No news is...

Good news? Whoever came up with that? I guess it really doesn't apply when you're waiting on your baby to arrive. Today is my due date and I am still feeling pretty comfortable; just feeling a little anxious as I know that something life changing is about to happen. Anyhow, I don't plan on dwelling too much over the whole due date thing for two reasons: Dylan was 5 days late, and I've been thinking about it, and my due date could be off an entire week (we moved it up a week from what I had thought the due date was after Owen's measurements from his first ultrasound).

So, this week we decided to let Dylan have a good treat, and I am not talking about something you eat. Two of Dylan's favorite things are watching TV (which I promise I try to limit), and cars. For the majority of his wakeful hours, Dylan is holding on to, or playing with at least two cars. When you combine these two loves, what do you get? Cars, the movie. Dylan was SO excited to see this movie and I think that it may have taken Finding Nemo out of the running for his favorite.


It's showtime and Dylan was sweet enough to flash a cute smile in his Mommy's direction.

I wanted to add to my post some of the funny things that Dylan has been saying lately.

Baby Owend. Baby soon. (He says this when he is looking at my belly. I guess me telling him that Owen will be here soon is sinking in.)

Uh oh. I stinky. (when he has a poopy diaper)

Get down now. (which is him mimicking me or Isaac when he is standing on something he knows he should not be on i.e. the arm of the couch, desk, etc)

Uh oh. I hurt (pause) Mommy. (he used to say just, "I hurt", but now he has figured out to add different words like Mommy)

Book of da Mornin' (the Book of Mormon) (or) Cat in Hat, Dr. Seuss. All books fall into one of these two categories (including books on labor).

Bye. See ya. Later. Dude. (which he got from Finding Nemo)

Dylan is very good at remembering his manners. Everytime we check out at the grocery store, he wants a sticker. He was making his wishes known to the bagger recently and after the bagger gave him his sticker he told him, "thank you" without being reminded. Then when we were walking out he told them all goodbye. He is also good about saying, "you're welcome". If you sneeze, Dylan will say, "Bless you". We are still working on perfecting "please". But when he does say it, he says it so cute that there is no way that I resist giving him pretty much whatever he is aking for. This heart melting technique also applies to "Sarwee" (sorry).

I've turned into such a hipppie

Sorry people. I am stepping onto my pregnancy soap box again. Hopefully Owen will come soon so I won't inflict my strong feelings on everyone all the time. Here it goes.

After my research, I've pretty much decided that I want my labor experience completely different from what I had with Dylan. But fist you must understand where I am coming from. With Dylan my water broke, but I figured why wait, let's speed this thing up with pitocin. Then I tried to go as long as possible on my own dealing with the more intense and powerful contractions that can come from being on pitocin until I gave in and had the epidural. The epidural seemed nice at the time but when it came time to push they pretty much had adjusted, let it wear off, whatever, and I was somewhat on my own again. Their reason for this was that I needed to feel my contractions in order to push properly. Then after pushing for forever, more like somewhere around an hour and a half, the doctor turns Dylan so that he could be in the more proper position (facing towards my back, instead of looking out the front). Throughout this time I begged them to let me try some other position to try and help me push Dylan out but because of the epidural that I pretty much no longer had, I wasn't allowed to do so. So to wrap up my little (or somewhat long) story, Dylan flipped pretty immediately to the same tough position, I tried for another hour and a half to avoid the cesarean, but in the end, gave in.

So, Kayleen's little mind has decided that she wants something completely different. I don't want the pitocin, it can also make the chances of having your uterus rupture from your previous cesarean slightly higher. I definitely don't want the epidural because I think I'll always wonder if I had been given the opportunity to try a more effective way of pushing, I just may have been able to push Dylan out. In order to deal with the pain, I really want to try to labor for a time in a labor pool. They have them at my hospital and I've read that they can really help when the going gets tough in dealing with the contractions.

But I am so frustrated about how you get labeled if you have had a prior c-section. The doctors in my group strongly suggested that I set up a date for surgery in case I haven't had Dylan by a certain amount of time. I eventually gave in, but I am in the works of having that appointment canceled. If this were my first delivery they wouldn't have me go ahead and set up a date for surgery, so why treat me any differently when I really want to at least be able to try regardless if I may be past my due date or I may have another large baby. In the end for me, I would have a hard time living with myself if I was never given the chance to just try.

I am frustrated that the doctor's seem to support you in trying for a VBAC, but when you ask them some trickier questions, they seem like their all to anxious to pull out their scalpels, or whatever they use.

The other thing that gets me is how they try to make you feel like you're doing something that is so radical. In the end, when you're looking at the numbers, your risks that are involved with a c-section are greater than the risks that come along with having a VBAC. Yet, so many women are scared into just opting for that repeat.

I am so nervous about this upcoming delivery but mostly because my future is so uncertain. What would I have given to not have my first one end up in surgery and now have this be my last shot at having a nonsurgical delivery. The size of my family depends on this. I can't wait for it to all be over with so that I can know how my crazy little story will end.

Three little monkeys (or cousins)

I thought black was supposed to be slimming

I guess not so much when you are 36 weeks pregnant!

And I quote myself...

