Julian's Birth Story

I woke up around 2-ish in the morning on March 14th with back pain and contractions. I laid in bed, trying to figure out if I could time them. Without looking at a clock, they were about 2-3 minutes apart. I debated my options. I was sort of in denial that I could be in labor already. I was exactly 37 weeks. I got up and went to the bathroom and just felt yucky. My body was shaking and my teeth were chattering. I may have been in denial, but the facts were: 1) this was similar to how my labor with Amelia began, and 2) 2nd babies (they say) come faster and I did NOT want to have a baby at home...or in the car.

So I woke up Alex and told him it was time to head to the hospital. Then I woke up my mom so that she could keep an eye on Amelia. We got all our stuff together and headed out the door. Lo and behold, it was snowing! In March! And I had flip flops on! Regardless, off we went.

I was sent to triage in Labor & Delivery and they were monitoring my (petering out) contractions. They checked me and I was 1.5 cm dilated, at -3 station. Basically no change from my appointment the week before. I was relieved and we were ready to go home. The nurse checked me again and I was 3 cm dilated. Since I had progressed, I was being admitted.

Most of what happened was a lot of waiting. The contractions weren't that painful, so I tried to hold off on pain meds for as long as I could. Given my prior (horribly terrifying) experience with an epidural, I wasn't really sure I wanted another. I spoke to the nurses and decided to go ahead with one. It was such a better experience! I felt the difference immediately and knew I had made the right decision.

The consensus was that I would have the baby "by noon." I was progressing, but the baby just wasn't moving down. Noon came and went and no baby. I was really getting frustrated. I wasn't in pain, but my 2nd baby just wasn't coming as fast as everyone expected.

Starting at around 2, I felt intense pressure that literally made me want to climb the walls. I kept calling for the nurse to check me. One time I would be 9.5 cm, the next time I was at 10. I'd get ready to push, they'd check again and I was only 9.5 again. This went on for about an hour or so. Now my frustration was out of control. I was still in pressure hell. All I wanted to do was push. After 2 self-dosed extra pumps of epidural did not take the pain away, I was given a special dose into my line. I like to call this my "utopia" moment. I felt so much better!

Finally, I was complete and ready to push. I should point out that my baby still was high, so I was told I would have to work that much harder to push the baby out. Fine - game on!

OH.MY.GOSH. Pushing was the worst. With Amelia, I didn't feel anything while pushing except relief. This time, I felt like I was never going to have the baby. The baby did NOT want to come down. I was pushing for what felt like forever. My doctor and nurses kept assuring me that I was making progress but I really didn't believe them. I had reached a point of physical exhaustion and mental breakdown - I felt like I couldn't push any more. With the cheerleading from Alex (and my doctor and nurses), I kept at it.

Finally, at 4:38 pm, my baby was born! IT WAS A BOY!!! They put him on my chest and I had never felt so relieved in my life. He was perfect! 6 pounds, 15 ounces and 21 1/2 inches long. We named him Julian Tadeusz.

Amazingly, I had no tearing. I was able to get up and walk around (and use the bathroom) shortly after delivering. I felt pretty darn good for just having a baby.

We're all doing well, and I think the adjustment for everyone is going better than expected.

Here are some pictures:

Just born

"Smiling"

With my tired Amelia

Proud big sister

Looking at baby Julian

So tired

Our family of 4

Introducing Julian Tadeusz!

It's a boy!!!

I was going to post Julian's birth story tonight, but I am just too tired. I'll post it tomorrow.

The important facts are that Julian Tadeusz was born at exactly 37 weeks (full term!). He weighs 6 pounds, 15 ounces and is 21 1/2 inches long. We can't believe that he weighs less than Amelia, but is 1 1/4 inches longer! He's precious and we are already so in love with him.

Amelia is not as in love with him yet. She did great with Grandma & Grandpa all day while we were in the hospital, but didn't do so well when she came to the hospital to visit. In all fairness, she was super tired since it was almost her bedtime. It'll be interesting when we take him home - we'll definitely have a big adjustment to make!

Big Day for me...

