Soooo good to be feelin better!

Annie is finally doing tons better! We have been talking her to do special things and just enjoying the nice weather! I came up with a plan a little over a month ago to take Annie to do somethings special atleast once a week and just spend some quality mommy/daughter time together for the next five months till baby gets here. Then we all got sick! So I picked up where I left off and we gave been having lots of fun! So good to be healthy again and have my little Annie Bananie back!
I took Anaston to a really neat park as promised after she did SO good while I did a LONG hair appointment out in Queen Creek. She LOVED this water fountain and the ducks. She just sat there in a trance. It was so cute.

Anaston was in such a good mood this morning and let me get her all ready so I had to take advantage of it since Posey left and I haven't had my monthly photo shoot in a while! ha ha

We went to the mall one day to play and meet with friends. We visited Jade at work of course, and she had Annie try on the dress she got her for her wedding. It is the mose adorable and beautiful dress I've seen for a little girl and it looks so cute on her. She was just staring in the mirror, calling it her princess dress and dancing around acting silly. It was pretty entertaining. Me and Jade were dying watching her. I love her to death!

As soon as Annie was feeling better and I was still feeling a little under the weather, Brian offered to take care of dinner this particular night to give me a break. He had me meet him on the freeway but would not reveal the suprise on where dinner would be. Pretty soon we were pulling in to Chuckie Cheese ans Annie's face just lit up and she yelled,"Rides...toys...tickets!!!" Good pick Daddy. It was a blast and such a relief to see her running around again.

I got Anaston this fun water and sand table for her birthday so she'd have something to look foward to this summer. We are keeping at my parents right now because of the lack of patio space and we make frequent trips over there to play. She loves it! She is such a water baby and just entertains herself. She also loves to get the dogs wet! ha ha It was a great purchase needless to say! Man, do I know my daughter or what?!?

Baby #2 is a.........

Drum roll!!!!!!............ GIRL!!! Woo hoo! I'm so excited! My ultrasound went great! This is the best appointment in pregnancy, I wouldn't miss watching this special ultrasound for the world! My mom, Brian and Annie were all able to come and see! My doc did some measurements at first and everything is growing exactly how it should be. Then he showed us she's a girl and then did some great close up's and zooming in on important area's to make sure she's heaalthy, developing normal and nothing's wrong. It was a huge relief to see that she is just perfect! When he showed us her profile, I have to say I think she looks SO much like Anaston! She has Brian's profile, which is what Annie has!:) I will be getting my 3-D ultra sound between 6 and 7 months and I will be able to tell even better! I think alot of people are suprised..almost everyone thought I was having a boy. Only a couple were right. Anaston even at first kept saying, no it's a boy but once she saw the ultra sound and we explained the doctor can see that she is a girl, she gave in and is THRILLED to be getting a baby sister! She will be the best big sister, I can't wait! The girls will be able to be so close and share their interests and play together! And now I have someone to wear all Annie's cute clothes she's out grown! Yeah! I can't wait to see this little girl in August! Her name is still pending but we'll let you all know when we decide for sure. No rush! I wanted to get this post out like I promised but I'll have pic's to go with it that I need to scan that I'll post tomorrow when I have more time and am not dead tired! ha ha

Boy or Girl???

Today is my big ultra sound where I find out what whether I'm having a boy or girl! I have been anxiouslywaiting for this day for a couple months! I started feeling the "nesting period" extremely early this time when I was only about two months along! Kinda hard to get a jump start on having most everything ready for the baby when I don't have a clue if I'm preparing for boy or girl! So needless to say, I've done what I could without knowing and now the day has finally come! Yeah! I am so excited! Even a little nervous with it! I think it's just the anticipation! I just realized last night that this special day fell on the luckiest day of the year...St. Patty's Day! How lucky is that?!? What are the chances? It makes it even that much more fun! I have no instinct on what I'm having. I have felt like it could go either way at different moments. At the beginning I felt really strong it was a boy. My pregnancy so far has been very different form Anaston and I'm carrying a little different too. But then I got thinking maybe I just feel that way because of these things and thought it could still totally be a girl. Then for a while I kinda felt girl and now it's just on and off.Anaston on the other hand seems to know exactly what I'm having. Although she likes to confuse me! She told me for the longest time it was a boy. Then she all of a sudden switched and for the last month she's been telling me nope, it's a girl. But these last few days as we got closer to actually finding out, she tells me it's a boy. She had made up this song and was singing it here and there throughout this last week that goes like this... "Mommy...Annie...Girl in belly!" But the last couple days she sings it woth both boy and girl and then today I decided to sing it to her and I said girl. She was bery quick to correct me and said, no...boy, mom. I said are you sure Annie? And she replies,"Yes." Ha ha We will see! She is such a trickster! I will be equally happy and excited for a boy or girl! I'm not leaning on one more than the other. So we will see! Stay tuned! I have had lots of requests, texts and phone calls come through in the last week for a post TODAY on what it is so I will do that tonight! Thanks for all the support! Till tonight! :)

Illness Madness!!!

