Olivia's hospital visit

Well, it has been quite the week or two.  I guess it started about two weeks ago.  Olivia woke up in the middle of the night on Sunday the 18th crying.  This is a rare case in our house, so I went in to check on her.  She was really worked up and felt hot.  I changed her diaper and took her temp and noticed that she had a rather big red spot on her bottom.  She also had a fever. 

Back up a few weeks from that.  I have had this thing on my face that I thought was crazy pregnancy acne.  I got weird acne with Olivia, so I thought this was just par for the course.  Then as time went on it got dry and wasn't really acne looking.  I thought maybe it was eczema.  Being the poor "I-pay-out-the-wazoo-for-private-insurance-and-it's-still-crap" person that I am, I decided I'd just wait until my next scheduled OB visit.  This was mistake number one.

Unfortunately, it was impetigo and it had spread to Olivia's diaper area.  Although it looked nothing alike and we had no idea.  It showed up in a pimple form.  She'd get one, then the white head would be gone the next day. She never complained.  We thought maybe it was from the heat?  It finally started clicking that maybe I should get it checked out.  I mentioned to Michael that I needed to take her in.  That was too little too late.

So fast forward back to when the spot was big and red.  I called the pediatrician Monday morning.  There was a little bit of a miscommunication about exactly what to call it.  I didn't know how to describe it.  So they gave me some things to do in the meantime and told me to come in first thing Tuesday morning.  By that time it had almost doubled in size and Olivia couldn't even sit.

Waiting for the doctor

The nurse practitioner took one look and said it was a bacterial infection with an abscess.  Basically one of the spots got infected--from poop, the swimming pool, random changing tables, the bathtub... who knows?  The NP  decided to try to drain it.  Which they did.  Her and the nurse helping kept saying over and over about how much was in it.  Poor Olivia was screaming and there was no form of pain management for that kind of thing.  I ended up having to sit down.  I almost passed out three times during the entire visit.  I'm not normally squeamish.  That's a story for another blog!

They sent us on our way with a prescription and directions for care.  She said if it didn't look significantly better by the next day to call back.  It had basically filled up by late afternoon.  So I called first thing in the morning.  It was our pediatrician's day off, but she was going to be there for a meeting.  We originally saw the nurse practitioner and she wanted the doctor to take a look.  So our appointment was at 1:30, when they open up after lunch.

To add to the drama, Michael had sold his car so we had to get up and take him to work.  When we returned home, Olivia camped out on our bed watching TV while I tried to pack.  She was in so much pain that she didn't want to do much else.

We got to the appointment and both the nurse practitioner and doctor said we would need to head to the hospital.  Since Olivia had two doses of antibiotic at that point and it was bigger, harder, and redder than before, it meant that the infection wasn't responding.  There were too many "pockets of puss" for them to drain it and she needed an IV.  Not exactly what I had in mind for our last few days in Texas.

So I ran home and packed a quick bag.  I had no idea we would end up being there three nights!  Then I headed to pick Michael up from work early.  We went straight to the hospital and got checked in.

I posted this picture on Facebook.  She actually walked in the hospital happy, smiling and talking down the hall.  All the nurses were oohing and ahhing her on our way in.  This picture was taken after they spent about 45 minutes trying to get her IV installed.  They tried both hands.  She HATES the tourniquet and they always have the hardest time finding her veins.

She had to get antibiotic through IV every 6 hours around the clock.  She also had to have her vitals checked every 4 hours around the clock.  The doctor that came in first checked Minnie's vitals and then Olivia's, so she got spoiled and would insist that the nurses listen to Minnie's heartbeat first. :)

She was generally in a good mood except for two things--when someone wanted to look at her bottom and when she had to have her blood pressure taken.  She kept saying, "Mommy, I know it hurts.  We're trying to make it feel better." Bless her heart.  And they told her the blood pressure was just a little hug on her leg.  She HATED it.  She screamed and cried every time and they only got good readings when she was asleep.  She kept saying, "Mommy, does my hug hurt?"  Poor thing.

So on Thursday morning they had OR come and take a look and both the OR people and the pediatrician attending to us thought that she needed to go into surgery.  It wasn't going down as much as they wanted and it was too complicated to just drain on it's own.

They sent us up to OR.  She was dancing around and making everyone laugh.  Of course, that got her to act even more crazy.  It was a really simple procedure.  She was in and out in minutes.

