As you can tell from the date of my last post I have been absent for a while. Why you may be asking yourself. It's really quite simple. Life happened! I went back to work and school in August. I am back in the classroom for my seventh year of teaching second grade. It doesn't seem possible that this is my seventh year already. I also went back to school, Northwest, to work on completing my Master's in Education in Reading! Between going back to work and school and being a mom and being a wife, I have had very little time to do anything else.
Cole continues to amaze me at how intelligent he is. He is saying things like, "Momma you bootiful!" and "Dat looks perfect!" and "That's terrible!" I'm constantly amazed at how smart he is already. He can count to ten (he says eleven for seven but the rest is correct), he's starting to sing his ABC's and he knows the majority of his colors. We are also working on shapes. He really is a very funny and smart kid.
Chloe continues to be an amazing baby. She is an easy smile. All Michael has to do to get her to smile is say her name and she beams up at him. When she smiles she uses her whole body. Everything just wiggles! She is getting closer to being able to sit up on her own but isn't quite there yet. She did turn five months old this week. I just can't get over the fact that she is going to be half a year old next month!
Michael and I are preparing for our fifth anniversary next month. He has something planned that he isn't sharing with me, which has me both excited and nervous. :) I'm sure it will be WONDERFUL!
We'll I am going to start getting things ready to go. We are headed to Haunted Mozingo tonight!
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Back in Action!
We'll I officially started my seventh year of teaching. It doesn't seem possible that this year should be my seventh year. I keep thinking that it should only be my third or fourth year not my seventh. I am very blessed this year to only have 10 students. Not that having more kids would be a bad thing but this year we have a new reading series. It'll be really nice to only have 10 students the first year we are using this reading series. :)
It has also been a little bittersweet for me this week. I really missed Cole and Chloe this week. It just doesn't seem like the summer should be over and my time at home with them should be over.
Yesterday Chloe turned 13 weeks old. It's amazing to think that she's already that old! She is such a joy to be around. She is extremely happy all the time and continues to coo all the time.
Cole is still a busy body like he's always been. :) He doesn't believe in sleeping in. There was a morning last week that my alarm went off at 5:30 and Cole said, "Dat gan-ma calling (aka That grandma calling)?". The scary thing is that I was so tired I didn't even know that he had crawled into bed with us. Last weekend Michael had to get up early to put some meat on (he bbqs) so I was at home with the kids by myself. It was around 6:40 and I heard Cole open his door and start hollering for me. I told him I was in my room. He came in and said, "I watch Disney Junior." I pretended to be asleep and he said it again. I told him I was going to need to hear some words... (aka please). He proceeded to say, "Miska Mouska Mickey Mouse." (For those of you without children those are the magic words to make Mickey's clubhouse appear on Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse). I laughed so hard and he knew that he was going to get what he wanted because he gave me his little ornery grin and said, "What's da magic word? Miska Mouska Mickey Mouse!"
As you can tell our life is full of surprises and laughs!
It has also been a little bittersweet for me this week. I really missed Cole and Chloe this week. It just doesn't seem like the summer should be over and my time at home with them should be over.
Yesterday Chloe turned 13 weeks old. It's amazing to think that she's already that old! She is such a joy to be around. She is extremely happy all the time and continues to coo all the time.
Cole is still a busy body like he's always been. :) He doesn't believe in sleeping in. There was a morning last week that my alarm went off at 5:30 and Cole said, "Dat gan-ma calling (aka That grandma calling)?". The scary thing is that I was so tired I didn't even know that he had crawled into bed with us. Last weekend Michael had to get up early to put some meat on (he bbqs) so I was at home with the kids by myself. It was around 6:40 and I heard Cole open his door and start hollering for me. I told him I was in my room. He came in and said, "I watch Disney Junior." I pretended to be asleep and he said it again. I told him I was going to need to hear some words... (aka please). He proceeded to say, "Miska Mouska Mickey Mouse." (For those of you without children those are the magic words to make Mickey's clubhouse appear on Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse). I laughed so hard and he knew that he was going to get what he wanted because he gave me his little ornery grin and said, "What's da magic word? Miska Mouska Mickey Mouse!"
As you can tell our life is full of surprises and laughs!
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Nearing the end of July... Sigh
It's extremely hard for me to believe that August is only a few days away. I'm not sure where the last 10 weeks went and I know for sure that I'm not ready for it to be August.
We go to the doctor for Chloe's two month appointment on Monday. She's actually 10 weeks old, as of yesterday. I can't believe we're already going in for her check up. It doesn't feel like she should already be two months old. It's amazing how much more relaxed Michael and I this time around. I know that it's normal for people to be more relaxed the second time they have a kid but Chloe has also made it extremely easy to be relaxed. She has such a sweet personality. She has begun to smile a lot more and she's cooing a lot too! I just love watching her develop and grow.
Cole continues to be a great brother. He is always willing to help us by throwing away diapers, getting the bink, etc. I feel lucky that he's such a happy go lucky kid. He is so great about going with the flow and waiting for things (like a drink while I'm feeding sissy).
This coming week Michael is on vacation. It's really been the only time he's taken off work this whole summer except when Chloe was born. He's going to go and help me hang posters... I don't do ladders! We're also just going to hang out with the kids. I'm kind of excited to spend time with just the four of us.
I'm somewhat excited about school starting and somewhat dreading it. I'm excited because of the training I just took and I can't wait to implement some of the things I learned in my classroom. I'm dreading it because I'm really not excited about leaving Chloe and Cole. I have really enjoyed this summer being at home the most of any. I think it's because I've really seen Cole develop and grow this summer. I've also got a ton of snuggling time with Chloe. I'm not ready to leave that. It makes me a little teary eyed even thinking about it. We are so blessed that we have a great daycare that we know love both of our children. It makes it a little easier to send the kids there but it's still hard.
I'm going to try not to think about that right now... I'm just going to enjoy finishing July and the beginning of August!
