Christmas 2009 cont'd...

Christmas 2009

Our favorite time of year! Colin doesn't quite get Santa Claus yet, but knows what he does ("brings toys!") and what he says ("ho hoooo"). We went to see Santa just before Christmas and Colin was saying hello to him while we were in line but pulled out the shy act once he got to meet him (same Santa as last year, so they've met before). We got a couple cute pictures nonetheless.

Christmas morning was fun! Colin opened his gifts, with help from mommy and daddy, and played with every single one of his new toys. He LOVES drawing pictures and using his colors on his new chalkboard, figuring out "tato head" and putting together his "graffe" and animal puzzles. I love my new camcorder, robe and slippers and Jake loves his new laptop...The Roche Family had a good Christmas this year!!!

As quickly as Christmas came in our house, it went just the same...the tree is down and we are now trying to focus on baby! We have the basics of what we need to bring her home we are just trying to get organized. Bring on the nesting!!

36 weeks

We can't believe that my due date is only 4 weeks away! So far everything still looks good. I'm pretty much the same weight at this point as I was with Colin but I feel like I'm definitely carrying this baby differently. She's a little lower and giving me much more of a torpedo belly so I'm finding that my maternity pants are just not quite fitting right these days! We are busy doing the last minute things and getting the rest of the newborn baby girl stuff we need...I forget how expensive all the stuff is!!! (nursing accessories, clothes, now we need hairbows...just doesn't stop!) In the end, it will all be worth it and we look forward to meeting baby girl soon!

I will be spending the first of Christmas Eve day getting a little pampered with a mani/pedi, long overdue haircut and just some "me" time...and then it's home with my boys for quality time, dinner and waiting for Santa Claus!!!

Strong Start!

The Perry Hall High School Varsity Wrestling Team started the season out strong! On Dec. 4-5, they participated in the Parkville Knightmare Tournament with 15 other teams and placed 4th!!!!!!!!! 10 of 13 varsity wrestlers placed 6th or better leading to the best finish EVER for the Gators in this tournament. The first and second place teams are traditional powerhouses and both won state championships last year...not too shabby for our guys to be just behind them!!!

Jake is immensely proud of his guys and the parents and athletic director are beside themselves with the team's quick turnaround...one year ago, this program was going to fold. Apparently, all they needed was a little South Jersey style wrestling to get 'em going. GOOOOOO GATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

33.3 weeks

Today, I am 33 weeks and 3 days along...baby girl is getting big and will be here soon! I had a doctor's appt. today and everything looks great so we're just taking everything one day at a time. At my last appt, we did have some concerns. I had had about a week of contractions with a two hour period of regular contractions the night before my appt...a little worrisome. Thankfully, the baby is still "floating" and nothing else has changed so she's tucked inside safely for more time. However, because of this concerning development, I am (attempting) to cut back on some of my 12 hour shifts at work. Being on my feet for 12 hour shifts and for sometimes 3 days in a row has proven to be challenging to the health of my pregnancy. I'm greatful to be working with a wonderful bunch of people who are accomodating to the pregant condition...so what does this mean? Fewer 12 hour shifts, no more than 2 days in a row and working some 8 hour shifts. Mostly. I do still have some stretches of 3 days in a row, but it's better. I'm also no longer doing overtime, which I'd been doing about once every 1-2 weeks until last week. No, I'm not crazy, I just like the paycheck:)

All in all, we're progressing nicely, preparing for baby girl's arrival and trying to enjoy our current family of 3!

First couple weeks down...

So, Jake's first week of wrestling practice was a success! And if you measure success by how many black eyes the head coach has at the end of the week, then there's no need for improvement at this point:) He is now in week 3ish (there was timeoff in between for Thanksgiving) and they have a tournament tonight...we're excited! Jake's team has a record number on the roster. So far, the program he's coaching has gone from close to folding to having almost too many kids!!! AWESOME!!!!!! Here are some pics of Jake's first 5 days as head coach of varsity wrestling...let's just say, we've bought stock in icy hot and ibuprofen:) The kids seem to love that he gets on the mat with them. When asked what the other guy looked like it's a simple answer...the other guy looks like a 16 year old kid:)

30 weeks

Time is definitely flying!!! Baby girl will be here before we know it! This picture was taken when I was 30 weeks and 1 day (2 days ago). So far, things are going well. I did fail my initial glucose screening test, but endured the 3 hour blood sugar testing and passed, so no gestational diabetes for me, hooray!! However, we're still trying to explain why, at my last appt., I had gained 10 pounds in 4 weeks:) My next checkup is next week, so hopefully everything still looks good.

