Thanksgiving Day!

Today we spent the day at my grandma Smith's house. Brian and I were on track to spend it with Brian's parents and sister's family this year but it turned out we decided to celebrate over the weekend instead. My Aunt and Uncle from Minnesota with their four kids were home also so we got to hang out with all of them. We got there around 11:30am and didn't leave until about 6. This required Kezzie to take a nap somewhere other then her own bed. It worked better then we thought it would. We ended up just laying her down on a queen size bed and taking a nap with her. I couldn't believe how well she napped. What a great time to think of all the things we are thank-ful for. We have such wonderful families and fantastic kids. God never fails to provide for us. We are so blessed!

The tree is up!

Austin is out of school today so we decided that it was a good time to get the tree up. Plus it will be nice to have it up before the baby arrives! Kezzie had a good time (and is still having a good time) putting on and taking off the ornaments. Although it is going to be a challenge to get her to leave them alone. It was fun to reminisce with Austin about all the ornaments we have collected over the years. He is always so much fun to be around!

38 weeks!

Well, just a couple more weeks to go. Baby's heart rate was at 138. I am dilated to 2 cm and still 50% effaced. I measured right at 38 weeks. The doctor said the baby is all the way down. I lost another pound or so. I guess I am just not eating as much these days or maybe it's all the work I have been doing around the house. Either way I will take what I can get. I am getting anxious to get back in my regular clothes again! The doctor striped my membranes so that caused a lot of cramping. I was having some contractions which raised my level of hope. But they have subsided as the doctor said they probably would. We will see what they say at next weeks apt.

Doesn't this last photo just look strange. My belly has changed so much over the last week!!

24 months!

It's official...Keziah is 2! What a big girl she is. She is doing great at learning her ABCs and recites them regularly (see video at bottom of screen). She is so smart and it amazes me that she is able to know something so complex at such a young age. She will even sing the end part of the ABCs. Another favorite of Kezzie's to sing is 'Pinkle Pinkle Little Star'. She is starting to get the hang of a couple others too: Row Row Row Your Boat and Rock a Bye Baby. Her favorite CD is one I found from when Austin was little and it has songs like 'The Wheels on the Bus', etc. She LOVES that CD and requests to listen to it all the time.
Keziah is back to her normal sleep pattern. She is going to bed by 8 most nights and wakes by 8. She will nap a solid two hours. I wasn't sure if she would keep this pattern being that she just got into her big girl bed but she is doing so well. She rarely gets out of bed. There was one time that we 'had it out' and she hasn't gotten up since. It was a long two hour battle during nap time but she eventually gave in and went to sleep. I WIN!!!
Keziah continues to wear a pull up at nap time and still wakes dry. At night she wears a diaper and still wakes fairly wet. Someday she will get the hang of it but for now I am fine with this! She does excellent during the day telling me when she needs to use the potty.
As for the pacifier. I think we are getting close again to giving that up. She almost completely has all of her molars in which is what I am waiting for to attempt taking it away and knowing that she won't have that need to suck. With a new sister on the way and just getting into a new bed and new room, I think this is on hold for a little bit too.
At Kezzie's two year check up she weighed in at 26.5 lbs. making the 50%. She is 35" tall which is in the 75%. I don't know where she gets that from! She did have to get a couple shots which she did wonderful at. She also had her iron tested again and she was in the normal range. Yipee!
I am excited to have another little one to share our day with but I can't believe how quickly these past two years have gone by with just the two of us home during the day. It's going to be an adjustment for both of us. In the meantime I continue to cherish the last couple weeks we have together and try to do as much as possible! Keziah is so much fun to be around and I consider us extremely blessed to have her as a part of our lives!

Happy 2nd Birthday Keziah!

