Bedrest for Me

So, this week has been pretty bad for me. To sum up the news, I am showing early signs of preeclampsia in the form of high blood pressure and edema (I'm so swollen that I look like the stay puff marshmallow man). As a result, my doctor has put me on bedrest as well as a low dose blood pressure medication. Fortunately, I am not showing any of the other symptoms like protein in my urine, so the plan is to keep my blood pressure down and let this baby cook as long as possible. It seems likely that I will have to be delivered early though. I'm just praying I don't have another NICU baby. Please all pray that I can deliver a healthy baby boy and also pray that I don't lose my marbles being on bedrest.

Happy Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving this year we had our friends Amy, Jared, and Gavin over and ate ourselves into a coma. I made the turkey and it turned out pretty good. We also had the traditional mashed potatoes, yams, green beans, rolls, stuffing, and pecan pie. It was a great day.

On Friday morning, we packed up the car and headed to San Antonio to go to Sea World. Our passes from earlier in the year are still valid, so we figured we'd use them one more time before we move. Lexi was so excited to see Shamu, but I was definitely a little hesitant to haul my swollen body around a theme park. I was sure to pack a pillow and blanket in case I needed a rest. It was a quick 4 hour drive to San Antonio and then straight into Sea World to see the Sesame Street show and Shamu. We headed back to our hotel and tested out the swimming pool which was freezing. I managed to squeeze myself into a maternity swimsuit, but I'll spare you the photos. The next morning we checked out of the hotel and headed back to Sea World to visit the rest of the animals. Once Lexi had had enough, we loaded back into the car and headed for home. It was a great 2 days and Lexi had a lot of fun. It was also nice to spend some time with Jeff since he's been so busy lately. Enjoy the pictures.

The first thing we had to get in Sea World was cotton candy. I was having a serious craving.

We fed the lorikeets, but they were a little aggressive and bit my hand really hard. I was bleeding all over. My mom thinks they didn't like all the pregnancy hormones I'm emitting.

They loved Jeff so much that they pooped all over him.
Feeding the dolphins was definitely the highlight of the trip, although they kept trying to eat our camera because they thought it was a fish.

Lexi was all tuckered out by late afternoon, so we decided it was time to pack it up and head home.

Here is a video of Lexi watching the Shamu show. Every time he jumps out the water her face lights up. It is adorable.

Here is Lexi feeding the dolphins. It was definitely her favorite part of the day.

Lexi feeding the Lorikeets. She was a little hesitant at first but quickly got the hang of it.

The Butterfly Circus

If you've got 20 minutes and want a little inspiration, follow the link below and watch "The Butterfly Circus"
http://www.thedoorpost.com/hope/film/?film=4dd298f102c77b625cf37a9e7744ac68

Survey

I've collected pictures of Jeff, Lexi, and myself all at similar ages and am conducting a survey. I want to know who you think Lexi looks more like: Jeff or Me (try to look past the blonde hair and blue eyes which she obviously got from Jeff). You can be honest, but I must warn you that I'm sick of people telling me how much Lexi looks like her Dad. I mean he's handsome and all, but I carried her in my womb for 9 months and think I deserve a little genetic input. So, let's hear what you think.

Happy Halloween

Lexi in her Flamingo costume. She defintly got good use out of that thing. Thanks Lala!

Jeff and me in our costumes for the ward party. This is one of the few pictures you will see of me during my pregnancy so savor it.

Lexi and her friend Elliot, aka Elf. His costume was definitly our favorite. The most amazing part was that his parents made the entire thing!

Lexi giving a hug to her friend Thad.

The Star Wars clan, complete with a baby Chewbacha and working lightsabers.

Tinkerbell, Captain Hook, and Peter Pan. We definitly have some creative friends.

Lexi with all of her best buds.

Bobbing for doughnuts. Try explaining the concept that you can't use your hands to a group of toddlers.

Lexi and her friends ready for Trick-or-Treating.

She ran for about the first 45 minutes and then got a little tired, bored, and scared.


All tuckered out after lot's of trick-or-treating.

Riding home with the loot.

Halloween this year at the Schramm home was quite a production. I had Lexi in and out of her costume so many times that I was excited to pack it away yesterday. I feel like this was really her first true Halloween because she was able to grasp the concept of going to people's door and saying "Trick or Treat". The Halloween hoopla actually began earlier in the week when Lexi wore her flamingo costume to the Halloween party at her preschool. Our next event was our ward Harvest Carnival followed by a trunk-or-treat on the 30th. Jeff and I decided to dress up, and since I'm 6 months pregnant we thought we would incorparate my large belly into our costumes. Consequently, Jeff was the devil and I was a pregnant nun with a sign taped to my belly reading "The Devil Made Me Do It". Lexi loved playing with all of her friends and participating in the various games.

On Halloween day, the festivities started around 4 o'clock with a party at our friend's apartment. They had games for the kids and lot's of festive treats. The funniest was watching Lexi bob for doughnuts. She was actually pretty good at it. After the party, we met up with another group of friends for the official trick-or-treating. Since this was Lexi's first year we weren't quite sure what to expect, but she definitly caught on pretty quickly following the older kid's lead. She did great until we visited some scary homes at which point she decided that Daddy needed to carry her the rest of the way. From that point on, instead of saying "Trick-or-Treat" at the door, she would simply say "I'm scared". I guess she was going for sympathy candy. We also underestimated the distance Lexi would have to walk. She definitly got tuckered out pretty quick and had to ride in the wagon our friends pulled along. I think next year we'll use the stroller. All-in-all it was a fun Halloween filled with lot's of great memories.

