So much to update

I was so good at updating this blog when I was pregnant with Jordyn... But of course that was before I was chasing around a toddler.

Holy cow, my daughter is an animal! Please don't get me wrong, I love her to death, she is a wonderful kid, but she is still a toddler. Everything is about independence these days with Miss Jordyn. She is over strollers and highchairs which make shopping and meal time so much fun. Now that I'm pregnant and getting larger by the day it is getting harder and harder to chase her. I'm sure we are quite the show together in the mall.

Jordyn is incredibly smart, picking up new words every day... Some of her latest are "disgusting," and "Christmas." She also loves singing her "ABC's," and "Itsy Bitsy Spider." She goes nuts over water... Swimming, washing her hands, and doing dishes are favorite pastimes. She is amazing and such a blessing.

Over Thanksgiving we found out that we're expecting a BOY!!! We couldn't be more excited and I'm pretty sure Scott feels like he is on top of the world, he has already predicted the 2032 Rose Bowl MVP :). In other great news, my blood clot appears to be gone!!! I am off bed rest!!! I am so happy that this baby boy is growing perfectly and and that everything is going well.

I'm still not working, but actually getting to enjoy the time at home with Jordyn before baby boy comes. Today we went to the Lynnwood pool and played for 2 hours! She had so much fun and is now taking a very long nap :) I feel so acomplished when I've worn her out, and have earned a little down time to myself. Scott is still out of state and Jordyn and I miss him like crazy. We're excited to have him back for 10 days during Christmas.

In other updates, my Dad's cancer has spread and we're continueing to ask for prayers. He will be starting a new drug today and we have very high hopes for this one. He is a fighter and everyday I am amazed by his strength and positive attitude.

I'm hoping to be able to post some pictures soon, I'm not sure how to do at from my iPad just yet, but at 21 weeks I have gained 14 pounds (over achiever) and have a huge belly to show for it. Thank you for checking in on my family.

Bed rest... At 15 weeks

Subchoronic hematoma... Aka, a big old blood clot between my placenta and uterine wall.

I've never thought that I would openly be talking about my placenta, or uterus, but these days they come up in my everyday conversation.

Two weeks ago, I was relaxing on the couch, and when I stood up I felt a big gush. I went to the bathroom to find every pregnant woman's worst nightmare... Bright red blood, and a ton of it. Immediately panic set in, quickly followed by severe cramping. Anyway, I ended up driving myself to the ER. An ultrasound showed that we still had a heartbeat, but they weren't able to give an explanation for the bleeding. I was told to go home and do bed rest until my next appointment.

My mother-in-law came to stay with me and help me take care of Jordyn, and eventually the bleeding turned into spotting. At my follow up appointment, I was taken off bed rest and told to just take it easy. After 3 days of taking it "easy" the heavy bleeding returned. Another emergency ultrasound, but this one in the OB office showed a large blood clot under the edge of my placenta. The treatment being more bed rest, and no more nannying.

Jordyn and I are now staying with family since I'm not really allowed to lift anything and I'm officially out of a job. It's been a crazy 2 weeks, full of change and emotions. Scott and I are dealing with the financial changes, trying to be supportive of each other and praying that we are able to keep this baby.

So my official status is 15 weeks pregnant, on bed rest, with a subchorionic hematoma, high risk of late miscarriage and premature labor. Morning sickness is gone and I've gained 5 pounds.

Thanks for checking in on our expanding family.

So much to update...

Things couldn't be busier, more stressful and more exciting in the Davis household these days.

This past month has been a roller coaster of emotions for many reasons.

First: I took on another baby to watch in the middle of August, since I'll be loosing the little boy once he starts walking. So, in total I have been watching a 14 month old boy, a 15 month old girl and my almost 20 month old daughter. With these three babies I am unable to leave the house, even for walks. So I am now truly spending all of my time with humans under the age of 2. While I love these munchkins, I feel like a crazy person with no adult interaction. Especially since Scott is gone and nights are just Jordyn and I. I'm feeling more isolated and lonely than ever. It's been rough. It looks like I'll be back down to 1 baby in October and I am really looking forward to the mobility.

