Emma's 2 Year Check-up and 34 Week OB Appt...

We have had a very productive Monday! Emma and I woke up and got around and headed to the grocery store. After putting away all the groceries, it was time to get Emma's diaper changed and head to her 2 year check-up, Shane came home to go with us. Emma was not very happy to be at the doctors, and screamed when taking her weight and height, screamed while the doctor tried to look in her ears, listen to her heart...pretty much during the entire examination! But I can't blame her one bit! Emma is all caught up on her vaccinations, so she only got a flu shot today. We take her back in 4 weeks to get a second. Her latest stats, to the best we could get, are:
Weight - 26.5 lbs
Height - 35 inches

Doctor said she appears to be doing great and developing on schedule, and that we have a beautiful little girl (which we know!)
Here are Emma's 2 year check-up pics ;)

After we left Emma's appointment, it was 12:15pm, so we headed home to eat some lunch and had to be at my 34 week OB appointment at 1:15pm. Today's appointment was with the new partner that just joined the practice 3 weeks ago, Dr. Joe. He said after reviewing my chart, it appears that I have had a perfect pregnancy in terms of weight gain, blood pressure, etc. Blood pressure today was 100/58, and I am measuring right at 34 weeks.
Baby's Heartbeat: 148 bpm
Weight: 133 lbs
He also felt around my stomach to see what position the baby is in and to our surprise, the baby is breech! Last Monday I felt the baby do something 'weird' and it was painful, and sure enough, it had flipped and the movements since then have been different. Back at our 30 week ultrasound, the baby was head down, and in perfect birthing position and we couldn't get any good shots of his/her face. So the doctor said that in 2 weeks when my regular OB doctor checks me and if the baby is still breech, we will have to decide on a plan.
I basically have 3 options:
1) Do nothing and see if the baby flips during labor, if not, attempt a breech delivery. The doctor said I was an ideal candidate to have a breech delivery, since I have already had one healthy delivery and Emma was not that big of a baby, and appears this baby will not be large either, and also, since the pushing phase of getting Emma out was short (like 4 good pushes). This is only if the baby is in 'pipe' position as he described it, if not, c-section is only option)
2) Try having the doctor externally manipulate the baby into flipping head down (he said I would come into the hospital and they would hook me up to an IV and be given medication to relax my uterus and then they would try to manipulate the baby).
3) Schedule a c-section

My first pick would be option 1, I want to avoid a c-section at all costs. The doctor said that he and Heidi (my regular OB) haven't had a chance to discuss breech deliveries and he is unsure how she feels about them (alot of times doctors would rather go with a scheduled c-section), but said that if she was not comfortable with it, he would be available for me to attempt it if I would like. So we could use your prayers that this baby flips head down, and if not, that we can have a safe breech delivery. Thanks! We go back for our 36 week appointment on Nov. 8th.

34 weeks, 1 day pregnant

After we got home from my appointment, I had Shane wait with Emma in the car, while I ran into the house to go to the bathroom, then Shane headed back to work, while I took Emma to the park...I thought she deserved a treat after being so good at the grocery store and both doctor appointments. I have been telling her I will take her to the park with the bumblebee ride, that is her favorite, and when we pulled up, the bumblebee had stuff blocking it off for use, must be broken. I felt bad, but Emma took it well, and sat on the rocket ship instead. She also ran around and played, but still won't go down the slide. After spending some time there, we came home and I put Emma down for a nap. Speaking of nap, that is what I am going to do now too! So until next time, God Bless!

Nana & Gramma Cena come to Visit!

Sunday, the 17th, my mom and Gramma Cena arrived around 6:30pm! Actually, we were on our way home from picking my stuff up at the craft show in Davenport, and we all got off the interstate at the same time...my mom was just a half mile ahead of us!
They came to help me cross some things off my list and to keep my sanity while Shane was gone for 4 days in Boston! We had a great time and enjoyed every minute God blessed us with!!!

Here is a break down of how we spent our days:
Sunday evening - They arrived and we enjoyed a dinner out at Las Lomas!

Monday - Shane left for Boston. My mom and I tackled the bathroom: went thru closets and cabinets, wiped down walls and rearranged some. We then moved on to the kitchen and went thru all cabinets and drawers, added new liners to my drawers. Those 2 rooms took quite a bit of time, but we purged of a lot of stuff!!!We also cleaned out my freezer in my kitchen and chest freezer downstairs. I made beef & broccoli for supper, and spent the evening watching Dancing w/ the Stars. My mom and Gramma always say they enjoy my 'good' cooking...so I try and make them yummy stuff to eat while here!

Tuesday - We got up and around and left the house shortly after 9am to head to the QC to do my Sam's Club shopping trip. I also ran into PetCo (while everyone else waited in the car) to get Bella her cookies (poor dog has been out for a month!). We then went to Kohl's for a little while, then stopped at a baby boutique where I bought Emma's baby book to see if they had one I liked for this baby...they didn't have anything neutral that I liked, so I am still looking for one. We then enjoyed a nice lunch at Olive Garden. When we got back to Muscatine, we stopped at Farm & Fleet to check out their ToyLand, and then hit the grocery store on our way home. We all were pretty tired by that time! We enjoyed homemade chicken noodle soup and mashed potatoes for supper!

