33 weeks and still counting...

Week 33 with baby still on the inside! I had one slight scare last week after my first monitoring appointment. I was put on the monitor late in the work day, and because the baby wasn't moving as much as the doctor would like, she sent me to the hospital "for about an hour" to continue because they were closing up the office. When I got hooked up at the hospital, I was showing more consistent contractions, so ended up being monitored over night. Blah! I did get a test out of it that said I was 99 percent not likely to go into labor in the next two weeks. When I went back into the doctors office on Monday, I was continuing to show contractions averaging every 6 minutes...and the same on Thursday. So, I suppose that will continue to be the case and so far so good. I do not feel them much...just in the evenings, really. I do feel a lot of discomfort, however...I mean, look how big I am getting!


Adaline has started up with "swim" classes again. We went to our first one last Saturday. Shane got in the pool with Adaline, while I stood out and watched and took pictures from the side. At first, I think she was a bit uncomfortable because the water was chilly and it was pretty noisy in the pool with everyone. However, it only took a few minutes for her to remember how much fun she has splashing in the water. The class sang songs, practiced throwing objects out and kicking to them, and practiced getting out on the side of the pool. Still, Adaline's favorite activity was simply splashing with her tongue out. Sadly, we had to miss this weekend's class due to Adaline having a fever and Shane not feeling well, but will be back in action next week, I'm sure. Adaline's fever is down today, and Shane is feeling much better!

entering "terrible twos?"....naaahhhhh

A few weekends ago, we had some pretty nice weather, and were able to take a family walk to a neighborhood park. Adaline has been loving to climb lately, and she had a blast on the park equipment that was the perfect size for her. She had fun going down the slide on her own and sticking her tongue out to feel the breeze while swinging.



Speaking of climbing...we did purchase a "learning tower" off Craigslist so that Adaline can join us in the kitchen and "help" out. So far, she hasn't really enjoyed just standing at the counter, and instead just wants to climb in and out of it. I look forward to having her (and new baby Brown) help with cooking and baking one day!


So, I have passed the gestational mark of when Adaline came by a full week, and am at 32 weeks tomorrow. I am carrying a big baby and can certainly feel the strain. At our last week's ultrasound, the baby was showing up at 6 pounds already. I will begin twice a week doctor visits next week to continue with shots and monitor the baby through non-stress tests. fun fun


In other big news...Adaline turned 2!!! Valentine's Day was Adaline's second birthday, and we used this past Saturday to celebrate with a trip to the Greensboro Children's Museum. Ryan and Jennifer joined us at the museum and helped us keep up with Adaline. She was excited to run around and play with things, but was still perhaps a bit young for the full experience.



Then we headed home for lunch, birthday cake and ice cream. There we were joined by a few others that helped us celebrate, including Nana, Pops, and Grandpa Brown. Adaline seemed to like her cake a lot, as she ate a whole slice of it.




Before catching her "late" afternoon nap, Adaline had some time to open presents. We think she finally has figured out the concept of opening presents and finding a treasure inside.



When her actual birthday came yesterday, we took in cupcakes for her class party to continue her celebration. Unfortunately, Adaline had a giant accident that involved poop, her shoes, the classroom slide and Shane having to pick her up around 10 in the morning. Luckily, they saved the cupcakes for today and she wasn't actually sick. In fact, she had her 2 year check up today and is doing well.

Also, we have noticed even more growth in her speech. She is really trying to tell us things and say words, even though we cannot yet understand her. We have been able to make out "uh-oh" when she drops things and "ball" when we are actually playing with the ball. Big strides!

growing, growing, growing

Hello friends and family,

We are getting into the swing of 2011, and are off to a good start. Shane has been feeling much better since the last post, and his headaches are not very frequent. I have been doing well, also. We are in the 28th week of the pregnancy now and just had another ultrasound. The baby is measuring on the higher end of the weight scale, but everything looks good. I think it is mostly related to my crazy blood glucose numbers, as I am adjusting my pump a few times a week to try to keep up with the changes. The doctors don't seem to be concerned, but I am doing as best I can to keep them in control. I have had too ultrasounds for blood clot checks, due to some pain in my leg, but all is good on that front too. We have a fetal heart echo scheduled this coming week, but I am positive that all will be well!


Adaline is continuing to make progress in her speech and learning. She is catching on to more and more every day, and has even tried to repeat some words (diaper, apple, help). Of course, we haven't been able to catch any on video yet, and they are still pretty unclear, but she is making efforts. She signs more and I can tell, even though she is so quiet, that she is understanding a great deal. This is a video of her doing a puzzle with me...you can see her sign "puzzle," "more" (a little different than the real more sign), and "all done."

...and to all a good night.

Where do I begin? It has been a bit crazy at the Brown's since the last update. We have had lots of fun playing and reading and visiting with friends and family. However, we have also been to the hospital twice (both for Shane), and have had excitement that was not as welcome that way. I am happy to report that things are looking well now, as we close out 2010 and head into a new year.

