It's a ....

(I was going to crop out the beginning, but Charlie is too funny with her "lets go"!) 

As you can see, Charlie is not happy with the news.... Chuck on the other hand, is thrilled.  And my intuition/motherly instinct was right!

And after all this fun news....

We get a stinkin' flat tire on a 100 degree day. Boo!! 

Big Sister!!

Charlie is going to be a big sister!!

Charlie is convinced its a girl. Most conversations go something like this:

Mom- "do you want a baby brother or sister?"

Charlie- "I want a sister!!"

Mom- "what should we name her?"

Charlie- "Hercules!!!"

Just the other day we were having this same convo at Panera. It continued from the above, to:

Mom- "what if its a boy?"

Charlie- "I dont want a brother!"

Mom- "but what if it is?"

Charlie- "I will be so PISSED! I will push him down"

That was the first time I have ever heard her use the p-i-s-s-e-d word, and also a first on the violent pushing. It was surprising because she used it like a PRO. Like she used it 100x before. And why is it so hard not to laugh when kids use naughty words?? Grandma Jo kept a straight face the entire time. She always says "if you just ignore it, they won't use it again".... Gma's are so smart. Makes me wonder if me and my siblings had potty mouths too?? Wouldn't surprise me. I bet Ben and Jes cussed like a sailors. But not me, I was the good child. ;)

I am not sure whose name choice is worse, Charlie's pick of Hercules Dickens, or Chuck's pick of Ca$h Money Dickens? And yes, it will be spelled with a dollar sign instead of an S. All I can picture is a baby with a grill... which then brings the Nelly song to mind. "Smile fo me daddy, what you lookin' at? Let me see ya grill, let you see my, what? Ya, ya grill ya, ya, ya grill"













August 25th is the date we find out the gender. I think I am more excited to see Charlie's reaction more than anything. I better have the video camera ready, because the reaction may be an AFV winner!

My gut feeling is boy, just because this pregnancy is totally different from my first.

For one, I was never sick with Charlie. Well, maybe once. I remember almost barfing my banana up in an Old Navy at 3am during Black Friday shopping. But that is about it, nothing actually came up. (the experience did scar me for life. Never again will I got BF shopping. preggo or not!) With this pregnancy, I have been sick morning, noon, and night. So sick that I have actually dropped 6lbs! I can't even think about swallowing a vitamin. Everything smells like sh!t, like literal poop. I can't sleep. Its hard staying awake at work and while driving in the car. And I am already making several pee trips at night.

One thing that has not changed is my platelet issue. As a matter of fact, I am in St Marys Infusion Center now getting my platelet fix (its the only time I have time to blog! what else would I do for 7 hours in this chair?).  For those that do not know the full story, its your lucky day!

I can actually thank Grandma Jo for discovering the issue. I was in my 8th month of pregnancy with Charlotte. We were walking around Botanical Gardens on Mothers Day when she asked me how I had got this huge bruise on my back. I had no idea what she was talking about, but it was a big one- like basketball size, and you would think there would be a pretty awesome story to go with a bruise that size- like saving a baby from a runaway train! So, I went to the doctor the next day (mom's orders!), it was right around closing time. They told me they would get back to me within the next couple of days with my blood work results- no biggie. I was not expecting a call at 7am the next morning from my doctors home line. She told me to VERY carefully make my way to the ER.  I was freaking out! I had no idea what was going on. Come to find out my platelets were at 4K!! Normal range is 150-200K.  So I was at a high risk of bleeding to death if I were to fall or get into any kind of accident.

So there I was stuck in the hospital for several days, with one of those house arrest bracelets that would sound if I tried getting up. They released me with an appointment to see a high risk doctor and a hematologist the following week. However the day of my appointments, Charlie decided she was ready to  come right then, an entire month early. THUNDER CATS A GO!  At that time, my platelets were only at 20K.... 30K short for an epidural. I will fast forward through all pain and screaming and just say that it was a very scary delivery, but everything thing and everyone one turned out fine- except my voice which took a couple of days to get back!

