6 Months Later......

So, it's been awhile since I've updated this blog. The last time I wrote, I was announcing our pregnancy and talking about the ups and downs we experienced in the process of finding out I was pregnant. What. A. Rollercoaster! 

Since then, we've had some exciting things happen! Like this....

Family pictures! We finally ALL got together to take a family picture. We had some REALLY funny pictures, but this is the good one. :)

The other fun thing that happened was someone ELSE announced their pregnancy! That's right, Jana and I are pregnant together again! Jana announced right before we started taking family pictures. She is due at the end of June (just a day later that Ami's due date, and on our wedding anniversary). 

What else happened in the last 6 months??? Well....

Yep! In November we found out that baby #3 is a BOY! It wasn't a huge surprise for me because I always imagined I would have 2 girls and a boy (just like my family!). But I had my suspicions too. We would have been happy with either (girls just seemed so NORMAL), but it's a new experience to be having a boy!

And....in January I started taking belly pictures (it starts later and later with every pregnancy!)

25 weeks along!

30 weeks along

And in January we also found out that Jana is expecting a GIRL! Technically, this wasn't a surprise either. Because the last time we were pregnant together I had a girl and she had a boy. So we just switched. AND we have a pattern we've been following for the last 7 years of boy-girl-boy-girl etc. So if she had a BOY she would have broken both trends!

So, what else have I been doing in the last 6 months besides these few things? Well, I think the words "Barely Surviving" come to mind. I was so excited when I thought there was a chance I wouldn't be super sick with this pregnancy. Sadly, the sickness came, and it dominated. I started feeling sick just a few days after we announced (which was later than my other pregnancies). Because anti-nausea meds didn't work during Ami's pregnancy, I had decided to forego any meds (and their nasty side effects) this time around. It was rough, and I spent many days wishing I could just feel good enough to chase the kids around. But I knew it wouldn't last forever. And it didn't. Around 18 weeks I started feeling much better. Sadly around that same time we battled 2 rounds of the stomach flu and that was terrible. But by the beginning of the year, the nausea had mostly subsided. Sadly it was replaced by something terrible. Equally bad, maybe even worse than morning/all day sickness. I learned that I had developed SPD, or Symphysis Pubic Dysfunction.

What on earth is that? Yeah. That was what I asked. At about 15 weeks I started feeling really sore in my pelvis. I thought that it was pretty early for my hips to start moving, but hey, what was there to do about it right? I noticed that it was WAY worse at night and during the nights I would struggle with pain every time I rolled over or needed to get out of bed (which was 3-4 times to pee and 2-3 times to deal with kids, ouch!). I had mentioned it to a few friends and one finally said "It sounds like SPD." So I googled it, and my symptoms were all there. In a nutshell, during pregnancy you produce a hormone called Relaxin, that relaxes your joints and ligaments to allow space for your baby (especially for delivery). With SPD 

your Relaxin production starts way early, and goes into overdrive. The ligaments in my pelvis started stretching way too early, and so from about 16 weeks on my pelvis has been all out of whack. It's super painful at night when trying to move and most nights I've had to take hot baths before bed to get the pain to subside so I could fall asleep.

I mentioned the discomfort to my Midwife and she agreed that it was SPD. She recommended physical therapy, but after research I realized that I would have to do therapy 2-3 times a week for the rest of my pregnancy in order to have any relief (and sometimes not even that works). I also looked at chiropractic, but it's the same deal, consistent adjustments with hopes that it works. Neither of those were things we could try (financially or time wise!). So I researched other at home options and some have offered minor amounts of relief. At this point, the only thing that is going to fix my SPD is having this baby and my body stopping the production of the Relaxin hormone. So, I'm coping with the symptoms until then. I try to see the silver lining, and remember that things could be worse. At this point I feel the pain about 70% of the time, the worst pain being at night. But in about 7-8 weeks, hopefully I won't have that anymore!

To keep me busy I've been working on a few things here and there as time (and energy) permits. 

