Get Real Dude

So I had my doctors appointment this morning and thought I would update on that whole situation. First of all, the not eating breakfast this morning and replacing it with a nasty ass orange drink was not cool at all. That stuff makes me so sick its not even funny. I was literally shaking as I was driving to the doctor, and felt so nauseous. Don't worry, I had a sack breakfast with me so I could eat the second after they drew my blood. I had to meet with the doctor first but I was sitting in the office for stinking ever so I said eff this. I walked to the lab down the hall and asked if they could draw my blood since it had been an hour after I had finished the drink. They complied and I got to finally eat. When the doctor came in we discussed multiple things. I will have another ultrasound in 2 weeks to determine the status of the placenta. Until then, I'm still on pelvic rest and need to take it easy. It's just so dumb because its finally getting nice out, and I want to be able to bring Axton for walks etc, but apparently I can't do that. I can bring him to for example..the zoo...because I would be taking breaks and it wouldn't be strictly exercise and getting my heart going like a regular walk behind a stroller would be. In two weeks if they find my placenta has moved up then it will all be irrelevant, which I am just sooo hoping is the case. Of course my blood sugar levels came back high which wasn't surprising at all. Normal is 100 and mine was 157. If it was over 200 he would have been able to directly diagnose me with gestational diabetes but since it wasn't, I have to do the 3 hour glucose test. Fuuuuuuuuck that. The last time I had to do that test I got so sick and couldn't even get up from a laying position. This girl, pregnant or not pregnant, does not do well with out food. On top of that, the sugar blasted drink makes me feel like death, and the drink I will have to take on Friday morning is double the amount of sugar then the drink from today. What the h?! I can't deal. I have had the WORST headache all day from that dumb thing. To hell with gestational diabetes. My "diet" the next three days is just about as bad as the dumb orange drink. I took one look at it and told the doc that Axton eats more then that. I have always ate a lot of food in large amounts. I love food, that's just the way I am. A half a peanut butter jelly sandwich for lunch DOESN'T CUT IT FOR ME. That feeds my left leg. When Cody gets home from work tonight I'll have to tell him to take a 3 day vacation and when he asks why and I tell him about the strict diet, he won't even respond he'll just pack his bags and completely understand. That's a joke because he would never leave me for 3 days, but I'm sure he won't enjoy being around me. I had to stop eating after 7 last night and at about 7:10 he thought he would have himself a big bowl of chocolate ice cream. What the h? Helllllllooooooo can you eat that somewhere else like the coat closet so I don't have to watch you indulge in such a delectable treat? Silly Silly. Anyways, I may be forgetting something but I think I covered the majority of it. Wish me luck on my next 3 day adventure of gross dietness.

Buuurrrrn Baby Burrrrrrn!

Well, the heartburn has returned, full throttle. In the last couple weeks I would get it here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary because I've always had heartburn problems. With Axton I had such bad heartburn that I would have to sleep sitting up sometimes. I wanted to accomplish some cleaning today but my heartburn is soo bad and the tums don't seem to be cutting it. Every time I bend over it's like insta-esophagus 10x worse fire. I can't deal.

Early tomorrow morning I have a doctors appointment. First I'll have the visit with him and then I get my gestational diabetes blood work done. Boooo! I have been dreading it just because I already know what the outcome is going to be. My last appointment they did a sugar screen with my urine and the sugar level at normal is 0..and mine was 100. I did have a pancake for breakfast..but if a pancake with a little syrup on it will make my level that much higher..I'm pretty sure a jacked up orange sugar drink after fasting will probably do the saaaaaaame thing. I do NOT want to be on a strict diet and I do NOT want to have to do insulin shots. I guess if I had to choose I would do the insulin shots just because I am not good with limitations, or someone telling me what I can or can't do/eat. Regardless of that whole situation, I am glad I finally get to meet with my doctor and ask a bunch of questions about this whole placenta previa business. I'm assuming we'll schedule the next ultrasound in the next 2 weeks to see its movement/no movement. It would be mighty swell if it decides to fix itself, it would relieve a lot of worry and what if's from this girls mind. I just do not want a C-section. Cody and I talk here and there about my birthing plan but obviously nothing has been set just because it might just be set for us. I went all natural with Axton, which was one of my greatest accomplishments ever. I would love love love to go all natural again with Zaidyn, but it is a little more of a mind fuck going into it the second time around. When I think of the worst pain I've ever been in my life..it was definitely giving birth, so knowing I could avoid that is so tempting. Watching documentaries and reading a lot on the internet about all natural births is really inspiring and I've been trying really hard to get in that mind set again. They say that when you go all natural, once your baby is born you get/feel a rush of hormones/adrenaline that you don't if you get an epidural. "a natural high". Well fuck, I don't remember feeling that. I remember after Axton was born me saying over and over again, my fucking vagina hurts. As far as the natural high, burst of energy etc. etc..I'm not sure I follow that business. I was tired as hell and just glad it was over with. So why do I want to go natural again?? Because I swear when I'm involved with anything medically..it always ends up being in the worst case scenario category. There are risks with epidurals and of course tons and tons of women get those on a regular basis. But my luck, I would get the spinal drip problem and back issues forever and ever. And I'm being so serious. I honestly think I'm going to die by being struck by lightening. Because that is how fucked my luck is. I live each day by positive thinking, and it really does work! When it comes to medical stuff...definitely not the case. I've just become a debbie downer about it all but it's just something right after another. Maybe soon I should consider putting my extra energy into changing my attitude about that stuff. But for today...debbie downer it is.

