A Little Bump in the Road

It has been quite awhile since I posted and now that I seem to have plenty of time on my hands for atleast a little while, I am going to post a bit more often. So a little bump in the road has occured on the Fitzgerald's path to awaiting the arrival of Baby Kiptin Ryan. My pregnancies have all been uneventful and beyond enjoyable and I absolutely love being pregnant and really miss it once it is all over. This pregnancy has been very similar to my other 2 and I have really stayed in great shape the whole time working out 5 days a week and my energy level has been beyond what I ever expected. So why would I think that it would suddenly take a turn. The last week or so, I have been saying that the pressure has been pretty intense low and I never remember feeling so much pressure before I delivered. I sort of eased up a bit at the gym on Tues. and took it easy with my workout and still really felt uncomfortable. Tuesday nite I was hurting but went to sleep and woke up with the same pressure throughout the day. Finally at naptime, I was having problems standing up straight because the pressure had gotten so bad and for me to be alarmed, I guess I knew something wasn't right. I called the dr. and they told me to go ahead to the hospital and get monitored. What....this wasn't in my schedule and Jack had his last baseball game and trophy hand-out tonight and I never missed a game before. I was full out panicking because things just weren't ready for all of this to happen atleast not tonight. The panic set in but I now had another baby to worry about too so off to the hospital we went. Meanwhile I had to rely on my neighbor, who is also one of my truest friends to come over and watch my 2 kids along with her 3. By the time we got to the hospital, I was in a lot of pain with intense pressure and was worried to say the least. After being checked in, I was hooked up to all the monitors to check the baby out and his heartbeat was great and at first they weren't seeing any signs of consistent contractions, which would then in turn mean, preterm labor. After being there for about 2hrs., I started panicking about Rob or I not being there for Jack's last baseball game and his trophy hand-out so I decided to convince Rob to go home and get the boys and bring them to the baseball game since it seemed like nothing was too serious here with Kiptin and I. I must say that the whole time I was laying in the bed, I kept feeling contractions but it just wasn't showing on screen and the nurses weren't saying anything so I was in the clear, right?? NOPE...Rob couldn't have left more than 5 minutes when everything seemed to go a bit chaiotic. THe dr. came back in with a nurse and said we are so sorry but the monitors we had on were not picking up the contractions you had been having this whole time and unfortunately, we can now see you are in preterm labor and your contractions are about 5 minutes apart and we are going to start giving you steriods in case the baby's lungs aren't 100% developed and a shot of something to stop the contractions and antibiotics in case of Group Strep B, which I never got tested for yet so just in case, baby would be safe from it. If the contractions could not be stopped or I dialated anymore, I was told they had to take Kiptin immediately when any of those signs occured. Talk about panic, I just sent Rob on his way to baseball with the boys and I did not want any of this baby stuff to take away from Jack's special day so I just didn't tell Rob what was going on. I called a few times to see how everything was going and to get an idea on how quickly he would be done just in case things took a turn for the worse. After he called me from inside the car on his way home with the boys, I then told him what was going on and he needed to come back as soon as he had everything settled down at home. When I initially went in, I was excited to maybe see Kiptin that day but until the visit from the NICU doctor, I knew he needed to stay put. After Rob got back to the hospital, the dr. from the NICU came in and started explaining to us the best and worst case scenerios for a baby born at 34wks. Even the best case scenerio was not what I wanted. To think my baby could be in the NICU for weeks, need a feeding tube, need assistance breathing, any of this was way too much for me to handle. I was a wreck and all I could think of was what did I do?? Was it my fault?? Did I workout too much?? Did I not give my body enough relaxation?? Instantly it was something I did wrong or didn't do. The mother's guilt is so bad and I am not sure if it will ever let up. I am constantly running around and doing everything under the su for my kids and if for 2 minutes I do something for myself I think I am not being the best mom I could be. So anyway...by about 5am that next morning, the contractions were under control and I was probably going to be released that evening after my dr. came in to check on me and the maternal fetal monitor dr. came to do a 4D sono on the baby. THey said around 7pm ish, I would be on my way of all looked good. So my dr came in around 6pm and I was still only 1cm dialated and the only orders were a seditary lifestyle. (AKA modified bedrest) What!?!?!?!?! Me, staying still and relaxing??? Who would watch my kids and entertain them, would they be upset with me or the baby for this?? There went the mother's guilt. TO be honest, after the discussion with the NICU doctor, I was ready to listen and do what was best for the baby to the best of my ability. Around 10pm, the sono dr. came in just a few hrs late because his own child had a 105 fever and he was home taking care of her. He had this new sonogram machine that was worth more than a real sonogram machine that you would see at a dr. office because it was the size of a laptop. It was incredible!! When he had me all hooked up, there right in front of our eyes was our angel in 4D and looked like a real person with chubby cheeks, hair, big lips and of course, the BIG Fitzgerald head that seems to be the one definite gene my kids inherit from their dad. I was looking at Rob as he was watching the screen and you could see the smile from ear-to-ear as he looked at his 3rd son safe and sound. Because all my pregnancies have been uneventful, we don't get to see what the baby looks like after 28wks until they enter the world and here we were looking at our son that actually looked like a real person in there. To say we left with a smile on our face would be quite the understatement. So how has life been the last week or so...difficult. Rob luckily was able to be home from when I got home from the hospital until Tuesday so that was beyond a relief. Basically I am trying to relax on the couch when I can, which is basically when the boys go to nap and Rob gets home from work. I have been going to the gym everyday since Tues. from 9:30-11:30 so the boys can still get out some energy and take their classes that they love and I have been sitting in the lounge or by the pool and reading to keep myself busy. After that its lunch time and playtime and then naptime which is when I get to put my feet up again. My children are used to being on the go and I can't blame them because I would hate to be cooped up inside a house too so I am trying to keep things as normal and routine as possible. Rob just can't understand why I can't just stay on the couch but it is literally impossible with 2 kids. The minute the pressure gets bad or Rob comes through the door, I do try to sit down and Rob takes over even though he is exhausted from work and everything else he does around the house. Rob has been an angel through this and is really trying to take over completely but I can see he is worn down and nervous about the baby and keeping him safe. Overall, I feel great and just happy he is staying calm inside and soon we will meet our HEALTHY baby boy. To think I won't be pregnant soon is so sad to me because I just love every minute of it but I can't wait to get my hands on this little guy.