Second: Scott has been sent back to Ely, NV. He is living in a camper, in the middle of nowhere and working on average 13 hours a day with a 1 hour commute each way. Work has been so busy for him that we haven't been able to talk much during the day, and by the time he gets home we haven had much time to Skype. This has been really tough on him, i know he hates being away from his family and it breaks my heart to think of how he must be feeling. I dont know if i could do it. I am so grateful for my husband being able to make such great sacrifices for his family. Jordyn has been missing him quite a bit, sometimes she grabs my phone and asks for daddy. We always call him when she does this and she is excited when he can talk.

Third (and probably our biggest news): we found out that we're expecting again!!! While I couldn't be happier and more excited, I can't help but worry that I've bitten off more than I can chew. Scott and I have always wanted our kids close together, and we decided that we wouldn't let his work dictate our family spacing. I am so happy that our children will be just over 2 years apart as we're due in April. At the same time I don't know how I am going to be able to manage our toddler, nannying and this pregnancy all on my own. Yikes! Right now, I'm just about 9 weeks (very early) and feeling sick and exhausted all the time.

I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would be spending my 4th year of marriage without Scott, that Jordyn would be spending her second year of life without being able to hug her Daddy everyday and that I would experience my second pregnancy without my husband right by my side. Even still, I am trying every day to focus on the positive and be thankful for all that I have. Not every day is easy, but there are moments in even the roughest days that remind me just how Blessed I am.

Poop

Parents know a lot about poop. Before I had Jordyn, I never, even in my wildest dreams thought I would be one of those people who consistently pays attention to and openly talks about poop, but here I am.

I've always known about brown poop, but not until I became a mom did I get the pleasure of learning about black poop, yellow poop, green poop and the scariest of all white poop. Definitely call the doctor if you ever see this illusive white poop. We've even had a spout of blue poop after eating a blue crayon. It is very important for parents to pay attention to the color, frequency and density of poop. Hospitals should really give out poop decoders to new parents.

Poop is gross, but everyone does it. It's smelly, and it's not something you ever want on your hand... or face, or shirt for that matter. I have been pooped on... A few times. The first I can remember when she was about a week old, it was terrible and traumatic for a first time mom. Projectile poop is normal for newborns, larned that lesson pretty quick. Toddler poop is much different, it smells worse but doesn't project through the air... Unless it's thrown. Over the last month Jordyn has become much more aware of her poop. She can now sign and say the word poop. Lord, I hope this means she is getting close to potty training. She has started trying to take off her diaper, and has even handed me a little turd twice. Yuck!

Potty training intimidates me to say the least, I don't even know where to begin. So far we're reading stories about the potty, she's watching me demonstrate while sitting on her own potty, and I'm making time for her to sit on the potty throughout the day. Still... Nothing though. Even if I catch her right before it looks like she's about to do her business, she clenches while she's on the pot, and releases as soon as we put the fresh diaper on her. Frustrating. I need some potty training advice. My hope is that with repetition she figures it out. Then we'll have a whole new set of poop issues to deal with.

Awww... Motherhood, it's a beautiful thing. I so do love my little poop monster.

Great Trip

Jordyn and I had an amazing trip to Minnesota. Getting to spend the entire week together as a family was just what we needed. We went to a baseball game, hung out by the pool, went out for frozen yogurt and had a lot of group hugs. With our friends Eric and Eimy, we managed to hit up 4 notable Food Network spots. Yum! We also explored the Mall of America, went for walks and drank lots of Starbucks. Life is pretty good when we're all together.

It was pretty clear that Jordyn enjoyed herself to the fullest on our trip too. She got to hang out with "Auntie Eimy" and "Uncle Eric" who share her same love of Yo Gabba Gabba, dancing, strawberries and Cheeze Its. Jordyn got to meet Dora and Boots at the Mall of America and was pretty much loved on and spoiled the entire time we were there. But she deserved it.

Jordyn is a full on talking, dancing, singing and climbing toddler. She has so much personality packed into her adorable, little, pig tail wearing self. She was perfect on all 3 plane rides, and I mean PERFECT. What other parent can say that about their toddler? She took long naps both ways and then watched episodes of Sesame Street and Yo Gabba Gabba on the iPad with her headphones and ate Goldfish crackers. The only stressful part of the trip was her small "blowout" that she had while landing in Pheonix that almost caused me to be late for our second flight... But other than that it was a breeze.