As is it weren't haesh enough for our baby to have gotten hit horribly with that nasty flu bug and end up in the hospital...we all have been passing around illness since then! I got a HORRIBLE cold that led to a sinus infection and on it's way to pnemonia, with the congestion starting to settle. I got on an antiobiotic and slowly recovered while getting the flu on top of it for three more days! I was definately out of comission, this beat me up! I had no control! I ususally make myself still do things when I'm sick but it wasn't even possible this time! Luckily I had Brian being very helpful and taking over dinner, duties with Annie, etc. That is until he got the 24 hour flu! I know, I've got to be joking right? I wish I was. So he was dead for 24 hours. A huge thanks to my mom and mother in law who both were awesome in helping us and bringing us yummy dinners! And thank you mom for doing my grocery shopping! Our house was out of control and Anaston was going crazy! She had been doing way better and wanted to play play play but mommy and daddy were on their death beds! Poor thing. She didn't fully understand. Although she was a very good helper and I loved the ten times a day she'd come out of her room with her doctor kit and give me a check up and tell me I'm sick. ha ha Brian got over his, mine drug out. I finally feel better Sunday and Anaston wakes up Monday very congested, a fever and coughing. REALLY? REALLY!!! Things got worse the next two days and she was getting these coughing attacks where she couldn't stop once she started. She'd struggle to get in a breath, gag and eventually throw up because of it! Not fun and especially 4 times in a day! The doctor had told me Monday it was just a cold. I knew at this point it had turned into more. Yep, she has bronchitis! The congestion settled in her chest. Poor poor thing. She's so tired of being sick! But atleast we caught it before it turned into pnemonia!!! She's on the road to getting better and cross my fingers...sickness better not visit us for a year!!! Atleast! I think we've had a fair turn!

This is me bribing Anaston at the doctor to be good so she can go to Kinsley's party. So she gives me this fake, cheese smile. ha ha Unfortunately the news of how sick she was, I didn't get to keep my end of the deal!:( She had to miss 2 birthday parties this week...one for her frind Ellee. She was NOT happy about those!
This is more like what she really felt like at the doctor.

When I was starting to feel a little better, I took Annie swimming one morning so she wouldn't go insane being inside the house for two weeks! This was pretty much effortless..perfect for how I was still feeling. She monkey walked around the entire pool multiple times. Daddy taught her this last time and she's already a pro! Of course she had to jump in a few times though and swim!

Can you tell she needed to get out?!?

Awww

Saturday morning, I was almost better, Still a little sick to my tummy but we couldn't miss my good friend Jen's shower. I toughened up and as I had her gift all set up on the kitchen table ready to wrap, I ran back to my bedroom to grab something and I come out and see Annie checking everything out and talking to herself saying...Aw, cute baby shirt and shoes, Mommy! ha ha She was adoring the little clothes and even tried to wear the shoes for a second! ha ha Oh she is going to love helping me pick out clothes and dressing the baby! She is going to make the best big sister!

We took Annie to the park at Riverview Saturday night. Brian wanted to watch a few of his friends play ball so I took Annie on the park. She was in heaven as usual when we take her to the park and played her little heart out. I dragged along moving from bench to bench and although I wasn't 100 percent yet, I HAD to get out!!! It was so nice outside!

With Annie being sick with her cold, Daddy went in her room last night and read story after story to her...her favorite! I walked in and they looked so cute. Daddy was reading right beneath Annie and she was playing with his hair and face while she listened. She kept grabbing his nose and saying honk honk! ha ha

Anaston in the HOSPITAL!!!

