One Big Boy

On Monday we had another ultrasound and it revealed the Rhyley is weighing in at almost double what he should be. The doctor isn't concerned and everything else is going great. However, if he keeps up this growth pattern, it will most likely be another c-section. Maisey was 8.54 and he thinks he will be larger than that. The good news, so far no signs of preeclampsia, which means no bedrest this time around!

Here is a kind of ghost-like image of Rhyley's facial profile.

Guenther Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Old pictures

ER

No, not the show- but the actual ER isn't all that entertaining. The flu and pediatrician sent us that way last night and after 5 or so hours we got to come home. Maisey stayed awake the whole time, until 3 am when we were discharged. We were able to avoid I.V fluids thanks to a great cancer med for nausea called Zofran- a costly yet wonderful pill that dissolves- no not there, but on the tongue! I was very surprised to. They are changing the ways in which they treat children with the flu and it made life a lot easier. Tomorrow is day 5 and I think and pray that it is a day of recovery rather than dangerous throw up with blood! I am still nervous Chad and I will get it next- there is a 14 day incubation period...

Anyway, we hope you and your families are all healthy the rest of the season.

Maybe This Year...

Today was the deadline for Portland Community College's nursing program. The two year program is something I have applied at for the past three years. It is a lottery so the fact that I have a lot more schooling than many of the other 1000 or so applicants is irrelevant (all you need is a high school diploma for this program). Maybe, just maybe if it is meant to be, my number, or numbers in this case will be drawn in April. Oh, how wonderful that would be to use all of that nursing coursework I spent 3 year of the last 5 years of school working on! Of course if my number is drawn, everybody in the world will know. Pray really hard for me! Because of the other degree I am working on, and the fact that I am a senior and have one year left, this is the only program that I am applying to this year, as opposed to the 9 last winter!

Not Today

Maisey will not be making it to basketball today because the flu is still lingering. It looks like we will be catching her favorite Full House at 3pm and playing lots of Ponyville and Barbie. Yeah, another day playing with old time favorites. Excuse the sarcasm but it isn't fun for the folks either when the little tikes are sick!

The Down Side of The Family Bed...

First of all, most of you know my stance on this one, do whatever works for you and your family.

There was a time when co-sleeping worked great for us (probably before age 3), but here is a list of the down side from our side.

1. You may, and probably will get thrown-up on.
2. You may, and probably will get peed on.
3. You may, and probably will get kicked out of bed and/or in some very uncomfortable places.
4. You will probably have to listen to snoring.
5. You will have to fake the fact that you really aren't going to sleep when the little one is.
6. You will have to leave your conversation, company, or tasks (for who knows how long), to put the little one back to bed!
7. And I am sure I know of many more when you have a 4.5 year old in your bed still!

Because Maiey is still in our bed for over half the night, Rhyley will not be. And we hope that she outgrows that security issue before he wonders why he is the only one not in the 'family' bed!

Sweet Dreams or Not

This sweet princess bed wasn't looking so sweet of couple hours ago...

We are under courantyne again! We are making it through thanks to de-solv-it (the world's best stain remover which I recommend on big stains caused by popsicles), pull-ups (I won't go in to detail), and two sets of adult hands.

To begin with Maisey came home from school on Wednesday complaining of a tummy ache. I thought she was hungry for the dinner I was preparing- but that wasn't the case. I didn't force her to eat dinner (although I had no clue she was really sick), and we let her have a fruit popsicle before bed.

At 12 am she beckoned us to come get her (as usual), and shortly after falling back to sleep (in our bed) the moaning began. It was a long night of the pukes, but with the help of Chad, we made it through. It was difficult with the heightened sense of smell that most women experience during pregnancy, but I stayed really tough too.

After six loads of laundry from the long night, we think Maisey may be able to go to her first basketball practice tomorrow. She was very disappointed because she had to miss her first soccer practice today and she is really excited to get into uniform.

Stay posted and we will let you know if she makes to basketball tomorrow!