They gave her some meds in her IV at first so that she would be able to leave us and not throw a fit. Basically happy juice. :)  And boy did she get happy.  The anesthesiologist told Michael to hold her.  Within in minutes her head was bobbing everywhere and she was laughing and slobbering. Oh, the pre-op nurse, OR nurse and anesthesiologist were all from Ohio originally.  How weird and cool is that?

As soon as they took her back, I left to head to my Dr. appointment.  Under any other circumstances, I would have cancelled, but I really needed to get it in before the move and get medicine for my own face! :)
She was in good hands with Michael anyway.  I also ran home to get us all a change of clothes and shower items.

It was the hospitals 100 year birthday and our locations 5th birthday.  They were having a party outside, but we were banned to our room so they brought Olivia a good bag.

 Speaking of being banned--this is the sign that was on the door.  It was put there after the doctor checked her upon arrival.  Everyone that had to come in had to put on this hazmat looking cover up.  Very comforting! :)

Michael had to return to work on Friday since it was his last day in the office.  (Plus, they had a surprise party planned for him that I knew about, but he didn't so I had to send him on his way!)

Our day was spent watching TV/movies, playing with stuffed animals, running around the room over and over, dancing, napping, and lots of diarrhea.  Yeah. that was fun. The medicine made her have to go to the bathroom.  It was bad because A) it hurt her every time she went and B) I refused to change that with an open wound in the picture so we kept having to call for help.  They also took out half of the packing.  Not fun.

Olivia found ways to entertain herself.  Maybe it's because we are her parents, but both Michael and I were impressed with this little skill.  She went over and stacked all of the medicine bottles from smallest to largest all on her own.  Pretty good for 26 months, we thought. Then later she went over and reversed the order and stacked from largest to smallest.  She did this a number of times.  I told Michael that I'm sure this says something about her... I'm just not sure what yet. :)

I thought for sure that we would be headed home that afternoon, but no such luck.  We ended up there until Saturday morning. I don't think Olivia minded--she had unlimited snacks, juice, applesauce (to hide things in!), and TV.  Plus, the lovely staff kept bringing her new movies, toys and books.  She was having a ball! :)

On the other hand, Mommy and Boppa were ready to go.  Only to have to deal with ridiculous movers, but again... that's a blog for another time.

We are still giving her antibiotics three times a day and soaking in baths twice a day.  It's healing.  Hopefully it's healing properly. There is a little hard spot that worries me. We will be going in for a follow up visit on Tuesday.

The Things I'm Looking Forward To...

Since I did a list of all of the things I will be missing when I leave Texas, I thought I would do a list of all of the things I am looking forward to about Columbus.  The move is bittersweet.  There are many good reasons why we are moving back, but there is so much we will miss.  Regardless, I've moved so many times in my life that I can make "home" almost anywhere.  I did live in Columbus 8 years though, so it feels like I am returning "home".  Michael was born and raised there, so he might be a tad more excited then I am. :)

(source)

ONE--I am really looking forward to FOUR SEASONS!  I have always said that I want to be somewhere that has four distinct seasons. Technically Texas has 4 seasons, but it's not the same. Fall is my favorite time of year, and there is no fall like a northern fall.  That time when you pack up the flip flops and break out the sweaters.  Where you are a little chilly at the pumpkin patch (where you actually pick a pumpkin that grew there and wasn't imported), and you walk through corn mazes with the trees around you 4 or 5 different brilliant and bright colors... all while drinking hot cider.  You don't dress your baby for the pumpkin patch in a cute outfit only to show up mid October to 90 degree temps and have to strip her down and leave for fear of brutal sunburn. :)  I am also looking forward to it snowing a good amount--enough to go sledding, build a snowman and make a snow fort.

TWO--Columbus Metropolitan Libraries have repeatedly won awards and honors and are voted some of the best libraries in the country (http://www.columbuslibrary.org/about/reports-and-awards).  I know I sound like a broken record, but I love the libraries there and have missed them SO MUCH.  I don't think people in Texas know what they are missing, but quite frankly I think the libraries here suck!  I am looking forward to awesome libraries--both for myself and all of the amazing opportunities they have for the little kids.

