Hello, couch

I wasn't going to blog about my bed rest, but then thought, I'd probably want to remember a few years from now...or maybe not.

I had preclampsia with Jacob. I wasn't diagnosed until the day I was 38 weeks...it was severe, and they had to induce right away. Looking back, it was a blessing because I didn't know what it was before hand, and I wasn't sent home to look it up, freak out, and realize how serious the disease is. I was able to deliver that day, get my baby Jacob here healthy, and start to get better myself. The recovery from having preclampsia was terrible, and nothing I would want to repeat.

But, here we are.

I started having blurred vision, some swelling in my hands, and other small signs early this week. I kind of thought I was getting high blood pressure again, but didn't really want to deal with it because I have a two year old to take care of. But, it was getting worse and I had to go in on Wednesday. My blood pressure was pretty bad, so they ended up sending me over to the hospital to be monitored for a few hours. Baby Joshua was doing great on the monitors, but my blood pressure was taken every 5 minutes for 2 hours and never went down. So, my OB put me on bed rest. Luckily, not strict bed rest, but "don't do anything you don't have to do bed rest." She knows I have Jacob to take care of, but told me the only thing that will keep me out of the hospital on strict bed rest is being able to lay down as much as possible and not get down and play, don't do dishes, grocery shopping, laundry, etc.

The next day my swelling was worse and I went back in to the OB. Was given nurse practitioner from hell. Horrible experience, left crying my eyes out and speaking with the manager of the practice. Didn't help the blood pressure.

Friday was another appointment. Unfortunately, not dilated at all, so no signs of Joshua coming on his own any time soon, which even my OB was a little disappointed in. Blood pressure was slightly better, but still in the dangerous category. Protein in my urine, which definitely put me in the preclampsia stage of my high blood pressure. My platelets dropped while I was in the hospital Wednesday, so they went ahead and drew more blood. It has been a problem I've had since Jacob where every time I am sick my platelets drop rapidly, so they are keeping an eye on it just in case.

Needless to say...Josh will be our final addition to the Lewis family! We'd be asking for it if we had another one, haha. But, really, I am thankful that we have made it this far without MAJOR issues. It could be much worse than a few weeks on bedrest. It could be a few months. Luckily, Josh has remained healthy through all of this, and they don't have a reason to induce as of now. I go back on Thursday for my weekly appointment, and we'll probably talk then about Josh's arrival, just for my health. I do NOT want a repeat of my delivery issues with Jacob, or the recovery issues. I do NOT want my preclampsia getting that severe again. As it is, I have gained 5 pounds of fluid in two days (preclampsia at its finest) and just don't feel it would be healthy for me to go all the way to my due date with that much weight being put on. Luckily, Josh is measuring a little large, so we may be a few days off on the due date which might help out. We'll see what happens this week!

Rudolph, Johnny Rockets and more

What a fabulous weekend! Besides Bob having to work both Saturday and Sunday night, we managed to get quite a bit done, and not at the same time!

Saturday, Mom came down to watch Jacob for a while so we could go shopping and have some lunch together. It was so nice to get out one last time before Josh is here. Jacob had a great time with Grandma, and eventually Grandpa who came down later, while we headed to Kohls. I made Bob try on a pair of jeans. He was hesitant, but I told him his were too big and he needed to realize how much weight he really has lost. We went down two sizes, and ironically also got a shorter inseam...I told him that's a sign we are getting old, because we no longer like our pants to touch the ground and get ruined. But, they didn't have his size in the wash he wanted. And, they don't have them online. So, we actually left after an hour in the store without buying a single thing. But, it was so nice to see Bob in jeans that fit him, show him how much weight he has lost, and now I can run out later this week to a different Kohls and try to find his jeans for him.

We finished our date off with lunch at Don Pablos. It was nice and relaxing, and even entertaining to watch as one little boy almost made it into the fountain before his parents noticed. Probably not very mom-like of me to be encouraging it from afar...I was hoping he was going in. Hey, if your parents don't notice you aren't at the table for like five minutes, then you deserve a quick dip in the fountain, right?!

