"Snacks-snacks"

Today, Josh and Sophia are headed to what Sophia refers as "snacks-snacks" aka gymnastics open gym. She was so proud to put her sparkly tootie on and go swing on the monkey bars and play in the ball pit. Until next time...

32 weeks

Well, we will have made it to the 32 week mark in this pregnancy this upcoming Friday. Much, much better than 21 weeks when these preterm labor issues began. I realize this blog was designed to inform family and friends about the goings on in Sophia's little life, however i feel it necessary to include information on this pregnancy as it has had a major impact on our family and our daily lives.

I had my 32 week appointment yesterday and everything looked really great. The babies heart rate was in the 150s and I am measuring just a bit shy of 32 weeks. The doctor doesn't expect that this will be a very big baby. Sophia was only 6lbs 9ounces. Knock on wood, but I have really been feeling pretty decent. I still have contractions but I must be getting used to them. What I notice more now is the back pain. Now, I am sure a lot of this is due to the years and years of running up and down a basketball court. I am sure the excess weight gain isn't helping things either. I will not say how much weight I've gained, but lets just say that those women who only gain 20 pounds during their pregnancy would not allow me in their group. Oh well, I can worry about that after we have a healthy, full-term baby girl. I think I have been going through my "nesting" phase the last week or two. I have washed probably 100 newborn-3 month sleepers and onesies, I have washed car seats, swings, crib sheet, diaper bags, and I even took a stroller apart to wash the fabric overlay. Thank goodness we have a heavy duty washer and dryer. My doctor did tell us yesterday that I will continue taking Procardia (for contractions) until I reach 37 weeks. I stopped taking this medication with Sophs when I was 38 weeks and ended up walking into my scheduled OB appt dilated to 6 cm. So, history known, she wants me to stay on until we are sure this baby will be full-term. That is an easy assignment. I am hoping however that she will allow me to maybe get out of the house around 35-36 weeks. I am in desperate need of a Wal-Mart run for baby essentials.

Sophia has been doing great. She is such a little mommy. Since we have brought the swing into the house, Sophs has been putting her baby dolls in it and swinging her "softly". Sophia makes sure to give her baby sister kisses every time she leaves and before she goes to bed at night. I do have to remind her to be gentle. She is going to be such a great big sister. She wants me to "hush" (push) the baby out soon. I regularly remind her that the baby has to cook a little longer.

We are getting closer and closer to completing our little family. We just pray that everything will continue to go smoothly and that all of us will stay healthy and strong. Until next time.....

SHOOTER!!!!

This summer sophia has really developed a fondness for her miniature basketball goal. She and Josh play a game where if she can make three in a row he will twirl her around by her arms (I know, real safe, right?) Anyhow, Sophs just loves it and gets so excited when she hits that third shot. After the final shot she runs over to Josh and yells "SHOOTER" while slapping him a high ten. Now, I realize that it is the coach in him that is loving every minute of Sophia wanting to shoot hoops. Josh's tactics didn't work as well when he attended summer practices for the High school girls. He coaches on the high school team and they are holding daily summer practices. Anyhow, Josh was asking who got extra shots in the day before and nobody answered. He then told them, "Sophie Sabol got 100 jumpers in and she is only three years old". I think his comment was met with a few smirks and a few rolled eyes. His following comment cracked me up. He then told his high school girls "If you make three in a row I will spin you around by your arms". He cracks me up. Can't you imagine a bunch of 15-18 year old girls listening to this story. Josh definitely knows how to lighten the mood.

Back to Sohps. Now, I know in previous blogs that I have explained Sophia's affinity for "tooties". This hasn't been a fleeting phase. She continues to strip her shorts and t-shirts off as soon as she comes home from school and put on a "tootie". After donning the "tootie", activity may range from dancing, to riding the four wheeler, to shooting hoops. These pictures capture the essence of Sophia Sabol perfectly, a little princess-a little tomboy.

Until next time....

July 4th weekend

Sophia had a great 4th of July this year. She got to spend some quality time with her "boo" and "papi" (Matt and Karen, aka josh's folks). So many nicknames! Anyhow, she was home from school on Friday and woke up super early and the the first words out of her little mouth were "Boo and papi coming today?"....Matt and Karen made it down on friday afternoon so Sophs was stoked. Karen was sweet enough to make me a birthday cake (I'm 29 now!!!scary...). We also set off some fireworks in the backyard. Now I am a bit skittish when it comes to fireworks so I wasn't so sure this was the best idea. My only comfort was knowing that we had a trained fire chief right there if something went wrong. I did not expect however for one of the fireworks to shoot up in the air 200 feet and explode (as in professional fireworks size). The police were not called, thank goodness.

