First Potty at Home

As you may recall, over a month ago Camden used the big boy potty at school and I was thrilled. However, that was the last time until this evening. He LOVES suckers, and has been told for the past several weeks that in order to receive a sucker he would have to tee tee or poo poo in the big boy potty. He was content with that and knew the routine, but would never act upon it . . . . until tonight at around 7:30 when it was time for bed. He said he wanted to use the potty so he could have a sucker, and since I did not think it would happen, I agreed. So away to the bathroom when we went. After sitting in the bathroom for at least 10 minutes, and him asking me to 'push his button please' (which meant he wanted me to push his little tee tee into the potty so that urine would not go everywhere - where he got the terminology 'button' I have no idea) he finally did produce - and it was quite a bit. We were soooo proud and had to take pictures of the first urine in his potty. And of course, he did get the sucker he has been waiting for!

38 Week Appointment

Today, after a busy last day of school, and then running to the new school I will be at next year to meet their staff, I headed to my doctor's appointment. Honestly, I was not expecting anything exciting. Yesterday I vomitted three different times, and if those horrid episodes did not send me into labor, I knew that it was going to be a pretty uneventful appointment. And . . . I was right. I weighed 2 pounds less than last week, which puts me at a 27 pound weight gain (which is how much I had gained when I birthed Camden) and Casen's heart rate was 138 bpm. After she checked my cervix, she informed me I was still 4 cm and a little thick, so no real change. Since next week I will be 39 weeks, she asked me if I would like to be induced. Um, heck yes!!!! I have never been so miserable in my life. Between the constant rib pain due to Casen growing and having no room to move, vomiting off and on and being miserable with the lactose intolerance and heartburn, I am more than ready. And of course, I can't wait to see my sweet baby boy!!!! So, after she checked with the hospital, the first day available for induction is Thursday, June 7th (that is when I turn 39 weeks by calcuation from my last menstrual period and the first day insurance will allow elective induction). But it really isn't available. I am the first on the waiting list for that day. So, if someone has their child before the 7th or if someone has their baby rather quickly after being induced on that day, they will call me in. Please Lord, please, let that be the last possible day that I will be pregnant. And of course, I wouldn't be the least bit upset if he came before that date!!!

Gifts for Casen

These past two weeks Casen has received some precious clothes. Last Monday, I had some time I needed to use from school, so spent the day shopping with my great friend Lorrie. She was on a mission to find an outfit for Casen to come home from the hospital in since I had not purchased one. We did not find one that particular day, however she ended up ordering him one and I am soooo excited about it - let me just say he is coming home in a precious outfit!!! She did buy him several other cute outfits, one being a 'Little Brother' outfit, and after refusing to buy any sport related outfits, she bought him two sleeveless little outfits. I had to chuckle because Camden has never worn a sleeveless outfit! That is mainly because when he was an infant he was so darned scrawny and I did not think that sleeveless outfits would look cute on him. But since we are thinking that Casen is going to be close to 8 pounds and hopefully will have some meat on him, the sleeveless outfits will be great! She also bought Camden a 'Big Brother' outfit to wear. Thank the Lord for her, because she keeps me in line when it comes to having my boys looking precious for special events.

This week we received a package from The Hoods (Shane's grandparents) that contained clothes for Casen - oh my gosh, some precious things! I especially love the little frog outfit - I just love seersucker and it is too cute!

Family Photo 2012

I have not been the best at having Camden's picture being professionally done, however I have been even worse at having a family picture done. To be honest, we have no family picture of the 3 of us, unless it was taken by a friend or family member. So today we headed out for a family picture. They were taken by a church friend who was raising money for her friend who is going on a mission, so it was a great deal. We have not received the final product as of yet, however we did receive a disc with 135 pictures from the photo shoot. Here are a few of my favorites.

