Weekly Check-ups!

You know the time is getting really close when the weekly check-ups begin!    I had my 35 week check-up on Thursday and all went well.  We discussed the delivery a little more in detail and decided on an official date.  We will be going into the hospital to be induced on Monday, February 28th, but will need to arrive the night before.  I will be 39 1/2 weeks at that point so I think that will have given her plenty of time to progress and make an appearance on her own before getting too big.  We decided on a few days later than the 24th to not only give her a few extra but also to allow J to go to class that weekend :).  I don't think she will come sooner, but then again, you never know.  Our plans may not coincide with hers and that is okay.  We just want everyone to come out of this experience happy and healthy! 

Interesting topics of conversation...

Having an almost 3 1/2 year boy does make for some interesting conversations when he sees his Mommy pregnant.  WARNING:  If this topic will embarrass you, please do not read on :).  There have definitely been some moments that have made me laugh but I have to say that I just approach them with the innocence in which they are brought up. 

My favorite being a moment when Rylan was brushing his teeth a month or so ago.  He usually leans up against my chest and hugs me when it is my turn to brush.  The best way that I can explain this is to say that you know you are flat chested when your three year old points to your breasts and then your belly and says, "look Mommy, 1, 2, 3 babies!"  HA!  Not used to seeing anything there I guess ;).

The conversation of how baby sister comes out has also been had around here a couple of times.  Rylan is not satisfied with the answer "well, Dr. Cole will take her out," so like I said, I have just given him the honest answer with the correct terminology and life goes on.

Tonight, we all got in the hot tub for a little relaxation before dinner.  Afterward, I was in my bathroom getting dressed, when Ry runs in naked.  He was waiting for me to give him a quick bath.  He starts jumping around and on the bed saying, "I'm naked, I'm naked.  Mommy, I'm naked like you.  There are two of us naked."  I said, "actually, there are three of us naked because your baby sister will come out naked as well."  Rylan said, "yep, she will come out with a naked butt and penis."  I of course corrected that.  I always am reminded of Kindergarten cop when I say, "no, boys have a penis and girls have a vagina."  That will definitely be my son one day!

Oh the fun and laughter that is had around here!  I love all of these moments and thank God that I have been able to experience the joy of raising a child!

Can it really be right around the corner?

Tomorrow is January 24th, which means that we could quite possibly meet our new addition one month from tomorrow.  Wow!  I have to say that this pregnancy has just flown by so quickly.  Rylan and I keep fairly busy, so I am assuming it has something to do with that, but it is still so hard to believe! 

This little girl continues to be a little acrobat.  The last few days are probably the first time that she has begun to make me feel a little uncomfortable.  By early evening, my belly seems to get really tight and when I have been eating dinner, she flops around like a fish out of water.  She is probably a pretty decent size at this point so the flopping turns into some pretty hard jabs to Mommy's abdomen.  She also has been getting the hiccups quite frequently and Rylan was able to feel them today.  He thought it was pretty funny. 

I asked Ry today if he was ready to share his Mommy.  My sweet boy of course said yes but I wasn't sure if he knew what I meant so I asked him with whom?  He said, "with my baby sister."  I honestly do think he is ready.  I could be wrong, but I hope and pray that we have prepared him enough to make a decent transition.

Surprisingly enough, there are no names as of yet in case you are curious.  Jason and I are going round and round.  He really has only come up with one name and I am not a huge fan of it.  ALL of the names I have come up with he does not love.  Nothing like not figuring it out until the last minute!  If she decides to come early for some crazy reason, we are in big trouble!  She won't have a name!  Do they let you leave the hospital without a name?  Probably not ;). 

Time to Shave!

Baby Girl Update

Thursday, Rylan and I went to Dr. Cole's office for my 33 week check-up.  Wow...33 weeks!  Time has definitely flown by and it continues to do so.  I think for this pregnancy, I have been so busy being a mom, wife, and being involved in Council and MOPS, that time has just escaped me.  As excited as I am to meet my new little angel, I am still not in a hurry ;).  I still feel pretty well, for the most part, and feel like there are things to get ready before she arrives.  However, Dr. Cole did tell me that Jason and I need to make some decisions about her delivery.  Since then, we have discussed it, and I think that we will take Dr. Cole's recommendation to deliver at 39 weeks by induction to avoid the same complications as Rylan's delivery, if she chooses not to arrive before then.  That would make her delivery date a very special one, Thursday, February 24th, which is a very special person's birthday in our family, Papa E.!  How lucky will she be to share that birthday (assuming she stays in there that long)?  I see Dr. Cole again in a week and a half for my 35 week check up and every week until the delivery.  I think Rylan is beginning to realize how soon she will be here.  We are going to be attending a Sibling Care class through the hospital on February 3rd so big brother can learn how to help out Mom and Dad when sister arrives!

My big boy!

