Costa Rica

Early this morning, Dan's dad, Steve, set off on a lengthy flight to Costa Rica. He will be joined by a group of men from his church to help build a retaining wall there. They will also be leading bible studies and taking much needed supplies to the community. This is their second trip down. He will be gone until late night September 9th. Please pray for their safe journey and return!

Kicking off Labor Day Weekend

Pumpkin Smash

When I moved to Boise, after high school, I became a regular at Jamba Juice. Before the move, I had never heard of this smoothie heaven (although there is one in Coeur d'Alene, and used to be one in Post Falls - not sure if PF location is still there).
During my time in Southern Idaho, Jamba Juice debuted a smoothie called Pumpkin Smash. It was a delicious mix of pumpkin pie and vanilla ice cream. I was hooked.

Every fall season, I looked forward to its arrival on the JJ menu. When I moved back to Spokane, I began frequenting the Post Falls Jamba Juice. When I moved to Seattle in 2006, I was excited to share my favorite smoothie with Dan. We went to the U district to buy one and imagine my disappointment when they said it had been discontinued. I wanted to cry. My dad says it's probably because I was the only one who ever ordered it! :) I know that Jamba frequently makes special request smoothies (Red Gummy Bear is one of them), but they didn't even have the ingredients to make my beloved Smash. So I went home and scoured the internet for a rip off recipe. Of course, Jamba uses yogurt and soy milk for most of their smoothies so I naturally fatten it up with vanilla ice cream and whole milk. That night I made the smoothie in the blender and while it wasn't as perfect as Jamba's it did the trick for my craving.

Well here I am again with fall fast approaching (yay! my favorite season) and I have Pumpkin Smash on the brain. Thank goodness for Schwan's yesterday - I am going to use my Autumn Treat ice cream (pumpkin flavored ice cream with a swirling ribbon of rich cinnamon and plenty of crunchy praline pecans) instead of the pumpkin pie and vanilla. It will be more like a shake and less like a smoothie!


Here is the recipe for Pumpkin Smash:

Pumpkin Smash Smoothie

Jamba Juice starts the fall season with a pumpkin smash smoothie.

1 cup soymilk
1/4 cup canned pumpkin pie mix with spices
2 cups vanilla frozen yogurt
1 cup ice
Method:

Pour soymilk in blender.
Add pumpkin pie mix, frozen yogurt and ice cubes.
Blend until smooth with a thick consistency
Makes 3 cups

2 Weeks

It's flying by.

So much to do, so little time. Physically, I am ready to not be pregnant anymore - but mentally, I need these last 2 weeks to prepare a little more!

With the help of some of our family and friends, Dan and I are knocking out a project. Yes, how silly of us to do this with baby day so close but really, is there a better time? It will help the last 2 weeks zoom by and by the time baby is here the wheels will be in motion with the heavy work accomplished. (More information to come soon!)

Ian is still enjoying Gymboree and I think the weekly exposure to kids his age has been a beacon for his social skills. He is still going to speech therapy once a week and will start school in a little under 3 weeks!

And my favorite delivery man stopped by today, Schwan's! He brought me 2 gallons of chocolate ice cream, an 80 oz pail of Strawberry Daiquiri sorbet, a half gallon each of Autumn Treat (pumpkin pie!), Snickers, and Heath ice creams. He also brought a 4 pack of Apple Pie A La Mode cups (for Dan). It was a beautiful site to see all of the ice cream being packed into the freezers. Milkshake night tonight!!!

Turn Up Your Speakers -

Sorry the video is dark (it's not the view that's important though, it's what you'll hear!)

Ian had a long night and couldn't fall asleep. I was holding him on the couch, talking to him, trying to coax him to sleep. What he did next melted my heart (he started talking out of the blue!). I barely had time to snag the camera next to me and had to encourage him to say it again...

Turn up your speakers!!

(Grammie Janie, you will definitely appreciate this video).

PS ~ towards the end I am pretty sure he said "I Did It"

Bangerang Bake Shop

Tropical Blueberry Blast



After perusing Etsy I have discovered Bangerang Bake Shop. Being 37 weeks pregnant with a craving for sweets, the cupcake pics are mouthwatering and luring. I plan to sample this sugary goodness very soon and will definitely fully review the shop at that time. For now, feel free to visit the shop, browse, buy, and read all about the owners.

Shop Name: Bangerang Bake Shop (Fully licensed and incorporated bakery)
What they sell: Cupcakes in a Jar (patent pending)
Etsy Sales to Date: 5,549
Link: Bangerang Bake Shop



photos owned by Bangerang Bake Shop

Random Photos

Ian at Little Diamond Lake


Darby & Kenzie

Getting Artsy

I have always been pretty right brained.

