Two A-maizing Kids!

11/20/09 - I forgot to mention in my last post that our little boy's heartrate was 155, and my weight gain is at 6 lbs. I knew something was up when I craved MILK, MEAT & FISH with this pregnancy...... the little man wants his protein! (With Avery I craved mashed potatoes & mac -n- cheese......it's all about the carbs for girls!)

11/18/09 - I had my 18 week ultrasound & check up today. We found out that we're having a BOY!! My due date is still the same, according to how big he's measuring (April 20, 2010). She said he weighs 9 ounces. At this ultrasound, they measure every part of his little body, however they couldn't get a good view of his heart or lips today, so I have to go back & have another ultrasound in 4 weeks. Fine by me . . . I love seeing my baby!!

11/13/09 - I am really starting to feel the baby move at this point. I was kneeling in church last Sunday and my belly was up against the pew in front of me. All of a sudden, I felt movement in my lower abdomen up against the pew.....it was such a weird feeling, but an awesome one! Ever since then I've been more aware of the movements and LOVE IT! It will be fun when he/she gets a little bigger so Avery can feel and see the movement in my belly.

11-11-09: I had my 17 week check-up today. Baby's heartrate has come down to 150. Not much info at this appointment, because next week will be the big ultrasound, however they did give me the results from the NT Scan/bloodwork. She said according to statistics, based on my age my chance of having a child with Down Syndrome is 1 in 300, however my bloodwork came back to revieal my chance is 1 in 1200. Then, according to statistics based on my age, my chance of having a child with Trisomy 18/13 is 1 in about 500, however my bloodwork came back to show that my chance is 1 in 12,000. Both numbers are very low, so we made the decision not to go any further with additional testing.

11/10/09 - This past weekend we were excited to attend our friend's twins 3rd birthday party. Avery loves James & McKenzie and couldn't wait to go to a Cars/Tinkerbell party! We hadn't been at the party for very long when we received a phone call that our niece, Hailey (7) had been taken to the ER and had a blood clot & swelling in her brain. Out of nowhere, healthy and happy-go-lucky little Hailey had a stroke. Hailey will always have a special place in our hearts because 7 years ago this past September, she came into the world very early..... at 27 weeks, weighing a little over 1 pound. Hailey was a fighter then, and continues to be a fighter as she battles this next obstacle in her life.

Our amazing friends offered to watch Avery at the party and even bring her home later that evening so Steve and I could go to the hospital. Things were not looking good for Hailey and it was a very stressful time for the Maize family. Every horrible scenario was running through my mind, and I was a mess. Steve knew the stress of the situation would not be good for me or the baby, so after a short visit with Hailey and the family, my parents came to pick me up at the hospital. We ended up driving to Casa Grande to pick up Avery from the party, and bring her home. A little too much junk food & a few too many bounces in the bounce house caused Avery to get sick at the birthday party, so we wanted to get her home to rest ASAP. Late that evening, after a CT Scan and 2 MRI's, the doctors informed the family that Hailey's condition was serious, but they believed there is a possibility for treatment, which was a relief, considering this were looking very grim a few hours prior.

As of today, Hailey is in the new children's hospital and is receiving around the clock treatment and observation. She will be in this hospital for another week, then will be transferred to a different hospital for at least another month while doctors continue to run tests to try and determine why this happened, and get her started on rehabilition. We ask that you please keep her in your prayers. She has a long road ahead of her, but as I mentioned earlier, she is a fighter, and that along with the power of prayers I believe miracles can happen!

11-7-09: On Monday, Oct. 26th I didn't have any daycare kids show up, so Avery & I baked some pumpkin muffins and went to visit my friends at the school where I used to teach. Avery walked around like she had been there 1,000 times. She loves going to the school and seeing my friends, and unfortunately, we don't get over there as often as I'd like, due to my daycare schedule.

On Friday the 30th, we had our annual daycare Halloween party. It was a busy, but super fun morning with all 6 kids! We made caramel apples, decorated little pumpkins, decorated cut-out sugar cookies, made a ghost windsock, and danced to "Monster Hits". The kids loved making scary faces and seeing their reflections in the tv. Friday night, we were invited to join the families from my former school to go to "Howl-o-Ween" at the Phoenix Zoo. We first met for pizza at Peter Piper Pizza, then headed over to the zoo. The kids wore their costumes and got to trick- or- treat from the zoo people. Avery LOVED trick- or- treating this year and acted as if she has done it a million times before. She walked up to the people and so politely said "trick-or-treat" and even remembered her "thank yous".