Chicken, Rice, Broccoli Casserole

So I tried this new casserole the other night and I thought I would share it because it was really easy and not too shabby shab.

This is what you'll need:
*4 Cups cooked, cubed/diced chicken. (I used 2 large chicken breasts, 2 small chicken breasts and it seemed to yield about 2 cups. I was too lazy to make more, but that seemed plenty for the casserole so I guess its up to you)
*2 cans cream of mushroom soup
*3 cups chicken broth
*2 cups minute rice-uncooked
*3 cups frozen broccoli florets, uncooked. (I looove broccoli, so next time I am putting more than 3 cups in, it would make it that much better)
*1-6oz box of turkey stuffing mix
*1 cup butter or marg. melted.

Preheat oven to 425.

Spray 9x13 pan, and line with cooked cubed chicken.

In bowl, whisk cream of mushroom soup until clumps are gone. Slowly add chicken broth. Mix in uncooked rice and frozen broccoli.
This picture is before adding the rice and broccoli, but just know that when you add the 3 cups of chicken broth to the soup, it is super super runny.

Pour mixture over chicken in 9x13 pan.


Top with unprepared turkey stuffing mix. Pour melted butter over entire top of casserole. Cover and cook for 30min or until rice is fluffy.


Now, next time I make it I'm going to do a couple things differently. For one, the one cup of butter poured on top of the entire casserole before being cooked is A LOT of butter. When using the 3 cups of chicken broth, the container (which was 32oz) had about a cup left. Maybe I would only use a half cup of butter, and use the rest of the chicken broth to pour on top of the stuffing mix. Also, I am not a huge fan of stuffing so I was thinking next time I may just crumble up ritz crackers, and sprinkle some cheese on top of that? Cody said it was like Thanksgiving in a hotdish, he really liked it..I liked it as well..but like I said I'm not a huge fan of stuffing and that is a big part of the dish.

Off the WALL!

It seriously seems as if someone put a dang quarter in Axton tonight. I have never seen him with so much energy. It is almost like someone possessed him with an energy monster and he is going crazy. I just can't believe it. He is screaming at the top of his lungs due to the fact that he looooves hearing himself make extremely loud noises..and he is just being so silly!!!! As much as I absolutely love it when he is being so fun like this and obnoxious..I think my pregnancy hormones get the best of me and it gets to a point where I'm like..OKAY ENOUGH!!!!!!!! The second Cody or I start talking he feels the need to be louder than us to the point where we can't hear each other. When we stop talking..Axton stops making noises. When we start talking..Axton starts again. This is madness I tell you, madness.

School

So I definitely need to get back on the band wagon of school. Not that I WANT to..but since I am paying out of my ass in student loans, it just makes sense to get an actual degree so it is semi-worth it...even though having a degree still won't make paying back student loans worth it to me. With a nursing degree I'll be making a lot more money..but the more money I am making is just going to go towards paying student loans so whats the diff? Ewwwww I hate even thinking about it.

