Nursery

I think I'm finally done with Drew's nursery. As you can see it's a Monkey theme. So fun :)

This is the Build-a-Bear that we picked out for Drew. Each of our boys have one with a recording inside of their OWN heartbeat while inside my tummy.

Preterm Labor and Bedrest

Today we had the joy of visiting Triage again with contractions. After laying on the couch and drinking lots of water for over 2 hours, I finally decided I needed to call the doctor. So just like last time (3 weeks ago), it took 2 shots of Terbutaline to get the contractions to stop. Thankfully I wasn't dilating yet. This time they sent me home on oral Terbutaline and instructions that said: No lifting, cleaning, cooking, or physical activity. Basically BEDREST.

It's kind of a cruel joke to be told to be on Bedrest, but to also take this medicine every 4 hours around the clock that makes me jittery and feel wired. That along with the "Nesting" I've been having, is conflicting. But for the health of my baby, I'm trying to stay down.

My next appt is on Monday, and I'll be 34 weeks.
We're getting there. Hang in there Drew!

Let the Potty Training Begin!

Ty has been showing some interest in the potty lately. It helps that there are a few older kids in his class at school. He's been watching them and wanting to sit on the potty too. So his wonderful teacher, Miss Doughtery, suggested we start letting him wear pull-ups during the daytime so that he can learn to pull his pants down & up.

So far so good. He has learned to pull them down, sit on the pot (ever so briefly), point himself down, and is starting to learn to pull them back up. Still no results in the pot, but hey we'll take it! Since is is not even quite 2 yrs old (his birthday is coming soon on March 14th), and with the addition to the family coming, we will just take his ques for now and see where it leads :)

What's in a Name?

What's in a name? Well, when it came to naming this baby, I'd say it took a LOT of thought and back & forth. The other two boys seemed so much easier, the names just came to us (well, to Dennis). This time we struggled. Maybe it's b/c this is our 3rd boy, maybe b/c we knew it was our last. Some of the contenders have been: Trey, Owen, Zander, & Hayden. We liked them all, but none of them felt right. Then finally, it came to us: DREW! I love it! It is a name I have loved from before any of my pregnancies. It never felt right for Dennis until this kiddo.

We considered multiple middle names. Ty already has Dennis' middle name, Allan. We thought about doing that again with this kid, thinking that it wasn't fair for Ty to get his daddy's legacy and not this one. Then we thought about Nicholas, similar to my middle name Nichole. But it didn't flow well. The boys on my side of the family have the middle name Joseph. But we didn't care for him possibly being called DJ. So finally we decided to give him my dad's name for a middle name: Thomas.

DREW THOMAS BLACK
I love it!

I've started weekly doctor appts now. At each visit we are also having a NST (non-stress test) and ultrasound for a BPP (biophysical profile). Both monitor how well the baby is doing and maturing. These extra tests are due to the fact that I've had preterm labor before and that I am measuring 4 weeks ahead (mostly b/c I have extra fluid and big babies). This weeks tests went well. They are estimating that Drew is approx 4 lbs 12 oz, which is in the 88th percentile for babies at this stage. Needless to say, if he keeps up this pace, he's on his way to being a 10 pounder!

Bruiser

Ty woke up this morning with this big scratch across his eye & cheek. When I took him to preschool, they wanted him to be checked out because there has been a bout of pink eye going around. So while at the doctor, they did a test to make sure he had not scratched his cornea. They used this orange dye that won't come off for several days.

In the end...no pink eye and no scratch. Just a few battle wounds :)

30 Weeks!

I'm 30 weeks pregnant now with Baby #4.
It's been interesting this time around, to say the least.
With all the illnesses at this time of year, this pregnant woman has been no match for all the germs. I've had multiple bouts with the stomach flu, sinus infections, and bronchitis.
Over-all pregnancy-wise everything had been going perfectly until this week.
I think my body was finally saying it has had enough, and I started contracting.
After laying down and drinking lots of water, the contractions were still 2-5min apart and it had been 3hrs. So we took a quick trip to the hospital. After 2 doses of Terbutaline, they finally stopped and we were able to come home.

Today I had my 30 week check up with my OB. Turns out I have an infection which was likely the cause of the contractions. So she's putting me on an antibiotic which she says will most likely make me nauseous. So if it gets bad, I'm to take the phenergan I have left from the stomach flu, which in turn will make me sleepy. I guess rest is what I need right now anyway.

The baby seems to be doing great through it all. He's VERY active, which is reassuring. I'm measuring 34 weeks in stead of 30. So starting at my next appt and every week after that, I have to have an ultrasound and biophysical profile (BPP). The BPP consists of an ultrasound to monitor the baby's heartrate, tone, movement, breathing, and amount of fluid around him. They're just wanting to monitor him since I am so large to watch to see when he's ready to come out. My guess is, it will be before my schedule C-section on April 5th!

Ty Gets Tubes

Finally after 3 months of ear infections, 4 antibiotics, and numerous doctor appointments, Ty is finally getting tubes put in his ears today.