Rylan has made some big changes the last few days.  He has managed to go poo poo on the big boy toilet (no potty seat) all by himself without telling us.  Now of course that presents a few interesting issues, but I am not complaining.  I love the fact that he is trying and wants to be so independent.  He is pretty consistently using the potty by himself when the urge presents itself as well.  Not too much hand holding seems to be needed anymore.

Last night, we laid out his clothes for today.  This morning, as I was laying on the couch, I heard him get up and use the potty, wash his hands, go into his room, and begin to get dressed.  He had difficulty getting his pj top off, but after he found me and I helped him with that, he went back in his room and finished the process.  Tonight, before bath, he managed to get his shirt off by himself for the first time!  Go Rylan!  Mommy couldn't be happier.

I know that there will be some interesting times ahead during the next few months when my next little angel presents herself, but I pray that I can continue to nurture and provide the love that my good little boy requires so that he continues to grow into a great little person!

The holidays are over and a new exciting year is here.

The Eckel family has had a great few weeks.  It was so nice to have Daddy with us and his undivided attention for the last couple of weeks.  No work or school to worry or stress about!  Christmas in Detroit was cold, but filled with the warmth of love from Gma and Papa, Uncle Jim and (Aunt) Liz, Grandma Honey, and of course cousin Ben!  We were busy with outings to various places such as Greenfield Village and Henry Ford Museum, gatherings at Liz's house and the Kleinsmiths, lunch with Gege, Sara Beth, and Maggie, dinner at the Rhapsody, breakfast at Tina's.  Many good times were shared by Ben and Rylan and there was always a lot of playing going on.  It was so great to see the Gumps and Grandma Honey as well!  Thank you to all of you for making our Christmas so great!

We returned home on Tuesday the 28th to a house filled with even more presents.  It took us a couple of more days to open all of those!  We were all overwhelmed by the generosity of so many people that went out of there way to spoil us all rotten!  Thank you just doesn't express the appreciation and love we feel for each and every one of our family and friends.

Then, of course, my need for order and organization set in, on top of the overwhelming nesting urge that takes place during this part of pregnancy.  I think I spent about four days cleaning out closets, toys, rooms, throwing away and giving away.  We did the same thing last year and it always feels like a great way to start the new year!  The nice thing about this year was that I now have my cleaning ladies back, so after four days of cleaning out, I did not actually have to spend another 2 days cleaning :).

Happy 2011 to you all!   May we all find and thank God for all of the blessings that fill our lives each and every day.  It will be a year of change for us, and I personally will be looking to Him to help me through the many changes and challenges that will present themselves.

Videos

New videos are uploaded on the FlipShare site.  Click on the link and enter my email and password : flipshare.  Look for pictures soon...going to work on them today or this weekend.

Great pillow apparently

...although she eventually kicked him off.

Ry survived!

What a difference a year makes.  My little man has been through quite a week.  No Daddy, not feeling great, new babysitters galore, and no complaining.  When J and I had his Christmas party last Friday, Rylan had a brand new babysitter that we had never met before.  It happens to be the daughter of his teacher, Ms. Ellen, and Bethany could not get to our house when we had to leave.  Therefore, Ms. Ellen actually came over for about 20 minutes before Bethany got there.  Rylan did a great job with both of them and did not even mind transitioning between the two.  Then there was yoga on Tuesday with me.  He did an awesome job being quiet and occupied for an entire hour!  Finally, last night I had to find another last minute babysitter because my plans fell through for him again.  I ended up finding someone from St. Peter's that yet again, we have never met.  Her mom works in the nursery and knows us well.  Her name was Michelle and she is a college student that works on top of school.  She could not be at the house until 6:30 so I had Mollie, my 6th grade neighbor, come over until she got there.  Once again, he did great with both of them and the transition. Now today brings a boring couple of hours at the car dealership and tomorrow an appointment with Dr. Harry to make sure this cold is just that and nothing more before we head to Michigan on Monday.  Whew!  What a week!  How can I be so lucky with #2?  I pray to God that she is as sweet, loving, kind-spirited, and well-behaved as my sweet little Rylan.  My heart is so filled with his spirit, I can't imagine what it will be like to have another precious child from God in our family.  Time is flying by and she will be here before we know it.  I am excited and yet so nervous all at the same time...

Thursday

Waiting patiently at the car dealership for a recall/oil change. He's such a good boy! Brought our breakfast and now playing cars while Mommy does some work on her computer. He just told me his van had GPS. Really? Where does he get this stuff?

Yoga

So Ry watching this week has been difficult.  I couldn't find anyone tonight to watch him for yoga and I may not be able to go to my Council Christmas party tomorrow because of last minute changes.  However, I decided to take Rylan with me to yoga.  He did great!  He was such a good boy as always and probably tried to do about 20 minutes worth of yoga.  On the way home I asked him what he thought.  Silence.  Then, "well, my legs don't hurt anymore."  Hilarious!  He bruised up one of his entire legs last week being crazy in the dining room.  J or I didn't see it, but heard it, and he was bruised up and down his whole leg.  Needless to say, he has been complaining about it, cause I am sure he was sore.  I found that answer to be awesome!  Couldn't help but laugh!

