Here ya go, Mari!

My friend, Mari hinted that I needed to post something new on my blog so...Mari, this is for you!

There is such a difference between your first and second child. It's quite amazing. I've been told this numerous times. I can see such a difference in their personalities and definitely in their eating! Noah has such a fast metabolism, I'm tempted to do a DNA test just to make sure he's really our child. But I digress...

So I wanted to do a scrapbook for Noah's first year of life. Back when I was childless I loved to scrapbook. I have all the scissors and special tape and had a great time doing it. But then I had kids. I have very little time to myself and besides, for me to take out everything just to put it back away an hour later because my kids want to get into everything is frankly, exhausting just the think about. So I discovered the world of on-line scrapbooking. It's great! Mixbook.com is my favorite site for scrapbooking. I'll admit that I only checked out a few and mixbook was recommended by a friend but I do really like it. So yesterday I sat down during the kids' nap and went to town. The first thing you have to do is upload pictures. Ok, makes sense. So I opened our "picture" album and started hunting for pictures. Uhhh...and here's where the difference between baby #1 and baby #2 comes into play. For Hannah, we have pictures of every little thing she ever did. Scratch her nose, get a picture. Fall on her butt, get a picture. But for Noah, not so much. We do have plenty of pictures but I was a little shocked and ashamed of how few we have compared to Hannah at this stage. So my goal for the next few months will be to strap a camera to my hand and photograph everything he does.

Noah's 9-month appointment

Noah turned 9-months-old back on January 7th, but our appointment was yesterday. At Noah's 6- month appointment, I was told that Noah needed to gain more weight and I had to bring him in a little more frequently to check things out. So we monitored all his food/drink intakes and made a chart to give to the doctor. After a few weeks, things evened out and the doctor was satisfied.

So yesterday I was really thinking he'd gained a ton. He's been eating like a little pig but he's super active so who knows what he's actually storing. Well, he's a whole whopping 17lbs, 13 oz. That's the 5%-tile. So in came the doctor to ask how things are going and I'll told him I'm frustrated out of my mind that I'm constantly feeding him (last week he ate 5 jars of baby food in one feeding!!) but he's not gaining well! It's not like the boy is starving. He sleeps almost 12 hours a night plus takes 2 naps during the day. And he's a super happy boy (most of the time).

The doctor did his exam and said Noah's actually advanced for his age. He's in a state of constant motion. He's crawling like a speed-demon and he's even standing up and cruising around the furniture. That's better than a lot of babies his age. In fact, the doctor said many 9-month-olds aren't even crawling yet so Noah's ahead of the game. That made me feel a little better.

So basically, the doctor told me to start feeding him some higher calorie foods in the hopes that he'll bulk up. Tonight for dinner, I fed him mashed potatoes with heavy cream and butter. Yep, super fattening and high in calories. He liked it a little. He ate a few bites before wanting to play with it instead of eat it. He'd rather eat fruit. My goal for this week is to give him potatoes at every feeding and work on giving him more finger foods. I have to bring him back in 4 weeks for another weight check. The doctor said he's not worried about it. After seeing how much Noah was moving during the exam, he's just a calorie-burner. Why is that those who need to gain weight can't, but those to need to lose weight can only seem to gain??

Christmas 2009

We finally had my family Christmas last weekend. Since we alternate spending Christmas with our families, it was the Jernstad's turn for Christmas day. So the Cowell side had to wait until mid-January. It actually worked out well since my dad bought us all tickets to see the Lion King at the Civic Center. We just planned a big weekend extravaganza. Saturday was the Lion King. Noah was too young to appreciate it so he stayed home with my aunt. Hannah, however thought it was amazing. She loves animals and music so we knew she's like it. We borrowed the DVD from a neighbor so she at least knew what the storyline was. We were in the 5th row which was amazing since you can see the facial expressions and hear everything so much better. My entire family was there except Noah and my sister's 4-week-old baby. Hannah was entranced the entire time. After every song Hannah would ask for another one. Funny.

After that was an evening of just hanging out and letting the kids play with each other. They were so exhausted from traveling and then watching the show that they were a tad cranky but still had a great time together.

Sunday was present-opening-day. It was a tad chaotic. When you stick that many people in a confined space, there's bound to be an injury or two. Luckily it wasn't too bad. I think a few kids got tripped or fell on their faces but no blood. All in all, we had a great time. It was a quick weekend. My sister and brother and families were only here for about 24 hours but we had a jammed packed weekend of fun.

Hannah got a giant remote control truck from my parents for Christmas and you would have thought she won the lottery. Once we showed her how to use the controller, she was all about charging that thing all over the basement. She loves to run it over things. It's hysterical!

She also got the movie "Up" from my sister and she loves it. Now she asks for the "balloon movie with the doggies". I have to say, it's one of the best Disney movies I've seen in a long time

Yes, it's true. My son is the cutest boy ever

I predict that Hannah is going to be a heart-breaker when she gets older

I'm not sure where Noah got that blond hair and super blue eyes but it's stinking adorable.

There should be an unwritten rule somewhere...

There should be an unwritten rule that cute guys can NOT be the ones to weigh you!

Let me give you a little background here...

At work this year they are trying to push the whole "get healthy" concept. Even though I work for a medical facility, there are of course those who aren't the healthiest beings. So in partnership with our insurance provider, Iowa Clinic was offering free health screenings. This entailed an on-line assessment followed by blood work. I assumed that when my blood was taken I'd also be asked to get on the dreaded scale. I hate the scale. I ask you to find me one woman who actually looks forward to getting on the scale and I will bet you she's a skeleton. No Iowa born and raised woman likes to get on that darn thing!

