Vacation in Tucson

This summer, we decided to check out one of the (somewhat) local resorts down in Tucson.  We picked the JW Marriott at Starr Pass – mostly because they seemed to have lots of things for kids (pools mostly).  So we were able to spend part of a day on their lazy river and huge water slide, and then almost a full day at the other pool, swimming all around and watching Kim down his margaritas!  J  It was a nice vacation, although more expensive than I was expecting given our phenomenal room rate.  I think they jacked all the food and drink prices up a ton, cause ate/drank almost double what we paid for the room!!!

After our resort stay, we went and stayed with friends for a night at their new house.  It was beautiful and we had lots of fun, especially since they had a little dog that Alli was able to chase around.  At one point, Jen held her little dog (Dexter, now affectionately known as Texter) so Alli could pet him.  They had a little conversation, which she filled me in on later.

Alli:  “Sometimes when I do this to Bagheera (grabs her neck and starts choking), then he growls.”

Jen:  “Oh!  Why would you do that then?”

Alli:  “Because sometimes I’m a good girl, and sometimes I’m not.”

Oh my!!!  I guess I need to pay more attention to our “good girl” when I hear Bagheera growl!!!

Sibling Love

At my last Ob visit, Dr. Plimpton had asked me if the baby responded to Kim's voice.  I told him no, but that the baby seemed to respond to Alli's voice.  In the days that followed, I was rethinking that answer, wondering if the baby really was responding to Alli's voice.  But this morning I decided I was 100% correct in the answer.

We are on a little stay-cation.  Well, we're considering Tucson close enough to home to call it a stay-cation, although if you ask Alli, the drive was very long.  :)  So we are at a beautiful resort in Tucson, cashing in on their summer specials, using their many awesome pools, and of course paying exorbitant amounts of money for food and alcohol.  This morning Alli woke up early as usual, but being that we are all in one room, we couldn't send her out to watch TV, so we tried to have her play on the iPad quietly while we continued to sleep.  Well, that lasted about 10 minutes and then it was melt-down city.  The discipline from daddy and crying from Alli ensued, and meanwhile, the baby got extremely agitated and I was just getting kicked like all get-out.  The baby was so upset for the entire duration that Alli cried, and so I've decided that this baby just genuinely loves his/her sister and was very upset by Alli's crying - reacting to her more than any voice the baby hears.  Awww....  I hope the two really enjoy each other!

Haircut Turned Spa Day for Alli

Today the whole family went to get haircuts.  This doesn’t happen very often where our haircuts align, but today it did.  So Alli got her hair just trimmed, because she wants to grow it long (like Rapunzel) and with no bangs.  (Should have thought of that before she cut part of her bangs to the quick!)  So Stacy did a great job evening out the last of the Alli haircut and got it shaped so we could just let it grow for a long time before another cut would be necessary.  After the haircut, Alli was most excited because Mary (Stacy's assistant) paints her nails (to keep her entertained while Kim and I are getting cut).  Alli already knew she wanted green nailpolish and was very excited to ask Mary for it.
So Mary painted Alli's finger nails, and then Alli said "now toes!".  Oh boy.  We were laughing.  She picked a sparkly red for her toes.  As a mom of a 4 year old, I cringe over the dark colors, but I must admit, they look really good on her!

So at the end of Alli's haircut-turned-spa-day, we decided to document with some pics.  Here is Alli with Mary (on left) and Stacy (on right), as well as a pic of her fingernails and toenails.

And after all the fun at the salon, we went out for some yummy ice cream.  Can you guess what Alli's favorite flavor is?  :)

Our Summer Cleaning Project

I believe I blogged earlier that my goal was to clean all the closets in the house, to make room to fit the baby and all the “stuff” that comes with babies.  The goal was to throw things out, take them to Goodwill, or find a new home for them in different areas of the house, all in order to make the spare bedroom (and current storage area) the baby’s room.  So, let’s just say, we haven’t done a very good job on this house project for most of this summer. 

To spark my drive (and therefore drive Kim as well), I decided to order a changing table/dresser for the baby.  And where to put it?  Well, in order to put it in the spare bedroom, we would *have* to do some cleaning.  :)  (At least I know how to put the right carrot in front of my face!)  So this weekend, we had about 70 books go to Goodwill, a couple of bags of clothes / handbags / miscellaneous items, and a couple of old cameras that we haven’t used in about 7 years.  We filled 2 garbage bags with “things” that we haven’t touched in over 5 years – most of which are products that we do not use anymore and therefore don’t need to replace.  By the end of the weekend, I felt we had made a decent dent in our house.

I’m hoping the drive stays with us a couple more weeks.  There are things in the garage we can clean out (although it’s really hot outside to be working in the garage), and there are still things in our bedrooms, bathrooms, office, and kitchen.  Yes, still a lot of cleaning out.  Maybe this is a good thing that we have a little one coming – it’s making us get rid of the clutter that just winds up collecting over the years.

