Capturing life's little moments

I emailed one of my favorite mommy bloggers, OHmommy, over at Classy Chaos because I love her photography and since I'm constantly trying to figure out how to use my camera to take better photos I asked her for some tips. She takes amazing photographs of her kids and their daily adventures. She offered some great advice so I tried to take a few shots while continuing my bed rest over the weekend. I figure this is a perfect time to learn how to actually use my camera! Thanks for the inspiration OHmommy!



Jonah playing with his bathtub crayons


Josh teaching Jonah how to play his new guitar


Playing us a song


Helping Jerod and Lauren repaint the crib


Jonah loves paint!


Enjoying some pizza after a long day of painting!

Growing and Growing....

I had my 31 week sonogram this week and Meredith is growing and growing. Still no blood clots or hematomas and I haven't had any additional bleeding since my last week in the hospital. Whoo hoo! My doctor said I have beat all odds with the placenta previa so I feel very blessed. I'm especially thankful to spend the remainder of this pregnancy at home on bed rest instead of the hospital. I will admit that every day I'm worried that I will start bleeding again and since I'm not being monitored twice a day like I was in the hospital, I'm constantly making sure I can feel her kick and move. Pregnancy is stressful and so unpredictable but every day that we get through this is one day closer to meeting this precious little girl!

I've mentioned before that I am a little bit of a control freak so one of the things this pregnancy has taught me is to learn to let go and let God take control. We have said a lot of prayers and asked that he watch over us through this introduction before a new chapter in our life begins!

We have had to depend so much on family and friends in this situation and I've learned that it's okay to ask for help. Words cannot express how much their support has meant to us! I hope that some day and in some way I can return the favor!

Another positive outcome of this situation is that Josh and Jonah's bond has strengthened and they have become extremely close. Through all of this I have been able to witness what an amazing and extraordinary father and husband he is. His patient, caring and loving side has really shown through. Of course I knew he possessed these qualities. It's one of the reasons I fell in love with him but to see those qualities put into action during a stressful time for all of us has made me learn to appreciate and love him even more!

Next week Josh and I are having a 4D sonogram done so that we can get a glimpse at what Meredith really looks like! We have twenty six 2D sonogram pictures of her but I'm anxious to see more of her features and maybe even see a little smile!

What Not to Wear

Apparently we forgot to check for extra clothes in Jonah's backpack so this is what he was wearing when Josh picked him up from preschool! Nice huh?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Birthday Riley!!

Riley turned 5 years old on Feb 9th!

Home Sweet Home

I am home! I am finally home!

Friday morning my nurse came in and said that she had spoken to my doctor and as long as there had not been any changes overnight and everything looked okay on the monitor with the baby I could be discharged!

My emotions went into overload. I was happy, excited, relieved, scared and nervous all at the same time! First and foremost I was beyond happy, happy to see Josh, Jonah and Riley! I was excited to be back in my own house and my own bed. I was relieved to be leaving the hospital and room 366. But I am scared that something will happen between now and when I have the baby and I will end up back in the hospital. I am also nervous that bed rest at home for the next six weeks is going to be a lot harder than being in the hospital.

I listened to the baby one last time on the monitor. She sounded perfect! Afterwards my nurse brought in my discharge notes which stated "mandatory bed rest with bathroom privileges only." It also included follow up instructions which stated "weekly sonograms with my perinatologist and weekly appointments with my OB."

I couldn't sign my name fast enough!

I called Josh to share the good news and the voice that responded back did not sound good at all. He and Jonah both have the flu! He had a 104 degree fever, couldn't even stand and didn't feel it was safe to drive in the car. While I agreed I was disappointed because I was so ready to leave! Josh offered to have a car service pick me up but I decided to wait until Jerod could pick me up and drive me home.

I walked in the front door to a dark house and my two guys asleep on the couch. Josh looked up with sleepy eyes and said "I'm glad you are home." Then Jonah sat up and with the sweetest smile he asked "Mommy, are you done with your checkup?"

Keeping my fingers crossed....

I had my weekly sonogram on Monday of this week and received some good news though I've been a little hesitant to share because I didn't want to jinx it!

I haven't had any bleeding since Friday of last week and since my sonogram looked clear - no bloodclots, tears in the placenta or hematomas, he said that if I could continue on that path for one week he would recommend that I be released from the hospital on home bed rest. I'm having another sonogram tomorrow to confirm that everything looks good and if so then my doctor could release me tomorrow evening! Whoo Hoo!