As some of you might remember I made quilts for the girls during those pregnancies:

I drafted the pattern when I was 38 weeks pregnant with Beth (and actually finished piecing the front about 5 hours before going into labor). I kept the same pattern with Ami's and just changed the color, patterned fabric, and initial.

Here is Baby Ezekiel's. I've only finished the front, and I might even be able to finish the whole quilt before he's born. Which would be a first. And by "I" I mean my mom and I. Because she's really the quilt master. :)

Around the time that Ami turned 2, we transitioned to cloth diapers. Yes. Really. :) And so I've been slowly building up a "stash" of newborn/small sized cloth diapers for this kiddo. I have all of the "One Size" cloth diapers I used with Ami but most babies don't fit into those until they are about 10-12lbs. And so newborn sizes are important for the first few weeks/months. Here is what I have for my newborn diapers, and yes, cloth diapers have come a LONG way since my mom and mother in law used them! 

It's ridiculous, but I'm really excited about using them! And I LOVE that I don't have to budget for buying disposable diapers. And after I'm done using these I can resell these diapers for about 80% of what I bought them for. Awesome! I'm also really excited that Ami finally decided to potty train (at least day time) so that we don't have 2 kids in diapers! We'll be working on her nighttime training after the baby comes and things settle down. For now I have her in cloth trainers at night, so I don't have to buy pull ups either! 

I've been trying to remember to enjoy the little things in life. The moments with my kids and husband, the sunny days, the very short times when all the chores are done and I can sit and rest. All of those things are important. And I am so grateful for them.

These two certainly keep me on my toes (literally). They love to make messes and play pretend. And most days I have to tear them apart so they don't kill each other. Sisters. Luckily I know that they are best friends (just like my sister and I) and always will be. 

Both girls are excited for Baby "Zek" (pronounced Zeek or Zeke) to come. Beth asks every day if he is big enough to come out. She has come to a few Prenatal Appts with me and she always helps my Midwife measure my belly and find the heart beat. Ami is also excited, but I don't think she understands it quite as much. Right now she uses Zek's room as her own nursery for her babies. 

Can you tell we co-sleep? :). 

Anyway, life is good. It is hard. And I think about that every night as I lay down to bed. But every morning as the sun comes up and my girls come drag me out of bed, I remember just how lucky I am. I'm lucky to have a wonderful husband who deals with my emotional outbursts and listens as I complain about my body hurting. I'm lucky to have two wonderful daughters who LOVE ME and show it every. single. day. And I'm lucky to be pregnant with a very active little boy. I'm lucky. And I'm blessed. 

I can't guarantee another post before this baby arrives, but you know I'll be updating after he comes. 

Until Next Time,

Happy Blogging. 

A Baby........maybe?

Hello! 

So I realize it's been a little while since I've written, it's been a busy summer for us at the Aldrich home. I need to take some time to go over all our fun adventures, but this post is about other news.

This story is full of twists and turns, and I definitely didn't see the ending coming. So be prepared. 

After a many months of thinking, discussing and praying, we decided we wanted to add to our family. We were really excited. We got a positive pregnancy test quickly and I found a Midwife in Boise that I wanted to see. I had previously been seeing an OB, and he had delivered my girls, but I just wanted a change of pace with any future children. 

I scheduled an appt with a sense of hope, but also nervousness. You see, with the girls, I was pretty sick very early in my pregnancies. Usually by 6 weeks I was taking prescription anti-nausea pills and I was still having trouble doing day to day tasks. But I wasn't having that yet. So I was worried that the test was wrong, or that I wasn't very far along at all. 

With that in mind, we went to our first appt. We met with our Midwife, Kristi Rhodes, CNM. And she was/is amazing. I immediately felt a connection with her and she was answering my questions without me even having to ask them. I felt so great about how things were going. She gave us paperwork for some bloodwork and urine cultures, and after that, we returned for an ultrasound. 

