June 18, 2008: Well, for you loyal jessiewessie.com Fanatics or anyone who happens to look at this page today I thought I'd let you be the first to know that my water broke this morning around 4:00 am. It's about 6:30 am and I am going to go to the hospital in a few minutes and see what's going on. Keep checking back for more updates (no promises though because the hospital doesn't have an internet connection for us.

June 13, 2008: We bought a Diaper Champ to keep in our living room because we change a lot of diapers in there and they were either stinking up the kitchen trash or would sit on the stairs and stink up the living room for a week before anyone took it upstairs to the Diaper Genie. So I had seen the Diaper Champ on TV lots and thought it looked pretty neat. You can use a regular trash bag instead of buying anything special and it's bigger so it should hold more diapers. I've put it in the corner of the living room where it's pretty much out of sight but it is most certainly not out of smell. The Diaper Champ apparently does not keep the dirty diaper smell in like the Genie does. So my recommendation for those looking for a stink proof diaper pail stick with the Genie. The refills only cost $5 and I maybe have to change it once a month at the most, probably less, however, we do change about half the diapers downstairs. That $5 is money well spent I think because Seth's room has never smelled. I don't know anything about the Diaper Genie II or any other types of diaper pails so I can only give my recommendation on what I know. Feel free to email me or comment in Fanatics if you have any thoughts or feelings on this subject.

June 12, 2008: We went to the doctor yesterday and everything is still going good. Kinda boring report. I'm 1+ cm dilated and still less than 1% effaced. The doctor sees no reason I won't make it to my due date which you could see Ryan's face light up when he said that because he really wants this next week to get the basement done. I guess I'm okay with it too. I'm just ready to be done and out of pain although a whole new set of pains are coming.

June 11, 2008: The baby is 39 weeks today. We're going to the doctor today and I'm anxious to check on my progress. The last two weeks I've been 1cm dilated and less than 1% effaced. On a side note, I just want to let everyone know how awesome my husband is. He has never missed a single baby appointment with either kid. It's nice to know he cares and is interested in his babies. Also, it's nice to know that if I were to get any bad news at any point I wouldn't have to hear it alone. Anyway, the baby is still active and is definately putting on the weight. I've been having contractions for several weeks which is actually exciting because I never experienced any of that with Seth. I hope this means that I'm going to go into labor on my own and not have to be induced. This is gross and possibly too much information but I lost my mucus plug on Monday which means that things are moving right along. I finally washed her clothes and the car seat on Monday and packed a bag for her at the hospital. With Seth I was totally prepared months in advance. I think finishing the basement has made me put most things on hold.  I guess this is a good time for a basement update. We had vinyl put in the laundry and bathroom Tuesday morning and we're getting carpet installed on Friday. Ryan was getting pretty stressed about getting baseboards down and everything caulked and painted by Thursday night so we hired some help. Finishing a basement would be a whole lot less stressful if there wasn't a time crunch. Our little girl doesn't have anywhere to be right now or put her stuff and won't until we can clear out her room which means the basement has to have it's final inspection. Apparently, you're not suppose to occupy your space until the inspection has been done so we can't move our office until that's done. I'm guessing pictures would be appreciated by the readers but I'm just so darn lazy right now. I'll try to take some after the carpet is installed since it will be pretty clean down there. So because the baby is coming so soon I cut off all my hair. I was really going to let it grow and grow this time but I just needed hair that was hassle free. It's not my favorite look but with a newborn and a 14 month old it's one of those motherly sacrifices. Since I haven't written in a month I'm sure there's lots and lots of information that I'm leaving out here and on Seth's page but I just can't think of what else you all would be interested in hearing about. We've got an email list of several of our friends and family and we'll email when our little girl comes around. Also, just like with Seth, I'll have Ryan post pictures right here on her page so check back often over the next week.