Today is a big day for me. I am 36w4d pregnant. It's not a milestone according to anyone else, but today I am the most pregnant I've ever been.

Amelia was born at 36w3d. You can read her birth story here. As much as I'd like to say that it hadn't been weighing heavy on my heart and mind throughout this pregnancy, it had been. Even though she was a late-term preemie, Amelia was still born premature. Even though she wasn't born with many of the complications that other preemies were, Amelia still had issues related to prematurity. We were extremely lucky with how it all turned out. Having had one premature baby, I was at increased risk of having another. I worried about not only making it to term, but also about just how early I might deliver this time.

Eventually I just came to peace with the idea that I COULD have another premature baby. It was, and still is for a few days, a real possibility. But every day I stay pregnant is a good day.

So today I am still pregnant. Monday marks the "full-term" point. I can't wait! I joked with Alex that this baby will probably end up being one we'll have to evict...wouldn't that just take the cake?!? Worry for 37 weeks about having a preemie, and have to induce at 41 weeks. I will gladly accept that.

I am not walking this year, but please donate to the March of Dimes through their March for Babies campaign. I can't think of a better cause to fight for - give babies a chance at life and help to end premature birth.

36 weeks!?!

Well, I'm 36 weeks pregnant. It seems like I *just* wrote my 35 week post...time is FLYING by.

I had my 36-week appointment this morning. Now I see Dr. K every Monday until I have a baby! This was actually an eventful appointment.

I'm measuring 37 weeks and the baby's heart rate was 157 - all good. I'm "a loose 1 cm" dilated, so we're calling it 1.5 cm. :) No effacement, but I'm soft. She couldn't tell if the head was down, so we did an ultrasound. SCORE! I hadn't had one of those since 19 weeks. It was great to see the baby again. Baby's head IS down. Dr. K said that it's UNLIKELY that the baby would flip out of position, but that it COULD happen. For now, baby is in position. :)

Overall it was a great appointment! She said everything looked great - that I looked like a "normal" 36-week pregnant woman. That's music to my ears! She acknowledged that I'm entering foreign territory now - I've never actually been too far past this point. It's hard for me to tell if what I'm feeling is normal. I know there are no guarantees, but it's really looking like I will have a full-term baby this time!

All I know is that I am not having a baby today...and that's a good thing!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 36 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby #2 is still the size of a honeydew!

Maternity Clothes: I'm about 99% all in maternity clothes. The non-maternity clothes I fit into are the ones I wore pre-Weight Watchers.

Gender: Not finding out!

Movement: A lot of pushing and stomach distorting going on right now!

Sleep: What's sleep?!? My hips have started to hurt & I've been getting up a lot to pee. Some nights I have a 3-4 hour stretch of solid sleep. I used to think that was great, but now I am so SORE when I wake up from sleeeping in the same position for so long that I think I'd rather get up every 1-2 hours to pee.

What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy, not waddling when I walk, being able to walk without a shooting pain in my butt, being able to bend over, being able to breathe while sitting. Oh and I can officially add putting on my own socks & shoes - this has now become Alex's job!

Cravings: Brownies with chocolate frosting! And Taco Bell. Otherwise, my appetite seems to have calmed down quite a bit. I'm not ravenously hungry every 2 hours.

Symptoms: Contractions, sciatic nerve pain, back pain, peeing every 5 minutes, occasional heartburn, slight swelling, pressure down low...I'm really starting to feel uncomfortable.

35 Weeks

I'm 35 weeks pregnant. Two pictures today, just for funsies. The first was taken Monday (actually at 35 weeks) at the end of the day, while Amelia was in the bath. I'm wearing a maternity shirt and maternity yoga pants. The second was taken this morning after my shower at 36w2d. I'm wearing the same maternity yoga pants, but a non-maternity tshirt. The shirt is stretched to the max! I just thought it was funny, and I had to capture the moment.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 35 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby #2 is still the size of a honeydew!

Maternity Clothes: I'm about 99% all in maternity clothes. The non-maternity clothes I fit into are the ones I wore pre-Weight Watchers.

Gender: Not finding out!