Physically, I'm struggling a little bit...I'm still doing 12 hour shifts and working overtime at least every other week, so I'm on my feet a lot. I just keep reminding myself it's all for a good cause! I plan on working as long as possible, so the next couple of months are going to be filled with tired feet, back aches, swollen ankles, sleeplessness...all the fun stuff!!!! On a good note: Christmas is almost here, yay!!!!!!

Pictures

Instead of editing other posts, I decided just to post some pics for those of you who aren't my Facebook friends:)

Hello 3-0!

That's right, I am officially out of my 20s...and I feel ok about it! I've had some time to think about the fact that I'm closing out a decade and am now, really, for sure, certainly an adult...'cuz that's what the "3" in front my age number means now, right?

When I look back through the last 10 years, I feel fortunate...I really took advantage of youth and opportunity. From being a student at and graduating from Purdue and meeting people who changed my life forever to moving to Baltimore without knowing anyone...and meeting MORE people who changed my life forever...to getting married, pregnant a couple times, buying a house, getting a second degree, starting a career I feel destined for...I really can't complain. It's not always been easy, and certainly I still deal with day-to-day struggles, but overall, I am blessed.

So, here's to you 30, I embrace you! I look forward to family time, professional growth, life stabilization, good health, fun...and an occasional extra dirty Grey Goose martini...mmm, I can taste it now:)

Time to catch up!

Ok, so I've been away from this blog...instead of breaking everything down, enjoy this all-encompassing post:)



IT'S OFFICIAL!!!! Jason "Jake" Roche is the new Head Coach of Varsity Wrestling at Perry Hall High School in Baltimore County, MD...GO GATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Preparations for the season are underway and we are all very excited about this opportunity. Jake is extremely happy with this position and we just can't believe how quickly one of his goals has been achieved...it's awesome!!! The season starts Nov. 14th, so keep an eye out for updates on the team's progress!



18 months! Colin is now 18 months (and some weeks:) ) old! He is 32 inches tall (40th percentile), 26.5 lbs (60th percentile), with his noggin remaining in the 90th percentile:) The 2 weeks leading up to his 18 month check up were a little rocky. He and I both came down with a nasty respiratory infection, his accompanied by fever. It knocked me down but he didn't seem too bothered by it. On day 4 of his fever, we went to the pediatrician to have his ears checked...looked good! Went home. Day 11 of cough, etc, I heard it...something I encounter everyday at work and never thought I would hear at home...WHEEZING. My little boy was happily playing and having some difficulty breathing at the same time...back to the doctor. Got put on breathing treatments for a couple days but still needed some help so day 13...back to doctor. Put on antibiotic AND breathing treatments. MUCH BETTER:)



This is when being a pediatric nurse is a curse...all objectivity is lost when your own baby gets sick. I've vowed to not ever assess my children at home...and have already failed. My stethoscope was out and Colin got a full head to toe several times a day:) At the same time, I'm glad I recognized he was struggling as it first started...some people just wait too long and those are the ones I see at work!



All in all, his 18 month check up was great! His doctor is impressed by his language (his vocabulary is impressive and he's putting words together, making 2 and 3 word phrases) and overall he's thriving...yay!



26 weeks!



I am now 26 weeks along with baby girl. Jake has finished painting the nursery, the furniture is put together and almost all the decor is purchased...we're ready pretty early this time around! So far, things look good.

Will post pics of all soon!

24 weeks!

So, this pic was taken almost 2 weeks ago now, but at least I have it. As you can see...getting pretty big already.

It's A Girl!!!!

That's right, we're thinking pink!!!! We're very excited about adding a little girl to our family!

I had my 20 week ultrasound done last week and was given the good news! So far everything looks pretty good. The baby was lying face down the entire time and kicking my ever filling bladder, so I actually have to go back to get a couple more pictures that they weren't able to get because of her position. I was also strongly encouraged to drink more water. Overall, baby girl was measuring exactly 20 weeks gestation and weighing in at a whopping 12 oz.

This pregnancy is progressing quite nicely but now it really seems like it's going very fast! Because we're having a girl, there are a lot of things we need to acquire...she will be getting some of Colin's hand me downs, but we do plan on putting her in lots of pink, too:) And she NEEDS to have new toys! We are in the process of deciding on furniture for her room and getting painting ideas together... January will be here before we know it!

