18.5 weeks & things are OK (according to the doc).....

Well, if you caught word (on facebook), I've been a little nervous the past few days. I went in for my ultrasound on Monday, & found out that my cervix had gone from 8cm to 5cm....which isn't so bad (length wise), except that it's 3cm less than it was last week. That was a quick drop in my opinion. So I went home a mess & put myself on bedrest until I could talk with the doctor about it (because it was just a tech that did my ultrasound).

Today I had my appointment with the doctor. He is not worried at this point (although that does very little to put me at ease). He checked my cervix & it is closed, & he just says to begin my progesterone shots in the next week or so & that he will check my cervix in 4 weeks. I am also to take it easy (of course, I knew that from the moment I was preggo)...no lifting, no all day standing, no exercise, and pretty much kick up my feet whenever I can. Sounds nice huh? No not really. For one, the only time I ever have the motivation to exercise is when I am pregnant....when I know the weight gain is inevitable. Two, I've never been a person who needed a spotless house, but it's hard not to do what needs to be done. Oh well though.

Now I know that 5 cm of cervix is a good length. They don't tend to worry until it gets below 3cm....but my main concern is that it dropped 3cm so quickly. If that continues, it will be very short by the time I am 22 weeks. In general, it will shorten as the pregnancy progresses from the weight of the baby, which is completely normal...We are just hoping that it keeps a decent length until I get to a safe point in the pregnancy.

I was given a blessing last night & feel much more at peace with things. I know that the doctors can only do so much, but the Lord is the one who I need to rely on. He is more powerful than a whole team of doctors. Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful for doctors. In fact, the past few weeks I have been thinking about how nice it would be to have a midwife instead of an OB (I suppose maybe I am feeling sorry for myself that I am in & out of the doctor so often) since they have such different approaches to pregnancy & birth. BUT, after this week, I have remembered why I choose OB's over anyone else.

Anyway, thanks to all of you for your concern & willingness to help us in any way possible.

Oh yea, & I've been feeling the baby move finally. I can't believe how long that took!!!!

Here it is.....

Well, Some of you know....and some of you don't.....and some of you THINK you knew, but didn't have any real proof...so here's the announcement:

I AM PREGGERS!!

I am due in April of 2010 (April 18 to be exact) and we are pretty excited. It's been a rough couple of months though....so let me fill you in (in case your were interested).

Month #1 I knew I was pregnant before I even tested. That freaked me out a bit....a lot a bit.

Month #2 I felt great for the first half but predicted that at 6 weeks I would get sick. On day one of week 6 I felt sick. Predictable I suppose.

Month #3 I was miserable, the house was a mess, & you could find me on the couch most of the day. Brett took over dinners & cleaning & taking care of the girls when he got home from school. I tried several different things to take my nausea away, but nothing worked. That was new to me.

Month #4 I started feeling better. I could eat food & even open the fridge without dry-heaving. Things were looking up.

Last week my energy & motivation finally returned. Thank-goodness. I'm sure Brett was wondering when I was going to start doing something around here.

I've had a few ultrasounds & everything looks good so far. Here are some pics (not great quality because my scanner doesn't work):

BABY BLOB @ 9 WEEKS


BABY @ 13 WEEKS


And at 13 weeks we found out.....
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That's right....and here is the proof:

Pretty definite huh?
He wanted me to know early so I could start getting use to the fact that I will not be having any bows or bracelets or pink etc. I'm a little sad about that, but I'm getting use to the idea. Plus, now is the perfect time for a boy. Quinnie & Avery are buddies & a 3rd girl might have been left out. Not to mention we don't need anymore drama/sensitivity in this house....I'm hoping a boy will be a little easier (and that is what I am told). I'm glad I had two girls first though.

Here's BABY BOY @ 15 weeks just hangin' out.


And here's our confirmation that yes....he really is a HE. This is 17 weeks (yesterday). We also found out that I have a SUPER long cervix....most of you don't care about that & have no idea how relieved that makes me....but it is a very good thing for a person who is high risk for the reason I am. We hope it stays long.

I have another Ultrasound next week which is the 'OFFICIAL' one and I assume there will be a few more within the next 10-12 weeks. I start progesterone shots at 20 weeks which will help prevent preterm labor...Brett gets the honor of giving those to me (in the rear).