Movement: This kiddo is a pusher! :) S/he likes to push my belly in all different places...I definitely look like I have a little alien in there.

Sleep: What's sleep?!? My hips have started to hurt & I've been getting up a lot to pee. Some nights I have a 3-4 hour stretch of solid sleep. I used to think that was great, but now I am so SORE when I wake up from sleeeping in the same position for so long that I think I'd rather get up every 1-2 hours to pee.

What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy, not waddling when I walk, being able to walk without a shooting pain in my butt, being able to bend over, being able to breathe while sitting.

Cravings: Brownies with chocolate frosting! And Taco Bell. Otherwise, my appetite seems to have calmed down quite a bit. I'm not ravenously hungry every 2 hours.

Symptoms: Some BH contractions, sciatic nerve pain, back pain, peeing every 5 minutes, occasional heartburn, slight swelling, pressure down low...I'm really starting to feel uncomfortable.

The Second Child Shaft

I probably shouldn't write this post, but since it's my blog and I'll say what I want to say (and who really reads this, anyway?), here goes!

DISCLAIMER: This does not in any way apply to the grandparents. Grandparents are, I think, genetically engineered to love, care, and spoil their grandchildren on a whole level that I won't even pretend to understand until I am a grandparent. My parents and Alex's parents are no exception - the love they have for Amelia (and the baby in waiting) is unmeasurable. They're awesome grandparents!

Both Alex & I are first borns. I was the 1st grandchild on my mom's side, and the 1st grandchild on my dad's side in quite a few years...I was spoiled. My whole life I heard from my baby sister how unfair it was that I got to do XYZ before her just because I was older. She would tell me the older sister got EVERYTHING and she got the leftovers. Mostly, I dismissed her because she was being a big old baby. [I still maintain that she was a bit dramatic in this area, but I'll explain in a bit.]

Being a parent, I now see some merit to her complaints. When you have your first child, you are hyper-sensitive to every little thing, mostly because you find yourself in the position of being totally responsible for this little human being and it's scary as hell. You don't know what you're doing. You read all the books, talk to your friends, and just give it a go. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But no one could ever accuse (most) first-time parents of being laid back when it comes to parenting their first child.

Let's face it - the first child is really the practice child. By the time your second comes along, you have things mostly figured out. You're not as uptight about things as you were with your first. You now know that babies cry sometimes for no good reason. Sometimes they sleep for a long stretch of time and skip a feeding. You also know that kids are going to fall down and hurt themselves, but they'll be OK. It'll start hurting you LESS than it hurts them. And it doesn't mean that you love your second child any less, it just means that you GET IT.

And then there's the toy/clothes issue. Yes, second children do get hand-me-downs in this department. Come on, it just makes financial sense. I assume this whole hand-me-down thing stops once the second child is old enough to get what's going on. But while you have a baby who could care less if they're playing with a toy or a piece of paper, it's silly to re-buy things.

So, yes, dear baby sister...sometimes it just isn't fair to be the second child. But here is where I will defend my parents. [Hear that??? My mom probably just fainted.] Other than the things that I was LEGALLY able to do before my sister (go to school, drive, legally drink, go to the casino), my parents never really gave me anything that they didn't give my sister. Granted, we're only 20 months apart, but still. If I got a Cabbage Patch Kid, so did my sister. I don't ever remember having a later bedtime or curfew than my sister. I would even go so far to say that, once she was out of the baby stage, my sister never really got my hand-me-down clothes. Usually, my parents (mom) bought us the same outfit and dressed us like twins, but that's a vent for another post! :)

And that is how I think it should be done when the kids are that close in age. I don't know what Alex & I will do when raising our 2 children because there will be 2 1/2 years between them. Fortunately, we don't have to decide that just now. I do know that our second child will get some hand-me-downs, and the ?benefit? of having more laid back parents.

HOWEVER, what I DIDN'T expect when thinking about the "second child shaft" was that it started during pregnancy...or that it came from other people. I guess most people just assume that since you've been through it before, they don't really need to check in on you as much. And that's fine. Would it be nice? Sure. But it's not necessary. It just wasn't what I was expecting.