Of course now we're back to reality. Back to being a mostly single mom, relying on coffee, friends and Skype to get me through the day. My attitude is much better though. Much more of an "I can do this" attitude. I'm strong, I love my family and I'm ready to power through and make the best of this time apart from my hubby.

Traveling...

The month of July has been a busy one for us... Jordyn and I have flown out to see Scott twice in Minneapolis, and he's come home once. It's been amazing to be together so much, and Jordyn and I have loved getting to see Minneapolis and catch up with our friends Eimy and Eric that live in the area.

Jordyn is and amazing traveler for a toddler. So far she has pretty much gone with the flow and slept on most flights. She was even great when one of our flights was canceled and we had to spend 8 hours waiting in the airport for the next one, and also when I booked us on a 5 am flight because it was cheaper. The only hard part of traveling with her is all the stuff that we have to bring along... carseat, pack-n-play, stroller, diaper bag, and suitcase. It's a lot for one momma to handle, but we manage.

Here is a picture of Jordyn killing time before our first trip out to Minneapolis. Thank goodness we decided to purchase an iPad, and I was smart enough to download episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba and Sesame Street.

For our second trip out, I got even smarter and packed her an entire bag full of snacks and toys. This is her strutting her stuff with her new rolling backpack.

So, all in all, we're doing great and enjoying time as a family.

Graphic complaints from a mom

Why does everything have to be so complicated?

I envy the women who have had natural births, who came out of everything with the same body they went in with. These are the same women of course who breeze through pregnancy without a single complication, looking and feeling great. When they don't want to get pregnant, they simply don't, and the minute they want to, they do.

Needless to say I am not one of those women, so I am going to give myself the next couple of minutes to complain and then be done with it.

Shortly after I found out I was pregnant with Jordyn I was told that I was having a miscarriage and that I should just go home and wait for things to pass. At the time, we hadn't even been trying to get pregnant but the moment we found out that we were, we were in love with this little baby. After weeks of waiting, we finally found out that everything was going to be okay. Two months later we were told that Jordyn would be born with a kidney disease and that she would most likely require a kidney transplant sometime during her childhood. We worried for months about her kidneys, only to find out that they are perfectly normal after she was born. Then came PUPPS. PUPPS is a rash that itches like hell, it consists of tiny red bumps that are raised and spread. Mine spread all over and robbed me of many nights of rest.

Finally it was time to labor and actually deliver this baby... But wait... My body wasn't even about to go into labor on it's own. We decided to induce a week and a half after my due date. By this point I had gained almost 50 pounds and was continuing to work, my ankles were the size of tree tree trunks my PUPPS covered about 3/4 of my body. I was very ready to not be pregnant anymore. My labor was long, about 36 hours long with a little over 3 hours of pushing. It ended for me in an emergency C section.

Recovery was hard, I felt like I had been hit by a truck. I had clotting issues. No one tells you about the "massage" that you get after you have a baby. It's not a massage, and the doctors shouldn't have the right to call it that. The purpose for this "massage" (which is really more of a mashing) is to help things start to contract back down to size. I received this mashing about every 15 minutes for a few hours straight. I honestly don't even remember how long it went on for because shortly after I started crying they pumped me full of morphine. I then developed some kind of infection and needed to stay in the hospital for the remainder of the week.

After all of this I decided that having another baby would be a terrible idea and I was fine just having 1 baby for the rest of my life. I then chose to get an IUD. Which brings me to my latest complications...

As we celebrated Jordyn's first birthday, I looked at her and how amazing she is and decided that we would be crazy to only have one baby. Scott and I talked and decided that we should remove the IUD and let nature take it's course. Easier said than done. Those fools at the hospital had placed the damn thing so far off base that it would require surgery to remove it. I actually had to be put completely under and intibated in order to get it out. There was talk that it could attach itself to my bladder (that's really how far off base they had placed it), or that it may make getting pregnant in the future more complicated. Luckily it looks like they got it out without any complications besides chipping my tooth.

So after all of this I am left not only with stretch marks and loose skin, but also a C section scar, 2 scars from having the IUD removed and a chipped tooth! Remind me why I want to do this again... Oh yeah, it's because of the beautiful baby that I get out of it in the end.

Okay... I feel much better now. Thanks for reading.

Family weekend

It was so great to have Scott home this past weekend.

