A White Trash Halloween and a Doctor

Jack will be so proud of his dad when he's older.

Our neurosurgeon Dr. Jack Starkey

This was taken at a white trash halloween party thrown by our friends last weekend. All I have to say is Not Hot.

Hope everyone has a very Happy Halloween!!!!!

New Shoes

Jack got some new kicks today! From who else but his uncle Brendan! He refuses to take them off ever since we tried them on. They are a tiny bit too big, but they will be just fine. When I pulled them out of the box, I thought they looked huge, but they actually fit and don't look too huge. He's getting way too big.

Today was our 6th ECFE class and we've had zero progress with me leaving. It's so bizarre because he is not clingy at all when we get there. He runs around and plays with toys and other kids all by himself. Then there is circle time and we sing songs - Jack loves this. And then snack time - which Jack is a pro at. Then the kid's teacher usually pulls out some bubbles while the parents begin to separate. We decided today I would be one of the first parents to leave (last week I was one of the last ones and that didn't seem to do anything). So right when I gave Jack a kiss and gave him his pooh blanket, the waterworks started and there was no calming him down. I was gone for probably 5-8 minutes before I was called back in. And of course, right when I walked in the room and gave him a hug - he ran away and started playing with the toys by himself. GRRRRR. I spoke with the teachers after class and they reassured me this is normal and it's just Jack's personality, and this strong willed characteristic will actually end up being a wonderful trait for him in the future, it's just frustrating right now. umm yeah it is. I didn't pay good money to sit at playtime with my child - I want my adult interaction. So we decided that next week and maybe the week after, I will just stay in the play area and do my own thing in the corner just so Jack knows it's a safe place. Gee, I wonder where Jack gets this stubbornnes from - Tom and I aren't stubborn at all....oh wait.

Anyway - that's been our exciting day today. I've been more uncomfortable than ever, it doesn't help that I have to constantly run after Jack when we are outside. So I think our outside time is coming to an end. That's fine with me. I have my 32 week appointment on Monday morning, I'm hoping I can come to a conclusion with this doctor whether I need a c-section or if I'm getting induced and just have a plan - even if the plan is letting the baby come when it's ready. I just need to know! Everyone seems to think I'm having a girl. I feel like I've had more feelings that it's a girl than a boy - but lately I've been thinking all boy! I am still planning on doing a baby pool - hopefully I can get that together next week after my appointment. I get to start going every 2 weeks from then on too. That makes me happy. OK, enough for today - thanks again for the shoes Bren, can't wait for you to see them in person! We miss you!

31 week comparison

Ok, I know I just posted a 31 week picture - but I found a picture of me pregnant with Jack at this exact time. So I pulled out the same outfit and took a picture. The first picture is me pregnant with Jack and the 2nd picture is me now. Thoughts?

31 weeks preggo with Jack

31 weeks preggo baby #2

31 Weeks

Here is my belly at 31 weeks. Getting bigger by the second (and more uncomfortable).

Small Successes

1. The guest room closet is almost all cleaned out. I dropped off about 6 bags of clothes and shoes to Goodwill the other day. Now I just need to figure out where to put the remaining 50 pairs of shoes I own (suggestions welcome, just don't tell me to get rid of them).
2. I finally got around to baking an apple pie with our apples from the orchard. I've never made an apple pie before, and it was delish!
3. Tom and I got to go to the Wild game last night and it was one of the best games I've been to - shoot out and all. Despite the baby kicking my ribs and moving like crazy throughout the whole game, we had a fab time and we really enjoy the nights when we can get out together!

Apple Orchard Time!

Today we went to the apple orchard/pumpkin patch. We had so much fun. Jack enjoyed running around and picking apples. We went with Eric, Teri, and Ari!

Tom got the first coat of paint done in Jack's new room last night and is finishing it up tonight. I can't wait to decorate his room, even though I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do. I'll post pictures of the color when we are done. For now, enjoy the pictures from today - there are a ton!

Family Picture

The other Starkey family!

Sister -in-laws

Jack and daddy -this cow is one of about 10 being pulled by a tractor. Tom decided to let Jack ride alone - I freaked out, but Jack did fine.