When Auntie Jenn Came to Town

My sister Jennifer came in town this weekend for a quick visit. Since this was her first trip to Texas we felt like we really needed to pack in as much as possible. This included a trip to Jeff's school, the Texas state fair, our annual Pumpkin Dash, a trip to Sam Moon for some shopping, eating at Babe's Chicken, a visit to the Pumpkin Patch, and scouting out a couple consignment stores. Needless to say, our feet were pretty sore so we topped the trip off with pedicures at Hawaiian Nail Bar. It was so fun having Jenn here, although I definitely think we wore her out. I know I need a couple days of rest to recover. Here are the pics from our fun-filled weekend.

The Texas State Fair
This is definitely the fair to beat all fairs complete with a petting zoo, 2 car shows, a million carnival rides and games, a fireworks show, and all the fried food you can eat. Lexi loved the rides and I loved the fried Snickers bar. Unfortunately my camera died and so I didn't get many pictures.





The Third Annual Pumpkin Dash
Every October since we've lived here we have run the Pumpkin Dash which is a 5K race in our neighborhood. It's always great fun getting Lexi dressed up and enjoying the nice weather. Since I didn't want to come in dead last, I watched from the sidelines while Jennifer and Jeff ran the entire race. They both did great and we all had a lot of fun (although we were all a little weighed down from all the fried food the night before).



The Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch
On Jennifer's last day here I decided to take her to the Pumpkin Patch. It's a great place for kids to play, plus there are tons of photo opportunities. Unfortunately, the weather was windy, Lexi was grouchy, and there were about a million other kids so I didn't get any amazing pictures. Oh well, we still had fun.

It's A Boy!

We had an ultrasound today that confirmed we are having a boy. Everything looked great in the ultrasound and we'll be expecting his arrival in late February. When we told Lexi that she was going to have a little brother she replied, "No, I want a little sister!" Hopefully her attitude will change over the next few months or the baby may be met with some hostility when Lexi realizes he's not a girl.

Lexi's 1st Day of Preschool

Today Lexi started preschool. Normally I wouldn't have enrolled her in school yet, but my good friend, who taught preschool for years, decided to teach a small group of children out of her home. Lexi goes twice a week for 2 1/2 hours which gives her some much needed playtime, plus I get to run some errands minus a toddler. It's amazing how much more you can do when you're not trying to drag a 2-year-old with you. I can tell that she is going to love it because when I picked her up today she gave me this look of disappointment that said, "Oh mom, can't you come back later. I'm having so much fun."

Now of course, on the 1st day of school I had to take multiple pictures. She was so adorable holding her little bag all ready to go. I got a couple shots in our apartment and then decided to venture out and get some nature shots. Not such a good idea...I got one picture and then Lexi screamed bloody murder, and I new instantly that she had been bitten by a fire ant. Our fun and exciting morning quickly took a turn for the worst as I ran her into the apartment and pinned her to the floor so I could put some Calamine on the bite. Instantly the pain abated and we made it to school. Below are the pictures I got before the traumatic biting incident.



In other news, I finally got Lexi potty trained. I tried to train her about 4 months ago and gave up after 1 day because she didn't seem ready. This time was significantly easier. She seemed to grasp the concept a lot better this time, and I honestly had her trained in about a day. It took another couple of weeks to work out the fine details like wiping, hand washing, and pooping, but she is pretty much done. Hallelujah! I'm so glad I waited until she was a little older. Here are some random pictures of my big girl.





Jeff started school again this week. His class load is significantly lighter and most of his time will be spent in the clinic working on patients. I can't believe he'll be graduating in April. The time has flown by. I am so proud of him for sticking with it and continuing to work hard.

Lastly, I am still pregnant. I'm almost 16 weeks and fortunately am feeling a lot better. The morning sickness still lingers a little, especially if I forget to eat, but it is definitely nothing like it was with Lexi. I'm so glad to be over the worst of it. The baby is healthy and everything looks normal. The doctor is pretty certain the sex of the baby, but I won't be posting that announcement until we have another sonogram in a few weeks and are positive. Although I hate to have my picture taken while I'm gestating I decided to post 1 for posterity's sake. I will only be accepting comments such as "Man you look great" or "You look so little for 16weeks". I will not be accepting comments such as "Are you pregnant with twins?" or "Man, you're huge!" Thanks for your understanding.

Bye Bye Baby Ticker

Okay, I can't stand watching that dang baby ticker every day, so I'm removing it from the blog. Don't worry, I'm still pregnant, but I'd prefer not to dwell on the fact that I have over 200 days to go.

Bring on the Bucket!

It's official, the morning sickness has arrived. I must warn you that the next several posts will contain lot's of negativity and complaining. I just really hate being pregnant. It's not enough that I have to gain 30+ pounds accompanied by lovely stretch marks, but I also have to endure months of constant nausea. Thankfully, through intense meditation and concentration, no actual vomiting has occurred yet, but there have definitely been some close calls. For those of you who have wonderful pregnancies with no morning sickness, I officially HATE you! How am I going to get through the next 8 months?

A Day to Remember

Today marks the year anniversary of my sister Jerilyn's passing. I don't know what to say except that I still miss her every day. She was a wonderful person, and the world is truly at a loss without her. But I know that she is watching over us on the other side. I love you Jerilyn and still can't believe you're gone.