Baby Allie Update

We are slowly getting Allie's room put together. We got the dresser and changing table yesterday, Dwight was able to put the dresser together yesterday afternoon and then he put the changing table together tonight.

On Friday I reached the halfway point, 20 weeks! I can't believe how fast it's gone so far and the next thing we'll know it will be March. We have registered at Target for those up-coming baby showers my friends want to throw.

Allie is getting stronger by the day. I have felt movement for a while now but on Wednesday morning Makayla was actually able to feel her kick. Every time Dwight would go to feel she would stop moving so eventually he was able to feel her for the first time on Friday.

OMG IT'S VICTORIA JUSTICE!

Saturday morning we woke up early and headed to MOA so Makayla could see Victoria Justice and Thomas Mann who starred in the movie Fun Size. Victoria Justice is also a singer and stars in her own show, Victorious, on Nickelodeon. Makayla loves her show and music.  Also, Carly Rae Jepson made an appearance. You may know Carly from her hit song "Call Me Maybe". She did a song for the movie and she was in town because she is the opening act for Justin Bieber.

I asked our marketing department if there was anything they could do as far as getting autographs and they told me that they will have a few wristbands set aside for us. There was a limited amount of wristbands and if you didn't have a wristband you couldn't get an autograph.

We couldn't take pictures once we were on stage but Makayla asked for a hug from Victoria. Dwight told her that the best episode was the Breakfast Bunch, they spoofed the movie The Breakfast Club. I do have to admit that was as a pretty good episode.

Makayla shown here with her poster of autographs!  We had a quick lunch at Tony Romas and we headed to the movie theater. We had free pre-screening passes to see Fun Size. The line was extremely long but we made it in, they had many theaters showing this movie. As we got in, we each received a free soda, popcorn, wristband and another Fun Size poster. We had good front row seats as Victoria and Carly introduced the movie. Carly even gave away a few Justin Bieber tickets but unfortunately MK didn't win ... bummer! This showing was the first ever pre-screening of the movie!

After the movie was over we headed back down to my office to go to the restroom and to grab our jackets. As we passed by the conference room, Security was in there taking pictures with Victoria. One of my officer friends told us to come in so MK could get her picture taken with Victoria! How awesome was that ... talk about star struck!



Granny Kay and Mary Lee Visit

Today Granny Kay and Mary Lee made a visit to our home. I had originally taken the day off but had to go in for a meeting so they met me at the mall around 10:30a.  We enjoyed a nice lunch at Cadillac Ranch and visited some stores that contained Elvis merchandise ... for Mary Lee, she is pictured above with Elvis himself! Afterwards we headed to IKEA, a place where Granny and Mary Lee have always wanted to visit. They enjoyed walking around, Mary Lee picked up a new duster and some chocolate. While we were there, we picked up a dresser and changing table. We weren't going to get a changing table but the more I thought about the way the cribs are designed now (due to safety reasons, cribs do not have the drop down sides anymore), there was no way I was getting on the floor to change Allie's diaper in the middle of the night. Granny is going to make us a padding for the top so we don't have to buy one.

Granny brought up a few outfits she found during a store closing and made some blankets, crib sheets and bibs (shown below). She also got us a few diapers and wipes ... those will eventually come in real handy!

Mary Lee made Allie this blanket, she made Makayla a pink one when she was born. We have a lot of crafty people in the family, wish I had that talent!

Thank You Dee and Doug

Aunt Dee and Uncle Doug sent a couple "Dear Know It-All" books, Makayla is excited to start a new series and frankly I am too ... I'm getting a little tired of Goosebump books! Thanks Aunt Dee and Uncle Doug!

Also, in the package was a few things for Allie: a couple pairs of socks, a "Daddy Makes Me Smile" onesie, "Got Milk" bib, an adorable hat and cat bag and an Alice In Wonderland t-shirt ... that one is compliments of Cousin Andrew ... inside joke!  Thanks Aunt Dee and Uncle Doug!



Thank You Jill, Josh and Andrew

You can't go wrong with a cat mask, stickers and of course GUMMY BEARS! Thanks Jill, Josh and Andrew for this fun Halloween stuff!

Growing Pumpkins

A few weeks ago Makayla went to the Arboretum on a class field trip. She brought back with her two planted pumpkin seeds. The experiment, the kids planted one seed face up and the other face down. Makayla thought for sure the one planted face up would have roots coming out of the top. She was wrong but the one face up did sprout first. She has been keeping a journal of how much they are growing every day. Between the two pictures is one day, the top picture was taken Saturday morning and the one on the bottom was taken Sunday afternoon.

