Milestones

Jay has learned to roll from his stomach to his back. He did it for the first time about 2 or 3 weeks ago. When Justin told me he had, I did not believe him. He did not do it again for another week. Today, however was the first time I have been able to catch it on video. (Disclaimer: My child does wear clothes. He just happens to be naked in all of my videos. )

(Uploading videos takes forever!)

After catching Jay on video Anna just had to be the actess that she stives to be. Here she is telling us what she wants from Santa. Sad thing is that she won't be getting what she wants. :( (Except for the bicycle)

Smiling

Today I got Jay on video smiling! He was so happy all morning! Then we went to have pictures taken this afternoon and he wasn't so happy. He was hungry by the time they got to us. We went to Sears and had to wait due to computer problems. We still got a few good shots in before he started screaming his head off!

Enjoy....just ignore the annoying voice in the background.

All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth

Well, not exactly her two front teeth. More like her bottom two and top one. Anna has lost 3 teeth in the last month and a half. We are currently waiting for the second top tooth to fall out. The dentist told her Monday that she should lose the top two before Christmas. Sure enough she lost one yesterday!





I tried taking pictures last night of the kids in the Christmas pajamas (thanks for the pj's Mimi). It was difficult getting them both to cooperate at the same time. We are going to get pictures made with Santa later this week. I want them to wear their Christams pajamas then too. I just haven't quite talked Anna into wearing them to the mall. :) Also, we are having family pictures made Sunday. I am just not sure how to make sure Jay is awake. I scheduled them at a time during the day when Jay is usually awake. The problem is that Jay falls asleep everytime we get into the car. He is then hard to wake up. Any suggestions from you moms out there?




I walked into the room the other day to find Bongo laying in Jay's boppy pillow. I think he may have more of a jealousy issue than Anna does!

Rambling...again!

I have finally decided to wait until after Christmas to go back to school. I never wanted to have to take Jay so soon to daycare and that was what made my decision for me. It is the RSV season and that is the last thing I want my baby to go through. This is also time for Jay and Mommy to spend one on one time all day every day that may not be possible later. My students will just have to retaught and retrained in Jan. I can always make up that time with my students but not with Jay! He is laying here beside me as I type smiling and cooing! I guess he is telling me that I have made the right decision.
I am however going to school today to help work on the benchmark exam we give every 9weeks. I am taking Jay with me for everyone to see. So many of my coworkers have sent encouraging notes, gifts, and prayers but have not gotten the chance to meet the little guy.

On another note, my sister-in law just found out that she is having a baby girl! (Congrats Jody and Miranda!) I guess Jay will just have to put up with being the only boy for awhile. They will only be about 7 months apart. Hopefully one day we will live closer so that they can grow up spending time with each other!

Well, Christmas time is here! I love Christmas but seem to be a little behind this year. So many people I know have already decorated and finished their shopping. Me however, have not done either. I am almost finished shopping for my kids (thanks to my mom going shopping with me on black Friday!). However, I have not bought anyone else's presents yet! I plan on having it all done this week. But for those of you who know me well, know that I am a procrastinator!!

1 Month

Jay is a month old today and already been through so much. However, he is such a good baby! Last night he slept 6 hours straight without a bottle and the night before it was 8 hours! I am just hoping that this trend continues. Also, we went to the dr. twice this week and he has gained a whopping 7 ounces in three days! I told the ped. the reason is b/c he is eating 2 1/2 ounces every hour and a half to two hours. Not sure I can afford to keep feeding this child. LOL! I am just happy that we are finally on our way to where we are supposed to be and that surgery was all we needed. Even though it was scary to go through, I know it could always be worse. I am just thankful that he had something that could be fixed!