May 12, 2008: Ugh! I came down from a little nap today and found my entire first floor covered in dust. Carpet, couches, toys, the entire kitchen, every nook and cranny including the pantry. I felt trapped because I didn't want Seth crawling around in it so I had to ban him to his high chair so I could at least get the living room crawlable and then I've banned him from the kitchen until I can get the floor swept and mopped. This has to be the absolute worst part of the whole basement project. I woke up not feeling that well so maybe any other day I would have been able to handle it better. I believe the baby turned headside down which is good but it sure doesn't feel good. She's super duper active so hopefully she's good and healthly.

May 9, 2008: Six weeks to go! That means only six weeks until my birthday. Woo-hoo! That means birthday cake! Anyway, we went to the doctor on Wednesday and everything still seems to be going good. The baby is measuring a little bit big. I think Sethie also started measuring a little big towards the end so it very may well be that I'm going to have another big baby...maybe not as big because I'm not going past my due date. Yesterday at the store somebody said I looked overdue. I was so excited that somebody else acknowledged my hugeness. Ryan said I'm supposed to be offended. I wasn't. I liked the sympathy. I've had a pinched nerve since Tuesday night which sucks. Yesterday I could hardly walk and today it mostly hurts to stand up after sitting. The doctor said to come back in two to three weeks so our next appointment isn't for three weeks. I'm not positive but I think I've had a few Taylor Hicks I mean Braxton Hicks contractions the past few days. It kind of excites me because it gives me hope that I'm not going to have to be induced. Maybe my body finally has the going into to labor thing down. As far as the basement goes Ryan definately won't be able to paint tomorrow. The guy working on it has put in some dang long hours and hopes to be done tomorrow but no guarantees. Ryan did hook up the washer and dryer last night so he was able to do a couple loads of laundry. That's right, Ryan did the laundry for me because I was in so much pain. What a stand up dood. I think we're going to spend the day tomorrow picking out paint, buying doors and hardware and if there's time looking at carpet. It sounds nice to have a day out of the house with Ryan. Oh, and as far as belly buttons go, I definately have an outie. The advantage is it gives me a chance to do a thourough belly button cleaning. Ew, gross, I know, but take a real good look inside all of your innies. I'm sure they could all use a nice deep cleaning as well.

May 5, 2008: Alright, I guess this has to do with the new baby because she's the reason we're doing this. Friday the drywall was put up in the basement and oh my gosh. It doesn't even look like our house anymore. Me and Ryan were kinda speechless when we saw it. It's a good thing, but we're both feeling a little nostalgic. We really liked our unfinished basement and put a lot of work into making it a fun, functional space. It's almost hard to remember what it looked like before the drywall. The nice thing is that now with drywall the basement looks likes it's close to being finished. It's definitely far from finished but we can see the end. My advice to anyone who is having drywall put up in their house is to leave while it's going in. I was home all day and it was awful. The noise level was horrendous and I wanted to pull my hair out by the end of the day. I do hear that the mudding and taping is actually the worst part of the whole construction process because it produces so much dust that can't be contained. That part should be done by this weekend and Ryan should hopefully be able to start painting Saturday. I guess as much of a hassle and disruption to our lives finishing the basement is it is nice to have a distraction from the last few weeks of the pregnancy. Oh, and Ryan has passed both of the inspections from the city which means he did an excellent job framing and plumbing. I guess he can't take credit for passing the drywall inspection except he hired a good guy to do it.