We go to the doctor for Chloe's two month appointment on Monday. She's actually 10 weeks old, as of yesterday. I can't believe we're already going in for her check up. It doesn't feel like she should already be two months old. It's amazing how much more relaxed Michael and I this time around. I know that it's normal for people to be more relaxed the second time they have a kid but Chloe has also made it extremely easy to be relaxed. She has such a sweet personality. She has begun to smile a lot more and she's cooing a lot too! I just love watching her develop and grow.
Cole continues to be a great brother. He is always willing to help us by throwing away diapers, getting the bink, etc. I feel lucky that he's such a happy go lucky kid. He is so great about going with the flow and waiting for things (like a drink while I'm feeding sissy).
This coming week Michael is on vacation. It's really been the only time he's taken off work this whole summer except when Chloe was born. He's going to go and help me hang posters... I don't do ladders! We're also just going to hang out with the kids. I'm kind of excited to spend time with just the four of us.
I'm somewhat excited about school starting and somewhat dreading it. I'm excited because of the training I just took and I can't wait to implement some of the things I learned in my classroom. I'm dreading it because I'm really not excited about leaving Chloe and Cole. I have really enjoyed this summer being at home the most of any. I think it's because I've really seen Cole develop and grow this summer. I've also got a ton of snuggling time with Chloe. I'm not ready to leave that. It makes me a little teary eyed even thinking about it. We are so blessed that we have a great daycare that we know love both of our children. It makes it a little easier to send the kids there but it's still hard.
I'm going to try not to think about that right now... I'm just going to enjoy finishing July and the beginning of August!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
My little rollie pollie!
It's official, Chloe can roll over! Just this past week, Wednesday, July 18th, to be exact Chloe rolled over from her belly to her back. Mind you the following day she turned NINE WEEKS OLD! I have to admit I'm EXTREMELY impressed with how quickly she is doing things. She has always been a strong little girl. She's been holding her head up for weeks. Thursday night Michael decided to shampoo our living room carpet. Of course that left Cole, Chloe and I hanging out in the bedrooms so that we wouldn't get in his way. We were in Cole's room and I had Chloe on the blanket on her back. I decided she needed a little tummy time (I haven't even really done this because she has been lifting her head for so long). As she was on her belly she started to rock back and forth and all of the sudden... BAM she rolled over. I put her back on her belly to make sure I wasn't seeing stuff and, she did it AGAIN! She rolled over a total of four times (Michael say some of them so he can verify this) that night. Then she did it again the following day for a friend. I'm soooo excited to see her rolling over!
Saturday night we ventured out to the Nodaway County Fair. We had some friends in town so they joined us. Cole had a blast going down the slide, riding the merry-go-round, and apple/berry ride (like a tilt-a-whirl for little kids). I swear he would have gone down the slide ALL night long given the opportunity! I'm just glad he had a wonderful time!
In two weeks we go in for Chloe's two month check up. I'm really curious to see how much she's grown. I'll keep everyone updated!
Saturday night we ventured out to the Nodaway County Fair. We had some friends in town so they joined us. Cole had a blast going down the slide, riding the merry-go-round, and apple/berry ride (like a tilt-a-whirl for little kids). I swear he would have gone down the slide ALL night long given the opportunity! I'm just glad he had a wonderful time!
In two weeks we go in for Chloe's two month check up. I'm really curious to see how much she's grown. I'll keep everyone updated!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Where in the world did June go?!?!?!?!?
I'm not sure how it happened but June is officially over. I am in complete shocked at how quickly it went. It doesn't seem possible that this week we will be celebrating the 4th of July! I'm excited to see Cole's reaction to the fireworks this year. Last year he liked them but I have a feeling this year he's really going to get into them!
Chloe is officially six weeks old, as of this past Friday! She continues to be an amazing baby. She slept through the night three or four nights last week... when I say through the night I mean going to bed at 10:30 or 11 and not getting up until 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning. This has really helped momma out.
Cole will start going to the sitters twice a week this week. He'll be going on Tuesday and Thursdays. I'm torn about this whole thing. I love having both of the kids home with me but I also feel like Chloe doesn't get a lot of just "mommy" time like Cole did. I know it's impossible for her to have the same amount of time with me because she is the second child but I still feel guilty about that. However, I feel guilty about sending Cole to the sitter so Chloe and I can be together. I also feel guilty about spending the money for Cole to go to the sitters when I'm at home! It's a double edged sword. It doesn't matter what I do I feel guilty.
I'm also getting excited about school starting but at the same time I'm anxious because I don't want to leave Chloe just yet. When I have to go back to school she'll be a smidgen over 11 weeks. I just keeping that she'll still be so little, even though Cole wasn't even that old when I went back with him. I guess all this "spare time" has me thinking!
As a side note, I have become completely addicted to pintrest. I actually accomplished a project that I saw on there for Chloe's room. I've put a picture of it on here at the bottom. It's a picture from hair accessory holder. I'm really excited with how well it turned out. Now all I have to do is put it up on the wall!
I'm also putting a couple pictures of the kids on here too!
Chloe is officially six weeks old, as of this past Friday! She continues to be an amazing baby. She slept through the night three or four nights last week... when I say through the night I mean going to bed at 10:30 or 11 and not getting up until 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning. This has really helped momma out.
Cole will start going to the sitters twice a week this week. He'll be going on Tuesday and Thursdays. I'm torn about this whole thing. I love having both of the kids home with me but I also feel like Chloe doesn't get a lot of just "mommy" time like Cole did. I know it's impossible for her to have the same amount of time with me because she is the second child but I still feel guilty about that. However, I feel guilty about sending Cole to the sitter so Chloe and I can be together. I also feel guilty about spending the money for Cole to go to the sitters when I'm at home! It's a double edged sword. It doesn't matter what I do I feel guilty.
