The Evil Duck

-While we were enjoying our picnic lunch this duck (pictured above) approached us. He looked very unfriendly, evil actually. Daniel was sitting in his stroller (he's not big enough to sit at the table) enjoying a cracker. The evil duck quickly waddled over to Daniel and snatched the cracker out of Daniel's hand and then quickly waddled off.

Centennial Park

-We enjoyed spending the afternoon at Centennial park. The boys had picked out lunchables from home to have for lunch and Richard and I grabbed a sandwich from Subway. We ate our lunch by the pond and watched the ducks, had an encounter with an evil duck (post to come) and fed the nice ducks in the pond leftover crackers and bread from our lunch.

(Jarod feeding the ducks)

Note: I did not purposely leave Everhett out of the pictures. He was not feeling well (a stomach virus has hit hard).

Daniel's 2nd Birthday

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-We enjoyed celebrating Daniel's 2nd birthday today. Pop-Pop grilled out yummy hamburgers and we had cake an ice cream. Daddy, Mommy, Everhett, Jarod, Pop-Pop, Nanny, Matt, Emma, Mary, Granny Pam, uncle Jim and aunt Lisa were all there to help celebrate. Daniel enjoyed his cake and got extremely messy.

California to Tennessee

-Daddy's home!
-Richard, Everhett and Jarod arrive at Nanny and Pop-Pop's house in time for a yummy Sunday lunch. After the greeting and a lunch the boys were ready to play. The afternoon was spent playing Wii, swimming and riding four-wheelers.
-We will be heading home tomorrow and Jarod and Everhett will spend a month with us before going back to California.

Daddy Leaves, Doctor's Appointment, Time in Savannah

-Daddy (Richard) left for California this morning. He is driving cross country (crazy) to pick up Everhett and Jarod so that they can spend a month with us in Tennessee.
-I had an appointment with the OB this morning. My BP was elevated, not surprising. He said that he felt that it was best that I take medical leave until 6 weeks after delivery.
-Daddy said that he would feel better if Daniel and I did not stay at home by ourselves while he was gone so we are going to be spending the rest of the week with Nanny and Pop-Pop in Savannah.

Elevated BP equals Modified Bed Rest

-When I went to bed Monday night my BP was high (124/99). I checked my BP each time that I got up during the night - at 2:30 a.m. it was 134/91 and at 4:30 a.m. it was 135/88. I got up (for the day) at 6:30 a.m., my BP was 134/87. I started a load of laundry, ate breakfast, watched the news and folded some clothes at 8:30 a.m. my BP was 130/111. I called my doctor and was told to lay down and rest for 2 hours and recheck my BP and call them back with the results. I put Daniel down for a nap around 10 a.m. and laid down for a nap myself. I woke up around 12 p.m. and rechecked my BP (141/91). I called my doctor back and was told that I was being put on modified bedrest until my appointment on Wednesday (6/18). I am to only be up for 2 to 3 hours at a time and then rest for 2 to 3 hours. I am allowed to do moderate activites while up. I am to check my BP every 2 to 3 hours as well.

Big Boy Bed

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-We had caught Daniel attempting to climb in and out of his baby bed more then once. After talking to his EI therapist we decided that we would convert his crib into a toddler bed. The first night he fell out twice, we put him back in the bed and he went right back to sleep. The second night we found him out of his bed asleep in his floor, we are not sure if he fell out or got out on his own. He has gotten out of bed early and played with his toys, taken all his diapers out of the stacker and "destroyed" his room (this happened twice). He has become a "pro" at sleeping in his big boy bed, he now stays in bed playing with his blanket and animal friends until we go into the room to get him.

Phone Call

-While setting at the table finishing up breakfast Richard walks into the kitchen and hands me the phone telling me that it is someone from Vanderbilt. I was thinking it was someone from the billing department as we have set up payments to have our part of the hospital stay/delivery paid for by the time Caden arrives. To my surprise the voice on the other end was Dr. Beyer's nurse. I had completed a 24 hour urine collection and took it in on Wednesday. Dr. Beyer wanted me to know that my protein and PIH levels (indicators of pre-eclampsia) were normal I breathed a hugh sigh of relief. I apparently breathed to soon....Dr. Beyer was concerned about the amount of urine I collected in 24 hours (I think it was 877 ccs????), anyway apparently it was a very low amount that caused concern. Over the next 2 weeks I am to rest as much as possible, drink LOTS of fluid and the day before my next appointment do another 24 hour urine collection. If I start swelling I am to call the doctor immediately. This was a bit scary as I drink LOTS of fluid now and I spend half my time (especially at night) in the bathroom. Hopefully it is nothing bad (like my kidneys not functioning). I am hoping that I was dehydrated the day of the collection.