Keziah turned 2 today and this is what our day looked like (we will celebrate with family this weekend on the 28th). Kezzie woke up about 7:30 am which is pretty typical. Mommy made her eggs, hash browns and sausage. We played until it was time to meet up with Grandma Uglum and Great Grandma Troyna at McDonald's. We ate lunch there and Kezzie made a new friend. She played on the little green slide the whole time. Great Grandma Troyna brought her a gift. It was a cute birthday book and some panties. Kezzie also got two balloons which were a huge hit! After going home for a nap and then waking around 3:30 Austin, mommy and Kezzie baked a birthday cake. We made a little one for us all to share after supper and also a bigger cake for Saturday's party. Kezzie had a blast stirring the batter and licking the spoon. While mommy made supper Kezzie played in her little kitchen. She found the dogs' water dish (unbeknown to mommy) and poured the water into the sink and cooked and washed dishes. Of course when I found out what she had done, I didn't care and she had a blast doing it! We made sure to clean ourselves well before eating!! After a very yummy noodle/chicken supper (because Kezzie loves noodles) we had cake and ice cream. We had a very blessed day. It was so much fun for both of us! Mommy had to restrain herself from doing any housework but it was a blast just relaxing with my baby and enjoying the last few days we have as just the two of us! The day ended with a visit from Grandpa Uglum and bed at about 8:15pm!

New Videos!

There are a few new videos down at the bottom of the page if you are interested. These include Kezzie singing her ABCs, counting to 10 and our family celebrating her birthday! There will be more posted with pictures of just how wonderful her birthday was today along with some other things so check back soon!

Bowling!

We looked quite amazing, let me tell you, walking into a bowling alley. Brian with only one good arm and me pregnant as can be. Kezzie and I played one game as I tired very quickly and Austin played three. It was a good time spent together as a family! It's something we don't do very often! I think Austin came close to beating my score of a whopping 147! Kezzie had a good time pushing her ball down the lane. One time the machine cleared her pins before the ball could even make it!

Big Girl Bed/Room!

Keziah has entered into being a 'big girl'. Lately our house has been in shambles as we have been moving Austin into the slightly renovated basement and Keziah into Austin's old room. I feel like with all the junk I moved out of Austin's room that we just moved into a new house! Being pregnant this wasn't the easiest task but with some help from my parents it has all come together. Now we can call his old room Kezzie's. Through the whole process we have been telling Kezzie it is going to be her new room and she has been really excited! Last night was her first night in her big girl bed. She was a little scared but handled it really well. She never made a peep all night and never once attempted to get out of bed. I am so proud of her! It brought me to tears when I took this picture. Not only am I pregnant and easily teary but I am also watching my baby enter into the next phase of her life. It's big stuff in the life of an almost 2 year old! I will post pictures soon of the work done in both her room and Austin's new room!

Surgery Update!

Brian went in for surgery yesterday at Allen. They were going in with a scope because they didn't know exactly what was wrong with it and ended up finding quite a bit to repair in the back of the shoulder. All his previous work has been done in the front so it was pretty encouraging to know this was a completely different area. They put in 6 anchors and pulled from the bicep up to tighten it. He said this is by far the most painful surgery he has had on his shoulder. We got to the hospital at noon and he didn't go in for surgery until 3:40 (they were really behind). At about 7:30 I met with the surgeon and he told me what he found. I didn't see Brian until 9:00. We finally made it back to my parents' house at midnight after running across Waterloo to pick up prescriptions at the only 24 hour pharmacy in town. It was a not fun experience...let me tell you! At 37 weeks pregnant, the hospital was not the first place I would have chosen to be spending almost 12 hours! We are thankful however that he came out of surgery ok and that he is now on his way to recovery!

Keziah's 2 year pics!

We decided to do a quick and easy JC Penny portrait run this time. They turned out great and are available for your viewing pleasure by going to this link https://www.smilesbywire.com/home.asp?AC=LTPP0332104483JCP
and typing in Erin Uglum. These are all the photos they took, but we only ordered a select few. We were the first appointment of the day so I think that helped that he could spend a little extra time on her and not feel rushed. Keziah did an excellent job. She did everything the guy asked her to and then stayed that way! I really thought he was ridiculous the way he wanted her to pose sometimes but she actually would do it and hold it until he said she could move. What a trooper!

Round three...

You guessed it, Brian is having shoulder surgery again. Tomorrow is the big day. He will go in around 2 and have a scope done. If they find something they will repair it but for now they don't know exactly what they are going in for. It is going to be a different doctor this time and he is sure he can fix it (I think we've heard that before!). Originally this doctor saw a chip out of a bone on an x-ray he did and he was going to repair it with some other bone. This was going to be an overnight procedure. Brian did a whole bunch of research and really felt like it was not the surgery for him so he called to talk to the surgeon. Together they agreed it probably wasn't going to fix the problem and decided to just do a scope instead (an in and out procedure). I am very skeptical but hopeful and trying to be supportive to my ever-so-determined husband who wants to be able to play golf again someday! Just think of him tomorrow and say a prayer for him if you think of it.

