Our newest routine

As soon as Payton wakes up, whether it be in the middle of the night (which is rare, thank goodness!!) or if it is first thing in the morning, she will come straight into our room.



Since I've been out on leave, our morning usually goes something like this.. I'll hear the faint sound of her door opening up, causing Lola to jump down off our bed which then tells Luke to get up from his bed on the floor and greet Payton at our door. Payton then walks over to my side of the bed. Since I'm at the latter part of my pregnancy, it's super hard for me to climb into our bed since it is so tall, so I have a little step stool to assist in the process. Payton will climb up on the stool and then hoist herself up onto the bed. Ryan's already at work by the time all of this happens, so she crawls over me and says "Daddy" while patting his pillow and then snuggles down inside of the covers, and then she requests "Mickey".



I feel horrible for what I'm about to admit, but since Payton has been getting up way before I'm ever ready (like 6-6:30), I'll put on the Disney channel for her and I'll doze in and out for 1/2 hour to an hour. Unfortunately Mikey Mouse Clubhouse isn't on until 8:30 and yes, we are out of bed by then, but she does watch a show or two before I completely wake up.

So here's my little bug all snuggled into our bed while watching "The Wiggles", another favorite of hers. I beat myself up for having the Disney Channel "babysit" Payton for a bit in the a.m., but honestly in order for the two of us to get along, all day long, I've gotta do what I gotta do to get a little extra sleep in the morning..

Five years ago..

Five years ago May 31st, 2003, had to have been one of the happiest days of my life.. It's crazy to think that five years ago today, Ryan and I said "I do" to forever. To think that it's only been five years, but it's been five years already!

A lot has changed in five years, and so many more changes are on their way!


Five years ago, I married my best friend. Everything that life throws us, I'm so glad that I'm going through it with Ryan. I honestly can not ask for a better partner!

Happy 5th Anniversary Ryan! Here's to five years and to 85 more.

Update on our baby girl

Yesterday I had another Non-stress test and an ultrasound. My NST's have been going great! Our little girl is super active while I'm hooked up to the monitor, which is so nice. I think we complete the movements that the doc is looking for, within 5-7 min, which is great. So I've thankfully only been hooked up for 20 min tops, rather than the full half hour. One mom who was in the room with me (only other pregos and a nurse or two can be in the room with us), her baby was asleep and she had been there for almost an hour because he didn't want to get moving.. Not Ryan's and my children! I swear once the straps go around my tummy, it's a dance off! Payton was the same way! I guess our little girls just might be a little alike..

My ultrasound went fantastic as well! Our little girl had a HUGE growth spurt in 12 days. She went from the 18th percentile to the 33%! She gained a bunch of weight in her tummy and grew in length as well. She's weighing in at 5 pounds and 7 ounces and still head down (yay!). I also requested that the sonographer double check that she is indeed a girl (I know, you would think that 7 ultrasounds saying so would be enough for me, but there were a few where they weren't 100% sure) and yes, it's a girl!! I've been having some bad dreams that I was going to have to ask Ryan to run to the store to buy a boy outfit while I was in the hospital, but looks like we won't have to do that!

Also at my appointment, Dr. Klein decided that it was time for me to stop working! I so badly wanted to ask for her to take me out, but she suggested it first! Yay me! So now I get to soak up as much time with my little bug before we welcome another little girl.. I hope Payton doesn't get too tired of me. The only downfall with being taken out is I'm on modified bed rest. Thankfully not full bed rest! I have to sit and relax most of the day, but can be up moving for about an hour at a time, but then relax for couple hours after that. I can't take Payton for walks unfortunatly, but Ryan took her yesterday so they could have some daddy/daughter time and I could sit and read. Dr. Klein really wants me to keep our little baby in until my scheduled c-section.. no early appearances. So she thinks with me being off work and relaxing, it will keep my blood pressure down and baby girl in so she can continue to grow.

With this being my first official day home (I was taken out yesterday, so I didn't have to work, but I was gone for a large portion at the doctor's office), it's already been a bit stressful. Payton's really into pushing the limits and seeing how far she can go before I crack. Thankfully I can control myself pretty well, but there are a few times where some deep breathes are needed!

I'll keep everyone posted on our happenings. Hopefully now that I'm home, I can update a little more. Unfortunatly the past two ultrasounds I didn't get any pictures of our little one. The first ultrasound I forgot them at their office, but yesterday I forgot to ask for some. Next one for sure I won't forget!!

Another shower for our babe..

Last Saturday, the 10th, my wonderful sister-in-law Rachael and my wonderful cousin Brianna threw a baby shower for our future arrival, at my house. It was so wonderful and relaxing! They invited our family and close family friends to come and help celebrate our little girl.

My sister Rachael and I

(My brother's wife who's known me since I was 9)
My cousin Brianna and I
(People say we look alike.. I can kind of see the resemblance)

My sister-in-law Brittany and I

(Ryan's little sis. Isn't she the cutest?!)

Jodee (Rachael's mom), my Mom Shannon,

my Grandma Claire (my mom's mom), and my Aunt Tammy (my mom's sister)

Angel and Julie

(Family friends)

My step-mom Rosie (who drove from Cle Elum to attend!!), my cousin Morgan (Kathi's daughter) and my Aunt Kathi (my dad's brother's wife)

The shower was fantastic! I had so much fun being able to sit, relax, and visit with family. It was so nice that my family came to celebrate and it truly made me feel so special! Thank you to all who were able to attend! :)

After the shower we took my grandma out to celebrate her birthday. Every year, all of us girls on my mom's side of the family, go out for Grandma's birthday. Payton hasn't been yet, but next year hopefully she'll be able to go and will see what a fun and special tradition it is for all of us girls and Grandma.

Me and my grandma Claire.

Go Sox!

Last Friday the Chicago White Sox were in town. So of course we had to get tickets and go see them play. Anyone who knows Ryan, knows that the Sox are his all time favorite team. I had looked at the Mariner's schedule back in March to see when/if the Sox would be playing here anytime this season, and I completely lucked out that they were going to be in town before the baby arrived!

I e-mailed Ryan's manager (without Ryan's knowledge) and requested for him to have the day off, but for her not to tell him. I bought tickets, asked Ryan's mom to watch Payton for the night and then tried to keep the plan secret for over a month, and that's a very hard thing for me to do!!

Well.. my plan didn't quite work out.. Ryan of course saw when the Sox were coming and started bugging me about getting tickets. Long story short, I ended up telling him ahead of time so he didn't buy tickets that we didn't need, since I already had some in our cupboard tucked away.. Ryan was pretty happy..

(this was the 5th picture we had taken, that's why Ryan has the goofy look)

Our seats were pretty good. We were sitting near first base, down the foul line. Luckily a ball didn't come close to either of our faces, because I would've thrown Ryan in front of me!

Yay for it being a nice day! The roof was open and it was a clear night! The stadium however was not very full.

Juan Uribe just hit, and I'm pretty sure that it was a base hit and he didn't get out, but I truthfully can't remember.. One thing Ryan didn't quite like about our wonderful night, I wasn't sure who to route for. I was wearing my Sox hat, but I would cheer on the Mariners. Finally he told me I needed to pick a team, so I sided with him.

It was a great night! Ryan and I had some much needed alone time, saw a great game, and the White Sox won! Which was so important!!

Fun times at the park

On Friday morning Ryan and I took Payton to the park near our house. Ryan likes to take Payton there quite often.. It's such a fun park! There are two play areas, one for a little older kids and one for littler ones and it's right near the lake. Payton loves it!
There is so much stuff for her to climb on and through and up and over.. We truly do have a little monkey on our hands!

This is the bigger of the two play structures. AND there weren't any other kids there that morning. Probably also because we were at the park by 9:30..

One of the only times she would sit still enough for me to take her picture.

On the opposite side of where the play area is, there is a little beach with a dock and a very large swimming area. During the summer there is a concession stand that opens and there are a bunch of picnic tables and places to sit in the grass. We walked Payton over to the dock and let her take off. Thankfully the dock is completely enclosed and you can't jump off.

What a beautiful day it was and a great start to our weekend off together as a family..

Here we are at the end of the dock. The picture was a bit hard to take, since Payton wanted down to run around.

Change of address..

This past Thursday I had an ultrasound to check up on our little girl's growth. My girlfriend Natalie was so sweet and offered to watch Payton while I was at my appointment, she knows how hard it is with a two year old at the doctor's for two hours. So I dropped Payton off to play with her friend Jordan while I had my ultrasound. Thankfully Ryan's boss is so sweet with my dr's appointments, that she lets him leave for a couple hours to be with me.

Our little girl is still measuring small, this time in the 18 percentile, down from her 28% last month. Dr. Klein says that she's a skinny girl, but as always looks beautiful (her words, I promise.. but Ryan and I totally agree!!). The placenta is still a little over my cervix. My blood pressure has been crazy high causing me to see spots and feel a bit dizzy and get headaches, but I tested negative for preeclampsia.. phew! But our little girl is still just as active and growing and beautiful! She just needs to hold on for a few weeks more so she can get bigger!! :)

So, here comes the address change. Starting tomorrow, I will be having two Non-stress tests a week (where they hook me up with two straps attached to two monitors. One to monitor our little one and one to monitor me and my contractions. I'll also have a blood pressure cuff firmly attached to my arm as well) and an ultrasound every other week, as well as seeing Dr. Skrypzak every week starting May 28th.

So, if you need to get hold of me, I will be stationed at Evergreen Hospital until our little girl arrives (only partially kidding).
This is my new residence.. Oh, and here's the kicker.. I have to do my NST's alone. I can't have any family in the room with me. Talk about stress! Thankfully, Ryan on occasion will be able to meet me after work to pick up Payton.

After my appointment on Thursday, I went to pick Payton up from Natalie and Jordan's house and Ryan had texted me a couple of times asking me if our car charges had arrived in the mail and to check the porch when I got home. Well.. our charges did not arrive, but my most favorite flowers had! Ryan sent me 20 beautiful tulips for Mother's day with the sweetest card! I stood in our kitchen and cried thinking about how lucky I am and what a wonderful husband I have!!

Here they are, just after taking them out of their box. Today they are all upright and still just as beautiful! Ryan sure is the sweetest! :)

Chopstix

On Sunday evening we went to dinner with Ryan's mom, Joanne, and her boyfriend Chuck. We met up at Chopstix, a dueling piano bar, in downtown Everett. On Sunday nights it's family night and they start playing the pianos at 5:30 and make it more family oriented.

This was our first time going to Chopstix, but Joanne and Chuck have been there a few times before.

It's a very nice atmosphere, but it's definitely not the place to go and chat and catch up. It's a bit loud, due to the pianos, but it's so much fun! The pianists take suggestions on what to play and they get the crowd involved and at one point they had a dance contest for the kids. At that time Joanne took Payton up on the stage so she could dance, while all of us adults (Joanne included) sat back and watched and laughed. I took a video with our camera, but haven't figured out how to post it, as soon as I do, I'll put it up.

Here's Payton up on the stage with the other kids, waiting to dance. She was the littlest, but the best little break-dancer by far!
Me and Ryan having a good time

Chuck and Joanne

Ryan and I would love to take Payton back again. Hopefully we can do it before baby girl arrives. Although she was dancing as well while the pianos were playing!

Here's the website for Chopstix. There's also one in Seattle and in Tacoma. http://www.chopstixpianobar.com/

Our busy Saturday..

This past Saturday was pretty chaotic in the Zdenek house!

My bf Monique (everyone calls her Nika) and I are both pregnant with girls and our due dates are only a week apart. I'm due the 23rd of June and Nika's due on the 30th. This will be Nika's first baby.. On Saturday we had a joint baby shower, which was pretty fun, small, and laid back. We have mutual friends so it was nice to get our girlfriends together to celebrate two new lives coming into this world.

Me (at the end of 32 weeks) and Nika (at the end of 31 weeks)
(left to right)- Chris, Stacey, Loni, Kaylyn (Nika's niece), Donna (Nika's mom), Nika, and Tiffany

Our friend Trish, who unfortunately was unable to attend, sent us matching outfits for our little girls. They are super cute and will make for a great photo opt!

At 4:30, my brother and sister-in-law stopped by so we could hang out with our nephews, Trent and Kaden for the evening, while they went to a house warming party. Which was a lot of fun and we always look forward to opportunities for Trent, Kaden and Payton to play together.

Here's Ryan, Kaden and Trent having a staring contest. Kaden would blink about 20 times before the contest would start so he could warm up his eyes to stare at Ryan. Trent was really good at staring at Ryan's silly faces he kept making.

This is what Payton thought of it all! Ha ha, just kidding. Lately she's grown fond of her nose and wanting to point to her brain.. Hopefully the fondness subsides! :)

Later in the evening, Nika and her husband Jason (one of Ryan's best friends) came back over to bar-b-que and hang out. It was nice for all seven of us (kids included) to relax and veg! By the end of the night after everyone had gone home (just before midnight) Ryan and I were pooped and ready to go to bed. It was a fun Saturday, but very busy!! :)

Under Construction.. but progressing nicely

Our baby girl's room is progressing nicely.. Anyone who has been to our house before, might remember the pretty blue walls that this room had prior to us painting. So far the room has been a bit of a process.

Due to the color of blue that was on the walls, we had to primer the walls twice and then paint it white twice. I really wanted to do the room in stripes and I think Ryan was a bit apprehensive, but very willing to help me out! Actually, Ryan did it all!

Here's a picture of the room after the primer and the white paint was done and Ryan had tried a few test stripes (which were perfect!!) Thankfully Ryan is way smarter than me and came up with a great/easy way to create even stripes.. I thought we were going to have to measure each stripe individually with a tape measure, but Ryan used a vertical poster board to create each stripe. He's so smart! :)
Here's the room all taped and Ryan had just completed painting the pink.

Here's her room with her crib in place and the stripes all done. As soon as we have the room all set up, I'll take another picture and show the final product! We're trying to add in as many brown accents as possible, since the colors are pink and brown.

We're starting to feel more and more ready for this little girl to come home!