With the girls, I had my "due date" moved based on ultrasound measurements. So I was fully prepared to have that happen again. We began the ultrasound and immediately there was concern. We weren't seeing anything. No baby, no yolk sac, no amniotic sac. Nothing. They looked for a few more minutes, but were quick  to say that this is pretty normal and we could just be too early to see much. They wanted to run an HCG test from the blood I had given, and for me to return in 48hrs for another test. They were hoping that I would have moderate levels (maybe 500-1000 HCG) and that they would double after 48hrs. They did warn me of a chance of ectopic pregnancy since we didn't see a baby in the uterus. I didn't worry much because I thought I was just too early, or maybe that I wasn't really pregnant. So we went home with a promise that my midwife would call with the first HCG results. 

We didn't hear anything for a few hours, and I tried to not worry, I knew there was a chance that she might not get the results that night. But at 8:30pm I got the call. The call that changed everything. She called and said that the results were not what they were expecting. My first thought was "I'm not pregnant, it's ok...." But she continued to tell me that my HCG came back WAY too high. 150,000 to be specific. To not see a baby and have THAT high of levels, is a sign that something is really wrong. And so she told us to come back the next afternoon and the OB would do another ultrasound and we would get our options. She explained that their biggest concerns were a molar pregnancy (a tumor), which would require a D&C (removal of everything from the uterus, and clean sweep). Or if it's ectopic, it would mean surgery, possible loss of Fallopian tubes and/or ovaries. She didn't want us to worry, but she wanted us to be prepared. If we had any of these conditions it could mean waiting to get pregnant again for anywhere from 3-12 months. 

I kept it together until we got off the phone, and then cried as I told the story to Andrew. We decided that it was time to explain the situation to our parents since we would probably need their help with the kids for the surgery and recovery. A few other family members and close friends knew the news, and they were quick to offer kind words and positive thoughts throughout the difficult time. That night I didn't sleep well. I just wanted to know what we would have to face.

The next day went so slow. Andrew worked in Twin Falls and I went out to spend some time with the kids and some friends. I got a call from my midwife saying they reran my blood test and got a much lower number of 30,000 HCG. They weren't sure why it changed, however, she was still concerned because we should still be able to see something with such a high level. She said she'd see us in a few hours.

At 3:30pm we arrived at the OB office and they were running behind. We waited and tried to stay positive, and we were finally taken back at 4:45pm. The staff was amazing and understanding during our visits. We met with my Midwife and the OB (Dr. Glen Lovelace). We went over dates, last period, negative pregnancy tests, the positive test. etc. Which we were informed that even dollar store tests are REALLY accurate [that made me feel better since I used dollar store tests :) ]. We talked about the completely different HCG tests and our concerns. Dr. Lovelace said that although pregnancy tests and HCG tests are good, the only thing he trusts, are ultrasounds. They are visual, and they give more confirmation that anything else. Sadly, I didn't have much hope to see anything. 

3 seconds into the ultrasound everything changed. We saw something. We were all shocked and my midwife and I said, almost at the same time, "We didn't see THAT yesterday!!!" I thought for sure it would be a tumor (a molar pregnancy). So I asked, "Is it a baby?" A hundred emotions and thoughts were running through my mind. I really didn't know what to hope for. 

 To my relief Dr. Lovelace said "Yes, would you like to hear the heartbeat?" At that moment tears of joy welled up in my eyes. The heartbeat was wonderful. Dr. Lovelace measured our little baby, and the measurements came back exactly what they should be. About 8 weeks pregnant. 

Dr. Lovelace went on to explain that the shape of my uterus made it difficult to find the baby (not that he had much trouble) and so it must have been missed with the first ultrasound. He assured us that based on what we were seeing, my HCG levels of 30,000 were spot on (the lab must have messed up on the first test), I was 8 wks pregnant, and everything looked great. He left to let me get dressed and my Midwife, who had tears in her eyes, gave me a hug and congratulated me. We were so relieved. 

And so. Baby #3, who should be called Baby Peek-A-Boo, exisits. He/She is due at the end of April 2014 and we could not be happier. I thought that, at best, we would not need surgery, but have to wait for months to get pregnant again. I fully prepared myself for surgery, trusting in Heavenly Father's plan. We are grateful that our trial of faith was short and the outcome was perfect.

