Doctor's Appointment!

I haven't been very good about updating you on my doctor's appointments.

Well, I had one today (I'm 15 weeks and 6 days...).  I'm seeing a midwife, but they have you see all the midwives since any one of them could be on call when I go into labor, they want you to be comfortable with all of them.  And so far I really like all of them!  I feel really comfortable with them and not self-conscious at all. 

I go back in 4 weeks AND I get to have an ultrasound in 4 weeks! Suddenly, this pregnancy is going by really fast!  Of course hearing the heartbeat is amazing...Always so reassuring and definitely makes things feel more real.  This time the baby kept moving around A LOT.  You could hear 'him' swishing around.  I have felt some movement...Not a lot and it's just a little fluttering here and there. 

I am being tested for gestational diabetes...Which I was tested with Zoe (it's pretty standard) and didn't have it, but they found sugar in my urine (sorry-TMI!) so there are concerns I may have diabetes.  (Sweets have been a HUGE turn off for me lately.  Which is not like me at all...But not only does the idea of sweets make me nauseous, I ate a small bowl of ice cream a few weeks ago and it literally made me sick.)  My goal of giving birth at the birth center depends solely on my blood pressure.  If it stays about the same throughout my pregnancy, she said I could give birth at the birth center.  If it gets high again like last time, I'll be back at the hospital.  :(

So far, zero weight gain.  I'm actually still down 5 pounds. 

Other then the possibility of diabetes, everything is good and right on track.  Hope the next 4 weeks go by fast!

OH and my job assignment just got extended until the end of January!  WOO HOO!!

She's too cute sometimes...

I've got a couple videos I need to post, but Tony took them on his phone and he said he posted them to YouTube, but I can't find them...So, I'll have to post those later.

In the mean time, here are some pictures.

Zoe ASKED to be put in the laundry basket..Not to worry, I stayed close by to make sure she didn't tip over.  :)

She loves that baby so much...Last night she decided to read to her baby.

In the picture, Tony isn't working on his computer, but he was.  So she decided to join him.  Please ignore my reflection in the window. 

Zoe did something to daddy the other day-hit him or something on accident so I told her to say "Sorry" and she did...And of course she said it really cute.  So then I was trying to teach her "Sorry Daddy" but she couldn't get the 2 words together.  Tony got mad and said "Don't teach her that..Then I'll never be able to say no or stay mad!"  It is pretty cute when little phrases come out of her mouth...And she's lucky she's so darn cute cause it would make life waaaaaaay more miserable.  :)  I'm pretty sure we laugh a million times a day at the things she says.

Now, most every thing starts with "Look!"  We here a lot of "Look! Doggy!"  or "Look! Pretty!"  or "Look! Melmo!" (Elmo) or "Look! Daddy!".

Tony went back to work today (he starts his new shift on nights)  after being on vacation over 2 weeks.  I think it was hard for him to go back, but unfortunately, that's life.  I'm looking for another job as my temp assignment will end in a couple weeks.  (Yes, it does seem like I'm ALWAYS looking for a job.)  But I think right now, temporary jobs are the way to go, since I'm pregnant.  And then in a year who knows what'll happen.  ;)

Well, that's it for now.  I'll be sure to post the new videos soon.  One includes her reading to her baby (you get to hear her meow like a kitty cat) and the other is of her sleeping in her highchair.  Oh wait!  I do have a very short video of her saying "Cookie" like the cookie monster. 

Okay..NOW, that's it!  :) 

Fallen Marine

As you know, I spent my early childhood growing up in Salem before moving to Phoenix and then returned to Salem when I was in junior high.  My 8th grade year, I went to Waldo Middle School where I met my sweet friend Rachel.  She still lives in Salem and through the power of Facebook have been able to keep in touch.

Just 2 days after Thanksgiving, we received the shocking news that her brother Adam had died in Afghanistan while on foot patrol.  He was stationed out of Okinawa, JP and was to go back to Okinawa early next week (I believe) and had also bought a plane ticket to come home to Oregon on Dec. 22 for the holidays. 