On Saturday, Josh, Sophs, Matt, and Karen headed off to the Children's Museum (Not me, still on house arrest..I mean modified bedrest....whatever, same thing.) They had a great time. Josh, being the history nerd that he is was excited to see the king Tut exhibit. Sophia, not so much...She did have a great time at the children's area and she even brought some moss back home that she cloned. Hmmmm...where can I put some cloned moss????? Unfortunately it rained most of the evening on Saturday so we held off on fireworks. (Are you sensing my disappointment?)

Boo and Papi headed back home on Sunday morning. Sophia wanted them to stay for "5 months". She loves spending time with them.

As for me, nothing new. A little Gilmore Girls, Friday Night Lights, TLC, sudoku, reading....BORING!!!!! But, I am almost 31 weeks so in the big scheme of life, I am doing pretty good. The baby is moving like crazy and I think that Josh and I are going to have our hands full if her activity now is any indicator of how she will be when she is out of my belly. Sophia has found a baby in her belly as well and she will tell you that "when I am awake the baby sleeps". Josh says "That is cute now, but not so much at 16."

Until next time.....

Cousins

Sophia had a great time yesterday and today hanging out with her cousins Gracie and Landon. They had a slumber party and ate popcorn and skittles. This morning they woke up very early (too early) and were ready to play outside.

Josh is almost finished with his summer basketball coaching obligations so he will soon be able to relax (that is until baby #2 arrives).

As for me, we have had to stop the progesterone injections due to an allergic reaction. Go figure. Somehow, it didn't surprise me. Unfortunately for me, I think they were actually helping. So, back on the procardia and continue taking it "easy". This is the most difficult part especially when Sophia is needing attention. I have made so many promises to her for when "after the baby is born...". All in all, things are okay. I haven't dilated any more, but the contraction have continued. I guess I will just have to tolerate them for a couple more months. In my doctors words "your body is just protesting". I am at 29 weeks and 1 day right now, so we are moving right along. At 35 weeks I will stop taking the Procardia and slowly increase my activity level. Priority 1)Get hair done, 2)get pedicure, 3)Walk, walk, walk..Until next time...........

Sophia-isms

Molly: "I cannot fall asleep anymore. This baby is moving all night long".

Sophia: "Why is the baby awake when you sleep, and asleep when you are awake?"

Josh: "She is nocturnal."

Sophia: "A turtle? Where is a turtle?"

Little Mommy

Sophia has enjoyed seeing all of the birds nest being built, mommy birds laying in the nests, and the itty bitty baby birds. She checks on them everyday before she goes to school. Today we found three baby birds laying in our flower bed looking for their mommy. Their nest was blown out of the tree last evening and they were so hungry. Sophia, myself, and Josh came to the rescue by putting the nest in a shoe box and putting all three baby birdies back together inside. We watched patiently to make sure the mommy bird would come back and feed them and sure enough she did. I'm sure we will check on them daily to make sure they are okay. Until next time...

Happy Father's Day

Wishing all of the dads out there a Happy Father's Day. Most importantly Sophia and I want to wish Josh a Happy Father's Day. Sophia cooked her daddy a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and fruit salad. Yummy! Now, I am not positive but I think we did chew on a few egg shells.

Sophia has spent a lot of quality time with her daddy lately. Here are a few of the things that she loves to do with her daddy:

Go to ballgames
Go to the park
Ride on her four wheeler
Dance in the living room (Josh would never admit to this one)
Play in her pool
Watch Disney movies


Until next time...

"My neck is sore"

On Friday Sophia woke up with a stiff neck.

Cause: Too many stuffed animals in bed with her

Prognosis: Good

Treatment: Motrin and Blow-pops

Until next time...

Sunshine

Sunshine, my old friend. It has been raining like crazy here for the last week, but not today. Thank goodness! Sophia actually got to go out and enjoy her little pool. She had more fun doing what she called her "experiment", which basically consisted of pouring water from a mountain dew bottle to a cup and finally to an empty bubble bottle. She worked on her experiment for nearly 40 minutes straight.

Sophia has been going to her school/summer camp 3 times a week and this week they had the theme of cooking in the kitchen. Sophs did experiments with freezing and heating fruit, made fruit salad, and even made biscuits in a solar cooker. Tomorrow Sophia is going to have a pizza party and she is so excited. She is especially excited to peel the "macaroni" off and eat it. She means pepperoni, but it just isn't coming out right. Sophia is most excited for Splish Splash Day where the kiddos take their bathing suits and get to run around in sprinklers and throw water on each other.