Dan brings out the creative side of me and encourages left brained thinking. He has inspired many of my digital scrapbook creations and has taught me different ways of approaching artsy projects. Because of him, I see the art world in a whole new light. In high school, I was one of those students who shuddered when someone said they aspired to be something artistic - a painter, a musician, an underwater basket weaver. I always thought, that's great but what will your REAL job be?

Silly me. For awhile now, Dan and I have been doing a lot of research and collaboration and I feel like a whole new world has opened up to me. I am extremely in love with Etsy.com . I am amazed at the handmade goods on that site. There are 22 sellers on there from Spokane and there is a gentleman who makes the most beautiful glass charms/pendants. Dan has a knack for glass creations too. Last Christmas he made me a blown glass ornament and a pendant. He also made my sister a pendant. Dan is truly gifted to be able to make such eye candy.

He also is very talented in soapmaking, digital scrapbooking, candlemaking, and pretty much anything he puts his mind to. With his techniques and left brained thinking and my knack for creating items from minimal inspiration we just might have something big happening for us in our little corner of Spokane.

In the next few weeks, check this blog for some updated news - but in the meantime I am going to feature at least 1 Etsy seller (if not more!) a week.

If you can't wait, click on Anne More Jewelry (button on the right under Sites I Love) and browse her gorgeous baubles.

Disney

Danny is still working at his brick and mortar job with the Avista affiliate, however he just passed all of his testing to be a certified professional with Disney. I am so excited for him. He will be able to work from home part time with Disney, specifically Walt Disney World, :) this will come in handy during the 3 weeks he takes off from work next month.

Congrats Hon!!

Playrooms

I was visiting the Parents website and came across a photo gallery called "Playrooms," in which site members can upload pictures of their child's play areas. There is one that caught my eye: A dad built his 3 year old daughter a pint sized replica of a working kitchen with real working drawers and granite like countertops.

View this amazing playroom here: Hailey's Kitchen

PUPPP

I have been dealing with PUPPP (Pruritic Uticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancythis = ITCHY TUMMY WITH RASH) since last week. My stomach is SOOOO ITCHY. I have scratched chunks of skin out with my fingernails. I have scabs that keep coming off. It's disgusting and uncomfortable. If my first pregnancy had been this bad I doubt I would be having a second child so soon. I am wondering how much worse it can get. I guess on the positive side I haven't had any swollen feet this time!

3 Weeks

Only 3 weekends left... just how will we spend them?

This weekend we are working on finishing the bedroom switches. We decided to forgo knocking out the wall upstairs (who knows what's inside them and between them!) and instead moved Ian into our room and our room into the toy room, leaving Ian's room an office. I hope to also get my baby shower thank yous out in the mail this weekend.

By next weekend the changing table should be brought in and the baby clothes freshly laundered and put away! Maybe Dan and I can get a date night that weekend since he has a 3 day weekend due to Labor Day. Any babysitting volunteers? lol

The third weekend we are taking Ian to the fair.

I am sure there's a lot more I am not thinking of but for now, that's the plan.

We'll probably also visit Grammie Janie a lot since Steve will be headed out for Costa Rica at the end of this month. He won't be returning until Sept. 9th.

Then on Sept 10th we plan on having a BBQ (pending the weather) to spend an evening with our families. This get together is important to me to relax and enjoy one another and pray and wish and send good vibes for Baby Day on the 11th. We do not plan on having anyone "waiting" at the hospital for Darby's arrival. With Ian's birth I really wanted my parents and Dan's parents there and it was very reassuring to me that everyone came. This time, Dan and I want to get acquainted with baby on our own for a few hours. We are also hoping to get to spend some quality time with just my sister and Dan's brother that day. That is very important to me also because neither of them were able to be there on Ian's big day and didn't get to meet him until Thanksgiving. So we shall see how it goes. I am very excited and also very melancholy.

Excellent Reading

Lately, I haven't been able to pick up a book and finish it in a timely manner, (which kills me since I love to read). Therefore, I have resorted to magazine reading. There are so many magazines out there to choose from - just step into a Barnes and Noble to see a pie slice of what's available out there. I do have a few favorites like REAL SIMPLE, Organize, and Cookie, but lately my loves have fallen to two locally published mags: Eve and Spokane Metro

Eve is written for women but still has plenty of information for men. I picked up my first copy at my OBGYN office, while in the waiting room, and was instantly hooked. There were some fantastic articles profiling local women in Spokane, as well as local restaurants that are the city's best kept secrets. I love to explore new food and new eats so this section is entirely relevant to me. I discovered that a subscription to Eve is not obtainable, instead, you must hunt down a copy from one of the many stores, offices, cafes, etc that distribute the magazine. I was able to get last month's copy while at Ian's Gymboree class. Also, the editor is very quick to respond via email to any questions or comments you have regarding Eve.