My Baby Shower

Tonight is my baby shower for our soon-to-be 3rd son, Kiptin Ryan Fitzgerald. Three of my closest friends, Amy, Amie and Jen decided to take the time out and put together this shower even though I feel horrible making anyone spend a dime on me when I was fortunate enough to have a shower for our 2nd baby just 2 years ago. By after they twisted me arm (not really) and told me it was going to be a small little thing at the nail salon where I would get pampered and rubbed, I had to agree. I truly am so fortunate to have such great friends and I think about how life would be very different if my friends weren't a big part of my life. Part of why I am so excited about tonight's festivities is because I get girl time with a bunch of great ladies who I truly enjoy being around but don't get to do it quite enough especially without the little ones. Well I wanted to finish this post before I left but I can't because I want to be on time for the 1st time in my life to something and if I am not, Amie is going to kick my very pregnant ass even though I am the guest of honor. TO BE CONTINUED...

So....the shower was wonderful, the mani and pedi was fabulous and dinner was delicious and my friends ROCK!! I had such a nice time just chatting, lots of laughs and having everyone together hanging out. I had a chance to catch up with some friends who I don't talk to enough and it was just such a relaxing, non-stressful environment and I loved every second of it. Amie and Amy went all out and made it a very special time for me to always remember. Even though I didn't get home until 11ish, I was so excited to open all the gifts. OMG... all my friends are so generous and thoughtful and I can't thank them enough. I am in diaper and wipe heaven!!! I have diapers from newborn to size 5 (hahaha) and I think I can wipe my children's rears about 1000x a day and still have enough until they get married. I cannot tell you what an amazing feeling it is to know I have that many diapers and wipes because I sure hate buying those items because they are too damn expensive and all children do with them is poop in them and use them to clean up the poop. See when you spend money on clothes, atleast you and other people can comment on them and say, "Ohhhh, how cute!!" but I never had anyone say, "Boy, those are nice diapers or your kid looks adorable in those fancy diapers". Some of the other adorable gifts that I couldn't stop looking at and picturing Kiptin in was a onesie that said "Mom's New Man", 2 Dr. Suess onesies and for those who know me well, I am obsessed with Dr. Suess, the most adorable blanket that is embroidered with Kiptin Ryan on it, a Little Brother onesie (so cute), the cutest airplane outfit for Jack to give to Kiptin when he is born since Jack has an obsession with planes and thinks everyone else should too, etc, etc, etc!!!