I've posted 2 of the ultrasound pics...one profile and the other declaring her gender. The rest of them were kind of creepy looking, so I'm hoping to get a better 3D pic and others at my next ultrasound. The Roche family is also in the market for yet another new camera, so belly pics are on hold for the time being. I'm just not exactly sure what the problem is...I think I may hide the next camera and only bring it out for my use:) Needless to say, the belly is getting bigger. My weight gain is very appropriate (6 pounds total so far), but it looks like I have a bowling ball inside already. The second baby is definitely different and a woman's body is never quite the same after being pregnant:)

I will post more pics once they're available and see if I can find recent pics of Colin to take up some space on this blog.

33rd St Playground

We just wanted to share with you something that is important to us as a family. We live in Baltimore City, which is not necessarily a great place to easily take kids out and find something nearby to do. When we moved into our house and then discovered that Colin would be joining us, we were grateful to have a GREAT playground as well as YMCA literally just across the street (and field) from us...about a 3 minute walk! Once Colin got strong enough to hold his head up, he was able to sit in the swings at this lovely playground.

Unfortunately, in Sept. 2008, an unkind soul burned this playground to the ground. The arsonist has yet to be caught, but it did not deter the community. The original playground was the result of volunteer time and money, and soon after the fire, the community again regrouped and vowed to rebuild. In May 2009, the rebuild got underway. Jake and several of our friends were part of the volunteer team helping to assemble this masterpiece of a playground for our community kids to play!

The newly rebuilt 33rd St. Playground was reopened in the middle of this summer and we make pretty frequent use of it. Colin loves to go down the slides and just run around all over the place!

I'm posting this to the blog because it is a source of pride AND because MSNBC actually did a national news piece on it. Check out http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/32391098#32391098 to see the video clip and for more info on the playground itself, you can go to www.stadiumplayground.org. I'll get some pics of Colin utilizing this wonderful area and post them soon!

Next Chapter

As time and life goes on, change is inevitable...and sometimes it's amazing what a difference a few weeks can make! The Roche Family is about to embark on a new chapter in our lives, I will happily refer to as "Coach Roche, Back to School."

I had an entire post prepared to explain what was going on in our lives, but I think his own words are sufficient, so here you go:

Hello everyone,

I have decided after 4 + years to leave the mortgage business. I was notified August 1st that I am eligible for the POST 9/11 G.I BILL because of my service in the IRAQI FREEDON. CAMPAIGN. After lengthy discussion with my family I have decided to go back and finish college, majoring in teacher education and dabbling in Political science. I also will possibly be coaching Varsity Wrestling at a Baltimore County High School while attending college.

I want to thank all my family, friends, co-workers and past clients for all their support and help over the last 4 + years.

My new contact info.
Jake.roche@comcast.net
410-963-2926 Mobile
443-438-3456 Home
Alternative- jakeroche12@hotmail.com

16 weeks

I have decided to try to do a better job of documenting my pregnancy this time around. I didn't do a lot of "belly pics" with Colin, so I'm going to try to do more with #2. Not always flattering, but we'll see how my belly grows.

This pregnancy has been completely different than when I carried Colin. When I was pregnant with him, I had very few moments of nausea, didn't start showing until I was about 22-24 weeks and didn't feel him move until about that time as well. So far with this pregnancy, I was sick/nauseous 24/7 until about a week ago. Even without gaining any weight, I was in my maternity clothes at about 10 weeks and I have already felt the baby move. It really is amazing how different it can be...but still wonderful and worth it in the end.

I'm hoping that I'm over the all day sickness hump now and can start enjoying being pregnant for a little while. I am already having some physical discomfort at the end of my work days (12 hours on your feet in a busy Pediatric ER can do that), but am focused on coping. I've also decided to pamper myself this time around, so when my body really starts to ache, hello pregnancy massage!

Holla Atcha Boy...

This is the name of our adult rec sports franchise. Several years ago, Jake and I got our friends together to play football, softball and volleyball in the Baltimore Sports and Social Club (BSSC). The BSSC is one of the best things going on in Baltimore and has been a great outlet for young professionals to network, meet new people and, of course, enjoy the occasional beer. All of the sports are co-ed and have rules that allow for good sportsmanship, fair play and open containers at the park:) Of course, any organization that sponsors flip cup tournaments on a Saturday afternoon wouldn't generally be considered the most competitive organization in the world. Nonetheless, there are great athletes involved, many of them being on our team and it's just always fun!