Today I discovered Spokane Metro's first issue. Again, I found this one at my OBGYN's office, however I didn't get the wait room time to read it - so I pirated one of the copies (shame on me!) to read at home. This magazine does give the option of a subscription - $12 for 11 issues a year (with a double issue in Dec) and invites to subscriber only events. So far, Spokane Metro has won me over for it's articles on local residents and profiles of local businesses. It reminds me of the positive attributes to raising a family in Spokane - something I seem to be needing lately. This magazine is a little meatier than Eve and has more depth to its reporting.

So while I may not get the luxury of reading novels (one I'd like to pick up is called The Stone Boat), I will instead for now, settle on a quick vacation within the pages of a glossy local magazine.

Check Up

I had my 36 week appt today. The last couple days I have had major food aversions, nausea, vomiting, and all that fun stuff from the first and second trimesters. I have hyperemesis again. Lost 4 pounds in the last 2 weeks, still 8 pounds below my starting weight. I have been prescribed Reglan and will take it 3 times a day. If there is no improvement by Friday I will go back in.

Also had the exciting Group B test today. Even though I am having a c-section, it was done to be better safe than sorry. I am dilated to 1cm and baby has not dropped (thank goodness).

I am to get plenty of rest and fluids to help bring my weight back up a little bit. My temperature was 96 degrees at the doc office (although I feel like I'm in a sauna! Dan must be going crazy with me running the A/C today on a cloudy cool day. I think it's 70 degrees inside - Ian is in pants and a long sleeved tee, lol).

So for the next couple days, until the Reglan does it's job, I will be immobile, laying down, drinking fluids. I am so thankful to have a husband that takes care of me.

Only 2 appts left! One regular and one pre-op.

The Birthday Book

Steve's Birthday Book

Happy Birthday Steve

Click the link to see the video :)

Family Fun

I have been trying to find the time to upload this video. On August 2nd the family went to the Spokane Indians baseball game. This video features my dad, my grandpa, my sister, my grandmother, my great aunt, dan's grandmother, dan's parents, and of course dan, ian, and me. It was crazy fun!!

Happy 60th Birthday Steve!

Today is Steve O'Brien's 60th Birthday. He is spending it with his lovely wife! He wanted a quiet celebration this year so we will head over there this weekend to say Hi and to bring a card.

We love you Steve O'Brien!!!

Happy Happy Birthday!

4 weeks

Less than a month! We are going to spend the next couple weekends putting the final touches on the boys' room and getting the rest of the stuff we need for baby.

4 weeks!!!

Art Institutes - Video featuring Tanya

http://www.artinstitutes.edu/Competitions/PassionForFashion.aspx

Copy and paste the link. The Art Institutes have updated their site to include a video of the Passion for Fashion competetion, featuring my sister, Tanya!

Exhaustion

I finally hit that stage. The one where I feel like I need to take several naps just to get through the day. However, at night, I get a burst of energy around 10pm. I haven't had the opportunity to nap, I just feel like I need to.

On Monday, I did rest quite a bit. I went to the dentist at 1:00pm and received a post build up and 2 root canal therapies. The worst part was I could not get numb. They had to use anesthetic without a vasoconstrictor (epinephrine) because of the pregnancy, therefore it would wear off very quickly. They ended up having to drill 2 small holes into the bone and inject the anesthetic directly into the nerve and bone. I went to Dr. James Hood's office in the Valley and he and his staff were absolutely AMAZING. I would highly recommend them to anyone. I have high anxiety about dentistry (go figure since I went to dental assisting school!) and they made me feel so secure and comfortable. I could say so many nice things about them.

So I have been recovering with 10mg hydrocodone. I have only taken about 10 pills since Monday and have tapered them down today to just on Tylenol now. (of course I know the hydrocodone causes sleepiness but my exhaustion kicked in well before the pills were prescribed). I am feeling MUCH better.

Ian is doing well, making more sounds and gestures. He is progressing at his own pace but he is doing great. I am excited for him to go to preschool this fall. He will also see a speech therapist at school. I just realized that we haven't done clothes shopping for him since the spring! He is running out of clothing that fits!! Will I get to take him on his first "back to school" clothes shopping trip? Exciting!

The craving for chocolate milkshakes has magnified. Dan is a saint and makes me one before bed :) Schwan's just dropped off a gallon of chocolate ice cream this afternoon so I think we're set!

I have 3 more doc appts before c-section day. Once a week until the big day. The next appt (Aug 19) I have to do the Strep B test just in case my water breaks before the big day. Then there is only one more appt after that and then the post op appt on the 4th. Getting down to the wire!

Plethora of Pictures

Grammie Janie sent us some pictures of Ian and company. He spent the night at Janie and Steve's on Monday night because I had lot of dental work done on Monday and was in a lot of pain. It was his second night ever away from us and first sleepover at Grammie and Papa's.