Saturday morning we raced off to swimming lessons and raced back to start setting up for our cul-de-sac party. Avery was wired and would not nap, so we were a little nervous how she'd do because we typically stay out pretty late on Halloween night. She had one little meltdown right before we headed outside, but that was it. She had so much fun trick-or-treating again, riding bikes and playing in the cul-de-sac with all of the kids until 10:00 that night. She probaby would have stayed out later, but mom & dad were exhausted!

Wednesday night Steve took off the front panel of Avery's crib. Avery loves her crib and has never tried to climb out, so we just didn't want to mess with a good thing. Well, it is getting harder for me to lift her in and out as my belly continues to grow, so we decided to convert her crib into the toddler bed. Avery was SO excited. She loves being able to get in and out all by herself. All morning on Thursday she just wanted to play in her room. She sat on her bed reading books and "relaxing" as she told me. We put a baby gate up at the door so she can't wander the house, but it hasn't even been an issue. We have woken up to find her lying on the floor a few times, not sure if she's fallen out or just prefers the floor for a change, but other than that it's been a pretty easy transition!

I have been feeling really exhausted ever since the daycare Halloween party. As the week went on, I started having symptoms like I was coming down with a cold. I ended up going to Urgent Care last night and found out that I have strep throat! Two doses of meds and I'm feeling almost 100% today. I have my check-up with my doctor this week (17 weeks), and next week (Nov. 18th) I have my big 18 week ultrasound. We are sooooo anxious to find out the sex of this baby. We all keep referring to "him" as baby brother.......

10/19/09 - Avery & I had such a fun weekend. It started off on Saturday at swimming lessons. Avery did an awesome job and worked so hard and ended up graduating from her Blowfish class to Clownfish! While a Clownfish, Avery will be working on things like: getting pool toys from the bottom of the pool, butterfly kick, backstroke with arms, swimming width of pool, etc. The good news is Avery gets to continue with her current teacher with whom she has a fantastic rapport. Avery told me this past Saturday that she "loves Carly".

After swimming lessons, Avery & I went to the railroad park in Scottsdale with my parents. It was quite hot (102°), so we only rode the train 1x and the carousel 2x's. From there we went to a near by pumpkin patch and helped Avery choose a pumpkin. After a nap for Avery (and me!), Aunt Lisa met us for church and "Octoberfest" at my parent's church. We had yummy German food and were entertained by a 50's & 60's style band. Avery L-O-V-E-D the music and danced for 2 straight hours. (She even has blisters on her feet to prove it!) I knew Avery loved to dance, because we do a lot of dancing to Radio Disney here at home, but when people started coming up to our table and telling us how she had such rhythm and had great moves, I started thinking that maybe she would love professional dance lessons. There are two new dance studios by our house that I'll be checking into soon.

10-15-09: I went to the doctor today for my 13 week check-up and to have the NT Scan done (testing for "old" pregnant women). The ultrasound looked good and the results from the blood test will be back in a couple of weeks. The doctor is happy with my weight gain - only 1.5 pound, which was good news for me too because I thought I was up about 6 pounds, and the pains that I've been complaining about are apparently just my ligaments stretching (which, she said, will only get worse). The baby was moving around again during the ultrasound, this time we could see him/her so much better. The ultrasound technician didn't even take a peek at the "goods" today. We were hoping we'd get a glimpse if a boy part or girl part. I have my next appointment scheduled for November 11th, then the 18 week ultrasound on November 18. If baby is cooperating then, we will get to see if it's a boy or girl.

10/4/09 - Last weekend my mom came down and spent the night here. We always love when grandma has sleepovers here because it calls for lots of shopping and going out to dinner, and we did just that. :o) Grandma took Avery & I to a restaurant called "Sauce". It's a pretty trendy restaurant with a very limited menu......no chicken nuggets for Avery! She ended up eating the very thin and crunchy, wood-fired pizza that Grandma & I ordered and loved it. She also loved the music and danced in her seat while eating dinner.

This past Saturday Avery earned another ribbon in swimming lessons. This time she earned a ribbon for jumping in, rolling on her back to backfloat & rolling back over all by herself. It is so awesome seeing such a little one be so confident and so calm in the water!

On Sunday we pulled Avery out of bed at 5:45 a.m. and headed to the Phoenix Zoo to participate in the City of Hope Breast Cancer walk. Steve's company is a big supporter/sponser of this walk so 100's of us all wore our matching CCD t-shirts and had a great walk supporting a very important cause. After the walk, Steve's company had breakfast for the employees and their families at the warehouse, so Avery and I were excited that we finally got to see daddy's new office. Avery like sitting in the big chair and typing on his computer.