Torn

Right now I am torn between Jay and school. I cannot seem to decide when to return to school. I was planning on returning after the Christmas holidays, but Jay decided to come two weeks earlier than I had planned. My c-section was planned for Nov. 1st, and he was born Oct. 18th. Therefore, my maternity leave will be up before the Christmas holidays. I keep going back and forth. Do I take an extra week or return before Christmas. If I return I will be going back two weeks before the break. However, I would love to stay home with Jay a little longer. On the other hand, I know that my students aren't getting what I could be giving them. At the moment they have a sub who is not a certified teacher. She does have a degree in English, but I teach math. Also, she has not gone to school for teaching and has not had the classroom experience that you receive from college. Justin and I have talked about it and he says that it is my decision. I have considered all of my options and still cannot decide. If I go back that means that I would have to pay day care over the holidays to save Jays spot even though he will not be attending. Then again, I will make more money if I return. The difference of what I would make minus day care costs is several hundred dollars. The money would really help with all of the dr. bills that I have incurred lately. The thing that stinks about my insurance is that it starts over every year on Nov. 1st. Which means I am going to owe for both his birth and his surgery! He was born in Oct. and his surgery was in Nov. Stinks huh? Atleast I think so!! Is it worth it? Should I really be considering my students needs above my own? Aaaahhhh...I just can't decide!!! Even if Jay were to go to day care for two weeks before the break, I would be able to pick him up somewhat early b/c my school ends at 2:30 and his day care is about 2 minutes from my school. I also need to let the day care know ASAP when he will start. They are very sweet and accomodating, but I feel like I am putting them in a bind by not knowing when I will be returning. I know I am rambling, I am just hoping writing all of this will help me decide. At this point it doesn't look like it will!

WE'RE HOME!!!

FOOD!!

He's eating!!!!!! He is working on his 6th feeding of the day without getting sick!!! We will stay in the hospital over night and see the doc again in the morning. Hopefully they will say he is fixed!! Maybe we can go home tomorrow!!! Thanks for the prayers! They have sure worked!!! Without them I could not have handled it!

Another Try!

They have taken the NG tube out of his nose just a little while ago. We are going to try and feed again after they put some medicine in his IV. Hopefully it will work this time!

Day 4

It is now day 4 in the hospital. We got out of PICU yesterday evening. I am not sure of the time as everything is running together right now. His oxygen level is stable which is good. The bad news is that he is still vomiting and has not had anything by mouth in over 24 hours! Right now we are waiting on the surgeon, but it looks as if they are going to have to use an NG tube to clean out his belly. We were going to feed him again this morning if he didn't vomit anymore last night. Well around 1 this morning he vomited! So, we will see!

Update #3

Please keep Jay in your prayers! As of now he is still not keeping anything down. We have tried Pedalyte and will try again in 2 hours. The dr. said that there was a chance he would still get sick at first....and he did! Also, they have tried taking him off of oxygen but his level dropped again. So right now we are just waiting it out. I feel like all of my posts are negative...I appologize!

Update #2

Jay's surgery went well. We are now in ICU on oxygen as a precation. We should start eating around 8 tonight. Hopefully he can keep it down!!

Update

It was confirmed today that it is pyloric stenosis. He will be having surgery tomorrow around 11 am.

Sick Baby

Jay has been sick now for almost 3 days. He cannot seem to keep anything down...formula or pedialyte. We made a trip to the afterhours clinic yesterday and the doc said that he might have a 24 hour virus. So, we stopped the formula to see if that would help. It didn't! We went back to the afterhours clinic today and saw another doc. He suggested we give Jay benadryl. I thought, "WHAT?? Are you kidding me?" So, we went to the ER instead. The doc there said I did the right thing. Anyway, blood work, and ultrasound, and 2 1/2 hours later we were sent home. Jay has what they call Pyloric stenosis. It requires surgery to fix. However, Jay's is on the larger side of normal. Therefore they want to wait it out. They said that if he does not quit vomiting by tomorrow to take him to his doc. She may want to run more tests...upper GI and such. SO, we are praying that it will stop! I want my baby to feel better and I need a good nights sleep!!!!

Halloween

I was planning on trick-or-treating this year with Anna, but since Jay decided to come early he and I stayed home and passed out candy. Justin, my dad, and Anna went trick-or-treating around the subdivision. We now have lots of candy in the house which is not good for a mommy who's trying to get her figure back! Luckily all of the good chocolate is already almost gone!

Jay and Anna

We have had a hard time deciding what to call our son. We had not come up with any boys names prior to giving birth. Justin wanted to come up with a girl name and then a boy. Needless to say, we never came up with a girl name much less a boy name. When the birth certificate people called to see what his name was, I had no idea. So, as Justin says, he became a Jr. by default! At first we were going to call him J.J. but we have decided that he will be known as Jay. Anna said that she is still going to call him J.J., which is fine with us.

Just thought I would share a little about Jay's birth.....I woke up Thursday feeling like it was any other day. So, when my water broke I was completely in shock! This was not supposed to happen so soon! My section was not planned for two more weeks. I was only 37 weeks pregnant!