April 30, 2008: Just seven weeks to go! I guess this has to do with the new baby since she is the only reason we are doing this. Kids are expensive and not just because of clothes and diapers etc. We are finishing our basement so we have room to grow. Our house right now has three bedrooms and we are using one of them as an office right now. We want the office to be the new baby's room so that each of the babies have their own rooms. Yes we could get away without it but we are lucky enough to have the money and space to expand so that everyone is comfortable. So we're into this basement project I believe 7 weeks and we have until the baby comes to finish (our own deadline). When we're finished we're going to have an extra bedroom, bathroom, finished laundry room, and family room. Our office will be in the new family room along with the toys and music stuff and craft stuff. It's going to be way nice. The bedroom will have a twin bed in it but no mattress and it will probably be packed full of storage stuff so for anyone who thinks they're going to have a cozy place to come and stay sorry although we are comtemplating keeping our storage unit just so we don't have to bring all the crap back. I'm so lucky to have married a real handy guy. Ryan has done most of the labor himself with help from his dad and little brother so we are saving a bundle. It's easy to compare because several of our neighbors have done the same project hiring out all the work and paid so much more than we will. Ryan did all of the framing and plumbing. We hired out the duct work and paid my cousin who's dad is an electrician and taught him the ropes to help Ryan finish the electrical. We also decided to hire out the drywalling because we found a guy who isn't too expensive and will be able to do it better and quicker than Ryan just because he doesn't have a lot of drywall experience. So as of today the sheet rock is being delivered and on Saturday it should be hung and then by the next weekend it should be all taped and mudded. There's tons of finish work to be done but it is really exciting to be at the sheet rock point because it will start to look more like a finsihed basement. It's hard to see the credit card bills be twice as much as they normally are. It's hard to remember at those times that we're adding value to the house so it's not wasted money. I can hardly wait for it to be all over so we can go back to enjoying our Saturday's as a family and by summertime we should be ready to enjoy our new basement.

April 23, 2008: We went to the doctor today and nothing new to report. I go back in two weeks. I did find out that my kidney stone was made up of calcium and there's nothing I could have done to prevent it. I'll still take boring over exciting (aka another kidney stone) anyday.

April 22, 2008: I just finished making the new baby some blankets. I got the design from some blankets my mother-in-law made for Seth. I was just impressed with myself for figuring out how to put Rick-rac around the edges since I'd never used it before. They turned out pretty cute and if I wasn't so lazy I would take some pictures to post right here. Oh well, just take my word for it, they are very cute. I want to make her some flannel blankets but I haven't found the right fabric yet. I'm used to making quilts so making these were a breeze. Tomorrow I will be 32 weeks along and I go to the doctor. I'm sure it will be the typical 5 minute visit. From that appointment I'll go back in in two weeks and then I think I start going weekly after that. Man, the due date is really coming up fast. Making the baby blankets started to get me really excited for having a girl. I bought her a ton of clothes on a trip up to Park City a month or so ago but it seemed more like a chore than fun. Now, when I see her cute little things hanging in her closet I start to get real excited. I can't help wonder what she'll look like. Will her and Seth have the same features or will she be totally different?  Even though Seth has been called a girl a few times I'm not sure he really would make a pretty girl.  And for those of you curious people we haven't completely settled on a name or the spelling of some names we really like and we wouldn't tell you what those names are anyway so don't bother to ask.  Ryan should be able to post it shortly after she is born so when the due date comes closer check back often. 

April 17, 2008: I'm 31 weeks and 1 day and suddenly my belly seems to be growing very very quickly. Overnight I realized I gained a few more stretch marks where I didn't use to have any. Also, with Sethie, my belly button got close to poking out but stayed pretty even with my tummy. Now, it's definately more of an outie than an innie. If my growth doesen't slow down I expect you all to be able to see it poking through my clothes within a few weeks.

April 7, 2008: Finally something exciting happened with the pregnancy. Ok, so exciting and pregnant don't always equal fun. Saturday night around 9:00 pm I started to get a back ache. It quickly got worse and worse until I was lying on the bed in agony and tears. Then I started to get a pain in the abdomen where the baby is. I seriously thought I might be going into labor (I'm only 29 1/2 weeks along). So after a couple of hours of excruciating pain and a hot bath, Ryan decided to call the doctor. They told me to go to the hospital immediately. So off we went on the longest car ride of my life. I couldn't sit or stand or lay comfortably but sitting in the car was probably the worst. Luckily, we got to go to the labor and deliver part of the hospital and not the ER. After some quick labs and a few calls to the doctor and a pretty good assurance that the baby was fine and I wasn't in labor I got some morphine. It worked for about 10 minutes and then I was asking Ryan to please shoot me. Anyway, so without all of the complete details and descriptions of the pain I was in, it turns out I had a kidney stone. Anyone out there ever had one of those? I don't wish one on my worst enemy. So after one brief blackout from the pain, several lortabs that didn't really do a whole lot, a giant chunky throw up mess (sorry I didn't make it to the bathroom Ryan) later I passed the stone around 4:30 pm on Sunday. It was so amazing to me that the pain and nausea and everything else was instantly gone as soon as the stone was out. The stupid thing is tiny and I can't believe something so small could cause so much pain. Anyway, I guess this pregnancy was going way too easy and I needed something to shake it up a little. I'll take boring from here on out.