37 weeks!

I just got home from the doctor and everything is going great. I am measuring right at 37 cm. The baby's heart rate was 146. Nothing has changed from last week. Still 1cm dilated and about 50% effaced. It was a different doctor today so she may measure things a little different then last weeks doctor. I did however lose a couple pounds and the doc wasn't concerned with this so I was free to fell happy about it! I still have a lot to get ready before the baby comes so I am content with no progress! The doc also said the baby has moved down but hasn't completely dropped. It's hard to believe with all the pressure I have! I continue to have back pain and my hips are always really sore. During the day if I keep moving I feel pretty good but it's at night when I am sleeping that I feel the worst. There are some nights lately that I have laid awake up to 3 hours just trying to get back to sleep. Eventually I get up and watch TV and get myself sleepy again. I will post more next week!

Today we headed over to Charles City for a much needed day out of the house. We were on an adventure to find some ducks to feed but for some reason we had to pick the coldest and windiest day of the week. We got down by the river and saw nothing but just as we were about to get back in the car we saw a whole flock of geese walking. We slowly walked over to them and Brian tried to coax them with a piece of bread...they ignored him. As we were just about in somebody's back yard we decided to let Kezzie chase them away. She thought it was awesome when they all flew into the water. If nothing else, we got out of the house, got some needed fresh air and went for a little walk! I thought it was worth it and Kezzie would definitely say the same!

36 weeks Pregnant and feeling it...

Ok, so I am not that interested in seeing myself in pictures too much so I don't exactly jump at the chance to take these week pictures anymore. I think this one is at 36 weeks plus some more days. My belly is definitely sticking out there! The baby is down and there is so much pressure I can hardly stand it! Not to mention that when I find something to eat that actually appeals to me I can only take a few bites before feeling stuffed! Pregnancy will still never cease to amaze me though and I couldn't ask for a healthier journey. I am so excited to meet our little one (who now has a name as of today!). Tuesday the doc said I was 1cm dilated and 50% effaced (thinned out). The baby's heart rate was 136 and my uterus was measuring right at 36cm. As of right now I am going to let the baby come on it's own but if I start to progress more quickly then the doctor said she would strongly recommend an induction at 39 weeks to insure I am at the hospital when the baby is born. Personally I would like to let nature run it's course. I go back this Tuesday and we will see what is said then!

Happy 30 Years!

Today is my parents' 30th Anniversary! So here's a shout out to wish them another happy 30 years. I love you mom and dad!

McDonald's Playplace!

Today we went to the McDonald's Playplace in Evansdale. My mom and I (along with Kezzie and Austin) met up with my mom's sister, Thelma and her grandkids Jade, Lilly, Aspen and Peyton. The kids had a blast and before we left Peyton was begging to come home with us so he could keep playing with Austin! Jade is about 6 months older then Austin and Aspen is 3 weeks younger then Kezzie. The two of them played really well together and had great conversations! While eating they couldn't help but share their food with each other and they kept saying 'hi baby' to each other. Jade loved playing with Kezzie too which was a nice change for her since she is so used to the way her older brother plays! Jade is a really good big sister to Aspen so she knew what to do to have fun with Kezzie! Before heading home, we all got some ice cream. This was Kezzie's first ice cream cone and she LOVED it...and stayed surprisingly clean!

Some cutie pics!

The top two are of Rylan. He is quickly approaching 4 months old already! The top left one is of him laying on his stomach showing off his new skill of rolling over! He is such a big boy! The bottom two are just of my darling daughter who I believe to be the most adorable little girl ever! We missed Halloween since we were visiting baby Henry so today I just decided to at least put Kezzie in her Halloween costume and take a picture. She ended up loving the dress and kept stroking the sides of her body say 'bootiful'. She also loved to twirl in it and would watch the bottom spin out. It is amazing how girly she can be at less then two years old!

A visit to Henry

We went for the day yesterday to see our precious newest nephew, Henry Augustus. He is so sweet and pretty much slept the whole time we were there. At one week old, what do you expect! It was great to see Brady too. Keziah and he played together very well. We shared a good lunch together and then by supper time we were on the road again. Kezzie did pretty good in the car considering it was a 3.5 hour drive there and another of the same back. It was a short but nice visit! I am already looking forward to seeing them again soon!