 

We also haven't thought passed the ice cream bucket ... not sure what we are going to do with these things during the winter months ... if we can keep them alive : )



Visit From Nana and Papa

 

My parents came up on Thursday afternoon and spent the rest of the weekend at our home. It was nice to see them, they haven't been to our house for two years. This was Mister's first time meeting Nana and Papa and as you can see Mister took to Papa right away ... not to Papa's liking of course.

 

Mom and dad were able to watch Makayla while we attended my friend's wedding Friday night. Makayla wasn't happy that she couldn't attend the wedding and didn't want us both to be gone at the same time. She is a very stubborn little girl and refused to eat or have any fun while we were gone.

 

Earlier Friday, Dwight took my mom to play cards with the seniors ... something Dwight does on a regular basis. MK and I took dad around to some of the local thrift stores and then met Dwight and mom at Culver's for lunch.

 

Pumpkin picking on Saturday morning, enjoyed some delicious cheese soup on a cold rainy day and board games in the afternoon. It cleared up by the time dinner rolled around so we were able to grill some steaks for dinner. Rented Dark Shadows for our evening movie ... which, unfortunately, was a horrible movie!

 



Picking Pumpkins

Saturday morning there was a little break in the rain to pick out our pumpkins. Over the last three years we have visited Pahl's Market instead of heading to the pumpkin patch.  This time Papa was able to go with us, Nana had stayed behind to take a nap

 

Baby Allie Update

19 weeks along and feeling a lot more movement, those kicks, of course, are not strong enough for others to feel yet.

 

Gestational diabetes is going as good as it could be. I've lost a lot of weight and according to what I weighed before I was pregnant, I've only gained three pounds. I guess if anyone wants to lose weight they should go on a diabetic diet. My meal plan is as follows:

 

Breakfast: 2-3 carbohydrates and 1 oz of meat or meat substitutes

Morning Snack: 1-2 carbohydrates

Lunch: 2-4 carbohydrates and 3 oz of meat or meat substitutes

Afternoon Snack: 1-2 carbohydrates

Dinner: 3-4 carbohydrates and 3 oz of meat or meat substitutes

Bedtime Snack: 2 carbohydrates and 1oz of meat or meat substitutes

 

1 carbohydrate = 15g of total carbohydrates

 

Free foods are: non-starchy vegetables, 1/2 cup vegetable juice, sugar-free Jello and sugar-free, fat-free condiments.

 

Meat and meat substitutes are: I slice of cheese, 1 egg, 1/2 cup tofu, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese, 1/2 cup tuna, cooked chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef, pork, lamb or wild game.

 

It's been extremely hard this time around because I was diagnosed early and I've been craving sweets non-stop! Meat is more tolerable this time around but still don't have the stomach for lunch meat.

 

I have to test my blood when I get up in the morning, that's my fasting glucose. My fasting numbers need to be below 95. I then need to test my blood one hour after I start eating, it needs to be below 140. If I forget to test my blood one hour after I eat, then two hours needs to be below 120. 

 

I also need to test my ketone levels in the morning, a ketone test checks for ketones in your blood or urine. Ketones are substances that are made when the body breaks down fat for energy. Normally, your body gets the energy it needs from carbohydrate in your diet. But stored fat is broken down and ketones are made if your diet does not contain enough carbohydrate to supply the body with sugar (glucose) for energy or if your body can't use blood sugar (glucose) properly. When I wake up in the morning I pee in a cup, dip a test strip and it turns a color. The color I want needs to be negative or trace. Since mine have been at the highest reading I needed to make sure I add my protein at night and to drink plenty of water. Over the last week it has been negative.

 

Baby Swanson Update ... It's A ....

GIRL ... Introducing Ali Lynn Swanson!

 

Of course we haven't decided on how we are going to spell Ali yet but when you put Ali and Lynn together it sounds like Alan, in memory of Dwight's dad. Her nickname will be Al!

 

She has her arms over her face, she doesn't want her picture taken!

 

Dwight and I attended the level-2 ultrasound today and had genetic counseling. Our baby looks normal and no signs of downs, since they didn't see anything on the ultrasound the chances of the baby having downs is 1/265.

