Baby #2

Baby #2 sure has given me a run for the money.  Last Thursday was suppose to be a fun an exciting time for the Izzo family. We had our 18 week "big" ultrasound and I was so excited to bring Alexia with us so that she could see the baby.  I had this idea in my head that she would get a better understanding that there really is a baby in mommy's belly and we aren't just telling her stories.  Lately she has been so into the baby belly and it warms my heart.  She talks to the baby and she wants to lay on the baby and give the baby kisses.  She has come a long way from the little girl that when asked if she wanted a brother or a sister would say "NO!"
Now back to last Thursday...
We got to the appointment and we went right in for the ultrasound and the minute the tech put the machine on the belly the heartbeat showed up....HOWEVER the heartbeat was only 50! I could tell right away something wasn't right and she had me roll over to the left side and stepped out.  She came back in and I just flat out said.  Somethings wrong.  She informed me that they are waiting for the doctor to get in and she will try and get more of the ultrasound done with me on the left side.   She started again and the heartbeat was back up to the normal fast pace so she continued and a couple minutes later it dropped again so again she stepped out.  When she came back in she moved us to a different room where she wanted me to lay on the left side and wait for the doctor. 
Of course I was a wreck by this time.  Lexi was behaving herself so well.  This was just not how I was wanting today to go.  The NP came in and told me they made me an appointment at a specialist to get a special ultrasound and possibly an echo of the baby's heart.  We left the appoint and headed straight over.  Longest 1.5 hours of my life.  It took forever for us to get in and once we did and they started the ultrasound the heartbeat came up at that normal face pace.  She continued with the ultrasound which took about 45 minutes and the heartbeat didn't drop or change during the entire thing.  She then took everything to the specialist who came in and informed me that everything was normal!!!  AH some relief.   The heartbeat didn't drop and the heart looked normal and she really thought that it was just a scare and that I could relax.  Easier said then done.  I was a little more reassured by this but she wanted to do an echo in 4 weeks just to make sure everything is normal.  The heart will be bigger at this time and they will be able to make sure there are no abnormalities.  However she doesn't think she will find any. 
It was such a scary day and now I have even more anxiety then I did before.  I count down the days to every appointment so that I can hear that little fast heartbeat to know it is in there.  Lately I have been feeling more and more movement so that is also helping calming my fears a little.  Yesterday I saw the OB and we listened to the heartbeat for a while to see if she could hear any changes and it was nice and fast and normal the whole time.  Now we just wait until October 3rd for that echo and after that I may be able to sleep a little better.  I brought Lexi with me to the OB appointment and was pleasantly surprised with how well she behaved herself.  The Popsicle reward definitely gave her something to look forward to.  She is getting more and more grown up by the day!! 

The morning of the big ultrasound

ready to go see the baby

19.5 weeks

where did my little baby go!?!?

While Daddy is away the girls will play

Wednesday was Lew's 36th birthday and we were able to spend most of the day with him.  Lexi made him a card and picked him out a nice box of cupcakes!!  Next he is off to his favorite place for the rest of the week/weekend leaving just us girls to fend for ourselves.  It is now Friday and so far things have been going very smoothly.  We have been getting a lot of playtime in as well with a lot of cleaning.  Lexi has become a great helper when it comes to the laundry and dishes and she has a blast doing both of them. 
Lately I am amazed at my daughters ability to complete puzzles.  They aren't the puzzles with the separate pieces and little handles anymore.  They are legit puzzles and she can put them together so fast!  What a smart little girl we have on our hands.  She is also doing a lot of counting, finally able to get most of the numbers in the right order! 
I see her coming out of her shell and into herself more and more everyday.  She is such a little ball of energy, but she is also as stubborn and strong willed as her Dad.  Lately my problem is disciple, I really need to learn how to stand my ground and keep to what I say.  We have been working the counting to three process and for some reason three easily turns into 10 very quickly so I can avoid screaming and whining.   I have told myself that she needs to learn and she needs to sit in time-out no matter how much she cries.  There isn't many times when I need to use the time-out threat but lately it seems to be happening more frequently. 
Crafts are her new favorite thing!  We sit at the table on and off all day long and cut out shapes and glue them on paper.  We color with crayons and markers and play with the glue sticks.  Today for being a good girl she got a set of playdough and has been loving cutting it and making a mess for mommy to clean up. 
I am now almost 18 weeks pregnant but feeling at least 8 months.  The belly is every expanding and making for uncomfortable days and nights.  Lexi is very interested in the baby these days and it makes me very happy.  She talks about the baby and wants to touch the belly and talk to it.  It is just the sweetest thing and a complete 180 from where she was a month or so ago.  We talk about what a great big sister she will be to her new little brother or sister and what a big helper she will be to mommy.  She is so loving and caring I can not wait to see how she reacts once the baby is finally with us.  Next Thursday is our big ultrasound and I am dying to see my little baby!!  Even though we will not be finding out the sex until delivery I just want a peek at the little being growing so rapidly in my belly. 
Now back to the homework assignment that is due tonight that I keep finding every little thing to keep me from!! 

homework or blog post?!?!!?