THREE--I am looking forward to be close to a great Zoo and Aquarium (in one place-not 2).  Because Jack Hanna is from Columbus, he has helped make the Zoo really nice.  It is arguably one of the best in the country.  The Dallas zoo is not. :)  I have heard the Ft. Worth Zoo is better, but we never made it there.  That's the other thing.  Things like the zoo, aquarium and even science museum aren't as easily accessible here as they are in Columbus.  I would likely never have a membership to any of those places here, because I just wouldn't use it enough.  Each takes at least 45 minutes for us to get to, but it can be closer to an hour depending on traffic.  In Columbus it takes about 20 minutes (depending on where we choose to live).  I will have a membership to the Zoo and museum for sure!

FOUR--Along those lines, I am just looking forward to all of the kid things in general.  When I was a nanny for Little Man, I had a two and a half page list of places to go and things to do.  I called it my list 'o fun.  Some were free, some were reasonably priced, and some were a little more expensive and may not be something that Olivia and I get to often.  Either way, I am excited for the MANY MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN.  I never would have guessed it would be like that.  I would have thought Dallas would have more to offer, but in my two and half years here (both as a nanny and a mom) I just haven't found that to be the case.

FIVE--We are looking forward to being back by close friends.  Some of Michael's best friends ever are the guys he met going to a Christian High School.  He cannot wait to be back close to them and their families.  I didn't grow up in Columbus, but I did live there for 8 yeas and made a bunch of great friends when teaching.  We are both excited for our children to grow up with these special adopted "aunts and uncles".  I also have a family that adopted me as their own when I moved to town, and it will be nice to be close to them again.

SIX--Speaking of family, most of Michael's family is in the area.  This was a driving force for us moving back.  We want our children to grow up around their family.

SEVEN--Ummm... speaking of family and friends, we will now be able to go on some date nights!  Woot woot!  I can count on one hand (OK, maybe a few fingers) the number of times Michael and I have gone out since having Olivia.  It's not that we don't want to or think it's important for our marriage.  It's the fact that when you are paying $10 an hour for a babysitter, and then paying for the actual date or activity, it starts to add up. There always seems to be other things we can spend $100 on.  We may be taking advantage of free babysitting! :)


EIGHT--I am looking forward to adding apple picking back into our family traditions.  A few of my friends here tease me, because apparently I've mentioned it a few too many times. :)  I loved taking Little Man every year and then Michael and I decided to just join in the fun and start our family tradition.  There are no apples to be picked in Texas. :(  Apple picking is such a fun fall activity.  I can't wait!

NINE--If we choose to send Olivia to preschool, we can send her to a 9 to 11:30/12 type of preschool.  Unless you are needing daycare, I just don't think a 2 or 3 year old need to be gone at school for 5 hours!  Their job is to play. They will be in school forever!  Why does it have to get so serious so fast?  The whole reason we would be sending Olivia (and I think the whole reason for most kids) is for socialization.  I think 2 and a half to 3 hours twice a week is more than enough socialization for a 3 year old.  Especially when you add in all the other activities and play dates, etc.  Clearly, I am in the minority here.  You have to look HARD to find these type of preschool hours here in our area of DFW.  (It does exist though!)  In Ohio, it's the opposite.  There are few preschools that choose to go to 1 or 2.  I can feed my child and have her nap at home. I  don't need to pay someone for that.  Plus, how much do they really nap?  Certainly not the 2 hours she gets at home!  There are also half day kindergarten options, if we go the traditional school route.

TEN--On the topic of school, private schools are about half the cost.  We are talking about homeschooling.  This has been Michael's choice since before we even got married, but even more so now that we have a growing little girl.  We still have lots of time to think and pray and see where we end up. But if we choose private school, costing half of what it does in Texas doesn't hurt.  It actually makes it an option to even put on the table.  (Not that I want to say "never", because I know better, but public school isn't even an option. No matter where we live.)
 
ELEVEN--I am looking forward to the fact that "vacation" time can be spent as vacation and not always used to go visit family.  It's not that we didn't want to visit family, but man this girl needs a vacation!  Hopefully we can start taking yearly family vacations!

TWELVE--Columbus is a test city, so even though we are going to miss a few of our favorite places to eat... there will be no shortage in Columbus. There are more restaurants than one could ever need, and some of the nationwide restaurants and movie theaters try out new things to see how it goes over.  Not bad.