Saturday night we had a little bit of snow, but not what they were predicting. Sunday morning Jacob actually slept until 8. I made a nice breakfast of sausage, eggs and biscuits, and Jacob realized again how much he enjoys strawberry jam. Then, we were thinking of what we had to get done that day (run to Babies R Us for diapers and little items we need for Josh, pay bills, etc.) when I realized I had a $10 off coupon to Build-A-Bear that I had cut from the paper almost a month ago. I really wanted to do this with Jacob before Josh got here as just a nice little family thing before his life gets turned around, haha. So, we headed to Build-A-Bear. Thankfully, the snow was picking up just enough to keep people off the road early in the morning, and we didn't have much of a wait at all.

Jacob has never even been inside the store, so he wasn't really sure what was going on at first. He picked up the monkey, and was proud of himself, standing in line. I know how much he loves Rudolph, so I figured he would eventually switch. But, if not, who cares?! A monkey would be just fine! He switched from the monkey to Frosty, and finally to Rudolph, and wouldn't even look at the rest of the line after he had Rudolph in his hands.

When he discovered he had other options.

He found Rudolph, and sang the song the entire time we waited in line. He even knows the beginning (you know dasher and dancer...) which shocked the mom in front of us when she turned around and had to look down to find him singing away! He adores Rudolph.

Jacob and Mommy.

He stood on the pedal..smart kid, didn't have to work hard just pressing it down with one foot, haha.

Jacob lucked out, and the machine ran out of filling. The lady asked him to help her fill the machine. I was nervous, because the boy despises the vacuum, and this machine makes like three times louder of a noise. But, he loved it, and enjoyed taking handfuls of the fluff and stuffing it into the tube. He was proud of himself.

I just love his face here...such joy! Really shows how much fun he had while we were there!

We had lunch at Johnny Rockets. Jacob sang songs and had a great time even though he was so tired by the end of the meal!

Such a great weekend. Unfortunately, Monday we are snowed in pretty much. Bob's school even called a 2-hour delay, which never happens. Although, he still has to be at work on time. But, I hate driving in the snow, and at nearly 9 months pregnant I just don't feel like attempting it. So, we are in all day playing with everything, and I am finally doing Josh laundry. So weird to see onesies and sleepers being thrown in my washer again!

Things that are not getting done...

In my nesting-mode of this pregnancy, and lately I seem to only be focusing on the things I am not getting done and might not get done before Joshua is here. It has been driving me crazy, until I sat down tonight and realized how much I actually am getting done...just nothing I can check off a list.

I have not washed baby clothes yet. Jacob's were already packed neatly in drawers and hung up in the closet in their matching sets. Josh's are still in a big heap in his soon-to-be-closet (which is also a back-up closet for some of Bob's clothes, where our extra bags, random appliances, games, and crap is stored). The clothes we pulled down from leftovers of Jacob's are still in the tub in Josh's room waiting to be washed.

I realized instead, I have accomplished getting Jacob prepared for his brother's arrival. I do enough laundry anyway - if Josh was born tomorrow I'm sure he'd come home in clean clothes, and I'd have enough time to do one load of laundry before he spit-up on his outfit. But, preparing Jacob for this change in his life is more important right now, and seeing him so excited to fill a bag with brand new rattles and toys for his baby brother was much more important this morning.

I have not mopped our floors in who knows how long. I vacuum and sweep and all that...but I despise mopping. It hasn't been done in an very long time. Instead, I have successfully baked muffins with Jacob. I have sat down with Jacob at practically every meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner) since he has been born and taught him how to sit at the table, eat right, and not play with his food. He LOVES meal time for the most part, and we never have an issue with him not wanting to eat, or sit at the table. I love meals now because Jacob will come into the kitchen and sit and talk with me over our meal. Such a special time with us, and the slightly dirty floor under his feet doesn't seem to bother him while we are chatting away during lunch.

