Shorts Makeover

I haven't sewn in probably 10 years. I mean it's been a while since I've taken time to sew. I had previously purchased a few pairs of shorts in attempt to wear them for a while. Well, pregnancy took over and I couldn't button them anymore. So, watching a few videos off the Internet, I saw some women taking their regular shorts and jeans and turning them into maternity wear. I thought o.k. I can do that. I haven't had the pleasure of testing out my new sewing machine yet. I figured I would give this a try. It was a little more difficult than I thought it would be. There was the zipper. I was like o.k. what do I do?

First, I cut a space for my belly. Which actually didn't work so well. I figured o.k. I will just cut the entire waistband out. Then I had to stitch rip the zipper. Then sew the seam where the zipper had been. Then all I had to do was sew the pockets closed and sew on the tank bottom that I had cut. The price for this project was $1.00. I bought a stretchy tank at goodwill for a buck. So I have shorts that I thought I wouldn't be able to wear again and now I can wear them for a while. I will have some fun making some more shorts for the summer out of shorts and capris I already have. Fun Fun...

before

After

Baby Shank-12 weeks 4 days

Baby Shank Update:

Well I went for my testing today. Had my blood drawn and got to see baby again. So exciting!

I was far enough along to do the "over the belly" ultrasound thank goodness.

Baby's heart rate was 153 BPM.
He is moving along growing normally.

He was so very active while the tech was performing the ultrasound. She would get the picture in position to take and he would roll over. He got the hiccups halfway through the ultrasound. He was moving his/her hands and feet a lot.

It was so adorable to see baby so active.

The ultrasound tech was going to see what the baby's gender was (maybe) and every time she would get a good shot of baby's butt LOL he would roll over and move. It wouldn't have been definite but an interesting guess.

Here is the sneak peak :

Sorry so short but I am in a hurry to get to an interview. I am hopefully going to be working with patients in their homes as a Home Health Aide. Wish me luck. We love you!

My Plum- Baby Shank 12 Weeks

Mommy Update:

12 Weeks Pregnant

Weight: Well I had gained 3 pounds last month and now it's gone. I went to the Doctor's yesterday and they said that I was back at my original weight at 8 weeks pregnant. Where did it go? I know it's somewhere because I definitely feel bigger!

How am I feeling: Well, I don't feel sick or overly tired anymore. But I have been hitting the sack early. I just can't swing 10 o'clock anymore. Anytime I do anything such as cleaning, laundry, shopping or time with kids I feel exhausted. I am ready for bed at 6!!!

I also experience some very uncomfortable back pain this week. I got nervous and called it in to my Doctor. She said not to worry. The reason for the pain basically is because I am so active now. I was so sick for so long not really mopping and doing heavy cleaning around the house. I spent HOURS sweeping, mopping, dusting and just really getting my house clean the other day. The result was some back pain. My Doctor told me to slow down and rest.

Maternity Clothes: I already gave you the scoop on that bit. Ugh! But I am o.k. now. I was actually wearing a pair of capris from pre-pregnancy and all day I went from unbuttoning them to buttoning them back. Then buttoning and then unbuttoning. You get the point. I have now decided to turn 2 pairs of capris and two pairs of shorts into maternity wear myself. I saw a video on the "How To" using an old Jersey Tank. I will have to post the results. Hopefully it all works out. The maternity tanks I bought are just stretchy huge and the pants are adorable but they make me look  funny. So, old clothes turned maternity will be fun until I fill out the pants a little better.


Sleep: I am beginning to pop out and so when I sleep on my stomach it feels like I have a little ball underneath my tummy. This is starting to get uncomfortable. So I am starting to sleep halfway on my side and halfway on my tummy.

Movement: Not yet but I am waiting for it..My friends keep asking me about movement :) I don't remember feeling anything until about 4 months with my others so I guess we will see.

Best Moment this week:  Laying around with Kale talking about Baby Shank. Having him rub my belly and say hi to the baby!

What I miss: I miss eating a full plate of food! I am finding that I have to eat little things here and there. My portions are getting smaller but I am eating more frequently. Just today I made myself an awesome ham, cheese, lettuce and tomato sand which with provolone. I ate the whole sand which and just a few minutes later felt as if I had eaten 3. Not a good feeling. So, again I have to remind myself small portions!