 

We haven't told Makayla yet, we are going to wait until tonight to surprise her ... she still thinks our appointment is scheduled for next week.



Baby Swanson Update

Well, my doctor's appointment on Friday didn't go well as planned. I haven't, until now, narrowed down a doctor at my OBGYN office. Since my regular one moved out of state a few years ago, I haven't found anyone that I liked. The doctor that saw me wasn't the nicest doctor that I've seen, in fact I have started to refer to her as evil but she has brought a few things to my attention that wasn't any concern of the other doctors that I've seen.

I had to bring a few things with me to this appointment, a week of blood pressure readings and my blood sugar numbers. My blood pressure has been spot on during this pregnancy, and actually it's been exceptional! My sugars on the other hand, according to her, wasn't what she wanted to see. Apparently, my fasting sugars are high and I should only be testing myself one hour after I eat, not two. I had been getting conflicting information from several doctor's regarding this. My fasting sugars are supposed to be under 95 and I was initially told 100 ... evil doctor was right on both things, I found that out yesterday when I attended my diabetic class. Because fasting sugars are out of my control we talked about possible insulin to get it under control. I meet again with my diabetic nurse next week so I'm hoping I can get my numbers where they should be.

While at my doctor's office I took my second trimester blood tests to test for birth defects. I received a call from evil doctor yesterday and she was very pleasant with me on the phone. Based on my age the odds of our baby having downs is 1/250 but based on my cells it's 1/109. She wants me to see a high-risk OBGYN and asked me when we have our level 2 ultrasound scheduled. It's scheduled for next Friday but she is going to try to get us in sooner. Also, there is another blood test that they can perform that will give us better information. So, now it's the waiting game until I get a call back from the office sometime today.

Makayla + School = A Lot Of Homework

 

Makayla loves school but not all the homework, I don't remember having any homework in second grade. After the first week of school, her teachers thought it would be a good idea to send a weeks worth of homework home in the Friday folder. She can work on it right away or spread it out during the week but it must be completed and returned before the next Friday. Not only does she have to do a packet of homework but she also has been bringing home a few more pieces throughout the week.  Sunday afternoon is usually our time to complete most of it.

 

She also has spelling words (12) each week that is also given out on Friday, tests are always the next Thursday. She has been doing great with those and I'm very thankful that I don't have to keep spelling words when she writes stories!

 

MK has also been very good with her reading, especially for Reading Rocks! Thank you to Aunt Dee & Uncle Doug for their $25 donation and Granny Kay for her $10 donation! I had to look to see what Makayla read last year, she read a total of 900 minutes and was the top reader out of all the first grades. For MKs first week she has already read a total of 660 minutes! Next week is the last week and I have a feel she will be exceeding her 900 minutes from last year!

 

It's still not the same around the house without Lady Cat. I was emptying out a box on Saturday and came across her picture in a frame so of course we had to display it. We also received a nice note from her veternarian office this last week, it's nice that they remembered us. Mister follows us around like crazy and still wonders in the laundry room meowing like a baby looking for her. MK had share day at school on Friday and took one of Lady's pictures. Lady was a great pet and we will never forget her!

Baby Swanson Update

Friday night, Dwight surprised me by putting up the crib.  All we need is a mattress and we should be good to go. We also stopped by a few garage sales and picked up some baby toys, a few less things we have to worry about later on.

I had a doctor's appointment on Friday morning and she told me things that I already suspected like having gestational diabetes. I already had motified my diet and lost 5 pounds because of it. She gave me a new perscription for the test strips and lancets. It took me a while to find my monitor when I got home and thankfully I did because the old one that I had was no longer covered by insurance. I also had to make an appointment at the diabetic clinic, which I went through when I was pregnant with Makayla. My diabetic class is scheduled for October 2, it basically goes over how to count your carbs and test your blood. Because I have already been through this class my doctor wanted me to come back on Friday with a weeks worth of numbers and another check-up. I have been doing great so far with my fasting sugars in the morning and then two hours after I eat.

 

My blood pressure is doing extremely well, I'm hoping it continues this way throughout my pregnancy. With Makayla it was up a lot especially with medication.

 

I also was able to listen to the heart beat, nice and strong!  I still can't feel a lot of movement, just flutters here and there. I'm really looking forward to this part of the pregnancy when I can really feel the movement.

Box Tops!

