Thanksgiving Stuff

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is gone and over already. I am having some Sunday night after vacation before going back to work doldrums. Why do vacations always have to go so fast and work so slow?

Our holiday was nice, if different than expected. Since I am under travel restrictions from the doctor (I can't go more than 40 minutes away from the hospital) I wasn't able to go with Jeff to celebrate in Harlan. His family got together for the first time since his grandfather died a couple of years ago, so he really wanted to be with them. I really wish Evan and I had been able to join them. I am feeling a little stir crazy stuck here in the Big O all of the time, but I guess better safe than sorry. So, Evan and I went to my parent's house, where we celebrated with my Grandma Rose and all of my siblings. It was nice, but I missed Jeff.

Friday, I got up at 5:45 and was in the mad shopping rush to get the good deals by 6:15. It's always a little crazy, but you can save so much money! I got some good Santa deals, and I crossed a couple of other people off of my list. Then, Evan and my sister Sarah and I headed over to my Aunt Julie's house where my mom and all of the Daley women always gather on the day after Thanksgiving to make our annual batch of Christmas cookies. (And I am talking HUNDREDS of cookies!!) When we're finished we divide them all up, and each family has a nice stash to offer holiday guests. I love this tradition in my family-we bake, eat, gossip, and spend time just as women. Evan was a great helper this year-he decorated sugar cookies for hours! He can have the patience of a Saint when he wants too. He really enjoys baking. It is something we have done together since he was little.

Saturday my dad came over and helped to put up our outdoor Christmas lights, and I decorated the house. In the evening, Jeff's dad John came down and we went out to dinner at Applebees. It meant a lot to me that he came down to spend time with us, since I couldn't make it up on Thursday. It was really nice to see him, since I hadn't since the wedding. He is a really nice person. I lucked out with him as a father in law!! All of the Kleffmans are such nice, down to earth, good people.

Today, we decorated our Christmas tree, and Evan and I went to see the new Harry Potter movie. I really enjoyed it, but I think I would have been really confused with the plot if I hadn't read the book. They had to skip around so much and move so quickly that I wonder if it would make any sense at all to someone who just sees the movies, or isn't a huge Harry fan. Evan loved it. It was the only book in the series that I didn't read aloud to Evan, because there were so many "dark" parts, but I thought the movie did an excellent job in toning it down so that kids and smaller fans could watch in comfort. This afternoon, Jeff and I finally opened the box to the changing table, all ready to put it together and get some things done in the baby's room, only to find they didn't send us any of the hardware, four of the major sections of the piece, and two of the pieces were damaged. I would not reccomend any Ameriwood products to anyone.

Anyway, back to real life tomorrow. Blech! Only 3 more weeks until Christmas break though. That will be great. And, of course, only a couple of weeks after that and we get the best present ever-Charlie!!! I am an amazing 32 weeks today! I can't believe it has gone this fast.

Not the Brady Bunch

I think the honeymoon period of things is over. Is that normal to happen 4 months into things? I have really realized this week that we are not melding into a family very well. I know things are not easy the first year of marriage, and I wasn't expecting them to be, but it still makes me sad. For example, in the evenings when we are just hanging out or on the weekends when we are watching TV or something, 9 times out of 10 Evan and I will end up on one floor of the house, and Jeff will be somewhere else. I know Jeff has a big need for being alone at times, having lived by himself for a long time. I wonder though, if we live on seperate floors of the house, how do we become a unit? Today I was really sad because we had some important things happen which I will write about in a second, and Jeff didn't mention them or ask how they went. I think back to my parent's marriage growing up a lot, especially what they went through with Ben. Whenever my brother had a doctor's appointment, or my mom was going through something trying, my dad would call her from work to see how it was going and if she needed anything, or just to talk. Then they would talk about it again when he got home. They got through so many hard situations this way...my brother's multiple health problems, my anorexia and other exploits (which we don't need to mention!), and my mom's cancer. I am really starting to understand why they are such a strong couple and are still so happy 30 years later. I know they had to work hard to make it that way, and I know it wasn't always easy, but still I wonder. If Jeff and I were faced with some of those same things, could we handle it? Don't get me wrong, Jeff is trying really hard, and he helps me out a lot. I feel like we have been talking and talking and working and working to resolve some of these things. We always come back to the same issues though. I am a really big family person, and I want to have a family that spends quality time together and supports each other. Isn't that after all what a family is all about? I really feel like a lot of the time we end up being totally seperate. Can we build a family like this? I don't know. I only know we have to keep trying.