Anyways, so when I first moved home I got on the waiting list for a nursing program in New Richmond. They told me it would probably be about 4 years....but not to let that number scare me because most people on the wait list won't wait around. So actually less than 4 years. Now that I live in Menomonie, it seems rather stupid for me to drive to New Richmond for school when I could just drive to Eau Claire for the nursing program there..that DOESN'T have a waiting list. I have most all of my generals taken care of..thanks to 3 years at Carroll..so I very well could start the nursing program this September. Super exciting! Minus, that is only 2 months after Zaidyn is born! I, for one, am not a fan of leaving Zaidyn in day care for a couple days a week when she is so itty bitty. For two, taking on a hard program while it is just the beginning of getting used to two kids versus one? YIKES! I don't want to over do it, and my family means more to me than school does, but I NEED to get it done with. Cody is working so hard at his 2 jobs, and I just want to finish my end of the deal so he can be spending more time at home with family. I would even love to be the one working and let him have his chance home with the kids like he has given me.
Just lots on the mind lately..but hopefully I'll get some answers soon!

La La La

I guess this really is just a blog to catch up on all the time I've been missing writing. I don't know what my problem is. There isn't a day where I don't think to myself, "oh I should write a blog about that"..yet I write every stinkin 2 months or longer even? I changed the url to my blog for various reasons, and I think ever since I've done that no one reads my blog because they don't have the new url. If no one reads it then I guess that means I can expose my deepest darkest of secrets. JUST KIDDING! Realistically, I would really enjoy if I spent more time keeping up with blogs. It seems this part of my life is just racing by and I would really like to be able to document some of it. I think it would make for a really great day to go back and read all the different events and things that were going on in my life..but mostly the changes in Axton and his different milestones, funny stories etc. If there is anyone out there, just tell me every once and awhile to write a freaking blog. Maybe that will make me write more often. I guess I don't have anything particular to say, but that doesn't mean I'm ending my blog here. I have to at least talk about some stuff!

First off, let me just tell you that my little Axton is not so little anymore. He's the cutest thing I've ever seen. I never think its possible to love him more than I do, but everyday I prove myself otherwise. My heart is just overflowing with love for that boy. It is so much fun watching him grow and learn what things are and make really bad attempts at pronouncing words! Even in just the time that we've lived at our new place, he's grown so much. Ugh, just love him to pieces.

Pregnancy is going alright. I have never been one of those women that truly enjoy being pregnant. I LOVE feeling our little girl move around...but that is it. And speaking of which..she is SO active. I can't believe how active and strong she is already. Axton was never like that! She is just off the charts hardcore. I am 24 weeks along today..so 6 months already! I am really really looking forward to meeting her. I have gone shopping here and there for girl stuff and it sure is fun! Boy's clothes aren't nearly as cute. Every girl outfit you can't help but say "awwwwww!" Needless to say, Cody and I are VERY excited for our daughter's arrival. Her name is going to be Zaidyn Marietta Kahl. Cody and I both like different names, which I am very glad for. Okay so tell me how weird this is..when I found out I was pregnant with Axton I made a HUUUGE list of names, boy and girl-which was when I lived in Milwaukee. My stuff stayed in Milwaukee for 3 or 4 months before I could move it back home. I saw the name Axton somewhere (I can't even remember where), looked up the meaning which is "Peacemaker" and fell in love instantly. Once I found out he was a boy, Axton it was. I never doubted it from that day on. When I did actually go move my stuff back home from Milwaukee, I found the huge list I had made when I first found out I was pregnant. Axton was at the top of the list AND highlighted. Meant to be I tell you. This is the crazy part. I did the same exact thing when I found out I was pregnant this time around. I made a list of names that I liked. (I had to make tons of these little lists to ask Cody how he felt and mostly he said something negative about the name) Anyways..somewhere on the internet I saw the name Zaid and I really loved it. Then I thought that Zaiden Tory would be a perfect name for a little boy and Cody loved it. So we had our boys name set but couldn't decide on a girls name. At first we really loved the name Lila. I was even routing for Lucy for awhile. Then I thought to myself, Zaiden for a girl would be super cute too. I wasn't sure if Cody would go for it, since it would be a way different girls name, sorta exotic like..not a sweet so cute kind of girls name. He LOVED it. I thought that if we used it for a girl we should spell it Zaidyn. I've convinced Cody of this. I am very good at swaying his opinion. Then we found out we were having a little girl! When we moved, I found the list that I had made when I first found out I was pregnant and at the top was Zaiden. HOW FREAKING CRAZY. It's just meant to be. Its a sign! Marietta is Cody's great grandmother's name. Since my middle name is Mary, we thought it was a very good choice! Can't wait to meet our little Zaidyn. At my 19 week ultrasound I did find out that I have a degree of placenta previa, which is a dangerous condition where the placenta grows on the bottom of your uterus instead of the top. There are 4 different levels of it. Low Lying placenta, Marginal previa, partial previa, and complete previa. When I first had my ultrasound they detected that I had a low lying placenta meaning it is lower than usual but it is more than 2cm away from my cervix. I would just need a follow up ultrasound around 30 weeks and maybe another one after that to determine the placenta's placement at that point. If the placenta grew down further then I would need a C-section. It was disappointing news but as long as she was healthy it didn't matter. Then last Saturday I woke up to quite a lot of blood. I was so scared but knew I needed to get to the hospital right away. Since at that point I was 23 weeks they had to wheel me to the birthing suites. I had to get a gown on, and then they were going to first see if a heartbeat could be found. I was so scared, I had already been crying since I woke up, and I just felt so helpless. Once they found her heartbeat, the amount of relief was just indescribable. It wasn't intentional but I really was thinking the worst of situations when I woke up. Even just the thought of losing her was unbearable and now I really just can't imagine what it would be like to miscarry. Once they did two types of ultrasounds they found that my placenta in 4 weeks moved lower and was now 1cm within the cervix. The placenta could tear at any kind of distress or even just because. Doctor said I really have to limit my activity, no heavy exercising (which I SO do everyday), no sex -sorry cody!, and no heavy lifting. I have my next appointment April 5th, and at that point we will schedule another ultrasound. I am hoping it corrects itself, but since it moved downward in 4 weeks, my positive thinking is quickly shattering. If it moves down any more and starts covering the cervix, I could be on bed rest until she's born. BOOOOO for bed rest. That's not even plausible. I have a one year old son, how the heck do you expect me to be on bed rest. Anyways, that's all I need to really say bout that..I've done my research about it and have my concerns but that makes for another blog.