Yes, it's that time of the year again - Fall competition for Box Tops start on Monday, September 24! If you have any Box Tops to spare please send them our way. Many of you have already and we truly appreciate it!  We haven't counted them all yet but Dwight was telling me in Jill's pile alone was close to 70 Box Tops! MK has a huge envelope full!

This year, instead of competing against all the other classes, the grades will be competing against each other. Rosemount Elementary's goal is to collect 50,000 Box Tops. This means if every student turns in 83 Box Tops over the next 5 weeks they will meet this goal! The money raised this year will go towards building a wireless computer lab, which can be brought into any classroom.

Many thanks!

Baby Swanson Update

Earlier last week I found out about this huge baby sale going on in Eagan, Just Between Friends. I was able to score some really good deals on Saturday, at half price!

 

Below is a baby bedding set that is practically brand new, along with a boppy with green covering. Baby bibs, sheets, blankets, burb cloths, diaper bag, toys and a bottle drying rack.  We will get to find out the sex in a few more weeks, just in time for the sale happening in Eden Prairie. Hopefully we will be able to score some great deals on clothes.

 

We have officially hit the 15th week, the baby is the size of an apple!  Feeling great with lots of energy, my belly is becoming more round ... certain shirts are becoming a little bit more tight. I forgot how I love stretchy pants! I have a doctor's appointment this Friday.  Stay tuned for belly pictures!

 

Reading Rocks!

It's already that time of the year ... Reading Rocks Read-A-Thon!

What are the goals of Reading Rocks?

To promote literacy by collectively reading more than 300,000 minutes during the read-a-thon and to raise more than $25,000 to support media, technology and student programs at RES. AND to put Mr. Idstrom, the school principle, on the roof for the night!

Last year, Makayla was the top reader out of 1st grade. The goal for 1st and 2nd graders is to read 20-25 minutes per day, MK read about an hour each day!

This is where Makayla needs your help! She is looking for pledges from family, friends and neighbors to support her reading efforts during the read-a-thon. Whatever you can give will be greatly appreciated! If you do donate, Makayla will send you a sponsor tax receipt. Checks must be payable to RES PTO and Makayla needs to turn in the money by October 11.

Thank you in advance!

In Memory Of Lady Cat

I don't think anyone can prepare themselves for the loss of a pet. Lady was our first pet, we got her a year after Dwight and I were married. When we arrived at the humane society, Lady caught my eye but everyone kept taking her to the private room to get to know her. Towards the end of our visit, we were able to spend some time with her. When we called her kitty she would jump in our laps, very loving and affectionate. We ended up leaving the humane society without her but returned the next day to see if she was still there. Just our luck, she was.  Even after finding out her history we couldn't say no to this adorable face.

She was brought in by her previous owner with a jump rope tied around her neck. She was only two and already had a litter of kittens. Her teeth were horrible, she was missing some and had really bad gingivitis. We think she was abused by a man because it took her about 4-5 years to finally be comfortable around Dwight. Because tons of people were looking at her, she came down with a bad cold.  But she fit right in.

Lady Cat was almost 15 years old. We took her to the vet a few months ago because she had peed on our bed and was throwing up a few times a week. After performing lots of tests, everything came back normal. Since then we have been blaming Mister for things happening around the house but come to find out it was actually Lady. The biggest problem has been urinating and pooping outside the litter box. She hasn't been eating or drinking that much and will sleep almost all day.  I scheduled a vet visit for this afternoon not knowing what the outcome would be.  And basically was told that she is old.

I didn't realize how tough that decision was until we were actually faced with it. We all three cried over the thought of it and Dwight ended up leaving the room because he was too upset. After signing paperwork, Makayla and I stayed until she fell asleep and the vet carried her body away.

She provided us years of entertainment and love. Tonight at dinner we were recalling some of our favorite memories of Lady.

Jen

The time this women had stopped by for me to sign paperwork (can't remember why), we were sitting at the kitchen table and all of a sudden Lady jumps on this women's back. She perched right up on her shoulders.

She would run around the house really crazy and then run right up the center piece of wood on the sliding glass door. She would run all the way to the top and sit there and then hop down.

Makayla

Makayla and Dwight took Lady to the vet and Lady must have been really nervous because she pooped on Dwight's lap.

Dwight

When she was younger she would go nuts with the laser pointer. When it appeared on the wall she would jump as high as the light switch so we would try to get her to turn off and on the light.