37 Week Appointment and the Power of Positive Thinking

Today was my first appointment where Dr. Bruce was going to check my progression, and I could hardly wait. All day I had jokingly told my coworkers that I was ready to go so Dr. Bruce could tell me I was 4 cm - a girl can wish, right??? I have gained 29 pounds, his heart rate was 169 and she said she could tell I have dropped (I wish I could tell that). I told Dr. Bruce how I had told all my coworkers that she was going to tell me I was 4 cm, knowing good and well I was probably only 1 cm. She and I laughed about it and then discussed some other things. As she was checking me, she looked at me in disbelief and said, "I am not just saying this since you told your co-workers, but you really are dilated 4 cm." Do what? Really - is that the power of positive thinking??? She said I am still a little thick, but definitely 4 cm. She told me that she was on call Sunday night at 10 pm and then Memorial Day and if I wanted to try and help move things along, then I should do a lot of walking this weekend and my husband and I could do other things (not to be specific here) and perhaps she would see me Monday. If not, then at my next appointment on Thursday we could look at our schedules and discuss inducing if that is the route I would like to go since my cervix is favorable.

I can definitely say I am now feeling a sense of urgency. I have not even packed my bag yet, much less bought the odds and ends that Casen needs. But regardless, he has everything he would need if he did come this week. It would be nice though if I could finish out my job (which my last day is Thursday) so I don't feel like I am leaving things undone there, but as we know God knows the exact time and date, so only time will tell!

Casen's Baby Shower

My wonderful co-workers threw me a diaper shower after school today at Chuy's Mexican Restaurant. It was very nice and I was thrilled with my friends who attended. Casen received lots of diapers and wipes, as well as some gift cards, clothes, a book and toys. Aside from me getting extremely nauseous and later vomiting at home, it was a great time!

Diaper cake, which there were several

Cake and Lollipops

A New Job

I don't know where to begin . . . . . Well, I guess I will start at the beginning. When I originally interviewed 2 years ago with my supervisor for a job as a school nurse in the Cy-Fair school district, I told her I was not too concerned with which school I ended up in, however I wanted to try to be closer to our home by the time Camden started school, which gave me 5 years. She did not think that would be a problem due to nurses either resigning or retiring. When interviewing with the principal at my current school, I was very open and honest with her and expressed my desire to her as well, so we would all be on the same page. She is very much a family oriented person, and so definitely understood my wishes.

I have been extremely blessed with my job at the school I have been at for the past two years. I hear other nurses talking at our monthly health services meetings, and it is nothing but a reminder of what a great group of administrators I work with and for. I have great co-workers and students whom I love.

Well, an opening became available at a middle school about a mile from our home. It is a great school and I know there were many nurses that put there name in the hat for the position when it became available. I thought about it and debated in my little head the pros and cons of applying for the position. I did not plan on leaving my current school this soon, since Camden is only 2 and I had until he was 5 to get closer to home, but I also know that there is no telling what schools will become available when. So, I decided to throw my name in and felt like if it was meant for me to be there, then God would let that happen. Now, luckily, one of Melissa and Shawn's great friends is the band director at that school and also has a great relationship with the principal. (Just a side note, the principal is Ify Ogwumike - mother of the first round draft pick for this years WNBA - Nnemkadi Ogwumike.) Shane emailed him and let him know that I put my name in the hat and if he heard anything regarding the position, we would be grateful if he let us know. Well, he talked to his principal and she told him to have me send her my resume and cover letter, which I did. I heard from her secretary and ended up having an interview with her as well as her administrative team. I felt good about the interview, however middle school is a whole different ball game than elementary school and I definitely would have new things to learn and deal with. I left the interview with her telling me that the next step was to meet some of the teachers because she likes them to feel a part of the process of hiring a nurse. Almost two weeks passed, and I still had not heard from the principal, so I emailed her and apparently the nurse that is currently there had not landed another job, so was having second thoughts. I did not fret and decided whatever was to be would be. Within several days, I received a phone call from the principal herself asking if I would come for a teacher panel interview, which ended up being this past Thursday, and on Friday I received an email to my supervisor that the principal CC'd me on recommending me for the position of school nurse at her school. As of today, I received an email with the official transfer information. That being said, I guess I will be leaving the pre-kindergartners through 5th graders for 6th through 8th graders. I must say I am excited about being around older students, however it will be a whole new set of problems than what I deal with now.

I keep asking myself what I was thinking - new baby and new job, but I figure if it was not meant to be, God would not have allowed this to happen. I am so excited about being so close to home and actually working in the community in which I live. All of the people I have currently met at the school have been very nice and welcoming and I feel like I can easily have a great working relationship with them. I feel like I will have more time at home with my kiddos since school starts earlier and look forward to that as well. I am sad to leave my Horne family and dread telling them as well as my students that I am very close with. But like I said, this is a better move for my family - which is what matters the most.