What I am looking forward to: I am looking forward to seeing baby again on ultrasound. I have an appointment for the 26th of May to get some testing done. When I go they will do an anatomy ultrasound. I can't wait to see Baby Shank again!!!

Milestone: Went yesterday to meet my Doctor finally. While I am in exam room and Kale is on my cell, she let us hear baby's heartbeat again. Everything got silent in the room and on the phone really quick. I think Kale and I are taking these moments in every chance we get. This is such an amazing experience for both of us. I was overjoyed to hear our little one. I can't wait to see him/ her again!!

Welcome to my second Trimester!! FINALLY!


Baby Shank Update:  My Baby Appointment

So baby is healthy. Baby Shank's heart rate is still great.I didn't get a count because it was on Doppler. She recorded the BPM but didn't tell me what it was. She said he was healthy. My Doctor pushed around on my belly a bit. And we talked a little about the do's and dont's. It's my third but new studies and things of that nature are always nice to know about.

Kale and I have  been discussing arrangements for when baby does arrive. I have help from the grandparents which I am so thankful for. Kale thinks that if I can deliver naturally that I should. I have had two cesareans and it's not fun. I can't really walk around much for the first week. I definitely can't walk down the stairs of our home. I won't be able to take the kiddos to and from school. I won't be able to clean or cook for a week or two. I will be on pain meds for a few weeks. It hurts! Did I mention it hurts? So is a natural delivery in our future? I don't really know yet. It was one of the questions I had for my Doctor that I forgot to ask. Colten was an emergency c-section. Tyler was a choice. I chose to have him c-section just because I feared going through the pain for so long again like I did with Colten. It's scary to be in pain for so long and experience what I did with Colten that I chose to have surgery with Tyler knowing it would hurt but it was an in and out. So the next time I go I will find out. They have on my paperwork that I will be a cesarean delivery so I am not sure if it's possible for me to have a natural birth. I am actually terrified of delivering naturally. I have heard some crazy stories. But with Kale by my side making all these decisions with me, I will ask. He thinks it will be much better for me to be mobile after the birth instead of helpless really. Cause that's what I will be for a little while. I guess we will have to see.




Daddy Update:

Kale remains supportive every day. I am so blessed to have him by my side throughout this entire pregnancy. I wasn't so fortunate in the past. I count my blessings every day!

He also continues to wash dishes even though he doesn't like to. I am so proud of him for taking on so much with my mood swings and all.

He still says hi to baby every once in a while. He got a little squeamish the other day because baby is starting to stick out of my belly when I lie down. It's this little ball of cuteness!! But yes when it's not your tummy I guess it can feel a little weird. I am interested in how he will react when baby kicks him in the back when we snuggle. That will be funny.

He is going to be such a good new daddy. We have been discussing a lot of things lately about baby. Talking from time to time about the delivery, after baby arrives and things like that. We still have so much planning and talking to do.

He will be with me the next appointment to see Baby Shank. I can't wait!

The Rest of The Update

WELCOME TO HOME OWNERSHIP:

Last year during the rainy season our basement flooded. At first we never saw the water. It was sneaky! I remember telling Kale several days in a row that stuff in the basement was getting knocked over. We kept thinking that there was no way an animal large enough to knock things over got into our basement. Then one day I had a basket of laundry on top of a cooler. I noticed it had been knocked over. I was so irritated I blamed Kale. He swore it wasn't him. Then I was at work and he called me and told me that the basement was flooded.

Well low and behold it happened again. Kale was able to break away the concrete and make us a new hole and replaced the sump. This problem isn't exactly resolved but it is fixed for now.

Later down the road I noticed water leaking from underneath the dishwasher. Kale took a look and figured out that it wasn't coming from the dishwasher, it was a leaky pipe underneath the kitchen sink. So he was able to fix that as well.

A week ago Kale noticed that our drywall in our upstairs bathroom was wet. He turned into an investigator again. He said water was leaking from underneath the flashing on top of the roof where the old chimney was. Then we discovered it was also leaking down to the boys bathroom right above there shower. He just got through fixing all that yesterday. Poor guy!!!

Kale has become quite the Mr. Fix it!!

Welcome to Owning your Own Home I guess !