Today I had two wretched doctor's appointments. The first involved me going to the dentist. He had found a small cavity way back in June when I was first pregnant. My OB wouldn't let me get it filled until I was well into my 3rd trimester. I guess there are some bad things that can happen to the baby if a dentist accidentally gets bacteria into your blood stream early in the pregnancy. So, today when I went to get it filled it was no longer a small cavity but a HUGE cavity that involved what Dr. Franco referred to as the BIG GUN drill. When it was all over, he told me that he thought that I might need a root canal on the tooth in a couple of weeks because the cavity was so vast that pieces of my tooth were breaking off, and he had to drill very close to the nerve of the tooth. Lovely!! Then my mom and I took Evan to Children's Hospital for his blood work and x-rays. I was so proud of my little guy! He is TERRIFIED of needles, but he held so still as they were taking the blood. They collected 8 vials!!! It took awhile, but he didn't flinch or say a peep of complaint. He was so nervous before hand. Then we went to get an x-ray taken of his wrist so they could take a bone age/density test. The tech was great, and she let Evan see the developed pictures, which he really loved. I was so glad that my mom was with me for moral support, and that I didn't have to take him alone. It worked out well too with the x-ray since they wouldn't let me come back with Evan since I am pregnant. I would have hated for him to go alone. Then she took us out for lunch afterwards since Evan had done such a great job. Aren't grandmothers awesome?! Evan is lucky to have my mom as his. So, now I guess we play the waiting game to see what they find. One of the test they ran was for Fragile X syndrome, so I am off to Google it and find out more.

The Grumpies

I have an unbelievable case of the grumpies today! I started feeling out of sorts last night, when everything started to bother me-you know when stupid dumb small things happen and they seem like a huge deal even when they aren't? Today is our last day of school before Thanksgiving break, and my kids are REALLY excited-which equals so wound up they can hardly sit down in a chair without tipping over. Sometimes I wonder why God called me to be a teacher without including the patience of a Saint in the package. I have the unusual opportunity to teach at the same school my son Evan attends, and I got to watch him going bezerk at lunch today, just as crazy as all the others. Luckily his teacher is my good friend Gina and she is really understanding. I am trying to focus on the fact that I get a break from this for a few days, and I will get to recharge. Maybe now would be a good time to practice that Lamaze breathing!!!

Eventful Week...

A lot has gone on this week. My friend Jeff Luken's Mom passed away suddenly on Thursday. He lives in Connecticut, and it has been a little frustrating being far away when something goes wrong for a friend. I hope he knows how much his Omaha friends care for him, and that we are sending our love and prayers. As we head towards the holiday of Thanksgiving, it just reminded me how lucky I am to have such an awesome family, and to be so close to my parents, brothers, and sister. Life can change in an instant, and it is important to sometimes remember that.

My cousin Ryan, who was more like a brother to me growing up than a cousin, shipped out from Germany to Iraq on November 3rd. We still haven't heard from him to see how he is doing. His dad (who is a Major in the Army) tells us this is normal, and that it takes awhile to get where they're going, but it is like being on pins and needles. I have the utmost respect for Ryan's wife Ashley, who is waiting through this on her own in Germany. I pray for him everyday, and I know God is with him wherever he is.

The nursery is going to be finished up with decorating, paint, and new woodwork this week. Soon we will be able to start assembling furniture! I am so excited! It is finally starting to take shape. Jeff and I both admit that it is the nicest room in the house, and Jeff says this is why we can officially call the baby "Prince Charles". Blech. My Charlie would never do anything dumb like marrying Camilla Parker Bowles. We have the crib ordered, and it should be here in about 2 weeks. All we need now is a dresser, and we are good to go as far as furniture are concerned. (Although we still need a swing, a diaper genie, baby monitor, a car seat, etc. etc. etc.) I talked to my awesome friend Christi this morning about how much I love to just go sit and rock in the room, look at the walls, and feel close to my baby. She totally understood what I meant. I am so glad (all the time, but especially at moments like these) that she and her husband decided to stay in Nebraska. It is so nice to have someone that really understands what silly, emotional, strange things you feel as a mother. I am so lucky to know her!