As excited as I am to go home and be with Jonah, Josh and Riley every night, I am still nervous because I will be by myself during the day and I'm just worried that something will happen. Of course I will be going in twice a week for sonograms with the Perinatologist and once a week to see my OB to make sure that there are no changes. If there are any changes I will be admitted right back into the hospital where I will stay until I deliver. So, I'm saying a lot of prayers and keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well!

It's a been a long five weeks but it has given me the oppotunity to slow down and evaluate how I live my life and what I can do to be a better wife, mother and overall a better person.

One of the other things I've had plenty of time to evaluate is the pros and cons of hospital bed rest. So here's my breakdown..

Pros – no laundry to wash, taking my time to get dressed in the mornings, all day room service, afternoon naps, not having to watch Noggin 24/7, online shopping, being able to hear the baby’s heartbeat everyday, catching up on facebook, blogs, and email.

Cons – missing being at home with Josh, Jonah and Riley, not being able to go where I want to go, horrible water pressure in the shower, micro mini towels that barely wrap around my body and are apparently not washed in fabric softer or dried with dryer sheets, no bath rug, 1-ply toilet paper, uncomfortable bed (it’s definitely not a Heavenly bed and even with two egg crates, four pillows and a heating pad it’s still uncomfortable).

Slow News Week

It wasn't a slow week in the media but it was a pretty slow week in Room 366. I'm just happy it went by really fast!

Dallas had an ice storm on Wednesday and when we have ice in Dallas the city becomes paralyzed! So, Josh stayed home with Jonah since his school was closed due to the increment weather. After the ice started melting Wednesday afternoon they came up to the hospital and spent the day with me. Jonah is so comfortable here now that he walks around like he owns the place and technically for what our insurance is having to pay for this extended stay we should own it or at least one wing of it. Okay, at a minimum they should name one of the hospital rooms after me! Anyway, the nurses just love Jonah and Jonah loves them. He is also a huge fan of the vending machines and every time he comes to the hospital he wants to go to the vending machine to get Doritos. This is how the conversation goes every time:

Jonah - "Daddy, I want Doritos"

Josh - "Jonah, do you have any money for the vending machine?"

Jonah - "Mommy, Daddy needs money!"

My social calendar was packed over the weekend. My friend Shannon came up on Friday and we hit up the Baby and Mother's boutique on my floor where I have become quite the regular. They have the cutest clothes, blankets and accessories. Then, one of my nurses took me on a shopping trip downstairs to the gift shop. Hey, this girl loves to shop and right now my options are pretty limited! Actually this gift shop has some really nice things!

My good friends Sarah and Jennifer hosted a shower for me here at the hospital on Saturday. Meredith received some adorable clothes and other items! It was a lot of fun to see my friends and so nice to be out of my room! Stay tuned for pictures!

The Junior League hosted a brunch on Sunday so I was able to meet some of my "neighbors" and they were really nice! One is having triplets and one is having twins! I thought it was funny that neither of the girls hosting the lunch from the Junior League had children so I'm sure our conversation about pregnancy and what we are going through scared them so much they may reconsider having a baby. Maybe next year I will join the Junior League committee that hosts these events because now I see how important it is for the moms in here to have that social interaction while couped up in a hospital room. I mean we are girls and girls love to socialize and talk! Vicky came up and brought lunch and we hung out for awhile. Then Josh and Jonah came by and brought Riley! He was so excited to see me and I was very excited to see him. I've really missed him! My friend Cindy also came by for a little while. She was also here on bed rest with her second child so she knows exactly what I'm going through. She brought one of the funniest and best gifts I've received while in the hospital - toilet paper, the soft two ply kind! Such a luxury!

So, now I'm heading into my 5th week here in the hospital and 29th week of the pregnancy. My doctors and I both are hoping for another uneventful week. This is the one situation where the term "uneventful" is actually a good thing!

Showering me in Pink!

My friends Sarah and Jenn hosted a baby shower for me today at the hospital! They did a great job of making it a very classy event even though it was in the hospital education room! The table was decorated with pink Gerber daisies which are my favorite flower and we had chicken salad, fruit, and yummy pink cupcakes for desert!

I had fun getting dressed up and it was great to be out of my room and catch up with some of my friends. Meredith received some of the most adorable baby clothes, blankets and accessories! She is going to be one stylish little girl!

Here are some of the pictures.

Another milestone reached and one day closer to meeting our daughter!

Today Meredith and I reached a new milestone. I am 28 weeks pregnant or 7 months for those that prefer months over weeks. Whoo hoo!

I had a sonogram yesterday with my Perinatologist and Meredith is 2.15 pounds. She is healthy and growing every day! My doctor said that I have beat the odds of going into preterm labor at this point with the placenta previa and the bleeding so I am very thankful.