An Evening of Mingling...

Saturday night consisted of a fun evening of visiting and Wii time with 8 couples from our new ward and the Sorenson family too. I'm not sure if our ward would still be considered 'new', as it is our 6th month here, but after being away for several sporadic weekends throughout the summer and into fall, it still feels new.

Chad had a great time playing with his Wii and the other dads on the theatre screen.

I enjoyed the evening and Maisey was in Heaven playing with the 18 kids that attended.

Chad snapped some pictures... They are a little unscripted but like I've said, we are still trying to remember to use our camera for pictures other than one's that end up in Maisey's album.

Party Time

Saturday was our niece Ruby's 10th Birthday party at the bowling ally in Hood River.

Here is Maisey sporting a Best Friend Necklace... Ruby has one half and Maisey has the other and has been wearing hers for a couple weeks now.

She adores Ruby and has looked up to her ever since they first met.

Nesting Time

Ok, so I am aware that I still have 84 days to go... But, with school and all sometimes I just need to distract myself. Plus, it has been SOOOO long since we have had the chance to 'play house', and it is just as fun as it was with our first!

Here are some pictures of our 'masculine' decor. You know brown is my favorite color!

One Fun Hat

I had to post a picture of this adorable hat Aunt Jill brought back from North Dakota for the adorable Maisey. It also has matching gloves! This is certainly a hit!

Maisey the artist...

Here is Maisey's most recent picture that includes Rhyley- as most of them do these days! She has drawn Herself with buns, Daddy, and Mommy w/Rhyley in utero, swimming in, no not our pool, but her Unlce Adam's and Aunt Carrie's! I just had to share...

A girls got to feel beautiful!

Ok, so I realize this isn't an online journal- but that just may be how I use it. The topic here is beauty when you might feel the least bit beautiful...

Recently, I was talking with a gal pal about making those uncomfortable visits to your 'friendly' doctor- you know what I mean, the ones that involve de-robing... Anyway, I was saying that when that dreadful time approaches I always find myself receiving a pedicure shortly before.

She laughed and said that her Doctor recently commented on that trend and the comical side of it... Well, comical as it may be, a girl has got to feel beautiful in that most uncomfortable time! Right? Feel free to share your angst on this one!

Yes, you guessed it. That is what I am up to later today! I thought this only occurred once, in the early stages of pregnancy and postnatally, and that is true unless you change doctors! If we don't have too many children that may just be one reason:)

One Sick Chick!

Maisey is feeling better after being pumped with many different medications (especially antibiotics), after falling very ill Saturday. After a trip to the Doc on Tuesday it was determined she had strep throat, earaches, and maybe a form of the flu (4days of fever and soreness). The poor gal didn't even want to walk because her body was so sore and she hasn't eaten since! This picture is of her making her recovery!

Oh, the frustration...

Have you ever ruined a whole batch of white clothes? Well, I am taking the blame for the once ultra-white clothing that came out with orange spots last night. What can I say, I checked all the pockets of the articles in the machine before giving them the ol' run through, but somehow they came out with construction site neon orange spots! Yep, khakis, garments, tights, and Chad's favorite white church shirt! The only explanation I have is dye in the peach colored prenatal vitamins that I take, but who really knows- something small slipped in there??? Oh, the frustration...

Can You Say Preview...

My apologies to anyone who may have heard any sort of ill tasting music in my Holiday playlist... My goal wasn't to turn people off, but as I was changing up my winter picks I encountered a rather interesting song about "knowing what the boys like"! Hey, all I can say is that I didn't preview all of them first because I was going for cheap, or free, and the site I was dealing with made me come up with a playlist of 18 before I could even post one song! The free 'holiday' music that was from a recommended blog.spot website turned out to be something I wouldn't recommend if you know what I mean! My greatest apologies and I have found a new website with all my faves!