About 2 months after my delivery, I was still struggling to keep my platelets up and going crazy from massive amounts of steroids- ROID RAGE!!. So my hematologist recommended a splenectomy. By removing my spleen, he hoped that my antibodies could no longer attack my platelets.  And this worked for about 3 1/2 years. I had super platelets. Over 350K!! But then last fall I relapsed back down to 20K. The next option was a series of 4 infusions called Rituxan. I was told that this would be a gradual increase. And it was. I was just reaching 100K when we found out we were preggo. And then I dropped back down. boo!

So here I am now, getting platelets pumped into me. No clue how long this will last or how high my count will get, but I am trying to stay optimistic.... Shall we start taking bets on how many times I will be here until January?

On a positive note, I am so incredibly excited about being preggo with my sister- Jessica and my bestie- Sarah.  Charlie gets to be the ring leader of the rug-rats! :)

Oh! By the way. The above picture is from Charlie's 4th Birthday. Can you believe I have a 4 year old??

Yes, she had a Birthday. And no, I did not blog about it. Did I mention that I have been really tired and sick all time?  So suck it! :)

Prima Ballerina

 Meet our new Prima Ballerina!! 

Charlie started ballet lessons in January at COCA in UCity.  She goes every Sunday for an hour. Really it is just an organized chaos of small children. In fact, I bet her instructor hits the bottle pretty hard immediately following every class. I know I would. After several crazy sessions, she finally invested in an assistant. Smart move. Here is a sample of said chaos- in butterfly form:

 

(sorry for the poor quality. My phone stinks!)

The best part in my opinion, is the 2 way glass. There is nothing  more entertaining then seeing a child press their boogery face against the mirror and slide from one end to the other, pick their nose/butt/crotch, or make ridiculous faces, while thinking no one is watching.... Oh we see you crazy kid, including the inside of your nose and tonsils!! One of these days I am going to catch the act on video and win AFV.  Luckily my daughter is classy and only picks her butt while doing a pile'.

Watch this sneaky wedgie picker...

This is what my balance looks like when I am drunk. I am pretty sure Charlie is saying "I cant do it".

Solo moves.

And finally Twinkle Lil Star.

Several of the other ballet moms have commented that "Charlotte has such personality". And although I would probably say the same thing, some times I wonder if that is a compliment or a nice way of saying my daughter is crazy? hmmm. One other mom did make my day when she told me that Charlotte is the sweetest in the class. Her daughter was apparently very shy and did not want to participate, until Charlotte grabbed her hand and danced with her. Aww, that's my girl!

I had to take a break from uploading ballet videos to research some sports related activities for this summer. Need to make sure she is well balanced for Chuck. ;)

Stay tuned for Charlie's Flower Girl post. When I find the motivation. :/

In Memory Of

 

One year ago tomorrow- I held my Dad's hand while he took his last breath. There has not been one day this past year that I have not thought about him, or tried to dial him up on speed dial to tell him some not so important news or to just say how much I love and miss him. I avoid KSHE like the plague because every song reminds me of hanging out with my Dad at the Wentzville house, or down at the lake, or working on my house with him directing me on what to do.

I would give anything to hear him say, "you did a fine job, child".  Or to listen to one of his stories, while trying to figure out if there is going to be a punch line at the end or if it is an actual true story.  Or to read one of his notorious Mattie's Reads on facebook that bash his wonderful wife. OR just to rub his bald head, give his funky beard a trim, and eat chimichangas at El Maguey. 

But even more, I would give anything for Charlie to have her Papa back. He may have seemed biker tough, but Papa Terry was a major softy when it came to his granddaughter.  He spoiled her with handcrafted toys and lots of cuddles.  Ever since I was preggo, I was looking forward to seeing him take her fishing down at the lake, building bird houses, and other fun things that grandparents do.