I am now 12 weeks along (as of tomorrow) and feel pretty good. I do have some days where I wake up feeling icky, but I am hoping that will subside since I'm almost out of my first trimester. I swear I can feel the little one moving......especially when I'm sitting at the computer. All of the books say that it's too early, but I sure do remember the light fluttering feeling when I was pregnant with Avery and that's exactly what I'm feeling now. I have a doctor's appointment on the 14th, so I'm anxious to hear the heartbeat for the first time. Hopefully, when I'm about 18 weeks I will get another ultrasound to see what we are having!!! I am not a patient person when it comes to surprises.....

09-16-09: We have some news to share........Avery is going to be a big sister!!! We went to the doctor today and confirmed that I am 9 weeks and 1 day pregnant.

We had an ultrasound and got to see the baby's heartbeat (158 bpm) and see him/her wiggling all around. Avery is really excited and is hoping for a brother. We actually found out on August 12th with a couple of home pregnancy tests, but the vertical line in the + sign was pretty faint, so we wanted the confirmation of blood work and an ultrasound before we shared the news with everyone. I am feeling good, but am already having days/nights where I get really nauseous. Snacking throughout the day helps, because once I get hungry, that's when I start feeling really sick. My due date is scheduled for April 20, 2010 . . . just 6 days after my birthday! I have another appointment scheduled in 4 weeks, then somewhere between 18 and 20 weeks we will have another ultrasound which will hopefully reveal the sex of the baby.

9/13/09 - Friday morning daddy left for Las Vegas for "work". He earned the trip through Miller-Coors who put him up in the Mandalay Bay, gave him tickets to see Frank Caliendo perform Friday night, then see the Barenaked Ladies concert on the beach at Mandalay Bay, among other fun perks on the mini vacation. Avery and I are excited for him to come home today.

Friday evening, Avery & I drove to Chase Field to meet my parents & sister to watch the Diamondbacks take on the Brewers. Avery was concerned about seeing Baxter, but thankfully, he didn't come anywhere near our section. We were in serious foul ball territory, and one nearly hit Grandma on the head. Luckily the guy next to grandma put out his hands to divert (or try to catch) the ball. We stayed the whole game and watched the post-game fireworks show. Avery was thrilled to enjoy her own box of popcorn and have her own seat.

Saturday morning Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Lisa & I watched Avery at swimming lessons. She had another great day and earned an "Awesome Day" ribbon. She was so excited to show us her ribbon that she slipped and took a nasty spill on the wet tile floor. She is okay, but there were a lot of tears!

09/05/09 - Avery has an awesome day at swimming lessons today! We were nervous because of how she behaved last weekend, especially since today was going to be a big change for Avery. She "graduated" to semi-private classes, where I do not get in the water with her anymore, and also had a teacher change. We heard great things about Carly, and talked about Carly all week long. This morning Avery even drew Carly a picture, and we got there early so we could watch her work with other kids for a while. Avery walked right in, gave Carly her picture and off she went....swimming and blowing bubbles like a little fish! Avery worked really hard today, since it was a 1:1 class and even earned her first ribbon today! She was backfloating by herself like nobody's business! I had tears just flowing down my face and I think Grandma & Grandpa got pretty misty eyed as well. We went to McDonald's after her swim class and G&G treated her to an ice cream cone to celebrate her accomplishment. We are so proud of her, and so THANKFUL she woke up in a good mood today!

9-4-09: This past Wednesday, Avery was being quite the handful for mommy, so Grandpa Maize drove over to pick up Avery and take her back to G&G Maize's house for the day. Cousins Hailey & Jordan got out of school early, so the 3 girls got to go swimming and play together for a while. Avery is still talking how exciting it was to see the girls get off of the big, yellow school bus!

Tomorrow is Avery's first "semi-private" swimming lesson with her new swim teacher, Carly, and without mommy! Last Saturday she was quite a "pill" for Lindsay & I during our swim class and would not participate. Swim teacher Lindsay was really surprised because she had never seen that side to Avery before. I've talked to Avery all week to prep her for the new swimming class, so hopefully she'll do okay. (fingers crossed)

08/23/09- Friday morning my parents picked up Avery so she could spend the night at their house. Steve had his team of guys over here for a Pizza & Poker night and I had Bunco night with my teacher friends. I met up with my parents and Avery at swimming lessons on Saturday. Typically, after swimming lessons Avery is starving and extremely ready for a nap, and will nap for 4 hours, if we let her. This past Saturday, Avery hardly ate her lunch and would not take a nap. Something was not right.....well, that evening she started getting a stuffy & runny nose and ended up with a bad cold. She didn't sleep well Saturday night, and did not take a nap again today. Soooo, we are all exhausted and are praying that she sleeps well tonight.

