Pregnancy update

I'm 35 weeks along now and I suppose a pregnancy update is in order!

As is usual for my pregnancies, everything is going smoothly thus far. I'm getting pretty big these days and starting to feel the discomfort which accompanies this stage of pregnancy. (This is an old photo -- I'm way huger than this now. Starting to get the annoying comments from strangers with by bulging eyes when I tell them I still have 4 weeks to go). Lately I'm dealing with some reflux at night and having to use the bathroom countless times as this darling baby pushes on my bladder mercilessly.

Since both my kiddos arrived via emergency c-section, it's not suggested I try a vbac again. So, I'm slated to have a scheduled c-section on Thursday, April 15 (tax day).

Having gone through two c-sections already I'm actually kind of looking forward to it. That probably sounds completely wacko. But knowing that I'll ONLY have to recover from a c-section and not from both labor AND a c-section is a comforting thought. My second c-section recovery was much easier than the first. Let's hope that the third c-section yields an even quicker recovery!

Also, there are loads of benefits to knowing that the baby is coming definitely on or before a specific date. If he doesn't appear early, April 15 is a sure thing. I'll be able to get a full night's rest before-hand, eat a good supper, and have a baby by 10 a.m. the next morning.

I've done a smattering of baby-preparation reading including tips for nursing, sleeping schedules, and soothing techniques. I'm hoping at least some of what I've read sticks in my brain!

The bassinet is in our room and ready. Blankets, bibs and baby boy clothes are washed and put away. Still have a few other projects on the baby to-do list but nothing super urgent. Maybe if I pack my hospital bag the baby will be more prone to arrive early? :)

No one is more excited to meet this baby than I am! But there's also some sadness mixed in with our joyful expectation. We've been so enjoying Chloe and Clive lately and even getting into a groove with our routines and schedules. It's also scary knowing things are going to change so drastically so soon.

Doesn't help this mama's heart when Clive says, "No thanks, baby". That's his Clive-ish way of saying he doesn't want the baby. We'll see how that attitude develops . . .

Any tips for me as we transition from a family of 4 to 5?

Silly hormones

Am I the only one who loves the lullaby in the movie Dumbo?

Tonight my pregnancy hormones surfaced blubberingly while we watched the "Baby Mine" scene in Dumbo. The music started and I felt my face explode in tears. I looked over at Matt whilst simultaneously laughing and weeping. A moment he'll likely remind me of in years to come. :)

What funny moments (funny now that is) do you have from your exuberant baby hormones?

p.s. For those of you who enjoy the pregnancy details (it's probably obvious that I'm one of those women, eh?) I lost the mucus plug tonight and am having menstrual-type cramps ever 12-15 minutes or so. Those are contractions, right?

Appointment update

Well, unfortunately I wasn't able to experience the whole membrane-stripping ordeal at my midwife appointment this afternoon. Even though she assured me at my last appointment that she would, today she was hesitant. She'd like to see what my body will naturally during this next week and then use the membrane-stripping technique if things aren't moving and grooving by then. Wah!

I was disappointed because I had really built up today in my mind and was getting mentally psyched for baby #2 to arrive very soon.

BUT the great news is that my body is indeed starting to progress towards labor. Unbeknowedst (is that a word?) to me, I'm dilated to 2 cm already! I know that many women can be dilated for weeks so I probably shouldn't get excited. But after being induced with Chloe and needing drugs just to get me to 1.5 cm dilation, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that my cervix was dilating on its own. And I'm 25% effaced and the baby has dropped and his noggin' is engaged firmly in my pelvis AND I'm measuring smaller than I was two weeks ago. Yeehaw! My midwife is fairly certain this baby isn't as monstrous as previously predicted. Double yeehaw!

Many thanks to all of you who posted your membrane-stripping anecdotes. My prayer is that baby #2 will still arrive this week while my family is in town. It would be sooooooo very convenient and less complicated regarding Chloe-care if that happened. We'll keep you posted!

