Ava's 2 week check up & Cristian's 5 year physical

Cristian had his 5 year physical last week on Tuesday November 27th. He was very excited to go because he really likes the physician's assisant. His height was 44 inches which puts him in the 90th percentile for his age. His weight was 52.2 pounds which puts him in the 100th percentile. The physician's assistant said that he is very healthy and his growth is Awesome!!!

Ava had her 2 week check up today December 3rd. She actually saw the doctor. Her height is 21 inches so she has grown 1 inch in 2 weeks. She has regained her birth weight plus some. She was 8.75 pounds. Her eyes and ears are good. We had her left ear hearing checked and that was good. She seems healthy and is very strong for how little she is. She does try to hold her head up when you have her in your arms and can hold it for a few seconds. Her next appointment is in January when she is 2 months old and she will have her shots then.

Announcing Ava Grace Peters!!!!!!!!!!

On Monday November 19, 2007 we welcomed a new member to our family!!!! Ava Grace Peters was born at 2:30 p.m. weighing 8 lbs. 9 oz. with a length of 20 inches. She has very dark brown hair and blue eyes. She looks almost exactly like Cristian when he was born.

Josh and I went into the hospital on Sunday evening at 5 p.m. to begin the process of induction. I was administered cytotech and monitored until approximately midnight and then we were released to go home. We went back to the hospital at 7:30 Monday morning and I was administered pitocin at approximately 8:20 a.m. Labor progressed very fast and by 11:00 a.m. the contractions were very strong. I was given some pain medication at 1:00 and at 2:00 the doctor returned to break my water since I was 90% effaced and dilated 6 cm. By 2:10 or 2:15 the contractions were strong and I began to feel lots of pressure. At approximately 2:25 I began to push and Ava was born at 2:30 before the doctor had even arrived to deliver her.

Ava and I were released on Wednesday November 21st because the doctors had to run tests on her for the Group B strep since I had not received both of the doses of antibiotics during labor since it had progressed so rapidly. She weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz. when we left the hospital.

16th Doctor's Appointment

I had my 16th doctor's appointment today November 13th. The doctor measured my abdomen at 39 weeks. We listened to the heartbeat and it was about 140. I also had an exam which the doctor said that maybe I was about 2 cm dilated, but there is no change in the cervix.

I will be going into the hospital on Sunday November 18th and taking a pill (cytotech?) to start thinning the cervix and induce labor. I will have to be there for about 4 or 5 hours to be observed and if labor has not picked up in that time I will go home to try and sleep before I have to go back in the morning. On Monday morning, I will be back at the hospital around 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. to see what has happened with my cervix and the doctor will decide whether or not I will start pitocin. Hopefully, I will have the baby on Monday the 19th or at the latest Tuesday the 20th. Otherwise, the doctor wants to stop labor and wait until after the holiday.

Halloween 2007

Our Halloween pictures from this fall!!! Cristian was the black Spiderman. He and Josh carved pumpkins. Josh drew out the design for the large pumpkin (which we got from Jodi and Joe) and Cristian drew the face on the little pumpkin.

We took Cristian trick-or-treating all over town so we could stop and see people we knew. He got sooo much candy and we still have lots of it left!!! He had a great time and he is already looking forward to next year!!!

Baby Belly

Cristian gave my belly a kiss for pictures. We were taking pictures of my baby belly for the baby book and we thought this would be a cute picture. He kisses my belly, hugs it, talks to it, and sings to it. He is really excited about being a big brother!!!!! Only 6 days to go until I am induced!!!!!

Cristian's Learning to skate

This fall/winter Cristian will be learning to skate and play hockey. These pictures are from an open skating practice they had up at the sports center for the kids to practice their skating skills. Josh walked around on the ice to help him if he needed help.

He was walking at first and now he is starting to glide. Since we ended up getting him new skates, he has had to start over in a way to get used to skating in the new skates. He was slowly pushing with one foot and gliding, but now he is starting to push and glide again since he is breaking in his new skates.

Cristian is practicing getting up off of the ice by himself so he can get back on his feet.