I'm also getting excited about school starting but at the same time I'm anxious because I don't want to leave Chloe just yet. When I have to go back to school she'll be a smidgen over 11 weeks. I just keeping that she'll still be so little, even though Cole wasn't even that old when I went back with him. I guess all this "spare time" has me thinking!
As a side note, I have become completely addicted to pintrest. I actually accomplished a project that I saw on there for Chloe's room. I've put a picture of it on here at the bottom. It's a picture from hair accessory holder. I'm really excited with how well it turned out. Now all I have to do is put it up on the wall!
I'm also putting a couple pictures of the kids on here too!
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| Chloe in her pretty princess outfit! |
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| Cole wearing his Batman mask. FYI - This terrified Reese, our cat, for a very long time! |
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| Chloe's hair accessory's organizer. You can clip berets to the ribbon in the middle and hang headbands off of the hooks at the bottom! |
Friday, June 22, 2012
Doesn't seem possible...
It's hard to believe that five weeks ago I was in the hospital waiting for Chloe to arrive. She has been such a blessing to our family. She is adorable (to say the least). She is a wonderful sleeper and has hit a major growth spurt - she's eating every 2 to 2 and a half hours! She sleeps through the craziness of our family, including her big brother that likes to go around "scaring" everyone by growling at them!
Cole has really taken to being a big brother. Just yesterday we went to the movies and he wanted to help carry Sissy into the theater... she was in her car seat! He still can't say Chloe right or Cole for that matter. He can't make the hard c aka the k sound. It comes out more like a d. So he says doughy and dole for their names. I have to admit, it's pretty stinkin cute. Most of the time he just calls her sissy! He had four swimming lessons these last two weeks. He absolutely LOVES the water. He says, "I play in da water." He also knows that he is taking lessons from Shawn (aka in Cole's language it more like John).
OH, I forgot to mention Michael turned 40 last Saturday! :)
Well I just wanted to do a quick update!
Cole has really taken to being a big brother. Just yesterday we went to the movies and he wanted to help carry Sissy into the theater... she was in her car seat! He still can't say Chloe right or Cole for that matter. He can't make the hard c aka the k sound. It comes out more like a d. So he says doughy and dole for their names. I have to admit, it's pretty stinkin cute. Most of the time he just calls her sissy! He had four swimming lessons these last two weeks. He absolutely LOVES the water. He says, "I play in da water." He also knows that he is taking lessons from Shawn (aka in Cole's language it more like John).
OH, I forgot to mention Michael turned 40 last Saturday! :)
Well I just wanted to do a quick update!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Chloe's Baptism
Chloe and I right before she got Baptized
Actually getting Baptized
Putting the Chrism (oil) on her head
Everyone smelling the chrism
Cole after Mass
Family picture with Father Martin
The family with Brother Paul - his first Baptism
Michael and his sister Becca, Chloe's Godmother
Us with Becca and her husband Tom, Chloe's Godparents
Family Picture after the Mass
The decorations at the party
Chloe's cake - the line is because I started to cut the cake and realized I hadn't taken a picture of it yet!
Family picture with all of us, including my grandpa!
Cole's Second Birthday Party
Cole's Second Birthday Cake
Cole and his cake. I realize I should have taken a picture of him before he ate versus after!
Chloe's Arrival Pictures
5:40 am - Getting ready to leave the house
A little after 9 pm - Chloe finally arrives
Saturday morning Cole finally got to meet his sister
Our first family pictures as a family of four
Close up of Chloe
All of Chloe's information on the card the nurses made for her!
Getting ready to leave the hospital - I had to have her wear the hat that one of my former students made for her!
Welcome Chloe Jeanné Casteel
We officially have a daughter! On Friday, May 18th, 2012 we went to the hospital to be induced. We had to be at the hospital at 6 am. Since we had to be there so early in the morning my mom and dad came on Thursday evening so that they could take Cole to the sitter for us. Prior to my parents arriving Michael and I took Cole to the park. I wanted to take some time to celebrate our last evening as a family of three. Cole had a blast, as did Michael and I.
Friday morning Michael, mom, dad, and I all got up early. Michael and I finished loading the car and headed to the hospital. We had to stop and get doughnuts for me and a coffee for Michael! :) We checked in to the hospital and they got me all hooked up to the monitors and the iv. They checked me and I hadn't had any changes from the week before (1 cm dialated and 50% effaced). The started the pitocin at 7:40 am to help start labor. I had some contractions throughout the morning. I wasn't making major progress, just slow and steady. At one point in the morning we started to smell smoke in my room. I asked everyone else (Michael, my parents, the nurse) if I was the only one smelling the smoke... they informed me they smelled it too. Other rooms in the ob department were smelling it too. So after a little investigation we found out that Napoli's, a restaurant that has been closed for quite a while now, had caught on fire! Since Michael used to be a fireman and he kept running down the hallway to see the fire, I decided to send him and my father to check out the fire. :) It was a good distraction for them!
My doctor came in a little after one o'clock to check me. I asked her if I was going to have to come in another day and try again or if I had made enough progress. She informed me I was 3 cm and 80% effaced and just like Cole my bag was "bulging" and she was going to break my water for me. I was relieved because I really didn't want to come in and have to start the same process all over. By 2:45 I decided that I wanted to get an epidural. Let me tell you, my anesthesiology was AMAZING! I was able to walk to the bathroom with my epidural! After the epidural I slowed down a little bit but they upped the pitocin and I picked back up. A little after 8 they checked me and realized I was 10 cm and 100% effaced! So the nurses set up the bed and got everything ready. Chloe had been helpful and had already started to move down (she was a +1 station - meaning she had moved a little past my pelvic bone). This made the whole pushing process quicker. I ended up pushing for 15 minutes at the most. However, my daughter had her own game plan. She took her time all day long and then when she came, she came with a fury. She beat the doctor. She was actually delivered by the nurses! :) She was absolutely beautiful and perfect. She was born at 9:00 pm and she weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces and was 18 and 1/2 inches long. Her apgar scores were 9 and 10!