Next week is going to be crazy too. We take Evan in for his testing at Children's Hospital on Wednesday, since we have the day off from school. I still haven't told Evan since I don't want him to worry ahead of time. Besides, I am doing enough worrying for the both of us!

30 Weeks...

Wow...today I am 30 weeks pregnant! It seems like just yesterday that I was taking the test and telling Jeff, and now we are almost done. It has gone so fast! I absolutely love being pregnant so I am a little sad that we are almost done, but I am so excited to meet Charlie for the first time. Jeff and I start our Birthing Classes in about a week. I think it is going to be HILARIOUS to watch Jeff at these classes. He is more than a little squeamish about blood and yuck, and sex, body parts, etc is something his family never discusses. I can't wait to see him have to sit through the movie of a birth and have to talk about all the things that will happen. Is that mean? At least I will be able to have something to distract me while I am in labor. I am totally the opposite of Jeff. When Evan was born, I asked for them to bring the placenta closer so I could see it up close and personal. I think Jeff would faint if he had to see it up close. Any guesses on when the baby will get here and how big?

I HATE LEAVES

Today I spent about two hours raking leaves. Jeff is in charge of the backyard, and I do the front since it slopes so much, and it is hard for him to keep his balance. We have a HUGE 40 year old Maple tree in the front, and I despise it with a passion. Every spring I pray that it will be hit with lightening, or be struck with a terrible tree disease. In the fall it dumps buckets of leaves on the ground, and in the spring it dumps buckets of those stupid helicopter seeds. So, we basically end up raking about twice a year. We looked into having it removed but when we discovered that would cost about $3000.00 we knew we were stuck with the wretched thing. I felt really good while I was doing it, and was so impressed with myself that I was able to say I am 7 months pregnant and I raked the yard! Then I went inside and sat down for awhile to relax. When I tried to stand up-OUCH! I feel like my hips are disconnected from the rest of my body. The sad part is that the tree isn't even finished losing all of it's leaves! I know the ground will be covered again tomorrow when I wake up.

In baby news, Charlie's room is painted, and the wallpaper came in yesterday, so we are going to put that up soon. It is SOOOO cute! It has little monkeys that are reminiscent of Curious George everywhere. I will post pictures when it is finished. Meanwhile, my dad is replacing all of the woodwork in that room with white woodwork, and the doors with six paneled white doors. It is the nicest room in the house! I have the changing table ordered, and as soon as the wallpapering and such is done, we are going to get the crib. I am feeling much better about being prepared for little Charlie to get here. At least things are moving along! My awesome friend Christi has generously offered to host a baby shower for us. I can't wait!!!

Conferences

I am in the middle of my least favorite part of teaching-conferences. I don't dislike the concept of conferences-I LOVE getting the chance to talk one on one with my student's families. Having a relationship with the parents completely enhances the school/home relationship. What I HATE about conferences is talking for 13 hours straight. I started at 7:30 this morning, and I won't be done until 8:30 tonight. I feel bad for the parents who are scheduled at the end of the night, because by then, I am completely tongue tied, and I have no idea who I've said what to. This year, it has also been a struggle to sit still on a 12 inch high chair when the baby is sitting on my nerve, and my tailbone is aching like the dickens, and to not go to the bathroom for 3 hours straight. TORTURE!! On the bright side, I have the best class ever this year, and I have the pleasure of sharing a lot of good news with their parents. The next time you attend your child's conferences, make the teacher deliriously happy and bring them a Diet Coke. They will love you forever, and treat your little one like a prince or princess. Not that we can bribed or anything...

Perfect Sunday Afternoon

On Sunday, I had the BEST afternoon! Jeff went in to the office for about 5 hours, and Evan went over to my mom and dad's to play with my brother and spend some time with his grandparents. Sooo....I was ALONE IN THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!! This never happens to me. I can count on one hand the number of times I have been alone since I moved back from Lincoln almost 8 years ago. So what did I do? I took a bath, a nap, and I curled up with this great book I'm reading. I also snuggled with the dog. What more can you ask for in life? Once when I was pregnant with Evan, I read a book about a pregnant lady who liked to take time for herself to just sit and "grow the baby". That's what I felt like I was doing for the afternoon. Relaxing and growing the baby. What heaven!!