The only bad news I received yesterday is that it doesn't look like I will be going home anytime soon since I am still having an issue with the bleeding. Right now the risks are just too high and the last thing they want to happen is for me to be home on bed rest by myself and start hemorrhaging or going into preterm labor and not be able to get the hospital fast enough. That situation could be tragic for Meredith and also for me. Josh was nervous about me coming home because of the risks and we both agree that it's safer if I just stay put!!

If my condition is still the same at 35 weeks they will do an amniocentesis and if everything looks okay with the baby then I can schedule my c-section for the following week. So, it looks like she may arrive four weeks earlier than her expected due date which means I have a lot less time to get everything done!

Meredith is living what I like to call an "active lifestyle" in my tummy! She is constantly moving and she has started to get hiccups which I think are so cute! I loved it when Jonah had hiccups! Yesterday she would poke her little knee or elbow out and I would push it with my finger and then she would kick me. This went on for a good twenty minutes. She likes to play games.

Josh and Jonah are still doing really well given the circumstances. Last week my SIL Amy came and stayed with them. She brought Kayla and Christian and Jonah was very happy to have his cousins there to play with him. Josh's family has been a huge help to us during all of this! My days here in the hospital go by faster than I was expecting which I'm thankful for! I have had so many good friends come visit and they have been a huge help as well running errands for me and picking up things I need! I don't know what we would do without this wonderful support system! I have had a couple of bad days where I get really depressed thinking about the fact that I can't be home with Jonah, Josh and Riley so I've made this little rule to help. I give myself the day to cry and be sad but then the next day I get up, get dressed, open my blinds and try to remember who I'm doing this for and look at it from a positive perspective. It's really helped with not getting too wrapped up in a situation that I have no control over and I have to keep telling myself that God is taking care of us and before I know it we will have this beautiful little girl in our arms! That and the fact that I get to use this to my advantage when she is older and giving me a hard time and I can say "Do you know what I had to go through before you were born?!?!?" :)

Here are a few pictures that Amy took last week when they came to visit at the hospital. Jonah and Kayla had a lot of fun wearing my AVI wraps! I have to wear them on a daily basis on my feet to keep swelling down to prevent blood clots. They puff a small amount of air every few seconds into the wrap to put pressure on the bottom of my feet. Every time it went off they giggled!

Confessions of a Shopaholic

My name is Monda and I am a shopaholic. I love shopping. And I love shopping for clothes. Clothes for myself, clothes for Josh, and clothes for Jonah. Now I get to shop for my little girl and have you seen all the cute girl clothes out there?? I might be in trouble!

I shop everywhere. Of course, I have my favorite boutiques and high end stores and I will spend more on investment pieces like a great purse that won't go out of style, the perfect black flats or heels, a great pair of jeans, or a classic jacket that will last several seasons. But I also have my other favorites like Target and Gap where you can find some great pieces as well. You just never know where you will find the perfect outfit or accessory.

Josh has come to understand and accept my love of shopping mainly because I think he likes it when I shop for him.

Since I have been on bed rest and in the hospital I haven't been able to go shopping for the baby as much as I would like so I've been doing quite a bit of online shopping and recruiting my friends to shop for me while they are out. Look at some of the cute things I have found! The dresses, the shoes, the bows! This is definitely not good!!

The clothes....


Then there are the shoes....

A Good Report

I shared the good report from my sonogram with Dr. Albert yesterday morning with Dr. McIntire when she came in for her rounds. She was happy to hear the good news but agreed that we should get past the 30 week milestone with no changes before making a final decision on whether or not I can be released home on bed rest with twice weekly checkups.

I have come to understand and appreciate the importance of having a good relationship with your doctor and in finding a doctor that is knowledgeable in their area of expertise and listens to your needs and concerns. There is nothing scarier than putting yours and your unborn child’s health and sometimes both your lives in the hands of someone that doesn’t take the time to get to know you, your body, and your baby. My last OB was very nice but she would come in and ask how was I doing, did I have any questions, feel around on my belly and then she was out the door in five minutes and on to the her next patient. That was my first pregnancy so of course I had ton of questions but they all seemed to slip my mind the moment she walked in the door. Luckily my pregnancy with Jonah was flawless and so was his delivery. For that, I am very thankful!