Cristian's 1st camping trip

We went to my family reunion in Rhinelander in August. We decided to go camping for the one night that we were going to be there. It was Cristian's 1st camping trip!! He had lots of fun putting up the tent and helping making the fire. He was super excited to sleep on his new air mattress.

Cristian's Soccer

These pictures are from Cristian's soccer games this fall. I kept forgetting to put these on the computer so I finally did it before it came Christmas time!!!
Cristian had six kids on his team and they played 8 minute quarters. Each child was rotated in so everyone got a chance to play.

This picture is of my dad with Cristian because he was able to make it to a couple of games. Josh's mom also came up from the cities for one of Cristian's games.

Ear infection and cold

Yesterday, November 8th, I went into the doctor's office because I was not feeling well. I woke up with an extremely bad cold. I had a sore throat, stuffy nose, chest congestion, and my left ear was feeling blocked.

The doctor tested me for strep throat which came back negative, but I did have an ear infection in my left ear. Because I had such a bad cold and this ear infection, he prescribed antibiotics. I have to take 2 pills twice each day for the next ten days. I am also on the antibiotics for the yeast infection still.

I cannot wait until I have the baby because I am sick of being sick and taking all of these antiobiotics. I will be finishing this round of pills right around my due date. I hope that this gets rid of my cold and the ear infection. Trying to sleep has been uncomfortable because I cannot breathe through my nose and the doctor told me I couldn't take any type of medicine for the nasal congestion. I can however, take Robitussin DM for coughing which hasn't been that bad except for the mornings. He thought it would be a good idea to take that in case I coughed so hard that my bag of waters broke.

15th Doctor's Appointment

Yesterday, November 6th, I had my 15th doctor's appointment. This was my week 38 check up. I finished the antibiotics I was on and they still did a urine test which determined that I do not have a bladder infection, but there was blood in the urine. Since I still have discomfort and it is not a bladder infection, the doctor put me on an antibiotic for a yeast infection for the second time. He said that the infections could be causing a little bit of bleeding or it could be from my cervix thinning out.

I did not have an exam at this appointment which I thought was strange since I am two weeks away from my due date. We did listen to the heartbeat and it was at about 150. He also measured my abdomen and it was 38 cm.

We discussed what will happen if I make it to my due date. I want to be induced no later than the 19th (my due date) because it is just days shy of Thanksgiving and I do not want to be in the hospital over the holiday. As of right now, if nothing has happened by Sunday the 18th, I will be going into the OB Dept. of the hospital and being administered a pill to begin thinning or ripening the cervix. I am going to go back home to wait and see what happens until earlier Monday morning. On that day we will be going back to the hospital for pitocin, if needed, and hopefully labor will commence. My doctor will be leaving on Wednesday the 21st for his vacation so I am hoping that everything goes well and he will be there to deliver the baby. Also, I REALLY want to be home for Thanksgiving.

I am hoping that I go into labor on my own, but the closer the 19th approaches I feel even more discouraged than the previous day. I am still having contractions so I hope that they are thinning the cervix and dilating. My ankles are starting to swell so it looks like I have sprained or broken bones in my ankles. The pressure is increasing in my hips and groin so baby is probably moving downward.

My next appointment is Tuesday November 13th. I am hoping that progress will be made by then. I may end up going in before then because I am coming down with a nasty cold similar to the one I had when I was pregnant with Cristian and I really don't want to have to take antibiotics for that too. Also if the swelling does not go down in my ankles I may have to call the doctor's office and let them know that this is happening.

14th Doctor's Appointment

I had my 37th week doctor's appointment on Tuesday October 30th. Cristian and Josh both went with me. I gave another urine sample to be tested which of course came back positive for a bladder infection.

The doctor listened to the baby's heartbeat which still sounds good and normal without any pauses. He also measured my abdomen at 37 centimeters which is right with my pregnancy.

I also had an examination done to see if there had been any change since Sunday. There is still basically all of the cervix left and I am still only dilated to 1 cm. I was hoping for more because I really want to get rid of the bladder infection. He also did a test to make sure that I do not have a yeast infection along with the bladder infection which came back negative.