This is a LONG story! Anaston ran a fever for two whole days. The first day she could not break that fever even with medicine! The second day a little bit better, just very whiney and attached and not really eating or drinking. But no other signs. I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong. The next morning she comes into my room at 7:45 am crying, I lift her on my bed and she throws up! That was just the beginning. From that point till 5 early that evening she threw up nearly twenty times! It was NON STOP!!! And she never had anything to throw up so it was even worse! I tried the ice chips, sips every half hour, lick of a popsicle. I got more strict but it dodn't matter. She threw up anthing within minutes! After following her around all day with a bowl and watching her suffer...that much throwing up, not peeing, having the squirts and becoming a little out of it, I decided not to mess around with the dangers of dehydration. Brian walked in from his tournament and we tyrned around and took her to Urgent Care. After waiting a half hour, they refund our co-pay thankfully and tell us she's too dehydrated and they can't give her the care her condition requires, so they sent us to Banner Desert where they have such a good pediatric hospital. We walk in to a 5-6 hour wait, it was insane but thankfully to my friend Sara conveniently working. She bumped us up seeing how bad she looked and hearing her symptoms and got us in after only twenty minutes. She saved us!!!! They immediately examined her and were worried she could have a few things. While we waited a few minutes for the doctor and a room in the er my Dad had called and offered her a blessing so my entire family showed up! It was the neatest thing in the world...all that support and love filled the room. We took her in a private room where my Dad, Mike and Chris blessed her. She was screaming and somehow managed to be calm just for the blessing. They called her back right after that. It was a series of testing...a catheter urine test:( for urinary tract infection, a chest x-ray for pnemonia, and then poking my poor baby and drawing three vials of blood and hooking her up to an IV to get fluids going in her body. She had a 101 temp. She was screaming the whole time and begging for a dring of water or sody...she way dying of thirst and we couldn't let her drink, it was horrible. It was the worst feeling in the world to see my baby in that condition and that much pain. It's indescribable. We held onto her and calmed her the best we could. They moved us to a room in the ER while we waited for the results. She wiped out immediately, I guess the screaming got the best of her. Sara was so sweet and kept coming to check on her and offering us things. Even once her shift had ended!Turns out she had a horrible flu virus, She was severely, dangerously dehydrated...low oxygen levels caused from small breathing(she was breathing extremely fast when we came in. It was from all the acid in her stomach, she was trying to compensate and get oxygen in there) and low blood sugar. They decided they had to admit her. Once those fluids got going in her body, we already noticed a big improvement. She wasn't just laying there hopeless and un able to focus or respond anymore. She was more alert and talking a little. It was so heartbreaking seeing her like that before...she was a completely different baby! She was finally able to try gatorade and graham crackers and gulped that stuff down and held it in! Woo hoo! They moved us into an actual room at midnight. Annie was wiped out! She was upset they woke her up to move her and prick her finger again.:( After a few more tests they let us both sleep. I tried for three pointless hours in the recliner and ended up joining Annie on the hospital bed for a whole three hours of sleep! She slept the whole night and mostly the next day!It was so sad, she had the sweetest nurses but every time they came in even if it was something small, she thought they were coming to hurt her so she'd freak out. I felt so bad for her. The ER must have been traumetizing. But they were so good with her anyway and patient. She slowly showed improvement. The doctors were happy about what they were seeing but then she got some swelling from the IV. They fixed that, kept monitoring her levels and making sure she was peeing and holding food and water down. By afternoon she was happy and very alert again. We had a few great visitors. Michelle(her baby was in there too for RSV:(), my mom came and brought Annie a cute balloon tied to the cutest dancing and singing stuffed animal and a few new great book which she fell in love with and brought me lunch and medicine to save me from the horrible cold I had caught. She visited for a bit and just as she left Daddy came! He brought her this cute little Curious George and got to play with us till they let us go. We finally got released at five. I was nervous going home thinking she would go right back to gow she was before with the fluids. She layed low all night but atleast was drinking and keeping it down. My mom and brother came to visit and brought us dinner which was a huge relief seeing that I was feeling awful too! She got a pretty good night's sleep and woke up downing her breakfast shake! Yeah! No throwing up! She was playing and happy! Unfortunately that put her back in bed tired and feeling weird. Nat came for a visit. She was doing really good although a little cranky from how she was feeling but happy and laughing by the time she left. She has continued to improve all day and actually ate lunch! It will probably be a few days till she's fully Annie again and this virus is completly worn off but I'm so happy to see improvement.

