Pregnancy Woes

So, I thought it was supposed to be easier the second time around. It has been much harder. I can't seem to keep ANYTHING down...particularly anything containing a lot of liquid. The medication just doesn't seem to help so much this time. Last time, it helped. This time, it helps on occasion. Therefore, my doctor has taken drastic measures with me and I'm finally feeling a bit better.

I got something called a PICC line put in me yesterday so that I can get IV fluids at home daily. Since I was so dehydrated and I have small veins anyway, the simple procedure was not so simple for me. But, it's done. I'm super bruised and am functioning oddly, but I am doing better. My lips aren't bleeding with every smile, my vomiting has decreased and I seem to have more energy. So, this picture shows the way I hang out for a couple hours in the morning and evening.

Thanks to Jason for picking up SO MUCH slack and being the best nurse a girl could ask for. Thanks to my parents for taking Laura and helping me at the hospital. Thanks to everyone (Jen and kids, Karyn, etc.) that has helped with Laura. And, thanks to my girlfriends for checking up on me constantly. I am one lucky girl!

Laura Games

Oh, how I love the imagination of my 3 year old. Her current favorite games are Mail and Night Night. Mail started when she decided to "mail" (or drop off on the doorstep) a letter to Grandma. Naturally since Mom is like the coolest Grandma ever, Laura had mail waiting for her the next day on her doorstep. Now, everything can be turned into mail and the garbage can is the favorite "mailbox". Fortunately, the letters are stuck between the lid and lip, not all the way down in the can. (She is a super ham in this picture, and it was the best of three...goofy girl)
Laura's other favorite game is Night Night. She get all her dolls, and me perfectly arranged to fall asleep. She turns off all the lights, reads a story, tucks us in and we all sleep for about 15 seconds before she comes and rips off the blankets declaring that it is "morning time". Then you start all over again. Here she is showing off her dolls all ready to be covered.

Christmas Party

We had Jason's big extended family Christmas party last weekend. Since I had gotten an IV at the ER the night before and I took a mega anti-nausea pill, we all had a good time. Laura, of course, had the most fun of all. The highlight for her was when Santa came. Here she is with Daddy looking at Santa and waiting for her gift to be pulled out of the bag.
Laura also enjoyed singing with the kids. Yes, she is a "big girl" and had to go up and join the "big kids." I think she will do well in Primary in only a few weeks! I think the best part for both Jason and I was the marvelous tributes everyone gave to Grandma Jo (Jason's Grandma from his mom's side). She is one of the those ordinary heroes in the world; the people that do extraordinary things for the people close to them. Here she is looking over at Laura with Santa at the party.

Spot of Sunshine

Little Laura has been super sick today. I think she has blown her nose at least once every fifteen minutes since she awoke this morning. Her only bright spots today seemed to involve Christmas.

After cleaning up the remains of breakfast, I found her all arranged under the Christmas tree. She stared up at the lights for ages. And I got to join in on the empty pillow.She also LOVES the advent calendar. It is one of her favorite parts of the day to get her kiss and pick out an ornament.My darling friend Karyn also delivered the makings for another advent calendar today. Laura and I had a blast putting it all together. It is super fun!

It's Beginning to Look...

A lot like Christmas! Oh, and it is so much more fun with a kid who appreciates Christmas! I don't think I've had this much fun with Christmas since I was a kid. Laura is super excited about all aspects involving Christmas this year.

She adores our outside lights. (Jason did his usual amazing job with them.) And she really loved helping to decorate the tree. She'll show anyone who comes over her own special ornaments. Yes, even the cable guy got to see her ornaments.We also went to see Santa. She was wonderful about going to sit on his lap and telling him that she wanted a cash register. It was adorable. We went with our friends Ryan and Julie and their daughter Morgan as we did last year. Yay for new traditions. Aren't the girls just cute?!

Thanks for Friends

Laura's best part of Thanksgiving was being able to play with friends. Here is a picture of her a few days before Thanksgiving with her cousin Kiki.
We spent Thanksgiving with J's family this year and had a great time with them. (I ate mashed potatoes only, but at least I won't gain much weight this holiday season.) Laura particularly enjoyed hanging with her cousin Emily.

New Addition

Addition to our family, not our house. We figured since pretty much everyone knows anyway, we might as well announce that we'll be having a new little spirit join our family. (I'm already showing and the regular jogs to the bathroom are enough to make anyone question) The doctor said that everything looks great, so we feel comfortable that all should go smoothly. The baby is due officially on July 5th, but the doctor said that he'll schedule my C-section at least a week before that. So, sometime in the end of June, Jason and I will be playing man on man with our kids. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to raise another of Heavenly Father's spirits.

Not surprisingly, I have been spending a lot of time in the bathroom. It is not nearly as bad as last time, but Laura asks me every day how many times I've thrown up. I'm hoping the major nausea I've felt the past two weeks is partially due to the "para-flu" that I have as well. If I could just get over it, I supposed I'd know. But, now you all know the reason for my lack of posting lately.

Here is a blobby ultrasound picture of our little one.