(Adaline playing in daddy's boots / reading a book)

Shane's first hospital trip was about 3 weeks ago when he was experiencing very bad stomach pain. It started on a Sunday night after he came in late from working on his car. He was unable to sleep at all and threw up all night long. He thought it might be related to the antifreeze somehow, but drove to the emergency room at 5 AM only to discover they needed to take out his appendix. Luckily, it did not burst and he was able to come home after only one night stay in the hospital. He has been resting up pretty well from that and was unable to lift anything over ten pounds for 6 weeks...but we shortened it to 3 because of my high risk pregnancy. My doctors seem to think that was a fine idea. It was probably the best time possible if it were to happen, because we had the holiday to help with the burden of work and rest time. Months from now would have been extremely difficult.

The following weekend, Emily and Craig, Anna and AW, and Lindsay (some friends from college) came to visit us and brought along the kids. Four old roommates, three with little girls, makes for some fun times. Adaline had a wonderful time looking at baby Laurel and playing with Kay. It will be so fun to continue getting them together to play as they grow up...and fun for us parents as well.

(Adaline admiring Laurel / Kay and Adaline giggle on the couch)

Then came Christmas! Along with Christmas came family, snow, and another trip to the ER. Shane's parents flew in from Texas to visit for the holiday and we had a great time together. They arrived on Christmas eve and we went to my parents for a nice dinner. All was well! Christmas morning we all woke up, and Shane complained of sleeping funny on his arm. It was numb...ten minutes later, still numb and more of his body was heading that direction (other arm and hands, tongue). Then he started to lose his ability to speak correctly and was disoriented (couldn't sit right, tried to get water without a cup). He was beginning to scare us and we headed back toward the hospital. He was showing signs of stroke, but after much testing and a MRI, the result was a complex migraine. He was given pain meds and sent home to bed. He stayed in bed all Christmas day and that night, but woke up the next day much better. We did our Christmas a day late, but Adaline didn't know the difference...this year.

(Adaline enjoying her new big girl table and some fun activities with Shane and Grandpa)

(Shane all warm in his new down jacket...ready for a trip out in the beautiful snow)

Here are some videos we have taken of some of Adaline's favorite things...eating and bouncing on the furniture.) :)

Fall fun

This past weekend was a busy one for us. We were able to catch a peek at the football game on Saturday and watch the Wolfpack win over the Tarheels between Adaline's lunch and during nap time. Later that evening we were joined by Ryan and Jennifer and went to Leigh and Stephen's wedding, while Adaline stayed with Nana and Pops. After we brought Adaline home and while we got her ready to get back into bed, she was able to enjoy the festive head-ware from the wedding for a moment.


Sunday was a beautiful fall day, and Shane and I were able to walk down to the neighborhood park with Adaline. She had a blast exploring the playground and leaves, sliding down the slides over and over, and swinging. We got tons of pictures, so here are some of them.

Adaline is getting good at climbing!

Weeeeee!


Adaline not only tries to climb and stand up on everything in the house, like the ottoman, her stand and play toys, and even Shane, but she has also been known to try to get into more tight places. She climbed into the bottom shelf of her changing table and became stuck between a container and a box of wipes. I got her out, but I wouldn't be surprised if she gets stuck again.


The pregnancy continues to go well and I keep getting bigger. I could do without all the extra doctor visits, shots, and mood swings (at least Shane could), but we are making it!

Bumps, Bruises, and Wild Hairs (Not in That Order)

We woke up on Saturday morning to a crazy hair day. It pretty much took half of the day for this look to fade and fall down. It was pretty funny.


Later Saturday morning, I helped to host a baby shower for my good friend, Tina. It was nice to get together with these ladies, and show Tina how excited we are for her new bundle. Overall, I think there were 5 pregnant gals there, so I suppose there will be much celebrating in the future.


In our pregnant news, I am now on my 19th week. I have been doing the progesterone shots for helping to prevent a preterm labor, so hopefully we can make it to April this time. I have had three weekly shots so far, and so far they haven't been terrible. My belly seems to be much bigger this time also, but I hear that is common, and in our ultrasound yesterday we only saw one baby in there. :) The baby looked great (according to the technician) and he or she is growing well and is a perfect size for 19 weeks. Keep praying for a continued healthy pregnancy!

I feel so weird taking these pictures :)

Adaline has been more and more on the move all the time. She takes off running as much as possible, and we really have to make sure the gates of her play area are closed or she would be into everything. With all of this running around, comes tripping and falling, and she has had a few falls on the hardwood floors of our house. She mostly ends up hitting her chin, and she has had a sad bruise on her chin for the past few days. You can kind of see it in the pictures below. Adaline has been working with her speech therapist, Carla, for a few weeks now as well. We are mostly working on signing and following simple directions over actual speech to begin with; then we can focus more on the actual vocal improvements. Shane and I find that Adaline seems to be more willing to make sounds and babble around us than others, but we still have a long, long way to go. However, I know we will get to hear a word eventually.

Coooookies

So not a lot is new around here. Shane and I went out the Saturday before Halloween, but Halloween night was pretty uneventful. Adaline was in bed by the time our first Trick-or-Treater showed up. We had a busy night of candy visitors, but no need for costumes yet this year. Our wonderful neighbor from across the street did bring Adaline over some festive cookies that she enjoyed very much the next few days. It was her first experience with sugar cookies, and she got pretty excited. She is her mommy's girl!