Bird Flu and Other Medical Woes

I took Evan in today for his 7 year check up. In most areas, everything was great, but the doctor was concerned about a jump that Evan has had in his growth this year. For all of Evan's life, his height and weight have hovered around the 50-54 percentile. In fact, when he was a baby, he had a terrible time gaining weight. His pediatrician said that for the most part, children should remain through their elementary years in about the same range. Today, we found that Evan had jumped above the 95 percentile in both his height and weight. (Which I already knew from the huge jump in clothes sizes we made over the summer. He called this an abnormal growth pattern. Next week, we are going to go in to have all kinds of tests done, like pituitary, hormone, bloods levels, insulin levels, x-rays, etc. The doctor said that this jump in growth could be indicative of several different things, like a pituitary disorder, a genetic condition, growth disorder, childhood diabetes, or early onset puberty (ugh!). He said not to worry too much, (yeah right) until we get the test results. Please keep him in your prayers!

Evan also got his flu shot for the season, which made me think about something else I have been worrying about lately. Is anyone else worried about this Bird Flu thing? I guess maybe part of it is being pregnant (I remember worrying about nuclear war when I pregnant with Evan-I guess we want the world to be perfect when we bring a new person into the world). I keep hearing about this pandemic on the news, and I know that if it comes here, it would probably affect myself and my babies in a bad way. Evan and I both have asthma, and are particularly susceptible to the flu. I am praying Charlie doesn't inherit the asthma, but that doesn't seem to happen very often in our family. I know worrying doesn't help, or change the situation at all, but it just seems to be in the back of my mind lately.

Sitting On My Head

When we went in for our ultrasound, we discovered that Charlie is breach. He is sitting with his head under my ribs and his feet closest to my pelvis. This is bad. If he stays like this and refuses to move, I will have to get a C-section, which I have NO desire to do. The doctor thinks it might have something to do with the fact that the placenta has attached at the top of the uterus, perhaps making it uncomfortable, or even impossible for him to turn the other direction. In the meantime, I am supposed to sit in this ridiculous position for 20 minutes each night. I call it sitting on my head. I have to lay on the floor, with my feet against a wall, with 4 bedpillows under my hips. Now, this is not comfortable at any time, much less when you are pregnant. All of this is supposed to encourage Charlie to turn a somersalt and get head down. Charlie hates it as much as I do. He pummels me the whole time as if to say, "What are you DOING to me lady?!!!" I also am supposed to play music to him at the pelvis level to encourage him to turn that way. So far, I have tried John Denver and the Mamas and the Papas, which Jeff says is just encouraging him to stay where he is. After the 20 minutes are up, all the blood has rushed to my head, I am nauseous, and my hips feel out of joint. Charlie has turned twice after doing this, but he always reverts back to his old position. I am really worried he won't stay put. So, if all of you could offer some prayers, or good brain waves in our direction, I would really appreciate it. I keep trying to tell myself only 14 more weeks of standing on your head while carrying a bowling ball in my stomach, but somehow this just doesn't make me feel better.

Oh my GOSH!

I was just checking my email this morning when I received my newsletter from Pregnancy Weekly who so kindly reminded me that as of today, I only have about 14 weeks left to get ready!!! Eek! Do we have the painting done in the nursery? NO! Do we have any furniture ordered or picked out? NO! Have I cleaned out the closet in the baby's room? NO! Have I gotten all the baby clothes up out of the basement? NO! Have I prepared ANYTHING? NO!!! Can you tell that I am panicking?


The only thing I feel better about is that we have finally officially decided on a name for the baby...Charles Michael Kleffman (Charlie for short). He may not have a place to sleep, any clothes, or a spot to get his diaper changed when we bring him home, but at least he has a name.

Croup

I was peacefully asleep the night before last, dreaming about eating pickles while shopping for prego underwear at Old Navy (yes, pickles are my current INTENSE craving. Not just any pickles, mind you, but Vlassic crunchy dill pickles. I may have eaten an entire jar recently myself, but that is beside the point) when the door to our bedroom opened and in walked a barking seal (aka Evan with a bad case of the croup).