I was on my way to the hospital when my mother-in-law called to tell me that she told Justin the night before I was going to have the baby. I asked why and she said that it was Jason's birthday. I had completely forgotten that it was Jason's birthday! For those of you who do not know Jason, he is Justin's brother who passed away almost 5 years ago. So, even though he decided to come early, Jay could not have been born on a better day!

On a side note, my baby girl is no longer a baby! She lost her first tooth the other day. She didn't even cry! She is also whiping her own hiney now too! I guess it's about time, she is almost 6! I guess I have just been one of those mama's who would rather do it myself than have her rear not competely clean!

Justin Norman Moss Jr. (J.J.)

J.J. decided that he could not wait until November 1st to come into this big world. Instead, he came yesterday, October 18! I was sitting in class, luckily with no students, when my water broke. By the time I got to the hospital my contractions were strong and close together. It wasn't long after that J.J. made his debut. He weighed 7 pounds 5 ounces and is 20 inches long!

22 and counting

I have finally hit 36 weeks. We have set up our c-section for November 1st at 12:30. So, in 22 days this baby will be here!! The only problem is that we still do not have any names picked out (either boy or girl)! Nor do we have the nursery set up. We started several weeks ago cleaning out the bedroom but the bed still remains along with several boxes of odds and ends. I keep telling myself that I am going to get up and clean out the room but I end up resting instead. Hopefully before this baby comes everything will be in order! I am going this weekend to buy everything we need....car seat, matress for the babybed, bottles, baby wipes, diapers...you name it, we need it. You would think we would be prepared, but no, I am still the procrastinator that I always have been. Everything gets put off until the last minute here in the Moss household. Lets just hope that this baby doesn't decide to come early!

Root Canal

I've never had a root canal before, but I found out Thursday that I need one. I will be having the procedure done tomorrow. Hopefully it won't be as painful as everyone says it will be. However, if it will make my tooth feel better I am up for just about anything!

Getting Ready

I keep telling myself that we need to get ready for this baby. We finally got our baby bed out of storage in Minden a few weeks ago, but it has been sitting in our storage here waiting to be cleaned ever since. So, yesterday I finally got off my big butt and began working on the room. We moved out most of the items that were small. Now Justin just has to find someone to help him move all of the furniture. I mean, this baby will be here in less than 7 weeks. We are looking at Nov. 1st as our date but have not set it in stone yet.

Also, for those of you who don't know, Becky Turner Wilson had her baby Tuesday. I have not gotten to see or talk to her but I found a pic of the baby on Minden's website. Hopefully she won't mind me sharing. Click on the link below and it should take you there. He is precious!!
http://mindenmedicalcenter.com/webnursery/v/2007/September/W_+Babyboy+09-11-07.JPG.html

Before and After

Lately I have been so swollen by the time that I get home from school that it hurts to even walk. When I wake up in the mornings my feet are back to normal and it starts all over again. However, the last two days I have woke up to swollen feet. They have not gone down even after a good nights sleep. So, last night I laid with two pillows under my feet for about 12 hours so that they would be elevated above my heart. I thought I would share the results. Needless to say, I will be coming home from now on and doing nothing but propping my feet up! Otherwise, I am scared that I will be put on bed rest.

Before

After

My feet are not quite back to normal but very close. I have fat feet as it is but finding shoes now is almost impossible. I have bought two new pairs of shoes that are both a size bigger than I wear and they are already too tight. And as you can see I can't bend over far enough to paint my toe nails. LOL!

30 weeks and counting

I guess I don't have much to say. I just thought I'd share this picture. Justin took it this morning before school. Just think about how huge I'm going to be by the time this baby gets here!!

One Down 35 To Go!

Well, the first week of school is over! I am exhausted!! We (the teachers) started week before last and there was no air at school. Being in the condition that I am, I could not handle the heat. I ended up leaving early every day that I went. The air finally was fixed late Friday. So, I spent my entire last Saturday before school at school fixing my room and working on my lesson plans.

I have enjoyed my students so far but being on my feet all day is killing me. By the end of the day my feet and ankles are HUGE!! I cannot even put on my wedding ring anymore. Oh well, it will all be over soon.

On another note, Anna started school Monday. She seems to really like it. She has made lots of new friends. She doesn't even cry in the mornings when I make her get up at 6 am. LOL! My school starts an hour before hers so she goes to school with me in the mornings and catches the bus from there with all of the other teachers kids. So, here is a picture of her getting on the school bus for the first time.