As we walked out to the car, I said "How. How can there be a baby in there?" And Andrew's quick response was "Heavenly Father must have answered everyone's prayers, and we are blessed." So to those that prayed for us, thank you. To those who had no idea, and prayed for those who were struggling, that was us, so thank you. To those that offered kind words and hugs, thank you. To those that love us, thank you. You may not have known about our situation, but we felt your love and we know we have amazing people in our lives.

We made the decision to share our news, earlier than planned, because we felt so blessed. We will cherish this pregnancy, maybe a little more than our others, simply because this little baby is already given us so much. I can't wait to see what this pregnancy holds, but I really hope that for our family and friends (who lived through the terrible 24 hours of "what-ifs" with us) that there are no more games of hide and seek. 

Until Next Time,

Happy Blogging!

Oregon Coast Vacation!

By now most of you probably know that we LOVE the Oregon Coast....I've talked about it here, and here. We visited the coast on our honeymoon 7 years ago, again 3 years ago with Andrew's brother and his wife, and 2 years ago with almost 2 year old Beth, and 7 months pregnant me. Each time we have so much fun, that we decided to go again this year!

I want to remember what we did each day, so I'm going to write this post chronologically. Cool? Cool.

Day 1: Traveling & Tillamook. So we left around 8 am and the 9 hr drive went pretty well. The girls played with their snacks, books, coloring books, and eventually watched movies on the tablet. I sewed together a holder for the tablet so both girls could watch it. Sadly, our tablet met an untimely death the day we returned from vacation, so this was the first and last time we used it on a roadtrip.

Both children decided to close their eyes during the pictures :)

When we finally arrived at the coast, we had a few hours till we could check in, so we went straight to the ocean!

The kids loved the beach, but it was a bit windy and the kids were tired after the drive. So we headed to the hotel. 

We dropped our things off and headed to dinner at Pacific Oyster. I'm very picky about seafood. Very picky. And I have a hard time eating seafood in the same place that they have live, or uncooked seafood  for sale....which was exactly what Pacific Oyster was. A fresh fish market with an eatery. I was pleasantly surprised though because they had the BEST clam chowder. We ate chowder at 8 different restaurants and Pacific Oyster was the BEST. 

After dinner we went swimming at the hotel. The girls LOVED it. And I loved it because it was a salt water pool. No chlorine, no stinging eyes and skin, no smell. It was wonderful! And the girls loved swimming!

The girls loved sharing a "big girl" bed. They had snacks and watched a movie every night before bed. They did really well going to bed and taking naps in a confined hotel room.

Day 2: Sight Seeing: We chose to stay in Tillamook for 2 nights because first, I got a GREAT Groupon deal on the hotel, and second, we wanted to do some sight seeing including the cheese factory which is one of our favorite places. 

We headed to some local places first and did some sight seeing. First we went to Cape Meares which included the Lighthouse and Octopus Tree.

This was the day that I got the most workout. It was a hike down to the lighthouse and a hike up to the tree. I think we walked about 2.5 miles. It was a great outside adventure!

After that we headed to the Maritime Museum in Garibaldi, OR. I wasn't sure how many "kid friendly" things they would have in the museum, but we went anyway. I was surprised that they did have fun activities for the kids, and exhibits that we were interested in too.

Andrew especially loved the 75 caliber gun they had on display. I think it was civil war era? I didn't read the description as I was chasing two children. :)

After the museum we headed to the hotel for nap time. After that we spent the afternoon at the HUGE Goodwill store that was right by the hotel. I used to do vacation shopping at outlet malls where I thought $15 for a shirt was a good deal. After having kids I stopped buying brand new things. Because when, not IF, but WHEN, the kids destroyed the THING I wouldn't be as sad if it was used, and if I got it cheap. (I wish I would have used this theory with the brand new $200 tablet that Beth shattered immediately after this trip.) At goodwill we got so. much. stuff. Rain coats and boots for the girls, a kitchen light fixture, BRAND new cleats for Andrew, twin sized sheets for Beth's future bed, sleeping bags for the girls, movies, etc. We paid $90 for 16 items. It was awesome!