I hate the croup! Poor Evan gets it at least once a year, and it is always a doozy since he has asthma. So, at 4:30 in the morning, we were up and getting in a good nebulizer treatment, and getting him full of Ibuprofen. The interesting thing for me about this bout of the croup, is that I didn't get up in the middle of the night by myself. Jeff got up with me too! And then...he stayed home with Evan, so I could be with my class who were in charge of our school Mass. He even took Evan to the doctor, got his prescription filled, and then bought him a Blizzard from Dairy Queen. What a guy! This is a new concept for me, having someone else to share the yuckies with.

So today it is my turn, and I am home with the barking Evan. He is a little buggy, since he is on a presription for steroids to help his lungs. He always has a hard time sitting still and he wants to eat EVERYTHING! But, whatever we need to do to get him better is fine with me.

Babies are a LOT of work!

Okay...most of you are probably thinking "DUH!" But, when you haven't had one around for awhile, you forget! I babysat for my nephew Colin yesterday while Sarah and Luke went to the game. I love spending time with him. He is the sweetest little thing in the world. It is also good for me to have him around, because I have completely forgotten what it is like to not even be able to go to the bathroom by yourself, because you have a baby underfoot. They are so worth it, but my goodness. You have no time for yourself!
I also took him out to lunch with me. We went with my Aunt Connie, who was in from St. Louis. He was an angel the entire time. The experience reminded me though that leaving the house involves planning for a World War III invasion while packing the diaper bag (where you have to imagine every possible event and bring a piece of baby equipment along to deal with it), and that once you get there you look like a pack horse as you carry in the baby, the diaper bag, your purse, etc.
It is amazing to me how many people feel comfortable commenting to me on my sex life when I travel with Colin. Last weekend, I took him to the grocery store with me. People inevitably look from me (and my stomach) to Colin, roll their eyes, and jump to conclusions. The checker said to me, "Well, you and your husband are certainly productive aren't you!" Sheesh. Yesterday as I was waiting at Ruby Tuesdays for the rest of my family to get there, a guy who looked to be in college actually LAUGHED at us! He said, "I guess you've never heard of birth control!" People can be so rude. Evan inevtiably will tell them "It's not our baby!" I'm really not sure if that helps the situation, because that could also be taken in a million wrong ways.

Pictures

Our new computer is FINALLY up and running, so I get to post my pictures today! Here is a picture of our Mom Mobile, which I am getting used to driving. It still has some bells and whistles I haven't figured out yet, but we can get from point A to point B without any major mishaps.


The other picture of course, is my whale of a stomach. This is me at 24 weeks. As we approach this weekend, we amazingly (and scarily) only have about 15 weeks left! We are getting ready to start decorating the nursery. I think I am going with a monkeys/jungle animal theme with this little one.

Tekla and Samson

It has been FOREVER since I have posted anything! Not having a working computer at home is driving me nuts. We had one rigged for awhile but then the screen went out on my old monitor too, and everything is blue. Hopefully Creighton will make it over soon.

We had a really sad weekend this past Saturday and Sunday. Jeff, Evan, and I stayed at my parent's house while the wood floors in Evan's room were being sanded and varnished (which made the whole house reek). For about a month, Tekla, my parent's 12 year old westie/cocker mix (who I grew up with and all of us love to pieces) has had a little bit of a cough. On Sunday, when I went downstairs, it was REALLY bad. She sounded like a vacuum cleaner, and she was having a hard time breathing. I took her in to the emergency room with my mom and she had a lot of tests done. They discovered she has congestive heart failure. Her heart is VERY enlarged, she has a heart murmer, and she has a leaking valve in her heart. She stayed overnight at the hospital. After going to her regular vet the next day, she was put on an antibtiotic because she also had a lot of fluid in her lungs, Lasix (a diuretic my dad also takes), and high blood pressure medicine. They think she has about 6 months to a year if we are lucky. My sister and brothers and I are REALLY sad about the whole thing. She is everybody's baby, and it has been hard to think about.

Meanwhile, Samson, my classroom guniea pig, has been at the vet since last Thursday because he has a mystery illness that is causing his back legs to be paralyzed. He is on an IV, getting pain meds, vitamin C, and other things. I am hoping we don't have to put him to sleep. The kids would be so sad (and so would Mrs. Murphy and I!!) Before you think I am crazy for doing this much treatment for my guinea pig, the vet is donating her services since it is a classroom pet. What a saint of a woman! I cannot reccomed her enough.