Just this year Columbus was named one of the smartest cities IN THE WORLD!  I don't know if I buy all that, but since I'm moving there soon... I'm going with it! :)  We're moving to one of the smartest cities. Woo hoo!

Photos and Funnies

It's been awhile since I've done a photo dump.  Mostly because it's annoying to get photos off of my phone and onto the computer, but I'll manage. :)  I thought this time I'd throw in some funny or cute things Olivia has been saying lately.

Riding the carousel at the mall.  Don't worry--Michael is standing right next to her!

She was taking a bath and her toy giraffe fell in the water and got bubbles all over it.  She said, "Giraffe, I'm sorry you made that bad choice."  It totally cracked me up.  Can you tell we've already been talking about good choices verses bad choices and the consequences that follow?! :)

Actually sitting criss cross--with 2 bows in and her "Princess Presto" wand

We have have been trying (with little success) to get Olivia to sit "criss cross", so when she wants us to sit on the floor and play with her she says "Do you want to sit criss cross?" and if we say "Ok" she says, "Ok, I'll help you."  And then tries to help us get up out of our chair.

 She gets a little dramatic sometimes.  I'm not exactly sure where she gets it from. ;)  She likes to get all huffy and act out if she is not getting her way.  One day she just threw herself on the floor and said, "Mommy, I'm just throwing a fit!!"  Apparently she thought I needed an explanation.

Listening to the directions and playing sticks at TLG

 She is really into saying "I did it all by myself." lately.  A few weeks ago we were doing a new skill at The Little Gym.  Miss Christi was helping make sure her arms were straight on the bars, and then I literally lifted her feet up to help her.  She held the position (with help) for the ten seconds so Miss Christi cheered.  When she got down she said, "I did it all by myself".  Miss Christi and I just looked at each other and busted out laughing.  Yes.  All by yourself with two people helping!

Another TLG story--her class is for ages 19 months to 2 1/2.  Each class starts with introductions.  Some kids just cannot say their name and others just don't want to.  Olivia went through a shy stage, but usually she says "Olivia" when asked. Today when Miss Christi asked her name she replied with "My name is Olivia".  Since half the class aren't even talking yet, she got all sorts of "awwwww"s from the moms.  That made her clap and laugh and do a little dance of joy.  She may not be able to hang or jump, but she's got her words! :)

 The cashier at Target gave Olivia a zebra sticker.  I said "What do you say?" hoping to prompt a 'thank you'.  She turned to the cashier and said, "Zebra starts with a z".  I think the cashier was impressed enough that she didn't mind the missed 'thank you'.

Taking a phone call in the middle of "breakfast"

Olivia has been into imaginative play lately.  She'll talk to her dolls and stuffed animals and make up stories.  She also likes to cook in her kitchen.  She'll set her tea set out on her table and then say, "C'mon Mommy (or Boppa, depending on who is available), it's time for breakfast!"  It doesn't matter what time of day it is either.  She knows how to say lunch and dinner, but apparently she only makes breakfast. Then we have to go and sit at her table and "eat".

 Sometimes on the weekends we just grab Olivia, her cup of milk and bring her into bed with us for a bit.  She likes to read books or sing songs.  Last weekend she stared off into space as she does sometimes and Michael asked her what she was thinking.  Without skipping a beat she said, "Well, I'm thinking about orange juice and water and smoothies."

Yes she is wearing her pajamas with a necklace, shoes and bow.  Yes she did line all of her animals up like that.

We met our MOPS play group at the mall for a play date. After twenty minutes of being there, Olivia came over and said, "Ok. I'm all done. Let's go.  Where's the stroller?"  I just had to laugh.  I kept talking to my friends and a few minutes later she said, "It's too busy for me."  I told Michael she IS his daughter! :)   And what two year old asks to leave the play place at the mall?!  Ay yi yi.  I guess she was just overwhelmed.

Mommy packing. Olivia reading.

Me: Olivia, did you poop?
O: No
Me: I think you did.  I smell poopy.
O: Well I smell pretty flowers.

Blinged out with prizes from mommy's old teaching treasure chest.  Also, she thinks carrying that name sign makes her a princess?!?

