With all of Catherine's issues, we have really put anything for Drew on the backburner, including ANY kind of update, probably since he was seven or eight months old. That's almost a year ago. But Drew-boo, know that we love you very much.
You are the happiest when you wake up in the mornings. You are a complete ray of sunshine, and one of my favorite things to do when you wake up is sneak into your room and surprise you. The look on your face is absolutely elation. Your whole face lights up when you are excited about something, and seeing mom or dad first thing in the morning is definitely the highlight of our day.
You started walking about 13 months, right about the same time as James. You walk just like he did too; high knees and pounding the street with your feet. It's hilarious to watch. You are starting to navigate the doorways, like the sliding glass door and the front door, with ease. However, that makes me nervous because it makes you think you can take the stairs standing up too.
You try to jump, which is hilarious, but you can't quite get it. You love to stick your arms out behind you, lean forward, and "run." That is also hilarious. When you are done eating, you throw your food overboard, which drives me nuts. However, with the nice weather, I am sure the possum in the yard does not mind the leftovers at night.
You are always game for anything. You will play in the backyard by yourself for hours. You want to desperately go down the slide, but we just can't let you do that yet as the trajectory will launch you into the middle of the backyard. You will hate it.
You love to climb things. You love food. You are finally sleeping through the night, but you still wake up once between 9-10 p.m. because you are thirsty. You usually fall right back asleep and stay that way until morning, unless Catherine is in one of her rages. If it wakes you up, it usually scares you, but when she's done, right back to sleep you go.
You have been the sunshine on some really dark days in this household. Sometimes, I think that's the reason why God gave me you. He saw that we needed some comedic relief, some more love, and especially another big, blue-eyed baby boy. I am so thankful you are here, you are mine, and you are loved beyond measure.
Showing posts with label Drew Michael. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drew Michael. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Sunday, July 10, 2016
5 Months!
I am sure I have said this with all three kids, but where is the time going?
eating,
We are starting to see your personality, and it's awesome. You love to sit at the table while James and Catherine are eating and laugh and laugh and laugh with them. They love making you laugh! And you have finally started to really laugh. It seems like that is our entire goal when sitting around the dinner table at night.
I began the mission a few weeks ago to get you out of our room. Honestly, I do not know how people who co-sleep do it. I want my bed, and I don't want anyone but my husband in it (more on that in a bit). At first, we were going to transition Catherine out of her crib and into the lower bunk in James' room. That backfired like you wouldn't believe. Then we took Catherine's crib into James' room and shoved it into a corner. It backfired, but in the complete opposite way from the night before. Instead of refusing to go to sleep and screwing around with the James the whole night, like on night number 1, you screamed, and screamed and screamed. The third night, we aborted mission. I'm sure the nay-sayers out there would say we didn't do it long enough, but Eric and I know our family dynamic, and that arrangement wasn't going to work, no matter how much we tried. Catherine is a creature of habit, and taking her out of her habitat was a big mistake.
Don't get me wrong, you sleeping in our room, in a pack-and-play (because, you know, I sold all my baby stuff, including an extra crib we had), was not a huge deal. In fact, in our 14x10 foot room, we have a dresser, a nightstand, a king-size bed, and your pack-n-play, and although it felt like there was something on every wall, it was not horrible. It jutted out from the wall more than our walk-in-closet built-in's, so the nightly trips to the bathroom were a little difficult in the dark, but otherwise, it was not bad. But it was high time for you to start having your own space.
Once everything backfired with Catherine and we stuck her back into her own space, all was well with the world. So we took your pack-and-play, and stuck it in a corner in James' room. So far, it has worked out well. I let you fall asleep in our bed, and then after James falls asleep, I move you to the pack-n-play. Only tonight, James is refusing to go to sleep. So I put you in there anyway, and surprisingly, James is reading books quietly while you snooze away. Thankfully! Unfortunately, because of James' room lay-out and his bunk beds, we can't fit your dresser in there. So, your dresser is in Catherine's room. Which is not a huge deal, as Catherine's dresser, which holds the changing pad, is right next to yours. Works out pretty well. I remember when I was freaking out about how we were going to arrange you kids, and now it seems like it's working out better than I imagined. And, in the end, it's not permanent. Thank God.
Speaking of sleep, it seems to be missing. Between 2-4 months, you were pretty solid in only waking up once a night to nurse, which was awesome. Once you hit four months, that quickly melted into the past and all of a sudden you were up twice a night. Not a huge deal, as I am on summer break. However, summer break is also different from maternity leave in that I now also have two other kids to watch as well. Which can be difficult when I have to nurse you and put you in your bed for naps. It was a little daunting at first, but at least I can honestly say there hasn't been a time where it doesn't work for us...
So about mid-June, you started waking ALL THE TIME. For example, last night, you ate at 7, 9, 11, 2:30, 4 and 5. Then didn't eat again until about 9 a.m. It was tough. In fact, it's been tough for about a month. Today, I was so tired when the rest of the fam-bam got up at 6:30 that I told Eric he was in charge and passed out in James' bottom bunk for two hours. I tried to take a nap, but again, that was impossible with two other little ones. I used to never nap. Now, I could fall asleep just about any time, any where. Case in point, the other night when I was nursing you, I fell asleep for about an hour and a half, from 6:30-8. Eric woke me up at 8 to ask me something. I moved you to your pack-n-play, cleaned up for the night, and came back to bed at 9. I was looking forward to a great night's sleep, but no, you had other plans.
Most times, if you are up a second or third time, I drag you into bed with me. NOW, I understand co-sleeping. I know it's dangerous, I know you could roll out of bed, or someone could roll on top of you, but holy hell, it's about the only thing that saves me. Luckily, you go right back to sleep once you're done eating. And again, nay-sayers would say you that you don't really need to eat. You just need to be rocked back to sleep. WRONG. I tried that. I tried letting you cry a bit. I tried the pacifier. No-go. You want to eat, and boy do you eat. No wonder we're into 6-9 month clothes already. You're a hefty one!