On the bright side of things, Kale has officially finished our garden in the front yard which half dies when snow hits. We added some more rose bushes and some annuals. It looks great. Kale did a great job.

THE KIDDOS:

Both Colten and Tyler continue to do very well in baseball. Colten is getting better at learning the game. He is recognizing when to run to the ball and when to stay on base and receive it instead. He is also batting better than ever. He hit a home run the last game. Then he hit a double. He also had an assisted out.

Tyler is getting better at paying attention to the game. Kale says he likes to lolly gag :) But he hits well and runs well. He either gets confused and doesn't run at all from base to base when someone else bats or he over does it and runs too far putting two himself and another player on the same base. It's so darn cute though!

MOTHER'S DAY:

Kale and the kids snuck off without me for gift buying. Kale took the kids to the mall on the hunt for perfume. I have mentioned a few times that I am in need of a nice bottle of perfume for our "dates". Kale was telling me that when he was in the mall and walked past Victoria's Secret Tyler covered his eyes and told daddy that there were fake naked women and he's not supposed to look. I wish I could have been there to see Kale's face. So that was a nice thoughtful gift from Kale and the boys. I also got a card that was recordable with the kids telling me Happy Mother's Day. So Sweet!! We then took off for a bike ride. Kale says we were riding for at least 6 or 7 miles. My butt hurt so bad from my new bike when we were done. And we all got sunburns. But it was worth it!

TYLER'S ADOPTION:

We haven't heard anything new on the adoption yet. I know we got the consent from the biological father already. I am guessing that this is a waiting game for a court date to finalize the paperwork. I can't wait to sign the new birth certificate with Kale.

FAMILY LIFE:

We are doing o.k. as a family. We are working on each other at the moment when it comes to our parenting skills. Kale is there for me when I need it and I am there for him. We both need reminders from time to time when it comes to certain things. We usually tend to balance each other. The kids are good too. We have made a lot of progress when it comes to the kids, rules, discipline, and just learning from each other. There are so many dynamics to raising a family and being a "new" mom recovering from addiction and learning to cope and deal with kids and life, also Kale's new at this family thing as well. We are growing together and I hope that we continue to get closer and stronger as a family. Colten is almost finished with 3rd grade and Tyler is headed off to Kindergarten next year. Tyler's ADHD is finally under control with new meds. We went through some tough times getting the medication and dose right for Tyler's needs. I pray constantly that he will outgrow this and not have to be on medication for life. Kale and I are eventually going to have to learn about teaching Tyler to control certain parts of his disorder so that he does have the chance to come off the meds eventually.

SHARIN'S EDUCATION:

Well as I mentioned I have finished this semester in school successfully. Not very happy with the C but I will take a passing grade over a non-passing grade any day. I have decided to take this summer off school and next semester as well just because the baby is due late November/ early December. Not sure when my Doctor will want to perform my Cesarean. I have two classes to take before I can enroll in the nursing program. After I enroll I will have nursing school for 1 year to become an LPN. Then I plan on signing on with a hospital to bridge over to my RN. At least that way I will have less student loans to pay for and a hospital contract giving me an automatic RN position. We haven't really worked out all the fine print but we will when the time comes.

I currently have a few applications out for Home Health Aide and Patient Care Tech. I am hoping with a little luck I can score one of these jobs. I would be able to work for a little while before having the baby.

OTHER NEWS:

We are happy to say that Colten will finally get to enjoy a family vacation with us. We have arranged for him to be with us at Lake Powell. I say "arrange" but we got lucky with vacation being before baseball season ends. Then he will be flying to Texas to spend the summer with his dad. We are working on things as far as him being able to spend more time with the rest of our family such as Grandpa and Grandma Weycker, Pekarek, and Shank. We are hoping in the future we can spend more time with our family members having Colten with us. With the visitation to see his dad it has been hard missing him during Christmas and summer trips. We are praying that in the future we can plan ahead a little more and work things out so he can be with us and our families more.

Other than all this we are happy and loving life as usual. We love you and miss you all.

