! I was fighting a lot of a fatigue and was wondering if this pregnancy thing was really working. It was hard because we decided not to tell very many people. I was trying not to give much away with my fatigue and laying low on the drinking. Lucky for me it wasn’t too noticable. I headed home on Thursday morning and arrived in Reno in the late afternoon. I was exhausted. Time change and 2 very full, very hot planes. The plane was so gross with this guy next to me in the middle. I got off the plane, got my stuff, had the blood draw for my 2nd hcg level. I was finally home! Once in the door, I immediately went to take a shower. The next day, Friday Jane’s office called and the count for the hcg was 3201. Since they couldn’t tell me much, I called Dr. Bohman’s office and talked to them. He said the numbers were high…meaning multiples…so he wanted to see me the next week. Friday brought the Travel Agent University Fam luncheon which was really good.
Christina arrived on Monday, Women’s travel group started Monday. Met RoseMarie and the group on that evening. It was a weird and I was a little bitter that Christina was virtually shut out. Total crap. A whole new view of RoseMarie. The other ladies were super great to get to know. Especially Suzi and Nan. Nan reminds me of Chris Fegert. It was a neat “think tank” environment. The meeting was intense and good. Went down to Vegas on Thursday 10/16 and learned the night before that Kaitlyn sprained her ankle at gymnastics. On crutches. Saw the girls for about 30 minutes while showing Fair Play. Finally rented. They won’t move in until November. Better than sitting empty I guess. Well definitely better than sitting empty. Signed the lease and dropped the girls off. They went to a Lakers game with their dad that evening.
Before seeing the girls and showing the house I saw Bohman for an ultrasound to check out what was up with the hcg count and finally see what was happening inside. One baby, which was a great big relief. It really took me by surprise when I reacted so emotionally once I saw it on the screen in the doctor’s office. I guess it wasn’t real to me, I mean really real to me until I saw the movement and heard the heartbeat. This pregnancy is just really strange all the way around. Referred to a Reno doc. Feeling insecure about it since Bohman and group were so good to me.
Mom left to go home for awhile since Colvins are here. Nice for everyone I think.
Colvins arrived on Saturdary night. Very nice to have Christina and Fred and Celia here at once. The boys really enjoyed it. Chip went off to Madison, WI for work so it was a bit of a long week, but very good to have a ton of help. I feel very fortunate.
Chip is off to Madison for the week for work.
Sept. 25th Weekend
Finally a relaxing weekend at home. We started Friday a little rough with information on the Fair Play house and some decisions we need to make. They won’t be easy ones either. The last renters left just last Tuesday and we were only to Friday. More negative news from John…more child support/daughter visitation issues. Not fun. It really felt as though the ceiling continues to fall in. Somehow I try to see the good, but the negative stuff creeps in like mold.
Ben has been having serious trouble with allergic breakouts this week. A lot of really strange welts. Puffy spots all over his legs, back and butt. Poor kid. We’ve been giving Benadryl, but it keeps reappearing. I’m fine giving it and it definitely clears up. But seriously, every day? Hopefully we can pinpoint that. The thought is the wash detergent or maybe, just maybe its the weird diapers that I bought. Not sure. I have to call the doctor and schedule the 2 year old appointment so we’ll take a look at it then. It just can’t feel good for him.
Saturday brought a lot of college football, of course the Michigan game. Chip was in the “zone” with the boys and watching and then as soon as they went up for a nap, out to the “big room” he came to watch on the big screen. He was cracking, sighing and talking to the TV for better than an hour. Pins and needles later, UofM brought it home. The score was a tight 36-33. I thought Chip was going to have heart issues. Lucky for me it turned out alright.
In the meantime, Chip was off to Costco for essentials…soy milk (don’t ask), fishies (a.k.a. GoldFish), regular milk, cheese and….anyway, he was too late. So it was get the essentials and try again on Sunday. Sherri was busy seeding like about 101 jalapenos. Not really, but it was a lot. However I needed some extra stuff from the store, so I was waiting. Very mundane, I know.
Boys 2nd Birthday
I’m writing this a little later than the birthday but it’s taken me a few days to let it soak in that the boys are 2. I’m proud of and emotional about it.
We celebrated the birthday early on September 7 since the girls were here for Labor Day. I had ordered ice cream cakes from Marble Slam Ice Cream early. Each cake was heart shaped and had their names written on them. So cute. Ryan had chocolate, Ben was strawberry and Gary was sweet cream ice cream. I had also bought another small cake for the rest of us to share. Since the boys love ice cream I thought ice cream cakes would be fun. Kaitlyn and I picked them up on Sunday, September 6 and put them in the freezer.
I had to work Rib Cook-off, so I was gone a good part of Sunday and the girls, for the second year in a row, ran around the cook-off doing whatever made them happy while mom worked in the village. Good for everyone. They had a good time roaming and I enjoyed the company of my clients.
It’s so great to live here because it feels much safer with fewer people than Vegas. I also had those girls “tethered” to their cell phones every 30 minutes, with the requirement that I see their faces every hour. Probably anal but hey, it worked for all of us. Everyone had a good day and off we went at 8p to get on home.
On Monday Sept 7 (Labor Day) there was a lot to do. The girls wrapped gifts and Chip did a little last minute shopping. The girls and I had gone to Trader Joes and Toys ‘r Us on Saturday after I picked them up at the airport to shop for the little guys. We had fun shopping. Chip wasn’t with us so he took the opportunity to go shop a bit on Monday morning. We also needed candles and the paper goods to make it a party. Chip chose Mickey Mouse. A great theme with ears as well as intertwining the Mickey Mouse Club cartoon with a party. The boys really enjoy the song “Hot Diggety Dog” from the cartoon. We celebrated early Monday between breakfast and nap time so that both the boys and girls would enjoy the celebration before the boys nap and the girls departure. The boys had an absolute blast! The cakes went over very well. Each little boy had their own approach. Ryan tried to take Ben’s strawberry cake even though he had plenty of his own. Didn’t matter. Ryan wanted Ben’s cake. Gary dug right in, as did Ben. Each one liked the cake. After the Ryan/Ben struggle with the strawberry cake we cut a piece of everyone’s and shared it among the 3. All of them enjoyed the experience. Then it was into the “zone’ in our family room to open gifts. Kaitlyn and Gillian started the gift opening showing their brothers how to open gifts. It was a mixed reaction as to what to do with the gifts. Ryan and Gary wanted to hang out. Well Ben did to, but he’s far more understated.
We moved on to the gifts. 14 in all. No gifts were directly given to each boy. At this age we thought it would be the best if we set all the gifts in the family room and just let them go. Each gift and opening it was a new experience to the boys.
It has forced me to reflect on the days that have passed since the little boys birth. So much has changed, so much has happened, both positive and negative.
First, the positive: these boys are just amazing. They have grown up so much. I enjoy hearing Ryan say HAP PEE. He says it so succinctly. So warm and true. Ryan is like a parrot who just wants to say everything when you tell him what things are. In his sweet little voice after you read a book to him he says “awwwdon”. It’s very cute. “glogbaw” (golf ball) is another favorite. He’s got his letters down and in particular says the letter “O” with lips in a perfect circle. Loves to call them out. Ben is exploring more and more. Lots of babble, but not nearly as many words as his brothers. He’s getting braver every day. Happy little guy for sure. Still in love with the blanket and the bottle. Gary is as curious as ever. His mind is going a hundred miles an hour all the time. All the letters are old hat. He in particular loves to say the “Q”. You just cannot believe how clearly he can say that letter. “Car” is still the main word of choice.