Mother's Day 2012

As the years go by, Mother's Day seems to have a greater meaning. However, I still have a hard time realizing that this day is to celebrate me as a mother - I always look at it as a day for my mom. On Friday, when I picked up Camden from school, he had a card he made for me as well as a flower pot with little finger print insects painted on the outside. Inside the card was a packet of seeds for me to plant in the pot as well as a sweet picture of Camden. I absolutely LOVE those homemade items - they definitely mean the most!

 On Sunday, before heading to church, I received a card from Shane as well as a card from Camden. And let me say, there was nothing like hearing that sweet two year old voice say, "Happy Mother's Day Mommy!" as he handed me my card. We then headed to church for a Mother's Day breakfast which was very nice. After church, we went home and ate a little lunch and then put Camden down for a nap. After he got up, we headed to the mall to get what I wanted and needed - sunglasses! I enjoyed our trip in the mall, mainly because my sweet boy walked so nicely in the mall, and requested to hold my hand. I absolutely treasure those moments because I know that in no time flat, I am going to turn around and my baby is not going to want to hold my hand much less want to go to the mall with me.

After our trip to the mall, we headed to Texas Roadhouse for dinner - I just love that place and it was Camden's first time there and I think he loved it too! I did not get to eat near the amount of peanuts I normally do when I go there because Camden could not get enough of them. It was a great ending to a great day of spending time with my guys!

35 Week Appointment

I was excited about today's visit because I was scheduled to have an ultrasound. It seems like it has been such a long time since I have seen Casen, so I was ready to see how he was doing as well as how he was situated in my belly. Up to this point, he has been abusing my right side with sticking his bottom out and kicking me, but I really do not feel very much on the left side. When I arrived at my appointment as I was headed to go inside, I heard a "Hey" behind me and turned to find Shane there, waiting to go in with me. I just love sweet surprises!!! Well, ultrasound showed that Casen was doing a lot of practicing breathing and moving all around. He  is definitely head down, with his back curved on the left side and his bottom and feet are up under my ribs. He weighed in at about 6 1/2 pounds which puts him in the 75th percentile. Now let me just say, perhaps I am getting what I wished for (a baby with some fat rolls) and now I am nervous! As you might recall, Camden weighed 6 pounds 3 ounces when he was born. The week before I had him I had an ultrasound which said he weighed 6 pounds 5 ounces. So, right now Casen supposedly weighs more than Camden did at birth and I still have 5 weeks to go.

Casen's facial profile with right hand over his face

So needless to say, Dr. Bruce was pleased and feels like my placenta is definitely doing the job this time and she said my amniotic fluid levels were also good. The only negative thing she had to say was about my weight, which I gained four pounds, putting me at a grand total of 27 pounds. Now I know that is more than the 25 pounds that she wanted me to gain, however I keep thinking to myself that my total weight gain with Camden was 27 pounds and if Casen weighs more than Camden did at birth, then my 27 pounds is OK (just trying to justify a little here). Regardless, she told me to watch my weight and try not to put on much more.

My next follow up appointment is on Thursday, May 24th which starts the beginning of my weekly checks with an exam. I told her that I hoped she had something very exciting to tell me when she checked me - a girl can hope, right?

A Bounce Party

Camden's cousin, Gavin had his third birthday party at a bounce house today. I was not sure how Camden would do with this because at school this past week during the Week of the Child they had a large blow up pirate ship and apparently Camden was not remotely interested in it. But after some coxing from his daddy, Camden finally started enjoying the different things they had. He and Gavin had a great time playing with one another!

Camden jumping while holding on to his Daddy

Camden and Gavin

 



Weeeeeeeee



A Much Needed Haircut

 Today Camden had his first haircut by someone other than myself or my mom. We took him to see Shane's hairstylist which ended up being an excellent choice. Thelma was so great with Camden. He had the option of sitting on daddy's lap (because he doesn't fit too well on mommy's) or to sit on a booster seat. He chose his daddy's lap which made for some great pictures!!!! She cut quite a bit of his hair off, but boy did he need it!!!!

Being silly watching himself in the mirror

A handsome, happy customer!