He got back on Friday and was able to get Jordyn up from her morning nap. She was so excited to see him and her entire face just lit up. She clung to him just about the entire weekend and cried every time he stepped out the front door without her. Needless to say, she loves her daddy and they have an amazing bond.

Saturday, Scott and I got our date night and spent some time talking about the future of our family... :) it was amazing to be able to spend some quality time together. I treasure these moments so much more these days. Abcense totally makes the heart grow fonder.

Mnday was family day and we got to go to the Woodland Park Zoo. I am now a proud member of the zoo, so please feel free to invite me along for any zoo trips you might go on. I plan to know that place like the back of my hand by the end of the summer. Jordyn did pretty well at the zoo, despite her being tired. Her favorite animals were the monkeys, but the noisy birds came in as a close second.

Here is Jordyn bonding with a baby monkey. As soon as she walked up to the glass they had an instant connection and the monkey came right over to say hi.


Visiting the Komodo Dragons


Visiting the giraffes


But, as all good things must come to an end, Scott unfortunately had to leave earlier today. We will get to see him again in 3 weeks and have already been counting down the days. Again, big thanks to everyone who has opened their arms and given us support during this time. While nothing will keep me from missing my husband, the support of my family and friends sure helps.

Missing Daddy

How the hell do single moms do it?

I feel so lonely at night that I can never sleep. Every sound has me on edge and most nights I end up pulling Jordyn into bed with me. I'm a wimp, and I miss my husband. I'm always up late now, running on little to no sleep, because I just can't seem to relax enough to fall asleep at night.

I've been so thankful to all of my friends and family who have stepped up to the plate to invite me over for dinner, offer to babysit, or even just stopped by and paid me a visit. I'm not very good about asking for help, or even taking it when it's been offered (dont want to burdon anyone) but I've really needed it lately. Thank you. I miss my adult interaction, and it can get very lonely sometimes staying home all day with the babies and the having it just be Jordyn and I at night. I can't wait for Scott to get home, he truly is my other half and I just function better when he's around.

I want to be an amazing mom, I want to be supermom. I want to be able to prepare fresh organic foods for all of our meals, make crafts, have a clean house and still have time to teach my daughter everything that she needs to know. It is such a struggle some days. Somedays I wake up, the house is a mess, I'm a mess and I really just don't want to function for the day. I know it sounds selfish, but this mom stuff can be tough sometimes.

Today was one of those days. Jordyn fussed or cried most of the day and night. I felt like I was trying to entertain and keep her happy the whole day. When I wasn't entertaining, I was making lunch or dinner, I was cleaning up from the weekend, or putting away groceries, all the while wishing I could take a nap. It's really tough without Scott here sometimes... I really need that break at the end of the day. Thank goodness He comes home on Friday... There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

To Jordyn,

Being your mom is the best thing I have ever done in my life. I feel so amazingly blessed to have you, but not every day is easy. We both miss Daddy, but of course we will get through this. Someday you will probably not even remember him being gone, and that's a good thing. We both love you so very much. I promise to be the best mommy I know how, even when I'm completely tired and sad.

To Scott,

I am so thankful for you and the sacrifices you are willing to make for our family. I love you so much and feel so blessed to have you as my husband. You are my best friend. Please come home to us safetly and soon.

I love my family.

This is us getting out and feeding the ducks... So nice to get out of the house with my sweet girl.

16 months!

Jordyn is such a toddler these days. She is running, jumping, kicking and climbing onto everything. She has taught herself how to climb in and out of Ethan's exersaucer, and tries to do so every time i turn my back.

Jordyn also has a strong opinion these days. She is the biggest food critic, and not shy about speaking up if she isn't a fan of what's on the menu. She will often toss the entire meal right onto the floor (we're currently working on this. She also likes to dress herself. The other morning I found her sifting through the pile of clothes that I had just pulled out of the dryer and noticed that she was sporting a few pairs of my underwear around her neck, along with my tank top and a couple of my headbands. Thank goodness they were clean clothes!

Hawaii was amazing. One of the best trips ever, it was so hard to get on that plane to go home. The trip was full of sunshine, lava flows and beach time. Jordyn only minorly lost it on the plane rides, and the complimentary Mai Tais helped with that. She got to feel sand on her feet for the first time, which she hated, and play in the ocean for the first time, which she also wasn't a fan of. She did absolutely love the pool though and all of the attention she received from her uncles, Jack and Ty. Scott and I managed to steal away for a bit just the two of and took a boat ride to the Napali coast. It was absolutely beautiful, despite my motion sickness.