School Girl

Monday was the last Mommy and Me day at the mall since summer is now coming to an end. Anna had fun but was sad that it was over. She decided to get painted as a clown so that she could match the others. Afterwards the two of us went shopping for her school uniforms. I'm sure everyone there thought that we were crazy! Oh well!

On a side note, school starts next week....YUCK!!! I went to clean up and unpack my room today but did not stay long due to the heat. The air is not working right now and boy was it hot! So, I got absolutely nothing accomplished. Maybe I'll get it done...and maybe I won't. I'll leave you with this picture of my clown in her new uniform. Hopefully it will give you a laugh for the day.

Fun Filled Weekend

This past weekend my mom, nephew, cousin, and her two children all came to visit me! So, there were four adults (if you want to consider us that) and four children (two 3 year olds, a 5 year old and a 6 year old) in my house for 3 days! We had a blast! Friday we spent ALL day at Chuck E. Cheese and then Saturday we spent ALL day at Blue Bayou. Anna and Olivia even got to see Aly and AJ in concert! Saturday was my mom's birthday...I"m sure she did not plan on spending it at a waterpark for 12 hours! She sure was a good sport climbing the ropes and sliding down the slides with the kids. Happy Late Birthday Mama! We had a blast, but I am still catching up on my rest! LOL!

Anna and Olivia sweating while waiting for Aly and AJ to perform.

Anna and Gran after a hard day of playing at the water park.


Anna and Noah hanging out in their pajamas.


Rylee waving bye on Sunday afternoon.

He's Home!

Justin is finally home! Don't get me wrong..I LOVE spending time with Anna, but I am sure in need of a break! Justin played a game with her yesterday when he got home which allowed me to catch a 30 min. cat nap. Boy...that was AWESOME!! I also slept pretty good last night with him home. I did not have to lock my bedroom door or sleep with my cell in my hand. LOL! Anna has enjoyed having another playmate other than me home as well. (Although she can't stay away from me for too long! Last time we went to Blue Bayou she only wanted to go down one slide with Justin b/c she missed me too much. :) ) He is such a good daddy!

In need of a nap!

Justin left on Sunday and won't be home until Friday. He is in California working. This means, I have not gotten one minute to myself in about 4 days now. Whether I am taking a bath or trying to sleep, someone (Anna) is right there with me. I love her to death, but sure could use a little alone time.
Monday, we did our weekly Mommy and Me trip to the mall. Then that night we went to Jump-n-Jive where she got to jump and slide to her hearts content. Yesterday, we went to see Ratatouille. It was cute! Then we went out to eat and came home to make crafts together. Today we went to Global Wildlife where you ride around on covered wagons looking at and feeding animals. It was neat b/c they have a new giraffee that was born last week along with many other pregnant animals right now. Tomorrow, we are going to Blue Bayou. And Friday, Justin will be home!!!!

So...I'm sure you are glad you know my weekly schedule! You can sleep good tonight. LOL!

Summer Fun

When school was coming to an end, I was so excited about all of the fun Anna and I were going to have this summer. Now, however, I find myself being lazy too often. I literally had to make myself get off my butt this week and clean. It was so hard, but once I did it, I felt better. The house was clean for once and I didn't spend my whole day on my butt.

We planned on going to Blue Bayou two days this week but could not because of rain. So, instead we played on the playground at McDonald's and invited a friend over to play. We also went to Mommy and Me at the mall on Monday. Anna got turned into a pink spotted puppy dog by Bubbles the clown. Other than that, we haven't been up to anything. We're just boring people I guess.

HOT!

Ok...it's the second "official" day of summer and I am at home babysitting (for free) an old neighbors 3 children. To top off my great day....my air conditioner went out and I am waiting to find out how much my pocket will be hurting once its fixed!

It's A....

Healthy Baby!! We had our 20 week ultrasound today. The baby is big and healthy. It weighs 13 ounces and has a heart beat rate of 153. The baby is constantly moving therefore it was difficult to get good pictures. We did get some though. Not as good as a 3-D ultrasound though. The baby's measurements show that I am a little over 21 weeks but previous calculations show I am 20 weeks tomorrow. The dr. said we are not changing the due date as of now. The baby may have just hit an early growth spurt. So, as of now it looks like we will have the baby around Nov. 1st or so.

