BIG BED

Rylan decided to take every blanket and pillow in our house on his bed. He is having more fun than I am on bed rest!!!

ZOBRIST CHRISTMAS PARTY

Saturday was the Zobrist Christmas party. It is always so nice to see all the family so I was not going to miss it. I sat in the recliner chair and watch all the fun. My cousin told the story about baby Jesus and also the signs from the Prophets about when the baby Jesus will be born. After the story was over each of the kids got candy canes filled with Hershey kisses. These were to represent the Sheppard's staffs. My mom then gave us each a picture of Grandma & Grandpa. They are always missed, but Christmas time brings back so many memories that makes it just a little harder.

Wii

We were given an early Christmas present this year. Jordan's sister is also pregnant and about to have a baby any day so we had an early present exchange with them. We truly could not believe how kind they were to give us a Wii. The kids have been having a ball with it. Rylan is actually getting pretty good and Paislee just loves to be a part of the fun!

32 WEEKS & WHO KNOWS

I would like to be reporting 32 weeks and 7 to go but that's not how this little baby does things. This little one has caused problems from the beginning and it doesn't look like it is going to change anytime soon. I had been having what I thought were braxton hicks contraction for a few weeks but I was way to busy to pay any attention to them. Monday (12/13) night they were coming pretty strong so I went to bed. I had a few wake me up throughout the night but when I woke up Tuesday (12/14) I was feeling good. Rylan was over at a friends house and Paislee and I were out doing some last minute shopping when I felt the contractions again. I dropped Paislee off at school and had one more store to go to before I picked Rylan up and headed home. I figured if I laid down the pains would stop. I went to the restroom at the store and found out I was spotting. I was trying not to let myself get worked up because the baby was kicking like crazy. I called the doctor and they sent me straight to Labor & Delivery. I tried very calmly to call Jordan. I told him I was just going to go home and lay down to see if everything would stop. He didn't like that very much, he told me I was going to the hospital. I still didn't think this was to big of a deal, so I told him I would go but he should stay at work and I would have my mom go with me. Once we got to the hospital and I was hooked up to the monitors I started having the pains a lot more. I asked the nurse if this was just braxton hicks and she laughed at me. She told me I was having very real contractions and I was dilated to just over a 1. This to most women is no big deal, some women start at a 1 with their third baby, but because I have c-sections and never really dilated with Paislee, this was a big deal. They gave me some medication to stop the contractions, that worked for a little while but then they came back. They tried it one more time and sent me home on complete bed rest. I was really not a happy person. I had so much to do that week. Thank heavens for good friends and family that jumped right in an did what was needed. After visiting the doctor on Thursday (12/16) I was put on daily medication and bed rest for the next 4 weeks. The baby looks really good, they said the baby is about 4 pounds 5 ounces and measuring about 5 days bigger than my due date. I was really happy about that because we have been so worried about a little baby the whole time. According to the experts our baby weighs 3.75 pounds and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in my uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, the baby will gain a third to half of its birth weight during the next 7 weeks as it fattens up for survival outside the womb. The baby now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). The bay's skin is becoming soft and smooth as it plumps up in preparation for birth. I have put on 5 pounds in the last 6 weeks, so I thought that was pretty good. We are anxiously awaiting this baby's arrival. I think even dad is getting ready, he started to talk to me about baby names on Sunday. We defiantly don't have are list complete but at least I can say we have discussed it. We are really hoping that this little one will stay right where its at for the next 4 weeks. I have so much to do to prepare for our bundle of joy and I was waiting for Christmas to get taken down before I started changing rooms around and putting up the crib. These pictures were just taken and I can't believe how much this little one looks like daddy. (Please excuse the placenta next to the baby's face)

32 WEEKS

RYLAN'S CHRISTMAS SHOWCASE

Today was Rylan's Christmas Showcase. It was so fun to see my little baby up on stage singing. Well he was supposed to be singing, but most of the time he just stood there and looked cute.

OPPORTUNITY VILLAGE

We were able to go to Opportunity Village again this year. This is beginning to be an annual thing and my children love it. We go in at 9am and get to stay until the kids are done. Everything is free and can be done as many times as we would like. This year my sisters and Portlynn joined us.Waiting to see SantaThis is the first year Paislee has not been afraid of Santa!Portlynn sure was afraid of SantaRylan thought he would be cute and have me sit on his lap!I don't think we were supposed to sit on the Carraige

Portlynn didn't love Santa but she did love the slide