Needless to say I am devastated and heartbroken for my dear friend.  I can't imagine the pain she is going through.  My brother served over a decade in the Marines and so when I saw Adam, I saw my brother.

Adam made his final return home to Salem just yesterday, Sunday December 4th. 

If you are the praying type, I would ask that you keep the Buyes family in your prayers during this holiday season. 

You can read more about Adam and the Buyes family here.

To see his welcome home, you can go here.

The Latest...

Let's see...Well to start I can tell you Zoe had a doctor's appointment last week.  It was her 18 month well child check-although we got a little behind-no biggie.  She continues to be tiny.  :)  Zoe is 23 pounds (25th percentile) and 30.5 inches (5th percentile).  Doctor was impressed with her vocabulary and says everything is normal and right on track.  She also got 3 shots...I felt so bad.  She was so happy and fine (didn't know what was coming) and she was looking at herself in the mirror when she suddenly got 2 shots in her left leg and 1 shot in her right!  But after a mild meltdown (which I was prepared for a HUGE meltdown) she was fine.  She even got a fun book from the doctor! 

She has learned a few new words.  Pretty, cute, and funny.  More importantly she says "I funny".  We put up our Christmas tree and so she'll point to the tree and say "pretty".  She has a hard time keeping her grabby hands off the tree and the ornaments...It's led to a few time outs.  I'm mostly concerned about her breaking one of the ornaments and cutting herself or something.  I don't really care about the tree itself.  She really only messes with it at night, when the lights are on.

Tony's on vacation this week.  We obviously aren't going anywhere.  But he's enjoying just being at home and not at work.  He's been off since last Monday and won't go back until the 13th I think.  So a good chunk of time off!  If he hadn't used up his vacation time, he would have lost it, so of course he used it! 

I'm feeling better.  Not nearly as sick.  But, when I don't eat, I really feel nauseous.  When I get a craving, it's all I can think about and want.  And then there are the times where I'm starving and NOTHING sounds good.  Sweets are the biggest turn off right now.  Which is so not like me.  I ate ice cream the other night and baby did not like it.  At. All. 

I've decided to go with a midwife this time instead of the doctor I had last time.  He was a great doctor but he has changed practices and I decided I didn't want to go to his new practice.  I also want to have the baby at the birth center and not the hospital.  Not to worry-it's safe and right across the street from the hospital.

Here is their website if you'd like more information.  PeaceHealth Midwifery Birth Center

Here is a video tour of the birth center too.



Well, I think that's it for now.  Oh, wait!  I have a short video of Zoe saying "cookie".

Crazy Zoe!

Zoe is such a handful.  And it scares me to think soon, I will have 2. 

Zoe loves to draw and color.  But unfortunately she has realized crayons and colored pencils can draw on anything, not just paper.

My laundry basket.

The bathroom door.

We are investing in the Crayola markers that only draw on their special paper.  :)

She also LOVES to Skype!  We've been Skyping with Grandma and Grandpa Gist in Indiana at least once a week.  And when you say "Skype" she goes running for the computer. 

 

She loves playing house.  More importantly she loves playing with her babies/stuffed animals.  She loves to put her babies in her high chair and she tries to feed them snacks.  Yesterday, I caught her trying to change her baby.  She got a wipe and washed her face and her hair and then she laid her down on a diaper.

Her vocabulary is also growing leaps and bounds.  She's learning a lot of food words.  Apple and Bagel for instance.  Oh and the most hilarious thing she says is "cookie".  She doesn't get to eat cookies but she learned it from the Cookie Monster.  And she says it just like the Cookie Monster which is why it's so hilarious!  She also likes hummus, but she has to dip the pita bread herself. 

Some of her vocabulary includes:

Pa Pa (Grandpa), momma, daddy, doggy, Bubby (our dog), apple, bagel, no, hi, bye, baby, sock, shoe, go, water, book, belly, potty, cheese, yummy, ouch, cute, gentle, meow (she likes to meow like a cat), moo (she can moo like cow), cookie, hug, and a few others that I'm sure I'm missing.  :)

Lately her big thing has been to say "go bye-bye".  She'll grab her coat and walk to the door.

