Christmas Season 2011

Christmas family photo...Reina almost 3, me 8 months pregnant

We stayed home this Christmas season. I was 8 1/2 months pregnant so traveling wasn't an option anyway. We were lucky to have Thanksgiving with Paul's brother Bryan and his family at their beautiful home in Brush Prarie with Grandma and Grandpa Guinn. Reina doesn't see these cousins too often so she thoroughly enjoyed all the attention and toys they shared with her.
Christmas was a little shaky this year because an ultrasound appointment just one week before Christmas showed that my amniotic fluids dropped to a critical level and could prove the need to be induced even earlier than expected. We chose to try rehydrating with IV fluids which did show drastic improvement the next day. But just a few days later had dropped once again. Christmas eve came and I had to get my fluids checked once again to determine if this would be a Christmas baby or not. Luckily they were just high enough to wait until the day after Christmas to recheck. I didn't want to be Mary this Christmas. So as expected, I was a little nervous this Christmas season. I tried hard not to exert myself too much (this was VERY hard for me), as my fluid levels needed to remain high. So no working out, no running around too much doing errands. With amazement, my fluid levels continued to stay at a reasonable level until the doctors chose to induce in January. Yippee! I just wanted another January baby like Reina....even if we didn't get the tax break.

I love Mummi and Papa Will

Family prayer

Jumping on the bed at Grandma and Grandpa Scarborough's...oops!

Reina with cousins Riley and Heleena

Christmas Sunday dresses with cousins Kaija and Miia

Family hug after prayer with Uncle Richard

My brother Teem and his family came for Christmas this year from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. This was a treat since they stayed for nearly two weeks. Most days were spent just hanging out and playing games. One afternoon we took all the kids swimming at Firstenburg. This was fun for everyone. Even the very pregnant lady! We also took the kids to see the new library that opened up downtown Vancouver which includes a discovery area for children to tinker around in. We did have one "date night" with the adults in which we went to a great Thai/Laotian restaurant and to see "Sherlock Holmes 2". Paul and I had just seen this a few nights earlier when I learned my low fluid level and needed a little stress reliever. So we saw "Mission Impossible 4". Definitely liked the Sherlock movie more, but fun to be out with my babe.
One of the big Christmas items this year is remote control helicopters. These little things were EVERYWHERE. Age didn't matter as I saw little boys getting them, big boys getting them, and old boys getting them. Almost all the boys in our family got one except for Paul, so he had to order one on Amazon which is in transit now. Since the guys had time off work and there was no snow on the mountains to go play in, they made a pretty awesome obstacle course with landing pad and all for the helicopters to fly through!

For Christmas, the little girls got an extra special gift this year- doll beds! These are extra special because Grandpa Scarborough made them and Aunt Tarja made the bedding. They are perfect size for American Girl dolls which Reina will get in a few years when she can really appreciate their quality and expensiveness.

Another great treat this year was the traditional Finnish dinner that Uncle Teem made. When he and Sanni were on their missions in Finland, they enjoyed this meal as part of the Finnish Christmas tradition. The meal includes: cured ham, liver casserole, rutabaga casserole, a carrot/rice casserole, potato casserole, and lingonberry sauce. I liked most of the dishes, except for the liver casserole. I really tried hard to enjoy it's uniqueness, but the strong flavor and aftertaste was too much for my palate. Probably my favorite was the ham that is naturally cured and cooked with a rind of rye bread to infuse into the meat.

 Spending time with family just hanging out and playing games was a great way to enjoy this Christmas as we anticipated the big bang of a new addition to our family for the new year! Next post will of course be the newest member of our family...

