Update

It's been over two months since I've updated the blog! I'm a procrastinator and I know I should be updating the blog more often. So, today is officially my first day on maternity leave. Yes, you heard right...maternity leave. That means I have made it to 36 weeks. It's been a long road, but I feel extremely blessed to have made it this far. I'm going to try to be as detailed, yet as brief as I can with updates since the last post.

Jacob:
~Jacob has had a really tough winter...getting sick every other week and visiting the doctor almost 3-4 times a month. This is his first year without RSV shots and the germies are really attracted to him. It doesn't help that he's the typical 2 year old that loves to touch and lick everything. The cold loves hanging out at our house because we have passed it back and forth to each other since November. I'm so glad we have great benefits, otherwise we would have been poor the last few months with all the doctor visits and prescriptions!!

~Jacob has picked up a lot of language. It is slowly developing, but he ceases to amaze us with his comments and phrases. He always surprises us! He continues to learn how to read new words everyday and is so smart. The other day, he gave me this long kiss on the lips and then looked at me and said, "GROSS!" It was cute, but really??? He's way to young to say that to his mommy! =( One of his favorite phrases would have to be, "I want that." Where did he learn this from? His father!!!! I'd have to say that Jake's language skills are getting better and I'm not as worried as before. To add to this, Jacob has been quite the master in putting together puzzles and playing matching games. His favorite games would have to be the ones that his father downloaded onto the iphone...=/. Please don't ask me why he did that!

~Jacob is in the process of potty training! He doesn't like it very much and would tell us after the fact. For Jacob, the best part of potty training is playing with bubbles aka washing his hands. He cries when he's on the toilet and would tell us he's done before he sits on it. We are fortunate to have a babysitter who is consistent and persistent and really good at training him. We've also tried having him without the diaper and just in his Thomas underwear, but the wetting does not bother him at all. All I can say is, this is going to be a hard one!

~Jacob had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas. On Thanksgiving, we took him to his first movie in the theater to watch, Tangled. It was awesome. He didn't cry one bit and enjoyed every minute of it! He especially loved having all the popcorn he wanted! He even laughed with the crowd! I don't believe he got up one bit or even nag during the movie. Going to the movies will definitely be a hobby for this family from now on! Then, we went to my mom's side of the family to have Thanksgiving. Christmas this year was very special. We had lots of family from everywhere visiting. The only downside was the fact that Jacob was so sick that we couldn't bring him out of the house. My sisters visited from Idaho and Utah. My aunt came from Maryland. My MIL and FIL drove down from Utah and my other aunt finally emigrated to the United States. It was a big Christmas!! The best part of it all was reaping the rewards of Jacob being able to point to Baby Jesus and know who he is after months of teaching. He's so smart! This was also the first Christmas in which he was fascinated with presents. We could almost get him to do anything for us just to open presents! The look on his face on Christmas morning when he saw what Santa left for him was PRICELESS. We will have to figure out how to upload that to the blog!!

Jeremiah and Sopha:
~Jeremiah works and works and works! He is so busy with work! He leaves very early in the morning and gets home early evening around 5-6ish. However, we were lucky to have him to ourselves for one whole week after Christmas! It was nice and relaxing. We wish he could be around more often, but we know he is working hard to provide us with all the things we need.

~As for me, I'm still pregnant and can't seem to let go of the worries of pregnancies. I know I've reached 36 weeks, but the stresses of what could happen never leaves my mind. I am grateful, but am so scared. I don't know how much pain I can tolerate and just want baby Taylor to be healthy and strong. With that, here are some things I noted while being pregnant...just as a reminder...

Weeks 1-12: Held my breath in hopes that I do not have a miscarriage.

Weeks 12-26: Started all interventions to prevent pre-term labor, which includes two visits to the perinatologist, weekly shots, weekly calls, and monthly visits to my ob/gyn each month. Felt better with all the help, but constantly worried that I would go into pre-term labor. Every ache and pain was a concern. Lots of crying during this period. It was hard to be around others who were pregnant. Decided to pack hospital bag in case I had to re-live what happened with Jacob. It was very emotional. (At 17 weeks, after findout out that we'd have another boy from the perinatology appt., Jeremiah came up with the name Taylor J. It only took 10 minutes for us to decide the name. Other options were Joshua, Nathan, or Edward.)

Week 28: Same interventions as above, but without Perinatology appts. They concluded that my cervix was not a reason for preterm birth. A little relieved as the knowledge of having a baby at this gestational age increases the chances of survival. However, still afraid to have to go through what I did with Jacob since pregnancies are so unpredicatable. Able to breathe a little...

Weeks 30-34: Eternally grateful to have gotten so far. Baby Taylor is as active as can be and leaves me sleepless at night...tossing and turning looking for a comfortable position. Had to wake up several times during the night to eat. Still getting progesterone shots and knows that it's definitely helping. Stomach is getting bigger and bumping into the walls or hitting students head with my belly is a common thing. =/

Weeks 34-36: Aches and pains increases...so does STRESS level. Shots ended at 34 weeks and body changes dramatically. My muscles feel like jello and I can hardly walk without wobbling. Baby tends to sit on a nerve that makes me limp and pressure around the abdominal area increases. Meanwhile, contractions occuring, inconsistently, throughout the day. Having experienced one day with intense contractions led me request maternity leave from work to prevent going into labor in front of my seventh graders!! Also, sharp shooting pains in a certain area, but nothing that would be a red light for doctors.

Week 36: Worried about labor and delivery...trying to figure out which hospital to deliver the baby at (Dameron-great doctors and nurses, where Jake was delivered...but Jeremiah can't stay overnight with me. Modesto Kaiser- new facility, 10 minutes farther, but Jeremiah can stay overnight). Trying to get sleep at night...frustrated with lots of things that ARE controllable...trying not to read L&D articles online...focusing on how things will change when baby Taylor arrives in hopes to keep them consistent for little Jacob.

Sorry, that wasn't very brief. To make it up to you, we'll post pictures later this week to this post.