Of course we have many, many more stories of our precious Lady Cat. Our household will never be the same without her. As Makayla says, "Papa Swanson is with her now, he will take good care of her!"



Baby Swanson Update

I have officially hit the second trimester, week 14! Baby Swanson can now squint, frown, grimace, pee and possibly suck it's thumb. It's the size of a lemon and weighs about 1 1/2 ounces.

 

I went to the hospital on Wednesday for my 3 1/2 hour glucose test. I started fasting at 10:30 the night before but I had to drop Makayla off at the bus stop so I didn't make it to the hospital until 9:45am. They took my blood at the beginning and then I drank that lovely juice again, this time it seemed a lot sweeter than before. From the time I drank the juice, they took my blood every hour for three hours. Usually my right arm is easy to draw from, never have had a problem with it in the past but it was impossible to find my vein. I was stuck six times total, twice they missed the vein and they did it all in my left arm. I was not a happy camper by the time I left. Thankfully, I packed a few snacks for the car ride home because I didn't walk into the house until 2:00pm.  Around 4:00pm, I received the results of the tests. I think I failed but haven't received a confirmation from my doctor's office yet. My sugars grew higher and higher with every hour that passed.

First Piece of Art for Baby

Now that the craft room is cleaned out to make room for the baby, Makayla thought she would be the first person to add to the room. She water colored a picture of a princess and prince. According to her, it doesn't matter if the baby is a boy or girl, they will still like princesses and princes. How sweet is she? I bought a cute frame that matches the color of the crib, I think it looks wonderful!


Allowance Chart

I stole this idea from a friend of mine who made a chore/allowance chart for her three kids. We only have a few chores on there now but I'm sure the board will be full soon. She is off to a good start though, I don't have to hound her over and over again to unload the dishwasher!

First Day of Second Grade

Makayla had a great first day of second grade! I can't believe out of all the kids she has been in class with from kindergarten and first grade, there are only two kids in her class that she knows. I guess that can be a good thing, she will get to make more friends!

The homework has started, which she is not fond of. She had two assignments that she had to complete tonight and every day she has to bring home her planner for us to check and sign. I fixed one of her favorite meals while she worked on her assignments: cheese ravioli, corn and garlic bread.

MK was extremely exhausted by bedtime and went to sleep in a matter of minutes!



American Girl Tea

I was asked, along with another co-worker of mine to attend an afternoon tea at American Girl on Friday, compliments of American Girl. We are to blog about our afternoon tea for Mall of America's website. It was a lot of fun and MK was able to bring a friend, Claire.

Tea time started off with a fun craft but instead of the girls choosing tea, they could pick from lemonade or hot chocolate. Hot chocolate ended up being the favorite with whip cream and chocolate sprinkles.

 Tea can't be served without sandwiches and desserts.
Definite favorites were the jello in orange peel and cake balls.

 The girls being silly with their orange peels.



Craft Room Before And After

Baby Swanson Update

Last Friday I went in for my non-fasting glucose test and they called me on Tuesday with the results. My sugars were at 157 and with a non-fasting test they would like to see 130 or below. So, I had to schedule an appointment for a 3 1/2 hour glucose test at the hospital for this Wednesday. I'm not sure what to expect. When I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with Makayla, they made me skip the 3 1/2 hour test because my numbers were so high. Maybe there is hope but I highly doubt it.  It's been hard already trying to change my diet, the one thing that I have been craving is sweets!

My 24-hour urine collection came back normal. Thanks to Makayla for posting on all the bathroom doors "Pee In The Cup Mom!" She was a big help when I asked her to go get my pee bucket out of the fridge in the garage ... of course she thought it was gross and disgusting, I do have to agree with her there.

My level 2 ultrasound is scheduled for October and at that time we will be able to find out the sex of the baby a little earlier than normal... we are very excited! A few of my friends have already been talking about throwing me a shower, which is great because we have nothing. So, it looks like we will be able to register when we find out if we are having a boy or a girl.

The craft room is almost cleared out and I'll have to post the before and after photos. It's been a process, lots of junk accumulated over the last few years and now we have been trying to find a spot for everything. Most of it did go in the trash but a lot of it fit perfectly in Makayla's room. We also moved the two bookshelves that were in there to the loft next to the computer. That fit Makayla's book overflow, board games and my craft magazines.

Still feeling good, my belly is growing bigger and I'm starting to feel the little flutters which will eventually turn into kicks.