What a sad week!!!

Nothing Much

Well, I haven't posted anything for awhile so I thought I had better get to it. Not a lot going on here except that I spent the last week getting over a lung infection that made breathing extremely difficult. I think that it probably got worse than it had to because I was pushing myself to be at work everyday. I only have 20 sick days saved up, not really enough for a maternitiy leave, so I am trying to not loose any of them on other things. This is a goal that is proving to be harder than it looks when one works in a room of 30 people who pick their nose, wipe snot on their arms and sleeves, and flick boogers at others for jollies.


In other news, my awesome Evan got a 100% on his spelling test on Friday for the first time in 1st grade!!! I am so proud of him. He works so much harder to get things like this than other kids do. We are going to see a movie this afternoon to celebrate.

22 weeks pregnant today!!

Marriage

I don't want to annoy anyone with mushy stuff, but I have to brag about Jeff for a second. The three of us have definitely been going through an "adjustment phase" lately. It seemed a lot easier right after the wedding when Evan and I were still out of school, and not really on a schedule. Now that we are doing homework, Boy Scouts, yada yada yada every day stresses have been higher. Plus, I don't make things any easier with my hormone riddled emotions, and the tears that seem to always be lurking under the surface. (I cry at EVERYTHING!!! I even started crying while reading my first graders a book the other day. That took some explaining.) Anyway, I lost it last night and was really crying, stressed, etc. after Jeff and I talked about some things. He was so patient and kind and understanding with me. It's so nice to know I am married to such a kind person, and to know I made the right choice.

IT'S A.......

BOY!!!! Yes, we had the ultrasound yesterday, and it was VERY obvious that is a boy. Before the ultrasound tech even said anything we got a legs spread shot of the little guy, and I said "Hopefully this is a boy, because if not, it has 3 legs!!" To which she said, "You know, I'm very sure you are right!" So, it looks like a little Charlie (or maybe William) Kleffman is on the way. Am I sad it isn't a girl? Yeah, a little bit. I still have 2 more chances though, so I haven't given up hope. I also know how much I really treasure my relationship with Evan, and I am looking forward to having that with another little guy. Although, I am getting seriously outnumbered around here. Thank goodness for Trudy!!!

I will post some of our ultrasound pics once the new computer is here.

IT'S ALMOST TIME!!!

I can hardly STAND it!!!! Tomorrow is our ultrasound!!! I absolutely cannot wait to find out what we are having. I will be SOOO disappointed if they can't tell what it is. After the ultrasound, Jeff and I are going out to dinner to celebrate at The Outback. I owe him a steak dinner for a REALLY stupid bet that I made on the same night we conceived the prizefighter (TMI?) Anyway, I bet him that we would not have conceived within the first six months of our marriage. Wasn't that stupid? I think God is punishing me just for saying it.

Hopefully I will be writing this entry in PINK tomorrow night!!!! Send me good brainwaves everyone!!!

Halfway There

As of yesterday, I am 20 weeks pregnant! I am already halfway there. I am excited, but freaked out at the same time. It's been so long so there has been a baby in the house. I know what to expect this time, and I know it will be a bit of a shock! I know I really need to start mentally and emotionally preparing myself.



There is still a bunch to do at home as well. As soon as we know what the prizefighter is (as Jeff has called the baby this weekend-it is REALLY a big kicker) I will be able to start seeing what we need, what we already have, and getting stuff done. I can't wait to decorate the baby's room. I think that will really help me to feel like this is happening. I am SOOOOOO hoping that I can put some pink in the room!!! I will still be excited if it's a boy though. I love the relationship that Evan and I have. I think there is something really special about a mother son relationship. I'll be happy either way, but what fun to have a daughter!!



In about 8 weeks, Jeff and I get to start taking birth classes. We are going to deliver at the new Lakeside Hospital where my sister had Colin. It is really nice, and I am excited about that part of things. It will be so nice to have Jeff with me during "the event" this time, and have someone special to share it with. My parents and sister will be there as well. I can't wait to make it to the main event!!!