So, on behalf of first born children everywhere, I would like to formally apologize to second kids. I once was blind, but now I see. Sorry you sometimes got the shaft.

34 Weeks

Hello, 34 weeks! I had my appointment this morning and everything is fine. As I've said before, no news is good news. :) They had been monitoring my platelet count because it had been a little low, but as of my last draw (last week) my count is actually UP! It's higher than it was even at the beginning of my pregnancy. So, needless to say, my doctor is not worried. We don't have to do any more testing (they might test at the hospital before I deliver just to be sure). HAPPY DANCE!!!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 34 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby #2 is still the size of a honeydew!

Maternity Clothes: I'm about 99% all in maternity clothes.

Gender: Not finding out!

Movement: This kiddo is a pusher! :) S/he likes to push my belly in all different places...I definitely look like I have a little alien in there.

Sleep: What's sleep?!? My hips have started to hurt & I've been getting up a lot to pee. Some nights I get lucky and have a 3-4 hour stretch of solid sleep and it's GLORIOUS!

What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy, not waddling when I walk, being able to walk without a shooting pain in my butt, being able to bend over, being able to breathe while sitting.

Cravings: Brownies with chocolate frosting! And Taco Bell. Otherwise, my appetite seems to have calmed down quite a bit. I'm not ravenously hungry every 2 hours.

Symptoms: Some BH contractions, sciatic nerve pain, back pain, peeing every 5 minutes, occasional heartburn, slight swelling...comes with the territory.

33 Weeks!

33 weeks

I am 33 weeks pregnant today! Nothing major to report, which is a good thing. My new mantra is "no news is good news."

I received the following "letter" in an email from a friend yesterday. It's way too funny not to share with everyone! It's SO TRUE!!! I wish it was socially acceptable to print and pass this out to people as soon as you announce your pregnancy. I'm sure all my mom friends will agree with me. :)

Dear Non-Pregnant Person,
I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women, as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. If you are thinking, surely she doesn’t mean me – then you should probably read this twice.

1. The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a baby is ‘Congratulations!’ with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you a jerk.

2. Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father – not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase ‘my baby’.

3. On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in 2, the pregnancy, birth, and raising of the child are not about you. You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it…

4. The body of a pregnant woman should be treated the same as any other body. You would not randomly touch someone’s stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus, cervix, or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.

5. Likewise, no woman wants to hear comments on her weight…ever. A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique your physical appearance and you may not act offended. The only acceptable comment on appearance is ‘You look fabulous!’.

6. By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don’t need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes. Nor do we need to know how badly you will feel for us because we will be pregnant during the summer and how glad you are that YOU will not be pregnant this coming summer.

7. There is a reason that tickets to Labor & Delivery are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, mother in law, or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals. Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents. You weren’t invited to be there when the baby was created, you probably won’t be invited to be there when it comes out either.

8. Like everything else in life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor, delivery, the hospital, and the parent’s home. You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to ‘help out’. If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will be asked for it.

9. If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with breastfeeding and sleeping schedules, and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.

10. The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents. Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are being given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.

Sincerely,
All the Pregnant Women in the World

...and without further ado...

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 33 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby #2 is the size of a honeydew!

Maternity Clothes: I'm about 99% all in maternity clothes.

Gender: Not finding out!

Movement: This kiddo is a pusher! :) S/he likes to push my belly in all different places...I definitely look like I have a little alien in there.

Sleep: What's sleep?!? My hips have started to hurt & I've been getting up a lot to pee. Some nights I get lucky and have a 3-4 hour stretch of solid sleep and it's GLORIOUS!

What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy, not waddling when I walk, being able to walk without a shooting pain in my butt, being able to bend over, being able to breathe while sitting.

Cravings: Brownies with chocolate frosting! And Taco Bell. Otherwise, my appetite seems to have calmed down quite a bit. I'm not ravenously hungry every 2 hours.

Symptoms: Some BH contractions, sciatic nerve pain, back pain, peeing every 5 minutes, occasional heartburn, slight swelling...comes with the territory.