If Olivia isn't nice to her toys/stuffed animals/doll, Michael will say, "Awww, poor (bear)."  Olivia has picked that up and will say, "Aww, poor (toy)" when she knows she's being a stinker.  The other day she banged her head, turned and did a little fake "I'm hurt" cry and said, "Aww, poor squiggle bug!"  Michael and I both got a good laugh.


We ran an errand after TLG today.  When got to the cash register, Olivia greeted the cashier with a joyful "Hi!"  Then she told her we were going to go get a treat next.  When the lady handed me my bag and said thank you, I said "Thank you" and Olivia said, "Thank you to you too" and as we were walking away she yelled back "Bye! Have a good day!"  Of course she got all sorts of more "awww"s and "she's adorable!".

14 weeks, Baby #2

For those of you who have been around awhile... my weekly pregnancy check ins are back!  The thought did cross my mind that maybe no one will care. :) Buuuut, I really like being able to look back and know what happened every single week through my pregnancy and beyond.  Also, I'm all about every child being celebrated and loved.  So since I did this for Olivia I feel it's only right that I do it for Baby #2 as well.  I started doing the weekly check in with O at 14 weeks, so here I am.  My new "week" starts on Tuesdays, so I am officially 14 weeks today.

Definitely already sporting a bump

And just for fun....

 I'm not going to do a comparison shot every time, but this certainly won't be the last. :)
 I wrote with Olivia that I felt like I had a bump and Michael could tell, but everyone else probably just thought I was fat.  My bump took forever to show up with her.  Second time mom and apparently my body has it all figured out! 

How Far Along: 14 weeks

Size of baby: Baby is the size of a lemon

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +5

Maternity Clothes: It's a mix.  My regular shirts still fit fine, but bottoms are more problematic.  I can get away with some of my regular dresses and skirts, but have definitely thrown a few maternity pieces in the mix.  I have gotten WAY bigger WAY faster this time!

Gender: ???  We don't know yet.  I'm scared to make a guess since last time I was so sure it was a boy.  We all know how that turned out. :)

Movement: I actually have felt a little tickle here and there.  With Olivia I felt it at 16 weeks exactly.  The doctor said that was pretty early for a first time mom, but when I explained how it felt (like a caterpillar crawling up the inside of my stomach) she said, "Oh, yep. You felt it!".  I have felt the same exact thing this time.  Probably about 3 times now and it is always at night when I lay down to go to sleep.

Sleep: My sleep is alright.  I've already busted out my snoogle (pregnancy pillow) to help my hips out.  I have to get up to pee a lot in the middle of the night, but that is to be expected.

What I miss: I'm not sure I miss anything yet.  I am one of those that tends to lean towards the side of caution when it comes to following the foods you should and shouldn't eat.  Even though my doctor says some of it is OK.  I just think that if there is even the slightest chance something could happen, then why risk it?  It's only 9 months.  So I have wanted a hot dog or some lunch meat a few times, but I am trying to avoid them.

Cravings: Hmm.  Just like with Olivia, I wouldn't call what I have as a true "craving".  But I have been in the mood for good barbeque on multiple occasions since getting pregnant.

Food aversions: None

Symptoms: I was nauseous this time around.  It wasn't really morning sickness.  It was more like afternoon/evening sickness.  It wasn't terrible.  I wasn't taking medication for it or anything, but it was annoying.  I've also been super tired.  That seems to be getting a little better.  My face has also broken out (again!).

Surprises: Not much yet

Best moment this week:  Honestly I haven't been too focused on the baby, so I guess my best moment was being able to sell stuff that we are wanting to sell/get rid of.  It's one more thing I can check off my list.

Fun purchases: We haven't bought a single thing for the baby.  I'm not a fan of gender neutral stuff, and we have so much from Olivia.  I'm just waiting to find out the sex and then we'll go from there.

Milestones: I made it through the first trimester!

Whirlwind

Holy cow.  We had a whirlwind of a weekend.  I had a to-do list for Michael and I, and we accomplished everything on the list (plus some) except for one thing.  Not too shabby.

We had SIX different pick ups yesterday--all from people on Facebook.  We sold our couch, chair, ottoman, our entertainment center, books,clothes, and a few kid items that we just don't need, and more.  Six.  It was a revolving door for sure.

We also met friends for dinner at Tin Star, took a few boxes of books to Half Price Books and had someone come and check out Michael's car.  (They are interested, but want to think about it.  We have another person coming to check it out tonight.)