When Josh and I found out we were going to have a second baby, my friend Shannon suggested I visit her OB practice that had just helped her through her pregnancy with her now 3 month old son Colin and I'm so glad I took her advice. All four of the ladies are compassionate, caring and cautious which is so comforting when you are pregnant and even more so when you have a condition like mine that carries with it some high risks. They take the pregnancy and my condition seriously and are dedicated to using any advances in medical technology to make sure in the end I deliver a healthy baby! I chose Dr. McIntire (whose name is also Meredith so she's very excited about delivering a baby with her name sake!) as my primary OB and have been so happy with my decision. I can honestly say that she is someone I would be really good friends with even if she wasn’t my doctor. Every time I talk to her I feel like I’m talking to one of my good girlfriends. She listens to all of my concerns, my questions, and even my many stories and I always have stories because if you know me, I’m a Chatty Cathy! I can talk forever but she never acts like I’m taking up too much of her time and how many of us have had that experience with a doctor in the past?? I know I have. But with Dr. McIntire, we talk about our dogs, college, shopping, and even her dating life. She is my age so I think that probably has a lot to do with it but she is honestly a sweet and caring person and that makes me trust her and her medical opinion even more. I firmly believe that a doctor should take all the precautionary steps necessary because the human body is not a predictable machine and I would rather rule something out than not even take the time to find out if it’s a possibility. Dr. McIntire seems to share that same philosophy which is why I think I haven’t been as worried about my condition or about Miss Meredith.

I know we are both in good hands!

Still going strong...

Last night I took two Ambien and two extra strength Tylenol at the advice of my nurse before I went to bed.

So, it's official. Only two weeks on the inside and I have become the pill popping patient!

I didn't get much sleep the night before and my lower back has been hurting so I thought, why not? I figure while I'm in here, I might as well get as much sleep as possible since it won't be long before I'm on the midnight shift again with a little one. I know you can have a sleep debt but can you have sleep buildup?

Well, I must have passed out minutes after taking my medicine which was at 10pm because I woke up around 3am and I was still holding my laptop in my lap, the TV was on, all the lights were on and I was still in my "day pajamas". I turned everything off and immediately fell back asleep but had horrible nightmares which is why when the nurse woke me up at 9:45am saying, "Monda, it's time for your sonogram appointment." I snapped back with "Could you give me five minutes to brush my teeth and my hair?" Then again, I'm not really a morning person. Maybe I'll just stick with the Tylenol tonight!

So, I had my sonogram and Miss Meredith looks perfect. The placenta seems to have setup a permanent residence in it's unconventional location but since the bleeding has not gotten any worse and I'm not having any contractions Dr. Albert said if everything stays the same over the next few weeks he might let me go home. I think I squealed like a little girl getting her first American Girl Doll. Of course I will still be on complete bed rest and have to come in twice a week for checkups but it's totally worth it to be able to sleep in my own bed and be home with Josh, Jonah and Riley and our daily chaos. He just has to talk to Dr. McIntire, my OB, and get her approval.

Below is a picture of the monitoring system that I have done twice a day. They listen to her heartrate and monitor her accelerations as well as make sure that I'm not having any contractions.

Meredith likes to play tricks on the nurses and as soon as they get me hooked up and have a good reading on the heartrate and walk out of the room, she moves, sets the alarm off at the nurses station and right when they walk back in the room, she moves back to her original spot. I guess she's not the only one that's bored.

As you can see in the picture her heartrate is 159 bpm which is normal for a 26 week girl. So, she's still going strong!

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers that we can make it to our next major milestone which is 30 weeks!

The Elephant in the Room

Jonah came to visit me in the hospital the other night with Jerod and Lauren and I noticed when he came in that he had brought a stuffed elephant attached to his backpack. It was an elephant that he had received as a baby gift. It attached to the crib with velcro straps and you pulled the trunk to play a lullaby. Jonah loved it when he was very little and there were several nights when that elephant helped put him to sleep. I hadn't seen the elephant in months especially since he sleeps in a big bed now.

So during the visit while Jonah was sitting in the bed with me he told me "I'll be right back" and he climbed out of the bed and went over to his backpack. He got the elephant and brought it back over to the bed and climbed in. He put the elephant on top of my belly and with the sweetest cutest voice said "I brought this for my baby sister. She can listen to it!"

The tears welled up in my eyes and the flood gate was opened! I'm pretty sure I saw some tears in Jerod and Lauren's eyes too!

My precious Jonah! He is going to be the best Big Brother!

I'm stuck on Band Aid cuz Band Aid's stuck on me!

One night before I was admitted to the hospital Jonah and I were going through his nightly bedtime routine when he decided he wanted his box of Diego band aids. And not just one band aid but the whole box of band aids because as he stated "I need them!" It was one of those nights I wasn't really up for the battle so I gave him a handfull of band aids and he crawled into his bed and placed them gently under his pillow. I didn't really give it much more thought as we started reading his books and before we even finished the third book I was passed out drooling on the pillow. I never seem to be able to make it through the third book! So anyway, I wake up the next morning still in Jonah's bed and when I open my eyes I see that at some point during the night Jonah has opened his band aids and placed them all over his face with one being directly across his eyebrows! It was so funny and cute! I had to go grab the camera and take a picutre.