Oh yeah, and Merry Christmas. :)

Preparing for baby and freebies from God

Nope, we did not birth the extremely tiny-headed baby pictured at left. That's Chloe's baby Pinocchio that she's singing a lullaby to in our bassinet. Boy was Chloe pumped to see all the baby equipment come out! She promptly put all her animals and baby dolls into the various places and went to work at playing mommy. :) I taught her how to cradle a baby too so now when she walks around with an animal she holds him gently in the crook of her arm. Let's hope she's as sweet and motherly with our real baby!

Things are slowly coming into place to welcome baby #2. The crib, swing, bassinet, dresser, and changing table are all moved and ready. Now that we've moved so much baby furniture from Chloe's room, it's looking mighty bare! I'm hoping to make Chloe's room more of a play room for her but we don't have many big toys to take up the space.

UNTIL Sunday that is. Driving home from church we passed a pile of big plastic toys on the curb waiting for trash pickup. Now, I'm not usually a dumpster diver but I try to keep my eyes peeled for re-usable things if they sit curbside. One man's trash is another man's treasure as the saying goes! We snagged this awesome desk for Chloe (it was quite funny to watch Matt squish it into our pint-sized Jetta). Matt cleaned it all up and it looks as good as new. God is so good!

God also provided some free stuff for baby #2 last night. A good pal of mine is done having kiddos and she had FIVE bins of baby boy clothes for me to go through! Not all of it will work with the seasons and such but we came away with lots of stuff that will take us through to at least 18 mos. Looking through all the baby sleepers and cozy velour outfits last night is making me excited to have a new baby to cuddle. A huge THANK YOU to the Macks for being so generous to us!

Though I certainly didn't need a new maternity top, God provided one for me for FREE while shopping with a friend. She was purchasing a dress and I noticed a coupon for $10 off in the circular lying on the counter. I snatched it up and got a free shirt out of the deal! It's super cute and trendy. I'd post a photo but I'm afraid it might scare you to gaze upon the hugeness of my 36 week belly. :)

It's encouraging for me to reflect on all that God's done in getting us ready for baby #2's arrival. Now that I'm nearing the end of the pregnancy, my energy level dips lower and lower each day so I don't feel like I'm getting much done. I call it "reverse nesting".

I've done absolutely NO pregnancy/baby reading this time around. Any good books you recommend I skim before the time comes? Also, any last-minute preparation tips for a tired preggo?

A pregnancy first

You know your internal organs are getting squished and twisted when you have to go to the bathroom twice in one visit.

Last night I rushed upstairs (yes, our only bathroom is upstairs - ugh) to relieve my cramped bladder. As I finished washing my hands and prepared to leave the bathroom the urge struck me again!

My poor organs.

p.s. THANK YOU for all the wise labor-inducing advice! Not sure if I'll try all of the suggested methods (I about fainted when I saw the price of evening primrose oil capsules) but I'll keep you posted. Discreetly posted that is, wink-wink.

Pregnancy update: 31 weeks

Nine weeks left and counting until we meet our baby boy! We had a friend take our family photo together at church this morning since we all looked so dapper . . . wow, guess I needed a prego camisole to cover up my belly in this dress next time. Hopefully that belly-button exposure was only seen by the flash of the camera and not the congregation. :)

Can you tell I suffer from distracted pregnancy brain?

Literally, the big news is that I'm BIG. My appointment this past Friday showed that I'm no longer measuring 3 weeks ahead; now I'm measuring 4 weeks ahead! The doc wants to see what's going on with this baby so I get to have two more ultrasounds in the next 4 weeks. My weight has actually gone done since my last appointment so it's not as though I'm just packing on extra prego pounds. I either have a huge boy growing inside me or he's positioned weirdly. In any event, I'm super excited about getting to have some more ultrasounds done! The bonus is that my mom, grandma, and sister are coming to visit during Thanksgiving week and they'll be able to come along for the ultrasound too!

I've stopped swimming laps now since my muscles below are feeling much pressure and easily strained. I am striving to do 20 minutes on our stationary bike 1-2 times a week but that's about all I can handle. I read while I bike (Pilgrim's Regress is what I'm poring over lately - awesome read!) and it gets distracting to keep on hitting my tummy with my knees.

