Amnio

On Wednesday I had an amnio. An amnio is a test they do if you are going to deliver before 39 weeks. It tests for the baby's lung maturity (the lungs are one of the last things to finish developing). They stick a needle in your uterus and take a sample of the amniotic fluid and then run some tests on it.

I had to have an amnio with Vance too. I had heard a lot of stories about how painful amnios were and was so nervous. Afterwards I was pleasantly surprised by how much it didn't hurt. It was worse than giving blood but not near as bad as I was expecting. I remember thinking "Why do people complain so much about these?"

Fast forward to this pregnancy

This amnio was a COMPLETELY different experience. I now know why people say amnios really hurt - they can! The perinatologist (unborn baby specialist) is the doctor who does the test. They do an ultrasound while they do the test to see where the baby is and where a pocket of amniotic fluid is. Well, this doctor couldn't find a place to stick the needle in. She kept having me tilt to one side, tilt to the other side, lie flat, push the baby, etc. For various reasons none of the fluid pockets were accessible.

The entire time she was looking for a fluid pocket my nerves kept building and building. I was glad she was taking her time and being cautious but it made me uneasy too. After about 15 minutes of looking the baby moved and opened a small fluid pocket at the very bottom of by uterus (near my pelvic bone). The doctor jumped into action and started cleaning the area.

I grabbed my mom's hand in anticipation (THANK HEAVEN FOR MOMS!!!) and then felt the needle. It hurt but not too bad. Then she pushed it in a little further at the same time I started having a contraction. I'm crying from a combination of nerves and pain and the doctor tells me she's sorry. She knows it hurts, but try not to move because after the contraction she needs to push it in further.

I keep crying. I tell her the contraction is over. She pushes the needle in further. No fluid is coming out! She moves the needle around and finally the fluid starts coming out. Everything is still hurting (bad!) and about a minute later she takes the needle out and the procedure is over. HALLELUJAH!!!

This amnio also resulted in a lot more cramping and tenderness than with Vance. Luckily my mom had taken the day off and I was able to take it easy. I spent the day praying for positive results because otherwise the amnio was for nothing. I got the call a few hours later saying the baby was ready!

Now I feel like I've experienced the full spectrum of amnio pain. I understand why some say it wasn't that bad at all and why others say it hurt like hell. At times like this I wonder why anyone gets pregnant more than once!

Baby Sprinkle

Last weekend we had a baby sprinkle to celebrate Keller's upcoming arrival. I call it a sprinkle because it was really small. I didn't need a lot of things but still wanted to celebrate before I had the baby. My amazingly talented friend, Chelsea, created these invitation for me and I loved them!
We went to Mimi's Cafe for breakfast. It was just my mom, sisters, grandma, and a few close friends. My mom and I made a few decorations for the table and set it up before everyone else got there.

At every place setting was a Mimi's muffin with a bowtie along with a little poem from Baby Keller and a bowtie bookmark. I think they turned out pretty cute.

Our one and only game was to guess how many candies in the bottle. Grandma won. The answer? 675

Me, Krista, Chelsea, and Rachel. These girls are some of the best friends a girl could wish for!

Me, Emily, and Amy. I get almost all my craft inspiration from these two. They are seriously talented (and fun!)!

Grandma, Leslie, Me, Mom, Mandy, and Jennie - love them all!

Chelsea and I are due just 2 days apart. It has been so nice to have someone who is going through pretty much exactly what you are going through. I call her my partner in misery. :) We're almost there Chels. I can't wait to meet Keller & Reese!

Thanks everyone for coming and for the adorable gifts. I can't wait to have the baby and start using them. Also, a HUGE thanks to my mom for making me feel special and planning a wonderful breakfast. It was exactly what I wanted. You're the best!

Fried Green Tomatoes

Chad and I went to the Las Vegas Farmer's Market and I saw some green tomatoes. My mom has talked about how much she loves fried green tomatoes for years - literally. The problem is you rarely see them any where. I haven't ever had them, but I couldn't resist buying a few for her when I saw them.

Her and my dad were both so excited. We waited for the weekend so my dad would be home and then my mom went to work in the kitchen.They were DELICIOUS! I think each one of us ate an entire plateful for dinner. Chad and I are definitely hooked and will be keeping our eyes open for more green tomatoes.

Thanks Mom for introducing us to a new yummy treat!

Snow Cones

I have decided I am still 10 years old sometimes. Case in point - snow cones. I LOVE snow cones. It has become one of my obsessions this summer so when a friend blogged about a local food truck that served delicious shaved ice I couldn't resist.
Chad and I found the truck at the Las Vegas Farmer's Market. We wandered through the market and then placed our orders.

They were a hit with the whole family. The shaved ice was so yummy and really not too expensive - only $3!

I also bought myself one of these bad boys a few weeks ago. I have been enjoying shaved ice in the comfort of my very own home. Most of the time I don't even need syrup. I just love the ice!

Maybe one day I'll out grow my love for snow cones but I don't see that happening any time soon!

Grandkid Pictures

My sisters and I got all the kids together for a grandkid picture. I had a Groupon that I was saving in case I had the baby early, but it was about to expire and I didn't want it to go to waste. This will be outdated because it will be missing Grandkid #12 in about a week or two but oh well.