We found out early on Saturday morning that Chloe had some jaundice. She had to be under the bili lights and blanket. Basically the whole weekend that we were in the hospital we barely got to see her because they needed her levels to go down. So I would get to feed her and then she would have to go back under the lights. That part of our stay was miserable! We ended up having to bring a portable bili blanket home with us for her to use at home. She had to use the blanket until Thursday. She had to have her blood taken on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday morning! The whole jaundice/bili light thing was awful but thankfully we were allowed to stop using the light! She had her week appointment on the 25th and she weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce!
Chloe has been a wonderful baby. She likes to cuddle (which I LOVE) and she has been sleeping really well. Cole has adjusted pretty well. He is always saying my sissy, I hold sissy, my baby, etc. I'm really happy that he's adjusted as well as he has! I hope he continues to do this well.
This past weekend was pretty crazy. On Friday night we celebrated my niece's birthday party. On Saturday we had Cole's second birthday party and on Sunday we celebrated Chloe's Baptism! We had a Cars themed second birthday party for Cole. I'm pretty sure he loved it! We had a small party this year since last year was so big and we knew it was going to be a busy weekend! Chloe looked beautiful for her Baptism.
The rest of the summer Cole, Chloe, and I will be hanging out at home together (except on Fridays - Cole will be at the sitters). I'm really excited to get to spend the summer with my adorable children! :)
I'll post some pictures of Chloe, Cole's party, and Chloe's Baptism! :)
Friday morning Michael, mom, dad, and I all got up early. Michael and I finished loading the car and headed to the hospital. We had to stop and get doughnuts for me and a coffee for Michael! :) We checked in to the hospital and they got me all hooked up to the monitors and the iv. They checked me and I hadn't had any changes from the week before (1 cm dialated and 50% effaced). The started the pitocin at 7:40 am to help start labor. I had some contractions throughout the morning. I wasn't making major progress, just slow and steady. At one point in the morning we started to smell smoke in my room. I asked everyone else (Michael, my parents, the nurse) if I was the only one smelling the smoke... they informed me they smelled it too. Other rooms in the ob department were smelling it too. So after a little investigation we found out that Napoli's, a restaurant that has been closed for quite a while now, had caught on fire! Since Michael used to be a fireman and he kept running down the hallway to see the fire, I decided to send him and my father to check out the fire. :) It was a good distraction for them!
My doctor came in a little after one o'clock to check me. I asked her if I was going to have to come in another day and try again or if I had made enough progress. She informed me I was 3 cm and 80% effaced and just like Cole my bag was "bulging" and she was going to break my water for me. I was relieved because I really didn't want to come in and have to start the same process all over. By 2:45 I decided that I wanted to get an epidural. Let me tell you, my anesthesiology was AMAZING! I was able to walk to the bathroom with my epidural! After the epidural I slowed down a little bit but they upped the pitocin and I picked back up. A little after 8 they checked me and realized I was 10 cm and 100% effaced! So the nurses set up the bed and got everything ready. Chloe had been helpful and had already started to move down (she was a +1 station - meaning she had moved a little past my pelvic bone). This made the whole pushing process quicker. I ended up pushing for 15 minutes at the most. However, my daughter had her own game plan. She took her time all day long and then when she came, she came with a fury. She beat the doctor. She was actually delivered by the nurses! :) She was absolutely beautiful and perfect. She was born at 9:00 pm and she weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces and was 18 and 1/2 inches long. Her apgar scores were 9 and 10!
We found out early on Saturday morning that Chloe had some jaundice. She had to be under the bili lights and blanket. Basically the whole weekend that we were in the hospital we barely got to see her because they needed her levels to go down. So I would get to feed her and then she would have to go back under the lights. That part of our stay was miserable! We ended up having to bring a portable bili blanket home with us for her to use at home. She had to use the blanket until Thursday. She had to have her blood taken on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday morning! The whole jaundice/bili light thing was awful but thankfully we were allowed to stop using the light! She had her week appointment on the 25th and she weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce!
Chloe has been a wonderful baby. She likes to cuddle (which I LOVE) and she has been sleeping really well. Cole has adjusted pretty well. He is always saying my sissy, I hold sissy, my baby, etc. I'm really happy that he's adjusted as well as he has! I hope he continues to do this well.
This past weekend was pretty crazy. On Friday night we celebrated my niece's birthday party. On Saturday we had Cole's second birthday party and on Sunday we celebrated Chloe's Baptism! We had a Cars themed second birthday party for Cole. I'm pretty sure he loved it! We had a small party this year since last year was so big and we knew it was going to be a busy weekend! Chloe looked beautiful for her Baptism.
The rest of the summer Cole, Chloe, and I will be hanging out at home together (except on Fridays - Cole will be at the sitters). I'm really excited to get to spend the summer with my adorable children! :)
I'll post some pictures of Chloe, Cole's party, and Chloe's Baptism! :)
Monday, May 14, 2012
The End is in Sight!
Hallelujah! The end of my pregnancy is in sight. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy some of pregnancy, but I'm ready to meet this little girl. My curiosity is killing. I want to know what she looks like, does she like to be swaddled, is she going to like to snuggle, how is Cole going to adapt to having to share mom/dad/grandparents/etc. I know that the end is in sight because this Friday my doctor is going to induce me at 6 am. So hopefully sometime on the 18th we'll get to meet Chloe!
It's hard to believe that in five days we'll be in the hospital ready for labor - yes, I'm aware it could be sooner but I've decided that Chloe is extremely stubborn and doesn't feel like vacating my womb anytime soon! We got her bag packed for the hospital and loaded into the van. We also got her car seat installed yesterday. The only things we have left to do is to get my bags packed, which I really can't do until the day of because I am using the majority of my stuff daily!