As far as my doctor goes....I think I like him. It's always hard to switch doctors, & I really just went blind on this one. The good news is I deliver at a really nice hospital (that provides spa services)....the bad news is that it takes about 30 minutes to get there. That's bad news because with Avery I delivered in 1 1/2 hours from the time my water broke....so I will be booking it to labor & delivery at the first sign I have.

Quinnlyn & Avery are pretty excited. Avery is always talking about 'Your baby'....she likes to rub my belly & can't wait to feel it kick. I'm surprised she understands it all. When I was pregnant with Avery, Quinnlyn seemed to have no idea. I expected Quinnie to talk about it more this time...but she doesn't. Maybe when she feels him kick it will be more real to her.

So that's the news. Let's hope the next 5 months are uneventful.

Oh yea....and here's a picture of my belly @ 16 weeks (because it bugs me that no one ever posts pregger pictures). Funny thing is that some days I am bigger than others....must be bloated ;)

Our Halloween

We had a fun Halloween this year. It started out with our annual Halloween party with the LDS dental students (2nd year). It's so fun having an excuse to dress up as an adult :). There were some great costumes (but I didn't get any pics) this year including Batman & Joker, a Gothic Couple, the Swine Flu, & more. Brett & I dressed up as JUNO & BLEEKER which was super easy! All we had to do was stuff my shirt & make a stop at goodwill for Brett's outfit:


We didn't quite get the picture right, but you get the idea.

We played some fun games & ate yummy food & just visited. We are so blessed to be out here in Indianapolis with some great people! I love that we get together often. It keeps me sane ;).

The girls were so excited to dress up this year. Aren't they the cutest WITCHES you have ever seen?


I intended for their costumes to be simple as well, but it took a little more work than expected (and a whole lot of Tulle). But the end result was worth it.

Here we all are.


Our second Halloween adventure was our ward TRUNK-or-TREAT....which turned into an inside party at the church (and I was so glad). We usually have it at a family's house in our ward. They have a fire pit & we roast hot dogs. But last year we seriously FROZE our butts off, & this year was pretty cold & rainy so it got moved to the church. We all dressed up for this one as well, but most people in our ward had no idea who Brett & I were suppose to be. Some people got it, but most people just thought I was suppose to be a pregnant women & Brett was just a weirdo dressed in short shorts.

The girls got VAMPIRE TEETH along with one of their treats & they couldn't get enough of them.


Then of course we went TRICK-or-TREATING the following evening. It was really cold & Avery kept saying "MY FACE IS FREEZING!!!". But we suffered through it and made it around our neighborhood. I didn't dress up for this one, but Brett did. The funny thing is that EVERYONE knew exactly who he was suppose to be. They thought is was hilarious. We could hear people talking about it as we passed them.

(We put beanies on under the witch hats, but the witch hat kept blowing off as they walked....so we gave up on them)


So those were our Halloween adventures. Hope everyone had as much fun as we did this year!!!

Just something weird

What is it about a bed that my girls don't like? They certainly don't take after me....because I love nothing more than to snuggle in my bed & fall asleep! Quinnlyn has some weird sleeping habits. Not only does she not fall asleep during her naps, but it takes her at least 1-2 hours to fall asleep at bedtime. She also insists on sleeping 'shortways' on the bed. She will prop her pillow up against her window & spread one blanket over her & that is how she will spend the night.

When she feels like mixing it up, she will climb under her bed with her blanket & stuffed animals & fall asleep there. Or she might set up camp right next to her bedroom door. In fact, that is how she slept the past week or so. She's such an odd child.

Avery has been known to do some weird things as well. Besides the fact that she refuses to stay in bed the first time we put her in there, she will also only use ONE blanket. I don't even make her bed, because it's pretty pointless. All she needs is a blanket, pillow, 500 stuffed animals, 5 books, & a drink.

This morning (at about 3:00 a.m) I found her at the stair landing sleeping. Who knows how long she had been there. If she's not in her bed when I check on her, it's a safe bet that she worked her way down to Brett (who yes, still sleeps on the couch with his weird sleeping habits)...but not last night. She must've figured out that if she made it all the way downstairs, she would be taken back to bed. Well I took her back to bed anyway...but it was pretty cute to see her curled up in such a random place.