The kids were great!!! We didn't have any tears, fights, meltdowns, etc. If you've attempted a picture like this than you understand how amazing that is. I think the final result is SOOO cute!!!

We also took a picture of just the girls and just the boys. Briton - 15, Kelsie - 13, Aspen - 12

The picture of all the boys is my least favorite but it is what it is! It's not too bad considering it's 8 boys/monkeys between 3 and 11. Zachary - 11, Carson & Camden - 9, Logan - 8, Mason - 8, Brayden - 6, Colton - 4, Vance - 3

Hope you like them Mom & Dad. You have some good looking posterity :)

$1 Bowling

Texas Station has $1 bowling on Thursdays. Amy invited us to go bowling and then swimming at YMCA with them. Vance loved it!
These two were hilarious. I think they set records for longest time possible for a bowling ball to make it to the pins.

Treasure Hunt

Since my dad has been gone he came up with the cutest idea to do with the kids. He is taking turns doing treasure hunts for them while he is gone. Vance is the youngest so he went first. Every night during the week my dad would call him. Vance was VERY worried about missing his calls.
Then my dad would send him around the house looking for his hidden treasures. I don't think I've ever seen Vance listen so closely to instructions.

Each night he would find a surprise. Vance loved every second of it!

As soon as he found the treasure he would yell "thanks," drop the phone, and immediately start opening the toy, treat, etc.

Thanks Grandpa for spoiling Vance!

Laughlin

My dad has been working in Laughlin the last few months. He stays there during the week and comes home on the weekends. Since Laughlin isn't exactly the happening place to be he is bored most nights. I have been wanting to take a vacation but with the baby coming soon we haven't been able to get away. I decided to take an impromptu trip to Laughlin for a night and convinced Amy and her boys to come with!
We walked by the river and counted all the jet skis and boats. Vance was glued to Grandpa's side the entire time. He has definitely missed having him home.

We went to dinner and then we all went swimming at the hotel.

The boys loved having Grandpa there to climb on and wrestle with.

After swimming we went back to the hotel and watched So You Think You Can Dance. I don't think he loved it but having four daughters has taught him patience ;) Finally it was time to go to sleep. Vance cuddled right up next to Grandpa in his bed. Amy and I slept in the other bed and we brought cushions for Amy's boys. Everyone thought it was pretty fun to stay in a hotel.

The next morning the boys had a blast jumping off the bed and being monkeys while we got ready and packed.

We met Dad at McDonalds for breakfast before heading back to Vegas. I hope he didn't want any personal space...

Thanks Amy for coming with me and thanks Dad for a fun night!

Getting Ready

We have been getting ready for another baby slowly but surely. One thing we needed to do was get Vance a new bed. Our crib converts to a daybed and he has been sleeping in it like that since before he was 2. There hasn't been a reason to buy him another bed so we haven't. Now there's a reason!

Last weekend we bought a toddler bed (I would've bought a twin but we are a little short on space at the moment ;). We got it all put together and turned the crib back into a crib.
It seems a little real now having the crib set up. We are going to have a baby! Craziness!!! My mom thought we needed to put an outfit in the crib so you could visualize a baby. I think it's kind of creepy but it's easier to just give in sometimes :)

This is Vance's new bed. He wanted to know why the baby's bed was bigger at first (I was hoping he wouldn't notice) but once we showed him how cool it was that he could jump off his bed he was over it.

I'm glad we got him into his new bed so he can adjust for a weeks before the baby comes. He seems to be doing great!

Fourth of July

We had a fun-filled Fourth of July. We started the day by going to the parade in Summerlin with my parents. It felt so American to go to a parade on the 4th. This is definitely something we'll start attending every year.
Of course Vance always has more fun when Grandma and Grandpa are there too. I love this picture!

My dad is out of town during the week for work. When he is home on the weekends Vance tries his best not to leave his side.

Vance was so excited to see a Runnin' Rebel - that's my boy!

He didn't let go of his flag the entire parade and would randomly start waving it and yelling. So proud to be an American!

The only bad part of the parade was the timing. There were quite a few times where you were just waiting for the next group or float to come. They had music groups, dancing groups, soldiers, lots of cars, floats, and big balloons.

After the parade we went to Cars 2 with the family and then to the park for lunch and to let the kids play. Sadly I didn't take any pictures of those parts. After the park we went to my parent's house to let the kids play some more and have a BBQ.

We got out a slip-n-slide and the kids had a blast. It was funny to watch the different approaches to the slip-n-slide. Colton liked to just run on it -

Brayden dove head first -

Vance did a knee slide -

Then Vance went for the Dad-assisted approach -After the slip-n-slide they had fun jumping in the puddles in the backyard.

We had some yummy hot dogs, hamburgers, and brats.

Enjoyed the holiday with my hubby -

My mom and dad -

All the cousins eating dinner -

Played some good ol' American baseball -

Lit fireworks in front of the house -

Vance decided he hated the loud fireworks and opted to go inside, take a bath and go to bed instead -

After the fireworks we ate some desserts that I made. I might be a little biased but I think they turned out so cute. I made an American flag fruit pizza, red/white/blue cupcakes, and berry cheesecake bars. All so patriotic!

I love how relaxing the Fourth of July is. It's such a mellow and relaxing holiday!