15 Weeks down!

I am officially in my 2nd trimester now. I went to the doctor for my monthly check-up. Of course they get you in monthly to make sure they can collect on your bill.......love that. Thanks goodness that I did not request Mark's presence at this appointment! I was in an out in 30min or less including bloodwork! That's a fairly long trip for 30min, and I don't even think I sat down anywhere for longer than 2 min.....other than the bloodwork. Everything is right on schedule. I did lose some weight as a result of the stomach bug, but it wasn't too bad. 1.5 lbs. Dr. Bird wasn't too happy, but completely understood once I told her about the bug. Blood pressure was good, I even was complemented on being a good bleeder. Yay, what I always aspired to be! :) Well my 2nd trimester chromosonal testing took all of 10min once she filled out the correct form correctly. With Taryn I feel like I sat there for 30 min and the lady was evidently trying to squeeze brain matter from my finger...... horrible. This time was a piece of cake! (Did someone mention cake?) Anyway. I actually got to hear the heartbeat today. If you recall from a previous post, there were dificulties with that last time. Going strong at 154 bpm. I think the rule of thumb is that a high heartrate(160-180) suggests a girl and a low(140-160) suggests a boy....but things can always change! I guess we will find out soon enough as I have scheduled the ultrasound for Feb.25. I asked Mark if he wanted Taryn to come. 1. I don't know if they would allow it. 2. I don't know if she could ever understand it. BUT we are a family and it would be nice for her to be there. I think we will pass though.
Hope everyone is doing well, and take care!

Not Fair!

I think I have lost even more weight due to the nasty Annual January Stomach Bug, as it is so lovingly referred to in our house. It never fails, but we ALWAYS get that mess in January! Luckily Mark didn't get it......I don't think I could have handled him had he gotten it anyway! But that is besides the point! So pretty much I couldn't keep anything down for the normal 24 hours which hit me like a ton a bricks. I had been up most of Friday night assisting Taryn through it all, so I don't think I really ate anything for 2 days. Not healthy, I know, but being there are some out there that deal with "morning" sickness for months, I figured two days was not going to kill me! So in all actuality I don't think there has been a total change in my weight since my last appointment.....which brings me to why it's "not fair".....

So I know they all say that you tend to show earlier with the second baby....... I have officially donned my "fat" pants today. :-( They are the several pairs of pants a couple sizes larger that either I bought in the transition stage before Taryn was born or the ones that I received as Christmas presents just 2 months after. They are the pants that are necessary when you have to start unbuttoning your regular pants because you can feel no longer feel your feet, or when you have resorted to the elastic hair bands through the button-loop holding them up only to notice that your shirt may not hide the fact that your zipper is down! Looks like I will be going through the closet this weekend! Luckily I just got all my "fat" stuff back from my girlfriend and as I was going through the bag on the floor of my closet this morning realized I have a little treasure trove of great things! The days of bending over and my rear hanging out are back! (Sorry!)

I guess we will see the damage that the virus caused at my next appointment on Wednesday, although I did try to make up for lost time/calories with an Oh-so-yummy trip to McDonald's on Monday!

SNOW!!!!!

We had a good bit of snow yesterday! The trip to work was going to be treacherous, so I opted not to go. I really needed not take any time off, but the trip just didn't seem worth it! So I stayed at home with most of the state and enjoyed the sights. Taryn's face lit up when I told her it snowed ALL night! She was ready to go out and play, but we stayed warm for just a little bit longer. We finally got all of our gear together and headed out for a fun filled day.

Nothing beats a trash lid as a sled!!!!! Cheap, and multipurpose!

This girl trips me out! She looks like a turtle or a roach at the end that has gotten stuck on its back..... Love the rolling snow angels, too!
Taryn wanted Mommy and Daddy to ride too, but if Daddy could have fit on the trash lid.....he would have done it! Although I don't think there was quite enough snow for the weight!
We hope everyone had a safe time!

Face Lift!

Okay, so I have to say that even after a summer school class(ages ago) and countless assignments dealing with html code, and what not, I am absolutely no good at it! I can copy and paste with the best of them, but I really have no clue what, when, or how to do it most of the time. I can figure it out if I had to like with my myspace page, most of time I worry about screwing something else up! So I wanted to post a giant
THANK YOU!
To Amanda & Blog Savvy for my beautiful new blog background and header image! Thanks so much! It's soooooo much better than the generic templates on the site! Check out all of her cool stuff at http://designsavy.blogspot.com/

Taryn's Very Special Blessing

Taryn's blessing.

This is how we announced we were expecting to his family over Thanksgiving. My arm was kind of blocking the view, but you generally can get what's going on! For those of you who haven't seen Mark in a while, He is to the right of Taryn, Papa is on the left followed by David (BIL) and Jennifer (sister). I couldn't get the whole gang as there are 11 of us gathered around. My favorite parts are when Mark and Papa are kissing Taryn on the cheek she raises her foot like a starlet, and of course when she blows me a kiss! Priceless!!!

Three Months Down!

Wow, three months down, already? Time is flying! I am still feeling pretty good, too! Mark and I started working out more. We have gone to the elementary school several times for him to run, me to walk. Taryn goes along as well with her bike. She is still preoccupied by all the other people out there and tends to run off the pavement. She always seems to get one training wheel stuck up on the edge of the grass where her back wheel just sorta spins. She gets frustrated, but she is getting the hang of it. It's also a little hilly, so I have told her how to coast downhill, and she is working on braking. She doesn't really get the concept of getting your feet level and then stepping down backwards on the pedal. She tends to stop with one foot up top and then tries to press back. Works well most of the time but there is a sharp turn at the bottom of the hill, and I can just see her racing down the hill and cutting it too hard sending her straight into the chain link fence. OUCH!!!! We are also eating better. I would have to say that most of the stuff in our house is fairly healthy, and I tend not to use lots of oils, sauces or salt. I think the problem exists in eating out lunch. This is not a new concept, I know. I may eat out once a week, and bring leftovers from home the other days. Mark, however normally eats out about 4-5 times a week. YUCK! Now, don't get me wrong, I love a Big Mac but about halfway through I am nauseous thinking about the 550+ calories. I can just feel my arteries clogging! So Mark has decided to take his lunch most days. I know that will get old for him. I have been using a website lately that will keep track of what I eat. Among calories, it also tracks sodium, fat, fiber, protein, etc. You can just type in what you ate, brand and all, and it's probably on there. Sure, you might want to check the back of the box when you get started, but it's not that bad. Here is where to get started: http://www.thedailyplate.com/ You can also register, and add in your daily activies to see how many calories you have burned!

Here's to a healthy year!

Finally!!!!!

So, we just got off the computer with the Chandler Family and are so excited that we were able to tell them as close to "in-person" as possible!!!!!! Now the news can spread as far and fast as it does in small towns and I don't have to freak out anymore!!!!!! Phew. I feel better.

We had a great NYE rocking out on Guitar Hero last night. That was the first time that I had actually seen it in person, and it was hilarious! Also the first time that Mark and I tried playing. You know, the drums look a WHOLE lot easier until you are actually sitting behind them. I thought Mark was going to put a hole in the floor. Too funny! We hope everyone had a happy and safe NYE and best wishes for the year to come!