Boy, I'm ready for this second pregnancy to be over and done with. I've had some sweet bonding moments with Chloe lately and I know I'll miss those precious one-on-one times with my little buddy. But I'll be glad when this physical discomfort is gone and I can get up from the floor like a normal person.

We'll keep you posted as the weeks go by!

A red-letter day for me

This seems like such a silly thing to post but something's telling me you might identify and empathize with me on this.

I'm usually a consistent stainer of my apparel. This clutzy tendency of mine seems to heighten during pregnancy due to the presence of my food-catching burgeoning belly.

Two days ago I rifled through my maternity wardrobe (which is much bigger now thanks to my dear marmee!) and chose a cute baby doll white shirt. I hesitated as I pulled it off the hanger. "WHITE shirt, Alicia?", I thought to myself, "Are you crazy? You'll have this puppy stained in less than an hour."

Not so, daddy-o! I managed to keep my shirt stain free until bedtime!!! (I did manage one teensy-weensy toothpaste liquid stain that was hardly noticeable so I'm not counting it.)

I think Chloe's inherited my stain-affinity. Seems like every day I'm spritzing her clothes with spray-n-wash or soaking something in oxyclean. Now I'm curious, what do you use for stain removal?

(By the way, I did NOT wear the shirt pictured above. I just think it's hilarious. Kelly should get a math-kick out of it.)

Pregnancy update

Here's my personalized pregnancy cartoon courtesy of BabyGaga. Thankfully we don't come into contact with too many strangers these days so I don't get nearly as many pregnancy questions as I did with Chloe. I think God helped increase my patience meter during those overly-personal-questions-from-strangers-days. Why do people think a pregnant lady is open territory for interrogation? I remember one co-worker asking me after every doctor's appointment how much weight I had gained. And another stranger stopped me one time to tell me all the gory details of her breast-feeding experiences. What weird questions have you had from strangers who gaze at your pregnant belly?

Yesterday I had my 6 month appointment though I'm technically just 23 weeks. Everything's right on so far and the baby is looking healthy. My weight gain has been normal but I'm measuring 3 weeks ahead (boy was I shocked when the tape measure read 26!). Unfortunately, that doesn't mean I'll deliver 3 weeks early. Aw, shucks. According to my midwife, measuring big means:

1. I'm carrying high,
2. The baby is still in breech position (as he was at our ultrasound last week) and throwing off the measurement, or
3. I'm carrying a monstrously huge baby again.

Did any of you measure big/ahead?

I'm feeling good though much more tired with this baby than with Chloe. I've been taking naps galore and sleeping as late as possible. I'm still swimming laps 4 times a week and am feeling stronger. I'm guessing I should add some more laps to my regimen, but I want to be careful not to overdo it.

We're pretty much decided on the name now but I'll leave you hanging until another post . . . bwoo-wah-ha-ha! I'll give you a hint, it begins with a C. (Karis: you're not allowed to tell yet).

Drumroll please . . .

Amidst our potty-training madness, we had our ultrasound yesterday afternoon! Truthfully, I was in such a potty-training-fog that I didn't focus on the excitement of it until I was belly up on the the ultrasound table.

Matt and Chloe came along and I'm SO GLAD I prepped Chloe ahead of time. She did a fabulous job and was so adorable as she parroted the ultrasound tech. "There baby head!" she'd say seconds after the technician pointed it out. And then Chloe would point to her own head. Needless-to-say, she didn't totally get what was going on.

I guess I was less moved by this ultrasound just because we've already been-there-done-that. And I always feel like I'm squinting trying to figure out what alienish shapes are which baby body parts (and usually I guessed wrong). Why don't ultrasound techs tell you every thing they're doing?!? We did ask some questions but I almost felt sheepish as if I was interrupting the tech's work by doing so.

Long story longer, we found out our baby's gender! And boy, were we surprised!

That's right, we're birthing a little baby boy this time around (did you figure that out already?)!