Feeling Fabulous While in a Hospital Bed

Laying in a hospital bed all day can make you feel kinda blah especially when it's just the nurses, the doctor and your four walls staring at you all day. It's easy to see how one can develop the mentality of why bother getting dressed. But getting up everyday, taking a shower, shaving your legs, slathering on fancy lotion, and applying a little lipgloss can help to bring some normalcy to your daily routine during these long and often boring days. Below are some of things that I think all soon-to-mothers that are in the hospital on bedrest should have to help them feel fabulous while laying in bed!

I love my Olian Maternity pajamas! They are so comfortable and pretty and all the tops are designed for nursing so you can wear them after your baby is born.


Lollia lotion smells so good! The nurses always ask me what kind of lotion I'm wearing when they come in.


Curling my eyelashes is something I do everyday. It seems to open my eyes right up, even when I'm tired. My favorite eyelash curler is by Shu Uemura.


I apply Jo Malone lip conditioner everyday, especially in the winter. It never cakes up and it keeps my lips soft and moisturized. Even though I'm not able to go outside and experience this cold weather right now, I do have my thermostat set on 65 in my room because I'm so hot natured and being pregnant isn't helping.


MAC lipglass is my favorite lipgloss. Right now I'm wearing Nymphette and it's a great neutral color.


The final thing I apply everyday is cuticle cream. I really love the Burt's Bees Lemon Butter cream. Since I'm not able to get manicures or pedicures while I'm in the hospital, applying this cream everyday keeps my nails soft and healthy!

Day 7 in Room 366

Hi, I'm Monda Schneider and my date of birth is 12/20. Do you know how many times a day I have to state that information?? Everytime I call the dining room, have my food delivered, request a Tylenol, or have my vitals taken which adds up to well over 150 times since I've been in the hospital.

I went for my weekly sonogram today down the hall with my high risk perinatologist. I asked the nurse to push the wheelchair really slow so I could savor the few minutes that I was able to leave my room and she was nice enough to accomodate. The baby is doing great. She is one week ahead of schedule and weighs 2.1 pounds. I still have placenta previa and unfortunately my placenta is being stubborn and hasn't moved up at all since my last sonogram so any hope I had of going home is not going to happen.

I'm getting to know the nurses really well and they must like me because they told me last night that they order out for dinner almost every night so if I wanted take out to just let them know and they would order for me. I will definitely be taking advantage of their offer. I also heard from one of the nurses that I'm the only patient they have right now that isn't addicted to any pills but give me another week and I will probably be screaming over the intercom for my nightly Ambien!

I haven't met any of my neighbors (since I can't leave my room) but I know one is having twins and another is having triplets! I'm worried and stressed out enough about my one. I can't imagine having to worry about two or three.

Jonah has been to see me several times and each time it makes me miss being home with him that much more. Everytime he comes it sounds like his vocabulary has expanded and it looks like he's grown a little taller! Not seeing him everyday makes me realize even more how fast he's really growing up.

Josh and I had a "date night" last night. He picked up Italian food from Maggiano's and brought it to the hospital and we watched the Golden Globes. He even brought me new pajamas that he picked out and some new books including the next book in the Twilight series. I am a very lucky girl to have such a sweet husband!

Here are some pictures of my room and a self portrait of myself taken on my webcam because well, I'm really bored. The webcam has come in very handy the nights Josh can't bring Jonah to the hospital. The other night he tried to put a bandaid on my arm through the webcam and then kissed the camera when he told me good night! It was very cute!

My essentials at my bedside- a glass of ice water, Blackberry, Caffeine Free Diet Coke, lipgloss, breathmints, a stack of magazines, Twilight books, my checkcard (for all my online shopping) my planner and of course the hopsital phone which is essestial for ordering my breakfast, lunch and dinner!


My self portrait on the webcam. Like I said, I'm bored.


My vanity where I take advantage of being able to dry my hair and brush my teeth so that I can stand up for 10 or 15 minutes without getting in trouble.


My couch and the windows which provide me a lovely view of a roof! The couch really isn't that uncomfortable. It's much better than what Josh had to sleep on when I had Jonah at Presby Allen. All they gave him was a mat and a blanket to put on the floor and he actually slept on it for three nights even though our comfy bed was just five miles down the road.


My flatscreen TV and the clock that is right in front of my bed so that I can watch the minutes slowly pass by every day.

Life from inside the walls of Hospital Rm 366

I've been in the hospital now for four days and the native is starting to get restless! My only privledges right now are bathroom but I'm hoping to upgrade to wheelchair next week!