So today was the big day. I followed the directions and fasted like a good girl. I checked in early to my appointment and filled out all the paperwork then waited my turn. As I waited I saw a couple rather good looking boys (I say boys only because they were probably younger than me but more than likely in their upper 20's). These were buff, tanned cute guys. Now I'm a happily married woman but I can still appreciate God's handiwork.

So I'm sitting there waiting my turn, fully expecting one of the many girl blood-takers to call my name. Soon my name is called. "Well", I think, "she has a rather low, manly sounding voice." I stand up and turn around and just stood there. Of course it was one of the cute boys calling my name. Of course it couldn't be one of the chunky gals. How can God be so cruel?? So I drag my feet and follow him to his little work station. He makes little small talk with me while he takes my blood pressure. I really have no idea what he was saying; I was too busy trying to think of a way to get out of the weigh-in. Before I could come up with a believable excuse, he tells me to take off my shoes and jump on the scale. Jump? Uhh...child, I do not jump. My nursing knockers might fly up and give me whiplash. Of course that possibly would have gotten me out of the scale. But no, I stepped up and cringed. He smiled, wrote it on my chart, then led me over to yet another good looking guy who would prick my finger. Of course he had to hand the next guy my chart so now HE knew how much I weighed. After the finger prick I had to wait for my results. All the while I kept seeing girl workers running around grabbing people. So I figured surely I'd have a girl go over my results with me. NOPE. It was another good looking guy. Did I shoot a puppy in my last life? So I followed this guy into a private room and he proceeded to go over all my numbers. He was looking right at me, trying to keep eye contact but all I could think about was the fact that my weight was right there on the paper and he kept pointing at it. As soon as the consultation was over I ran out of the room and flew back to my office.

There should be a rule against that sort of torture!!!

My daughter is funny

So Hannah just saw the picture of her and Noah on the top of my blog. Her response: "Mommy, I have red eyes!" She then ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror and see if her eyes are really red. HA! Apparently I need to use the red-eye reduction button on my camera a little more frequently.

My job

So I am a sonographer. (AKA: ultrasound tech, jelly-girl, glorified photographer) I have no idea what exactly made me choose this as my profession. The basic story is that I knew I wanted to do something in the medical field (my parents are both nurses and my brother is a pharmacist). I knew I did not want to be a nurse and I didn't have the desire to be in school for 8 years to be a doctor so I had limited options. My dad asked one of his doctors what was a good medical job and ultrasound came up. There happened to be a college in Des Moines that offered ultrasound...and the rest is history.

I graduated in 2001 then got a job at Iowa Methodist Hospital where I worked for 2 years then transferred to Iowa Lutheran for 3 years before getting a job at The Iowa Clinic where I still am.

I think most people think all I do is scan babies all day long. Ummm...no. In fact, OB ultrasound is one of my least favorite exams. Why, you ask? Well, let me tell count the ways.

1. I hate it when couples bring their kids with them then expect me to watch the kids while I'm scanning the baby. Uhh...doesn't work that well. I've had kids getting into all the supplies, reaching for the sharps container, digging in the garbage...it's annoying and frustrating. It's not like Finding Nemo.

2. I can feel my blood pressure rising with teenage girls come in with their little friends and are all excited about being 16 and pregnant, not having any idea what they're in for. All they can think about it how they're going to dress up the baby and what to name them. Yep, have fun bringing that child to prom, sweety. It's very frustrating.

3. More times than I can count I've been asked if I can narrow down the conception date so the mom can figure out who the father is. The best is when I give them a 5 day window and they ask for a narrower window. That's called a paternity test, my dear.

4. When the parents are more concerned with the gender of the baby than if their baby is normal, it's very frustrating. I had one father demand that I tell him the gender of the baby within the first few minutes of the exam or they weren't going to pay.

5. I have to bite my tongue when larger girls come in to be scanned and then complain because the image isn't clear. Now, I like my meat and potatoes just like all true Iowa girls :), but there comes a point where the sound waves get confused and can't go deep enough to penetrate. It's basic physics.

6. Last but not least...the biggest reason I hate doing OB ultrasounds is that every time I have to tell a woman that her baby has died, it kills a little piece of me.

So, I was lucky enough to get a job where I do a little of everything. Kidneys, livers, gallbladder, thyroids, breasts, OB, and yes...scrotums. It keeps me on my toes. I think by doing a little of everything I keep up my skills and I don't get so burned out doing the same thing over and over again. I love what I do. There's good and bad parts, just like any job. But all in all, I chose the right career for me and I'm happy....just don't bring your kids to your OB ultrasound!! :)

I'm back!

For those waiting with baited breath, the wait is over. I am now back to blogging. And man, do I have lots to say.

It's January and my Christmas decorations are still up. Why? Because the Christmas celebration continues in the Jernstad household. My family Christmas is this weekend (the Cowell side). Let me tell ya, it's always a doozy. I'm going to have a house full of wild and crazy kids. And those are just the adults. Add in the children and it's going to be a circus. It's a different feeling when I'm the hostess and not just a visitor. I have such a new understanding and appreciation for all my mom had to go through when I was younger. *sigh* I'm preparing now for something to get broken. I'll have to up my meds before it's all over, I can tell right now

Noah is now crawling. That boy can scoot across the floor faster than Hannah ever did! It's so funny to watch. Now that he's mobile, he's in a constant state of motion. From the moment he wakes up, you can just hear him in bed rustling around trying to get out. And then when I put him on the floor, he's off to the races. And he's already starting to pull himself up to a standing position! He's 9-months-old! I can't even believe it. Hannah had no interest in standing up until she was much older. She didn't walk by herself until she was 14-months-old. I'd be surprised if Noah isn't walking by his 1st birthday. Man, my life is going to change when he starts walking.

I have so much more to say but I'm waiting for a repair-man to show up. I hate waiting, I'm so impatient.