Well I was going to download some pics but my computer is not cooperating with me on this fine Saturday morning, so once I can get this damn thing working I will post some pics from a great nite. Thanks again everyone for being there to help me celebrate this special time in our lives and thank you, thank you Amie, Amy and Jen for being so kind and thoughtful and throwing me this shower.

Things That Are On My Mind Lately...

So I haven't blogged in forever even though I said I was going to keep on top of it. Just seems like when I have some time to relax, I always get involved with something else and my blogging takes a back burner. I couldn't decide what I was going to write about today so I finally came up with just a bunch of things on my mind lately.

1. I can't believe that my pregnancy is almost over. About 9 wks. to go and Baby #3 will be arriving into our family.

2. Am I nervous...not about being a mom of 3 or about caring for a newborn but about other things like getting out of the house in a timely manner. I am quite a perfectionist so it takes me forever to get out of the house with 2 kids because I can't leave before my house is in perfect condition and the boys are all groomed, clothes ironed, hair perfect, etc. Throw a newborn into the mix...that could be quite a task.

3. Registered Jack for full-day kindergarten last week and I am not doing well in the least bit. The thought of him not being with me all day is so sad to me. He is my buddy, my pal. I can have full conversations with him, ask his opinion, he understands my sarcasm, etc. I just don't know where 5 yrs. have gone and it blows my mind how fast time flies. He is so excited though and is definately ready so I try to be excited too in front of him but it is breaking my heart.

4. Nolan is still my little active boy with quite the sense of humor. He is so much like me when I was a baby, it is scary. Not just looks, but personality too. He has no fear, he will do anything to get a laugh, rough and tough but is a cuddle bug and has such a good heart. My parents laugh when I tell them about my lil' monster because I got one just like me.

5. Rob has been so helpful lately even more than usual. He is working 2 jobs but still will wake up early with Nolie and let me sleep a little extra these days. He also helped me clean the house last week, which is usually an all-day task and let me tell you, it meant the world to me.

6. Taekwondo is Jack's new favorite obsession. He is loving it and so are we. He has built up such great self-confidence and determination to one day be a black belt. His listening skills and multi-step directions have improved drastically just in the last months because of it and I think it will be awesome for school next year.

7. The whole family living in NY and us being here is still really bothersome to myself as well as Jack. I am not sure when it is going to get easier or if it ever will. Jack seems more bothered with it now then before. He talks about them constantly and all his wishes he makes consists of going to NY or moving back to NY or surprise visits from the family, etc. As far as me, I am definately jealous that my parent's are always with my sister's children. They take them for sleepovers almost weekly, babysit them just to spend quality time with them and I know my Jack and Nolan would love that type of time with them too. We are planning a trip right after the baby is born to drive to NY so my family can spend time with them and get to meet the new baby.

8. Looking forward to my mom's visit for the arrival of the baby. When Nolie was born, she was there for his arrival and ended up having to stay longer than expected because she fell in our garage and wasn't allowed to fly. It was fabulous, well not the injury but the outcome. This time, I am planning on setting up some type of obstacle to try to cause some injury that will once again force her to remain here with us for just a wee-bit longer.

9. Soooooooo looking forward to Rob's school year coming to an end and us having time together as a family especially with the new addition in July. Hopefully we take full advantage of his time off and come up with a bunch a fun things to do this summer.