The nurses are extremely sweet. They have obviously seen lots of women that have had to set up temporary residence inbetween these hospital room walls. I was hoping my time here would be short but unfortunately my condition hasn't really improved so I may be here awhile. It may be time to bring in some family pictures and a fica tree.

The food is a hit or miss. But after working in hospitals most of my career and eating my fair share of hospital cafeteria food I knew that was to be expected. Though I think it's time to start having my family and friends smuggle in some Taco Bueno!

Josh will be able to bring Riley up here soon and that should be an interesting visit! My guess is he will immediately jump in the bed and make himself right at home!

The little one is doing just fine. Apparently she's perfectly content laying around all day and I think she's enjoying all this attention!

I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful support system. I wouldn't be able to get through all of this without our family and our friends! The visits, the calls, and the messages have really made the last four days go by faster than I expected!

Plenty of time to spare on good intentions

I had good intentions of putting together a picture montage of our year together in 2008 and posting it on our blog but after finding out on New Year's Eve that I was going to be admitted to the hospital for observation today I had to activate "Mommy mode" and start making arrangements for Jonah, Josh, Riley and myself.

I made a list of everything that needed to be done and I finally finished everything two hours after the hospital called this morning and said my room was ready.

So, Needless to say I was a little late. I know there will be things I have probably forgotten to bring or things I have forgotten to tell Josh's mom and Jerod about Riley and/or Jonah but tonight I can go to sleep knowing that "my" family is in good hands and are being taken care of thanks to a little planning and the amazing support of Josh's family!

Here is a little story about Jonah's visit tonight and how precious he is!

Jonah has a Dora the Explorer book called "Say Ahhhhhh!" about Dora's visit to the doctor for a checkup. In the book the Doctor has to feell Dora's tummy during the checkup and Dora says that it tickles. Jonah loves this book and it has been a great way to explain to him what happens when Mommy goes to the doctor every week. I always tell him I have to go to the doctor for my checkup and he always asks if they doctor tickeled my belly like in the Dora book.

So, tonight Jerod and Barbara brought Jonah up to the hospital before Josh left work and when he walked in my room the first thing he asked me was had the doctor been in to tickle my tummy! It was so cute.

He heard the baby's heartbeat on the monitor for the first time and said "That sounds like my heart!" He laid in my bed for awhile and ate part of the chocolate cake I had delivered with my dinner as well as the whip cream and the cherry! I just hope Barbara and Jerod were able to get him to go to sleep after they got home with the nice little sugar rush that followed!

I already miss being at home with Josh, Jonah and Riley but I know this is the best place to be right now for her and I just pray that I don't have to stay here the rest of the pregnancy!!

Now I just have to get Josh to transfer all of my pictures from my home PC over to my new laptop because it looks like I will have a lot time now to work on my montage!

New Year, New Adventures!

Happy New Years!!!

I wish I could write that the Schneider Family rung in the New Year with a bang but truth be told all three of us were in bed before the ball dropped and the clock struck midnight! Pretty sad huh?? We spent a quiet evening at home with take out, ice cream and a couple of movies. But really does it get much better than that??

The year 2008 was an interesting one to say the least! In a year where there was a lot of uncertainty and instability we were been blessed with many fortunes. Here's small recap of our year:

* Josh and I took a mini little vacation to San Fransisco. With busy schedules and demanding jobs, Josh and I enjoy our time away together!
* Jonah turned 2 years old and has continued to amaze us everyday in more ways than I can write!
* We had our house on the market (not because we had to but because we had new house fever) but then took it off after deciding to just stay where we are until the market becomes a little more stable!
* We welcomed a new nephew, Christian, in May. He is such a wonderful addition to our family! He has a bubbly personality and is just so happy!
* My Dad who was diagnosed with Colon and Prostate Cancer is now Cancer free and doing very well!
* We were able to visit a lot of family and friends and even take Jonah on a few new adventures!
* We found out we are expecting a little girl!

I'm looking forward to 2009! New Beginnings, New Adventures and a New "Us"!

From 2 Years Old To A Teenager Overnight

I thought I had a good 10 years before this would happen at the dinner table.....

Merry Christmas!

This year our Christmas festivities were a little limited since I couldn't travel to Teague or Hico but we still had a wonderful time celebrating with Jonah and our family at home. Christmas is so much more fun and special when you have little ones to help you celebrate!

