16 Weeks

Everything has been going well so far this pregnancy. I still struggle with a lack of food cravings, believe it or not. It has been frustrating to not feel like anything sounds that great, or when something does sound good to have it not taste as good as I thought. With Mollie I craved food like crazy- and my weight gain proved it. (50 big ones!!!) Looking on the brighter side, at least I'm not tempted to eat more than I should. Hopefully that will translate into lower total weight gained!

I started feeling the baby move on December 23rd. The kicks are already starting to get stronger and I think Jeremie may even be able to feel it soon. I feel most of the kicks on the right side. With Mollie I felt most of them on my left and she even managed to push out the left side of my rib cage permanently. Maybe this baby will even me out!

I am also having pains in my very low back area that shoot down my legs occasionally. I think it is a problem with my sciatic nerve. Jeremie got me a body pillow for Christmas and I think it is helping a little. I never got one with Mollie, because I only saw the super expensive ones made especially for pregnancy. Being that I am a tad on the cheap side I wasn't willing to spend $50 on a pillow I only needed for 9 months. A friend of mine, who is also pregnant with her second, recommended a much cheaper pillow from Fred Meyer. So far I would recommend it, too!

I have my third OB appointment next Thursday. At that appointment we will set our 20 week ultrasound date. I will be 20 weeks on Saturday the 23rd, so I am hoping to be able to set the appointment for Friday the 22nd. We plan to find out the sex of the baby and I will post it when we know. I still feel like it is a boy. Jeremie doesn't have a strong feeling either way, but says he feels more like it's a girl than boy. Mollie always asks for a baby sister, so we will see if I am right or if Jeremie and Mollie are right. Any guesses???

PS- the picture of me is awful, but I am determined to post a new one every month and this is all I have! I promise I don't look that bad all the time! :)

Merry Christmas!

We had a crazy Christmas, just like normal. Only this time, it was mostly crazy because Mollie wasn't feeling so hot. I thought she'd be really into opening presents this year, but I was wrong. She was more into the toys after we unwrapped them! She got LOTS of great gifts, inspite of the fact that I managed to keep myself from doing too much shopping. (She got lots of wonderful things from her family in addition to what we bought.) She got a pink Schwinn trike, an easel, and baby doll set up (like a play kitchen, only with a high chair, bathtub, and bed) among other smaller toys and clothes. It was a great two days with our families, and a wonderful weekend of relaxing at home to recover from all the excitement.

Santa Train

Today we went on a little adventure to North Bend with our friends, the Arndts. We got to ride an old-fashioned train to Snoqualmie, have cookies and hot chocolate, and see Santa. Here are a couple of pictures from our day.

This definitely was well worth it! We plan to make it an annual thing. The only catch is next year we'll both be doing it with two kids two and under... That will be a REAL adventure! :)

Christmas Pictures

Again, my wonderful friend, Sarah, took some pictures of Mollie. These are obviously her Christmas pictures. We have the ones taken of her in her Christmas dress last year on the mantel and I can't believe how much she's grown! I wish I had them on the computer, so I could prove it to you all! (But I'm pregnant and getting too lazy to make extra trips up and down the stairs... I do that enough with Mollie as it is!) :) Thanks again, Sarah, for your wonderful photography eye. We love the pictures!

Mollie's Big Words

Here is my first video uploaded to blogger! (I finally figured out how to do it... Don't tell anyone!)

We are so proud of Mollie's verbal abilities and wanted to show off some of her skills. At the end of the video I asked her to say "Reggie", the name of her beloved kitten that we had for a week, and she got a little distracted. I'm sure you'll see what I mean! :)

Our Tree and Lights

Here are a quick couple of pictures of our Christmas tree and lights. It feels so good to have it all done! Mollie loves both the tree and lights. Whenever she sees them she says, "oooh, pretty tree" and, "oooh, pretty lights"!

Tree Time!