I also stopped working this week. I really want to rest and see if that will make a difference while I am on antibiotics. I have been really tired and feeling rundown. At the end of last week I was only working 3 hours a day because I couldn't stand without feeling lots of pressure in my hips and groin area. Contractions have really picked up and are becoming uncomfortable and more frequent. Being at work and having to do things while having contractions was not fun. My next appointment is Tuesday November 6th.

OB Department Visit

On Sunday October 28th I was having some cramping that was extremely uncomfortable and contractions as well. I called the OB Department at the hospital to ask them about the cramping because it was extremely uncomfortable and I was having a hard time just sitting still in a chair. I had also been having contractions on and off since last Thursday. The nurse told me to come in and see if I was in labor and to make sure I would get started on the antibiotics for the group B strep.

I drove myself to the hospital because it was almost ten o' clock at night and I wanted Josh and Cristian to get some sleep in case this was just a false alarm. The nurse had me change into a gown and I had to give a urine sample. Then she hooked me up to the machine they use for monitoring the baby's movements, heartbeat, and my contractions.

I was there until almost midnight. I was having irregular contractions which were about 2 to 10 minutes apart and I was still only dilated 1 cm and had not begun to efface. She said the baby's heartbeat was great and everything looked wonderful. She called the doctor to ask about running the urine sample which they ended up doing.

Apparently my bladder infection came back and that was what was causing the pain in my back and abdomen. The doctor was hoping that it was only the bladder infection and it had not spread to my kidneys because of the discomfort so they started me on antibiotics that night and called in the prescription for me to pick up in the morning when the pharmacy opened.

13th Doctor's Appointment

Yesterday, October 23rd, I had my 13th doctor's appointment. I was in and out in less than a half hour. I did my urine test which was fine and was weighed. I have only gone 8 pounds above my starting weight so I am really proud of myself.

We also listened to the heartbeat which was at about 130 beats per minute with no signs of the pause in the rhythm. I also had my abdomen measured at 36-37 centimeters which puts me right at 36 weeks where I am.

I didn't have a physical examination this time so I don't know if there has been any change in dilation of effacement. At the last appointment I had a culture done for bacteria because of all the infections I have had. I got the results from that which the doctor told me about. I have something called Group Strep B which is a bacterial infection (a type of vaginosis). When I go into labor I will have to be administered antibiotics so that I do not pass this infection on to the baby. I need to have at least two doses of this antibiotic administered 4 hours apart before I can even deliver the baby. The doctor told me that if I go into labor with only contractions I can wait a couple of hours before I go to the hospital, but if my water breaks I have to go immediately there and start the antibiotics to make sure I get at least the two doses in.

My next appointment is Tuesday October 30th. I will have a physical examination then and hopefully things will change if they don't before then. I am also considering this being my last week of work. I have been talking it over with my boss and he told me when I need to stop working I can. If I want to continue I can work whatever and whenever I want to depending on how I am feeling.

12th Doctor's Appointment

On Tuesday October 16th I had my 12th doctor's appointment. I am at 35 weeks. My appt. went well. Josh and Cristian both went along. We listened to the heartbeat which still sounds great so no problems there!!! I also got back my test results for the anemia test and another urine test. I am not anemic and the antibiotics finally worked for the bladder infections.

The doctor measured my abdomen at 36 centimeters. I said inches last time and that was wrong. That puts me a little ahead of my due date, but if I were to go into labor they would try to stop it because it is still too soon. After next week I can go at anytime when the baby feels the need to make an appearance.

I also had an exam which the doctor said that I was not effaced at all, but the baby had dropped a little bit. He said that he could also give me 1 cm of dilation. Only 9 more to go!!!!

We also discussed birthing options and things that I am not comfortable with. He basically laughed a lot at what I told him and assured me that some of the things discussed would not be an issue.

I am going every week now to the doctor and my next appt. is October 23rd. Hopefully I will not have many appointments left because I am very uncomfortable. Work is getting really hard and the pressure in my pelvic area is getting extremely uncomfortable.

11th Doctor's Appointment

Yesterday, October 1st, I had my 11th doctor's appointment. I still have a bladder infection, but I am on antibiotics for another infection so the doctor is hoping that this will take care of both. I will find out at my next appointment.