Not only that, but we decided a few more details about the move.  Everyone knows that renting a U-haul and driving it yourself is the cheapest way to move.  There are a few reasons why we just didn't want to do that.  We got some quotes about hiring movers, and it ended up being more than we wanted to spend.  So as a happy medium, we are going to get a POD.  That way Michael doesn't have to drive a truck and we can still all drive together (making it easier with a toddler).  Plus, you get the POD for a month as part of the initial payment, so that means we can have some time to get it loaded here and also give us a little time to get it unloaded there.  It's nice to have that all scheduled.  Things are coming along.

I plan on spending most of my week continuing to sort, organize, pack, and list things for sale.  I have already had two people stop by this morning buying items (we do porch pick up, so don't worry all of you overprotective types--I wasn't in danger).  I have another person coming over this afternoon and someone coming by later this week.  There are a lot of things about Facebook that can be annoying, but I LOVE the buy/sell pages!!!

The circus continues....  we are both looking forward to just being there, being unloaded, and being past this phase.  It's a lot of work, but it will be worth it in the long run.  (Sorry for the boring picture-less post!) :)

Five for Friday

ONE

(source)

We are trying to figure out what we want to keep and what we want to sell.  It is expensive to move, so we  are really trying to decide what is necessary and worth keeping.  I already mentioned that we sold a bunch of stuff last weekend at our garage sale.  Yesterday I sold our table and chairs on Facebook.  It was just a small 2 person table.  We are going to need a bigger one anyway, so that worked out well.  We have someone coming tomorrow to look at our couch/chair/ottoman.  There are also 2 people waiting in line after her if she doesn't take it.  I love Facebook for this kind of thing!  We have a couple people interested in Michael's car too.  I've been selling some of my teacher stuff as well.  Less stuff. More money.  It's a win/win!

TWO

I hate when people ask me what Michael does.  I don't feel like there is an easy answer.  Heck, I don't even understand the complexity of what he does.  Then I just look like an idiot stumbling over my words.  But even if you ask Michael what he does, he has a hard time putting it into a simple explanation and ends up talking for 5 minutes and half the time the people's eyes glaze over after the first minute or two.  So this is your warning... just don't ask! :)

THREE

(source)

We moved from Ohio to Texas when I was about 13 weeks pregnant with Olivia.  I had to find a new Dr. and started with my 16 week appointment. This time, we are moving when I will be about 16 weeks pregnant.  I've decided to see my doctor here a few days earlier than my 16 weeks.  That way I will have a few weeks to find a doctor there instead of trying to rush.  (My doctor from before I moved quit to stay home with her kids.)  I'm hoping to find a good one and have already started researching.  So one of our children will have been conceived in Ohio, but born in Texas. The other will have been conceived in Texas, but will be born in Ohio.

FOUR

Speaking of baby, we are trying to come up with a girl name.  Our boy name has been the same since about 2 years before we ever even got pregnant with Olivia.  Girl names are harder for us.  I want to be prepared this time though.  Last time we were convinced it was a boy, so we weren't set on our girl name.  Then when we found out it was a girl, Michael wanted to start calling her my name immediately and we didn't have a name.  We are trying to avoid that this time.  (Even though I think it might be a boy?!  But we all know how awful I am at guessing!)  Since we all have pretty traditional names, we are trying to think of a name that goes with the rest of the names in our family.  I think it would be a little odd to have Michael, Bethany, Olivia and then have a Paisley or Haven.  You know?  The search continues.  There are a few we both like.  I'm just having a hard time committing.

FIVE

 Is anyone else confused about how Facebook has turned into Pinterest?  Every time I sign on there is a new recipe waiting for me to look at.  At first I thought it was just because I have a lot of "older" women in my friends list.  Nope.  The young ones are doing it too.  I thought that's what Pinterest was for.  I'm so confused.

Just for fun

I thought I'd just throw a fun post together about some of the things I will miss about Texas.  Of course, some are a little more serious than others.  There may be others that I can't think of off the top of my head, but here is a good start:

Things I will miss...
(in no particular order)

*MOPS-Yes, I can and will join a MOPS group in Ohio, but I am really going to miss the group that I am apart of now.  I have met some really great women.  It was something I always looked forward to.  I am afraid that the group in Ohio will be "different" (as is normal, no two groups are exactly alike) and that I will just compare in my head and not enjoy myself.  I am also really going to miss being on the steering committee.  I was so looking forward to it.  The girls I met on the team and the little bit of time I spent with them has made me want to make them lifelong friends.  They are so genuine, caring, friendly and real.