The Day of the Doctors - 26 week checkup & 4 year checkup

Today Alli came with Kim and I to see the baby.  We told her that Dr. Plimpton was very special because he helped get her out of mommy's belly!  And he said "do these look familiar?" and lifted up his hands.  haha  The baby looks great.  Definitely daddy's nose and lips.  That's about all we can tell at this point.  But Alli has daddy's nose and lips, so we are assuming a very cute baby.  :)  The baby's head is down, with the face pointing to my right side.  All hands and legs are at my right side, and the back of the baby is on the left side, which explains why all the movement that I feel is on my right side - punches and kicks!

We asked about the charlie horses I've been getting since the scorpion stings.  He said it's probably coincidental, and to take some extra calcium before bed.  Pregnant women tend to get charlie horses and the calcium helps with that.  So, we'll give it a try.  I've been doing electrolyte drinks and that is helping, but I'll add more calcium for the rest of my pregnancy.

I've gained 14lbs already, which is kinda freaking me out since I only gained a total of 18lbs with Alli.  Wow!  Talk about being bigger!!  The baby is on target to be a 7.5lb baby, but then again, so was Alli at this stage.  (I checked the blog earlier today!)

As far as Alli's checkup, she's doing great.  Only 30lbs and 38.3" tall, so 8% in weight and 14% in height.  She's definitely following in mommy's growth rate - slow and petite.  Nothing new from the doctor for Alli's health - clean bill.

Alli has been great taking on more responsibility - we've been working on that.  Swimming like a fish and being responsible.  It's been really nice.  Of course, we still get the occasional melt downs, but I suppose that's life with a 4 year old.  :)

Scorpion Update

Kim and I decided to forego the emergency room and just let the toxin run its course (since thats what they would do anyway per the poison control guys).  Poison control was nice.  We called immediately, and then they called back in an hour to check.  We considered me good at that time, but then by an hour later, I was having difficulty walking around because my eyes were jumping - couldn't track straight.  And because of that, I was dizzy and getting nauscous.  So we called poison control again.  They said that is also a normal reaction, but no driving and no walking because I was now a falling hazard.  So I laid on the couch and closed my eyes so the nausea would subside.  Poison control called back at the 3-1/2 hour mark from the sting, and at that point I told them that my whole body was numb.  They said on a scale from 1-10, I was a 9 as far as toxin effects.  Nice.  But again when we asked, they said the baby is fine.

The toxin affects the nerves, and there are no nerves running from mommy to baby.  Whew!

The poison control guys said that max symptons are in the first 6 hours, and then it should slowly start to subside.  6 hours!  I had another 2-1/2 hours to make it to a level 10 on their scale!  Ugh.  But I didn't.  I stayed about the same, just more numbness than before, but no new symptoms.

This morning I woke up and my eyes were fine.  My teeth, mouth, and throat weren't tingling anymore.  (Whew!)  But all my limbs were.  We decided driving was still out of the question, so I'm working (what I can) from home, and Kim is also to make sure that I don't drop anything or fall.  Besides being numb, I found I couldn't control my pinky fingers or my ring fingers, and therefore can't type.  :(  I'm very cautious when I pick anything up.  I refuse to lift anything heavy, like a ceramic plate, cause I don't think I would have the control to keep it from falling.

It's very weird.  I'm looking forward to the toxin being gone and no more pins & needles in my hands, feet, arms, and legs!

Scorpion: 3; Jenny: 0; Kim: 1

Almost every night, we are hitting the pool as a family, and tonight was no exception.  I was eager to go as well because I had just gotten a new maternity swim top and I wanted to make sure it would not float up like my non-maternity tankini had been doing.  So I cut off the tag and went to put it on.  As I got it over my head, I felt a prick on my arm.  Darn.  I must have missed a piece of plastic from the tag.  I checked my arm, but didn't find any "plastic splinters" or anything, but there was definitely a stinging sensation when I rubbed my hands over it in a certain way.  Oh well, I thought maybe it was gone, so I started pulling on the top again to get it over the belly.  Ouch!  Another sting - this time in the back of my shoulder.  That's it.  I must have a piece of plastic still in the bathing suit, so I decided just to keep pulling it down, over my belly and try to get the top off.  That's when I saw it in the mirror - a scorpion, hanging off the material on my back left side.  I screamed.  And it stung me again before I could get the top completely off.  Kim came running, found the sucker, and stomped it dead.  Alli was screaming because mommy was freaking out.  I jumped in a cold shower, hoping that it would help the sting.  Kim called poison control to see what we needed to do.

18 years in Arizona and I have never been stung by a scorpion.  Now I'm 26 weeks pregnant and I get stung 3 times.  You've *got* to be kidding me!!!

To let you know, poison control said it's extremely rare to be allergic, but to watch for blurred vision or drooling.  And, since my tetanis shot isn't up to date, I should get a booster within 72 hours.  (I don't understand that one yet, so I'll be asking when they call back in an hour.)  The stings feel like a bee sting, although slightly more painful (maybe cause I have 3 of them, who knows.)

I called my ObGyn.  He's on vacation, but his nurse called.  She said the doctor usually likes his patients to go in to emergency to get checked out, just to be safe.  So, looks like it might be quite a night for us...

We will be looking at our bathing suits more closely before putting them on....  :)