My sister is getting married in less than 2 months, and even though I love that my husband will be walking her down the aisle, it will never be the same as having my dad there.  He is irreplaceable and I miss him him incredibly. You know when you are sick and you say "I just want my mommy"? Lately, all I want is my daddy.  Sorry Mom- I love you too, and I could still use some rueben soup!!

I will continue to cherish all my memories I have with my dad.

 




















 






LOVE YOU DAD!!

**HOLIDAYS 2013**

Lets see if I can get everything from Thanksgiving to Christmas in one post...

This year my company was highlighted in the St Louis Thanksgiving Day Parade. So we woke early, jumped on a school bus and headed downtown. Not gonna lie. It was COLD. But it was lots of fun and Charlie even got some TV time.  She's a superstar!










Afterwords we had a nice home cooked meal at... Dennys! Since my sister was having dinner with the in-laws we decided to post-pone our family dinner until Saturday.  The food was delicious and so was the wine. And the day ended with the traditional family dominos game.

Briefly, (since I am tired and not looking forward to going to work tomorrow) we have our (1) first big snow-with snow paint and a snowman that Charlie quickly decapitated , (2) union station-holiday train, (3) Tilles Park lights- which I do not recommend. We spent 3 hours in the car waiting to get into the park!  (3) Mattison Christmas, (4) Science Center with Lauren & fam.

 

The Christmas fun started with the Mattison clan on Saturday, Gentile's on Monday, Greer's on Tuesday, and then our lil family on Wednesday. I have some pretty entertaining videos from this morning, but I am having trouble uploading. So instead you get just a few photos and a quick clip.

 

After we opened presents, ate breakfast, and played with all of Charlie's new toys, we took a trip to Castlewood Park to spread Papa's ashes on a bluff overlooking the river.  

 

And just like Thanksgiving, I was in no mood to cook, so we went to Hometown Buffet :) Just as we were about to leave, Charlie took a spill. Now she is rocking this pretty cool finger splint. But at least we avoided the ER.

 That's all I got.. for now.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Breakfast with Santa

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this day! Just look at all the Santa excitement. My favorite is Tilly jumping, squirming, and dancing around. Give that girl a candy cane Santa!!

Grandma Jo won this visit with Santa at a silent auction last Christmas and we have anxiously been waiting a year for this... Now I cant wait until next year so we can do it again!

We had pancakes and chocolate milk. Cookie decorating. A quick lil Christmas craft. Santa even brought some gifts early!!  The planning was very minimal, and the reactions were priceless.

Charlie. Apparently she wants a scooter and legos... nice and simple. Thanks Charlotte!!

Uncle Ben, Aunt Tiffany, Austin, Conner, and Isabella.

John, Jenn, Jillian & Jacob. Charlie's future in-laws ;) 

 

Joe, Sarah, & Harper.

Harper was not impressed with Santa. But she eventually warmed up and gave some hugs. Or she  decided to suck it up so she could get off that scary mans lap!  

PS. I am obviously obsessed with this girl. She is so freaking adorable. I have more pictures of Harper, than my own daughter.

 

Can't leave out my man William.  Isn't he handsome? I am so glad he came. Hopefully Laura and the whole fam will be able to make it next year. :) We missed you guys! But thanks for sending along my buddy.

 

I am also in love with Tilly.  She's funny. As you can see, she was not happy with her Nana interrupting playtime for a picture. But it does make an entertaining picture.  

 

 

 

Thanks to all that came!! Hope your kiddos had a blast.  

Happy Holidays!!

 

 

On an unrelated note. Chuck volunteered to read to Charlotte's class on Friday. I am really glad that I got to witness this, because it was probably one of the sweetest things I have ever seen. I got to meet Charlie's friends- Rose, DeMarie, Layla, and Miley. ALSO- got to scope out this Marco punk. He is in the orange. The moving to Mexico is all making sense to me now....