We listened to the heartbeat and it sounds GREAT!!!!! We didn't hear any pauses and the doctor is optimistic that she has possibly outgrown her arrhythmia already!!! The measurement of my abdomen is about an inch and a half ahead of where is should be so maybe I am further ahead of my due date. That would be great.

I also had some blood work done for anemia. I was so worn out last week on Thursday that my boss sent me home from work and I ended up staying home on Friday because I was so exhausted and I didn't feel good. I should be getting some word from the doctor's office in the next few days as to whether or not I need extra iron in my pregnancy.

The doctor also checked to see if I was dilated or effaced. I have been having lots of pressure and contractions so he wants to make sure that I am not already beginning labor. I have no dilation and the baby has not dropped yet. I am also having pain in my tailbone. The doctor believes that all of this pressure in my lower regions is caused by my tailbone being out of place. He did try to pop it back into place, but it wouldn't budge.

We also went over to the hospital and had a tour of the OB department so we know what it is like in this hospital. Cristian really enjoyed this because he got to see where the baby will be born.

My next appointment will be on October 16th and then I will go every week after that. We are at 33 weeks right now so everything is coming fast and we are starting to prepare for our new arrival.

10th Doctor's appt.

Yesterday, Sept. 18th, I had my 10th doctor's appt. We listened to the heartbeat and the pause is still there. However, it did not sound as pronounced as it did before so things could be getting better already. We will have to wait and see.

I still have a bladder infection so I have a prescription for the original pills that I was taking. I will keep alternating prescriptions until the bacteria is gone. The doctor is concerned with the possible development of a kidney infection if I don't keep taking the antibiotics. So for now I will have to continue on.

I also talked with him about the contractions I have been having so he checked me to see if I was dilated or effaced because I had been having contractions earlier that day for at least an hour in the morning and then sporadically throughout the day. The contractions I have start in my lower back and come around to the front and everything up to my diaphragm tightens up and it becomes very uncomfortable. Sometimes they are only in the lower abdomen and crawl up to my diaphragm which tenses up. He said I was not dilated or effaced and I need to watch the contractions to make sure I don't go into labor early.

My next appointment is on October 1st and then I go two weeks after that again. After October 16th I will begin oging every week until I deliver. The time is oging very fast and November will be here before we know it.

Ultrasound pictures

I don't know how well you can see the images. The first picture is of her face which I think you can see part of it that isn't shadowed. I think this picture looks like Cristian's ultrasound picture. People at work thought this picture looks like a little doll face. The second picture has her little foot.

Echo Cardiogram & Ultrasound in Duluth (9th Doctor's Appt.)

Yesterday, Sept. 5th, Josh and I went to Duluth for an ultrasound and echo cardiogram on the baby. The ultrasound showed that everything is developing great and that the baby is weighing in at over 3 pounds with a little over 10 weeks to go. We also were able to find out the sex of the baby and it is a...... GIRL!!!!!! She has hair on her head already and from the picture they gave us looks like Cristian. We even saw on the ultrasound her little ribcage moving as she was doing her practice breathing. That was really neat.

The echo cardiogram went just as well. Her heart is developed with all four chambers. She has an arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat which we had suspected. This is caused by premature atrial contractions which are extra beats that originate in the atria (the upper chambers of the heart) and don't carry over to the ventricular side of the heart (the lower half) causing the heart to pause and start beating over again. These are mostly harmless. She could outgrow this by the time she is born or eventually as she gets older. The doctor's are optimistic about this diagnosis being benign, but they still intend to listen to the heartbeat carefully every visit now to assure that this will not be a problem. I have to watch my caffeine intake by switching to caffeine free soda because the caffeine in regular pop will stimulate the baby's heartbeat causing more irregular rhythms.

8th Doctor's Appt.

Today was my 8th doctor's appointment since I am going every two weeks now. I still have a bladder infection so I am starting to take different antibiotics for that. The measurement of my abdomen was about normal.

When the doctor listened to the heartbeat there was an irregularity in the pulse. It would beat a few times and then pause and repeat. The doctor sent me to the OB Dept. in the hospital for a non stress test. The heartbeat remained unchanged so Josh and I are heading to Duluth tomorrow to see a specialist for an echo cardiogram of the baby's heart. We are hoping that the baby just has an irregular heartbeat or a murmur that it will outgrow. The ultrasound of the baby's heart will tell us what is causing the irregular heartbeat and what we will have to do regarding this situation.