Since I am carrying this baby just like I did Chloe, Matt and I thought we were certainly having another girl. We had even picked out a girl's name. So, now we have to do a mental shift. The more the idea sinks in, the more excited we're getting! Of course, I'm clueless as to what you do with a boy. Be assured, I will tap into you bloggers for boy advice!

On the way home from the ultrasound, we started talking about boys' names. (We're mostly decided but we're still talking it through). From the backseat Chloe piped up, "How about Sue?" I suppose we could call him Sue and then teach him to fight as the song goes . . .

Big day today and big week ahead!

Boy, is Chloe growing up fast! It's awe-striking how she puts thoughts and words together so quickly now. And she continues to amaze us with her memory and powers of observation .

Today was a big day because today was Chloe's very first day of Sunday School! I know, she's still only two so Sunday School is not that huge a deal. But it seemed like a milestone of sorts as we walked past all the nursery rooms to the "classrooms" to drop her off this morning.

The teacher and mom in me was filled with curiosity as I closed the door to the classroom. What do they do with 2 year olds in an actual class? After the service, we headed to Target and I drilled Chloe about her class.

Surprisingly, Chloe answered my questions with unexpected clarity. She told me two of her teachers' names (she must really like Mr. Jim because she had several pretend phone conversations with him tonight), that Mr. Jim played the guitar, that they sang Jesus Loves Me, and that they watched a movie with songs. She also came away with two Bible coloring pages to do during the week.

This week will be a big week for our family as well. Tuesday is reading comprehensive exam #3 of 4 for Matt. He's been studying and reading like a mad dog! I'm sure he'll do a fabulous job but he's in that last-minute-cram-everything-possible-into-your-brain mode right now. So, tomorrow Chloe and I will disappear so he can have as much quiet studying time as possible.

This week is big for another reason; we finally get our ultrasound done on Thursday!!! I'm about 21.5 weeks along now and I'm a-quiver with curiosity to know our new baby's gender. I'm also ansy to pick out a name, get out the boxes upon boxes of baby clothes, and kick our Chloe-preparations into high-gear. We'll be able to bring Chloe in for the ultrasound; did any of you do this? How'd your child/children react to the ultrasound experience?

How's your week shaping up?

(p.s. Forgive my excessive use of hyphens in this post. Matt assures me I used them all correctly.)

Maternity Suit and Gym Membership

I found my perfect maternity swimsuit from the world of ebay. It's a plain (but modest) black suit that's made from fairly thick material. The best part is that I don't feel like a lumbering pregnant cow in this suit. It very discreetly covers my growing belly and upper thighs (YAY!). And it only cost $8.60 total - including shipping and handling. I heart ebay. What good-deal ebay purchases have you made lately?

With my new suit raring to go, we purchased an annual membership for me and Chloe at the natatorium. It's a city-run gym, pool, and exercise facility. The huge pool is what drew me in. There are lap lanes, a big kid-friendly area, a current channel, and a fun-looking waterslide.

Yesterday I paid my dues and Chloe and I started right away. I let her play in their kiddie tree house, dropped her off at the nursery (it's free!), and then I headed to the pool for some laps. Whoa, I'd forgotten how hard it is to do continual swimming laps! After about 4 in a row my heart was racing and my face was flushed with exertion. I did a few backstroke laps to rest and then finished up for a total of 11 laps.

Then I fetched Chloe from the nursery and she came swimming with me in the kids' pool. My girl is so brave! She said, "I walk" right away and did not want to hold my hand. I think she would have kept right on walking into the deep end if I would have let her.

Overall, it was a fun and worthwhile experience but I have some learning to do about how to pack for a gym excursion. :) I'll leave it at that and not embarrass myself by divulging how many things I forgot.

Today I headed out again and did a few more laps. In the fall their exercise/swimming classes begin and I'm pumped about doing one of those. I'm thinking yoga or low-impact aerobics for me and a beginning swim class for Chloe.

What do you do to stay fit in the fall and winter? Do any of you workout at a gym? Any tips from gym-goers would be much appreciated!