Wednesday - Because I needed to take full advantage of having people to shop with, we got up and around again in the morning and headed in the opposite direction to the outlet mall! I really needed to hit the Carters Outlet and spent quite a bit of time and money in there! I picked up a boy and girl outfit to bring the baby home in, and picked up some cold weather clothes for Emma. We also hit Old Navy and Maurices, I did find me a couple of henley type shirts to wear for nursing. We then headed to the Coralville mall, had some lunch and did some more shopping. My goal was to find a new comfy outfit to wear home from the hospital, I found one I liked at Victoria's Secret, but did not have the sizes I needed...so that is still on my list. We also stopped in Target, where Emma picked out a 'new potty'. This was the first time she said she would pick one out. She still hasn't 'used' it yet, but will sit on it...so only time will tell, we aren't pushing her to do anything, just waiting for her to tell us. I also picked up a few of the baby items that are on my list. After we got back to Muscatine, we picked up 'the backup plan' at a redbox and headed home. For supper we had a yummy salad, penne noodles w/ sauce & garlic bread!

Thursday - We spent most of the day at home. My mom scrubbed my shower, and when I say it looks amazing, that word doesn't do it justice! I don't think it was that clean when we moved in! It was getting pretty bad (I will admit it, I hadn't cleaned it since I got pregnant...my cleaner is awesome stuff, but very potent and I should not inhale it while pregnant). We also did some laundry and more cleaning. I sorted thru Emma's clothes and packed more away. We made a trip to walmart and Shane arrived home from Boston. We carved my 9 pumpkins and got the seeds out, rinsed and laid out to dry. We had macaroni salad and french dips for supper.

Friday - My mom and Gramma planned to leave this day, but my mom didn't sleep well...well no one did actually because Emma threw a huge fit at 1:15 am in the morning and screamed for a good 45 minutes! She woke up and when I went in to check on her she insisted on watching Mickey Mouse on the ipod (which I absolutely refused!) but she kept on and on about it. I finally had to put her in her crib until she calmed down, and I went back and rocked her a while later and she was much better. It was great to have my mom and Gramma here an extra day. I made a carmel roll for breakfast and we lounged a little. I also baked my pumpkin seeds. Then my mom and I tackled my large storage closet upstairs. We took out lots of stuff to be put on a garage sale and rearranged it so that there is room for my sewing stuff toward the front, which I will be moving up there shortly before the baby is born while I take a few months off from sewing. We also rented a couple of movies that day, 'Letters to Juliet' & 'Crazy Heart'. My mom and Gramma made potato soup and I threw some biscuits in to enjoy with it for supper!

Saturday morning my mom and Gramma headed home, we were sad to see them go, but were thrilled with the time we had together, God is always so awesome with allowing us the opportunity to spend some great quality time together. Emma really enjoyed having them here....its sooo cute how she says 'Gramma Cena'!
Here are some pictures from our week with them:

Emma giving her daddy a hug bye before he leaves for Boston

Nana and Emma

When I was going thru Emma's cloths, I got out her halloween costume (it was cousin Haley's from last year). I had it just laying on the floor when she woke up from her nap, and when she saw it she asked to put it on (I wasn't sure if she would wear it or not!) Well as you can tell from the pictures below, she LOVED it! and has wore it many times sense then!

Emma 'meowing'!

Emma checking herself out in the mirror!

My 'kitty' lounging w/ me!

Emma, Nana, Gramma Cena & Me
(you will have to excuse the way I look, it was in the morning and I am unshowered and have no make-up on)

Emma changing her baby's diaper...I am pretty sure she could master changing her new lil' brother/sister's diaper if newborns just didn't wiggle alot!

My 4 trays of pumpkin seeds...yummy!

Emma being a kitty (different day than the previous pics)

Saturday morning, Emma saying goodbye to Nana

Gramma Cena, Emma & Nana

We got quite a bit of stuff crossed off my list, especially in terms of some shopping and cleaning. So before I tackle the last of my cleaning, I can focus on getting all of my sewing done...which the list is still pretty long! And I plan to spend a few weekends in November freezing meals. My mom is going to come about a week before the baby is due, and we will finish up what I have left to do and wait for baby Struckman #2 to arrive!

Thanks SO MUCH Mom and Gramma Cena for coming out and helping me! You were a tremendous help to this crazy, pregnant woman! Love you both so very much!!!

More Misc Pics...

Here are a few more misc pics from a few weeks ago that I haven't posted yet:

Emma squishing Shane's cheeks!

Emma looking soo beautiful! I just love her smile!

Our lil' bathtime burrito!

Emma has been picking out this shirt/dress I made her now all the time to wear! Its pretty cute on her! And of course, she loves that it matches Sophie!

