Health Insurance

I am SO thankful for our health insurance! Here's a recap of our month:

Pink Eye: Kiersten (called in prescription), Beth (called in prescription)
Ear Infections: Kiersten (went into dr and got a script), Annika (went into dr and got a script)
Prenatal visits: Beth (3 total this month)
And today....a burst eardrum: Kiersten

So, 6 appointments and 4 prescriptions later, I am thankful for the large amount of money we pay each month to our insurance, and I will remember this the next time I want to complain.

On schedule for next month, just the birth of another child, at least one more prenatal appointment and a 2 week check-up for the baby. We'll make it worth it!

April Happenings

We had a great Easter, with the whole Foote side of the family coming to Ames. I love watching all of the cousins play together! They have so much fun seeing each other. Annika and Kiersten were excited for weeks before that everyone was coming. We're at 9 cousins and counting! I can't believe we'll have another to add to this mix very shortly.

I think this is probably a new favorite picture. They are so goofy together (when they aren't fighting)! I really can't wait to find out what our baby girl's personality will be like, and how it will mix with the other two.

As for this pregnancy, the time is really ticking down! Yesterday I was 37 weeks along. Now to make sure I'm ready. I need to start thinking of what to bring to the hospital. The crib and bassinet are up in the room now. My mom helped me make a few changes to the bedding to make it special for baby #3. My mother-in-law sewed two blankies for the baby (I've had two for each girl to have on rotation...too many incidents of leaving one in the church nursery, getting sick on one in the night, etc)! I have to work on three pictures for the wall and then we're good.

I've learned one thing with this pregnancy....nesting is NOT easy with a 4 and 2 year old! My doctor put it best yesterday when she said, "Nesting with two kids at home consists of making a nest on the couch and staying there." So true. I clean, I try to organize, but it all seems futile. My ideal of coming home to a perfect house from the hospital may just happen, but there's a good chance it won't. Oh, and if it does, it will take about 10 minutes to undo!

Lately, Annika has been asking very big questions about God. I LOVE that she is so curious and that she is asking these questions. The problem is, I can't quite answer her like I would a High School Young Life kid! The other day we were talking about Jesus dying on the cross and that he rose from the dead. She asked if he was just sleeping and pretending that he was dead. I told her no, that he actually died and came back alive. We talked about how he could do this miracle because he is God's son. Her response, "Well, who is Joseph?"....hmmmm. Try explaining to a 4 year old who thinks that a mommy and daddy have to be married to each other to have a baby that Joseph married Mary, but is not the baby daddy. The best line of the month though would have to be, "I really would like to ask Jesus into my heart, I just have some concerns." What 4 year old says that? I love it. It's been very fun.

32 weeks and counting!

Well, it's been months since I've updated the blog (not that I'm making tons of people really sad by this). I am now 32 weeks pregnant. 8 more to go (or possibly less, but doubtful if thsi pregnancy is like the others).

We've had a total of 3 ultrasounds this pregnancy. The 20 week and 31 week ultrasound both confirming another girl! We're very excited and Annika and Kiersten are EXTREMELY excited! I'm pretty sure we've finally landed on a name for her which is nice to know and nice to read the paper or watch movie credits, etc without trying to read every name to come up with ideas!

As far as the pregnancy goes, I know that people have it way worse, and I am so thankful to be pregnant at all with a healthy baby, but......I seem to not be able to escape ANYTHING this time! Here's my last 7 months:

-Strong cramping early on in the pregnancy from week 4-week 7 or 8
-Throwing up 5-6 times a day starting at week 7
-Knocking that down to 2-3 times with taking Zofran (the miracle drug) 2-3 times a day until week 22
-Still throwing up a few times a week since then....but SO much more tolerable now!
-Getting some sort of pnemonia in week 10 after having a cough for 6 weeks straight and being told by the doctor that I had to stay in bed and farm out my kids for 48 hours (um, sounds good to me)!
-Breaking my toe the night before Kiersten's birthday (the first day I finally felt "over" the bad morning sickness) and having to get it reset in the ER and wear a boot for 4 weeks
-Getting the flu at 27 weeks
-Getting multiple coughs throughout the pregnancy that I can never kick
-Having Restless Leg Syndrome the last few months
-Having hormonal insomnia for a couple of weeks
-And this morning, waking up with pink eye!

It really has been more humorous (though I've had my share of emotional meltdowns) than anything looking back on it.

I really just CAN"T WAIT for this baby to be born! Maybe it's all just making my anticipation that much stronger. I'm so excited to have 3 girls....hopefully I make it through their middle school and high school years!

So....8 more weeks and we'll officially be a family of 5!!!

Kiersten is 2!

I can't believe that my little girl is already 2 years old today! She, on the other hand, thinks she is much older. We started the day off with a breakfast of Monkeybread and opening her presents. She was SO excited this morning when she saw all of her presents. She kept just saying her favorite word "MINE"!

She's saying many more words within the last month or so which is so much fun to hear what she has to say. She also loves, jumping, dancing, dressing up and singing (just notes, no words)!

She also loves to flash the cutest smile right before doing anything devious, then right after again to get out of trouble.

Last night while getting ready for her birthday, I was helping Annika wrap the presents that she got her and while going from one room to another, I stubbed my toe on the doorframe...it killed but I didn't think too much of it since this is a frequent occurance, until looking at it and noticing that it was sticking out sideways from my foot...gross! So, we packed up the girls in their PJ's, dropped them off at a friend's house and went to the ER to find out that it was indeed broken. Of course, when we got home, we still had to wrap the presents with Annika because you can't change things on a 4 year old!

First comes love, then comes marriage...

...Then comes the baby in the baby carriage!

Annika told me at dinner tonight that if she ate a lot, she would get a big tummy and have a baby. She really wants to have a baby. I told her earlier today that she had to be old like mommy first. She said that she IS old and is already a mommy to her babydoll so she's ready for a real one.

Tonight, I told her she has to be married first before having a baby. Later, we were looking at some pictures of a wedding and she looked up and asked if when girls get married, do they have to go right from the wedding to the hospital to have a baby?

Ice Cubes?

Annika cracks me up with her curious questions about me being pregnant. The other day when we were driving around, she asked me if all of the water and lemonade and orange juice that I drink is what the baby can float in. I told her that yes, what I drink helps protect the baby. She then asked if the water would dry up. I told her no, that God made this water special to protect the baby. She thought about this and then asked "Does God make ice cubes in your tummy for the baby too? I think the baby wants ice cubes!"

Big news!

Big news in the Hinson house! I'm pregnant with baby #3!

I'm 9 1/2 weeks along, but slightly wishing I was 39 1/2. My due date is May 17th, my sister Lisa's birthday. We had an ultrasound on Monday and got to see the baby's heartbeat and got to see the baby moving quite a bit which was very exciting. Amazing how a 9 week old baby is already moving it's head and arms and legs!

Ultrasound Video

Annika and Kiersten are very excited to be big sisters, especially Annika though. She asks me all of the time how big the baby is now and if it is growing strong. This is how I came across her yesterday in her room....HILARIOUS! Apparently, she says she remembers coming to the hospital to visit me when I had Kiersten 2 years ago! She said that I was the doctor and I had to push on her back to get the baby out. I guess she's heard people talking about pushing...so funny!