Tonight we are keeping a very dear family in our thoughts and prayers as this day marks the 3rd anniversary of an unimaginable and tragic day in their lives. Rest in Peace C.J.T.

08/17/09 - Avery spent the Saturday night at Grandma & Grandpa Maize's house with her cousin Jordan. She had fun watching the Tinkerbell movie, eating popcorn, playing with Grandma & Grandpa's toys and taking a bubble bath with her cousin. Steve & I wanted some uninterrupted time to do some serious cleaning, so we decided to ship our little "helper"out for the night. Steve's having a party here on Friday night for his team, so we're doing "spring cleaning" in August. . . . baseboards, blinds, ceiling fans....you name it!

08/10/09 - Steve had to go to the Diamondback's game for work tonight, so I decided it would be "Mommy/Daughter Date Night". Avery loves to play on the play structure at Chick-fil-A (yes, even after getting the black eye!) so I thought we'd head over there. I couldn't believe how many cars were in the parking lot and noticed a radio station set up outside as I drove up. Once I got inside, it was pretty busy, but I saw open tables so we stayed. I had no idea that Monday nights are "Family Nights" at Chick-fil-A. Kids eat free with a paid adult meal, they had a magician there, balloons, give-aways and a person dressed up in a HUGE cow costume who walked around and hugged the kids. I saw the cow come out from behind the counter and tried to block Avery's view because I had a feeling I knew what was going to happen. OHHHHH MAN....once she caught a glimpse of that damn cow and grabbed onto me for dear life, screamed and I could feel every part of her body shake! I found a table and sat her next to the window and I sat next to her to try and block her view. Well that giant, scary looking cow walked over to out table and it went all downhill from there. She wouldn't eat, wouldn't talk and only wanted me to hold her with her head burried in my chest. I felt much better when I saw a mom with 3 kids who were all freaking out and screaming at the top of their lungs.....they were much more dramatic than Avery! :o) The cow finally left and I got her to calm down and eat a little bit and promised her we'd go to Target and buy her a surprise. (She wanted Hello Kitty Band-Aids and popcorn!)

Tonight I was trying to put her to bed and she wouldn't lie down. She kept standing up and saying "There's a scary man at the pizza place." I told her I didn't understand, and we talked about it for a little while.....then I realized she was talking about the scary cow at the chicken place. Oh My Goodness. I feel SO bad for her....especially because I made her stay there and "tough it out"!! She finally settled down enough and fell asleep, but I am PRAYING there are no nightmares over this..... I know we will NOT be participating in the Chick-fil-A family night for a long time!

8/8/09 - It's been a long, but fun day! Avery & I went to swimming lessons this morning, then met up with my parents for lunch afterwards. They had some surprises they brought back from Alaska to give to Avery, so we decided we'd grab a bite to eat at Chick-fil-A. (Avery loves going there for 2 reasons....1) to play and 2) their mints!) Avery got a penguin stuffed animal, a t-shirt with a moose on it, and her favorite....an Eskimo doll who has been appropriately named "Sarah" (as in Palin). Unfortunately, Avery fell and bumped her head on the play structure at Chick-fil-A and now has a swollen and black & blue eye. :o( I came home for about 15 minutes, put Avery down for her nap, then left for a friend's baby shower.

Tonight I helped my BFF frost/decorate 4 dozen Elmo & Cookie Monster cupcakes, and 2 dozen yellow duck sugar cookies for her son's birthday party tomorrow.

Ever since I braided Avery's hair, she has been into playing "beauty salon". She couldn't WAIT for me to get home from the baby shower today so she could put "piggy tails" in my hair. She had rubber bands, hair clippies and a brush all sitting out on the carpet and had a special spot ready for me. Aside from her scratching my scalp with the hair clips, it's kinda cute & fun. :o)

08/06/09 - Last Saturday Avery & I went to her swimming lesson, then the 3 of us went to Isabelle's 1st birthday party. Avery had so much fun playing with her friends James & McKenzie on the water toys and in the bounce house, and mommy & daddy enjoyed catching up with our friends. It's so much fun to see how social Avery has gotten and listen to the little conversations she has with her friends.