This was such a scary and awful experience to go through. I never hoped to be in that position with Annie but I am so greatful for Sara and getting in to a hospital that quick that night. I don't want to know what would have happened not havng her there! It was so sad looking around that room at all these poor sick kids and made me realize just how fragile their little lives are. It's a BAD late flu and pnemonia season! My little Annie harly ever gets sick but when she does I guess she gets it the worst possible! I'm so thankful for my family rushing to the hospital with their love and support and the wonderful blessing that turned Annie around. I'm greatful for such wonderful doctors and nurses the whole time we were there! We got treated with such high priority and so well the entire time we were there. It was so nice to have Brian there with us and being so helpul, sweet and supportive. He really helped me cope better with it. It was so sweet to see him with Annie and how concerned he was. Thank you for all the phone calls, messages and especially visits from family and friends! It was great to have all the love and support for our family and prayers that got Annie feeling so well so quick! We're so happy to have her back at home and doing so much better! We love her so much! Although it was hard to see her like that with her Iv(or BIG OWIE as Annie called it) in her arm, it was nice having her so sweet and just letting us love on her. Hopefully we aren't back there anytime soon unless it's for me having the baby! ha ha

Pic's are out of order.
Annie sick at home
Stuck laying around all day throwing up:(
Wiped out on her hospital bed all cuddled up...those rooms are freezing!

Me trying to get a response out of Annie once we were in the Er room and got the IV going.

Anaston fell asleep right away once the IV was in and the nurse stepped out.

My poor baby! She ws so helpless just laying there.

Finally a quick nap inbetween throwing up!

Daddy vising Annie the next day.

My mom's visit to Annie.

When they were about to release us, we got to take her for a ride in the wagon, while pulling her IV machine with us to see the neat trains and bunnies! It was nice to get fresh air and Anaston really enjoyed it.

She INSISTED on bringing Mickey and Dora.

Annie in her hospital toom all hooked up to her machines.:(

Finally a bath once we got home! Anaston was examining the cool Dora bandaid they put over her IV owie.

She was for once like a zombie in the bath! No playng. Just laying around. Definately not my Annie!

This morning she had me bring in the things my mom and Brian gave her in the hospital on my bed so she sould see them.

She realized she was still sick after playing.

Aw, poor sick Annie!

Anaston saves the day!!!

Our laundry room is outside, just off our balcony. I go out there every morning to do laundry and lately Anaston will come over and shut the sliding door and laugh. It's funny as long as I can get back inside. I kept having this feeling I need to get her to stop that incase one day she locked me out and just like that it happened. I was in the laundry room, no phone or anything and she shuts the door. I immediately go over there to open it and yep, it's locked. I panicked. I tried so hard to get it open just thinking it got shut wrong and it's stuck but then I got a look at the lock and sure enough! I thought I was going to have to climb off my balcony, pregnant, somehow and get the office to open oiur front door. Luckily I was able to talk to Anaston through the door and explain to her to unlock it cuz mommy couldn't get in. She figured it out and I got back in. Being so scared and all my pregnancy hormones got the best of me and I just broke down in tears, hugging Annie and explaining to her what happened and why I was so scared. She hasn't tried it since!

Baking with the Meem-ster!

My sister Jaymee and I got together last weekend for a fun night since her hubby was working and mine was playing in a tournament. She took us to this very different smoothie bar in tempe and we tried melon smoothies with bo-ba in the bottom. Very interesting but very good! Then we came back to my house and Jaymee made her famous, yummy fried rice. We ate dinner and then got to making caramel. Jaymee found an awesome recipe for carmel and we wanted to try making it. Neither of us had tried making candy before so we thought it would be fun to try. We had tons of fun only our caramel didn't turn out. We followed the directions but didn't know about how altitude alters the temp for firm bsll stage and this lady's recipe is from Utah. We were bummed so she came over a few nights later and we went for trying time #2. It was really difficult cuz we had to make up all the temperatures since it's different here. Needless to say, we kinda freaked out and took it off just a tad too early, afraid of over cookin so it was a litle soft. It was still good and fun. We will have to do some research on the altitude change and hopefully third time will be a charm! ha ha

Annie sat on the couch reading her Minnie book while we cooked for a bit. It was so cute watching her.
Jaymee and Annie eating our delicious dinner.

The gifted chef

Yummy!!!

The boys playing X-Box, of course while we baked.

The gals in the kitchen

Happy Birthday Kinsley!!!

Today is my sister Kim's little girls 2nd birthday... so we wanted to wish her the best! We heard she just went to the hospital for possible pneumonia so we hope she gets better soon. We definitely know what that feels like! Get better Kinz and we will be able to wish you Happy Birthday soon! Love You!