Let's pray that this week goes by quickly and that I get everything done both at home and school before Friday. :)
It's hard to believe that in five days we'll be in the hospital ready for labor - yes, I'm aware it could be sooner but I've decided that Chloe is extremely stubborn and doesn't feel like vacating my womb anytime soon! We got her bag packed for the hospital and loaded into the van. We also got her car seat installed yesterday. The only things we have left to do is to get my bags packed, which I really can't do until the day of because I am using the majority of my stuff daily!
Let's pray that this week goes by quickly and that I get everything done both at home and school before Friday. :)
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Keep Plugging Along!
Well, I'm 38 weeks and 3 days pregnant right now! It's hard to believe the last time I was pregnant I went into labor at 38 weeks and 4 days! Kind of crazy!
I've been super busy these last two weeks. I'm really excited though because I made it through my presentation for Teacher Academy, the Second Grade Retreat, and our Spring Program (tonight). Now the next big thing I have to get through (without having the baby) is tomorrow's end of the year field trip. :) Hopefully I won't go into labor while we're in St. Joe! I do go in to the doctor tomorrow. I'm hoping to hear some positive news (i.e. - I'm dialated more than 1 cm and effaced more than 50%). I'm going to keep my fingers crossed.
I'm really hoping to have this baby on Sunday. See I was born on Mother's Day and I'm hoping that my daughter might want to follow in my footsteps! We'll see. I'm beginning to lose hope that she wants to come out at all!
We'll I'm headed to bed. I'll update with info from tomorrow's appointment!
I've been super busy these last two weeks. I'm really excited though because I made it through my presentation for Teacher Academy, the Second Grade Retreat, and our Spring Program (tonight). Now the next big thing I have to get through (without having the baby) is tomorrow's end of the year field trip. :) Hopefully I won't go into labor while we're in St. Joe! I do go in to the doctor tomorrow. I'm hoping to hear some positive news (i.e. - I'm dialated more than 1 cm and effaced more than 50%). I'm going to keep my fingers crossed.
I'm really hoping to have this baby on Sunday. See I was born on Mother's Day and I'm hoping that my daughter might want to follow in my footsteps! We'll see. I'm beginning to lose hope that she wants to come out at all!
We'll I'm headed to bed. I'll update with info from tomorrow's appointment!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Almost 37 Weeks
Tomorrow I will be 37 weeks pregnant! It's hard to believe that in three weeks or less I'll have a little baby girl! We've been in the world of boys for so long that having a girl is going to be extremely different!
I have to admit that I'm getting very anxious to meet her and see what she looks like. My impatience is getting really bad because this weekend I got to hold and love on my adorable little niece. It makes me want to have my little girl here so that I can hold her and cuddle with her.
I think we're progressively getting busier! This weekend we ran to St. Joe on Friday night to drop Cole off at my parents house. Then we picked up our new flooring for our kitchen and dining room. On Saturday I had First Communion practice and then worked at school all day. Michael worked on the flooring in the dining room and kitchen flooring all day. Today we have First Communion with three parties we've been invited to attend after Mass. Then we're headed back to St. Joe to pick up Cole and go buy meat for various events. This coming week is going to be almost as busy... Teacher Academy, second grade retreat, faculty meeting, doctor's appointment, and making a bbq dinner next weekend. I'm curious to see how next week's doctor's appointment goes. With Cole I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced at 37 weeks, let's hope we'll be similar with Chloe!
I have to admit that I'm getting very anxious to meet her and see what she looks like. My impatience is getting really bad because this weekend I got to hold and love on my adorable little niece. It makes me want to have my little girl here so that I can hold her and cuddle with her.
I think we're progressively getting busier! This weekend we ran to St. Joe on Friday night to drop Cole off at my parents house. Then we picked up our new flooring for our kitchen and dining room. On Saturday I had First Communion practice and then worked at school all day. Michael worked on the flooring in the dining room and kitchen flooring all day. Today we have First Communion with three parties we've been invited to attend after Mass. Then we're headed back to St. Joe to pick up Cole and go buy meat for various events. This coming week is going to be almost as busy... Teacher Academy, second grade retreat, faculty meeting, doctor's appointment, and making a bbq dinner next weekend. I'm curious to see how next week's doctor's appointment goes. With Cole I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced at 37 weeks, let's hope we'll be similar with Chloe!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Lots of craziness this past week
Last Friday Michael, Cole, and I all went to West Des Moines. We went to a consignment sale there to purchase clothes for Cole and Chloe. It was a rather successful shopping trip. :) We of course, went to visit Michael's sister and her family. They were moving into their new home last weekend. Michael helped paint on Friday and move stuff on Saturday. I helped take wallpaper down on Friday (since I can't paint or move anything). There new house is beautiful! I'm really happy for them. Of course we were all exhausted after such a full and busy weekend. However, that exhaustion didn't go away because Cole woke up in the middle of the night on Sunday and Monday night. I was also exhausted because I received a text on Tuesday afternoon that my sister's water had broken. Of course this was a major shock because she wasn't due until May 11th! So my niece decided to come 3 and 1/2 weeks early. We stayed up late (midnight) waiting to hear of her arrival. My mom finally called and told us that Cadence was born at 11:21 p.m. Michael and I decided to head to KC to meet Cadence the next day right after school. My friend Amy watched Cole for us since he had a cold and we didn't want him to give it to the baby! Amy called me when we're about 5 minutes away from the hospital to tell us that Cole had a 101.5 fever! She took him to the walk-in clinic for us and found out that he had a double ear infection (second one in three weeks!). So we weren't at the hospital very long. We wanted to head home to check on him! Michael ended up staying home with him on Thursday. (He is finally feeling better). This weekend has been pretty busy too. On Friday Michael and several other people helped to roof my in-laws' house. Then last night we went to a bowling fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters! We didn't get home until 11:30. So today we've been cat napping and catching up on various things (grading, cleaning up the yard, etc.)
It's hard to believe that I'll be 36 weeks on Monday. It's kind of crazy! That means at the most we'll be pregnant is five weeks. However, I'm guessing it's more like two to three weeks! Hard to believe we're going to go from a family of three to a family of four so soon. I go in this week for a check up so we'll see what the doc says!