Mommy and Me

Well, it's Mommy and Me time again at the mall. Anna took a friend with her today. They had a blast! Here are some pics of my fiesty cat and her friend at the mall.

As usual, I wait months before posting something new and have lots to post about. Although when I start typing I can never think of what to say. So, if I ramble please excuse me.

Anna is growing up so fast! Last month she graduated from preschool. They held a big ceremony with caps and gowns and the whole nine yards. It was really cute. She was so proud of herself that afterwards when we went out to eat she wore her cap and gown in the resturaunt. And by the way, no she has not lost any teeth. Alot of people have asked me if she has lost teeth in this pic. She broke her front two teeth not long after she got them. But it seems that lately it has become more noticable than ever. The dentist says that they are not impacted or anything, just chipped off. Oh well., it could be lots worse.

Well, I've been enjoying my summer vacation for a whole week now! After school let out, I worked on our parish curriuclum for a week, so my summer was prolonged a little. Anna and I spent the entire week last week in North LA visiting friends and family. It was nice but it sure is good to be home! Our plans are to spend the summer at Bleu Bayou, a water park near our house. Hopefully we won't get tired of it too soon.

Well, I will be 19 weeks pregnant on Wednesday! We actually go in for our 20 week ultrasound on my birthday but we are not finding out the gender. My husband seems to think it will be neat to run out of the hospital room screaming,"It's a __________!" I'm not sure that I agree with him but I am open to the idea. Although, it sure would be nice to know just for planning purposes. I told Justin that he will be out buying clothes while I am at home holding the baby if it's a boy. We have all of Anna's clothes still, so if it's a girl, I have that department covered. Anyway, I'll leave you with a pic of my belly. My mom took it last week. When I asked her to e-mail it to me she told me that it did not do my belly justice. So, in other words, my belly is actually bigger than it looks in this picture.

Almost 12

So, I'm almost 12 weeks and already wearing maternity clothes! With Anna I didn't wear maternity clothes until I was 5 months. I've only gained about 2 pounds but my stomach seems huge! Even my assistant principal told me how big I looked the other day. I'm scared to know what I'm going to look like at 5 months.
I have no energy lately. I go to work, come home, and sleep. It's pretty sad. I actually forced myself to clean house yesterday. It almost killed me today though. I have been so tired and cranky!! My students even commented on what a bad mood I was in! LOL! I know it will soon pass, the first trimester is almost over!
On another note, my baby girl is growing up. I picked her up from preschool the other day and her graduation pictures had come in. I wanted to cry when I saw her in a cap and gown holding a diploma! She will soon be in "big girl" school. She says she's ready, I'm just not sure her Mama is!

Not alot has been going on here since my last post. Living in Prairieville is great. It takes me less than 10 minutes to take Anna to school, sign her in, and be at work signed in myself. It is wonderful! Justin on the other hand now gets to drive about 30 minutes to work each morning. He doesn't mind though. I mean, I did it for 2 years, it's his turn now.
Next week we give the iLEAP and LEAP tests at school. I am hoping to be well before then b/c I cannot miss school during those days. I took Anna to the doctor earlier this week. The dr. said she has strep. This is the second time since Feb., poor baby. Well, I now have it! I went to the dr. yesterday after school and I have strep and a severe sinus infection. All of this on top of pregnancy nasuea makes for a grumpy lazy person! Oh..did I forget to mention I'm pregnant?? It seems it must be in the blogger water or something. I am not quite 8 weeks. I go to the dr. next week for my first visit. I don't remember having to wait so long with Anna to go to the dr. We are excited but Justin does not want to find out the sex of the baby this time. I am not so sure I agree with him, but I promised to not find out as long as he goes to all of the ultrasounds with me. I know I will not be able to resist the temptation without him there to make me stick to my promise. Hopefully the suspense won't put too much stress on me...LOL!
Well, that's about all that's been going on here!

Things here have been pretty busy lately as always. I'm not sure life ever slows down. Not in my world at least. Christmas came and went pretty fast. The two week break I got was not near long enough. We left on the 22nd (the day I got out of school) to see family. We did not get a minute of down time the whole time we were there. We didn't get to stay as long as we would have liked because we bought a house and had to be back to sign the papers. Yes, We bought a house!!! It is good to be out of our little apartment but I am still trying to unpack all of our boxes. That's actually one of the things I am supposed to be doing right now. I guess I should get back to work. I will leave you with a pic of the house.