Lounging and drinking some 'tea'!

Emma thought this was a comfortable spot to watch Mickey Mouse and have her juice!

Misc and Uncle Tanner comes to visit...

Things have been going really well around here. We made it thru my craft show. It went well, it was what I expected in the sense of the crowd it drew (not really my consumer base), but it was still fun and I did make a profit. Plus, I made some good contacts that have shared their info on future craft shows...so only time will tell if I am able to do more come spring, I may not be able to for awhile with nursing a baby (Emma would never take bottle well, so I never went anywhere kid-free for more than 2-3 hours for a year!)

Emma has really been into playing with her blocks, this was one of daddy and her's creations the other night (we all enjoy playing with the blocks)!

Emma enjoying herself, relaxing in the recliner and coloring!

Uncle Tanner came down from Humboldt, IA to spend the weekend with us (Oct. 16th-17th) , so he could watch the Texas vs. Nebraska game with Shane...good thing, so Shane had someone to grieve the loss with ;)

Emma really enjoyed having Uncle Tanner here, and made him play blocks, of course!
Sunday morning, we went to church, the following pictures we took afterwords...it was just beautiful outside!

Shane, Emma and Tanner

A quick family pic!

Daddy and Emma

Emma also got Uncle Tanner to play 'house'! He is such a good Uncle!

Tanner left on Sunday afternoon, and my Mom and Gramma arrived Sunday evening...that post to come next!

33 Week Belly Pics...

I am a week behind, but here is my 33 week belly pics (i was 33 weeks last Sunday, 10/17).
We have our 34 week appointment tomorrow, I will update with my new stats and new pics then (if i remember to take some!)

Last Family Vacation as a Family of 3...

Last weekend, Oct. 8th-10th, we headed to Grand Harbor Resort & Water Park in Dubuque, IA for a our last getaway as a family of 3! We wanted to spend a weekend just relaxing and having fun with Emma. The weekend actually wasn't all that relaxing, b/c its hard to relax with a 2 year old, but we still had fun.

We got to the hotel around 8pm on Friday and after getting settled in we took Emma for a stroll along the Mississippi River, the weather was beautiful!
Saturday morning we walked to the Mississippi Museum & Aquarium. We spent around 2 1/2 hours there, and by that time I was miserable and couldn't be on my feet much longer. I told Shane that when #3 is on its way and we decide to do a last mini-vacation as a family of 4, that we need to do it before I reach 28 weeks , I think I would enjoy it much more (I was 32 weeks pregnant during this weekend).
After we got back to the hotel, we didn't rest at all, but instead headed to the waterpark. Emma had a blast and loved the water. Shane was the only one that did the waterslides!
After spending some time at the waterpark, we headed back to our room to rest. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep, and Shane eventually took a nap too, but Emma never did!
We spent the rest of the evening taking another walk and enjoying the beautiful outdoor weather, we ordered room service for supper and ended up shutting all the lights and tv off at 8:44pm (we were tired)! At some time during the night, Emma sat straight up in bed and says "water park fun!" and lays back down...she must of been dreaming about the water park.
Sunday morning was great...we got up and spent as much time as we could at the waterpark before we had to check out at noon. We all floated together on the lazy river for an hour, which was the most relaxing part of the entire trip for me! Emma was sad to leave the waterpark. After checking out and loading up the minivan, we went back to the museum (since our tickets covered the entire weekend), and just went thru the live aquatic displays again. We then headed out of town, hoping to find a place to eat. Once we realized after about 15 miles we weren't gonna hit anything, I saw this little sign along the side of the road for a little place called the 'skyway diner' or something like that. It looked a little questionable, but I needed to eat, so we went in (we were the only ones there). We were greeted by a little boxer dog. We ordered our food, which turned out to be super delicious and hit the spot. The little boxer even sat under Emma's chair to clean up after her (just like Bella!). About halfway thru our lunch, a little boxer puppy came running out, Emma got a huge kick out of it! It was actually quite comical and a perfect ending to a blessed trip! After getting in the minivan, Emma and I both fell asleep and didn't wake up til we were a few blocks from our house!

Emma sitting in her new floatie, ready for some fun in the water!

Emma at the museum

Shane and Emma checking out the big fish, shark and stingrays

Emma playing in the kids water display

The Mississippi River

The river front walkway

Trying to get a picture of Emma, but she is doing her 'wild woman' act!

View from one window from our room

View from the other window in our room

Emma at the waterpark, ready to play!

Emma and mommy

Emma telling me 'waterpark fun!'

My favorite display at the museum was by far the live seahorses! Hopefully, you can see the seahorse in this picture! They were so cute, and such a unique creation by God!

Emma with her souvenir from the trip that she picked out...its a pink beaver that makes a little chirping sound, she insists that it is a kitty cat tho!

Since we have arrived home, Emma talks daily about the water park and how fun it was and makes a water park out of her blocks. I told her we will go again!