I haven't toured the preschool I wanted to before Josh was born. I have, however, sat down and given Jacob undivided attention where I don't even glance at my phone because I know it won't be long before I feel pulled in different directions and can't spoil him rotten with my time. The past few days we have been on the floor for hours playing Little People, cars, trains, coloring, etc. Even though sitting on the floor that long is extremely uncomfortable right now at over 35 weeks pregnant, I am so thankful that we are spending this time together. I know having Josh here will be so wonderful, but I also love being able to focus on only one set of needs right now and enjoying the last few weeks of our time before infant needs are in the routine. Jacob will be such a wonderful big brother, and I think he deserves some extra attention right now.

Mostly, tonight I just wanted to remind myself that everything will eventually get done. My house might not be spotless, my to-do list might never get shorter, and there just might still be a rake in our front yard underneath the snow. But, Jacob and Josh are loved more than anything. We have amazing memories we are building together. Sometimes Play-doh is more important than running the dishwasher. Sometimes reading books for an hour on my bed with Jacob is more important than throwing in another load of laundry. And always, my kids knowing they are loved and that I hear what they are telling me is more important than a magazine-cover-ready home.

Josh...we are so excited for you to join in our routines, make new ones, and fill our lives with joy and happiness. I can't wait to hold you and see Jacob give you kisses. I can't wait to have our family together and to spend my days with you.

2 1/2 stats

Jacob had his well-visit with the doctor this morning. He ended up waking up at 6 a.m., so it was extremely easy to make our 8:45 appointment! I like to schedule his well-visits as early as possible to avoid the sick kids coming in for their appointments. Jacob does such a great job at the doctor - he really likes the doctor for some reason, so I've got it easy with him.

Jacob weighs 34 lbs (87 percentile) and is 3'3" tall (97 percentile). His head circumference is in the 55th percentile, which is actually the largest it has ever been - he's normally in the 30s or 40s for his percentile. He's always had a small head, so it just remains steady!

Tonight we went to Kroger before dinner to pick up a few things, and Jacob had the time of his life because they had the kid-sized shopping cart available (the store by us only has one) and he was able to do shopping of his own. He was so proud, and even loaded all of his groceries onto the belt to check out. We ended up buying a few extras because of it, but it's worth it to see how much fun he had. Just wish I had my camera with me!

First Big Snow

First big snow of the year means we need some time outside! Love his face here. Singing Jingle Bells.

Making his mittens sing Jingle Bells.

I LOVE this picture! Checking out the snow.

He had no problem laying down in the snow. He even rolled across the whole back yard - so funny!

Hi, Santa!

Saturday was the first big snow of the year for us, but it wasn't too bad and we had planned on taking Jacob to the museum to see Santa. It was still plenty busy at the museum, but not too bad for it being a Saturday. We had such a wonderful day!

Bob and Jacob right when we walked in. Bob has been losing a lot of weight recently, and I think you can really tell in this picture how his face has slimmed down. So proud of him (despite the fact he's losing weight while I'm almost nine months pregnant, haha). The boys goofing around on the way up to see Santa.
Jacob looking at the train.

There's never much hope in getting him to look away from a train.

These Santa pictures are dark, but I love them anyway! We got a great one from the photographer there of him smiling, but I still love these. We just bought a 3 x 5 and an ornament that was ready right after Jacob hopped off his lap. So glad he loves Santa. He walked right up, told Santa he wants the Misty Island Rescue Center for his train set (which he has been asking for from Santa since September, so at least we know he won't change his mind and will be happy on Christmas morning), and was so excited when Santa asked if he could bring him some surprises, too.

Hey, Santa!

Fishing. We were shocked he was able to get the fish on there all by himself!

Going down the little slide.

He would play for hours in this play kitchen area if we let him. We stayed there for a while, but eventually had to go grab some lunch. I wish they had this part of the museum there year round, but it's only part of the holiday display.

Going down the giant slide with Daddy. Blurry, but Jacob had the biggest smile on his face and was so excited. If the line was shorter, he'd go down a million times.