7th Doctor's Appt.

Josh, Cristian, and I went to my 7th Doctor's appointment on Tuesday August 21st. I had also received my glucose test results prior to the appt. and I do not have gestational diabetes. However, I do have a bladder infection so I am taking antibiotics for that. I also still have morning sickness and even afternoon sickness now which is really hard when I am at work.

We listened to the baby's heartbeat which is approximately 140 beats per minute. He also measured my abdomen which is growing very nicely since I had a significant weight increase this month. We also discussed the sex of the baby which unfortunately we will NOT be able to find out until delivery day! The doctor informed us that we will not have another ultrasound unless another problem arises. At the last ultrasound the baby was in a breech position and we could have another ultrasound if it does not turn downward. Also at my last ultrasound they told us that we would have another one at 32 weeks so I have patiently been waiting to find out what we were going to have. I VERY openly expressed my feelings about having to wait until the baby is born to determine if it is a boy or girl. Josh and I are both disappointed about not being able to even see the baby further along in the pregnancy and also not being able to determine the sex.

I am still working the reduced hours at work which is good because I am so tired all of the time. At the end of my work day my back and my abdomen hurt and sometimes it is REALLY uncomfortable. Sometimes I don't get much sleep at night because I am getting up to use the bathroom or the baby decides to wake up and become an acrobat. I am hoping that it does not continue to do this which means it will have its days and nights confused which Cristian had and that was really hard to get used to no sleep at night.

We went and purchased a little heart monitor at the store and we can listen to the baby. Cristian is extremely excited about this and constantly asks if we can listen to the baby. We have also been shopping for a few smaller items and looking at larger ones.

I will begin going to the doctor every two weeks now until mid October when I will begin going every week. My next appointment is set for Tuesday September 4th so we will see what happens next. We are reaching the home stretch now since tomorrow I wil begin the 3rd trimester. Everything has been going so fast and before you know it the baby will be here.

6th Doctor's Appointment

I went to my 6th doctor's appointment yesterday July 24th. It was a follow up to my previous appt. for the problems that I had been having. Everything is looking great and moving along well now. I am still having to work reduced hours, but that is just a precaution since I am still having some cramping and discomfort. I also had my glucose/diabetes test yesterday and I have not heard anything from the doctor's office so I am taking that as a good sign. My weight gain is staying very low which is really good and my stomach has grown to the size it should be at 23 weeks.

I also asked the doctor about the bleeding I had earlier this month. Since they had told me that everything was normal I wanted to know if they could possibly tell me what had happened. What they thought had happened was that the placenta had detached from the uterine wall, but my doctor told me that he thinks there was some hemorrhaging between the yolk sack and the uterine wall. I need to be careful that this does not happen again.

I also had the doctor look at my hands since they seem to be breaking out in a rash. He said that I have eczema from the vinyl/latex gloves that I wear at work when I make the candy. The powder from the gloves is drying out my hands and causing the eczema. I have to go and pick up a presciption for that and hopefully it will go away.

The baby's heartbeat is very strong and it is extremely active!!! It was actually kicking the little machine they use to listen to the heartbeat and you could hear it kicking the thing. The baby is so active that sometimes I have a hard time sleeping at night!!! It is also become very fond of stepping or kicking my bladder which sure makes work more interesting!! I think this baby is definitely going to be way different than Cristian!!!!

I was craving pickles for a few months, but now I really want cheese curds!!! I have also been eating alot of chicken!!! I was craving grape kool-aid and grape Gatorade, but now I really want Pepsi for some reason. I am hoping that I don't start craving even more stuff because that is how I ended up gaining so much weight with Cristian in the very end.

Ryan's Move Home

My brother Ryan decided to move back to Minocqua to live with his parents again. I don't exactly know why he wanted to move home, but my mom thinks he was lonely because he had not made friends here. Wally came to get him on Sunday July 1st and packed his things to leave. I hope that he has made the right decision for himself and that this does not interfer with his fall sports and that he will be eligible to play sports.