10. Jack is doing great this year in baseball. Last year his coach was a nice guy but I don't think he taught the kids one thing about baseball and Jack was bored out of his mind. He totally lost all interest in the sport. Whereas this year, he has a great coach and is learning so much about baseball. He is hitting the ball straight from a pitcher instead of a tee this year and is so proud of himself. I think he is also loving the idea that his Grandparents come and watch him play and we all make such a big deal out of it.

11. Last but not least, I am freaking out about being in the hospital for 4 days and how Nolan is going to deal with that. He is literally attached to my side and I have never been away from him for more than a few hours. I am so nervous that when he comes to visit his new brother and I at the hospital, it is going to be quite an issue when it is time for him to leave and he realizes I am staying. Jack was so much older when I had Nolan so he understood the whole need to recover in the hospital and that he could come visit when ever he wanted and there was no jealousy. We shall see how it all works out...

I would love to end by saying that I am going to keep this blog thing updated but I shouldn't make promises I probably won't keep. So until next time...

Jack's 5th Birthday Party Success

Wow....what a amazing day!! A few months before jack's birthday, I received some flyer in the mail for a special deal if you bought Grand Opening Night for Disney On Ice and when was it....Jack's actual birthday. I knew we wanted to bring him and at the same time, I was also trying to plan where to have his party this year. We were not coming up with any great ideas and didn't want to just spend $100's of dollars at some place that really wasn't that exciting or that he was just settling for so.... I decided to have Jack's party at Disney On Ice. When I thought about it. it seemed a bit costly but then when I added up any party place, dessert, supplies, favors, etc., it wasn't too much more and it was something different and I thought his friends would really like it as well. I decided to go ahead with the plan and order 22 tickets for Opening Nite and prior to showtime, have everyone over for cake. Due to me ordering the tickets so early and the day I got the flyer, I totally lucked out with the seats. I was able to get 22 tickets together and the best part, amazing seats pretty close to the ice with a perfect view.

The children all seemed so excited before the show but to see everyone at the show was priceless. Everyone of the children had huge smiles on their faces and their eyes were glued to the show. It seemed like even the parents had a great time. All I know is Jack was on Cloud 9. He had a perma-grin the entire day from when he woke up until when he went to sleep at midnight. It was the absolute perfect day!!! He loved it so much that he made us promise we would pretend it was his birthday again when he woke up the next day. I guess this year was the 1st year he really was obsessed with his birthday, so much so he did a countdown calendar for the month of March. As a parent, it was amazing to just see him so excited about turning 5, having his friends there with him on his actual birthday and of course, getting presents. After several conversations with him about gifts not being the most important part of his special day and making sure he doesn't attack people when they show up for his party by ripping the gifts straight from their hands went completely in one ear and out the other. The minute a knock on the door was heard, he would run to the door and in some cases say "Hi" first but for the most part, he took his gift and added to his pile of gifts he had set up on the couch. Well, I tried and I apologized to the guests and hopefully everyone can understand that he is a 5 year old boy obsessed with toys but truly enjoyed all his friends and family being with him on his special day.

Thanks everyone for making my angel's birthday so special and unforgettable!!

Wow, How Time Flies...

Our Angel, Jack Dylan

Jack's 1st birthday

Jack's 2nd Birthday

Jack's 3rd Birthday

Jack's 4th Birthday

Our Jack is 5!!

We cannot believe that 5 years ago on March 24th, our first love of our lives was born. From the minute we laid our eyes on him, we were so in love. 5 years later, Jack still continues to put a smile on our face each and every day. Happy 5th Birthday Angel!! We love U!!

Where's Your Purse??