We've had many successful seasons in the various sports and have a great time! The Roches have pretty much moved out of coaching positions and are now regular old team members, which has relieved some stress. I have pretty much been out of the league for a year and a half because of being pregnant and not having a steady babysitter. I do look forward to returning for football in Spring 2010, though!

That being said, summer softball playoffs were held this week...I'm sad to report Team Holla lost in the 1st round. However, with only 16 teams out of 70 making it to playoffs in their division, it was not too shabby of a showing. We finished the regular season 7-1 and are always glad to have gotten to spend time with friends.

Etc..

Well, there's so much to write about, I just couldn't choose a title. This post will just be catching you up on the last couple weeks, I guess!

So, we made our trip to WI and had a great time! Colin travelled well on the airplane rides, though the 4 hours we had to spend at O'hare on the way to WI were....challenging. On top of our 2 hour layover, which we were prepared for, our flight got delayed 2 hours. We finally boarded our final flight to WI at about 10pm central time, though we were still on eastern time...and Colin was AWAKE!! It was tough, but we made it through and got to Grandma and Grandpa Mancl's ok.

Our stay in WI was exactly what we needed...full of family, friends, fresh air, good food and relaxation. Colin met some of his extended family this trip and got to play with mommy's old friend's little boys...and he behaved and had a blast! This was the only trip to WI we'll be making this year, so we tried to soak it up. Normally, we would like to come for Christmas time but I'll be too pregnant to travel by then, so this was it! The next time we go, we'll be a family of 4.

We arrived back to Baltimore late Monday night (8/3) and had safe travels all the way around, so it was a success. Of course, we left the 60 and 70 degree weather and came home to 90s and humidity...we didn't miss having no AC requirement in WI. We are now settled back home and back into our real world routine, but are still enjoying the last bit of our squeaky cheese.

On Tuesday, Aug. 4, we had a couple big events. 1) Jake and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary! We celebrated while we were away, but did reflect on the challenges of marriage and parenting and are grateful for the love we have for each other. 2) I had my regular OB appt. I am 16 weeks along now and everything still looks good. I have gained a total of 2 pounds, so we're delighted that I've started to go in the right direction. The baby's heart rate is in the 140s. We will be finding out the gender of the baby on Sept 1, but don't ask the name because we won't tell you! We do have names picked out either way, but will keep them to ourselves until he or she is born:) For anyone who believes in old wive's tales, all signs are leading toward it being a girl (terrible morning sickness, worse skin/appearance, my age and month of conception...). However, I dreamt 2 nights ago that it's a boy, so we'll see!

On a proud note, Jake has officially registered to go back to school and will be starting his Fall semester at Community College of Baltimore County Aug. 31. If anything good comes out of our government this year it'll be the post 9/11 GI Bill. Jake is a proud veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and we couldn't be more proud of his ambitions to finish school. YAY!!!!!!!

Dance Fever!

For those of you who haven't yet witnessed the stylings of the littlest Roche...

Timeout...

So, Colin is experiencing more and more timeouts these days. We understand that he doesn't really get it yet, but we're not going to be spankers so we're trying to be consistent with our discipline. His favorite words these days are "mine," "no," and "stop." He is also a bully. His babysitter had to put him in timeout the other day for pushing over his playmates and being mean. Hopefully we'll get the importance of kindness and manners and sharing through to him before the baby comes...he's a handfull!!!! BUT, he's still charming and adorable and loving and hilarious....he's just 15 months old and ALL boy I guess:)

We are still counting down the days until our trip to WI...3 days to go! Can't wait to see everyone and have some peace and quiet. We are also getting ready to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary which came up pretty quick. The first two years of our marriage has certainly brought a lot of change and craziness! But still filled with love:)

15 months!

Colin had his 15 month checkup last week and looks great!!! He now weighs 24lbs 3oz (50th percentile), is 30.5in long (40th percentile) and his head still measures in approximately the 90th percentile:) He needs somewhere to store all those brains!!! His doctor says he's probably on his way to being around his daddy's height, so we're happy with that:)

As of this morning, Colin knows his alphabet and can count to ten. It's really unbelievable. If you start saying the alphabet and stop, he'll pick up where you left off. I guess singing it to home from the day he was born is helping!! His vocabulary gets bigger and bigger everyday and we're just waiting for full sentences to come out.

We can't belive how fast time has flown. Colin is growing up and when I look at him I'm amazed at how he really is a little boy now. **sigh**.