Getting Sentimental

I am getting some major pregnancy hormones lately...overall, I haven't been too much of a "blubbery pill" for Paul, but I am getting excited, nervous, and sad that Reina will have to share my attention. My free time in the mornings and evenings have been devoted to talking, playing, and interacting with my little girl. I am not as fortunate to spend all day, everyday with my girl, but the time that I do have with her is always special. Some days I substitute teach, then do my normal part-time job. These days are hard emotionally for me and for Reina. We both feel we got gyped with our special time. It's these days bedtime is harder. I totally understand why she doesn't want to go to bed; she'd rather keep singing songs and reading books with her mommy and daddy, even if she is exhausted. Soon I'll be adding in nursing time, coddling time, and some  much-needed sleep time with the new babe. Lately, when I am laying in bed I wonder how she is going to handle this new addition. Is she going to be helpful? Will she love her brother or despise him for taking away his mommy? Will she despise me for giving him attention? Those of you who have gone through this could give me some tips, please? It makes it harder when you are a working mommy too. I look forward to more time with my children, probably not an all day, everyday thing. I don't think I will ever be a "true" stay-at-home mom. I will always be doing some sort of side-job, even if it is teaching a couple yoga classes at the gym. Maybe it's for my self-esteem. Maybe it's the fact I was raised in a childcare center always taking care of kids. Maybe because I was raised in a family where my mom worked...and still works. I asked Paul if Reina knew how much I love her. He comforted me by saying that the time we do spend together is always special and she knows it. He also reminds me that I am her favorite person. This will probably change when she's 13 years old...if she'll at least hold out until then! As long as she'll return to loving me. Reina was our miracle baby; very hard to get. Sometimes I feel too blessed by getting HER. If I dreamt up a little girl, she wouldn't have even come close to Reina. Reina, I want you to know how very happy we are to have you as our daughter. Everyday you are surrounded with people who love you. Mommy, daddy, Mummi, Grandma, cousins, friends. You love your life, and your mommy love's your life.

In Over my Head

I am hoping I can pull this off....pregnancy and life. My pregnancy has had some major changes this last week. I am officially gestational diabetic again, which is contributed directly to my condition, PCOS. Pregnancy intensifies my insulin resistance 3x my normal amount which is not good. Actually, the diabetic counselor today said that my fasting numbers (blood sugar when I wake up in the morning) are some of the worst. Great. So now on top of normal pregnancy appointments that are almost weekly, the baby has to be monitored twice a week for an hour (possibly more), and then in a few weeks 3x a week. Ugh. I opted for insulin injections this time since they are 100% safe. I took medication with Reina, but didn't really work anyway since she was 9+lbs. This means I have to learn to stab myself 3x a day at the same time. Eat at the same time. Monitor what I eat. Write it down. Then prick myself an hour later to see if I "did good" with choosing the perfect food for my body (which is only done with trial and error). Oh yeah, I was involved in a minor car accident awhile back (not my fault) and still have chiropractic adjustments and massage appointments twice a week. I'm not complaining about getting a massage, just having a hard time figuring my schedule of work and pregnancy appointments to coincide when they have openings. Oh yeah, I am supposed to exercise everyday (to keep blood sugar down), but can't 2 hours after eating or I'll get a sudden low blood sugar. This means I have to get up earlier to eat breakfast, so I can wait and then go to my normal workout classes. Also due to my blood sugar problems combined with pregnancy, I have a fibroma growing behind a tooth. I have to go get that removed which is not covered by my insurance and there were no promises of it not coming back. So I have been in and out of dental appointments too. Oh yeah, I almost forgot that I also am having hearing problems. After a birthday party that Paul and I attended in the beginning of November, I have a strange low humming in my ears that comes and goes. I went to the doctor to get tested since I stayed up one night googling my symptoms and getting completely scared that I'm going deaf or will have to deal with it for the rest of my life. NEVER GOOGLE DISEASES AT NIGHT. Luckily she saw nothing and I had no hearing loss, but then she referred me to a specialist. I am still debating to go as this could just be a weird pregnancy thing, or a weird cold thing as it comes and goes. I am putting this one on hold. I am still working until Christmas break....if I can just hold out until the break then half my stress will be gone and I can focus on the baby and my crazy body right now.
I don"t physically look like a basketcase, but I really could do without a few of these things. For the record, I do love being pregnant. I enjoy pregnancy as I never feel sick or unusually tired or achy or like a whale, just wish my inside body enjoyed it as much. I don't feel diabetic whatsoever. To end on a good note, the ultrasounds show that the baby is normal weight, normal fluid amount, and apparently my placenta is "very young". Huh? I didn't know placentas had an age limit. I learned that placentas apparently age up to 10 months. Okay, this makes sense since you deliver around 9 months. But with someone who has gestational diabetes, they usually age very quickly. Mine is still just a teenager. So at least some parts of me are liking pregnancy along with my mind.  I hope I can still stay positive despite this craziness right now!

Fall Makes Me Happy

Fresh from the farm

Wreath I made

Put together this cute Halloween house

I LOVE fall! All of the changing leaves, the wind and thunderstorms, the cool, crisp air that's reminds you to add an extra layer. That is, until the rain decides it wants to stay for the next 6 months starting November 2nd. I'm happy to go on excursions looking for the perfect pumpkin to carve. I'm happy to decide what "theme" our family should be for Halloween. I'm happy to eat all the pumpkin I want...if you didn't know, I have an exceptional love for pumpkin anything. Here are this year's fall excursions:

Pumpkin picking at Bi-Zi Farms

Munching on kettle corn

The slickest and muddiest corn maze...soooo fun!