I'm sure I'm forgetting to tell you something....Who knows what it is.  I blame the pregnant brain.

Oh Zoe does have a checkup tomorrow, so I'll be sure to share that with you in the coming days. 

Hope you all had a wonderful Holiday!  Let the countdown til Christmas begin!

No Pictures?! No Videos?!

I know...I know...Have I completely fallen off the face of the Earth?!

I'm really slacking over here in Oregon!

I haven't been getting on the computer much..When Zoe takes her afternoon nap, I take an afternoon nap and when she's up, we're busy playing and then at night, I just crash. 

I haven't really taken pictures or any video...I must be in a funk!

There is one thing in particular I'd love to capture on video and it's quite hilarious.

Zoe's grandma (Tony's mom in Arizona) sent a "baby-proof" photo album last Christmas for Zoe and one of the pictures is of Alex-Tony's brother.  Well, Zoe saw that picture and she went nuts..."DADDY! DADDY! DADDY!"  I tried telling her it was Uncle Alex but she is convinced it's daddy!  She does recognize Tony in pictures, but this one got her confused.  Can't blame her though...They do look a lot alike!

I still haven't posted pictures from our Indiana trip...Again, major fail on my part.  Santa surprised us a little early with Christmas and gave us a new computer so all the pictures are on the old computer but I think Tony's working on getting everything moved.  Once I figure out where the pictures are exactly, I will post them. 

Speaking of new computer, the reason Santa surprised us with a new computer was so we could Skype with family!  (Our old MAC was not compatible with any webcam...It was quite outdated!).   Oh how I LOVE Skype!  No lag, no losing connection, just awesome!  Zoe really enjoys Skyping with grandma and grandpa in Indiana and soon we will be able to Skype with grandma in Arizona!  Can't wait!  So, if you ever wanna Skype, hit us up! 

I'm still feeling fairly yucky.  I had an awful migraine yesterday with limited medication options.  Luckily yesterday was one of Tony's days off, so he was home to help with Zoe. I'll be 12 weeks on Friday, so I'm hoping things will start turning around SOON.  (Details on the pregnancy to come later...)

I haven't been crafting much lately but just recently got some new books from the library and am very excited about some upcoming projects. 

One of them being-make us Christmas stockings.  We searched and searched for new stockings last year and we could not find any that we liked.  So it suddenly occurred to me, why not make some that we will like?!  So, I'm hoping this weekend I can pick up some fabric.

Also on my crafting list-adorable cupcake pin cushions!  Such a cute idea!  And they'll make great little gifts.  Question is, do I know anyone who sews who would like a cupcake pin cushion?!

Tony's been busy at work.  Doing more reporting and also working hard on his weekly segment, Tasty Tuesday.  I often complain (on the bad days) about his long hours, but I am very proud of him and the amazing work he does.  He does have a couple weeks off the first of December so that'll be nice for him (well, us). 

Well, I think that's it for now...

We love you and miss you all!

(Side note: Aunt Karen, if you're reading this, I have been CRAVING your grape salad like nothing else!!!!  YUM!!)

Alright, I couldn't not post a picture...I found a mobile upload from my Facebook page of Zoe last Sunday morning.  I wasn't feeling too hot and apparently she was feeling a bit sleepy still.  She put herself under the covers and just made herself at home.  She didn't say there long, but it made for a cute picture!

Trip to Indiana and a Surprise!

Well the first week of October we went on a trip to Indiana to visit Tony's family.  And it was a wonderful trip.  It was very hard to say good-bye and we didn't want to leave, but alas real life was waiting for us in Oregon.

We took about 200+ pictures, plus the ones all the family took, so needless to say I have yet to go through all of them.  (I bet half of ours are of animals at the zoo but I digress.) 

While we were in Indiana we got one heck of a surprise....Dare I wait to tell you?  Most of you probably already know.