The beginning of the Christmas season is upon us! We get started right away, so we can enjoy this festive time with friends, family, and each other for as long as possible. On Friday we went to the Sumner Bridge Lighting with Jeremie's family, and on Saturday we went with them to the Red Barn Tree Farm to cut our tree. Both events are annual traditions and help to start the season off right. Mollie is always a little unsure of new events (aka crabby...) and didn't have the greatest time at the tree farm. She did, however, really enjoy the mini train we ride around the farm. She happily called out, "choo choo buggy!" many, many times while riding. (Choo choo buggy is from Mollie's favorite TV show, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.) While we worked on getting the house set up for the tree we turned on The Polar Express for some festive background noise. Again Mollie cried out "choo choo buggy!" over and over. She loved the movie, which makes it all that much better for us to watch, too! (Just a side note: While I was putting Mollie down for a nap Jeremie was working on putting the lights up outside her window. When she heard the ladder bang against the house she, again, yelled out "choo choo buggy!" What are we going to do with this one?) :)

12 Weeks

Here is the first pregnancy picture I've taken this time around. I figured I needed to since I'm starting to feel a little snug in my regular clothes! So far, this pregnancy has been way different than when I was pregnant with Mollie. I have been so much more sick! :( The constant nausea subsided a couple of weeks ago, but I still have major food aversions and feel pretty icky by the time evening rolls around. Just one more week until the end of the first trimester, which is always a good feeling, no matter how great you feel. I'm just hoping the complete end of my morning sickness comes around soon, too!

18 Month Pictures

My wonderful friend, Sarah, came over last week to take Mollie's 18 month pictures. We are so, so happy with them and very impressed with Sarah's work! We feel like she did an amazing job capturing Mollie's humor and beauty. Check out her blog for packages and prices. We recommend her to anyone!!! (www.sarahfuccillophotography.blogspot.com)

Baby #2 is in the Making!

About six weeks ago I started having MAJOR food cravings (pizza!). When I would sit down to eat, I wouldn't be able to touch a thing. A classic pregnancy symptom!!!

That night, while Jeremie and I were getting ready to put Mollie to bed, Jeremie urged me to take a pregnancy test. (I wasn't excited to take one, because I had just tested four days earlier and got a negative result.) I used the same generic Walmart test that I used with Mollie and was familiar with the readings- plus sign for positive, minus sign for negative, and a neutral test line to indicate that the test was working properly. The outside packaging was exactly the same as always, but the test itself looked different. I didn't think much of it as I watched for the result. Immediately I got a test bar line (good, it's working) and a "minus sign". So I said to Jeremie, "well, it's negative". He responded with a large sigh of relief, even though we were both surprised. Of course I bought the "three pack" and had the rest of the package to put away. As I was doing so I happened to notice the reading directions on the box- one line for negative, two lines for positive. So this time I said, "oh my goodness... I read the test wrong. I'm pregnant!" I never thought I'd be one of those women who reads the tests wrong, but boy was I surprised!!! I am one of those women!

Just like with Mollie, we were not quite planning a baby yet. But again, we are very excited and thankful for this little blessing. (And I'm very thankful to be able to get pregnant without trying, instead of enduring the pain of infertility. I can think of few experiences in life that would be more painful.)

We had our first ob appointment this morning with ultrasound and all. We got to see a nice, strong heartbeat. (The doctor says it was about 150 beats per minute- boy???) The doctor dated the baby at nine weeks, six days gestation, giving me a due date of June 12, 2010. We are having the same doctor with this pregnancy as last and feel so good about it. I feel like this baby and I are in such good hands.

Keep checking my blog for pregnancy (and Mollie) updates. I'm sure there will be many to come!!!

Happy Halloween!

Mollie was Minnie Mouse this year, because her favorite show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She was an adorable Minnie and had a great time trick-or-treating at our church.

Meet Reggie

When I got home from work today I heard a scared sounding meow coming from under our house. It took me a few minutes to find exactly where it was coming from, but I found the wide eyes to match the cries. When Jeremie woke up from his nap his first job was to climb under the house and rescue the very scared kitten. He was a good sport and woke up 15 minutes early, because I'm sure he knew both Mollie and I were concerned about the trapped kitten. He crawled under the house with a flashlight and successfully coaxed the kitten to come to him! We all were very relieved!!!