27 weeks

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and got a great report. I am feeling really good and trying not to be nervous about the "what ifs". The doctor wants to continue to see me every 2 weeks. I go back on June the 18th. I will be 29 weeks.

100 Days

-Caden is scheduled to arrive in 100 days! I am currently 26 weeks pregnant and feeling GREAT! Our first goal of 29 weeks is only 3 weeks away (June 17). Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we prepare for Caden's arrival.

House Hunting

-We have spent the last 2 weeks hunting for the "perfect house". After seeing many (roughly 10) houses we found the "perfect house" yesterday. We will find out next week if we will be residents of Thompson's Station. Please keep us in your prayers as we await our answer. (Update: We did not get the house, there were several agreements that could not be reached between us and the current owners of the house.)

Changes

-Many of you (family and close friends) know that we are looking into making some big changes over the next few months (hopefully before Caden arrives). We are looking to change jobs that will allow us more time together as a family. We are also looking into moving so we will have more room to s-p-r-e-a-d-o-u-t. We are excited about these changes and hope that the transistions come quickly and smoothly. Please keep our family in your prayers as we make decisions and prepare for all the changes that will be taking place.

Daniel's First Steps

-We have been working so hard to get Daniel to walk over the past few months. He has been "cruising" for close to a year and walking while holding our hand or pushing his car but he has not had the courage to let go. Daddy and Daniel were "practicing" today and Daniel took a few independent steps. We are so excited!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Night Out

-We were both off today and got to spend time out as a family. We love days/nights when it is just the 3 of us. We didn't do anything too exciting. We ate a delicious meal at Don Pancho's (a YUMMY local Mexican restaurant). Daniel loves cheese quesadillas and gucamole. He learned how to dip his quesadilla and chips in the gucamole tonight. After eating we headed to Wal Mart and purchased a few groceries and picked out Daniel's birthday cake. We headed home after leaving Wal Mart where we relaxed and enjoyed a special treat of German Chocolate mini cakes (Daddy's favorite). We look forward to our next day/night out as a family.

enjoying yummy food

yummy dip

more dip

my tummy is full

Fun at the Park

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Baby Boy #5....

has a name!

Caden Sheppard

Brave

-Daniel has always shown fear when trying new things (walking, climbing). We have been working with him to overcome his fear with the help of his EI therapist. This past week he has been showing signs of overcoming his fears and becoming brave. He has attempted to climb off our bed (it's high), he climbed steps in Barne's and Noble's and last night we caught him climbing on his car.

It's a.....

Boy!

-We are going to have a house full of boys! Richard has 2 son's from his first marriage - Everhett (9) and Jarod (8). Jenny has 1 son from her first marriage - Noah (an angel in Heaven). Together we have Daniel (21 months) and baby #3 (due to arrive September 1).
-The doctor's appointment went well. We saw the OB/GYN first - he said that Jenny was doing wonderful, her blood pressure was great and the baby had a very strong heartbeat. Jenny will be doing a 24 hour urine collection and going in on Tuesday to have blood drawn. The doctors (OB and the high risk OB) want to get a baseline reading on all of Jenny's levels so they will have something to compare to throughout the pregnancy. She will see Dr. Beyer (OB) again on May 6.
-The ultrasound not only revealed that we were having a boy but also showed us that we have a healthy boy. Jenny is currently 18 weeks (almost 19), the baby is measuring 19 weeks (almost 20). This is wonderful news to us as Daniel was always (and still is) behind in growth. We saw the high risk OB after the ultrasound and she said that Jenny looked wonderful and the baby looked wonderful and told Jenny to contine doing things as she has been doing.
-The plan is for Jenny to be followed by the OB/GYN with consults with the high risk OB as needed. When she goes in on the 22nd she will be given the supplies to test for protein at home (she developed pre-eclampsia) in the first 2 pregnancies. She will do the gluecose tolerance test around 24 weeks to check for gestational diabetes and will probably be given a round of steriod shots (just in case). The plan is for her to get a round of steriod shots every 4 weeks starting at 24 weeks and ending at 36 weeks.
-We are 10 weeks away from making it to our first gaol of 29 weeks. Please continue to keep us in your prayers, especially Jenny and the baby.

Boy or Girl?

-We will find out tomorrow at 3 p.m.
-Please pray that Jen's appointment goes well and no matter what the gender that the baby is healthy and growing.

Catching Up

-I thought I would do a quick catch up while I waited on Daniel to wake up from his nap. I know we promised a few blogs about what has been going on and we will get to those.
-We have spent the last 2 weeks recovering from our trip to California and recovering fom sickness. I think we are s-l-o-w-l-y getting back into the routine of life.