It's REALLY early to be telling everyone, but I'm awful at keeping secrets.  (At least these kinds of secrets.) 

Zoe will be a big sister next year!  I don't have a specific due date yet, but from my calculations I'm guessing around June 1st. 

Anyway, I wanted to post a quick update to let you know we're home safe and I haven't forgotten to blog.  But this pregnancy is really kicking my behind...Major nausea, food aversions, etc.  I gag at almost anything and everything.  So, when I'm not at work, I'm at home chasing that crazy Zoe trying to keep food and liquid down.  (TMI?!)

As soon as I get more time I will be sure to post LOTS of pictures and stories from our trip.

Love,
Courtney

Oh yes...That is MY daughter!

SICK!

Yes, the Gists or at least me-Courtney-has been sick the last couple of weeks.  Zoe got it first-I thought she was just teething or something but I got the brunt of it.  It started with a sore throat and just turned into the whole cold/flu package.  I somehow didn't miss a day of work although believe me I wanted to.  Of course the worst of it hit when I was off on the weekend but Tony was working long hours.  It's no fun being a parent and sick at the same time!  Tony fortunately just got the sore throat. 

We haven't been up to much..Mostly just trying to get better!

Zoe is growing of course and everyday she does the funniest things or learns a new word or phrase.  Her new things has been "cheese".  She got this cute little camera toy and so I would hold up the camera like I was taking her picture and I'd say "Say Cheese!" and she'd say it!  So we did that like a million times and now anytime I hold up that little toy camera she'll say "Cheeeeeese!" all on her own!  It's super cute.

She also says something that we've translated to "Happy Day".  We aren't really sure what she's trying to say but we think it sounds like "Happy Day" so that's what we say and then she'll repeat it.

She's also learned "shoes" and if you say "Let's put shoes on" she'll sit down and lift up her foot.  And she's been learning to put dirty clothes in the hamper.  It's so much fun teaching her new things. She's also a fast learner!

Well, I guess that's it for now!  It's late and I should be in bed!

Oh wait-I've got a couple pictures to share!

She fell asleep on Tony-He put her in my lap even though I was asleep.  Don't worry-she never fell.

So peaceful.

Working hard at using forks and spoons.  Needless to say after this particular dinner she got right into the bath.

I LOVE this dress that I found at my favorite resale store.  And I just happened to have leggings to match!

Eating a waffle.

Eating a waffle and watching "Handy Manny".

It's only Tuesday?

I don't know if it's that I'm anxious for our trip to Indiana (17 more days) or what, but this week is just crawling by.  It's ONLY Tuesday!

It probably hasn't helped that Zoe has been a little cranky the last couple of days.  She's teething...So it's affecting her whole nose/eye/throat region...She's got goopy eyes and a runny nose and a bit of a cough.  And she's been really whiny.  You can just tell she's uncomfortable.

One of the things I've learned is that while Zoe can't always verbalize what she wants she will definitely figure out a way to let you know.  She will know go into the kitchen and bang around the cabinets if she's hungry.  And usually when she sees something she wants she'll look at it and go "Ga ga ga".  She does it in the same tone and everything.  

I've got a couple more cute pictures to share from last week when she was over at our friends' house.

LUNCH!!!

Fun at the park!

 Well, I better go for now.  Hope you're week is going by faster then mine!  :)

Love,
C

Where did my baby go?!

Zoe is not a baby anymore.  She's a toddler.  And it makes my heart a little sad.  (I'm surprised no one has asked us about #2 yet...I can't really wrap my brain around another baby AND Zoe without a little help haha.)

I discovered tonight that Zoe loves the movie "The Cat in the Hat".  The one with Mike Meyers.  She'll usually kinda watch things like Sesame Street or the Wiggles, etc.  But tonight when the movie was on TV she sat on my lap.  Then got up during the commercial break.  It came back on and she sat in front of the couch.  And you can see the cycle.  But she actually watched it!  (And there was a lot of laughing and "WHOA!" going on...) When she watches her TV shows she'll usually watch for a couple of minutes and then play and when something catches her ear she'll watch again for a little bit and then go back to playing.  It's rare for her to really sit and watch something.  And I know, TV isn't recommended for kids under 2 blah blah blah.  But I'm not a perfect mom.  :)  Sometimes I need the help of Big Bird so I can get some dishes done. 