The Hype

Christmas came and went as quickly as Santa's debut and we are a bit sad that it is already over. We had a great month preparing for the big celebration, and I was even going to leave the tree up until the 1st, but it was showing its age by the beautiful color that it had lost and by the unfriendliness of its branches! (She was a bit feisty while I was removing her accessories and I walked away with a couple of scratches). Now that the holiday is over we are grateful for the constant traditions, new memories, and the few pictures we were able to capture in the fast paced hustle.

Maisey and I spent a wonderful six days in Eugene but Chad wasn't able to come until the eve because of his job in the world of retail. After celebrating Christmas at my grandparents as we have done every year with my dad's entire family, we headed home later that night in the nick of time for Santa's arrival. The next morning we enjoyed Christmas under our tree and then we headed East to Hood River. After arriving around noon we spent a couple hours with family before heading back home. The picture perfect snow scape forced us to leave a couple hours early in the late afternoon but after returning home for three days we were able to return for a leisurely weekend in the Hood.

During the restful weekend Maisey spent her first night away from Mom and Dad with her Aunt Jill, Uncle Tod, and Cousin Ruby. Maisey had a great time with her big cousin Ruby and a rather smooth night thanks to a patient Aunt and Uncle who were willing to share their bed! I on the other hand, woke up on the hour and slept very restlessly as I wondered what was going on two houses away from where I was sleeping. But, the phone never rang and we now have confidence that when she must sleep over come this spring, she will be as excited and secure!

Our trip back allowed more time for fun in the snow and time with Oma and Opa Guenther. We arrived on Chad's parents 40th wedding anniversary and departed with a birthday celebration for Lynn and Nick's (father in-law and nephew) birthday's. It felt like old times celebrating at Pietro's as we did for every locals birthday.

Now we are home, unpacked, and ready to enjoy New Year's eve tomorrow as well as celebrate our two year temple anniversary! Oh, and how can I forget the final week countdown until another term starts. I am eager to knock this one out... I am due two weeks after the term ends and hopefully it will distract me some! With the age lapse between children, as well as school ending promptly before my due date, I have already felt the joys of nesting. Going through all the old gear and taking inventory, washing and preparing, I am so excited!

We hope your holiday was as pleasant as ours and we wish you a Happy New Year!

The end to another year...

The year is almost something of the past and everybody is scrambling to finish it in style (just visit any store and it is obvious). However, you won't find me doing any Christmas shopping. I am just trying to enjoy the holiday season with the people and things I love most. And if you aren't already aware, I am already tired of baking this season! I know, can you believe that is possible!

If you do happen to catch me in a store fiercely fighting my way through the bundles of people, it is because I am scouting out all the things I would like to purchase after the holiday when it is marked down super cheap (baby clothes for next winter). No matter what I find myself doing these days, my mind is on cloud 9 just thinking about our little boy who will be making his debut this spring. At this time all I know are little girls and I can't wait to see what a change he will bring to our home.

We decided on the name Rhyley early on, but just this week after finding out the sex Maisey has re-named all of her dolls. She is so excited to be a big sister and if you dare say that she will be a big sister, she is quick to remind you that she already is! She has a point... She does have a little sibling, he just isn't able to communicate with us. Well, except with me and all the kicking he inflicts on my abdomen. I'm sure he will be a soccer player like his parents hope for.

Today we topped off our holiday decorating with the Stone's and after painting ceramic and dough ornaments, our tree is at its full capacity. This past week we also spent an evening with Peyton and Colby frosting cookies and decorating ornaments- we love seeing those guys more now that we live closer! Last Saturday we hit the Winter Wonderland lights at the Portland International Raceway after spending the day decorating more cookies with friends. I think we have pretty much done all we can to prepare for Christmas and Maisey never fails to open up her advent calendar. We got our tree early this year on November 24th and consequently we are even more anxious than ever for Christmas. Oh, and how can I forget the gingerbread house we spent 2.5 hours decorating!

We hope your holiday season is going as well as ours and we can't wait to hear about your latest ventures.