My Prune- Baby Shank 10 Weeks

We have had a lot going on this last week. Between the house, kids, baby, and school.
I guess I  will start with Baby Shank:


Kale and I spent the day together this last Friday. It was really great to be able to spend time with Kale. He works so much and so hard to provide for our family. He is truly a great husband and wonderful father. The Lord has truly blessed our lives. We have decided as far as baby Shank is concerned that we were going to set a small budget amount to spend on baby every two weeks until baby arrives. So we went and did some shopping. We purchased:

• A pack of white onesies
• Diaper Genie
• Brush and Comb Combo
• Nail Clippers
• Nasal Aspirator
• Digital pacifier Thermometer
• 3 pairs of white socks

We had so much fun just purchasing some small items. We looked at so many other items we are dying to purchase for baby but right now we just can't. We don't know the gender. We won't find out the gender until the first week of July. When we find out the gender we are going to start a baby registry. I can just see Kale and I running around with a scanner and picking out things for the baby. :) I can't wait!!!!




We have also decided on the furniture that Baby Shank will have. We have looked and looked and with the blessings of our parents donation :) here is the final pick :

This will be the Wall Unit. It's so adorable and will be so useful when it comes to storage. When we find out the gender, I plan on picking out some fabric and sewing the canvas totes myself. I can't wait to tackle the project. I have never sewn these totes before. So I will have to look up a tutorial online.

Here's the same unit but if it's a boy.

This is the closest picture I could find to match the dresser. The Dresser we chose is going to be 4 small drawers similar to the two small ones in this picture. So 4 small drawers on top and 3 long ones on the bottom.

These two items are being custom built hardwood and a solid white resin paint. It will be durable and long lasting. We didn't want to cheap this furniture simply because we have done this in the past and the furniture just doesn't last. We wanted to make it worth the money this time. Kempfs Custom Cabinets is creating these for us. The Wall Unit and Dresser will match as far as the style is concerned. I am truly so excited about this furniture.

We will purchase the crib to match these items from Pottery Barn Kids or Burlington Coat Factory. We are thinking a crib that converts into a toddler bed and then later into a twin bed. We wanted this furniture to grow with baby and last a while.

Mommy Update:    

10 Weeks and 1 Day Pregnant

Weight: Not really sure if I have gained anymore weight. I don't own a scale. I don't really want to know after the week I had with clothing items :) But, I am positive when I see my Doctor in a few weeks I will know what the damage is:)

How I am feeling: I am past the nausea Yay! What a ride that was. I am feeling really good and able to clean and do more around the house. I am the type of person who busts out my rags and mop every Saturday to thoroughly clean the house. This past few months have been a little depressing because I haven't been able to do that. Now that I am feeling better, I plan on doing a lot of cleaning and getting rid of things around the house with a small yard sale in two weeks. A little extra cash would be great right now.


I still have what I call "supernose". I can smell everything. The only downfall, when I walk by someone smoking I literally just want to vomit. I am not sure if it's because smoking is in my past or what. But I can't stand the smell of  cigg smoke or cigars. UGH! My ultimate goal is to NOT start smoking again after baby comes. Besides, I will be breastfeeding and know it's out of the question. I really don't want to ever start again.


School: I am finally finished with this semester in school. I passed my classes with 1 A, 1 B, and 1 C. Not very happy with the last two - especially the C. I had a very tough time with school this last few months. I didn't give it my all but I did do the very best I could with the nausea. Sitting in Math with the use of the Expo markers my instructor used made me so sick. I had to walk out of class several times on the verge of being sick. So, I gave it my very best and am just happy that I am done with the semester.


Maternity Clothes: I had a rough day last week as well. A few tears but I am o.k. now. I had gone shopping two weeks ago and purchased some shorts the next size up from what I was wearing. Two weeks later, I couldn't button them. Right where my jeans and shorts button is where Baby Shank is popping out! I went through my closet trying very hard to find something to wear. I couldn't fit my shirts because of my chest, and couldn't button my pants or shorts! Very sad for a day. I finally broke down and hit up Motherhood Maternity. Bought a really nice pair of small Maternity pants. I am now comfortable and I have accepted that this pregnancy is my 3rd. This pregnancy really hit me hard and fast. I just need to relax, not be so critical, and enjoy this pregnancy no matter my weight. Kale had to convince me of these things before I could convince myself. That's why I love him so much!


