PP Drama

It's been a busy few weeks.  Okay that is sorta a lie... I haven't posted in two weeks more because I have been too lazy to do it than anything else. 

So the latest news around the Elsass house is this mama knows nothing about boy parts.  For a while now, Jackson has been adjusting his boy parts a lot.  We keep asking him if he has to go potty.  He says no, so I tell him to get his hands off his pee pee.  So the last couple of days, Jackson leaves the room for a few minutes and then returns.  I finally asked him what he was doing and he told me that he was fixing his pee pee.  Apparently, it isn't laying right and he has to place it where it needs to go.  Then, last night, I was giving him a bath and his pee pee was red and swollen.  I totally freaked out.  I immediately called Josh upstairs to look at it.  We always clean it really good, so I couldn't understand what the problem was.  Apparently, Jackson may be experiencing "separation" or "retraction" (look it up, you will learn a lot.)  So this may cause irritation, swelling and redness.... overall discomfort for him.  We should also do nothing to "help" the separation, but Jackson can if he wants to because he knows when it hurts and when it doesn't.  (I know, this is a lot of information.)  What the website did say we could do was a baking soda bath or put yogurt on it.  (Yes, you read that right, yogurt!!)  I don't think I can do yogurt.  He may never eat it again if we did that!! Hopefully, this won't last long.  And now I have learned more about boy parts than I ever wanted to and so have you.  (I hope Josh reads up on menstruation when this baby girl comes of age!!)

In less personal news...

We have had some really nice weather lately and have spent a lot of time outside.  Jackson loves his basketball hoop.  Josh is teaching him to shoot properly and he is starting to learn how to dribble.

The other day, while we were playing, Jackson and I did get this sorta good picture of the two of us.

Last weekend, we finally got to go to Grams' house and spend time with the family.  It didn't turn out exactly as planned, since Jason was back in the hospital, but mom did get to come home and spend Saturday with all of us since Aunt Sandy came in to watch Jason for the day.  Josh was in Columbus leading up to the weekend, so Jackson and I picked him up in Columbus on Friday around lunch time.  Before we left home, Josh had ordered Jackson some markers.  He colored almost all the way to Evansville.  Of course, the markers Josh got was no 8-pack or 12-pack.  The box has 64 markers.  Jackson was so excited.  Fortunately, he was on green all week and he was allowed to play with them the day we got them.

We got to Evansville at a good time on Friday and got to spend a nice weekend watching all the kids play and swim.  Even my cousin Dane and his girlfriend stopped by.  Jackson really took to them as they were willing to water fight with Jackson all day on Saturday.  On Sunday, Jackson even jumped off the diving board without anyone catching him.  At first, I think he wasn't pleased that Uncle Joe Joe didn't catch him, but then when he realized how proud we were of him for doing it, he was all happy about it.  Jackson is also tall enough and strong enough to "swim" in the shallow end without floaties or the ring.  He was super proud of that.  Now, if we could just get him to actually swim!! 

Before the swimming commenced, the kids played in the yard for a while.  It was a little cool in the mornings and 75% of the pool was in the shade before noon. They played baseball and other yard games.  Lily gave up on baseball when her daddy hit her in the face with the ball.  Rather, she played with her mama's hat.  All in all, they were all pretty cute.   Even Tyler got to enjoy some pool time.  While in the little boat, I honestly thought he might try to climb out and fall into the pool.  He didn't.

Since everyone was going to be gone on Sunday night, we decided to go ahead and drive home.  Thankfully Josh drove because I was definitely not up to it after two days of swimming and horrible back pain (more on that later!)  Since we had already taken Monday off, we stayed home and got some stuff done around the house, including putting blackout blinds in the kids' rooms.  It's incredible the difference it makes in both temperature and brightness (or rather lack there of).  We also got out MORE Legos.  Jackson is totally obsessed and he is getting better at putting them together all by himself.  He wants to do them everyday.  

Since the weather wasn't all that great on Monday, we were totally fine sitting around the living room playing the rest of the day.

This last weekend was a little nicer and we got to spend some time outside.  We took Jackson to the park and he played baseball with Josh.  It got a little hot for me since there wasn't much of a breeze on Saturday.  I think Jackson is going to make a pretty good ball player myself!!

After the park and baseball, I took Jackson to get ice cream !  He was on green everyday for TWO weeks!  It was awesome.  We were both so proud of him.  I think he was pretty proud of himself too.  And he really liked getting his own ice cream.

Tonight, while I was blogging, I pulled the camera out to see what all pictures I had taken in the last two weeks and Jackson took these gems!!

Yes, this is his backpack.  I guess it needed photographed too!

Josh managed to get these two shots of our little guy too.  He is such a goof!!

Pregnancy Update

Both photos are at 27 Weeks 0 Days (Left: Baby Girl; Right: Jackson) 

Today, we are 27 weeks 3 days and I am wishing I was 37 weeks and 3 days.  Officially in the third trimester and well on my way to misery!  With Jackson, I got a lot more weeks of "comfortable" time. This time, there was too much puking in the beginning and then no appetite and now, I think this baby girl is putting pressure on my sciatic nerve causing a great deal of pain my lower back on down my left leg.  I went to the chiropractor last Monday.  (Jackson went with me and the next day asked "How's your neck today mommy?"  I.LOVE.HIM!!)  It seemed to do a little bit of good, but I still have a lot pain when I go from sitting to standing or laying down to standing.  It takes me a few minutes to adjust to a new position.  This week, when I walk, the pain traveling down my left leg even more than last week.  Ugh!  Twelve more weeks.

We had a biology lesson this last week in blood typing.  I was just SURE that Josh was going to be Rh negative, since I am (O-)and so is Jackson (A-) and so was Josh's dad (also A-).  I was SURE.  So rather than me getting a shot, we had Josh get blood typed so I could take the paper to the doctor's office and then they wouldn't make me get a shot.  Well, turns out Josh is A+.  POSITIVE.  Dang it.  Now I have to get a shot.  So here is the bio lesson:

• My parents are/were both O- and therefore, my parents both passed on to me O- genes. So guess what, I am O-.  Yeah - not so complicated!!
• Josh's mom is O+ and Josh's dad was A-.  Apparently, Josh's mom passed on O+ to Josh and Josh's dad passed on the A- to him.  Since A trumps O and + trumps -, Josh is A+.  Yup.  What a pain my butt (literally after I have to get this shot). 
• So, Jackson is A-, which means I passed on O- to him (since that is all I have) and Josh passed on the A gene and - gene.   Again, A trumps O and he got two negatives.

Did you all remember that from Advanced Bio?

I have gained 5.3 pounds so far in this pregnancy, which is considerably less than what I had done with Jackson at this time.  At this rate, I will actually weigh less when this baby girl comes than I did when Jackson was born, even though I started pounds heavier.  Not that I am complaining.  Hoping to keep it that way so maybe I will get rid of all of it (and then some) after the baby comes.

There is no more news in the baby names.  There are still 5 names on the list - of which, I am really happy with three of them.  I keep looking, but we will see if I even get any more to the list before the day comes!!

Also in the last week, I have decided what I am going to do with the baby's room.  Since the big bed bedding is gray and I don't plan to get anything different once we move this baby to the big bed, I decided that I was going to go ahead and decorate the baby room like I want to when she is a little older.  I found some really cute fabric and a lamp.  I am getting excited to get it put together.  I am going to replace the green paint on the bottom half of the room with gray, put up white curtains and then accent the room with stuff made from the fabric pictured below. I found really cute ideas on Pinterest and I am actually going to do them!!