After that we went to dinner, we were asked to sit up in the top section of the restaurant. I'm not sure if that's because of the "Duck Den" and Andrew's outfit....or if it was because the top section is furthest from the bar. Regardless, Andrew laughed at their "Den." Of course we tried clam chowder at the this restaurant as well....it was so so, but Ami decided she LOVED chowder.

After that, we called it a night. As adults we can stay out for 12+ hours and sight see till we run out of gas. But with 2 young children, we have to work in naps, quiet time, frequent bathroom stops, and snack and food stops. I loved the family time though. I was so happy that we were able to take the kids and enjoy 99% of the trip.

Day 3: & Tillamook Cheese Factory & Travel to Lincoln City. Visiting the Cheese Factory is the main reason we go to Tilamook (although after this vacation we learned there are more places that are fun for the kids!)

The kids had a lot of fun in the play areas of the factory. They were also mesmerized by the process of making cheese. They both LOVE cheese. So they were happy to watch each station for 5-10 minutes. I was the one in a hurry because I wanted the Ice Cream!! :)

We headed down to do some taste testing, and the kids approved!

Squeeky Cheese is my favorite, and also the only one they don't sell online. But we did buy a few packages to bring home, I still have half of a bag left. Yum! After the cheese we went to get some Ice Cream. I LOVE Marionberry Pie, which is also only available in Oregon. :(

After Ice Cream, we got in the car and headed to Lincoln City, which was only 45 minutes from Tillamook. Our condo at Lincoln City was right on the beach, so it had amazing sounds, views, and opportunities to play. 

We went swimming at the pool and then got ready for bed. That night we brought the mattress from the bedroom into the living room so we could all sleep together, where we could hear the ocean. :)

Day 4: Lincoln City Fun. We decided to spend day 4 exploring even more of Lincoln City and the surrounding areas. We went to the outlet mall, and few local restaurants, and of course the BEACH. 

I was VERY happy that Andrew didn't drop his expensive phone in the ocean while taking pictures of the waves :)

Beth found a washed up Jelly Fish. FUN!

It was such a fun day of family time! 

Day 5: Oregon Coast Aquarium. Well. The day started off with A LOT of excitement. We arrived at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport around 10am.

But then we saw this:

WHAT? For those of you that don't know. The "touchpool" is the fun interactive area where the kids get to actually TOUCH things, hence the name. Well. It was closed. And when I asked when it closed, the information desk said "Last Night." Dang it. If I had known, we would have come the day before. Oh well! We still had a lot of fun watching the Sea Otters and Sea Lions get fed. And they had a few more exhibits for the kids than the last time we were there. So it was still a great visit.

This is a tornado simulator. Wind speeds get up to 75 miles an hour. Ami loved it, Beth took some convincing! 

The shark passage is my favorite. You are able to see fish and sharks above, below and on both sides. Creepy and amazing at the same time! The kids loved it!

After the Aquarium we went to dinner at the Chinook Winds Casino Seafood Grill. It's a nice restaurant that overlooks the ocean. They always have great specials, and they didn't disappoint. The meal was "Feast on a trio of succulent shrimp skewers (crispy tempura shrimp, coconut shrimp, and grilled garlic shrimp) paired with a tender bacon wrapped sirloin of beef, season’s best vegetables and roasted rosemary-scented fingerling potatoes. Served with house salad and warm bread with butter." YUM YUM YUM. 

I had no idea what was in this picture when Andrew first showed me.....it just happened to be on his plate when he finished eating. I guess they were happy to be spared! :) Andrew was disappointed that the steak was only 4oz, but the Special was only $20 for 2 people. Good Deal!!

Virgin (DUH!) Lime Margarita. I definitely enjoyed this as our last dinner at the coast! I was definitely reminded why I don't take my children to restaurants often, they don't understand the concept of being patient. Seeing as we ate out about twice a day, we tried to go at times that the restaurants would be fairly slow, and that worked well. 