"I am 33 weeks now and life is so much more favorable than in my third trimester with Dylan. I am not swollen, at least not yet, I don't have that crazy sciatic nerve problem, and no PUPS (which is a very unpleasant rash that can occur during pregnancy). So, in comparison, life is great. Hopefully I won't have to eat my words later on!"

How ironic is life that the very next week who got the horrible pregnancy rash, which is actually spelled PUPPPS? You guessed it. Out of all of the things that I listed I thought that there was no way I would end up with that again. I woke up last Monday morning and started to have a panic attack when I looked at my itchy stomach and recognized it right away. PUPPPS is so rare that it only happens in 1 out of 250 pregnancies. I think the odds of getting it more than once are even greater. But, the good news is that I decided to try ro treat it with some herbs that other people had said helped their rash clear up completely. Isaac and I were hesitant for me to try them just because we wanted to make sure that they were safe. But after doing some research, we decided that they seemed safe enough. So, I gave it a try and 5-6 days later, my rash has disappeared. I am so ecstatic!

I am now back to feeling like life is great again. I went in today for my 35 week check up and everything is looking good. I was nervous that Owen might have turned because he was doing some pretty crazy gymnastics the other day. But when I asked the Dr. she felt around and told me that he was still head down AND she said judging by his head he seemed like he wasn't that big. She also told me I was dialated 1 cm. and that since I was fully dialated with Dylan that my body would treat this as a second birth even though Dylan ended up being a C-section. So, all in all I was pretty excited about my appointment.

Tomorrow, by calendar, I am exactly a month from my due date. I am so excited that it won't be long before I get to lay eyes on my precious little boy.

Happy 4th of July!

I have been looking forward to celebrating the 4th for several weeks now, so when it finally came, I was so excited. I am so thankful for the freedoms that we are able to enjoy and for those who have and continue to protect our liberty.

We kicked off our day by going to the parade that they do in the downtown section of the city where we live. One of the greatest thrills as a parent is to see your child experience things and to watch the excitement in their eyes. Dylan has been to a couple of parades before but I don't think that he remembers them, so, it was like getting to do it all over again for the first time. One of his favorite things was the flag that someone gave him. He would wave it around and say, "Happy 4th of July!".


Dylan is all smiles as we waited for the parade to begin.


And very excited!



Dylan LOVES his flag! This video was taken at the end of the parade.

After the parade, we headed over to my parents house to grill out and go swimming. We had so much fun swimming. One of the best parts was playing water volleyball with the net that my brother-in-law, Scott brought. Nothing gets me hungry like a day of swimming and there was yummy food a plenty.


The fearless Dylan, so long as he has his floats on!


He's swimming!


My cute niece Cammy is happy to watch after she had her fun in the pool. I LOVE her red hair!

Then when we got back we were able to catch the fireworks display that they do for our city as well. Dylan liked the fireworks and would point and say, "FIREWORKS!". At the end when they did the grand finale, I am not sure if he knew quite what to think of it.


By the time we got home, he was so exhausted I think he was happy to go to bed. We had so much fun to hang out as a family, and I am already excited for next year when we can celebrate with Owen.

Summer, summer, summer

I apologize for being in a blogging drought lately. Part of the problem is that I just haven't been too great about taking pictures lately. But don't you worry, I am sure that will change when Owen comes.

Mostly this summer we have just been taking it easy. Dylan and I go to the pool just about everyday Mon. - Fri. just to try to cool off. I am so proud of how much Dylan has improved with being in the water. The first time we went, he clung to me for dear life and whined a lot but now he is fine to just bob around in the water with his floaties all by himself. He's a little nervous to jump off the edge of the pool but loves it when I throw him up in the air and catch him. Hopefully sometime this coming week I can get some pictures of him in the pool.

I am getting so excited for Owen to come. I am 33 weeks now and life is so much more favorable than in my third trimester with Dylan. I am not swollen, at least not yet, I don't have that crazy sciatic nerve problem, and no PUPS (which is a very unpleasant rash that can occur during pregnancy). So, in comparison, life is great. Hopefully I won't have to eat my words later on! Also, I have had a couple of people tell me that I don't look that big in comparison to other women they know that are due close to my due date. I don't think I've ever had anybody say anthing like that to me before and I was so excited to tell Isaac that not everybody thinks that I am huge!

I have my C-section scheduled for the 21st of August at 5:00 PM which is six days after my due date. But I hope and pray that I won't have to make that appointment. I am trying to give myself as much time as possible in hopes that I can go into labor on my own and try for my VBAC. I am terrified that I am going to be late and have another huge baby. But, after you have a C they won't allow you to be induced in order to go early because you have a greater risk of your uterus rupturing. I feel like I have so many strikes against my last shot at a natural birth but I guess I just need to let go of the fact that I can't control what happens. I am so fortunate to have Dylan and Owen that I have no room to complain. At my last appointment the midwife told me that Owen was measuring right on target. They do say that every pregnancy is different, so maybe I'll take myself by surprise by going into labor early and having a smaller baby.

I feel bad that I don't really have pictures for this post, but way back when I put this picture up of Dylan hanging out in the dryer.


Well, the other day he was up to his old ways and I caught this funny video. I think it took him by surprise when the dyer started moving with him inside it!