Unfortunately shortly after returning home I had to go in for surgery. I was very thankful that Scott was able to take off some extra time from work so he could be there when I woke up from my anesthesia. The surgery was a success and after two weeks of recovery, I am back to normal.

Scott comes home at the end of this week, and I can hardly wait. We Skype as often as possible, but there is nothing like the real thing. Jordyn and I can't wait to wrap out arms around him.

Much needed update...

So, it has been forever since I've taken the time to write on here... Not sure if anyone reads this anymore, but I plan on being better about posting, because it's so much fun for me to look back on.

So much has happened over the past couple of months, so here goes...

Jordyn has turned 1... She's amazing, but we already knew that. She is walking, running, climbing, starting to talk and bubbling with personality. Her current words are kitty (which was her first), strawberry, doggie, sock, hi, and bye. I have absolutely loved staying home with her and feel so blessed to be able to do so.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't just look at Jordyn and laugh. She is hilarious! So girly, so much attitude, I have no idea where she gets it from :). One minute she'll be holding one of her babies, patting its back, and then she'll be using it to hit me with. I already know we're in for it. Time-out is now sitting in the high chair facing the wall... It's fun for everyone.

Last month Scott's job moved him to Nevada... It sucks terribly. He'll be there for the next 6-9 months or so and be able to come home once a month. Unfortunately we had very little options open for us with the economy, so he had to go where the work is. I'm sure it is 100 times harder for him to be in the middle of nowhere, but it isn't easy at hone either. I am with Jordyn 100% of the time. I don't care how much you love anyone loves their kids, but there is no arguing that 100% of the time is A LOT of time. Just once in a while I would like to be able to go to the bathroom without crying and fingers poking out under the door. Or run an errand without having to lug the stroller out of the trunk.
Everything seems harder without Scott, but it's only temporary and we'll get through it. I'm currently counting down the days until he gets home. I can't wait to give him a giant hug and kiss and them make him changethe next poopy diaper. We have three weeks until we get to see him next, but it will be amazing when we do.

There hasn't been to many updates on my dad lately. We're still praying for the best and looking forward to our trip to Hawaii as a family. He is still on the clinical trial and it seems to be working. The side effects aren't fun at all for him, but he is such a strong guy. We should be hearing more after his next scans. I ask that anyone who reads this takes the time to keep him in your prayers as well. I have loved being able to see him more... Staying home has definitely helped with that.

Life is so different staying home, I love it, but I sometimes miss the adult interaction. The only adults I see during the day are usually other stay at home moms, or "SAHMs" as they call themselves. SAHMs really have there own little underground club. I've noticed so much of daytime television is geared towards us ladies, and if you make it to the mall on a rainy day during the week you'll see about a million strollers, especially around the toy area. I can't stand some of the other moms, but I try my best to play nice. There are just so many competitive moms out there... Standing in the toy are in the mall I get questions like "how old is she? What words is she saying?... Oh, my son is starting to use sentances"... Or similar things. So annoying! Or the other one upper moms who try to talk about how they make all their own baby food, or would never take their baby to a daycare, or only use organic products. Yes, my daughter eats a lot of organic food, but she will also enjoy pizza and Red Robin, and no, her socks are not organic cotton... They are cheap and we will probably end up losing one of them by the end of the day. It's just so silly. These babies didn't come with manuals, and there is no true right way of doing things. Of course all stay at home momma's aren't like this, but the ones that are give us all a bad rap and are so annoying.

Since staying at home I've been trying to be all domestic, I've actually started knitting and crocheting. I'm not great yet, but getting better. I hope to be able to make cute little things for Jordy and some of her little friends. I've also been cooking a lot more (too because Scott is gone so I have to). It's fun to be able to learn new things and I hope I will continue to get better at them.

Well, there is the Davis update, we'll toss some pictures up soon too. Hopefully some cute ones in Hawaii! Take care and have a great week.

Babies are life changing, but in an amazing way. Being a mom is the single most rewarding, exhausting, fulfilling and frustrating experience I have ever had.