32 Weeks

I hit the 32-week mark yesterday. My doctor appointment was pretty uneventful - pee, weight, blood pressure, baby's heartbeat, fundal measurement, questions. Everything is fine. In my opinion, uneventful appointments are a VERY GOOD thing! :)

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 32 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby #2 is (still) the size of a squash!

Maternity Clothes: I'm about 99% all in maternity clothes.

Gender: Not finding out!

Movement: This kiddo is a pusher! :) S/he likes to push my belly in all different places...I definitely look like I have a little alien in there.

Sleep: What's sleep?!? My hips have started to hurt & I've been getting up a lot to pee. Some nights I get lucky and have a 3-4 hour stretch of solid sleep and it's GLORIOUS!

What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy, not waddling when I walk, being able to walk without a shooting pain in my butt, being able to bend over, being able to breathe while sitting.

Cravings: Brownies with chocolate frosting! Otherwise, my appetite seems to have calmed down quite a bit. I'm not ravenously hungry every 2 hours.

Symptoms: Some BH contractions, sciatic nerve pain, back pain, peeing every 5 minutes, occasional heartburn, slight swelling...comes with the territory.

To Do List

*sigh* Here is the post that I've been putting off writing. Seeing in black & white all of the things I still have left to do before we become a family of four is a little overwhelming. I just don't think I can put it off any longer...I have to face the reality that I have A LOT to do and get cracking on it!

1. Buy a house
2. Move into said house
3. Decorate/unpack
4. Decorate the nursery
5. Decorate Amelia's room
6. Decorate Master Bedroom
7. Buy Carseat
8. Buy baby monitor
9. Buy baby bedding
10. Buy gender neutral clothing

.
.
.

You know what, this isn't helping. There are so many things I need to buy and do that my list would be about 50 items long.

The positive is that we are currently under contract for a house. The bad news is that it's looking like we won't be closing until I'm about 38-ish weeks pregnant. Therefore, we may have this baby before we actually move. Ugh. Oh well, there's nothing I can do about it. Just pray really really hard that this baby actually stays put until 40 weeks!!!!

31 and 34!

Monday was quite a day! Not only did I hit the 31-week mark in my pregnancy, but it was my birthday. I turned 34. Eh, just a number. :) Oh, and we saw the beginning of a "major" snow and ice storm. Alex & I had planned on meeting up for dinner to celebrate my birthday, but the weather kind of "iced" on my parade. This isn't the 1st time Old Man Winter has ruined my birthday plans. I kindly direct my loyal readers to this story - the 1982 blizzard. It was my 5th birthday and no one could come to my birthday party because of the blizzard. Is there anything worse than no one showing up to your birthday party for a little kid? Maybe Christmas being cancelled.

Have no fear - we will celebrate my birthday this weekend! :) We've just about dug out from the snow and ice (definitely had more ice than snow), so nothing can stop us now. Er, maybe I shouldn't tempt fate. :)

So, without further ado, I give you my weekly pregnancy update. [No pics this week]

Pregnancy Highlights:


How Far Along: 31 Weeks


Size of baby: Baby #2 is (still) the size of a squash!


Maternity Clothes: I'm about 99% all in maternity clothes.


Gender: Not finding out!


Movement: This kiddo is a pusher! :) S/he likes to push my belly in all different places...I definitely look like I have a little alien in there.



Sleep: What's sleep?!? My hips have started to hurt (I'm not complaining - I started feeling this discomfort almost immediately when I was pregnant with Amelia, so I'm happy to have made it this far without it!). I've been getting up a lot to pee. Some nights I get lucky and have a 3-4 hour stretch of solid sleep and it's GLORIOUS!


What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy, not waddling when I walk, being able to walk without a shooting pain in my butt, being able to bend over, being able to breathe while sitting.


Cravings: Still craving chocolate like crazy! Otherwise, my appetite seems to have calmed down quite a bit. I'm not ravenously hungry every 2 hours.



Symptoms: Some BH contractions, sciatic nerve pain, back pain, peeing every 5 minutes, occasional heartburn...comes with the territory.

30 Weeks

AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Oh, excuse me. That was just a slight panic attack. I'm now 30 weeks pregnant. *Deep breath, remain calm* I think any "normal" pregnant woman would begin to start to feel the crunch at around this point in time. Since Amelia was born @36 weeks (which would be 6 weeks from now), I am freaking out! Even though all the signs point to very slim chances of this baby coming that early, I can't shut my brain off from trying to prepare for a 36 week delivery. Does that make sense?

I am now going to the OB every other week (I start every week appointments at 36 weeks, if I make it that far - see?!? I can't help it.). At my appointment yesterday, everything looked great. I feel pretty OK. I tried looking through my posts from when I was pregnant with Amelia to compare, and I found one I wrote at 30 weeks. (click on the link if you care to read) Interesting.

I can say that even though some of the things I'm feeling are similar, there are a LOT of differences. Major differences:

* I carried Amelia low the whole pregnancy. I felt like she was going to fall out all the time (sorry, but I did). It hurt to sit, walk, and raise my leg (especially my right one, for some reason). I am carrying this baby HIGH. Hello, completely different aches and pains! I get short of breath and constantly feel like my ribcage and lungs are being squished.

* When I hit 31 weeks with Amelia, I FELT different. I felt like something was going on. Every time I saw the doctor past that point, I told her that I felt like my body was getting ready to go into labor. Of course I'm not 31 weeks yet, but I definitely don't feel any different at this point. At least, not like I did last time.

I guess this is just me trying to convince myself that I'm normal, and that I'm having a normal pregnancy, and that I shouldn't worry so much about delivering early. Did I convince YOU? I'm still not so convinced.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 30 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby #2 is (still) the size of a squash!

Maternity Clothes: I'm about 99% all in maternity clothes.

Gender: Not finding out!

Movement: Moving and shaking all over the place. :)

Sleep: Eh, I've been getting up a lot to pee. Some nights I get lucky and have a 3-4 hour stretch of solid sleep and it's GLORIOUS!

What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy, not waddling when I walk, being able to walk without a shooting pain in my butt, being able to bend over, being able to breathe while sitting.

Cravings: OMG, the craving for chocolate is insane! I've always been a chocolate lover, but the craving I get for anything chocolate-y lately is indescribable. SERIOUSLY.

Symptoms: Some BH contractions, sciatic nerve pain, back pain, peeing every 5 minutes, occasional heartburn...comes with the territory.

29 Weeks

Yes, I am now 29 weeks pregnant. Good times! Sorry the pic above is a little blurry, but you get the idea - I'm bursting at the seams! At least I'm pretty much all belly. :)

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 29 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby #2 is the size of a squash!

Maternity Clothes: I'm about 99% all in maternity clothes.

Gender: Not finding out!

Movement: Moving and shaking all over the place. :)

Sleep: Eh, I've been getting up a lot to pee. Some nights I get lucky and have a 3-4 hour stretch of solid sleep and it's GLORIOUS!

What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy, not waddling when I walk, being able to walk without a shooting pain in my butt, being able to bend over.

Cravings: OMG, the craving for chocolate is insane! I've always been a chocolate lover, but the craving I get for anything chocolate-y lately is indescribable. SERIOUSLY.

Symptoms: Some BH contractions, sciatic nerve pain, back pain, peeing every 5 minutes...comes with the territory. I've also started getting heartburn...blech!

The Nursery

For those of you who don't know, we're in the process of hunting for our first house. It's been a frustrating process. Because I can't actually work on the nursery until we move, I've been doing some nursery planning. A LOT of planning. I have the basic theme, and a ton of ideas.

Paint colors - I'm liking these different greens and am having a hard time deciding which one is the winner:

Aurora Borealis - Martha Stewart

Lemongrass - Martha Stewart

Lemon Ice - Martha Stewart

Bedding & Decor:

Alex & I immediately fell in love with this bedding set - Migi Little Tree. It's gender neutral, but would be easy to "girl-up" or "boy-down" once the baby comes home. Most gender neutral bedding has either monkeys, giraffes, or elephants and we're just not feeling those animals...especially if it ends up being a girl. But who doesn't love birds?!?