Sleep:  Sleeping is getting better. I am actually comfortable at night now. I wake up throughout the night constantly but just to reposition myself. Not because of baby ( he/she isn't big yet) but I have sore chest issues not that you wanted to know. I am not taking naps anymore thank goodness. I enjoy the occasional nap but when you can't do anything but sleep ugh, wasn't enjoying it very much. Now I am pretty o.k. on energy and don't feel the want to sleep.


What I miss: Nothing really comes to mind. I am finally off edge, have some energy, and not sick to my stomach constantly all day. I am happy to be a preggo and once I actually "look" pregnant, It will be even better.


What I am looking forward to: Looking forward to my next appointment on May 20.  I get to meet my Doctor and talk with her about Baby Shank's progress, health, and have some screening tests. I also get to hear the Baby's heartbeat again. I am thrilled and there is  nothing so wonderful than seeing or hearing your baby. I can't wait.


I am also looking forward to: taking my first belly pic! Right now you can see where Baby is popping out but not really through my clothes. Only if I hold my shirt up and pull my shorts right below my waist. I don't think my parents want to see all that so I am still waiting for the "pop". I can't wait!!! Honestly, I just look a chubby. :)




Baby Shank Update:


So baby is the size of a Prune now. It's a weird fruit or veggie! I log into the bump.com to get my progress updates. How cute is it to think of your baby's size by fruit or veggie!


My first two pregnancies I didn't really resource to the Internet. I just went to the Doctor's and had him give me updates. He never mentioned fruit though :) The Internet is full of all sorts of things when it comes to knowing how your little one is developing and growing. I love it.


I don't have really anymore to share unfortunately.


I love knowing that I am growing a little Shank though.




Daddy Update:


Kale continues to work with me. I have mood swings and all that jazz. He takes the punishment well. I think he has come to terms that if I get out of hand all he has to do is smile and love on me for a minute ( most times) and things are alright.


He has said hi to the baby through my stomach of course a few times. So have the kiddos. Tyler gave my stomach a hug last Friday before Kale took him to school. So cute. Every once in a while Kale will give my tummy a small quick rub.


Kale remains supportive, loving and caring. He has helped me out so much around the house. He continues to clean the kitchen which is one chore he absolutely does not wish to perform!
He takes care of kids most nights when it comes to bedtime. He is just such a good daddy to Tyler and step dad to Colten. I couldn't be more blessed than having Kale in my life and to be beside him growing and learning with him when it comes to marriage and the kids.

Pregnancy Recap: Colten and Tyler

 This is my 3rd pregnancy so I wanted to recap the first two.
Colten Tanner Garcia:

Born: June 19, 2002
Weight: 6 pounds 1 oz
Length: 19 1/4 inches long
Emergency Cesarean Delivery
Went into Hospital @ 39 weeks to be induced. Both baby and my heart rates dropped so low that the doctor rushed us into surgery. Baby was healthy as can be and we went home within 4 days.

My weight at beginning of pregnancy: 107 lbs.
Total Weight Gain During Pregnancy: 35 pounds

When I left the Hospital I believe I weighed in at 119 pounds.
Within a week or two I was back at my original weight

I didn't start showing with Colten until I was around 5 months. The only time you could tell there was a baby in there was when I was laying down. This little round ball would stick up out of my lower belly. I literally had a cute basketball pregnancy. I looked great and felt great the entire time.

Colten ended up being a very healthy normal awesome pregnancy for me. I was never sick. I was very active and I actually worked as a waitress until I was about 8 months and a week or two.

When Colten was born he was a healthy smiling little baby! I had no worries in the world.


Tyler James Shank:

Weight: 6 pounds 1/10 of an ounce
Length: 19 1/2 inches long
Scheduled Cesarean Delivery: January 5, 2006
Delivered at 40 weeks.

Tyler was a twin. I say was, I mean he is a twin. Around two months along I went in and had a sonogram. There were TWO!!! I was shocked!! Both babies were at normal size. They both had a heartbeat. My doctor noticed that one of the babies heart rate or heart beats weren't normal? Not really sure. I remember being a little upset when he told me he wanted to monitor me. So he did. Every week I had a scheduled sonogram to see the babies.

I went in the next week and baby #1 was great. Baby #2 wasn't so great. The doctor said the heart rate was slower than the first time.