*TIN STAR

 As my friend Alycia says, "I can form a religion around those tacos".  The thing is, I'm not even a fan of Mexican or Tex Mex.  I never have been.  But I love these tacos.  I don't even care about the unlimited chips and salsa.  I don't eat any.  Two number 1 tacos with the chipotle sour cream and I am in heaven.  Really, I'm just going to miss the yummy tortillas you can get down here.  I don't know of any place up north that makes your tortillas to order. Mmmm...  I will be eating here at least one more time before I leave.

*CENTRAL TIME.  It may sound silly, but I like central time.  I grew up with central time and had to get use to Eastern time when I moved to Ohio.  Who wants to watch the news at 11?  Not me. (Not that I watch the news anyway).  I just like that nights start at 7 and end at 10.   I realize that is mostly based on TV, and I don't even watch live TV in the evenings, but still....

*THE WEATHER

This really can go both ways.  I love the snow.  I also love a REAL fall (i.e. in the north).  So while I will be happy to have those back, I will miss the early spring and wearing flip flops from March to October.  I do love the snow, but not quite for so long.  So I will miss the short winter.  I haven't worn a winter coat since we've lived here, so I'm going to have to be investing in one for this coming winter.  A maternity one at that.

*FRIENDS-While a lot of the friends I have made also are part of MOPS, there are people outside of MOPS that I am going to miss.  Friends we have made at church and by attending The Little Gym every week.  I am going to miss Miss Christi as a Olivia's teacher, but also as a friend.  It's so hard to start over at this age.

*OUR PEDIATRICIAN

I know I have raved about her before, but I am really going to miss our pediatrician.  I have already started looking for holistic pediatricians in the Columbus area, but like with all things new it still worries me.  I love that our pediatrician knows so many alternatives and doesn't just hand out medicine recklessly.  I love that she understand the connection between food and many common ailments, and I love that we have been able to dictate our own vaccination schedule.  I pray that we find someone equally as awesome near our new home.
 
*CONSIGNMENTS- I enjoy being the admin of the Facebook consignment group.  I have looked in my new area and there doesn't appear to be anything quite as good.  We have 4000+ members so it is a BUSY group, which makes it great for buying and selling.  So far the ones I've found in my new area are not kid specific and they only have a couple hundred people.  I have got some amazing deals off of these sites, so I will be sad if there is nothing like it.  I also love some of our local consignment sales.  Some are good and some are not as good.  I'm hoping any that I go to in Columbus will be on the better side.  I get about 80% of Olivia's clothes that way.  (10% are probably gifts and 10% I buy new because I can't resist! :)

*BABES CHICKEN

 Yes, that is actually what the place looks like. :)  There are no menus.  You get the same family style sides every time--biscuits, salad, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy.  Then you choose your meat. There are about 6 choices.  Mostly they are all chicken.  I think there is one non chicken choice.  The price is set.  You can add a drink if you'd like.  We have never made it to dessert.  The sides are all you can eat and the chicken comes in heaping servings.  It is so good!  They say "people come for the biscuits and stay for the chicken".  I could eat both all day long!

*FRIENDLY PEOPLE-I think I can say this because I am a born and raised northerner... but it is true.  People down here are much friendlier.  There are still the ones that get cranky or rude, but over all people are much nicer down here.

*SUNSHINE

It's true.  While there are many things I do love about Columbus... it is a very gray city.  I'm not making it up.  And on the flip side, Dallas is a very sunny city.  Even on the few days that it does start out rainy or cloudy, the sun always ends up popping out.  I am going to miss the sun.

*MICHELLE
I am going to miss being close to Michelle for all of my 31 needs.  I can go to the bi-monthly meetings in Columbus.  I can also call her or text when needed. But it has been nice to have her close.

*TEXAS TYPE ACTIVITIES-- I like that we can go to the rodeo any weekend we want.  I like taking bluebonnet pictures every year.  I like the strong feeling of patriotism.  People don't walk around in cowboy hats and spurs, but I am going to miss all things "Texas".

Things I will NOT miss...