Migi Little Tree - browns, greens, blues and oranges - DIVINE!



Close-up of the mobile. I LOVE the little birdies!

Vinyl wall decals from Etsy. We can change the colors.

Laundry hamper - Babies R Us

Reclining Glider that I am OBSESSED with! Newco Sunny Swivel Reclining Glider in Chocolate Micro Suede. I borrowed a glider from my aunt when Amelia was born and HATED it. I spent so much time in that chair (in the middle of the night, during the day, etc.) feeding Amelia and desperately wished that it reclined so that I could get more comfortable. When I found this chair, I knew that I had to have it - a glider that RECLINES! Now I just have to justify the $cost$.

Rugs:

This is the hardest part of my nursery planning. I can't find a rug that I love. I will probably just end up getting a solid rug in either brown or tan. These are a few rugs that caught my eye, though (all from Walmart.com).

This one might have a little too much going on.

This one is more understated.

I think this is my favorite.


*SIGH* As fun as it is to plan, it would be so much more fun to actually put together this little baby's room. I can't wait until I can do it.

28 Weeks

No picture this week. I really intended to take a picture yesterday after my doctor appointment, but cooking dinner, doing laundry and working completely made me forget. I think I look about the same as last week. :)

I had my 28 week appointment yesterday. Everything is great! The baby's heartrate was in the 150s, just as it has been the whole pregnancy. The big news is that I do NOT have gestational diabetes! :) Bring on the chocolate & pasta!

I've hit the point in my pregnancy where I start going to the doctor every 2 weeks, until (God willing) I make it to 36 weeks and start going every week. Can I stress one more time how fast this pregnancy is going?!? Seriously.

We also made our first purchase for the new baby. I had some Rewards money from BRU that I accrued Christmas shopping, so we bought this. It's the Fisher-Price Newborn Rock & Play Sleeper and it came highly recommended by a few people. At some point, we REALLY need to get our carseat and another monitor. And then, of course, there are the things for the nursery...but that will be another post. :)

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 28 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby #2 is (still) the size of an eggplant!

Maternity Clothes: I'm about 99% all in maternity clothes.

Gender: Not finding out!

Movement: Moving and shaking all over the place. :)

Sleep: Eh, I've been getting up a lot to pee. Some nights I get lucky and have a 3-4 hour stretch of solid sleep and it's GLORIOUS!

What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy, not waddling when I walk, being able to walk without a shooting pain in my butt, being able to bend over.

Cravings: Chocolate!!! I'm also craving hamburgers and Mexican food again.

Symptoms: Some BH contractions, sciatic nerve pain, back pain, peeing every 5 minutes...comes with the territory. I've also started getting heartburn...blech!

27 Weeks

I am 27 weeks pregnant - officially in my last trimester. Did you hear that?!?!? That was the sound of me absolutely FREAKING OUT!

I have so much to do before this little one arrives, and I am running out of time. I can't even keep a mental list, let alone an actual list, of things I have to do because it sends me into panic mode. I'm sure I'll write about all the things I have to do...but today is NOT that day.

I had my gestational diabetes test on Tuesday. It wasn't as bad as I remember it. I think it helped that: (1) Alex was with me to distract me, (2) I had the fruit punch flavor this time instead of the yucky orange flavor, and (3) this lab actually refridgerated the drink for me, instead of giving me warm glucola to drink...blech! Anyway, I still haven't heard back from my Dr. so I don't know if I passed or failed. I'm *thinking* no news is good news - surely if I had failed, they would have called me to tell me to take the 3-hour test. So I'm anxiously awaiting the results.

On to the "good" stuff...

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 27 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby #2 is (still) the size of an eggplant!

Maternity Clothes: I'm about 99% all in maternity clothes.

Gender: Not finding out!

Movement: Lots and lots of movement! With Amelia, I carried low so I rarely felt any kicks above my belly button. This child is kicking me ALL OVER! I kind of like it. :)

Sleep: Not too good. It's so hard to get comfortable.

What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy, not waddling when I walk, being able to walk without a shooting pain in my butt.