A baby blessing to cheer me

After feeling flabby and sorry for myself this morning, God gave me an exciting blessing this afternoon. I felt our baby kick!

I was just waking from a nap and laying there comfortably. I turned over to twist my sore back and put my hand on my tummy. Then the baby started swimming and kicking gently!

The baby did much more kicking and poking but it was all fairly faint. By the time I raced downstairs to tell Matt, I couldn't feel the movement anymore. I can't wait until the kicking is strong enough for Chloe to see and feel. What fun that will be!

When did you first feel your bambino move? Do you remember where you were and the emotions you felt?

Resigned

As I looked through my closet this morning (in which I've already hung all my old maternity tops), I realized that I had no choice but to wear one today. I can no longer hide this belly (calling this a bump is only cute the first time around) under regular large-sized shirts. So, with a sigh I chose a white knit maternity shirt to wear today.

I must admit, it is comfortable. I'm feeling that it's too soon to pull these shirts out but my body isn't giving me a choice anymore.

I must be carrying twins.

Transition

Now that I'm in the 13th week of pregnancy, I'm in a self-proclaimed transition. For the last 3-4 weeks I've felt that my size medium shirts were getting too tight around the belly area. After purchasing some large shirts from my local thrift store, I thought I'd be all set until month 5 or so. Well, I'm finding that while the large sizes fit my burgeoning belly better (check out that alliteration!) they don't fit well on top. Sigh. Is there no hope for a transitioning woman?

Reluctantly, I lugged out my old bin of maternity clothes thinking I'd have to bite the bullet and start advertising my pregnancy. I was getting to the point where I really didn't care, I just wanted to be comfortable. After pulling out shirt after shirt and I realized that I'm still too small for actual maternity wear. Another sigh.

So, I had a light bulb moment. What if I sew myself a few shirts that will give my belly more room and fit me on top? One wally world trip and $6 later, I was in business! I just finished my first shirt and am almost done with my second. I'll post modeling pictures (and my sewing adventure story) when they're both completely done.

This got me thinking, why isn't there a line of clothing out there for the woman in transition? The woman who's too small for maternity clothes but too big to look good in her regular wardrobe? If any of you have money to invest in my idea, let me know! We could create a whole line of clothing called "transitions". I can envision it on the racks at Target now . . . .

I've experienced a HUGE attitudinal difference in this second pregnancy. During my pregnancy with Chloe, I was ansy with anticipation at being able to don my first maternity clothes. I was proud of my belly and felt aglow with the privilege of carrying a new life. This pregnancy is a completely different story. Don't get me wrong, I'm still very excited about harboring life, but I'm not feeling the glowing beauty I felt with the first pregnancy. I feel like hiding rather than proclaiming my belly protrusion.

Do any of you feel this way too? What secrets to you have to share for this transition phase?

Pregnancy aversions

So far I'm not complaining about the first trimester with baby #2. It's been great though I've been extraordinarily tired and hungry. Thankfully though, I have the luxury of taking an afternoon nap with Chloe most days. Yeehaw for being a stay-at-home mommy!

Lately I've noticed my first real nausea-creating aversions. Yesterday I made a huge pot of 15 bean and ham soup and I was really excited about eating such a protein-packed entree for dinner. Well, I sit the soup mug down in front of me and I just about got sick. The smell, color, and look of the soup was making me nauseated. Instead I ate lots of fresh veggies and a few rolls for supper.

Aversion #2 is a smelling one. We hang our used towels up in our bathroom when we finish showering. Not a big deal, I'm sure most of you do that. That way our towels air dry and we can use them a few times before we wash them. Yesterday I pulled one of these "used" towels over to dry myself and the aroma of wet towel turned my tummy and started me to gagging! I noticed the same thing this morning as I went to wipe off the kitchen counter with a dishrag. The wetness smell lingering on the dishrag sent me into gagging fits.

Here's a fun question for the pregos out there: What smells or foods are turning your tummies these days? Or if you aren't pregnant now, what strange aversions did you have in the first trimester of a past pregnancy?