March 30, 2008: We had another baby appointment on Friday. It's pretty boring. I don't have gestational diabetes and my iron count is great. The appointments only take about five minutes which is good according to the doctors. We have one more appointment in 4 weeks and then we start going every two weeks. June 19th is definately coming up quickly. I'm so torn about the baby being born that day. Do I really want to spend my birthday in the hospital eating hospital food (or not eating it if labor is as labourious as last time) instead of eating at my oh so favorite Magelby's? That's right, I'm allowed to be selfish on my one day a year. Let's be honest. I had my first hot meal in oh 11 months this past Friday. It think I deserve another on my birthday.

March 1, 2008: There's nothing really to mention. I am 24 weeks pregnant and everything still seems to be going well. The baby moves around a lot. I actually feel pretty good. June 19th doesn't seem so far away anymore.

January 31, 2008: We had our ultrasound today. The baby has all of its parts and seems to be doing very good. The baby was moving around lots and lots but for some reason I couldn't feel it move. I have felt a flutter or two this past week so hopefully it will become more frequent. We took Seth and he did not like it at all. His dad was holding him but as soon as the ultrasound started he become fussy and just wanted his mom. Either we don't give him enough credit and he's becoming aware there is going to be a new baby or he's just super protective of his mom and didn't like the strange lady messing with her.

January 4, 2008: We had our third baby doctor visit yesterday. Everything seems to be going well. I got to see the doctor that delivered Seth and I was so glad. He remembers me and my delivery (well, I did set his record for longest after birth stitching time). Since I had such a difficult delivery and painful recovery I have been nervous about giving birth again. This doctor without me saying I was nervous started talking about delivery options. He said that in my case he feels comfortable and justified in inducing me one week early to help prevent having such a large baby (Seth was 8lbs. 14 0z.) which would definately help the delivery. He also said in my case (or people who had 4th degree tearing) a c-section would be appropriate if I wanted to do that. One of the downsides to a c-section is it limits the amount of children I can have so that's definately something to consider. I guess I have a lot of thinking to do but I still have 5 months so there's no rush in a decision. I have been feeling pretty crappy this entire pregnancy. I thought the second trimester (my old favorite of all the mesters)would bring some much needed relief. On the contrary it has brought more fatigue and even some occasions to "spit toothpaste" (see the Space Mountain operator at Disneyland for clarification if needed). It's been really hard to do the simplest household chores and take care of Seth which means the house goes to pot until Ryan steps in and does everything. It's kind of a rotten feeling to know that he goes to work all day and when he leaves I'm sitting on the couch and when he comes home hopefully I've managed to move to a different couch. He's amazing though and doesn't complain. We're probably teaching Seth bad eating habits becuase we get fast food a lot because I don't have the energy or appetite to cook. Good thing he's too little to remember this stuff.

December 5, 2007: We heard the baby's heartbeat today!! It's always such an awesome and wonderous thing to hear the tiny heartbeat of a child that is growing and developing inside of me. I'm heading into the second trimester (my favorite mester) because it's the one where I felt the best with Seth. I haven't gained any weight apparently because I'm still nursing and not eating enough. The doctor said I need to eat an extra 1000 calories per day to keep up with the nursing and pregnancy. He also said he wants me to wean Sethie in the next month or two because the strain of doing both on my body is too much. I opt to pigging out and getting that extra 1000 calories each day because I'm not quite ready to let my Sethie grow up that fast. Also, I have been trying to give him formula for months and he hates it so I'm also not ready for that fight.