Obviously the blog post won the titled debate. 

Last Thursday Lexi and I packed up and headed to the cooler weather for the weekend.  I can't express how wonderful it was to be able to spend quality time outside.  It has been a while since we were able to spend more then a couple of minutes outside.  Not to mention the quality moma and papa time we squeezed in. 
This was also our first try at making a long drive in panties.  I have to say it was successful.  I was prepared to make stops if needed but she made it the whole drive with no accidents it was pregnant mommy who had to stop.  She was a little apprehensive about being in the public bathroom at the gas station and insisted she didn't have to go and was ready to get outta there ASAP.  Once we made it to Moma's she had to go and was nervous about using their potty as well because there was no little seat with duckies on it.  We made it through and she even did a little poopie but that was the end of that.  We went to walmart and picked up a potty seat and stool so she could feel more at home.  I though this would end the no pooping on the potty debate but boy was I wrong.  2 days later she would finally go poopie but she wanted her diaper :(  Oh great I though, we are back to square one.  I was terrified that when we got back home she would regress and want her diaper again.  Thank goodness I was wrong.  She picked right off where she left off, going to the potty on her own and pooping on the potty alone as well!!  Cue the HUGE sigh of relief. 
The rest of the weekend was spent following Moma around wanting to read the Pout Pout Fish books and grandma loved every minute of it (I think). We made it to the park everyday and walked every night, it was glorious.  Lexi had her first encounter with a skunk and it was priceless.  She saw it in the middle of the road up ahead of where we were walking and pointed out the black kitty in the road.  That is when it turned and looked at us and we spotted the white stripe.  Nope we said Lexi that is a skunk.  She freaked, ran into her stroller and started whining and wanting to go back to the house.  We explained to her what a skunk was and why we couldn't walk by it and she proceeded to call it a "kunk" the rest of the walk.  She was on "kunk" alert until we got back to the safety of Moma's house.  Then it was time to head back to the heat and our regular daily routine.  Fun times, work and school back full force.

POTTY SUCCESS and a few pictures (not of the potty success!)

Some of you may be sick of seeing my super excited posts about Lexi finally going poopie on the potty but I cannot help but share my extreme excitement on the subject.  For those of you who know me know we have been struggling with the pooping in the potty issue since we started potty training.  Lexi took to going pee pee in the potty so fast and we hardly have any accidents these days.  Up until now she would come and ask for a diaper everytime she had to go poopie.   When we would try and get her on the potty to go it was like we were trying to make her eat vegetables!! She would scream and fight it.  Not wanting to make her anymore scared of the process then she already was we decided to let it go and just keep trying to get her to WANT to do it.  Nope not happening.  We recently found a wonderful new babysitter Emily who has been (I think) the master behind Lexi pooping in the potty.  Last week she did her first real poopie in the potty on her own over at Emily's house.  Would she use the potty at our house?  Uh DUH of course not.  We got the same results.  Crying and screaming and then just holding it in until she got a diaper.  Last week I even told Lexi that I was throwing away all the diapers and she would have to use the potty.  She was okay with this, until it came time to poopie.  She had me all figured out from the moment I told her she only got a diaper for nap and night time.  The smart girl waited until she got a diaper for nap or night time and then took her poopie to avoid using the toilet.  Flash forward to Tuesday after going poopie at Emily's (and rewarded with a yummy lollipop, which we tried as a reward at home to no result) I didn't think she would have to go again.  Lucky me after bath we are in her room and she walks up to me with a diaper she somehow found in the closet and told me she had to go poopie.  I did my usual, well why don't we try going on the potty like you do at Emily's so that you can get some lollipop.  "okay"  WHAT!!!!!  alright lets do this.  She walks into the bathroom and asks me to sit with her and read the monkey pop book.  Okay we have done this before and spent a good 20 minutes sitting in there with nothing happening only for her to get the diaper and go right away.  NOT THIS TIME!!  She went right away and she was so excited!!!  I was so excited and doing my happy dance.  The first thing she said was she wanted to show daddy so we cleaned up and went to get daddy.  She showed daddy and we faced timed MoMa to tell her the wonderful news.  Then she got her lollipop!!!  Today was even more glorious.  She came to me and said she needed to go poopie and walked straight into the bathroom and told me to leave and she would call me for a wipe.  Sure enough a few minutes later we had another successful poopie on the potty with more lollipop for a reward!!!  I think that we are finally making progress in the pooping in the potty area and it won't be long before we don't have to worry about diapers anymore.  The next thing would be the night and nap time potty training.  For all of you moms out there who have done that already, any advise for me!?!?!?  I would love for Lexi to be out of diapers before the baby gets here in February!!!!