It also seems in the past month or so that you need to be nursed to sleep, which, of course, ratcheted my anxiety to sky-high levels. I was starting to read all about sleep training methods, which I have never had to use before, when the past week or so, you have started to fall asleep on your own. Most times, I do still nurse you, but you are still awake when I put you down. Or when I move you to James' room, you wake up, but are able to settle back down. I know this seems false, because of what I have written in the previous paragraph, but I do believe I have been blessed with amazing sleepers. James usually sleeps about 12 hours, Catherine sleeps 13-14 hours with a solid 2 hour nap, and you set your own, incredibly easy schedule. 9-10:30/11:00, 1:00-3:00/4:00 and occasionally a cat-nap at 6:00. If so, you go to bed about 8:00 and if not, you go to bed about 7:00. James was the same way, and when Catherine wasn't screaming, she was the same way. Now, if I could just get you to sleep through the night.... I am guessing it will come, with time. Instead of sleep training, I am just going to be patient. Like I said, when you wake up to eat, you EAT. Sometimes just one breast (I have the classic overactive let-down, so usually you can get enough to eat off one boob at a time), but sometimes both. You do the same during the day.
You are rolling back to front with ease, and have started to figure out that if you move your arms and legs at the same time, you might actually get somewhere. It's been fun to watch you try and move around the room. Rolling from front to back is possible, but seems more difficult for you to figure out, and once you do, it's not graceful at all and you don't like it. I think army crawling is in the near future. Hopefully not before we go on vacation in August! We rented a three-floor house, and hope that we don't regret not asking about baby gates.
Otherwise, you're an incredibly chill baby. You cry if you're hungry, tired, or have to poop. You are incredibly easy to read because you have set your own schedule and I just follow your cues. I thank God we were blessed with another "easy" baby, but constipation issues seem to continue to plague us. I had some bananas laying around and thought I would start you on some solid food, only to remember that bananas can lead to constipation. I give you probiotic drops every day, and that seems to help, but again, I can tell you are constipated. Nay-sayers would tell me, and HAVE told me, that breastfed babies don't get constipated. Umm, sorry, but mine do. So other than trying to help the poop along with some probiotic drops and the occasional Miralax, you are an easy baby. Thank you, Drew-boo, for that.
Your eyes are turning a beautiful deep blue. Sometimes, I look at my beauties and all their features, and tonight, I was looking at James and Catherine's eyes. James has deep blue eyes that almost look brown with his brown hair. Catherine has light blue eyes that remind me a lot of my mom's eyes. Both beautiful, but very different. You, my son, are most likely going to have the deep blue eyes of James and me. Eric also has lighter blue eyes, but still very pretty. I also have to say, you are just fricken adorable, and I love taking all my kiddos somewhere. SOMEONE always comments on one of your features. It's amazing how we created all three of you, but you're all so different.
I love you so much, boo-boo, and I can't wait to see what the next month brings!
eating,
We are starting to see your personality, and it's awesome. You love to sit at the table while James and Catherine are eating and laugh and laugh and laugh with them. They love making you laugh! And you have finally started to really laugh. It seems like that is our entire goal when sitting around the dinner table at night.
I began the mission a few weeks ago to get you out of our room. Honestly, I do not know how people who co-sleep do it. I want my bed, and I don't want anyone but my husband in it (more on that in a bit). At first, we were going to transition Catherine out of her crib and into the lower bunk in James' room. That backfired like you wouldn't believe. Then we took Catherine's crib into James' room and shoved it into a corner. It backfired, but in the complete opposite way from the night before. Instead of refusing to go to sleep and screwing around with the James the whole night, like on night number 1, you screamed, and screamed and screamed. The third night, we aborted mission. I'm sure the nay-sayers out there would say we didn't do it long enough, but Eric and I know our family dynamic, and that arrangement wasn't going to work, no matter how much we tried. Catherine is a creature of habit, and taking her out of her habitat was a big mistake.
Don't get me wrong, you sleeping in our room, in a pack-and-play (because, you know, I sold all my baby stuff, including an extra crib we had), was not a huge deal. In fact, in our 14x10 foot room, we have a dresser, a nightstand, a king-size bed, and your pack-n-play, and although it felt like there was something on every wall, it was not horrible. It jutted out from the wall more than our walk-in-closet built-in's, so the nightly trips to the bathroom were a little difficult in the dark, but otherwise, it was not bad. But it was high time for you to start having your own space.
Once everything backfired with Catherine and we stuck her back into her own space, all was well with the world. So we took your pack-and-play, and stuck it in a corner in James' room. So far, it has worked out well. I let you fall asleep in our bed, and then after James falls asleep, I move you to the pack-n-play. Only tonight, James is refusing to go to sleep. So I put you in there anyway, and surprisingly, James is reading books quietly while you snooze away. Thankfully! Unfortunately, because of James' room lay-out and his bunk beds, we can't fit your dresser in there. So, your dresser is in Catherine's room. Which is not a huge deal, as Catherine's dresser, which holds the changing pad, is right next to yours. Works out pretty well. I remember when I was freaking out about how we were going to arrange you kids, and now it seems like it's working out better than I imagined. And, in the end, it's not permanent. Thank God.
Speaking of sleep, it seems to be missing. Between 2-4 months, you were pretty solid in only waking up once a night to nurse, which was awesome. Once you hit four months, that quickly melted into the past and all of a sudden you were up twice a night. Not a huge deal, as I am on summer break. However, summer break is also different from maternity leave in that I now also have two other kids to watch as well. