I am now doing weekly baby appointments, I can't believe it! This past Thursday I had one and discovered that I am (was?) already 90% effaced and 1cm dilated. Now, I am well aware of the fact that this can last for several days, if not weeks for many women, so I'm not getting TOO excited. The other good news is that Jakiah is still head down and facing the ideal way for delivery. He has dropped, Jana (our midwife) could feel his head, so it could be any time! Or....a couple weeks. She mentioned that if she didn't know better, she would have thought that my body had already been through a vaginal delivery, since I was progressing so nicely. She offered to strip my membranes at my appointment this Thursday, but I'm going to say no thank you. Maybe if I go past my due date, but not now. Also, I never had an internal with Kalaya, those SUCK!!! I already have it in my birth plan not to check me unless I ask (meaning I don't want them to routinely check me and interrupt me during labor) and I'm GLAD!
Even though I am not getting TOO worked up yet about the 'progress' my body has made, but it definitely made me panic a little bit. Just in that I have about 4 different to do lists going (final baby stuff, cleaning, meals to freeze, date night, grocery trip stocking up, pedicure, haircut, etc) and wanted to get more things crossed off. Luckily, this past weekend was a 3 day weekend for Nelson, so we got almost everything done! I'm still making and freezing meals this week, but other than that, pretty much totally ready! We had a small shower done for us on Friday at Nelson's work, which resulted in a very generous gift card from Babies R Us, as well as a gift card to the Cheesecake Factory, so Saturday night my mom came over to baby sit and we had a nice date out (for FREE!!) and got the rest of the things we wanted from our registry. We went and had belly portraits taken on Saturday (email address is mcmahonkp@yahoo.com, password sigrah), I got a pedicure with my mom yesterday, my hair trimmed Fri, did a HUGE grocery trip yesterday (with coupons!) and Nelson was a huge help cleaning and straightening up around the house. We converted our crib to a co-sleeper next to my side of the bed (actually going to get some use of it this time!!), washed and put everything Newborn and 3 month related away, went to a few other places to get some last minute items, got our hospital bags all packed, camera charged, and many other things as well. We were busy, but I feel a LOT better. Now we're 'ready' for Jakiah's debut! We're going to do a belly cast this week too. Could be a couple more weeks, could be any minute, we'll see!!
Showing posts with label Pregnancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pregnancy. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
37 Weeks
Well, potentially 3 weeks to go!! I have absolutely no inkling whatsoever about when Jakiah's arrival will be (duh!), so I'm trying to get as 'ready' as possible. (whatever that means)
At 37 weeks, I feel pretty good most of the time. I remember during this time with Kalaya, it was sooo different. I was praying, hoping and trying everything to get her to turn head down and dreading having a c section. This time, it looks as though Jakiah is still head down, though we will be confirming his position at an appointment in the next week or so. I am carrying him very differently that I was with Kalaya and he just feels BIG. I don't feel like I look enormous (except when I wear certain dresses to church and people tell me how big I am.....gee thanks....) but I don't feel like he has a lot of room left to move around in there! He is still extremely active, as Kalaya was, which I find very reassuring. Since who knows what God's plan is for us and how many more children we'll be blessed with, I'm savoring these last few weeks (days???) of feeling this little guy growing and moving inside me.
Since he seems to be head down, it's affecting my body much differently than Kalaya did. All of the weight is on my hips and pelvis, which makes me pretty sore. I don't want to complain, because it's not too bad, but there's really no way to feel comfortable for long periods any more. Unfortunately, that has started to include at night, so I haven't been sleeping as well. But, I made it for a LONG time getting good sleep, so I'm grateful it's taken this long. I'm also incredibly grateful for a toddler who sleeps long nights and sleeps IN! I'm sure that's just part of being this far along, but I just don't ever remember feeling the 'I'm ready for the baby to come out!' feeling with Kalaya and sometimes feel guilty that I've started feeling that way with Jakiah. But, really, I just want to see him and meet him and start being a family of 4!!! The only other minor thing that has been challenging is how itchy my belly has been this time, which I don't remember happening. It got to the point where I had hives all over it, but we did some home remedies and a few topical things and it feels much better now. Lots and LOTS of lotion seems to be helping. And, (don't hate me!) I have stretch marks this time. Made it all the way until about 35 weeks in my second pregnancy and BAM, there they are on my belly. So, maybe no more bikinis for me in the future. : P
We had our last Hypnobirthing class last night and we learned a LOT! It's really changed my whole outlook on birth, what to expect and how to prepare myself for labor. I could go on and on about it, but the main idea is that labor and birth have become what they are in our society because of so much fear and drama that we've surrounded it with. There is no reason that birth has to be this screaming, terrifying, horribly painful event. Women around the world have babies every day without medical intervention and are FINE. You know why? They don't know it's supposed to hurt and haven't seen these images of pain and been told they're patients in a hospital with something wrong over and over again. It's pretty amazing once you start learning more about the history leading up to the development of the program.
At 37 weeks, I feel pretty good most of the time. I remember during this time with Kalaya, it was sooo different. I was praying, hoping and trying everything to get her to turn head down and dreading having a c section. This time, it looks as though Jakiah is still head down, though we will be confirming his position at an appointment in the next week or so. I am carrying him very differently that I was with Kalaya and he just feels BIG. I don't feel like I look enormous (except when I wear certain dresses to church and people tell me how big I am.....gee thanks....) but I don't feel like he has a lot of room left to move around in there! He is still extremely active, as Kalaya was, which I find very reassuring. Since who knows what God's plan is for us and how many more children we'll be blessed with, I'm savoring these last few weeks (days???) of feeling this little guy growing and moving inside me.
Since he seems to be head down, it's affecting my body much differently than Kalaya did. All of the weight is on my hips and pelvis, which makes me pretty sore. I don't want to complain, because it's not too bad, but there's really no way to feel comfortable for long periods any more. Unfortunately, that has started to include at night, so I haven't been sleeping as well. But, I made it for a LONG time getting good sleep, so I'm grateful it's taken this long. I'm also incredibly grateful for a toddler who sleeps long nights and sleeps IN! I'm sure that's just part of being this far along, but I just don't ever remember feeling the 'I'm ready for the baby to come out!' feeling with Kalaya and sometimes feel guilty that I've started feeling that way with Jakiah. But, really, I just want to see him and meet him and start being a family of 4!!! The only other minor thing that has been challenging is how itchy my belly has been this time, which I don't remember happening. It got to the point where I had hives all over it, but we did some home remedies and a few topical things and it feels much better now. Lots and LOTS of lotion seems to be helping. And, (don't hate me!) I have stretch marks this time. Made it all the way until about 35 weeks in my second pregnancy and BAM, there they are on my belly. So, maybe no more bikinis for me in the future. : P
We had our last Hypnobirthing class last night and we learned a LOT! It's really changed my whole outlook on birth, what to expect and how to prepare myself for labor. I could go on and on about it, but the main idea is that labor and birth have become what they are in our society because of so much fear and drama that we've surrounded it with. There is no reason that birth has to be this screaming, terrifying, horribly painful event. Women around the world have babies every day without medical intervention and are FINE. You know why? They don't know it's supposed to hurt and haven't seen these images of pain and been told they're patients in a hospital with something wrong over and over again. It's pretty amazing once you start learning more about the history leading up to the development of the program.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
33 Weeks
Alright, I'll try to stop saying how fast this pregnancy is going by. But, really, now that the holiday season is in full swing, EVERYTHING is happening quickly, not just the growing bump!! Just on a day to day basis, how did it get to be Thursday this week??? And Christmas is a week from Sunday???? Holy cow!! Luckily, having plenty to do distracts from getting bigger and bigger. I finally got my Christmas cards out yesterday, have gotten almost all of the prep work done for the big day and starting to feel like I can slow down a little. Yeah right, the Christmas pageant is Sunday, (starring a certain VERY cute sheep. okay, 'starring' may be an exaggeration.) I have a few craft projects to finish up, presents to wrap and we are going to see the Big Guy in Red next week.
Pregnancy-wise, I still feel good! Definitely more crowded and feeling bigger, but I don't have too many complaints at all. My appetite is fine and most nights I'm able to get some sleep. He's head down, which is a HUGE relief and we're hoping he stays there!! Our next appointment is Wednesday and then we'll be going every other week and soon after, every week! With a VBAC, I'm technically considered 'high risk', but as long as I know my rights and speak up for myself, we can treat this as a 'normal' birth. Our midwife said that if I'm late, they'll let me go up to 42 weeks if necessary (hopefully not!) but that they won't induce without my body starting to labor on its own. Which means, c-section if no labor begins. Hopefully, this won't be an issue. I just have no idea, since my body didn't go into labor at all with Kalaya. Head down means a new sensation; feet poking my ribs! It is pretty painful, but I can usually change positions and feel better. (does not work in the car, I've discovered...)
We started our childbirth class and love it! We're taking Hypnobirthing, which came highly recommended by other ladies who have had successful deliveries without any pain medications, intervention, etc. It's basically an approach to childbirth that has you practice getting as relaxed as possible before labor so that your body is trained ahead of time. It is also based on the idea that your body is prepared for this; God/Mother Nature knew what to do to prepare you, it doesn't have to be this screaming, painful, agonizing, medical event. It's a natural process that your body was created for. We love it!!
Jakiah is still very active and I love, love, LOVE feeling him move. This is the part of pregnancy I missed the most, so I'm trying to savor each moment. People are asking if I'm ready to be done, and honestly, not yet. For obvious reasons, such as I know that he'd be premature at this point, but also because who knows what God's plan is for us with children?? I don't know if we're stopping after this or not, so I'm enjoying being pregnant while I can. Yes, we're excited to meet this little guy, but I'm loving having my daughter all to myself and her having her parents all to herself for just a couple more months. (eek, more like a few more weeks!!) We're taking everything one day at a time. : )
Pregnancy-wise, I still feel good! Definitely more crowded and feeling bigger, but I don't have too many complaints at all. My appetite is fine and most nights I'm able to get some sleep. He's head down, which is a HUGE relief and we're hoping he stays there!! Our next appointment is Wednesday and then we'll be going every other week and soon after, every week! With a VBAC, I'm technically considered 'high risk', but as long as I know my rights and speak up for myself, we can treat this as a 'normal' birth. Our midwife said that if I'm late, they'll let me go up to 42 weeks if necessary (hopefully not!) but that they won't induce without my body starting to labor on its own. Which means, c-section if no labor begins. Hopefully, this won't be an issue. I just have no idea, since my body didn't go into labor at all with Kalaya. Head down means a new sensation; feet poking my ribs! It is pretty painful, but I can usually change positions and feel better. (does not work in the car, I've discovered...)
We started our childbirth class and love it! We're taking Hypnobirthing, which came highly recommended by other ladies who have had successful deliveries without any pain medications, intervention, etc. It's basically an approach to childbirth that has you practice getting as relaxed as possible before labor so that your body is trained ahead of time. It is also based on the idea that your body is prepared for this; God/Mother Nature knew what to do to prepare you, it doesn't have to be this screaming, painful, agonizing, medical event. It's a natural process that your body was created for. We love it!!
Jakiah is still very active and I love, love, LOVE feeling him move. This is the part of pregnancy I missed the most, so I'm trying to savor each moment. People are asking if I'm ready to be done, and honestly, not yet. For obvious reasons, such as I know that he'd be premature at this point, but also because who knows what God's plan is for us with children?? I don't know if we're stopping after this or not, so I'm enjoying being pregnant while I can. Yes, we're excited to meet this little guy, but I'm loving having my daughter all to myself and her having her parents all to herself for just a couple more months. (eek, more like a few more weeks!!) We're taking everything one day at a time. : )
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
28 Weeks
This little guy will be here before we know it! Every year, once Halloween hits, I feel like life speeds up rapidly and it has only happened more so after having 1 child, so next year will be even crazier! Halloween, then my birthday, my brother's birthday, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Winter Break, Christmas, New Year's, WHEW!!
This pregnancy has been pretty uneventful, for which I am very thankful. I am feeling pretty good most days. Now that the third trimester is upon us, I definitely feel bigger from week to week! This little guys is extremely active and moves all the time, which I love and had really missed!! So, I enjoy the wiggles and kicks and watching my belly move and jump.
As he grows, I am getting more uncomfortable. I remember having hip pain during my first pregnancy, but it seems different this time. I was able to go walking every day with Kalaya, but walking for exercise is really challenging me, which is frustrating. I keep thinking that if I push myself, it will get better, as soreness used to get better over time with regular workouts or sports. But, it doesn't seem to be muscle related, more joint and bone. I have a midwife appt on Thursday, so we'll see what she suggests. I have been taking a pregnancy fitness class at the pool, which helps a LOT, but is only a few times per week for an hour. The rest of the time, I'm trying to do yoga, but worry that I'm not getting enough exercise. I have my glucose test on Thursday as well, and I'm actually concerned about the results, since I haven't exercised as much this pregnancy. Fingers crossed, we'll see.
Sleep is also getting more difficult, but still tolerable. I've had a few restless nights, but mostly am getting enough sleep. God bless our new mattress, I give it a lot of credit. Kinda spendy, but it has been WORTH IT. Lots of pillows are helping too.
I know I'm carrying him differently than Kalaya too. My shirts are starting to get too small that I wore all the way through my last pregnancy, which I at first thought was because I was huge this time, but pants still seem to fit just fine, about the same way they did at this point last time. I'm trying to avoid buying more maternity clothes, but it may be inevitable. Luckily, Goodwill tends to have a good, inexpensive selection.
Honestly, we're about as 'ready' as we can be for this little guy at this point. The nursery is put together (though, it turned out to be mainly for show with Kalaya, we'll see how this little guy is...) and we still have the gear we used with Kalaya. I replaced a couple of things, but from consignment stores, so at a very low price. I have 2 lovely friends who want to throw me a shower (in early January is the plan, I believe), so we have a small registry at Babies R Us. We mainly need the co-sleeper and some boy clothes, as well as that stuff you have to get with each baby; lotion, etc. Luckily, diapers and wipes are still around from the first, though we may buy a few disposable here and there. Last time I wanted to wait to try the cloth, but discovered that they were so easy, I think we'll be doing cloth diapers almost from the day we bring him home.
Kalaya is 'ready' too, I guess. How can you REALLY prepare a 2 1/2 year old for a sibling? Sure, we talk about it all the time, show her everything for baby brother, talk about babies, how they act, what they do, etc. She's been around lots of babies and it very interested. But, to explain that never again will she be the center of our universe, will forever have some competition and that baby brother will be completely dependent on Mommy and Daddy for a loooong time?? Right. We're totally on top of that. We know she'll be fine and that there will be some adjustment, obviously.
For the most part, I'm trying to just enjoy having only one each and every day. Not that I prefer only one, I just know it will never be exactly like this again and I want to cherish every moment, as I have her whole life. There are times (possible pregnancy hormone reaction) when I get choked up, can't believe how big Kalaya is already and how fast time has already gone. And I know it's only going to go faster once Jakiah is here. Then I have these meltdowns, because I feel like I can't give Kalaya what she needs as much as I used to be able to. I'm just getting so big and uncomfortable, it's hard to do things that involve getting down on the floor or lifting her up. It's gotten hard to go to the park, which I know I should do more. And I just get tired so easily and it makes me irritable and I feel bad that it comes out in my parenting. I know I'm doing my best, but I get upset and wish I could do more. Nelson has been wonderful; he comes home after working all day, runs around with her, gives horsie rides, throws her around and gets out a lot of the energy that I can't keep up with. I wish we had a 2nd car during the day, it would make it easier to get to places, so that I could give her more of a variety of activities. We'll get there, I know and I know that she is very loved, lucky and well taken care of. Anyway, enough ranting, only 12 more weeks (in theory) to go!!
This pregnancy has been pretty uneventful, for which I am very thankful. I am feeling pretty good most days. Now that the third trimester is upon us, I definitely feel bigger from week to week! This little guys is extremely active and moves all the time, which I love and had really missed!! So, I enjoy the wiggles and kicks and watching my belly move and jump.
As he grows, I am getting more uncomfortable. I remember having hip pain during my first pregnancy, but it seems different this time. I was able to go walking every day with Kalaya, but walking for exercise is really challenging me, which is frustrating. I keep thinking that if I push myself, it will get better, as soreness used to get better over time with regular workouts or sports. But, it doesn't seem to be muscle related, more joint and bone. I have a midwife appt on Thursday, so we'll see what she suggests. I have been taking a pregnancy fitness class at the pool, which helps a LOT, but is only a few times per week for an hour. The rest of the time, I'm trying to do yoga, but worry that I'm not getting enough exercise. I have my glucose test on Thursday as well, and I'm actually concerned about the results, since I haven't exercised as much this pregnancy. Fingers crossed, we'll see.
Sleep is also getting more difficult, but still tolerable. I've had a few restless nights, but mostly am getting enough sleep. God bless our new mattress, I give it a lot of credit. Kinda spendy, but it has been WORTH IT. Lots of pillows are helping too.
I know I'm carrying him differently than Kalaya too. My shirts are starting to get too small that I wore all the way through my last pregnancy, which I at first thought was because I was huge this time, but pants still seem to fit just fine, about the same way they did at this point last time. I'm trying to avoid buying more maternity clothes, but it may be inevitable. Luckily, Goodwill tends to have a good, inexpensive selection.
Honestly, we're about as 'ready' as we can be for this little guy at this point. The nursery is put together (though, it turned out to be mainly for show with Kalaya, we'll see how this little guy is...) and we still have the gear we used with Kalaya. I replaced a couple of things, but from consignment stores, so at a very low price. I have 2 lovely friends who want to throw me a shower (in early January is the plan, I believe), so we have a small registry at Babies R Us. We mainly need the co-sleeper and some boy clothes, as well as that stuff you have to get with each baby; lotion, etc. Luckily, diapers and wipes are still around from the first, though we may buy a few disposable here and there. Last time I wanted to wait to try the cloth, but discovered that they were so easy, I think we'll be doing cloth diapers almost from the day we bring him home.
Kalaya is 'ready' too, I guess. How can you REALLY prepare a 2 1/2 year old for a sibling? Sure, we talk about it all the time, show her everything for baby brother, talk about babies, how they act, what they do, etc. She's been around lots of babies and it very interested. But, to explain that never again will she be the center of our universe, will forever have some competition and that baby brother will be completely dependent on Mommy and Daddy for a loooong time?? Right. We're totally on top of that. We know she'll be fine and that there will be some adjustment, obviously.
For the most part, I'm trying to just enjoy having only one each and every day. Not that I prefer only one, I just know it will never be exactly like this again and I want to cherish every moment, as I have her whole life. There are times (possible pregnancy hormone reaction) when I get choked up, can't believe how big Kalaya is already and how fast time has already gone. And I know it's only going to go faster once Jakiah is here. Then I have these meltdowns, because I feel like I can't give Kalaya what she needs as much as I used to be able to. I'm just getting so big and uncomfortable, it's hard to do things that involve getting down on the floor or lifting her up. It's gotten hard to go to the park, which I know I should do more. And I just get tired so easily and it makes me irritable and I feel bad that it comes out in my parenting. I know I'm doing my best, but I get upset and wish I could do more. Nelson has been wonderful; he comes home after working all day, runs around with her, gives horsie rides, throws her around and gets out a lot of the energy that I can't keep up with. I wish we had a 2nd car during the day, it would make it easier to get to places, so that I could give her more of a variety of activities. We'll get there, I know and I know that she is very loved, lucky and well taken care of. Anyway, enough ranting, only 12 more weeks (in theory) to go!!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Lately....
Grrr! I'm so frustrated, my camera won't let me upload pictures! Or the computer won't. I'm not sure which. The USB port, I think, because our webcam isn't working either, which means no Skype. LAME! I have actually been remembering to take a few What I Wore Wednesday and Small Style pics and can't use them! We also have other fun trips and such that are stuck in my camera!! Hopefully that gets resolved soon.....
Wow, midway through October already! Once Halloween hits in our family, the time goes into warp speed, birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and before you know it, Baby Jakiah will be here!! That is crazy! I'm feeling really good these days, but bigger and bigger. I swear, I'm going to outgrow maternity clothes that fit me all the way up last pregnancy....maybe because he's a boy, maybe because it's the 2nd pregnancy, who knows why? I know part of it is that I am carrying him a little different than Kalaya too. Other than getting bigger and feeling lots and lots of movement from this little guy, I feel totally normal. Appetite is fine, sleeping pretty well, etc. I know that sleep may be affected soon, he's getting bigger and as a tummy sleeper (sigh...), I know my days are limited....I've been padding with more and more pillows, which is helping for now.
Kalaya is busy busy these days! We just started swim lessons last night and she LOVES them. She is probably the oldest in the class (it's the baby and me style), but it's perfect for her. She follows the teachers' directions exactly and gets so into it. I hope to post pics soon! It's a fun time for the three of us.
We went to the pumpkin patch on Sunday, again, hopefully will post pics soon! I can't believe this is already our THIRD YEAR of the pumpkin patch/Halloween and that next year we will be visiting as a family of four. Crazy! We went with two of her little friends and they had a blast. I scored her Halloween costume at a consignment store last week and it is sooooooo cute! I can't wait to show pics. And, it is really nice and warm and was really inexpensive! I'll do a special WIWW for Halloween. Stay tuned!
It's funny. I just posted last week about co-sleeping and literally the next day, she requested to sleep in 'Kalaya's bed'. I think a big part of it is that I finally got her room in order, and bought some new things to decorate it. (again, ANOTHER pic I want to post....as well as more 'after' pictures of the house!) I have been trying to avoid licensed characters as long as I can, but decided to cave and decorate her room with Sesame Street stuff, because I knew she'd want to spend more time on it. Again, pics will (hopefully!) be posted soon! But, she has started sleeping in her own bed, every night, with no problems. She did roll off the end her very first night, but it barely phased her and she was fine. Don't know if it will last, but it seems to be okay. We are SO glad we let her decide on her own when to do this. There's more room in our bed now, which is nice, but she will always be welcome back if she changes her mind.
We have been working on potty training much more than we have in the past. Since we're finally settled in (and most of our house is laminate, not carpeted....), I've been trying the 'diaper free' method. Everyone I know who tried this raved about it and said it was quickly a success. Well....not the case yet at our house. The point of no diaper is, of course, to let them learn to feel what it feels like when they have to go. That is not a problem for Kalaya, she gets that. She literally holds it all day, until the pull up goes on at nap or bed time and then goes almost immediately, reports to me and wants to be changed. She seems to just be being stubborn, we're not sure why. She will sit on the potty no problem, for extended periods of time, but not go in it. She loves watching 'Elmo's Potty Time' and totally gets all of the concepts, but...nothing yet. It is tiring, but I know we'll get there.
The house FINALLY is starting to feel like home. The inside is pretty much in order. Everything is put up, put away, organized, etc. There are a few more pieces of furniture we'd like to add over time, but for the most part, we're about there. We still need to order and install blinds and curtains, but everything else is about done. Because of the plumbing issue I posted about, we can no longer afford to upgrade our half bath to a full at this point. I'm disappointed, but I'm choosing to focus on the fact that we had the money to pay for the problem we had, rather than having to go in debt for it. Maybe if tax return time is good to us, we'll upgrade then. Though, I think we're going to try to find a way to purchase a second car (mini van baby!!) because we are going to need it!! We'll see. At this point, here are all of the things we have done or had done to the house: professional cleaners, painted all walls, doors, trim and ceilings, repaired large hole in living room wall, replaced family room carpet, paid a LOT to have a working washer and dryer, replaced all indoor thresholds, replaced flooring in laundry area, removed dead tree from back yard, had very large tree in front yard professionally pruned, attacked 4 foot tall weeds in front yard, fixed garage door opener, changed water dispenser/ice maker filter in fridge, had all ducts professionally cleaned, replaced light switches, had multiple electrical stuff done, furnace cleaned and serviced, had exterminators out to get rid of yellow jackets in crawl space (3 times...), had roof repaired, and replaced all gutters. We are still: having the gas powered wood stove (you read that correctly) serviced before we use it (today), having drywall put up over the large hole from the washing machine repair (tomorrow), having a french drain and trench put in the backyard to keep runoff from going under the house (Saturday), and ordering and installing mini blinds on all the windows. WHEW!!! Thank you very, very much to my parents for letting us live with them to save up, as well as my aunt and grandparents for some gifts along the way. Otherwise we would be up to our eyeballs in dept! Even with ALL this stuff, we still got an incredible deal on this house, I swear!!
Wow, midway through October already! Once Halloween hits in our family, the time goes into warp speed, birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and before you know it, Baby Jakiah will be here!! That is crazy! I'm feeling really good these days, but bigger and bigger. I swear, I'm going to outgrow maternity clothes that fit me all the way up last pregnancy....maybe because he's a boy, maybe because it's the 2nd pregnancy, who knows why? I know part of it is that I am carrying him a little different than Kalaya too. Other than getting bigger and feeling lots and lots of movement from this little guy, I feel totally normal. Appetite is fine, sleeping pretty well, etc. I know that sleep may be affected soon, he's getting bigger and as a tummy sleeper (sigh...), I know my days are limited....I've been padding with more and more pillows, which is helping for now.
Kalaya is busy busy these days! We just started swim lessons last night and she LOVES them. She is probably the oldest in the class (it's the baby and me style), but it's perfect for her. She follows the teachers' directions exactly and gets so into it. I hope to post pics soon! It's a fun time for the three of us.
We went to the pumpkin patch on Sunday, again, hopefully will post pics soon! I can't believe this is already our THIRD YEAR of the pumpkin patch/Halloween and that next year we will be visiting as a family of four. Crazy! We went with two of her little friends and they had a blast. I scored her Halloween costume at a consignment store last week and it is sooooooo cute! I can't wait to show pics. And, it is really nice and warm and was really inexpensive! I'll do a special WIWW for Halloween. Stay tuned!
It's funny. I just posted last week about co-sleeping and literally the next day, she requested to sleep in 'Kalaya's bed'. I think a big part of it is that I finally got her room in order, and bought some new things to decorate it. (again, ANOTHER pic I want to post....as well as more 'after' pictures of the house!) I have been trying to avoid licensed characters as long as I can, but decided to cave and decorate her room with Sesame Street stuff, because I knew she'd want to spend more time on it. Again, pics will (hopefully!) be posted soon! But, she has started sleeping in her own bed, every night, with no problems. She did roll off the end her very first night, but it barely phased her and she was fine. Don't know if it will last, but it seems to be okay. We are SO glad we let her decide on her own when to do this. There's more room in our bed now, which is nice, but she will always be welcome back if she changes her mind.
We have been working on potty training much more than we have in the past. Since we're finally settled in (and most of our house is laminate, not carpeted....), I've been trying the 'diaper free' method. Everyone I know who tried this raved about it and said it was quickly a success. Well....not the case yet at our house. The point of no diaper is, of course, to let them learn to feel what it feels like when they have to go. That is not a problem for Kalaya, she gets that. She literally holds it all day, until the pull up goes on at nap or bed time and then goes almost immediately, reports to me and wants to be changed. She seems to just be being stubborn, we're not sure why. She will sit on the potty no problem, for extended periods of time, but not go in it. She loves watching 'Elmo's Potty Time' and totally gets all of the concepts, but...nothing yet. It is tiring, but I know we'll get there.
The house FINALLY is starting to feel like home. The inside is pretty much in order. Everything is put up, put away, organized, etc. There are a few more pieces of furniture we'd like to add over time, but for the most part, we're about there. We still need to order and install blinds and curtains, but everything else is about done. Because of the plumbing issue I posted about, we can no longer afford to upgrade our half bath to a full at this point. I'm disappointed, but I'm choosing to focus on the fact that we had the money to pay for the problem we had, rather than having to go in debt for it. Maybe if tax return time is good to us, we'll upgrade then. Though, I think we're going to try to find a way to purchase a second car (mini van baby!!) because we are going to need it!! We'll see. At this point, here are all of the things we have done or had done to the house: professional cleaners, painted all walls, doors, trim and ceilings, repaired large hole in living room wall, replaced family room carpet, paid a LOT to have a working washer and dryer, replaced all indoor thresholds, replaced flooring in laundry area, removed dead tree from back yard, had very large tree in front yard professionally pruned, attacked 4 foot tall weeds in front yard, fixed garage door opener, changed water dispenser/ice maker filter in fridge, had all ducts professionally cleaned, replaced light switches, had multiple electrical stuff done, furnace cleaned and serviced, had exterminators out to get rid of yellow jackets in crawl space (3 times...), had roof repaired, and replaced all gutters. We are still: having the gas powered wood stove (you read that correctly) serviced before we use it (today), having drywall put up over the large hole from the washing machine repair (tomorrow), having a french drain and trench put in the backyard to keep runoff from going under the house (Saturday), and ordering and installing mini blinds on all the windows. WHEW!!! Thank you very, very much to my parents for letting us live with them to save up, as well as my aunt and grandparents for some gifts along the way. Otherwise we would be up to our eyeballs in dept! Even with ALL this stuff, we still got an incredible deal on this house, I swear!!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
20 Weeks
This pregnancy is just FLYING by! I can't believe I'm already halfway through!! With the new house and everything else going on, I haven't had time to do anything extra, including blogging. But, that doesn't mean that this pregnancy isn't totally exciting and special!!
We found out yesterday that we're having a BOY!! We're thrilled! Though, we would have been 100% as equally thrilled with a girl. Two comments I'm already sick of: 1) "Oh, now you're done!" Excuse me, but that will be determined by when we feel our family is 'done', not what gender combination we have! 2) Gosh, Nelson must be sooo excited! Excuse me again, Nelson was just as excited for a girl as he is for a boy. Sheesh.
No names picked out yet, but we're definitely thinking. We don't plan to keep his name a secret, as we did with Kalaya, because we want Kalaya to get used to his name as much as possible. She was very interested in the ultrasound yesterday and keeps telling people how she 'watched baby brudder on the TV'. The ultrasound went great, he's very active (as I knew!) and all the parts were there! I have an appointment on Thursday with our midwife to follow up on the measurements, etc.
I am feeling great these days! I have to be careful, because I want so badly to get the house unpacked, but between keeping track of Kalaya, cleaning and arranging, I get tired really quickly. I make myself take breaks often, but I'm still pretty tired by the end of each day. My appetite has completely returned to normal and things are tasting the way they're supposed to, which is REALLY nice. My belly definitely is popping out, to the point that people in public are confident enough to comment on it. I'll post a pic soon! I just have to find the box with my camera in it first....
We found out yesterday that we're having a BOY!! We're thrilled! Though, we would have been 100% as equally thrilled with a girl. Two comments I'm already sick of: 1) "Oh, now you're done!" Excuse me, but that will be determined by when we feel our family is 'done', not what gender combination we have! 2) Gosh, Nelson must be sooo excited! Excuse me again, Nelson was just as excited for a girl as he is for a boy. Sheesh.
No names picked out yet, but we're definitely thinking. We don't plan to keep his name a secret, as we did with Kalaya, because we want Kalaya to get used to his name as much as possible. She was very interested in the ultrasound yesterday and keeps telling people how she 'watched baby brudder on the TV'. The ultrasound went great, he's very active (as I knew!) and all the parts were there! I have an appointment on Thursday with our midwife to follow up on the measurements, etc.
I am feeling great these days! I have to be careful, because I want so badly to get the house unpacked, but between keeping track of Kalaya, cleaning and arranging, I get tired really quickly. I make myself take breaks often, but I'm still pretty tired by the end of each day. My appetite has completely returned to normal and things are tasting the way they're supposed to, which is REALLY nice. My belly definitely is popping out, to the point that people in public are confident enough to comment on it. I'll post a pic soon! I just have to find the box with my camera in it first....
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
What I Wore Wednesday 8/17
Confession: I still watch Kate Plus 8 every week, even though their family went a little crazy. She's about the go off the air soon, which I definitely think it's time for, but I still like watching the kids. I am forever connected to that show, because I discovered it at the end of my first pregnancy and while I was nursing a baby late at night. The early episodes were sweet and I miss it and it will always be in my heart. : )
What that has to do with fashion is this: on Monday's episode, she made a statement that literally made me say "AMEN!" and clap for her out loud. "Mother's get a window until their youngest child is 5, where they are allowed to look frumpy, wear old clothes, tshirts, etc, because they're changing their clothes from messes ten times a day anyway!!!" (or something like that) While I applaud women who dress cute every day, it isn't for me. Heck, it wasn't even for me at the time in my life when I felt the most pressure to dress a certain way; high school. I wore what I felt like a lot of the time and that often meant super comfy and casual. If we leave the house, I usually try to at least get out of sweats, but not always. Nelson jokes that we often look homeless at the grocery store together. : ) I love my husband.
The last few weeks have looked like the pics below pretty much every day. I have had some cute looks, but was too busy to grab the camera. The good news is, these clothes are evidence of two MAJOR things: CLEANING and PACKING!!! I have been working on getting things ready to take to our NEW HOUSE, so these types of outfits are a beautiful thing!
(not that you care, but...)
shirt: Youth Group Mission Trip Summer 2010
shorts: Westview (my high school) Football shorts, stolen from my brother (shhhh...)
What that has to do with fashion is this: on Monday's episode, she made a statement that literally made me say "AMEN!" and clap for her out loud. "Mother's get a window until their youngest child is 5, where they are allowed to look frumpy, wear old clothes, tshirts, etc, because they're changing their clothes from messes ten times a day anyway!!!" (or something like that) While I applaud women who dress cute every day, it isn't for me. Heck, it wasn't even for me at the time in my life when I felt the most pressure to dress a certain way; high school. I wore what I felt like a lot of the time and that often meant super comfy and casual. If we leave the house, I usually try to at least get out of sweats, but not always. Nelson jokes that we often look homeless at the grocery store together. : ) I love my husband.
The last few weeks have looked like the pics below pretty much every day. I have had some cute looks, but was too busy to grab the camera. The good news is, these clothes are evidence of two MAJOR things: CLEANING and PACKING!!! I have been working on getting things ready to take to our NEW HOUSE, so these types of outfits are a beautiful thing!
(not that you care, but...)
shirt: Youth Group Mission Trip Summer 2010
shorts: Westview (my high school) Football shorts, stolen from my brother (shhhh...)
Friday, August 12, 2011
Ketchup
Lots and lots going on lately (it's taken me about 4 days just to finish this post!!), not been motivated to post! Here's a run down:
*Had another midwife appointment yesterday and everything looked great! I got to hear the heartbeat and it was good and strong. I've gained 4 pounds total and am measuring right on schedule. Blood pressure was great as well. I'm about 15 1/2 weeks and am definitely showing. The first trimester symptoms seem to be fading away (knock on wood), so I'm feeling better. I definitely have more energy and my tummy has been feeling a lot better. Some foods are tasting normal again, but not all. We have our ultrasound to find out gender the 2nd week in September, very exciting!!
*Had a very, very up and down emotional last weekend. On the positive, went to a bridal shower and bachelorette party with college friends and had a really good time. However, it was soured by the stress I've been getting for the last week about my high school reunion. I AM SO SICK OF IT. Long story short, I was part of a committee last fall, they ALL bailed on me, I scrambled to plan something any way, with the help of one other person, came up with (what I thought) were 2 nice events, priced VERY reasonably, put down a large deposit, got negative feedback and not enough RSVPs, cancelled the evening reception because of it, kept the day time BBQ (this was about March-May) and have JUST NOW started getting people who 'wanted to come, but now all of this is too last minute'. ARE YOU FRICKIN KIDDING ME??? People have been posting really, really rude things on Facebook, which I'm trying to ignore, but it's been hard. Where these people were a year ago when we started planning.....I've kind of stopped caring. The good news is SO many people have said very nice things to me and been very grateful and understanding, so I feel much better.
* We are so, so close to getting the house!! Our offer was finally approved a couple of weeks ago and we are scheduled to close on the 26th, 2 weeks from today! It is not completely move in ready though. We will be hiring cleaners BIG TIME and then painting the inside. The family room carpet needs replacing too. The inspection turned out some minor repairs, including replacing the gutters, minor plumbing and electric and needing a new dishwasher, so we'll take care of those as well. Plus, there are some hornets nests to get rid of. Luckily, all of this is in our budget, which is thanks to how long we've been saving, living at my parents' house. The house is a 4 br, 1 1/2 bath, but we can probably to upgrade the 1/2 bath (in the Master br) right away, which is totally awesome! So, the house definitely qualifies in the 'fixer-upper' category, but I'm totally excited. We went to Home Depot on Saturday and it was the beginning of a whole new world for me!! I have always loathed, hated, DESPISED that store, but now? I could spend hours in there, looking for ideas and inspiration. More about plans as we get further along in the process. I'm trying to decide on paint colors currently and am completely overwhelmed!! The good news is that the house had a lot of the major things replaced 4 years ago (furnace, AC, yes, central air!!, all the windows, floors), so the 'bones' are in pretty good shape, which saves us a lot of money.
*At 2 years, 3 months, Miss Kalaya has been enjoying the sun and summer weather we've been having. On warm days, she has a her wading pool on back and we've taken several trips to local fountains to play. She will be starting swim lessons almost immediately after we get into the new house. (long story why we've waited, but the short story is that it's cheaper this way!!) One of the things I am most excited about for the new house is that potty training will kick into high gear. She is beyond more than ready, just a few days of the diaper-free method is going to finish this process up, I'm convinced. I've wanted to do this for longer than the last 6 months, but didn't for 2 main reasons. 1. My parents have carpet that is fairly new and 2. I have heard over and over again that you should wait until after a major change like a move.
Some other favorite things these days are coloring (she can finally make the crayons do what she wants them to do, more or less), being read to, longer and longer 'big kid' stories, take walks, run around and explore rocks and leaves in the back yard, practicing walking the dogs on their leashes, pretending to cook a wide variety of foods, but 'rice and grapes' seem to be the most popular (neither of which I make too often....), eating 'melon' (water melon was a big success on the 4th and cantaloupe is too), practicing letters and their sounds, dancing, singing LOTS of songs, kissing 'mommy's baby', going to the park, getting stickers at Trader Joe's and Target, riding in 'Oma's new car', 'talking on the compooter' with family and friends, visiting 'Elena's new house', playing night night with all her animals and toys, watching 'Pig' (aka, Word World) and practicing 'let's build a word!!' on Saturday mornings (she only gets to watch TV on Sat mornings and Word World and Elmo's World and VERY occasionally Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) and lots and lots and LOTS of other activities. She is a little sponge, learning and soaking up SO much new information every day!!
*Had another midwife appointment yesterday and everything looked great! I got to hear the heartbeat and it was good and strong. I've gained 4 pounds total and am measuring right on schedule. Blood pressure was great as well. I'm about 15 1/2 weeks and am definitely showing. The first trimester symptoms seem to be fading away (knock on wood), so I'm feeling better. I definitely have more energy and my tummy has been feeling a lot better. Some foods are tasting normal again, but not all. We have our ultrasound to find out gender the 2nd week in September, very exciting!!
*Had a very, very up and down emotional last weekend. On the positive, went to a bridal shower and bachelorette party with college friends and had a really good time. However, it was soured by the stress I've been getting for the last week about my high school reunion. I AM SO SICK OF IT. Long story short, I was part of a committee last fall, they ALL bailed on me, I scrambled to plan something any way, with the help of one other person, came up with (what I thought) were 2 nice events, priced VERY reasonably, put down a large deposit, got negative feedback and not enough RSVPs, cancelled the evening reception because of it, kept the day time BBQ (this was about March-May) and have JUST NOW started getting people who 'wanted to come, but now all of this is too last minute'. ARE YOU FRICKIN KIDDING ME??? People have been posting really, really rude things on Facebook, which I'm trying to ignore, but it's been hard. Where these people were a year ago when we started planning.....I've kind of stopped caring. The good news is SO many people have said very nice things to me and been very grateful and understanding, so I feel much better.
* We are so, so close to getting the house!! Our offer was finally approved a couple of weeks ago and we are scheduled to close on the 26th, 2 weeks from today! It is not completely move in ready though. We will be hiring cleaners BIG TIME and then painting the inside. The family room carpet needs replacing too. The inspection turned out some minor repairs, including replacing the gutters, minor plumbing and electric and needing a new dishwasher, so we'll take care of those as well. Plus, there are some hornets nests to get rid of. Luckily, all of this is in our budget, which is thanks to how long we've been saving, living at my parents' house. The house is a 4 br, 1 1/2 bath, but we can probably to upgrade the 1/2 bath (in the Master br) right away, which is totally awesome! So, the house definitely qualifies in the 'fixer-upper' category, but I'm totally excited. We went to Home Depot on Saturday and it was the beginning of a whole new world for me!! I have always loathed, hated, DESPISED that store, but now? I could spend hours in there, looking for ideas and inspiration. More about plans as we get further along in the process. I'm trying to decide on paint colors currently and am completely overwhelmed!! The good news is that the house had a lot of the major things replaced 4 years ago (furnace, AC, yes, central air!!, all the windows, floors), so the 'bones' are in pretty good shape, which saves us a lot of money.
*At 2 years, 3 months, Miss Kalaya has been enjoying the sun and summer weather we've been having. On warm days, she has a her wading pool on back and we've taken several trips to local fountains to play. She will be starting swim lessons almost immediately after we get into the new house. (long story why we've waited, but the short story is that it's cheaper this way!!) One of the things I am most excited about for the new house is that potty training will kick into high gear. She is beyond more than ready, just a few days of the diaper-free method is going to finish this process up, I'm convinced. I've wanted to do this for longer than the last 6 months, but didn't for 2 main reasons. 1. My parents have carpet that is fairly new and 2. I have heard over and over again that you should wait until after a major change like a move.
Some other favorite things these days are coloring (she can finally make the crayons do what she wants them to do, more or less), being read to, longer and longer 'big kid' stories, take walks, run around and explore rocks and leaves in the back yard, practicing walking the dogs on their leashes, pretending to cook a wide variety of foods, but 'rice and grapes' seem to be the most popular (neither of which I make too often....), eating 'melon' (water melon was a big success on the 4th and cantaloupe is too), practicing letters and their sounds, dancing, singing LOTS of songs, kissing 'mommy's baby', going to the park, getting stickers at Trader Joe's and Target, riding in 'Oma's new car', 'talking on the compooter' with family and friends, visiting 'Elena's new house', playing night night with all her animals and toys, watching 'Pig' (aka, Word World) and practicing 'let's build a word!!' on Saturday mornings (she only gets to watch TV on Sat mornings and Word World and Elmo's World and VERY occasionally Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) and lots and lots and LOTS of other activities. She is a little sponge, learning and soaking up SO much new information every day!!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
What I Wore Wed 8/3
Finally, I remembered to keep my camera near the mirror! It's been wonderful, perfect summer weather in the Northwest, so we've been outside a lot and enjoying the sun! I have realized I don't have a lot of summer maternity clothes (I didn't need them last pregnancy), so I have some mixes of maternity and non pieces this week. I'll mark those that are not. I'll also mark items purchased this year, incase someone out there just loves something! : )
Shirt: Motherhood (hand me down)
Shorts: Old Navy (hand me down)
Tank* and Bella Band* (not shown): Motherhood outlet
Shirt*, shorts*: Ross
This skirt is possibly the most comfortable piece of maternity clothing I've ever owned!! (my husband thinks it's hideous, but I don't care! : )
Shirt: Costco**
Skirt: Old Navy*
*Shirt**, *Dress**: Target
Shorts*: Ross
Shirt*: Old Navy
Tank*: Motherhood Outlet
*Shorts**: Old Navy
Necklace: Forever 21 accessory store
One last thing that helps me feel better is a pedicure. I go very infrequently and it's the only pampering I really do for myself. (I am not exaggerating. I get my hair cut as Great Clips and only with a coupon!!) It always feels so nice afterwards!
Shirt: Motherhood (hand me down)Shorts: Old Navy (hand me down)
Tank* and Bella Band* (not shown): Motherhood outlet
Shirt*, shorts*: RossThis skirt is possibly the most comfortable piece of maternity clothing I've ever owned!! (my husband thinks it's hideous, but I don't care! : )
Shirt: Costco**Skirt: Old Navy*
*Shirt**, *Dress**: TargetShorts*: Ross
Shirt*: Old NavyTank*: Motherhood Outlet
*Shorts**: Old Navy
Necklace: Forever 21 accessory store
*Purchased this season
**Non-Maternity
**Non-Maternity
The following outfit is proof of daily accomplishment. It means that I, as a pregnant mother of a toddler, was able to take a shower. It means my body, hair and teeth are cleaned. And THAT is beautiful every day!!!
One last thing that helps me feel better is a pedicure. I go very infrequently and it's the only pampering I really do for myself. (I am not exaggerating. I get my hair cut as Great Clips and only with a coupon!!) It always feels so nice afterwards!
I am linking up with That Kind of Mom.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
What I Wore Wednesday 7/27
I am so proud of one of my all time best friends for passing along the 'What I Wore Wednesday' posts and adding her on twist. You can link to her below!
If you are new to my blog, welcome! What I Wore Wednesday has recently started changing for me, since I'm pregnant with my second child! I actually really like a lot of the maternity clothes that I have from my first pregnancy and have already picked up a few new pieces.
I love the search for inexpensive maternity clothes. I have gotten some great stuff handed down to me and I love going to Goodwill to find more. It's so great, because thrifted maternity clothes tend to still be in GREAT shape, since they only get worn for a few months! I find lots of brand names, my favorite being Motherhood, but pay SO much less than the prices in their stores. I also find pieces at Ross, Target and Old Navy.
The most important thing for me with all of my clothes, whether pregnant or not, is comfort. I have been surprised over the years to discover some trendy clothes that actually are pretty comfortable. I know a lot of pregnant women need to fit in their pre-pregnancy clothes as long as possible and as soon as possible after their baby is born. That didn't bother me with my first pregnancy and it hasn't with this one. A large part of that is because I think that maternity clothes these days are really cute! And there are so many styles to choose from of all types of clothing. Some stuff does look baggy for awhile (though that ends all too soon), because they do fit differently in more areas than just the waist (aka, most jeans), but there are lots of other options. With my last pregnancy, it was late fall through spring (in Oregon), so I mainly wore cool weather clothing. This pregnancy, I'm pregnant in the summer, so I've had to get some new things. Plus, I started showing about 30 seconds after I got pregnant, so I've needed things sooner this time!
I found this dress at Goodwill for less than 7 bucks and I love it. It's super comfortable and really versitle. I wore it out for our 5th anniversary and plan to wear it to a wedding in a few weeks. It's not too dressy though, I can wear it just about any where, just have to change shoes and accessories. This may be one of my last time with the wedges though, my balance felt a little off with the extra weight in front!
Dress: Goodwill (originally Motherhood)
Shoes: Nordstrom Rack
Purse: Ross
Necklace: Some boutique in Spain, 2005
If you are new to my blog, welcome! What I Wore Wednesday has recently started changing for me, since I'm pregnant with my second child! I actually really like a lot of the maternity clothes that I have from my first pregnancy and have already picked up a few new pieces.
I love the search for inexpensive maternity clothes. I have gotten some great stuff handed down to me and I love going to Goodwill to find more. It's so great, because thrifted maternity clothes tend to still be in GREAT shape, since they only get worn for a few months! I find lots of brand names, my favorite being Motherhood, but pay SO much less than the prices in their stores. I also find pieces at Ross, Target and Old Navy.
The most important thing for me with all of my clothes, whether pregnant or not, is comfort. I have been surprised over the years to discover some trendy clothes that actually are pretty comfortable. I know a lot of pregnant women need to fit in their pre-pregnancy clothes as long as possible and as soon as possible after their baby is born. That didn't bother me with my first pregnancy and it hasn't with this one. A large part of that is because I think that maternity clothes these days are really cute! And there are so many styles to choose from of all types of clothing. Some stuff does look baggy for awhile (though that ends all too soon), because they do fit differently in more areas than just the waist (aka, most jeans), but there are lots of other options. With my last pregnancy, it was late fall through spring (in Oregon), so I mainly wore cool weather clothing. This pregnancy, I'm pregnant in the summer, so I've had to get some new things. Plus, I started showing about 30 seconds after I got pregnant, so I've needed things sooner this time!
I found this dress at Goodwill for less than 7 bucks and I love it. It's super comfortable and really versitle. I wore it out for our 5th anniversary and plan to wear it to a wedding in a few weeks. It's not too dressy though, I can wear it just about any where, just have to change shoes and accessories. This may be one of my last time with the wedges though, my balance felt a little off with the extra weight in front!
Dress: Goodwill (originally Motherhood)Shoes: Nordstrom Rack
Purse: Ross
Necklace: Some boutique in Spain, 2005
I am linking with That Kind of Mom.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
First Belly Pic of Pregnancy #2
For obvious reasons, I am not showing my belly itself. (not in a dress silly!) Wow, dresses REALLY emphasize a preggo belly!! I am just shy of 13 weeks in this pic. More about the outfit on Wednesday for WIWW!! The belly has definitely popped out faster with the 2nd pregnancy. It didn't help I had just had a HUGE lunch at Benihana for our anniversary. More about that soon!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Baby # 2 is on the way!!
Well, we've made our announcement on Facebook, we're pregnant again!! Here is a quick rundown of the pregnancy so far:
How far along are you?
12 weeks on Tuesday
When is the baby due?
January 31, 2012
Will you find out the gender?
Yes, likely around the first week in September
Will you keep the name a secret again?
Actually, probably not. We want Kalaya to be very familiar with the name and she can’t keep a secret. : )
Any names yet?
Not really
Do you want a boy or girl?
Either. Honestly, we will be 100% happy with either.
Is this the last one?
We truly do not know. We do know that we plan to wait at least 5 years after this child is born to make any decisions. (The Snip or try again)
Was this planned?
100% absolutely. We have been VERY blessed that both times we wanted to get pregnant, we were able to on the first try.
Have you been sick?
Minor irritation, but not too much. I mainly get nauseous if I don’t have enough food in my system or indigestion if I eat too much. There’s not really a happy medium. My appetite is shot, because very few foods appeal to me, except plain, plain, plain. (this is all just like my first pregnancy)
Any other symptoms?
Again, all minor. I am SO TIRED ALL THE TIME. I can’t believe how tired I’ve been this time around. Last pregnancy I was teaching 26 2nd graders full times and it was NOTHING compared to how tired I’ve been this time. Only other things are all the same as last time; acne, trouble sleeping, breast tenderness, Again, all very minor.
How is Kalaya reacting?
Very well so far! Though obviously, she doesn’t really understand. She is very proud of the ‘Big Sister’ shirt we got her and gives ‘mommy’s baby’ lots of hugs and kisses and says I love you baby!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Last Blog Before Baby!
Well, it's late in the evening of the night before I become a mom. Baby, I can't wait to meet you and Daddy and I could not be more excited!! We had a special night out with yummy food and special times to celebrate you coming into this world tomorrow!! I am treasuring the last few hours that I have with you inside me....I will miss feeling you kick and move! I pray that everything goes safe and well for you and I tomorrow and I will see you soon! I'm off to try and get some sleep, but I may be too excited! I love you so much already and HERE YOU COME!!!
Monday, May 4, 2009
39 weeks
Well, this is about to no longer be a pregnancy blog, it's about to be a new baby blog! 2 more days until she is scheduled to come out! I have not given up hope on the idea of her turning, she could still surprise us, but I've pretty much accepted the fact that Wednesday, we will celebrate a birth!
Not that she hasn't made an effort to turn. We've done moxibustion, the version and all those helpful home-remedy ideas and it definitely gets her going. I really feel her start to move and turn, especially in the last week. She shifts a lot when I lay in certain positions, but then it's like she isn't able to turn past a certain point. So, despite all of the helpful people who say things about her being "so stubborn" and "so much fun" and "good luck with THAT personality" (what good can possibly come from these comments??), she has made a heck of a try. She still has about 48 hours, so who knows? Again, I'm ready for the cesarian and will be happy with the outcome!
However, it's starting to hit me that this pregnancy is almost over and honestly, there are times when it breaks my heart. I can't wait to meet her and I know it will be absolutley wonderful and special. But, right now, she's all mine, I don't have to share her and I know everything she does. I am going to miss feeling her move inside me soooooo much. This pregnancy has been so enjoyable and I really haven't got to the point where I'm "dying for her to come out", like so many mothers do toward the end of pregnancy. Sure, I'm sore and tired and achy, but this pregnancy has been great. Poor Nelson. He thinks that 2 is it for us, which we have agreed on for our "life plans", but I can totally see myself wanting to be pregnant a 3rd time.....a 4th time....we'll see! : ) (Don't worry, I'm not going to turn into a Michelle Duggar or anything!)
So, the plan is to be at the hospital at 6am on Wednesday, and if everything goes as planned, she should be born by 8:30 or so. We will send out pictures, texts and such as soon as we can! The doctor said we should be at the hospital at least until Saturday, if not longer, to make sure I am well and okay after surgery. We are happy to have visitors in the hospital, we just want people to call ahead and probably not on Wed. Wait until Thurs or Fri. And, we probably are thinking only 20-30 min visits or so. Don't want to wear ourselves out before we even get home! Pretty soon I'll be posting pictures of our new family!!!
Not that she hasn't made an effort to turn. We've done moxibustion, the version and all those helpful home-remedy ideas and it definitely gets her going. I really feel her start to move and turn, especially in the last week. She shifts a lot when I lay in certain positions, but then it's like she isn't able to turn past a certain point. So, despite all of the helpful people who say things about her being "so stubborn" and "so much fun" and "good luck with THAT personality" (what good can possibly come from these comments??), she has made a heck of a try. She still has about 48 hours, so who knows? Again, I'm ready for the cesarian and will be happy with the outcome!
However, it's starting to hit me that this pregnancy is almost over and honestly, there are times when it breaks my heart. I can't wait to meet her and I know it will be absolutley wonderful and special. But, right now, she's all mine, I don't have to share her and I know everything she does. I am going to miss feeling her move inside me soooooo much. This pregnancy has been so enjoyable and I really haven't got to the point where I'm "dying for her to come out", like so many mothers do toward the end of pregnancy. Sure, I'm sore and tired and achy, but this pregnancy has been great. Poor Nelson. He thinks that 2 is it for us, which we have agreed on for our "life plans", but I can totally see myself wanting to be pregnant a 3rd time.....a 4th time....we'll see! : ) (Don't worry, I'm not going to turn into a Michelle Duggar or anything!)
So, the plan is to be at the hospital at 6am on Wednesday, and if everything goes as planned, she should be born by 8:30 or so. We will send out pictures, texts and such as soon as we can! The doctor said we should be at the hospital at least until Saturday, if not longer, to make sure I am well and okay after surgery. We are happy to have visitors in the hospital, we just want people to call ahead and probably not on Wed. Wait until Thurs or Fri. And, we probably are thinking only 20-30 min visits or so. Don't want to wear ourselves out before we even get home! Pretty soon I'll be posting pictures of our new family!!!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
38 Weeks/9 Months
We are in the home stretch folks!! WOW!! I look back over the last 9 months, since we first saw that positive pregnancy test and it has flown by! And, it's only going to go into warp drive once baby gets here! We are so excited, but honestly, I still don't know if it's hitting me that a baby is about to come out of me! Yes, we have everything set up and there's evidence of baby all around our house, ready to go, but really?? A baby?? Nelson and I are becoming PARENTS?? That is a crazy concept. You would think after 9 months of preparing (not to mention 26 and 1/2 years....) that I would be as ready as I could be, which I think I am, but ready or not, here she comes!
Well, if I had any doubts that I had a baby growing inside me, this last week it has REALLY become obvious. She is BIG. We haven't had estimations on her size or anything, it's just that I can't really get into any type of comfortable position these days and she has gotten heavy on my pelvis. I am very, very lucky that I really haven't had this kind of discomfort until now. I feel SO sorry for women who have these struggles in earlier months. Sleep is a new experience too, there is officially no comfortable position, unless she shifts by pure luck. I have to get up every 3 hours to pee anyway, so I start the whole process of getting comfortable all over again! Pillows are the single greatest invention, especially my body pillow.
I had my last official day of work this week, little Marlee is off to day care! Hopefully I can resume this job in the fall, because it really has been the perfect working situation for me. As long as I can handle 2 babies, we'll be okay!! I do miss her already though!
Baby is still breech, but I've pretty much accepted that fact. So many of our friends and family members have been so sweet and supportive, understanding that this has been a hard reality for me to face and I appreciate it so much! We are focusing on the positive aspects of the cesarian birth and are just getting excited to see her! She will be making her debut to the world on Wednesday! (6 days!!!!!!) We met our OB on Monday and she was very nice and sounded very ready to let us have the birth experience we desire, with the new circumstances factored in. It sounds like baby and Nelson can stay in the operating room the whole time and that we will all go to recovery together, which is wonderful! We should be at the hospital until Saturday or Sunday, so we should all be home together for Mother's Day and Nelson's birthday! Thank you so much to everyone for your prayers, love and support! We can't wait for everyone to see her and meet her! AND, we know everyone is excited to learn her name!! (only 2 people have guessed correctly, way to go Sarah and Joel!)
Well, if I had any doubts that I had a baby growing inside me, this last week it has REALLY become obvious. She is BIG. We haven't had estimations on her size or anything, it's just that I can't really get into any type of comfortable position these days and she has gotten heavy on my pelvis. I am very, very lucky that I really haven't had this kind of discomfort until now. I feel SO sorry for women who have these struggles in earlier months. Sleep is a new experience too, there is officially no comfortable position, unless she shifts by pure luck. I have to get up every 3 hours to pee anyway, so I start the whole process of getting comfortable all over again! Pillows are the single greatest invention, especially my body pillow.
I had my last official day of work this week, little Marlee is off to day care! Hopefully I can resume this job in the fall, because it really has been the perfect working situation for me. As long as I can handle 2 babies, we'll be okay!! I do miss her already though!
Baby is still breech, but I've pretty much accepted that fact. So many of our friends and family members have been so sweet and supportive, understanding that this has been a hard reality for me to face and I appreciate it so much! We are focusing on the positive aspects of the cesarian birth and are just getting excited to see her! She will be making her debut to the world on Wednesday! (6 days!!!!!!) We met our OB on Monday and she was very nice and sounded very ready to let us have the birth experience we desire, with the new circumstances factored in. It sounds like baby and Nelson can stay in the operating room the whole time and that we will all go to recovery together, which is wonderful! We should be at the hospital until Saturday or Sunday, so we should all be home together for Mother's Day and Nelson's birthday! Thank you so much to everyone for your prayers, love and support! We can't wait for everyone to see her and meet her! AND, we know everyone is excited to learn her name!! (only 2 people have guessed correctly, way to go Sarah and Joel!)
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
More 37 week info
Well, let's see.....we are getting into the home stretch and are finalizing everything around the house to be ready when baby comes home. Our bags for the hospital are packed and ready to go. The nursery is basically done, at least enough-so that we have everything we will need for baby once she gets here. We haven't done anything too elaborate, since we're in a rental apartment. We're saving big decorating things for when we eventually move, which is likely to happen this summer. We are hoping to buy a house, but we want to be sure we're ready to settle for a few years, since although it is a great time to buy, it is an awful time to sell! Anyway, I have also been cooking, cooking, cooking to get ready for the first few weeks of exhaustion! I have double batches of soups, chili, spaghetti sauce, sauce for homemade mac and cheese, and breads waiting in the fridge. I've stocked up on a bunch of quick-cook stuff, like soups, pasta and frozen stuff, which I normally try to avoid, but it will make life a lot easier for Nelson and I! We have lots of people who are willing to help out around the house, but I think I'm going to be very selfish about our time at home with just us. Nelson has 2 weeks (vacation) with us and then will work half-time for another 3 weeks (sick leave) before having to go back full time. We know those weeks will fly by and we want to have as much bonding time with her as possible. We are thinking of having an "open house" one weekend in May or June, so that people can come and visit us and meet baby. We just don't want to get overwhelmed with people, even though we know everyone has the best intentions! : ) We just know it's going to go so fast!!
For those of you who don't know, we are starting to think ahead to her baptism, which will be a double-special event, because Nelson and her will be baptized together! They are going to baptized in the church where we were married, which is the church we currently attend. This will likely be some time in June, when the great-grandparents are visiting. We would love if Uncle Colin and Aunt Carrie were back from Afghanistan to attend too, but it sounds like they won't be here until July, which is coming up soon, so we are thankful! Uncle Theo (Nelson's brother) will be the godfather.
I have to say that one of the positive things about having this breech baby experience is the love and support that has shown up in the last few weeks! Good old facebook! So many people are supporting us in this pregnancy, so many kind words of encouragement and helpful advice! So many people are praying for us and our baby, it's wonderful! It's very humbling to feel so loved!
Nelson and I decided to preserve the belly forever by creating a "belly cast", so we did that Tuesday evening. It's big! I haven't decided how I'm going to decorate it yet, probably paint with her name a "birth stats", or some kind of collage, we'll see. It was fun to do, Nelson did the whole thing! We were warned to use a LOT of vaseline, which we did, so much so it was challenging to get it off!! It took almost 20 min of scrubbing in the shower!! Here are some pics of it:
Wow, I look tired, but it took longer than we thought and this picture was taken at about 11pm. Worth it though!
For those of you who don't know, we are starting to think ahead to her baptism, which will be a double-special event, because Nelson and her will be baptized together! They are going to baptized in the church where we were married, which is the church we currently attend. This will likely be some time in June, when the great-grandparents are visiting. We would love if Uncle Colin and Aunt Carrie were back from Afghanistan to attend too, but it sounds like they won't be here until July, which is coming up soon, so we are thankful! Uncle Theo (Nelson's brother) will be the godfather.
I have to say that one of the positive things about having this breech baby experience is the love and support that has shown up in the last few weeks! Good old facebook! So many people are supporting us in this pregnancy, so many kind words of encouragement and helpful advice! So many people are praying for us and our baby, it's wonderful! It's very humbling to feel so loved!
Nelson and I decided to preserve the belly forever by creating a "belly cast", so we did that Tuesday evening. It's big! I haven't decided how I'm going to decorate it yet, probably paint with her name a "birth stats", or some kind of collage, we'll see. It was fun to do, Nelson did the whole thing! We were warned to use a LOT of vaseline, which we did, so much so it was challenging to get it off!! It took almost 20 min of scrubbing in the shower!! Here are some pics of it:
Wow, I look tired, but it took longer than we thought and this picture was taken at about 11pm. Worth it though!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
37 weeks
Happy Earth Day!!
Well, we are getting down to crunch time, getting closer by the day!! So, today was our a version and baby decided she is not ready to turn head down. We tried 5 times to turn her and she was just not having it! If I had to choose a word to describe the process, I would say intense! Our nurse and doctor were wonderful and made a gallant effort, but I have a "toned and muscular daughter". They would push on her and she'd start to turn, realize what was happening and decide she didn't want to! So, I have an independent daughter with a mind of her own, which is a good thing! She'll know when she's ready. And, hey, she may know more about my uterus than I do. Maybe her cord length is not ideal to turn or my uterus is shaped the wrong way for head down. We don't know, but baby knows! Anyway, the procedure was painful, but it was great practice for labor. I was able to breathe, focus and relax through the pain more than I knew I would be able to, which was very empowering for me. And, Nelson was.....amazing. I can't even describe how lucky I felt looking in his eyes during the whole thing. He was so calming, loving and supporting. I in no way felt tension or stress from him, he was GREAT! The thing that threw me off was not the pain, it was the way my body reacted! I started shaking uncontrollably, which is normal, but it was stressful. It was like the room had just plunged to minus 2 degrees, I just couldn't stop shivering! It was all the adrenaline, I guess.
So, the moral of this story is that we now know the day we will become parents, unless our daughter changes her mind! She is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday, May 6th! Only 2 weeks! However, she can still change her mind, turn and we'll do this on her schedule! (and you know what, that would not surprise me at all) We are going to continue to make efforts for her to turn, but I'm not going to stress over it. If she turns, she turns, if not, I've mentally prepared myself for a Cesarean. No matter what, we'll see her in 2 weeks or less! : ) CRAZY
Well, we are getting down to crunch time, getting closer by the day!! So, today was our a version and baby decided she is not ready to turn head down. We tried 5 times to turn her and she was just not having it! If I had to choose a word to describe the process, I would say intense! Our nurse and doctor were wonderful and made a gallant effort, but I have a "toned and muscular daughter". They would push on her and she'd start to turn, realize what was happening and decide she didn't want to! So, I have an independent daughter with a mind of her own, which is a good thing! She'll know when she's ready. And, hey, she may know more about my uterus than I do. Maybe her cord length is not ideal to turn or my uterus is shaped the wrong way for head down. We don't know, but baby knows! Anyway, the procedure was painful, but it was great practice for labor. I was able to breathe, focus and relax through the pain more than I knew I would be able to, which was very empowering for me. And, Nelson was.....amazing. I can't even describe how lucky I felt looking in his eyes during the whole thing. He was so calming, loving and supporting. I in no way felt tension or stress from him, he was GREAT! The thing that threw me off was not the pain, it was the way my body reacted! I started shaking uncontrollably, which is normal, but it was stressful. It was like the room had just plunged to minus 2 degrees, I just couldn't stop shivering! It was all the adrenaline, I guess.
So, the moral of this story is that we now know the day we will become parents, unless our daughter changes her mind! She is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday, May 6th! Only 2 weeks! However, she can still change her mind, turn and we'll do this on her schedule! (and you know what, that would not surprise me at all) We are going to continue to make efforts for her to turn, but I'm not going to stress over it. If she turns, she turns, if not, I've mentally prepared myself for a Cesarean. No matter what, we'll see her in 2 weeks or less! : ) CRAZY
Monday, April 20, 2009
Belly Portraits
We went this weekend and had belly portraits taken, so fun! Here's the link to view them:
www.photodepository.com/web/143.html
Click on our names to view. The last outfit was intended for black and white pictures only, I like them better that way. :)
www.photodepository.com/web/143.html
Click on our names to view. The last outfit was intended for black and white pictures only, I like them better that way. :)
Friday, April 17, 2009
Attempt #1, with no results
So, we were scheduled to do a version to attempt to turn baby at 9:00 this morning. We got there at 9 and were admitted. Long story short, the doctor who was to do the procedure had 2 unexpected c-sections to perform instead! Unfortunately, we had to wait around for almost 4 hours before it was determined that she would not be able to meet with us today. Did I mention I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything for 8 hours beforehand or while we were waiting? That makes for a hungry mama and baby! So, we have another appointment Wednesday morning to try again. The good news is, baby looked great on the ultrasound and her heartbeat and everything was strong and steady. But, still head up!! So, she has a few more days to turn on her own, which will hopefully happen. We'll keep doing moxibustion and the other tricks people have recommended. The only part that bothered me was the routine meeting with the anesthigiologist (I'm sure that's spelled wrong), since there is a very slight chance that the version can cause stress to the baby and/or can rupture the placenta, which would require an emergency c-section. The man was very nice, but it was scary to hear about the risks involved, (i.e. words like mortality, stroke, paralysis, etc) which I already knew, but to hear them laid out like that, eeeek! Luckily, it didn't matter and we're home! So, no news, after all that. We'll try again Wednesday!
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