Look at how tall I am

Ari and Jack

Jack checking out how Ari is sitting up.

Cousins

Picking apples

More picking

Putting them in the bag

I want to go in the corn maze, but my parents wouldn't let me

This looks like a good place to eat my apple

ChillinStill content

Now I will eat my apple

Close up

Jack loves slides

Mommy and Jack

Laughing at mommy eating the apple

Nesting

Is it too early for me to be "nesting" - I'm really starting to get the urge to organize every nook and cranny in my house. Before this weekend, I had not bought one thing for this new baby. I know I don't really need to buy anything because we have all of the necessities - but still, I really haven't even had the time to think about this baby and get excited for it. I've been so wrapped up in dealing with my brother, my dad moving in with us, Jack's tantrums, Jack's new class, flu shots, getting sick, dealing with these placenta issues, the list goes on and on. Whereas with Jack, at this time in my pregnancy - we were moved back up to MN, I wasn't working - and all I did was obsess about baby stuff. So I think that's why I feel a little bad.

But now that I've started thinking about baby #2 more, I realize how much stuff needs to get done! We want to move Jack into the guestroom (and the room is already empty because the bed is down in my dad's man cave). So now, I need to clean out the closet in that guest room - which is mainly filled with Tom's old hockey jersey's that he refuses to give up, about 50 pairs of my shoes, all of my scrapbooking essentials, loads of pictures, and just a bunch of random clothes that we obviously never wear. Once that is done - we are going to paint that room a dark blue I think. We've decided we are going to keep Jack in a crib. I just really don't want to deal with a wandering toddler in the middle of the night, especially now that he can open doors. ha! We are lucky enough to borrow a beautiful white crib from a friend, so I think we'll just have to buy a mattress. The baby's room is so small, I told Tom I just want a changing table and not a dresser in that room, Tom is going to make some shelves for the closet. Now I'm starting to get the urge to know the sex so I could really go nuts with my organizing/decorating/etc.

So those are my random thoughts for the day. Kelly told me it's normal to feel like you are neglecting your 2nd child-beginning while you are pregnant, and it doesn't go away after they are born. ha ha. I'm so glad I was the oldest in my family. Just kidding! I'm so ready to be done wearing maternity clothes, as much as I don't want the freezing cold weather to get here - I want it to be January and start to get settled as a family of four. (remind me of this post when it is January and I'm bitching because of my lack of sleep and screaming 2 year old and newborn). Thanks! :-)

What about Fall?

This is what we woke up to this morning...

Dr. Appointment

So I had my 28 week doctor's appointment today. First we did the ultrasound. Found out my placenta is still pretty low - it's about 1.6 cm away from my cervix and they want it to be closer to 2 cm. When I met with my doctor, she said I should have another ultrasound in 4 weeks to see if it's moved anymore - she thought it would. I asked her if it doesn't move at all in 4 weeks, would she recommend having a c-section? And she said no. She said what we would most likely do at that point is have me induced close to my due date so they could have some "control" in case there is a lot of bleeding. The bleeding is the main concern of this placenta issue. It's not that I wouldn't go into labor, or that the baby would get stuck - it's the bleeding. Hopefully the placenta will just continue to move upwards and it won't be an issue, and maybe we'll decide to induce either way just to be on the safe side. I don't know.

The baby looked so big on the ultrasound. It's heart rate was in the 140's. I'm starting to get uncomfortable and I've noticed myself doing the pregnant woman waddle (it's not pretty). I'm also peeing like 50 times a day. Oh the things you forget about...

Cutest Boy in the World

I know I'm biased because I'm his mom, but look at this kid - how can you not love him?? This was taken at Eric and Teri's wedding this past weekend. Unfortunately I wasn't able to take a lot of pictures since Tom was in the wedding and I was chasing Jack all day long. Once I get some pics from relatives, I will be sure to post them. Jack was a champ all day long! Tom and I were able to enjoy ourselves minus Jack for a few hours since my dad drove all the way out to Hutchinson to pick him up and put him to bed. What an awesome Grandpa!!! Congrats Eric and Teri!

Why I Love Ellen

I love Ellen and I can't wait for her to be a judge on American Idol.