Making animal feed

Climbing the hay stack

We visited my brother's family in Coeur d'Alene....COLD but very pretty!

Superheroes: Batgirl, Supergirl, The Punisher...it was cold so we had LAYERS

Teem, Miia, Luukas, Kaija, Emily, Finn

Two girlies jumping on the "peloween"

Trick-or-Treating downtown Coeur d'Alene

Pumpkin carving in Coeur d'Alene with Grandma & Grandpa Scarborough

Paul did Angry Bird and Reina "did" Minnie Mouse

Pregnancy Update

Just a little update on the pregnancy:
Less than 3 months left (less than 12 weeks)
Still craving donuts (and give in)
Checking blood sugar which shows it's elevated but no need for medications at this time (yeah!)
I only have two pairs of pants that fit (black stretch pants and prego jeans)
My bellybutton will forever be an outty
I feel great and forget that I'm pregnant...until I get a glimpse of myself or bend over
As I'm getting bigger, everyone else appears to be getting smaller
I cry at silly things on TV

Here is the most recent 28 weeks ultrasound picture:

 Definitely has Paul's mouth and Reina's cheeks. Nose looks more like mine. It's amazing what technology can show, although I'm sure he'll look a little cuter.

The ultrasound technician said everything looks perfect! Good fluid amount, size is right. The baby had his feet and hands in front of his face so he had to really rotate the baby around as I laid almost inverted to get an acceptable picture. It was worth the discomfort. He is not head down, but not worried at this point. With my diabetic issues the docs are always more concerned, but he said to keep doing whatever I'm doing because everything looks great! He said that he doesn't quite know how to diagnose me because I am not typical diabetic at all. It's very confusing and annoying because I can eat the same thing for breakfast one day and have good blood glucose number and have it skyrocket the next! It's something I will have to forever tweak, sadly. We can't believe we only have 12 weeks to go!

 

22 weeks
 

24 weeks

26 weeks

28 weeks

 

 

A few pregnancy photos taken by my loving husband. Kind of silly but I like 'em:

Sidenotes

Even though I am a driver education teacher, it is Paul who has taught Reina what the different traffic lights mean. What started this was the fact that she'd yell, "Go daddy!" when he was stopped. So Paul had to tell her why he couldn't go. Now that Paul taught her, Reina will say, "Red means stop. Green means go. And yellow means be careful." We've recently had to increase the rules because now she wonders why we turned right on a red light and other inconsistencies. We're still working on this, along with arrows. She has known them for about 3 months now and likes to keep tabs on us that we are following what the light says to do. It's cute...for now.

My mom has also recently been teaching some sign-language. I never got into it with Reina when she was much younger because I felt there was no need when she could already communicate what she wanted. I picked her up one day from my mom's house where they were watching a sign-language video and found myself interested. We've since learned a "handful" of words. I think Reina knows a few more than me so I'll have to catch up!

Top Row: Owen, Assistant Elaine, Kaitlyn, Sophia, Reina, Abigail, Mummi. Bottom Row: Ella, Anna

We have just been so entertained with Reina since she's turned two. She has such a humorous personality, yet she also has a keen sense of understanding. In fact, my mom and I say she is two going on five. She likes to hang out with the older kids and thinks she can do what a five year old can. I  made a mistake of letting her out of the cart at the store when she was walking and now she expects to hardly ever be in the cart. My bad. I won't make that mistake with the next one! She does remind me that when she turns five she gets to go on a school bus and go to school.

She said one of the cutest things the other day. We were driving in the car talking about her birthday (this has been a frequent conversation topic while driving). She has already told me her birthday is in Jan-wary and who she wants to come to her birthday party and that she wants lots and lots of balloons. She now wants her "baby brother to come on to her birthday party in Jan-wary." (tear) Hmmmm....this might actually come true, much to my chagrin.

"We Will Rock You!"

I don't post videos very often, but just had to post this one! Just to set the record, I have never taught a single cheer to Reina. I was a cheerleader for 2 years in junior high but never really liked it more than the outfits and pom-poms so replaced it with dance team in high school which was my true love. Reina has been picking up some cheers from her friend Elizabeth who is a 1st grader.

Not bad for a 2 1/2 year old, huh?