It's hard to believe that I'll be 36 weeks on Monday. It's kind of crazy! That means at the most we'll be pregnant is five weeks. However, I'm guessing it's more like two to three weeks! Hard to believe we're going to go from a family of three to a family of four so soon. I go in this week for a check up so we'll see what the doc says!
Friday, March 30, 2012
32 Week Check Up
I went to the doctor today for my 32 week check up with the doctor. So far I am only six pounds over my starting weight, which is great! The doctor measured me and I was exactly 32, which I found interesting since the last time I was there (29 weeks) I measured 33. I asked her if I was measuring the correct length because Chloe had dropped and she said yes. We talked about the fact that she's probably going to be early (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this).
Oh, our other fun news we found out this week, Cole is allergic to Sulfa! Last Friday I picked him up from daycare and they said he had taken three naps, which is completely out of character, and he had a couple of loose diapers. Over the weekend he would get a low grade fever off and on. We took him in to the doctor on Monday and he had a double ear infection. Of course I kind of already figured it was that because the last time he was teething he got a double ear infection. So the doctor gave us Sulfa antibiotics and we gave him some Monday mid-morning, Monday evening, and Tuesday morning. Michael stayed home with Cole on Tuesday and went over to his mom's house. They were outside for about an hour and then they came home. When they got home he was running a 101.4 (or 101.6) fever and was covered on his stomach and back in hives. So we went to the walk-in clinic. Luckily we got in quickly. The doctor say him and immediately said, he was allergic to Sulfa. He said for some reason red heads are more allergic to it than others and being out in the sun can activate or make the reaction happen more quickly. So he's off of that. We just got an antibiotic shot for his ear infections. He still had hives yesterday but today, they're all gone!
Oh, our other fun news we found out this week, Cole is allergic to Sulfa! Last Friday I picked him up from daycare and they said he had taken three naps, which is completely out of character, and he had a couple of loose diapers. Over the weekend he would get a low grade fever off and on. We took him in to the doctor on Monday and he had a double ear infection. Of course I kind of already figured it was that because the last time he was teething he got a double ear infection. So the doctor gave us Sulfa antibiotics and we gave him some Monday mid-morning, Monday evening, and Tuesday morning. Michael stayed home with Cole on Tuesday and went over to his mom's house. They were outside for about an hour and then they came home. When they got home he was running a 101.4 (or 101.6) fever and was covered on his stomach and back in hives. So we went to the walk-in clinic. Luckily we got in quickly. The doctor say him and immediately said, he was allergic to Sulfa. He said for some reason red heads are more allergic to it than others and being out in the sun can activate or make the reaction happen more quickly. So he's off of that. We just got an antibiotic shot for his ear infections. He still had hives yesterday but today, they're all gone!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Moving like crazy and Nesting
Chloe has been moving like crazy the last couple of weeks. I'm guessing it's because she's running out of room in here! She's been so active that a couple of nights ago Michael could see her moving and he was sitting across the room.
I had a major case of nesting this past Sunday. Once we got home from church and lunch I spent the entire afternoon cleaning Cole and Chloe's room. I got all of Cole's clothes that are too small toted up and put away. I got all of Chloe's room organized by size and hung up. I'm feeling a lot better about now that I have these two things taken care of. It's funny because my room isn't looking so hot but I just had to have Cole and Chloe's room take care of. I think the whole nesting instinct is amazing! Michael asked me if I could possibly have it after I had Chloe! :)
Well, I better go. I need to get ready for school.
I had a major case of nesting this past Sunday. Once we got home from church and lunch I spent the entire afternoon cleaning Cole and Chloe's room. I got all of Cole's clothes that are too small toted up and put away. I got all of Chloe's room organized by size and hung up. I'm feeling a lot better about now that I have these two things taken care of. It's funny because my room isn't looking so hot but I just had to have Cole and Chloe's room take care of. I think the whole nesting instinct is amazing! Michael asked me if I could possibly have it after I had Chloe! :)
Well, I better go. I need to get ready for school.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Cole's First Trip to the Circus
Cole had his first trip to the circus yesterday! My mom informed me that the Shriner's Circus was coming to town and wanted to know if we would like to take Cole. Unfortunately Michael was unable to come with us because he was on call this weekend. (He has to stay in Maryville in case there's an emergency maintenance problem at the housing.)
We went to mom's on Friday night to spend the night! We got to eat with mom, dad, Tiffany (my sister), and Brian (my brother-in-law). On Saturday morning Cole got to hang out with the boys while us girls went an picked out scrap booking paper for my sister to use to make Chloe's letter. My sister buys cardboard letters and then puts scrap booking paper on them and ribbon that matches the babies room. This has been her gift to numerous people, including me when I had Cole. Cole's letters are still in his room right now! :) I had to pick out the paper because Tiffany hasn't seen Chloe's room yet!
Then it was time for the CIRCUS! It was fun to watch Cole's reaction to everything. He just looked around all the time.... taking everything in! He was very excited to see that there were elephants and horses out for kids to ride. He actually rode the elephant with my dad (aka Papo). He was really tired though during the second half of the show and ended up missing the monkey and elephants. I think that probably would have been his favorite part! Oh well. He did wake up at the very end for the two motorcycles in the dome of doom or whatever they call the large metal sphere that the drive around inside! He ate a hot dog but wasn't too sure about the cotton candy.
These times are when I enjoy being a mom the most.... When I get to watch him experience something new for the first time! He is sooooo fun to watch when he gets excited!
