It's a BOY!

We found out this morning we are having a boy and I could not be any more excited!  The pressure if off to have a boy to carry on the Evers family name.  Whew!  We brought Kate with us to the appointment this morning and both Gigi and Mimi were able to join us for the big reveal.  When the tech told us it was a boy, we started cheering and told Kate she was having a baby brother, which she immediately reponded to us by saying "baby sister".  Oh well! 

Here is the big sister-to-be wearing her cute shirt that Aunt Katie gave her.  It says "Guess Who is Going To Be a Big Sister? Kate!"

18 Weeks!

I was able to get my hair cut and colored this weekend and am on my second day without the pump - so you may not recognize me in this picture!  I still have my rough times in the evenings but I'm doing SO much better than I was a couple months ago.  Hallelujah!  Three months is a really long time to be sick.

Happy Birthday Aunt Katie!

Thursday night, I was able to help celebrate Aunt Katie's birthday at Red Elephant with my parents, Kate, Uncle Jordan and Aunt Katie.  This was the first time I had stepped into a restaurant in 3 months but I am getting tired of missing out on everything!  I wasn't feeling as sick as I usually do when leaving work, so I called my mom and told her I was going to attempt to go.  I snacked on some boiled peanuts and ate a couple pieces of pizza and just enjoyed the company. 

 Mom surprised Katie with another photo book she had done using pictures from their Rehearsal Dinner.

 Goofy girl!

We hope you had a wonderful birthday Katie!  Thanks for letting us help celebrate with you!

Mother's Day 2012

I had a great Mother’s Day despite feeling so terrible. Justin had to go out of town once again for work (this time in the Keys) so Kate and I stayed with my parents. I was able to spend extra time with both my mom and my grandmother over the weekend, which which was a nice treat for me!

The Thursday before Mother’s Day, Good Samaritan had a Mother’s Day Tea to treat all the moms. I gathered up my energy to go because I didn’t want my little girl to be the only one there without their mommy. The kids put on a great program, but Kate just sat in my lap and didn’t want to participate. It’s typical for her to do this, but one of these days I have a feeling she’s going to stay with her class and sing at the top of her lungs. After the program, the moms and kids went to the classrooms where we shared a snack and Kate gave me the gifts she had made - a place mat and coffee cup she colored!

Mommy and Kate before going to the Mother's Day tea.

 My wonderful gifts from Kate.

And it wouldn't be proper Mother's Day post without showing a baby bump picture.  I can't forget about little baby E!  Although I lost a lot of weight at the beginning, I have popped out all of a sudden and am bigger now than I ever was at this stage with Kate.  I'm already uncomfortable and I have a long way to go!

16 weeks. 
Justin told me to hide the pump, but I decided to leave it showing since it's attached to me (literally) these days.

On Sunday, Nanny treated us to lunch on Sunday and it was fantastic! We exchanged gifts after lunch where my mom surprised me with one of the best gifts of all - a "Mommy and Me" book full of pictures of Kate and I.  Justin had secretly helped her pull together some pictures and my mom put in a lot of long hours to finish the project.  I started crying as soon as I opened the book and saw the first page, and it is something I will cherish forever!
 
 Looking pretty in polka dots - this is one of her favorite dresses.

 All the girls.

Mommy and Kate (and baby E)!  Tuesday morning we find out "boy" or "girl" so that will be another Mother's Day gift (a little belated).  Kate has always said she wants a baby sister so we'll see...

Valentine's Day, Easter and more!

Despite Mommy being in bed the past several months, Kate has had a great time celebrating Valentine’s Day and Easter, going to a couple birthday parties, and just having fun with family and friends. I’m so thankful to everyone who has helped us watch Kate recently – don’t know what I would do without you!

This past weekend I was able to spend a little more time with her than I have been. I learned if I put on the “Christmas Mickey” or a Strawberry Shortcake movie, she will lay still with me on my bed and I love it – even if it means I have to watch a Christmas sing-along movie in May! Another activity we have been able to do together lately is stickers. She loves to put them all over my arms and I’m sure I would be covered from head to toe if I let her.