5th Doctor's Appointment/Emergency Room Visit

On Friday/Saturday June 29th/30th I went to the Emergency Room because I was bleeding. The doctor diagnosed this incident as "threatened miscarriage" and I was to make a doctor's appointment as soon as possible along with an ultrasound. They instructed to me go on strict bed rest until I had the doctor's appointment and the ultrasound showed no signs of miscarriage.

On July 2nd I had my doctor's appointment which Josh and I heard the baby's heartbeat (which was normal) and basically went over everything with the doctor. I spent the week of the 4th laying on the couch or in bed resting.

On July 3rd I had my ultrasound which showed a very active baby. We took Cristian with us so that he could see the baby on the screen and maybe we could find out the sex of the baby. The technician could not determine whether or not it is a boy or girl so we will not know until my next ultrasound at 32 weeks or until we have the baby.

On Friday July 6th I received the results of my ultrasound which showed that everything is normal and they don't know why I had been bleeding. I was able to return to work on July 9th with work restrictions that state I can only work 4-6 hours each day. This could change when I have my next appointment on the 24th.

New York, New York!!!!!!

We went on a trip to New York from June 7th - June 15th. We took Daniel (Jodi's oldest son) with us for this vacation. First we went to Mandy's Aunt and Uncle's (Michelle & Eric) house in Hampton Bays on Long Island. While we were there we went to Ponquogue Beach (we all got sunburned!!!) and Atlantis Marine Aquarium in Riverhead.

The picture above with the small pool is from Atlantis Marine Aquarium. We got to touch and feed baby rays and sharks. It was really neat. They were slimy and smooth. We also saw many other sea animals including sharks, tropical fish, sea horses, and octopi.



We went to Ponquogue (hope that is spelled right?) Beach on Long Island. It was beautiful both days and the boys had fun playing in the ocean!!! We couldn't have asked for better weather for our days at the beach!!!! We had so much fun with Michelle, Eric, Stephanie, Jason, Dayna, and Noelle!!!!! Thanks for letting us stay with you for our visit!!!!

On June 11th we headed into the city to stay with Mandy's Grandpa Bob and his wife Jamie. While we were in NYC we went to the Today Show, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island, Central Park, the Bronx Zoo, the Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum, and Times Square (to the left). We went to M&M's World, the Hard Rock Cafe, and and Planet Hollywood in Times Square.

This picture is of St. Patrick's Cathedral. We had a great time in the city!!!!! Thanks to Grandpa & Jamie for being our tour guides and our hosts for our trip in the city!!!!

Cristian's t-ball game

These pictures are from Cristian's t-ball game on June 5th. He really likes his team and playing with the other kids. He is one of the smaller kids on his team and we have been working with him on his throwing and batting skills.

4th Doctor's Appointment

I had my 4th doctor's appointment on June 5th. Josh went with me so that we could hear the heartbeat, but the doctor had no such luck. He sent us to the hospital for an ultrasound to make sure that everything was okay. The baby was so active that the technician had a difficult time recording the heartbeat and taking a picture of the baby. After many attempts everything was recorded and we got a picture. She said that the baby was extremely active and that is why the doctor had a hard time finding the heartbeat. Everything else was okay and our next appointment is July 6th.

3rd Doctor's appointment

Yesterday, May 21st, I had my 3rd appointment. Josh went with me to see if we could hear the baby's heartbeat, but the doctor couldn't find it. He said it was still considered early in the pregnancy (14 weeks). I discussed with him some of the cramping and pressure in my lower abdomen and lower back. He set up another appointment for me in two weeks to see if anything has changed as far as the pain and discomfort and the baby's heartbeat. If nothing has changed we will have to set up an ultrasound to make sure everything is okay. I also have the option of continuing the prescription to help with nausea and morning sickness. I may still take it if I need to. I will write more in two weeks when I have my next appointment.

2nd doctor's appointment

I had my last doctor's appointment on April 23rd. Everything went well and all of my tests were normal. I talked to the doctor about my morning sickness and they said that hopefully that would pass soon!