On a side note - we're getting closer to our due date. This Monday I will be 30 weeks! It doesn't seem like I should be that far along already. I went last Monday for a check up with the doctor. She measured my stomach. (When the measure you the use a tape measure to see how big your stomach is - vertically. You are supposed to be on inch for each week of pregnancy. That means I should have measured around 29 inches). When the doctor measured me I measured 33! Michael asked if that meant our due date was wrong and the doctor said, "Nope. She's going to be big." I couldn't believe it! Cole was so little, almost 7 pounds. Then she did a quick ultrasound to verify that Chloe really is a girl. (When we had our ultrasound the ultrasound tech said she thought she was a girl but wasn't 100% sure because Chloe kept putting her hands between her legs. She told us she was 87% sure!) Our Dr. showed up her girl part so we are for sure having a girl. Michael asked her what were the two long things by her girl parts, and the doc told us they were her thighs. Let me tell you, she already has some big thighs. Mind you this is totally different from Cole and his itty bitty chicken legs! Chloe is already doing her own thing! :)
We went to mom's on Friday night to spend the night! We got to eat with mom, dad, Tiffany (my sister), and Brian (my brother-in-law). On Saturday morning Cole got to hang out with the boys while us girls went an picked out scrap booking paper for my sister to use to make Chloe's letter. My sister buys cardboard letters and then puts scrap booking paper on them and ribbon that matches the babies room. This has been her gift to numerous people, including me when I had Cole. Cole's letters are still in his room right now! :) I had to pick out the paper because Tiffany hasn't seen Chloe's room yet!
Then it was time for the CIRCUS! It was fun to watch Cole's reaction to everything. He just looked around all the time.... taking everything in! He was very excited to see that there were elephants and horses out for kids to ride. He actually rode the elephant with my dad (aka Papo). He was really tired though during the second half of the show and ended up missing the monkey and elephants. I think that probably would have been his favorite part! Oh well. He did wake up at the very end for the two motorcycles in the dome of doom or whatever they call the large metal sphere that the drive around inside! He ate a hot dog but wasn't too sure about the cotton candy.
These times are when I enjoy being a mom the most.... When I get to watch him experience something new for the first time! He is sooooo fun to watch when he gets excited!
On a side note - we're getting closer to our due date. This Monday I will be 30 weeks! It doesn't seem like I should be that far along already. I went last Monday for a check up with the doctor. She measured my stomach. (When the measure you the use a tape measure to see how big your stomach is - vertically. You are supposed to be on inch for each week of pregnancy. That means I should have measured around 29 inches). When the doctor measured me I measured 33! Michael asked if that meant our due date was wrong and the doctor said, "Nope. She's going to be big." I couldn't believe it! Cole was so little, almost 7 pounds. Then she did a quick ultrasound to verify that Chloe really is a girl. (When we had our ultrasound the ultrasound tech said she thought she was a girl but wasn't 100% sure because Chloe kept putting her hands between her legs. She told us she was 87% sure!) Our Dr. showed up her girl part so we are for sure having a girl. Michael asked her what were the two long things by her girl parts, and the doc told us they were her thighs. Let me tell you, she already has some big thighs. Mind you this is totally different from Cole and his itty bitty chicken legs! Chloe is already doing her own thing! :)
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Where did the last couple of weeks go?
We have been incredibly busy these last couple of weeks! During the last three weeks at school we've celebrated Catholic Schools Week, Spirit Week, and this week we had our Valentine's Day Parties and Second Grade Day in our lunchroom (where the parents come eat lunch with their children - the kids get to decide on the menu). So school has been absolutely insane. That doesn't include the chaos at home!
During one of the past weeks I had meeting two nights and a doctor's appointment which means Michael had to pick up Cole. Normally I pick him up since Michael takes him to school! Then Michael, Cole, and I all got a bad cold. Michael ended up canceling our Valentine's Day plans and stayed at home. We were going to go have dinner and watch a movie but we both decided we'd rather wait until we can actually enjoy the date!
This past weekend we moved my sister, well technically Michael and my parents moved my sister since I can't lift anything. My sister is pregnant too so she did a lot of directing everyone! Then today Michael and I were a lead couple for Marriage Prep along with two other couples.
This week looks like things might slow down a little bit - one can only hope. I guess with all the chaos I need to focus on being thankful.
Thankful that I have a job that keeps me busy.
Thankful for a very active son who keeps me busy.
Thankful for a crazy husband who keeps me busy... and guessing what's going to happen next in our life.
Thankful for the baby girl I'm growing in my tummy who makes sure I get some much needed sleep (I feel asleep at 8:45 one night last week).
Thankful for an amazing family that is able to work together to help one another out.
In general this chaos and craziness helps me to remember to be THANKFUL.
Have you taken time to be thankful? I think that is going to be my Lenten promise this year. I am going to start all of my prayers to God thanking him for all he has given me rather than asking for things that I really don't need.
During one of the past weeks I had meeting two nights and a doctor's appointment which means Michael had to pick up Cole. Normally I pick him up since Michael takes him to school! Then Michael, Cole, and I all got a bad cold. Michael ended up canceling our Valentine's Day plans and stayed at home. We were going to go have dinner and watch a movie but we both decided we'd rather wait until we can actually enjoy the date!
This past weekend we moved my sister, well technically Michael and my parents moved my sister since I can't lift anything. My sister is pregnant too so she did a lot of directing everyone! Then today Michael and I were a lead couple for Marriage Prep along with two other couples.
This week looks like things might slow down a little bit - one can only hope. I guess with all the chaos I need to focus on being thankful.
Thankful that I have a job that keeps me busy.
Thankful for a very active son who keeps me busy.
Thankful for a crazy husband who keeps me busy... and guessing what's going to happen next in our life.
Thankful for the baby girl I'm growing in my tummy who makes sure I get some much needed sleep (I feel asleep at 8:45 one night last week).
Thankful for an amazing family that is able to work together to help one another out.
In general this chaos and craziness helps me to remember to be THANKFUL.