Kate reached the two and a half year mark in March which means our tuition for daycare when down by $50! I guess I shouldn’t get to use to that since we will be paying more than double for two at daycare less than a year from now. We still love Good Samaritan Academy (where Kate goes to school) and I couldn’t be more pleased with her teachers. She is going to move up to a bigger class in June, which makes mommy nervous, but I know Kate is more than ready. She is right on track for her development and can count to 15 (after 15 she just says “teen”, “teen”, “teen”), knows the alphabet, knows her shapes and colors, and can tell us words that I had no idea she knew (like walrus and octagon).

Lately, Miss Priss has been getting into trouble at school. Mimi (Justin’s mom) went to pick Kate up one afternoon and Kate’s shoes were in the front office. Apparently she had taken her shoes off a couple times that day and threw them at her teachers, so the third time they took her shoes away and put them in the front office. Sadly, Kate also lost her outdoor play time privileges that afternoon since she didn’t have her shoes. I spoke to the director the next day to get the full story and apologized to her for Kate’s behavior. Apparently my “sweet” little girl spends a bit more time in the front office than I was aware of. The director reassured me it was a phase and that some kids express their frustration by hitting, biting or throwing. Kate is a thrower. Justin and I try to remind her before school each day to “be nice” and “do not throw your shoes”. I never thought I’d have to remind my child each day to keep her shoes on.

Luckily the “terrible twos” have been relatively mild so far. I’m very proud at how well Kate will listen and obey. Of course there are plenty of times when she says “no” and crosses her arms in protest but those times are more the exception. There are also times where she gets upset or embarrassed, so she runs and puts herself in timeout. But one thing she loves to do is help. She helps pick up her toys, feed Nemo (her pet goldfish), throw any trash away and loves to help pick out her clothes and shoes for the day. She’s going to be a great big sister and will be a big helper for mommy.

Potty training has not been a priority for us – yet. But that’s going to change as soon as I start feeling better. Justin has his hands full with keeping up with all the cleaning, cooking, laundry, etc, so we haven’t pushed Kate. She goes a little bit at school, but her teachers say she will protest sitting on the potty. At home she just yells “NO” and refuses to sit on the potty, despite our bribes. Kate is very smart so I know she will catch on quickly whenever she decides to try potty training. Mommy refuses to have two kids in diapers so I’ve got between now and October to accomplish this goal.

Kate’s eating habits have improved over the past couple of months- hallelujah. I realize most two year olds are picky eaters but it gets tiring after a while of fixing them the same thing. Chicken nuggets and French fries are still her favorite, but now she will venture out and Daddy figured out if he helps Kate clean her plate after she says she is “done”, she is willing to keep eating her vegetables. Ketchup also helps, Kate loves to dip all her meat and potatoes in ketchup. Daddy also figured out if he calls her meat “nuggets” and a chicken quesadilla a “chicken nugget sandwich” she’ll eat it up. Hey, whatever works.

My sweet girl has also become quite the talker. She is obsessed with wearing sunglasses in the car and on the way to work, we have to face the sun until we turn off of Park Ave. As soon as we pull out of the driveway she says “Got your glasses Mommy?” and when we pull onto Capital Circle, off of Park, she asks “that better Mommy?” – referring to the sun no longer being in our eyes.  Kate will point to my growing belly and ask “you got a baby in there?” and other times she points to my pump site and ask “that feel better Mommy?”. This weekend she started saying “I’ve got a problem” and “fast it” – meaning she wanted me to fast forward the movie we were watching. Another funny thing she says is “We’re Home!” when we pull up to school. I think now she just says it because she knows it’s not true. We are still working on “No m’am” and “Yes sir” but she hasn’t mastered that yet. The other night she asked for her cup and instead of asking “What do you say?” which is what we always say when she hasn’t said please, I asked “What is the magic word?”. I smiled when I heard her respond with “Misca-Mouska Mickey Mouse!” – which is the password for the Mickey Mouse clubhouse to appear on her TV show.

Kate’s favorite TV shows still include Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates (all Disney Junior shows). We get spoiled to Disney Junior because there are no commercials, so when we put on Curious George or some other show not on Disney, Kate thinks the show is over whenever a commercial comes on.