Mollie and I walked around the entire neighborhood, looking for the kitten's family. We were unsuccessful, so Jeremie ran to the pet store to pick up some cat food and litter. Mollie is LOVING having a new playmate in the house, as you can see from the pictures. She often gets a little too excited and picks him up by the neck! But so far so good- no scratching or biting! He seems to be taking well to her.

Jeremie is taking surprisingly well to the kitten, too. He even named it "Reggie". We are not sure that we will be keeping it, because of allergies, but are enjoying every minute of it for now!

So Many Changes

With so many changes in our lives these days it's hard for me to stop and enjoy the present. But, luckily I have a one-year-old to help me with that! Since she goes over to my friend Lisa's house three times a week, she gets to see Lisa's little man swaddled, rocked and nursed a lot. With that being said, she is now practicing her own "mommy skills" by asking us to swaddle her bunny so that she can sit in an infant bouncy seat and rock it to sleep. It is so precious.

I also got a wonderful reminder of how good our God is this morning. My wonderful friend, Brianna from high school, instant messaged me to see how we are doing. We don't see her often and she hasn't heard about all the changes we are facing. She just wanted to know if there was anything she could pray for right now. It felt so good to know God put us on her heart so that she could support us through prayer.

Pumpkin Patch

This weekend we did yearly family tradition of going to Spooner Farm's Pumpkin Patch. I was hoping for more opportunities to get some cute pictures of Mollie, but she just wasn't into the Patch thing. Her favorite things of the day were: seeing the bunnies, sitting in her cousin's stroller (she never likes the stroller, go figure!), and riding a pony. We thought it would be a major melt-down when her pony ride was over, but she was so good about it.

Messy Girl!

Does anyone have any tips on teaching your toddler to be a neat eater??? Mollie is such a mess! Summertime was nice, because I could gets her all undressed before eating and then wipe her down when she was all done. These days it's too cold for that, so it's getting a bit complicated! Bath-time is all but required after a bowl of oatmeal, as you can see in these pictures...

Influenza

Mollie woke up with "sick symptoms" yesterday morning. Because she was exposed to strep over the weekend I decided to take her in to the doctor right away. The strep culture was negative, so they decided to do a flu test (didn't even know such a thing existed). Unfortunately, it came back positive.

The doctor offered us an anti-viral, Tamaflu, because within 48 hours of onset it can significantly reduce symptoms and reduce the active phase of illness. I decided to give it to her, even though it cost us $44 out-of-pocket (thanks to lovely self-employed insurance). It was money well spent! Mollie had her first symptoms at 8am yesterday and had her last known fever yesterday evening. (Although I think she had a few fevers during the night, because I heard some whimpering over the monitor.) She woke up symptom free this morning and is acting back to her old-self already! Praise Jesus! (And thank you Tamaflu!)

The flu is very scary, especially with h1n1 this year, but we have found that there are things you can do to reduce the seriousness of symptoms. According to Mollie's doctor the keys are: catch it early, get right into the doctor if you suspect the illness is more than a cold, take the anti-viral, and take daily vitamins (poly-vi-sol for little ones).

Just thought I'd share our experience. Hope it helps relieve some fears of the flu and helps you handle it quickly.

PS- According to the material distributed by our doctor's office, influenza and h1n1 symptoms do not include vomiting. The biggest indicators of the flu are high fevers, muscle aches, icky noses, and coughing. (Yes, scarily similar to a bad cold!)

When Mommy's Away

Here is a little glimpse into what life is like for Jeremie and Mollie while I'm at work.

For some reason Mollie has been saving all her poops for Jeremie in the afternoon. (I think it may be her way of paying him back for the past 17 months that I have done ALL of them!) Anyway, she had a REALLY big one the other day that came out the top and sides of her diaper. This led to a much needed bath. Mollie was very distraught about the situation and was very tearful! But the good news is she was calling his name in her time of desperation, not mine. It tells me that she feels confident in Daddy's ability to take care of her while I'm gone.

It is such a relief for me to know that she's in great hands and that she and Jeremie are bonding so much more.

My First Day

I had my first day back to work today and it was rather successful!