How quickly things change!

So first of all, I passed my gestational diabetes test! Yeah! Cookies and pie for Christmas! Thank goodness! But I am anemic, so iron supplements and red meat for me I guess.

Secondly, another funny comment. Papa asked Ry tonight what he was doing and he told him, "I'm eating dinner with my sweet Mommy." Then, when I was putting him to bed, I picked something up for him and he said, "you are the best Mommy." Wow how things can change in a matter of hours!

~sarah~

Sent from my iPhone

A little man.

Rylan is definitely not a baby/toddler anymore.  He is truly a little boy/man.  We have had a day today for sure.  Neither of us slept very well last night and had an early morning.  Needless to say, I am overtired with no patience and Ry is whiny and clingy.  We had to run to a couple of stores after school today and I asked him about 5 times to not step on my feet because he kept doing it.  It not only hurt, but I also got a pedicure today which he has managed to already screw up.  Anyhow, the last time I had enough and I was very firm with him.  He did not like it and simply got very quiet with sad eyes.  I explained why I was so frustrated and he pretty much ignored me.  On the way home he comes out with, "Mommy, you hurt my feelings."  I apologized but said that he owed me one as well...nothing.  A couple of minutes later, I get, "Mommy, but I am not very happy with you."  Really?  When did he become so grown-up?

The Holidays are here!

As always, time seems to be ticking away so quickly.  We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with the Toups family.  It was such a different day, because the boys, Rylan, Casey, and Andrew, were basically nonexistent while the adults and new baby Justin enjoyed each others company.  The only time we saw the boys was when it was time to eat.  Then they went right back upstairs to playing!

Jason has been really busy with work, travel, school, and finals.  He hasn't been around the house much but I feel like we have made up for it this past week.  He has gotten a lot of small projects accomplished, and we have been able to do some family things as well as having some couple time. 

Last weekend we we went to a work holiday party while Rylan stayed with Cata and Shu and Sunday we drove up to north Texas for the Polar Express train ride.  Rylan had so much fun!  I think his favorite parts were drinking hot chocolate, reading the story during the ride, seeing the North Pole, and receiving the bell from Santa.  The expression on his face while looking at the bell speaks for itself.

Rylan's school had Christmas Family Chapel on Wednesday, and Jason and I were able to go together to participate with Rylan.  The Christmas Story was read and songs were sung.  It was very cute and Rylan appreciated us being there.

Today was our appointment with Dr. Cole.  We all went together and then had lunch afterward.  I think we may be headed to Katy Mills after Rylan's nap to visit with Santa.  Rylan needs to tell him that the wants "Mater's Tall Tales (a DVD) and roller skates."  We have no idea where the roller skates idea came from and hope he is not too disappointed at Christmas ;).

So overall, it has been a very pleasant and much needed week of Mommy, Daddy, and Rylan.  I know Jason works really hard for our family, but it has been difficult not having him around much.  I know that it will not be getting any easier, especially with a new baby arriving soon, so I appreciate the time we do have together.  J leaves Saturday for 10 days in Turkey, the international portion of his MBA program, before meeting us in Detroit for Christmas on the 20th.  We will miss him, especially during this time of year, but we have a busy week ahead to keep us occupied.

Baby Girl Update!

Things are moving right a long.  Sometimes I almost think they are moving too quickly!  It seems like this pregnancy has flown by and not much time is left to prepare for another life changing event.  I'm sure we will manage, but I am definitely getting nervous.

Our little girl's room is basically finished.  The walls are done, carpeting is in, and most of the furniture has been set up.  The only things that will need to be done in January are to get everything washed and cleaned up, items sorted from the attack, and everything in its place.

We had a great appointment today for our 28 week check up.  I had to have another ultrasound to make sure that the placenta previa I had at 20 weeks was gone, and it was.  Thank God!  The best part about having another ultrasound was being able to see our little girl again.  I was thankful that it was still a girl ;) and the tech kept commenting at how beautiful her heart was.  I pray to God that means both physically and emotionally.  I am sure she will be a very loving little girl.  We were debating about doing the 4D ultrasound, but the tech said we may not get good shots because she is so close to my uterus.  However, at the last minute, she did flick that button and give us that one perfect little shot of her face.  That is really all I wanted, so I am glad she was so sweet to do that.

She is still a very active little baby and seems to be on a decent wake/sleep cycle so far.  Her active times are usually around 10-noon, 4-7, and 10-11:30 pm.  Pretty funny how they do that even in the womb.  I am sure it will take her awhile to adjust to life outside the womb when she arrives, but I pray that this time I have a clue as to what I am supposed to be doing!  I guess we will find out soon enough!

Baby Girl at 28 weeks...2 lbs. 11 oz.

Waiting patiently with their tech gadgets!

Rylan :)

Lately, Ry's story telling ends with "and that's my story."He goes on and on about something and then ends with that. Pretty fuunny!

~sarah~

Sent from my iPhone

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