Cravings: Chocolate!!! I'm also craving hamburgers and Mexican food again.

Symptoms: Some BH contractions, sciatic nerve pain, back pain, peeing every 5 minutes...comes with the territory.

26 Weeks

This pic was taken by my sister on Christmas Eve, so I wasn't exactly 26 weeks here. Close enough! Oh, and excuse my weird pose - I have no clue what I was doing. :) But look at that baby belly!!!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 26 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby #2 is the size of an eggplant!

Maternity Clothes: I'm about 90% all in maternity clothes.

Gender: Not finding out!

Movement: Lots and lots of movement!

Sleep: Not too good. It's so hard to get comfortable.

What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy, not waddling when I walk, being able to walk without a shooting pain in my butt. Oh, and it would have been nice to have some wine at Christmas.

Cravings: I'm back to being just plain ol' hungry. No specific cravings.

Symptoms: Some BH contractions, sciatic nerve pain, back pain...comes with the territory.

25 Weeks!

No pic ~ I figure there will be PLENTY of pictures of me in all my pregnant glory this week with Christmas Eve and Christmas. I wouldn't want to over do it. :)

Nothing too exciting, so let's get to it!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 25 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby #2 is the size of an eggplant!

Maternity Clothes: I'm about 90% all in maternity clothes.

Gender: Not finding out!

Movement: Lots and lots of movement!

Sleep: Pretty crummy, actually. And I've started having horribly vivid dreams...and not the fun kind!

What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy, not waddling when I walk, being able to walk without a shooting pain in my butt.

Cravings: I'm back to being just plain ol' hungry. No specific cravings.

Symptoms: Some BH contractions, sciatic nerve pain, back pain...comes with the territory.

24 Weeks

I'm 24 weeks pregnant today! That's 6 months. CRAZY! I know that I forgot to post last week, but trust me when I say nothing interesting went on. Also, there won't be any belly shots (or other pictures) until we make room on our cameras. That's right - both of our cameras have so many pictures still on them that we can't take any new ones. Project for this weekend: back up pics on laptop so I feel comfortable erasing the pics on our cameras. :)

Today I had an appointment with Dr. K. Everything is going great. Baby's heartbeat sounded healthy and strong, and was in the 150's as it's been the whole time. I have one more 4-week appointment and then I start going every 2 weeks! YIKES! This is all going so fast. I also have to do my Gestational Diabetes test sometime in the next few weeks. I'm not particularly looking forward to it - the sugar drink is NAS-TY! Look for an exciting post about that coming soon. ;)

All in all, we're just going with the flow while time is quickly ticking away. Before we know it, it will be 2011 and then we'll be welcoming another bundle of joy into the world!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 24 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby #2 is the size of a papaya!

Maternity Clothes: I'm pretty much moving exclusively into maternity clothes. Some of my tops from before I lost weight still "fit" but they are getting short because of my belly.

Gender: Not finding out!

Movement: This baby is a mover! I don't think the movement is as frequent as Amelia was (she was moving pretty much non-stop), so maybe this baby will be more mellow. :)

Sleep: Meh, who needs sleep?

What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy, not waddling when I walk, being able to walk without a shooting pain in my butt.

Cravings: They come and go. Lately I've been craving salsa.

Symptoms: Normal pregnancy stuff.

22 Weeks!

I forgot my 22 week post. And this pic is actually from Thanksgiving [21w3d]. Oh well. Can you believe how BIG my belly is??? HUGE! Honestly, I think this dress makes me look bigger than I am. At least I don't look chubby - this is ALL BABY! :)




Pregnancy Highlights:


How Far Along: 22 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby #2 is the size of a papaya!

Maternity Clothes: Pants are maternity, but I can still wear some non-maternity shirts and sweaters...for now. Non-maternity tops are starting to get a little short on the belly, so I might be retiring those soon.

Gender: Not finding out!

Movement: All the time! I love feeling the baby move.

Sleep: Pretty good...for now.

What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy, not waddling when I walk, being able to walk without a shooting pain in my butt.

Cravings: Food. Lots of it.

Symptoms: Normal pregnancy stuff.