We had to be there early, so he came in his jammies. He was a bit confused about what we were up to, but excited when he saw this cool fish tank in the waiting room.

I just love his sleepy eyes (just like his daddy).

Once in our pre-op room, the boys were happy to discover we had a TV.
And we got Ty into his "silly shirt" (the kids hospital gown).

He finally warmed up to sitting in the hospital bed, as long as mommy laid with him :)
Of course I was glad to. I'm trying to soak up these cuddly moments.

And he got a hospital band with a cool Thomas the Train sticker on it.

After the surgery, which only took 10minutes, they called us back as soon as he woke up. He was, well let's say GRUMPY! And very confused. He kept asking for mommy and I was holding him. Killed me. But the wonderful nurses reassured us that he wasn't in pain, just confused and out of sorts after being under anesthesia.
One of Ty's nurses was my friend Allyson Wilmouth's mom. It's always wonderful to have a familiar face. She picked out an Eore balloon for Ty since that was the kind of mood he was in ;)

But once we got home, within an hour he was back to his little self. Such a character!

Mommy, cutting off his ID band.

28 Weeks

A new 'do' for momma :) It just felt like it was time for a change. And my wonderful cousin, Gabby, is in the Paul Mitchel Institute right now, so I let her give it go~

So we're at 28 weeks now, finally the 3rd trimester. This pregnancy has sure been a bit tougher than the others. I'm sure there are many factors into that. Overall I can't complain. My immune system could use a break though. I've had the stomach flu twice in the past 2 weeks. Followed by an overdose of phenergan due to a mix-up at my pharmacy (I was supposed to get 12.5mg and they gave me 50mg). Thankfully there doesn't seem to be any long term effects yet, other than I was completely knocked out for 2 days. Thank you God for an amazing husband and parents who took care of me & my son during that time! And soon after recovering from that, I now have bronchitis. FUN FUN!

But all is checking out well with the baby. My BP and weight are doing fine. I'm measuring 29 weeks instead of 28, which doesn't surprise me or anyone who sees me (I seem quite large). This little guy is very active, which is reassuring. He likes to wake me up at 3/4:00 am each morning to pee and reminds me that I'm hungry. Lately he's been asking for lots of chocolate icecream :)

Here's a monthly belly progression...
12 Weeks

16 Weeks

20 Weeks

24 Weeks

28 Weeks

We still have yet to decide on a name for this little guy. For some reason it seems much harder this time around. The front runners seem to be Trey & Owen. No matter what his name will be, I'm sure he'll be an awesome little guy. I can't wait to meet him soon :)

Uncle Steve is Back in Action!

Dennis and I were proud to attend my Uncle Steve's swearing in at the Greenwood Fire Dept. After serving many years at IFD, Uncle Steve had decided to retire. Soon after, he learned that his prostate cancer had returned. While battling the cancer, Uncle Steve also learned that he had developed throat cancer. And during this same time, my Aunt Frosty (Steve's wife) also learned she had thyroid cancer. It was amazing to watch these two battle against it all and WIN! Given more time, Uncle Steve decided to return to the life he loved in firefighting. He worked up his strength back to pass the agility tests and recertify his EMT license. It's so great to see him Back In Action!

Fun with Cooper & Campbell

A few weekends ago, we got to spend the whole day with 3 adorable little boys! Ty, and his two friends Cooper & Campbell. After playing hard at the McDonald's playland and a good nap, Dennis decided to take the boys sledding.
Ty's all dressed up in his snow gear, but would prefer to stay inside and watch a movie. That's my boy!

Campbell's not quite sure what's about to happen, but he's ready!

Dennis carrying the two little boys out to the hill.
Notice that mommy is being smart and taking pictures from the warm indoors :)

And...after just one ride down the hill, Ty had enough and insisted on coming back inside.

So we watched from the window as the other boys played in the snow.

One last ride. Dennis insisted that Ty give it one more try. I think he liked it slightly better that time. Still not convinced. Maybe next year.

Nothing tops off a fun day like Grandma Black's chocolate chip cookies and milk!

Brie's Birthday at Bouncertown

My beautiful neice Brianna turned 4 a few days ago. Yesterday we celebrated with all her family and friends at Bouncertown.

Mmm...Pizza

My niece Layla was able to entice Ty to go through the big obsticle course by telling him to come get his ducky she got for him. To our surprise, he went!

Once he got the hang of it, he went again and again!

Happy Birthday Brie

My cute parents looking on.

Christmas with the Black's

Dennis' family did things a bit different this year for Christmas. They decided to go around and visit each of their grandkids at their houses for Christmas.
Grandpa Black brought Ty a new MP3 player!

Ty loved opening presents this year.

And one special present for our Riley, a handpainted ornament from a child at Riley Hospital.

Ty wanted to help us hang it on the tree. He knew right where it went. We love to tell Ty about his brother Riley and we pray for him every night.

Then we went to Dennis' parent's house on New Years Day to celebrate together and open stockings :)

Mmm...Pez

And the biggest hit was the candy necklace. Who'd a thought!?

Grandma reading to Ty