Thursday night was our last at the Oregon Coast, so we spent it again, at the Beach. Andrew wanted to build the girls a HUGE sandcastle. The kids were happy with his creation!

That night we had an amazing sunset and we enjoyed sleeping to the ocean waves for the last time.

Day 6: Homeward Bound!! We woke up on the last morning happy, but sad that we would be leaving such a beautiful place! I was pleasantly surprised with how well the trip went, and how easy it was on the kids (and parents). We will definitely be returning to the coast in future years!

While at the coast we tried 8 different clam chowders. Typically I don't do ANY clam chowder, but the first bowl we tried on day 1 was just so delicious, that I ended up stealing the bowl from Andrew, who loves chowder. After that I had to try the rest to compare. :) We made a list (more for us than for you), but I thought I'd share it.

Chowder Rankings!

1. Pacific Oyster- Bay City, OR (Near Tillamook). EVERYONE in the restaurant had a bowl (or bread bowl) of chowder when we walked in. So, I took this as a good sign. It had creamy sauce, chunky (recognizable) pieces, and not fishy. SO SO good. 

2. J's Fish and Chips- Lincoln City, OR. I had heard AMAZING reviews about their hand cut, hand dipped halibut and cod, but most people said their chowder was sub par. I whole heartdedly agreed with the halibut and cod reviews (it is amazing, seriously), but I disagreed with the chowder reviews. We thought it was good. Not as chunky, but great flavor, fresh, and filling.

3. Lakeside Hideaway, Rockaway Beach, OR. This was the place that had the "Duck Den," so I wasn't sure what to expect when we walked in wearing BSU gear. But the Chowder was good. Ami became another taster and was the cracker dipper for us.

4. Chowder Bowl-Depoe Bay, OR. You'd think with the name they would have amazing chowder, but....not really. It was good. But nothing stellar, middle of the pack.

5. Soups On-Lincoln City, OR. This place had A LOT of soups to choose from. So that was wonderful. Beth kept asking for Tomato Eggplant. The guy was nice enough to give her a sample so we didn't have to waste our money on a whole bowl. She quickly changed her mind. I probably would have ranked this chowder higher, except the garlic toast they served with it tasted like FISH. Really gross Fish. So after I took a bite of it, the rest of the bowl tasted funny. Andrew tried the Dungeness Crab Chowder here and said it was good. 

6. Kendra's Kitchen-Tillamook, OR. This was a nice small restaurant that were very accomodating for our kids (books, coloring pages, etc). The chowder was good, but it didn't seem very fresh. They did have AMAZING homemade mac and cheese, which is what that kids and I both had. It was so delicious. 

7. McMenamins-Lincoln City, OR. This was a Pub that advertised as a "family place" during the afternoon and evening. We tried it out and it was Ok. I was disappointed in the service, Andrew commented that it didn't seem like our server liked his job. The chowder was thin, and didn't have much flavor. Their Split Pea soup was good, better than the chowder!

8. Mo's-Lincoln City, OR. Ok. So we know people that SWEAR by this place. They LOVE the chowder. We tried it a few years ago, and weren't impressed but decided to give it another try. Same Result. Gritty, fishy, what tasted like canned chowder. It was not good. Their home baked bread was good, just not if you dipped it in the chowder. :) 

Well, if you survived this MONSTER post, good for you! As you can see, we loved our vacation. It was a good mix of adult and family activities, pretty good food, and lots of family time. If I could change things, I wouldn't focus so much on trying food. A lot of meal discussions would start with "I'm not really hungry.....but I don't want to waste our opportunity to try something...." I came home feeling pretty frustrated that I had gained some of the weight back that I had fought so hard to lose. However, I am constantly reminded that healthy eating and weight loss (my personal goals), are a long term, ever going, goal. So, I'm not going to beat myself up. 

I hope that you all have fun summer adventures planned and that you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed ours! Until Next Time, Happy Blogging!