Gaining weight from being pregnant just sucks. I enjoy the belly..I like the look of being pregnant far more than not pregnant. But I don't just gain weight in my belly. It's like this curse. I swear I started gaining weight in my face day of conception. Put it on my ass, my thighs, and heck give me some love handles. But my face? Why oh why? I wish I could be one of those super cute pregnant ladies..but it's just not in the cards for me. This summer I'm going to be a walking sausage. WATCH OUT.

I think one of these weeks I'm going to do a week long blog. I will write a blog about what I make for dinner each night, providing a picture and also a recipe. Why you say? Well because I sure as heck wish someone else would. I'm running out of ideas. I love trying new things, but I don't like complicated stuff. If it something I can barely pronounce and you wouldn't normally find it in my cupboards, then I sure as heck don't wanna make it. I need to get my own blank recipe book and write down everything I make because I find myself forgetting about certain meals. Anyways, don't hold me to this...its just something I've been wanting to do for awhile.

I am honestly going to try to write more. Cody is now into this whole Halo thing which is just super lame. Maybe when he plays I'll make myself write a blog to keep myself occupied.
Until then...Love to all.

New Placeeeee

So we are ALLLMOST done moving. I still have to do some cleaning at the old place, as well as gather all of the stuff left there that is either going to goodwill, my moms for the garage sale this spring, or my step mom's consignment store. I will be SO relieved once I don't have to deal with that anymore! It was really nice to have a full week of being able to move instead of one day....because I honestly don't know how we would have done it all in one day. On the other hand, if we were forced to do it in one day, we wouldn't keep putting things off as well. All I gotta say is I had to move when I was pregnant with Axton, and now I'm moving pregnant this time around. What the heck! I never wanna move ever again until we buy a house!

On a more exciting note, last week we had our ultrasound and got to see our baby for the first time! With Axton I had an ultrasound at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 23 weeks, and 27 weeks. It made things so much more realistic to see the moving baby on the screen! At first she didn't think she would be able to find out the gender since the baby was in a weird position, but when it came down to it, we found out there is a little girl in there!!! I would have been SUPER surprised if she would have said its a boy because I had aaaaaaaaaalll girl instincts! Her name is going to be Zaidyn Marietta Kahl :) :) I am so excited to meet her! I am 20 weeks so already half way! I hope the second half goes by as fast as the first half did!!