She also loves reading her books...Last night she sat in my lap and we read the same 2 books a MILLION times.  She's got TONS of books, but she just wanted to read the same 2.  One of them is a farm book and so every animal she saw she yelled "DOGGY!".  Yeah, we're still working on that.  It hasn't caught on yet though that not every furry animal is a dog. 

"Momma" has become the universal word for "up".  She'll go up to Tony and say "momma" with her arms stretched up meaning "Pick me up".  We're also working on that.  Haha.

We're making progress on using spoons and forks.  It's been a bit harder then I expected.  It definitely tests my patience.

We are on the hunt for some Zoe sized furniture.  Particularly a table and chair set.  I've seen some online at Ikea that I not only like but can afford.  Unfortunately our closest Ikea is in Portland and they aren't available for order online.  We are also on the hunt for a "time out" chair/stool.  I'm hoping that some Zoe sized chairs will help encourage her to sit still for a few moments! HAHA!

Zoe says "gentle" now..Or something that sounds like "gentle".  We were teaching her how to be gentle by petting the dog, instead of hitting or pulling on the dog.  We demonstrated being gentle on this stuffed dog that Grandpa and Grandma Karen sent a while back.  So now she'll walk up to me and pet my leg and say "Gentle. Gentle. Gentle."  It's cute.  She gets the idea!  But she still runs up to Bubby very excited and "gentle" gets thrown out the window.

I'm enrolling Zoe in some gymnastics classes next month.  Because of our schedule and their schedule, we'll only be doing one class a week.  It involves mommy participation..We're supposed to help teach them along with the teachers.  I'm really excited!  I hope it'll be an outlet for some of her energy.  It'll also be a good activity since it's indoors-once the rainy season arrives.

I continue to be amazed at how much she learns and grows.

Did I share these pictures with you?  I don't think I have.

Zoe got a hold of one of my purses...

I'm not sure what prompted her to get into the laundry basket but she loved it.  She even had a snack while sitting in it.

Oh and yeah, I'm pretty sure she's had a growth spurt recently.  Tony and I were watching her play one afternoon and we both looked at each other and said "Does it look like she's gotten taller?!".  She looked really cute in her overalls.  (Her hair, not so much.  UGH.)   Last week temps were in the 70's so that's why she's wearing the overalls.  This week we're back in the 90's!!  Luckily a friend let us borrow their window AC because it gets to be like an oven in here!


Well, I guess that's it for now.  I've got tomorrow off and so does Tony!  We don't have anything big planned-probably BBQ'ing since the idea of turning on the oven makes me crazy.  Oh I do want to get some organizing done but we'll see what Zoe lets me get done.  :)

Mickey Mouse!

Zoe loves watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the Disney channel so it was very appropriate for Great-Grandma H. to get this awesome personalized CD. (And she got her this CD before Zoe discovered Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!)

I finally got some video of Zoe dancing to her CD! And she gets a little dizzy.

Fist Bump...

Yeah, I go to work, come home and my daughter can fist bump.  The things daddy teaches her.  But I guess if she ever meets Howie Mandel it'll come in handy.

Zoe's new friend!

Now that I've gone back to work ... again ... Zoe is being watched 3 days a week by my friend who has a son a year older than Zoe.  So now she's got a new friend!

Here are some photos she snapped the first day they spent together.

Absolutely my favorite picture of all time.  SO precious.

Lane County Fair 2011!!

It was that time of year again....Lane County Fair time!  Last year when we went Zoe was just 5 months old and we were so excited that this year she might be a little more into it.  And she was...But still too little to ride any rides or play any games.  Tony was very sad he couldn't take her on the Ferris Wheel. 