Have you taken time to be thankful? I think that is going to be my Lenten promise this year. I am going to start all of my prayers to God thanking him for all he has given me rather than asking for things that I really don't need.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Check Up
Yesterday I went to the doctor for a check up. I'm officially 25 weeks today, so we're only 15 weeks away from having our little girl here! Dr. Menendez listened to the baby's heartbeat. It was in the 160's which is great! She also told me next month when I come in she'll do another ultrasound, just to double check that we're having a girl. (At our appointment where we found out that we're having a girl the ultra sound tech said she was 87% sure we're having a girl. She was having a hard time seeing because Chloe kept putting her hands between her legs!) I hope we'll be able to see a little better at the next appointment!
Cole is still doing well. He continues to add more words to his vocabulary. It seems like in the last couple of weeks he's trying to repeat everything we say. It's sooooo neat that he wants to communicate with us! He is no longer just saying Meow for our cat but he's actually saying her name, Reese!
I better go. More to update later.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Busy Weekend
Whew! I have to say that this was a very busy weekend! :)
On Friday night my friend Erin and her family came to Maryville for a visit. Mind you I haven't actually got to see her in close to four years. In that time we have both had babies. Her daughter just turned a year old in December, so she's about 7 months younger than Cole. Erin, Trent, and Charlotte ran into bad weather on their way over so they were later than we originally expected. When they got into town we went out to eat supper. Michael was able to join us for this part of the evening. (He took off part of the afternoon to start demolition on our hallway bathroom. We are remodeling it before the next baby arrives!) After supper I dropped off Michael and we headed to another friends house, the McColloughs. Erin is friends with the McColloughs too. We stayed late and visited. We stayed late but it was a GREAT visit.
Saturday morning Cole and I headed to St. Joe to meet up with my parents. After we picked them up we headed to St. Joe. We went to the Motherhood store because I was in need of some more maternity pants. Then we went to Chuck E. Cheese. It was Cole's first visit and I would say that he LOVED it! He was sooo intrigued that he didn't even want to eat! We finally got him to eat one piece of pizza!
After Chuck E. Cheese came the big event of the weekend........ ELMO MAKES MUSIC! Michael's co-worker was able to win us four free tickets to ELMO MAKES MUSIC at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. Cole absolutely LOVES Elmo. He really didn't understand what was going on at first. He went into to what we refer to as his "Elmo Coma". This is when the whole entire world disappears except for ELMO! :) It was adorable to watch him just stare at the stage in awe! During intermission he came out of his "Elmo Coma" and was all excited. He kept saying, "Mama, Elmo! Mama, Mama, Elmo, Elmo!" It was like he finally understood what was going on!
Today was just as busy as Friday and Saturday! We had our All School Mass to celebrate the kick off for Catholic Schools Week. After Mass we had our fundraiser for our Professional Development Fund. I am on the committee so I had to help set up. God Bless Michael. He came along and assisted! We had a really good turn out and it was fun to watch the kids during the fundraiser. (We have Chris Cakes come. They serve pancakes but they flip them to you and you have to catch them on their plates. The students LOVE this!)
This week will be extremely busy with all of our Catholic Schools Week activities but it's a really fun week!
I'm pretty excited though, we don't have anything planned for next weekend!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Forgot a couple of words
I forgot to include that Cole can say "whasthat?" aka What's that. It comes out as one long phrase. He can also say door and out!
That's all for today, I'm gonna clean a little bit before my awesome friend Erin comes for a visit! :)
That's all for today, I'm gonna clean a little bit before my awesome friend Erin comes for a visit! :)
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Another Casteel is On Her Way!
So, it's been an EXTREMELY long time since I've posted anything on here. I guess this definitely goes with the title of my blog. We truly do have a crazy life!
I'm currently 23 weeks and 2 days pregnant with our newest addition. We found out right before Christmas that this time around we are going to have a little girl. Chloe Jeanne (there's an accent on the last e that makes it sound like an a but I can't get the computer to let me do it) is due to arrive on May 21st. However, my AMAZING doctor is going to be leaving for Europe on May 14th. She has promised me that she is going to get little Chloe out before she leaves the country. So we'll hope she's right. I am feeling more pregnant at this point than I did with Cole. I'm already wearing my maternity clothes and I didn't really even start wearing them last time until I was about 28 weeks. I figure everything stretches out quicker the second time!
We've been busy preparing for our little girl but we've also been busy with our amazing little man! Cole is almost 20 months old now. It's hard to believe that he's already that old! We are constantly amazed at how smart he is. He has a huge vocabulary... there's a list at the bottom, more for me for documentation but feel free to check it out! He likes to color, play with play-dough, and LOVES to put together puzzles. He thinks Elmo is amazing. We are even going to Elmo Makes Music this weekend! He also loves tractors. He can point to pictures and identify different family members (aunts, uncles, etc.). He loves to take baths, to be outside, and to help mom and dad. He will bring us our shows, pick up sticks in the yard, pretty much anything he can do to help! He is extremely hard headed! He gets very determined to accomplish things, including feeding himself. He feeds himself breakfast every morning before going to the sitters. He watches Disney Junior while he eats and dad reads the paper. He can identify his eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hair, head, hands, and feet. He can also point these body parts out on other people.
We've been working hard to get Cole to understand that we're going to have a new baby soon. If we ask him where's momma's baby he will come up and point to my belly. He also gives my belly kisses. It's pretty stinking cute!
I'll try to update with some more information as we get closer to Chloe's arrival!
Cole's words as of 1-26-12 (almost 20 months):
Elmo, mom, dad, Papo, red, read, bus, airplane, elephant, bye, hello, up, down, apple, ball, go, football, touchdown (sounds more like uchdown), run, mow, please, thank you, love you, moon, duck, bath, Glenda (his babysitter), Amy (family friend), Brian (his uncle), Reese (our cat), barn, bus, balloon, and of course NO
*He calls tractors and trucks none-nones.
*He says weeoooh weeooh (like a siren) for a firetruck
Cole's animal noises:
He can growl like a lion, moo like a cow, neigh like a horse, make monkey noise, barks like a dog, and meows like a cat.
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