--the crazy and entitled drivers

--fire ants: I honestly didn't even know ants bit until I moved here.  It is AWFUL. I would rather be stung by a bee.  I now HATE ants. Hate.

--spiders: we are on the second floor right now, so we don't see as many as we use to.  But still.  They are around.

--the blazing heat

And the "Journey" continues...

When I started this year out and chose "journey" as my word, I had no idea exactly what kind of journey I was going to go on!  First of all, I honestly entered January with no plans to be pregnant.  My thoughts (and a few conversations) were... depending on how this year goes, I may be willing to start trying in January of 2014.  Now, I will likely be having my baby in January of 2014.  No.  It wasn't a surprise.  It happened much like it did with Olivia. Overnight I suddenly decided I was ready.  Michael and I had a conversation about how "no time will ever be perfect".  We slept on the thought and the next day threw our hands up in the air and said, "why not?".  I never got another period.  I don't chart or take my temperature or anything like that--so with both pregnancies I can't really say it "happened on the first try", but it basically happened on the first cycle.  Likely somewhere in the first week of trying.  Apparently we are very fertile!

Well that little piece of knowledge led us down another path.  We were quickly approaching the end of our lease and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that we did not want to stay at our current location.  I already explained that due to our rental property in Ohio, a home loan wasn't looking likely.  As each door closed, we once again turned back to the conversation we have had a dozen times over the last year.  Do we move back?  Michael has always been ready to move back.  It has been me saying, "But you finally have a job you love!".  I don't know about you--but being married to someone who loves their job verses being married to someone who loathes their job can make a HUGE difference.  I've lived through both seasons.  But this time around my heart was slowly changing.  Michael made the comment that all of the reason why would should/could move back were starting to outweigh the one thing keeping us here.  His job.  For whatever reason that really sunk in.  We started praying about it (once again), making pro and con lists, and talking about all of the different possibilities.  Things just started falling into place and we knew that now was the time to move back.

There are honestly many, many reasons why we are choosing to make the move.  We LOVE Texas, but what it boils down to is the fact that we want our children to grow up around family and some of our life long friends.

So, in two and a half weeks we will be packing up our belongings and making the journey back home.

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The facts:

• Michael will be keeping his job.  When his bosses found out that he was going to move back, they called him into their office and basically said, "We don't want to lose you.  So if you want to keep your job, we'll do whatever it takes to make it work."  He will be working from home in Ohio.  This was a big piece to the puzzle, and we are so glad that it was all able to work out.

• We are planning on leaving on the 24th.  Michael needs to be in the actual office here until the 23rd because his boss is going to be out of town.  Our lease is up on the 26th.  So regardless, we are moving that weekend.  We are hoping to pull out mid day on the 24th, drive part way, and then arrive sometime on the evening of the 25th.  Michael can use the 26th to settle and get his computers up and running and then start work the next day.  We don't want him to miss too much work.

• We are packing things up ourselves and have been working on it for a few weeks now.  We are planning on hiring movers to load, drive and unload our stuff.  We are hoping to sell Michael's car before we leave, and then we can all drive together in one car.  This will make things much easier with having Olivia in the car for 18+ hours.  Plus, he won't need the car if he's working from home.

• We will be moving in with his mom to start.  We will likely stay until after the baby is born (and then probably after the weather calms down), because I don't want to have to move twice in one pregnancy.  We are choosing to stay with her for various reasons--1) we are going to have the same home loan issues as we did here.  We need our renter to be in our place for a little longer. 2) it will save us money. 3) if I get put on bed rest again, we will have a little help with Olivia. 4) we don't want to be moving in and out of apartments and places for the next few year and we honestly didn't even have enough time to find a place once we decided on the move. 5) in the short term it will just be easier! :)

I think that pretty much sums it up.  I am finally past the point where I feel nauseous all day, so I'm trying to get stuff packed and ready.  I'm still tired all of the time though.  We did have a garage sale last weekend and made $270, so that was nice.  What didn't sell got taken directly to Goodwill.

In case you aren't a Facebook friend....

I am due February 11th.  Although if this pregnancy goes anything like Olivia's, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to have a January baby.

I was 12 weeks on Tuesday, but just had my appointment today.  All is well.  We heard the heartbeat (again), and things are moving along.  Now I'm just waiting for that second trimester energy to kick in!