I just love this little girl so much and know she will be a great big sister!

Here are a couple pictures to share from the past couple of months:

Daddy and Kate reading.  She has really become a "daddy's girl" lately.

 A couple of Kate's favorite books to read.

 Valentine's Day!

  A couple days before I took a turn for the worse, we went to a park in Southwood with our church small group. 

 The dads - Matt and Nolan Sapp, Daniel and Maddox Mundie, and my two!

Kate was probably grinning from ear to ear because she got to wear her Minnie shirt - one of her favorites.

 I was also able to visit little Sawyer Reavis on his first day home before I got sick.  Sadly, this was the first and only time I've seen or held him.  But that's going to change soon - I can't wait to see how much he has changed in 3 months.

 A big "thanks" goes out to my mom and Aunt Katie for taking Kate to the park to have Chick Pics taken with Mrs. Betsy.  I was afraid I wouldn't able to get her picture taken this year, but they were up to the challenge!

  Brave girl!

The same day as the pictures, Aunt Katie took Kate to Audrey's 3rd birthday party.  Here's Kate with two of her best girlfriends:

And finally, here's a few Easter pictures to share.  Good Samaritan Academy had an Easter Egg hunt and Kate was the clear winner for hunting the most eggs (if it was a competition).  She ran circles around all of her friends and loaded her Easter bucket full of eggs.  I was so proud.

 Hunting eggs at Gigi and Granddaddy's house - she even found the prize egg! 

 The Easter Bunny visited - and this doesn't include what he left for Kate at Mimi and Papa's house!

Thankfully Kate didn't miss out on many (if any) events while I have been sick and I am so thankful to everyone who helped us out!

The past 3 months…

These past three months have been some of the longest of my life. We have had ups and downs but because of our wonderful family and friends we will survive! I have several pictures and updates on Kate that I want to share, but that will have to be a later post (and I’m not sure how quickly I will get that done, but surely it will be within the next three months!). This post is about all the life changing events that have happened over the past three months with our family (and it’s long – sorry!).


The first big news was received in February was that I was pregnant! I will admit the first thing I did when I told Justin was burst into tears. Not because I wasn’t happy to have another baby, but because I was so afraid of being sick again. Several people told me every pregnancy is different so I had a glimmer of hope maybe I wouldn’t be sick (or as sick) this time. I was wrong – I have never been this sick in my life and hope this is the last time I ever have to deal with anything like this. At my first doctor’s appointment, I was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum – an extreme type of morning sickness which only occurs in .5 to 2 percent of pregnant women. Lucky me. Over the next couple weeks I was in and out of the doctor’s office, in the Urgent Care for IVs and out of work for days at a time.

Instead of getting better in early March, I slowly was getting worse. I would have spells where I couldn’t keep anything down (liquids or food) for a day or so. My knees were all bruised up from kneeling on the hard tile bathroom floors and my stomach muscles cramped with every move I made. It was all I could do to gather the strength to take a shower and lift my arms above my head to wash my hair. The only time I could escape feeling nauseous was when I was asleep. On top of these extreme symptoms, I also had the standard pregnancy symptoms of feeling tired all the time and going to the bathroom every couple of hours (which seemed unexplainable some days because I wouldn’t think I had a drop of liquid in me).

After losing 15 pounds and getting no relief from an array of oral medicines, I was “qualified” for a Zofran Pump to help with the nausea and vomiting. Although it didn’t cure my nausea or vomiting like I had secretly hoped for, it did help me function and get back to work, which it was I desperately needed. When the nurse came to my house to walk me through the pump and how it worked, my initial thought was “I don’t want to do this”. It was very intimidating at first, but the whole process has gotten easier to manage as the weeks go on. I am connected to it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The pump slowly forces medicine into tubing that is connected to a port, which I have to change once or twice a day to various sites around my stomach. One thing I’m thankful for is that I do not have an aversion to needles because I have to stick myself in the stomach each time I change the “site”. Ouch!