On Christmas Eve we opened our presents, drank hot chocolate in front of the fireplace (even though it wasn't that cold) and watched the Polar Express. We tracked Santa on the Norad Santa tracker and when he finally made it to Texas we started the preparations for his visit to our house! Jonah decided to set out cookies at the last minute for Santa instead of Mac and Cheese like he had originally planned and even remembered the carrots for the Reindeer! After reading the Christmas story and the Night Before Christmas Jonah was out for the night! Christmas morning was really exciting! I'm not sure who was actually more excited, us or Jonah! When we finally woke Jonah up at 9am we asked him what did he think was down stairs and he said "lots of toys from Santa!" Well, he was right! The look on his face as he walked down the stairs was priceless! There was a large dinosaur tunnel/tent that took up our entire dining room and inside were lots of goodies for our little guy! But Jonah's biggest surprise from Santa was the one thing he really wanted and has been asking for since he first saw Santa at the Polar Express - A phone like Daddy's. Except instead of the iPhone he received an iTouch. He was so excited and loves saying "This is Jonah's phone!"

Josh cooked Christmas breakfast and then we played, played and played some more with all of Jonah's new toys and my new toy - A pink laptop that I received from Josh and Jonah! Jonah loves my laptop and calls it "Mommy's Pink Computer" That afternoon Opa, Oma and Jen came up to visit and spend the night and then that evening we had takeout Christmas dinner and watched movies with Jerod and Lauren after they came back from Hico.

We hope all of our friends and family enjoyed their Christmas holiday!

Elf Yourself

Jonah loved watching our family dance around as elves last Christmas. He watched it over and over again! So back by popular demand here is the Schneider "Elf" family!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Holiday Festivus

Last week our entire family was sick. We took Jonah to the doctor thinking he had strep throat but after a negative strep test we found out he just has a virus "that's going around" and we heard the words all parents hate to hear - "It just has to run it's course." So, no magic antibiotic to make it go away in a couple of days. We've just had to stick with over-the-counter cough and congestion medication, a cool mist humidifier and Vick's Vapor Rub. So, needless to say we haven't gotten a lot of sleep in the last week. Jonah and I both have been coughing all night and of course all I can take it Tylenol Cold. Luckily Josh's cold only lasted a couple of days!

So with Jonah being sick and since I'm still on bedrest we had a low key week at home. I've had to miss a lot of our annual holiday festivities including Josh's company Christmas party and other activities that we like to do during this time of the year. But we've still managed to have some fun at home. Josh and Jonah made a gingerbread house, Jonah wrote his first letter to Santa and he has been a big helper to Josh with wrapping presents.

Each piece of candy was carefully placed on the house.

We made sure to build the house on the weekend in case there was a sugar rush from all the candy!

But to our surprise Jonah didn't want any of the candy! He wanted it to all go on the house and yelled at Josh and me when we snuck out a couple of sweet tarts!!

Okay Mom, that's enough pictures!!

I think for 2 years old even Martha Stewart would have to agree Jonah did a great job on his house!

Writing his first letter to Santa

Mailing his letter to the North Pole

Of course Josh and Jonah have squeezed in several games of "Tickle Monster"

Birthday Weekend!

This weekend I celebrated my birthday and though Josh and I had originally planned to have a little weekend getaway, someone else, who will remain nameless (basically because we haven't decided on her name yet) had other plans. So, I spent my birthday at home with my family and my wonderful friends who came over to help me celebrate. My friends Jenn and Sarah came over Saturday afternoon and cooked us a yummy Mexican lunch complete with Key Lime pie for dessert! It was so good!! Then my friend Vicky came over to visit and she brought cupcakes and petit fours and my friend Shannon and her son Ryan came over to visit. Jerod and Lauren also came over to stay with Jonah and spent the night so Josh and I could spend some time together.

Jonah sang Happy Birthday to me all day but I think it was because he was having so much fun blowing out the candles each time!!



Thank you to all my wonderful friends and my very sweet husband and Jonah for making my birthday so special since I couldn't leave home!

Visit with Santa

Santa came to visit Jonah's school yesterday and check on all the kids to make sure they have been good all year. Jonah was so excited to see Santa and told me that he asked Santa for a candy cane, a toothbrush, a guitar, and a phone like Daddy's. I was thinking how random that he asked for a toothbrush. Then I remembered that when we visited Santa in the North Pole after the Polar Express, Santa's Helpers handed out toothbrushes to all the kids. That was one of those ah-ha moments! So, now it makes sense why Jonah asked Santa for a toothbrush. He has a good memory!

Josh and I thought that Santa was coming by for a visit on Tuesday so we dressed Jonah in his holiday outfit for pictures and then after Josh took Jonah to school yesterday he called me and said Santa was there and they were taking pictures. I guess we had gotten our days mixed up! Oh well! What do you do???

He still looked cute!