So the other day I decided to go take the boys to the park for about 1/2hr while dinner was in the oven. I headed down to good old Riverwalk park with the boys in the Power Wheels and Peanut. When we arrived we were quickly greeted by an adorable little black girl that basically jumped in front of Jack's moving vehicle and tried to highjack it and throw him out. I told her that we were just going to park it because we needed to save the battery power so we could get home. She really didn't love my reponse and tried to convince Jack that it was necessary for her to try it out. After she failed to get Jack to agree with her, she headed over to my 12 year old dog and began tugging the leash from my hand and telling me to just let go, she needed to take my dog somewhere. I explained very nicely to her that I had to hold her because she would run off and due to her age, she gets nervous. So....she moved onto my kid, Nolan. She told me to stop touching the swing because she wanted to push him but Nolan was not very friendly to say the least. He was lunging forward trying to hit her and screaming bloody murder for her to let go of his swing. The lady next to me was laughing her ass off because no matter what I told the girl to do, she would just move on to the next personal belonging I brought with me to the park. Well, finally she gave up on Nolie after he got her good and refused to stop swatting at her so she began talking and questioning me. Here is exactly how it went...

(Girl) Hey lady, do you know you have a baby in your belly?

(Me) Yes honey I do and it is going to be another little boy.

(Girl) Why, do you hate little girls??

(Me) No not at all, God just wanted us to have 3 boys.

(Girl) Where do you live??

(Me) I live right here in the neighborhood.

(Girl) Hmmm

GET READY for her next line...

(Girl) Lady, where is your purse??

(Me) What??

(Girl) I asked where your purse is??

(Me) At home, why do you ask??

(Girl) Just wondering and where did you say you lived. You should bring it next time.

Okay, this could be completely innocent but is it me or is this a strange thing for a little girl to ask out of nowhere?? Ladies, keep your purses away from little girls at Riverwalk. It could be a dangerous place.

And the Results are In...

We only waited about 5 months to find out the sex of our lil one but it seemed like eternity. We were so prepared for Friday for our dr. appt at 9:45am. Rob took off of work weeks ago and we even asked my mother-in-law to watch the boys so Rob and I could enjoy finding out the sex of Baby #3 over a nice, quiet lunch. Well moving to Texas, you think you would never have to worry about snowstorms, right??? WRONG...of course the day before our appt., we get a Texas-like blizzard and everyone freaks out, so much so every thing gets closed down for the next damn day. And then we got the dreaded phone call the night before from my OB canceling my appt. for Friday morning. Can you say D.E.V.A.S.T.A.T.E.D. We were so upset because of how long we looked forward to this day. So the next morning, I whined and cried to basically everyone including Amie, who is determined to always make the impossible, possible. Literally 15 minutes after getting off the phone with her, she calls to tell me she has made an appointment at a Diagnostic Imaging Place for us to go get a 4D sonogram to find out if our munchkin is a she or a he. I truly think she probably paid this company thousands to open the doors that morning because it seemed like they were the only public place opened in the whole state of Texas. To say I was excited would be quite an understatement. It was probably one of the few times in my life that I wasn't just on time but an hour early for my appointment. I couldn't wait to be able to put a name with the lil' one inside me and tell Jack and Nolan if they were going to have a little brother or sister. So.....IT'S A BOY!!! We had the sonographer put the sex in an envelope and Rob and I went to lunch and opened it up. We were so thrilled to know our little angel was going to have the 2 best big brothers and be loved beyond belief. I felt like I was on Cloud 9 the whole day. How lucky are we to have 2 healthy boys already and now to prepare to bring another one into the world is simply the most amazing feeling in the world. And to spend the day alone with my husband was just as amazing. We never have alone time...EVER!! I don't think we have had alone time since before Nolie was born and we sure needed it. Just to be able to have an un-interrupted conversation and talk about things that we ever have time to talk about without taking care of the kiddos at the same time was incredible. We say that we are going to try to do this once a month even if its just lunch and walking around the mall again so hopefully we do it. Thankfully my mother-in-law watches them when we need a babysitter because as most of you know, I am a complete control-freak and my routines are a bit more then most people can handle but my mother-in-law Joan is great. She just follows my OCD structure and routines and I never worry when I am gone because I know the boys are having a blast and eating and sleeping when they should.
Now I am looking forward to Monday morning because I have my rescheduled 20week sonogram at my OB office to check out the baby and make sure all is perfect and of course, we will get to see his little package again to be 1000% sure he is a BOY, but after looking at the pics, I am POSITIVE that he has a weiner.