This pump and I have a love/hate relationship. The biggest hassles are taking it in the shower with me (it has a special bag since it can’t get wet) and sleeping with it at night. Anytime I move at night, I wake up because the tubing pulls at my stomach and I have to make sure I adjust the pump to allow for enough leeway. Even on the pump, I still have occasional vomiting and continuous nausea all day, but it does help take the edge off the nausea parts of the day. I guess I just have to take what I can get.

Justin and Kate have been troopers through this ordeal. I feel like I have abandoned Kate, so I’m glad she’s too little to remember this. Justin has taken over all the responsibilities around the house and taking care of Kate. As soon as I get off work, I go upstairs and get in bed for the rest of the night. Justin will feed, bath, and get Kate ready for bed and bring her up for a little bit of time with me. I feel so helpless and worthless not being able to take care of her, but I know it won’t last forever.

Poor Justin has been sleeping downstairs on an air mattress in the living room for the past three months. As soon as I got sick, he moved downstairs. Whenever I mentioned I was looking forward to the day I was no longer sleeping by myself, he jokingly said he wasn’t sure he was going to move back upstairs since he currently had it made – he had a bed to himself, the big screen tv, and the refrigerator close by. Haha – but deep down I know he misses me.

With all this said, I am 99% sure this is my last pregnancy. There are some people that love being pregnant, but you will never hear that phrase come out of my mouth. I am 16 weeks along and hopefully through the worse part, but I’m still not even 75% back to normal. With Kate, my sickness lasted to 20 weeks and I’m praying that this time it will also go away by then. I’m only a month away but that still seems like an eternity. One of these days I will be able to meet up with friends, go to church, and participate in life again, but until then I really appreciate everyone’s patience with me, especially my husband’s.

I am so thankful that all of the doctor’s appointments have gone well and the baby has gotten a healthy report. I am due October 20th, but when the baby’s measurements were done, they estimated my due date to be October 16th so we will see when this baby decides to arrive. May 22nd is the day we find out what “this baby” is – a boy or girl?! Every single time we ask Kate what she would like she says “baby sister”. Mommy is thinking “baby brother” only because I don’t want to be tempted to do this a third time, but a “baby sister” would be nice too since we already have all the girl stuff. We’ll soon find out!

Another big life event was Justin’s appointment at Shands in Gainesville. The Lord’s timing is perfect because the day I found out I was pregnant , we received a call that Justin had an appointment at Shands a couple days later. Although I was a little bit queasy, I was so thankful I was able to go with him. I was shocked we were able to be seen so quickly after getting a referral and it put my mind at ease hearing another doctor’s opinion of Justin’s condition. The doctor listened to the symptoms and confirmed the diagnosis of epilepsy, although he recommended Justin’s medicine be increased significantly. It was hard to hear the diagnosis, but I had told myself I would accept it if I heard it from two different sources. The doctor reassured us that this type of epilepsy is not genetic so that was comforting for both Justin and I. Thankfully Justin’s medicine seems to be working great with little to no side effects and we’re just counting down the days until he can drive again.

And as if we didn’t have enough going on these past several months, another big life event for Justin was preparing for and taking the exam in April to become licensed as a Professional Land Surveyor. Every weekend for a couple months, we would ask someone to watch Kate while Justin studied and I was sick in bed. Right before the exam, Justin and his dad went to Atlanta for an exam prep course and then came home for a night before leaving for Orlando to take the exam. I cannot express how proud I am of Justin. He won’t get the results until July, but I’ve tried to reassure him it will be fine. I know it’s everyone’s fear that you don’t pass the first time because you don’t want to go through the ordeal of studying again, but he’s a smart guy and I have all the confidence in the world in him.

I’ve had my emotional breakdowns and “woe is me” moments, but I try to put everything in prospective and count my blessings. I’m so thankful God has blessed up with a second baby on the way. I’m thankful for my health – being on this pump makes me realize this is short term, but other people deal with pumps and other medicine devices for the rest of their lives. I’m extremely thankful and blessed to have my parents, in-laws, a grandmother, a brother and sister-in-law, and friends in town to help us through these difficult times. Thank you, thank you, thank you!