I totally forgot to do her 2 year birthday photo with her one year/birth photo so it's a little late but done non-the-less

such a happy girl

having some posing fun today with big bear before going to costco

my beautiful lil lady :)

can't get enough of her

the job never ends

Monday and Tuesday I had pretty full days at work and they went by so fast and smooth!  I love my new office :)  I can only hope that it will work out for a long time to come.  Even though the commute to the office is pretty long, especially on the way home, the fact that I really enjoy the people I work with makes it all worth it.  Today is Wednesday and I can't help but dread the rest of the week.  I can not wait for the weather to cool down so that Lexi and I can have more to do. I miss our zoo trips with Becky and Hayden.   Playing at the park and taking walks seems like forever ago. 

Monday Lexi had her first successful poopie on the potty while at Emily's house.  We were all so excited for her and wondering if this would be the one that made her realize it wasn't so scary to poopie on the potty.  After I got her in the car I asked her "So are you going to go poopie on the potty at your house too?"  Her response "No, only at Emily's house"  I couldn't help but laugh and wonder how we would pull that one off.  The next day she didn't go potty at Emily's house and after dinner she asked for her diaper.   I tried and tried and bribed and bribed but she wouldn't budge, it was poopie in the diaper.  Fast forward to right now.  She asked for her diaper and after a few minutes of crying and whining I actually won the battle and she sat on the potty with no crying.  She sat and sat and had me sit by her and go outside and wait, then sit by her.  This went on for a good 15 minutes.  In the end there was no poopie but she gave it a valiant effort.  She sat there and she pushed and she tried.  So now we will just have to wait and see if she will try again on the potty when she has to go or if she will insist on the diaper.  Potty training has been going really well besides the poopie.  We hardly have any accidents, granted we aren't out in public that much these days.  There is still a long road ahead and I am just crossing my fingers that she is going poopie in the potty by the time baby Izzo #2 arrives.

So for those of you that have gone through this same problem and had success in the end, PLEASE let me know your secrets!!!!

The Forgotten Blog

Jaclyn so kindly reminded me the other day that it had been a very long time since I had blogged.  Looking back, it has been quite some time.  So lets start with this.....

It has been 5 months since my PRK laser eye surgery and I wouldn't change it for the world.  Waking up and not having to worry about getting contacts in my eyes before I can even see has been life changing. I am not being dramatic!!  It is AMAZING being able to see all the time, whenever I want.  Even thought the healing time was painful and rough and the first few months were a little blurry and contained a lot of light sensitivity I can know say that I am having hardly any after effects.  Every now and again I experience some dry eye but that is nothing new after being in contacts for so long.  So to those who are considering getting lasik or PRK eye surgery I say go for it.  What have you got to lose but your glasses and contacts!!!

Tomorrow I will be entering the 2nd trimester!!!  Yes people I will finally be 12 weeks pregnant and I can't wait to start feeling a little more normal again.  And by normal I really just mean not feeling like I am going to hurl every minute of everyday.  It is true what they say, the second time around everything happens faster.  By 5 weeks my wonderful belly button, that never fully recovered from being pregnant with Lexi, was already popped out.  TERRIFIC.  I have been sporting an undeniable belly bump for the last couple of weeks and feel like I look at least 6 months pregnant already.   This pregnancy has been just like the first except everything seems a little more intense.  The nausea is the same, all day everyday but worse in the afternoon and evenings but more prominent (thankful for the meds they provided me but they only provide relief for a good hour).  The back pain is already present and having me wonder just how awful it is going to get in the next 6 months.  Something new with this pregnancy is the sciatic pain. HOLY SMOKES.  Sleeping is few and far between.  I am up every couple of hours to pee or to re-situate because I become so uncomfortable.  OKAY OKAY enough with the complaining!!!  We are so excited to be expecting our 2nd baby Izzo in early February and no matter what trials and tribulations come our way we will make it through to the end!!!  So here is hoping to an EASIER and HAPPIER post partum experience!!!! 