Deck the Halls

Over the weekend Josh and Jonah finished decorating our house for Christmas. They decorated the tree, the mantle and paid the man who installed the lights on the house :) If you could see how steep our roof is you would know why we pay an off duty fireman to put up the lights! I have no desire to spend hours in an ER explaining why my husband fell off the roof.

I did get up to take a few photos of their decorating masterpiece and I have to say they did a great job. We had some difficulty connecting the lights on our pre-lit Christmas tree. So, Josh had to make a trip to Target to buy some extra lights and then another trip to Target to exchange the lights he bought for the right size lights. Next year I think we'll be buying a new tree.

Jonah had a lot of fun putting up the homemade ornaments he made last year and his special ornaments (the ones we buy for him each year). We also had a couple of new ornaments to add this year including Santa's bell from our trip on the Polar Express and the ornament that Josh and I picked up when we visited San Fransisco earlier this year. I hope to fill our Christmas tree in the years to come with many memories. I want each ornament to have a story! The first year we were in our house and we bought our tree I went out and bought all matching ornaments but they had no meaning. We still put most of those ornaments up but each year we are slowly filling it up with the ornaments that have a story.


The Schneider men hard at work decorating the tree


Daddy and Jonah after completing their masterpiece


Mommy and Jonah


Riley decided he would rather eat his stocking than have us hang it. (I thought I would dress up a little and put on jeans before we started taking photos. I didn't want all of my December pictures to be in my comfy lounge clothes or as my doctor calls them "my day pajamas"!)


Notice that the "A" is missing a stocking?? This year we went ahead and purchased a new Christmas stocking holder set in the anticipation of our new arrival. Next year the "A" will hold a "Baby's first Christmas" stocking :) Jonah also got a new stocking this year. I didn't get a chance to order new stockings for Josh or myself. I guess we'll wait until next year.


The finished product. I think it turned out great!

Santa's Christmas Eve Menu

As we were bringing out all the Christmas decorations Jonah asked what was the plate for that was sitting on the end table by the fireplace. We told him it was for Santa's cookies and explained to him that on Christmas Eve you leave a plate of cookies and milk for Santa and after he eats them, he leaves you toys. Jonah thought about this for a minute and responded "Santa doesn't like cookies."

"What do you mean he doesn't like cookies?" I asked.

Note that Jonah is not a huge fan of sweets or really cookies except occasionally he will eat my mom's homeade chocolate chip cookies!

Jonah responded "Santa doesn't like cookies, he likes Mac and Cheese (Jonah's personal favorite)." "Oh!" I said. "Well, I guess we can leave Santa Mac and Cheese on Christmas Eve if you want."

So, at that point I had to step out of the living room for a minute and when I returned I saw on the table that Jonah had gone to the pantry, pulled out the box of Easy Mac and Cheese and put it on the plate!

Jonah ran up to me and said "Look Mommy! I left Santa Mac and Cheese!"

Half way there...

I have finally reached the half way point of my pregnancy. As of this week I am 5 months and I can't believe how fast it's flying by! I was also pregnant with Jonah during this time of the year and I think it's the holidays that make it seem to fly by so fast.

The baby is doing great! She's very active and likes practicing her Karate moves quite often! She should be a black belt by the time she is born! Unfortunately I'm still on Mandatory Bedrest even though I'll be honest - I'm not the best patient. I'm going a little crazy! Bedrest is a lot harder than it sounds. I envisioned laying in bed, catching up on my TV shows on the DVR and shopping online. Yea Right! The reality is I'm still working because I work from home, I have a 2.5 year old (who did I mention started potty training right before I was put on bedrest), a dog and a husband that works in Dallas and spends more than two hours a day in rush hour traffic. Not to mention it's the busiest time of the year with the holidays! I'm resting as much as I can because well, I have to but it's very challenging. I go back next week for another sonogram and if my condition hasn't changed I think I'm going to go on leave at work so that I can focus on resting because I'm suppose to be laying flat on my back and only getting up to go to the bathroom, take a shower and fix lunch. Laying on your back is nearly impossible when you are typing on a laptop, checking your Blackberry every five minutes and attending conference calls all day.

I don't know what I would do without Josh right now. He has been wonderful! He's been taking care of Jonah, going to the grocery store, taking care of the house, running errands and he's even done some of my Christmas shopping for me! I'm very lucky to have him! Jonah has also been very sweet and every time he asks me to pick him up I have to say "Mommy can't pick you up right now her tummy is hurting" he gives my belly a little kiss and says "I'll make it all better!" So sweet!

So here is a picture of Mom and baby! I'm not brave enough to post an exposed picture of my expanding belly!