Ian and Katrina




Cousin Kenzie, Papa Steve, Ian, and Katrina

Ian

Kenzie & Ian

Ian & Katrina

Ian met Katrina at Little Diamond Lake on Saturday. (Katrina's dad, Dave, works at the same company as Dan and her parents go to the same church as Dan's parents.)

Ian was a good kid and shared his trains with her too.

5 Weeks

5 Weeks to go until Operation Baby.

It's starting to go a lot more quickly.

Dan and I both noticed that I am carrying baby a lot further out than I carried Ian. I have a very deep belly button (I call it a bullet hole, lol), and this time it's almost stretched to the max, whereas Ian I could still stick my finger in it, lol.

Baby Shower

A couple pics from the baby shower Danny's mom so graciously threw for me this weekend. (I LOVED those mini cakes with violets!).

Thank you to everyone who came! I am working on my thank you cards :)

My sister, Tanya, & my Great Aunt Patty competing in a game


Me & Molly


Some of the ladies who attended!

It's 5 o'clock Somewhere...

Oh how I wish for a margarita. LOL, I want nothing more right now than a huge plate of mexican food from Casa De Oro or Azteca and a GIANT Margarita. That's the ick about being pregnant through the summer, no fruity blended margaritas. I made Dan promise me that would be our date night soon after the baby is born.

Today was a great day. We completed our crafty project and I finished some classwork. Ian missed Gymboree today because Dan and I both felt he needed to stay home and not run around stressing his lungs too much. He is still taking his breathing treatments once or twice a day and the wheezing has subsided for the most part. Instead, he'll go to Gymboree on Saturday and then we will head up to the lake to visit Janie, Steve, & Kenzie. I haven't been to this lake in 10 years. It will be very neat too since my family used to do a little camping reunion there every Memorial Day weekend and we'd all do Thanksgiving up there at the lodge.

We are also going to redo our house beginning this weekend. We have decided to give the boys our bedroom upstairs - it will be bigger for them and elimate the need for the toy room downstairs. We will then turn Ian's room upstairs into the office and the toy room will become our bedroom. This will also be convenient for me in about 5 weeks (no stairs to climb!).

Early Morning = Long Day Ahead

I have been awake since a quarter to six, but am still very tired. I would love to fall back asleep but the kiddo and the hubby will be getting up within the hour to gear up for Gymboree this morning. - wait, they're up now! Maybe I can take a little nap on the couch until it's time to go...

Haircut

Ian had his hair trimmed this weekend. He was a well behaved little man. I was proud.

Spokane Indians Game

Dan's business hosted a free company game at the Avista Stadium last night. All three of us attended as well as his parents (Janie & Steve), my dad (Scott), his grandma (June), my sister (Tanya), my grandparents (Don & Joan), and my grandma's twin sister (Patty). They had pony rides, face painting, and free food. Dan bought Ian an Indians t-shirt too.

Ian Update

Ian went to his pediatrician today and we were told that it was definitely NOT bronchiolitis. He is saying RAD (Reactive Airway Disease):

"Some doctors use the terms "reactive airway disease" and "asthma" interchangeably. However, they are not necessarily the same thing. "Reactive airway disease" is a general term and does not indicate a specific diagnosis. It may be used to describe a history of coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath due to undetermined cause. These signs and symptoms may or may not be caused by asthma. Time or further testing will tell.

Use of the term "reactive airway disease" in part reflects the difficulty in establishing a diagnosis of asthma in certain situations. This is especially true with very young children. Breathing tests needed to confirm a diagnosis of asthma are not practical in young children because they require cooperation and understanding to get good results. Children usually don't develop these skills until age 4 years — sometimes older." -- MayoClinic.com

Hence, my momma instincts were mostly right. :) Yay for me, (but boo for Ian). It must be my redemption from the milk allergy suspicion.

No Worries

I worried my pretty little head over nothing last night. I reviewed a document today and the content of it made everyone around the large meeting table shake their heads and laugh at the statements made in it. I think I had 20 post it notes stuck the table (for errors) by the time we were done - Basically, between us all, we chewed up the tabloid and spit it out. It was refreshing, relieving, and renewing. I couldn't believe it took the author 3 months to come up with that stuff. I guess fiction is harder to write.

On another awesome note, the baby shower is tomorrow, as well as Dan's company game! We are excited :)

On a yucky note we spent a couple hours in the ER last night because Ian had a severe asthma attack. Nana Kate came down the road to our house to check his O2 saturation and it was at 90 with his heart beating at 162/bpm. She gave him an albuterol treatment and we headed to the ER where he had another treatment. They prescribed us medicine and we were up with him all night, administering doses. It is helping him immensely. I also discovered something very interesting - even though the doctors are not quick to diagnose asthma (they are saying bronchiolitis right now), there is a relationship between asthma and eczema... makes you wonder, doesn't it?