So my kids don't get there sleeping habits from me. Obviously it's Brett who they get their 'randomness' from. I, on the other hand, refuse to sleep anywhere but my warm comfy bed (if I can help it).

Time for Pumpkins

Since Brett's parents brought us a few pumpkins, we decided to carve one last night for FHE. The girls were pretty excited.....and that lasted for about 4 whole minutes. They helped pull the pumpkin guts out & then they left Brett to do the rest by himself. I guess that is okay....since Avery isn't really too skilled with sharp objects.

I was in the kitchen making homemade dounuts....wondering why I decided to start such a tradition :). They are yummy, but sure take a lot of time. Oh well.

The girls were both a bit hesitant to stick their hands in the pumpkin.....we sort of forced them to do it. But then they enjoyed it.


And here is the MASTERPIECE....kind of impressive huh?


Good Job Brett!

We then had some friends come over to share our treats & we just visited.

Now we can check PUMPKIN CARVING off the list. I'm thinking we will paint the baby pumpkins....it will get the girls a little more involved in the process.

G'ma & G'pa come to visit...

We all had the pleasure of a visit from G'ma & G'pa Jones. It was a quick visit....only 2 1/2 days, but we'll take whatever we can get! The girls were in HEAVEN with all the attention they got from G & G. From the minute G & G walked in the door, the girls did nothing but laugh & play. I love seeing them with both sets of Grandparents. They miss them so much since we live so far away. Shame on me that I was a terrible picture taker. None with G'pa, but at least give me credit for getting one with G'ma :).



The girls were spoiled! Grandpa gave them WAAAAAYYYYY too much candy...but that is G'pa for you. Luckily it was only a few days of major sugar overload. We skipped naps for 3 whole days (which is unheard of in the Jones household) and Quinnlyn even got to have sleepovers with G'ma (except for the last night cuz she got into trouble). The girls got away with so much in those 3 days. Basically NO discipline whatsoever. I hope G & G don't think we let our kids do anything they want :). Quinnlyn even started to believe that she no longer had parents to obey. We are working on getting her back up to par....although I don't think we were 'up to par' even before the visit.

Four years ago, none of this would have flown with me (skipping naps...candy for every meal...& every snack). But I have relaxed a bit (okay, maybe a lot) & just sat back & went with the flow. After all...every kid needs a little spoiling from G & G from time to time right? And we all certainly enjoyed it.

Grandma brought us a bunch of food storage & pumpkins from her garden...green beans, tomatoes, corn, jelly's, squash, & onions. She puts a lot of work into growing & bottling all this stuff & we are glad she lets us share with her.

We were so sad to see them leave, but we are so happy they took time to come see us.

Thanks for the visit G & G Jones.

Here's a Shocker!

Well, I don't have a real picture of this incident....but I am kind of glad there wasn't a whole lot to take a picture of.

So I was upstairs getting ready for the day & the girls were playing downstairs. I heard Quinnlyn say "Push it hard" but didn't really think much of it...then I heard a big BANG!!!

Quinnlyn: "Did that scare you?"

Avery (in a frantic voice): "Yes!!!"

Quinnlyn: "Are you okay?"

Avery (almost crying but too shocked): "No....I not okay"

By now I had decided something was a little wrong even though Avery wasn't actually crying. So I met them halfway down the stairs & Quinnlyn proceeds to tell me what happened.

Q: "Avery put the keys in the plug"

So I put 2 & 2 together & figured out that Quinnlyn told Avery to put my primary keys into the outlet....2 keys, one in each slot. I look at Avery's hands & sure enough her little thumb has black 'soot' on it & the skin is a little bit broken.

I went downstairs to make sure there wasn't a fire burning, & found the keys still in the plug, the key chain had been blown to little pieces & the breaker had gone out. I got the keys out & saw that they also had been a little 'charred' & one may even be unusable.

Needless to say I was furious with Quinnlyn. I had told them several times that they cannot put things in the outlets (they had been attempting it a few times the past few days). But here's Quinnlyn telling her sister to do something that she clearly knows is wrong. What a little sneak.

Avery was pretty shocked for a while...poor thing...but one thing is for sure. I don't think they will be doing that anymore.