Grandma Holt has been up at the house this week helping out with everything. You name it, she has helped with it. From helping to entertain Sophia to cleaning to cooking. She is amazing. Not to mention she will be 81 in August. Honestly though, she is in better shape than a lot of 50 year olds. You Go Grandma! All joking aside though, she has been such a blessing this week as Josh has been gone quite a bit for basketball. What am I going to do when she goes home?

As for me, nothing has changed this week, which is a GOOD thing. We want NO changes. I seem to have moments where I have had enough of this house and my wacky hormones are causing me many ups and downs. I'm still having progesterone injections once a week and they seem to be less and less uncomfortable. I'm still having contractions but nothing real regular. I've had so many that I am afraid I won't know if I really go into labor when the time comes. I am at the doctors office every week so hopefully between me, the nurse, and the doctor we will recognize anything that may indicate GO TIME, just not for about 8-10 more weeks.

Well, I've rambled on and on.. Until next time.....

Happy Birthday Josh!

Josh turned 30 today! Happy Birthday! Unfortunately we are not having a big celebration for him due to my pregnancy issues, but he definitely deserves a special day. I will have to make it up to him after this baby is born. Jergies, I hope you have a wonderful birthday with many many more great and healthy years to come. Until next time.....

Playtime

Sophia went to a classmates birthday party with Josh. I was not able to go but I sent the camera with Josh to capture the fun being had. Until next time....

Princess Sophia

Sophia has been playing her heart out for the last month or so. Around 8 o'clock she is just completely spent. Unfortunately the summer thunderstorms have scared her to pieces so she occasionally has to crash in our room. The other night she fell asleep with her princess blanket strategically placed to maintain princess status through her slumber. Until next time......

The Seven Dwarfs

Last evening I was laying in bed (big surprise) with Sophia watching Noggin and talking on the phone with Kami. I was in a bit of a funk and feeling lousy, so I told Kami "Oh, I am just grumpy!". Sophia then leans her little head in over by the phone and says "Mommy, are you a seven dwarf?" I guess I am..."Grumpy". Until next time........

Comedian

I may be a tad bit biased but I think I may have the funniest child on the planet. Yesterday some friends of ours brought over a pot roast and it had been cooking in the house for a few hours. Well, Sophia walked in the door after school and said "it smells like Germany or something"...Germany or something eh? Not to offend anyone from Germany, I feel it necessary to elaborate on this story. Over spring break we went to Disney World. Our favorite night there we went to all of the countries at Epcot and ate dinner in the Germany section. And yes..I will admit that the restaurant did have a strong smell (good though). There in lies the origin of Sophia's knowledge of German scent. Now, I have no idea how she could relate a smell to that of one from 3 months ago, but that is a whole other post in itself. Until next time.

Pictures

Guess what? I figured out how to put pictures on the laptop. Woot woot! Sophs had ball today playing outside on her slip-n-slide. She also helped water all of the flowers. Changing subjects...Sophia also told Josh today that he was "stressing her out". She is my child. Until next time......

Weekend casual

So Josh and and I have started allowing Sophia to pick out her own outfits on Saturday and Sunday. Sophs feels like such a big girl when she gets to do this and we actually (well as of recently, Josh ) allow sophs to wear her crazy little ensembles out in public. Today for instance Josh and Sophia just headed out to the grocery store. Sophia was wearing a sundress with a long sleeve t-shirt over top that said "daddy's girl" and 2 different flip flops. What do you say to a three year old who thinks she looks fabulous? You say "Sophia, you look gorgeous", then send her on her way. No harm done, no spirit broken. Until next time.........

Date night

Sophia and her daddy had a date last night. They went to the Indiana Fever game together and had "pop-pop, candies, and ice cream with cream and strawberries". I saw evidence of the strawberries on Sophia's face when they got home. She had such a great time and loved seeing Freddy Fever, but she was a little ticked off because he didn't come visit her in her section. Soon Sophia will start going to school just three days a week and will be home with Josh and I for two days a week. She is really loving the warmer weather. Josh bought her a slip-n-slide which she loves, although she doesn't have the correct technique for sliding. Instead, Josh just flings her down the slippery runway. I just sit on the patio chair cracking up. Sophs rarely wears a bathing suit, but instead chooses a "tootie".

I started taking my progesterone shots today. The shot itself didn't hurt at all, but the hours following were a little uncomfortable as I found out that this medicine BURNS! The baby is still moving a lot and her heart rate is 150bpm. I am still supposed to take it easy. Lets hope everything just stays put.