Attempt at a family picture. Bad idea to wait until we were ready to leave and all he wanted to do was suck his thumb and put his head down. My shirt being twisted makes my belly look even larger than it is, but again, check out Bob - he's slimming down like crazy. Way to go, hubby! I'll be right there with you in January after Josh is here.

A little bit of this and that...

The day before Thanksgiving was cold and nasty, so Jacob and I did a lot of this... And this....
And enjoyed a perfect winter lunch of grilled cheese (shaped like a fire truck) and soup. Jacob gets bored with grilled cheese, unless I use a cookie cutter to make it into a fun shape for him. We've also done a Christmas tree shaped sandwich this week. Makes lunch time easy!

We made puppets.

And had a marching band to some Christmas music on the radio. Also nice to realize that as this Christmas is coming up quickly, he is still using presents we gave him last year, like this music set. He plays with this drum and the other instruments that came with it all the time. Reminds us that the money is worth it for toys that hold his interest for over a year already!

When the weather gets bad, I am so glad that I'm a SAHM and able to stay in on nasty days and do anything we want to. I'm just thankful that even though I wake up earlier with Jacob than I did when I worked full time, I don't have to get out in the cold, scrape the car, get my little man out of his pajamas when it is still dark outside and drop him off in the cold. It's nice to stay home all morning, despite the way our house looks like it was hit by a toy-filled tornado by lunch time. And, lucky I have a little man that has so much energy, a great imagination, never gets bored, and likes to spend time with his mama!

Putting up the Tree

We put up the Christmas tree this past Monday night. It was so wonderful to turn on the Christmas music, relax as a family, and decorate our home. But, Jacob surely did not care about the tree and was only focused on the train we put around the tree. We knew we wanted a train for Jacob, and right before his first Christmas I found this train at a grocery store with my mom while we were about to check out. Random, and perfect, at the same time! It was super cheap, marked half-off, and has been such a great train for us. Jacob was super patient while we set up the tree before we put the train around it.

Trying to pick up the whole box and carry it over to Daddy.

Will someone please just set up the darn train already?!
Putting the angel on top.

Determined to control the train.

Waving to Santa on the train.

Snapping his fingers to the music on the train.

Pointing out the number 6 on the front of the train. He yells, "Number six train coming through!"

About to put the first ornament on the tree.

Bob randomly got this picture - I thought it was so funny to see him squeezing the life out of that little control. He has the whole train down pat now...knows how to turn it on, make it go and turn the music on.

Such a wonderful night, and even though he just sat and played with the train while we finished the tree off, it was so nice to see how our dreams come true - nothing like setting up the house with our little man playing around the tree. We realized we have such a wonderful family and have so much to look forward to, but are so happy with where we are now at the same time.

Holiday Crafts

I forgot to share pictures of Jacob painting his Thanksgiving pictures! We drew hand turkeys to give to my Grandma and Bob's parents, but I didn't get a picture of those. They were really cute though, and now whenever we trace his hand he wants to make it into a turkey.

I can't remember where I saw the idea of making a tree out of their hand/lower arm, but we decided to try it out. Normally he is fully clothed while we paint, but because of the paint going up his arm, I didn't want to risk it this time. His turned out looking more like a turkey still, but just because I don't think I painted far enough up his arm. Wanted to do it quickly! Then, you are suppose to use your fingerprints to make leaves, but Jacob wanted the paintbrush, so I didn't care. Attempting a few leaves with his finger.
Jacob said the orange to the left is a train, and the red is a pile of leaves. I love it.

Then he wanted to fingerpaint, so we just did that, too! He started out telling me he was drawing waves for Uncle Mike (who surfs), but these got painted over eventually.

Getting both hands into it! He told me his hands were an octopus swimming in the water.

Trying to get me with the octopus. No thanks, buddy.

Then on Monday we went to Meijer for diapers and ended up picking up a Rudolph paint book for only $3.99. He had a good time painting while Bob got stuff out of the attic.