By the end of that week, I was feeling really sick. My stomach was in pain and I had to constantly "use" the bathroom. I thought I had the flu, but I was wrong. Since I couldn't keep anything I ate down and I constantly had to "use" the bathroom, I didn't work for two days. I was so incredibly hungry, but nothing would stay down so I called the doctor's office after I had an incredibly bad morning and my stomach was feeling like I had drank sour milk. I told them my symptoms and they didn't quite explain everything to me, but I ended up with a prescription to help regulate my G.I. (gastrointestinal) tract. Apparently I had another situation with the bile my liver was producing and it was creating a similar reaction that my body went through when I had my gallbladder removed.

The prescription is working great and I feel much better. I can now eat solid food (I was eating Jello and drinking fluids)!!! I will have to take the pills for about a month and then I will talk to the doctor about what will happen after that.

Cristian's 1st Field Trip

These pictures are from Cristian's very first field trip with his school the L.C.O. Headstart. The field trip was this last Thursday April 19th. Since this is their food and nutrition month they came to my work, Tremblay's, to see how we make fudge.

Cristian was so excited to go and he was very happy to see me!!! I got a big hug from him when he came in the store. He even introduced me to some of his classmates. The kids were so good and very polite.

They all got to pick out suckers and my boss made them fudge which they all got to try. I watched some of their field trip, but not all of it because I was at work. I was able to get a few pictures of Cristian's class and a picture of him touring the candy store.

Ryan's a Hurricane

It is now official. Ryan is a Hayward Hurricane! He plays for the Junior Varsity instead of the Varsity. According to WIAA rules he cannot play Varsity this year because he transferred this late in the school year.

He had his first home game on April 16th vs. Ladysmith. He opened the game pitching and followed with 4 innings. He had 8 strikeouts and struck out twice himself. They called the game in the fifth inning according to the 10 run rule. Hayward won 14 - 4.

These are just some shots of Ryan pitching during the game.

Easter

Cristian, Josh, and I stayed home for the Easter holiday. We went to breakfast with my Dad in Trego that morning and had roasted chicken for dinner since I was NOT in the mood for ham.

My brother, Ryan, went to Minocqua to our mom's house with our brother Dan. I think he enjoyed going home. School has been going well for him so far. The kids have been really nice according to Ryan.

Cristian was super excited for the Easter Bunny to come this year!!! He had an egg hunt and found his basket hidden under the kitchen table. He had so much fun running around finding the eggs with little treats inside!

First Baby Picture

I had a doctor's appointment on Monday the 2nd which I basically answered questions and had the doctor take a look at my ankle because I had rolled it the day before (Sunday) while I was out at my Dad's house. While I was there I had x-rays taken because the doctor thought that I had broken my ankle which I did not. They also scheduled an ultrasound for today April 4th to see exactly how far along I am.

According to the ultrasound today, the baby is about 7 weeks and 2 days old. It also is about 1.1 centimeters in length. My due date still remains the same. It is November 19th of this year. My next appointment is April 23rd so I will write again.

Another change in our family

My brother Ryan, who is 16, will be moving in with us on Friday march 30th. He is transfering to Hayward High School to try the block scheduling and play sports. He is hoping to do well academically and be a starter for both the Varsity Football and Baseball teams. I am hoping that he does well and enjoys going to school in Hayward. He will live with us for the next two years until he graduates from high school. My Mom and Wally are going to sign papers making Josh and I Ryan's legal guardians so we can take care of any paperwork or medical emergencies that may come up. We all hope that Ryan will be happy with this decision.

Now that there will be five of us this winter we definitely have to find a bigger place to live!!!

This is Cristian getting off of the bus on his first day of school in January. He really enjoys going to school and he talks about his classmates all the time.

This is from Cristian's birthday in December. They made a crown at daycare for him and he wore it all day!!!

This is from February when we got about 20 inches of snow and school was cancelled. Josh and Cristian had a blast playing outside and making Cristian an "Igloo".

Pregnancy & Cristian

Josh and I are going to have another baby!!! As of right now I am due November 19th, but that could change once I have my first appointment. I am going to the doctor on April 2nd and I will find out more then.

Cristian is very excited about a new baby. He is hoping for a little brother. Cristian is really growing up so fast. He started headstart this winter in January. He really wants to be a big help when the baby comes.

We will have to find a new place to live within the next year because our apartment is already pretty small for the three of us.