Went in the next week and baby #1 was great. Baby #2 wasn't so great again. Heart rate was faded and they could barely read it. I started to get very ill at this point. I was feeling very tired, sick, and constantly throwing up. Any time I tried to eat, I couldn't hold it down. I was very sad as well over this whole ordeal.

Went back in the next week and baby #1 was great. Baby #2 had no heart beat. I was still extremely ill. My doctor was getting concerned for my health at this point. He put me on some medications and told me to drink plenty of fluids. All I could really do was throw up and sleep. I tried so hard to keep it together.

I went in the next week and cried my eyes out. I shouldn't have seen what I saw but it was too late. Baby #1 was fine. Sitting in peace in it's own little sac. Baby # 2 was in two pieces. I started becoming hysterical. I didn't know what I was seeing. The doctor came in and calmed me down. Told me what was happening. My body detected a chromosomal defect of some sort and was naturally breaking down baby #2 to be reabsorbed by my body. He told me in his nearly 30 years of practice he had only seen this once before. He said normally a woman would miscarry both babies. Consider myself very lucky he said.

Baby #2 finally went away. Baby #1 ( TYLER) was still thriving. On what I don't know. I wasn't eating and was very ill. My doctor told me that if I didn't take the medications, prenatals, and eat that I would surely loose this baby. So I did what any fearful mother would have done. I began to feel better once baby #2 was gone and started eating like a COW!! Literally. Nothing could stand in between ME and FOOD!

My weight at beginning of pregnancy: 112 pounds
My weight at 4 months pregnant: 121 pounds

Weight  during loss of baby #2: 103 pounds
Weight at end of pregnancy: 168 pounds

When Tyler was born he had Pneumothorax. There was air trapped inside his chest cavity. The longer the air sits, the more it would expand. Allowing the air to sit in his chest, the more of the chance of the air expanding so greatly that it would crush his heart. The doctors had two options. They could insert a huge needle into his chest and draw out the air or Air Flight him to the the All Children's Hospital in Minneapolis, Mn. So at almost 1 day old, Tyler got to go on a helicopter ride. Being that I literally just had a Cesarean that morning, they wouldn't let me leave. I was hysterical. I told them that I am going where my baby goes! My doctor had to come in a calm me down. I kept telling him that I wanted to be where Tyler was. So, after pleading with me, he signed my release that very next morning. I could barely get out of the hospital bed. I don't know how I managed but I made it on the 3 hour road trip to Minneapolis to be with Tyler. I stayed in a room that was attatched to the All Childrens Hospital. He was kept in Neonatal ICU for two weeks. My precious little one finally got to come home and then I was o.k. Tyler is very healthy today. He has a speech impairment but it's part of him now. It's Tyler's personality and I love him for that.

With Tyler, I gained weight a lot faster. I started "showing" a lot sooner as well. I felt baby move sooner and I think it's just because I had an awareness. With Colten, something felt weird but I had no idea what it was so I just asumed it was gas or something. Then I could feel butterflies. Crazy feeling. With Tyler it was even crazier. He was a little jumping bean. Just moving around constantly. With Tyler everything came sooner. I mean everything. I got to the point where I couldn't really tie my own shoes :)

My weight gain was so worth having a healthy little one though. Too bad I felt like a huge whale. Every time I would bend over my brother or Kurt would do the BEEP BEEP BEEP As if a semi truck was backing up? LOL.

Weight after I had Tyler: About 140

I was able to loose some of the weight. I stayed at around 120-128 pounds for the last almost 6 years. I felt a lot bigger than I was ever used to. I sometimes felt sad because I had always been so tiny But on the other hand everyone told me I was much "healthier" looking than before.

I do wonder every once in a while what having twins would have been all about. I do get a little sad from time to time when I look at Tyler and imagine him having a twin brother or sister. It's amazing that out of the whole pregnancy with Tyler that I have a wonderful baby boy living and breathing today. I consider him my little miracle baby.

The coolest part about finding out that I was pregnant with twins: I called my parents of course and broke the exciting news. Not but a few months later my brother calls me and tells me that him and his girlfriend were also pregnant with twins. Amazing story of siblings. My brothers girlfriend carried her twins through. They both are living today and are as beautiful as can be. It's just an amazing story. Tyler's brother or sister is in heaven now and one day I might get to meet him/her. I am blessed to have one of them today. My little stinker! Tyler Shank!