The day started off with Mollie and I checking out the YMCA facility, because she is a new member. We walked around, checked out the pool, and got her list of classes that start next week. She will be taking a toddler activity class and a swim class. Then we went over to Bradley Lake for a little play time. It is really important to me to take advantage of the morning hours I have with her before work. This way I won't feel like I'm abandoning her as much and I'm still being a "good mommy". Tomorrow morning she and I will be taking a little swim at the Y. Can't wait!

Jeremie got stuck in traffic from an accident on 167, which almost made me late for my first day. It was pretty stressful getting there, but once I did I felt really relaxed. My new school building, Downing Elementary, is just a few miles north of my home growing up and just up the road from where I graduated. I felt right at home, which was very refreshing. My new commute will also be about 10 minutes shorter than my old one, which is very nice when you're in a hurry to get home to your little girl! :)

On the other hand, the building is MUCH different from the others I have had the privilege to work in. It is older than OLD and smells like it. I felt like I was in a time-warp all day. This will take a lot of getting used to... It is so sad to me when school buildings get this old without any remodeling. It is so important to the enthusiasm and pride students (and staff) feel while there.

I got all afternoon to unpack and arrange my classroom. I don't have much left over from my old classroom, because I lost a lot in the move some how. I'm really bummed about it, because it took five years of teaching to build it up. It also means I don't have much material to use with my students. I have no idea what I will be using, so it will be quite the adventure for the next few weeks.

Thanks for all your prayers! Please continue to pray for us. Jeremie needs direction and motivation. He doesn't know what he wants to do with the rest of his career years. And accordingly, I need patience!!! I'm ready to move on NOW, but need to wait on the LORD... (Patience is not my best attribute. Are you surprised???)

Working Woman

I called the Tacoma Public Schools HR office this morning to see if it was even possible for me to return to work this late in the game- school starts tomorrow!!! All I wanted was to be allowed to sub a few days a week even though I'm on leave from my contract.

The answer was no I can't sub, because when you are on leave that means you are unable to work for whatever reason. But, the woman in the office said she thought she might have a 0.5 (reading teacher/title I) job available to me at Downing Elementary.

When I got off the phone I prayed that if this was the right move for me the job would be a 3day/2day split or at least an afternoon position. When I got the call back the answers were: yes the job is available, yes I can have it, and it's an afternoon schedule. So it's official- I'm going back to work part-time.

This is not the direction Jeremie and I wanted to have to go, but it will be great in the long-run. First, the pay is way better than subbing and I get paid time off. Second, we get great state employee health insurance. Third, it helps me work on converting my certificate from a temporary (residency) state to a permanent (professional) state. Fourth, it guarantees me a contract with the Tacoma School District until at least a year after we have another baby instead of expiring this Spring. And fifth, it will significantly help with our new budget.

Please continue to pray for us. We are excited that at least one prayer has been answered. We are continuing to pray for Jeremie's career direction... I've been on the computer all morning researching firefighting positions and EMT training courses!

Changes

"My son, preserve sound judgement and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you, and an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble; when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared." Proverbs 3:21-26

This pretty much sums up where the Neighbors family is. Our "sudden disaster" came on Friday when we found out that we are no longer self-employed independent distributors. Jeremie is now an employee of Smith Brothers Farms. This significantly changes our budget and requires us to prayerfully consider our next move.

Right now we are at a loss of words. We do not know which direction to turn. Should Jeremie continue working on becoming a firefighter? Should he aim for a sales job? Should I be the one to go back to work and let him work on a bachelor's degree?

This time of change is stressful, confusing, exciting, sad, overwhelming... I could go on and on. We ask that you keep us in your prayers. We need discernment and sound judgement as we consider the direction of our family and our future. We need patience for answers. We need contentment in the meantime. We need thankful attitudes for the past blessings we received and thankfulness for this time of trial that will lead us in the direction that ultimately strengthens us. We also need prayers as we consider my return to teaching on a part-time basis while we sift through this transition.

I will keep you posted with new developments, as this is sure to be a LONG work-in-progress. We thank you for all the love, prayer, and support.

Meet Xavier!

On Thursday August 27th, my wonderful friend, Lisa, had her adorable baby boy. When Mollie and I went to meet him she couldn't get close enough to him! He is one precious and loved little boy!

The Fourth Time's the Charm

And Yet Again More...