A Trip to Urgent Care...

In the midst of all the craziness I didn't take any pictures of the reason why we went to urgent care at 7 PM last night!

Tony got home from work just before 7 PM and was getting out of the van...Bubby was outside doing her business and when she saw Tony get out of the van she went running for him but caught him off guard and not wanting to step on her, he lost his balance and grabbed onto the van but had already started to shut the door closed so his thumb got jammed in the car door.

Not good.

I had never seen Tony react like that...We've been blessed-in the 8 years we've been married and like the 9 years we've been together, he has never really gotten injured.  Never gone to the doctor even...(Believe, I've tried getting him to go.  It's impossible.)  The initial wave of pain almost made him stick.  He turned quite white!  Poor guy!

So, at my request he let me take him to urgent care.  Didn't think it needed to be the ER but should be checked out.  It swelled quite a bit and since he uses his hands/fingers to operate his camera at work, I decided he should get it checked just to make sure and that way he didn't injure it more if there was something wrong with it.

The doctor examined his finger (and that almost made Tony sick too-I think it was just BEING in urgent care that made him queasy.  He's so going to love that I shared this with you!)  He did fine at the hospital when Zoe was born and did fine at all my doctor appointments and her doctor appointments which I tried to remind him.  But it didn't help.

The doctor ordered X-Rays so he had 3 taken (who knows how much that'll cost us!) and luckily nothing was broken!  Just the tissue is pretty severely bruised.  His finger was like yellow and a little black last night.  He has a slight cut but nothing too awful.  And it didn't damage his fingernail which would have been nasty.

So that was our exciting Wednesday night.  :)  An hour at urgent care.  But I feel better knowing it's not broken and should be fine in a few days.  I'm really really surprised Tony let me take him to urgent care...But I think he was really in a lot of pain and he really thought it was broken so I think that's why he didn't put up much of a fight.  Poor guy! 

The Coast!

Let's start with our trip to the coast.

We wanted to go but debated when to go because of weather.  We woke up Monday and it was sunny here so we decided to try the beach...(It was forecasted to be partly cloudy with rain in the morning).  The weather was GORGEOUS!!  Sunny!!  Warm!!  And not windy!!  (It got windy on the beach right as we were leaving..).  We wore long sleeves thinking it would be cold (the last two years we've gone we've worn sweatshirts!) but T-shirts would have been a little better.

Last year our trip to the coast was a little disastrous.  (Including but not limited too-Spending HOURS in the car going to beaches and destinations we did not realize were so far away.  Losing a $50 bill on the beach.  Having way too much stuff to haul onto the beach.  Eating a not so great dinner at a not so great restaurant.)  So glad this went better!

We had a simple and lovely picnic lunch on the beach and mostly lounged around when we weren't hunting for seashells or walking along the beach.

Zoe really hates being dirty...I made rice crispy treats and she didn't like the stickiness on her hands.  We went to the craft store and she touched something and got glitter on her hands...FREAKED out.  So going to the beach wasn't so great at first.  Lots of crying!  She did not like the sand on her hands/feet at first.  And the water was definitely a no because it's SOOOO cold!  She did eventually get over it enough to play in the sand.

We also hit Oldtown Florence which had cute shops and MANY restaurants.  We opted to go for some ice cream instead of a full meal ... Still kind of full from lunch!  We had one accident walking around ... Zoe tripped and fell on some cement and bit her lip and scraped up her chin pretty good.  Luckily that happened as we were getting ready to leave.

Here are just some of the many pictures we took!

Lunch was a hit with everyone! (Turkey and bacon wraps!)

Checking out the ocean.

"I don't like this!!!!"

Daddy kisses to make it better.

"I still don't like this!!!!"

"Hmmmm....Maybe this isn't so awful..."

Daddy tried to make a sandcastle but she kept destroying it.

Relaxing.

Seashell!

This is what living in Oregon is all about!  While the Oregon coast is not like the sunny, warm, beaches of say Hawaii, it is still quite relaxing and always fun!