I will try and keep up with the blog better from here on out.  If there are even any people out there eagerly awaiting the update on our lives!!!  Between work, school, and little Miss Lexi life is a bit on the hectic side to say the least. 

The first few days

The waiting was the hardest part.  You get there about 3 hours before you even get close to having the actual procedure done.  For me it was PRK.  I wasn't scared for the procedure itself I was getting more and more concerned for the recovery as I sat in the waiting room wondering if I was making the right decision.  The procedure itself took a whopping 10 minutes and it was a very weird experience.  you lay down flat on a table and they put a bunch of drops in your eyes and then they stick in the little things that keep your eye lids open and then you have to stare into this very bright light while the laser does its work.  It was hard staring at the bright light but it was over before you knew it and you were walking out the door with you sunglasses on.  They had told us that the numbing drops will give us a good 3-4 hours before they wear off.  LIE!!!!  We weren't in the car 10 minutes when the burning and stinking and extreme sensitivity started.  The glasses weren't enough I had to have my sweater wrapped around my eyes as well.  It was pretty awful I'm not going to lie.  They order you to go home and sleep the first 3-4 hours and that was impossible for me with all the burning.  I gave in and took a pain pill and that seemed to ease it enough so I could relax just a little bit.  My caffeine withdraw headache eventually turned into a migraine to add to all the fun.  Needless to say the discomfort continued for about 5 hours then subsided enough for me to actually sleep.  It was a restless sleep but some sleep non the less.  Day 1 post surgery was wonderful.  I woke up with no discomfort and slight sensitivity to the light, as long as I had my sunglasses on I was good.  This was great, now I was wondering how the rest of the first 4 days would be.  Could I really be lucky enough that I would be some of the few that don't have such a hard time during the recovery.  OH NO.  That day I had my post op appointment and they said I was healing fast and everything was looking great I should be in the home stretch now.  Day 2 I woke up with slight discomfort and sensitivity but pushed through it to be able to take care of Lexi.   We even made it to the mall to go shopping with grandma and auntie Stacey.  By the end of the day I was pretty uncomfortable and couldn't look at anything that was remotely light.  Day 3, the worst day ever!!  Thank goodness my mom was here for the first half of the day to keep Lexi busy playing outside.  I couldn't even leave the bedroom.  I had shades on and covers over my head.  I had to take a pain pill just to try and be comfortable.  This went on all day and it made for a very long day.  This brings us to Monday day 4.  What a great feeling to wake up and not have intense sensitivity or burning.  Lexi went to the sitters so I would be able to get rest and not have to go outside just in case the sensitivity was still present.  Jaclyn came over and kept me company most of the day, which was nice since I haven't been able to watch tv, read, or get on the computer for a while now.  Yesterday was day 5 and I woke up the same and Lexi and I were even able to play outside.  I still can't see clearly or far away but it seems the pain and discomfort days are behind me.  They say it can take months for the vision to stabilize but in the end if I don't have to worry about glasses and contacts it makes it all worth it.  I'm just so lucky to have such wonderful family to help me out through the rough days.  Without Lew stepping up we would have had some problems!!  Thanks everyone for the support and texts the first few days.  I wasn't able to read them but I know they were there and they ment a lot!! 

PRK

So I realize it has been way too long since I have taken the time to blog.  I have been without a job since the end of October and it has been impossible to find something.  I have decided that now is the perfect time to take that big jump and get lasik eye surgery so that I no longer have to worry about glasses and contacts.  My big complaint about contacts is that my eyes are constantly red and irritated making me look like I go out drinking hard every night.  I hate this and the fact that my face is very close to others while I am working.  So on Monday I went in and had a lasik exam to see if I qualify for the procedure.  Of course I don't qualify for the simple lasik procedure with the couple days recovery and then you have your vision back, OH NO.  Due to very thin corneas I have to go with the PRK procedure which is almost exactly like the lasik but different in there is no flap cut for the laser and the recovery time is much longer.  I didn't really care, I am not working so this seems the perfect time to get it done.  Then last night I made the mistake of getting online and doing "research" on the pain and recovery.  I am in no way concerned about the procedure itself, stuff like that just doesn't bother me.  I am however now having extreme anxiety about the recovery period.  Too late now, I go in at 11 today to have it done and I refuse to freak out and back out.  I have wanted this forever and it is happening this morning.  I am saying goodbye to glasses and contacts!!!!  Once I can see enough to update I will attempt to let you all know how things are going.  For now, your thoughts are greatly appreciated.  Until later!!!