We have a super-busy weekend ahead of us. Tomorrow Grandma & Grandpa come home from their 11 day cruise to Alaska and are ~~anxious~~ very anxious to see Avery. Saturday Avery & I have swimming lessons, then I have a baby shower in the afternoon, and later on help my BFF decorate Elmo & Cookie Monster cupcakes for her son's Jack's birthday party, which is Sunday. Before we head to Jack's party on Sunday, we are heading over to my in-laws to surprise them with a little something for their anniversary/father-in-law's birthday! Sometime between our busy social calendar, I need to go grocery shopping, TRY and get to the gym, clean my house & go to church!

Avery & Liberty, our English Bull dog, were SO naughty yesterday.

The moment I pulled Avery out of her bed yesterday morning, I knew she woke up on the wrong side of the bed and it was going to be a long day. She was hitting the other kids (and me) all morning, and even pushed the biggest daycare child, a 4 year old boy, into the sharp corner of my kitchen island. She had a very sassy mouth saying "NO!" to whatever I asked her, and wouldn't sit in time out after I repeatedly put her back in the spot. She has had her moods and tantrums since turning 2, but this was unlike anything I've seen from her...... she didn't have one single happy moment! I started wondering to myself if there could be a full moon, because it never fails, every time there is a full moon daycare is usually crazy that day! SURE ENOUGH....there WAS a full moon last night!! Thankfully after her nap & daddy came home, she was a little better.

7/29/09 - Avery had her first taste of peanut butter today and surprisingly.....she LOVED it! I was going to wait until she was 3 to give her anything nutty because she's more prone to having food allergies since I had so many food allergies growing up. She did just fine with the little amount that I gave her, so I may offer it to her sparingly. We already know she's allergic to strawberries, but may outgrow that as she gets older.

So since a few months before Avery turned 2, I've had the potty chair out and have been encouraging her to sit on it and read books, etc. She got "big girl panties" for her 2nd birthday, and we're practiced wearing them over her diapers, and have worn them by themselves for short periods of time. Avery knows where pee & poop come from and the whole process of going to the bathroom. She has all of the signs of being ready to potty train that I've read about, however she just won't do it! I've tried every little trick anyone has suggested to me and nothing has worked. I took her out to the store on Saturday and let her pick out her own panties. She chose BOYS Mickey Mouse briefs.....I said "what the heck" and bought them for her. She even "promised" me she'd wear them. NO SUCH LUCK! She throws the hugest fits when I try to take her diaper off & put on panties, and refuses to sit on the potty. I am soooo stressed out & frustrated by this. Especially because she has been waking up DRY every morning and after every nap for about 4 months now! Potty training the daycare kids was soooo much easier. After talking to a very good friend who just potty trained her 2 yr old twins . . . .I've come to grips with the fact that "she's just not ready", and am going to let it go for a while. :o(

Avery seems to have interest in other things now.....like artwork/crafts. A few times each day, I have to pull out her crayons, pencils, markers, paper & stickers so she can "write" and color. I really enjoy her little drawings and love including them in notes & cards I send out for birthdays, etc. Avery also loves practicing her skills....ie: colors, shapes, numbers & letters. She knows the basic 8 box of crayon colors, plus pink & white. She recognizes the letter "A" for Avery and can spell her name (verbally). She'll spell it for Steve & I, but if someone else asks her to spell it she replies "I'm too busy." Avery is still infatuated with The Wiggles, and looks forward to waking up each day & dancing to their CD's. She also loves to be read to and "read" by herself. She has memorized a few of her favorite books (No David! and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?) so it's fun to hear her retell those stories.

Avery still loves going to swimming lessons and practicing her skills here at home. It sounds like we will be moving her up to "semi-private" classes (without me) in September. I've enjoyed my time in the pool with her for her lessons, but I can now see that she is ready to move up, and I'm ok with that.

7/20/09 - Avery has become quite the little "Backseat Driver"! She & Grandma have been practicing "Red means STOP!" Green means GO!" so while we're driving, she is keeping me informed on whether the light means GO or STOP. She is also getting on my case for not driving with two hands. God forbid I change the radio station, adjust the air flow or swipe a hair off of my face....the moment she sees me take a hand off the wheel she says "Two hands, Mommy! Put that other hand on there."

I had to take the day off today so I could go to the dentist and doctor, so in between appointments Avery & I stopped at Chick-fil-A for a nice, little lunch. It sure would be fun to be a stay-at-home mom, but I'm afraid it could get expensive!