Until next time.........

Bedrest.....Argh!!!!!

Well, the last three and a half weeks have not gone as planned although we are grateful to still be at home with Sophia, myself, Josh, and baby-baby beezy (still in belly) all healthy. So, my daily life has consisted of waking up, sitting down in shower for very brief shower, and return to bed for further resting alternating from left side-lying to right side-lying. I occasionally feel good enough to venture out to the couch or to the patio anti gravity chair. Something in that messed up routine along with some medication is working so far because the baby is still exactly where she should be (in my belly).

Sophia has handled all of this extremely well. I truly believe she understands everything that is going on, which is surprising for a three year old. Let me tell you what has been going on in her little life lately. On the first weekend in May we went to an indoor waterpark with Kami and her family. Sophia loved going down the "crazy slide", but was scared of the huge falling bucket of water. School has been going very well. Nearly everyday at 4:30 Sophia runs through the front door with her cheeks as red as an apple and hair all sweaty. That is when I know she had a great day and played hard. She seems to be going through a growth spurt right now and is really beginning to get strong. A couple of weeks ago she was standing in my room in her "tootie" and I told her that her legs were getting so strong and that it was because of all of the running, jumping, and climbing that she does. I then said that her arms were strong from using the monkey bars. Sophia then said "Mommy, your bottom got big from going down the slide". Why yes Sophie, that is exactly the reason my bottom got big. She comes up with the funniest things ever.

Sophia is definitely a little bit of a princess girl and a little bit of a tomboy. Sure, everyday she comes home from school and puts a "tootie" (leotard) on, but then she will wear that "tootie" while she is outside playing basketball, softball, and riding her four wheeler. We can't keep her clean for anything so we are constantly washing her clothes. Kids aren't supposed to stay clean, so it is kind of refreshing that she enjoys being outside and getting dirty.

That will do it for this post. Pictures may be limited the next couple of months because I cannot go up the stairs to the main computer. Until next time.............

Funny Face

I have found it nearly impossible to take a decent picture of Sophia. Not because she isn't cute, but because she refuses to smile normally. Instead, she chooses to make the silliest face possible. Here are a few examples. Until next time....

Disney Spring Break 2009

We made yet another trip down to Orlando, Florida. This time we stayed at Disney's All-Star Music resort. We had a whole week to really take our time and see all of the parks and visit/eat at some really cool restaurants. On Monday we went to Magic Kingdom all day with rest breaks here and there for me. The sun got so hot by mid-day that we ended up having to coat Sophia's little body with a face-stick sunscreen. It worked, however Josh and I got a bit of a sunburn. On Tuesday we went to Animal Kingdom where Sophia got to ride her first "big kid" ride. It was a large raft ride that took you through a river and down a few little hills. Josh and I aren't crazy about water rides but since she was tall enough we felt obligated to ride. On Wednesday we split the day in half at Epcot, future world in the morning and the world showcase in the evening. Thursday we slept in a little and did some pool time. I think sophs liked this just as well as anything else, and it was nice to spend some time relaxing. Sophia has really become a water-bug. This summer we intend to get her into swimming lessons. Anyhow, back on track. On Friday, our last day, we went to Hollywood Studios. It rained so hard in the morning but that didn't stop us, we had our ponchos (or as sophia called them, our "nachos"). We had to wake up early on Saturday to catch our flight back home, where sophia talked for two hours non-stop to the poor lady sitting next to her. We had such a great time and look forward to our next trip.....Probably wont be for a year and a half or so though....Until next time......

Happy 3rd Birthday Sophia

I can hardly believe that 3 years have gone by since that long long long evening in the hospital waiting for her arrival. But look at her now! Three years old with an opinion. I am not sure where she gets that from. ;) Sophia celebrated her 3rd birthday with her family and friends at Wrights Fundamental Gymnastic center. She had an absolute ball and has been talking about it ever since. She refers to gymnastics as "snacks-snack". I haven't started correcting her yet. It is just toooo cute. She loved playing with all of her cousins and classmates from school. Until next time........

Valentine's Day

Sophia was so excited to celebrate her Valentine's Day with a party at school. With a little help from mom she mad a princess valentine with a bag of goodies for each of her classmates. That same weekend, Sophia also got to hang out with Libby and JJ and had a blast. Although she did manage to give Libby a bloody nose on accident. (Ouch!) We are looking forward to celebrating Sophia's 3rd birthday with a fun filled gymnastics party next weekend. Woo Hooo! Until next time.....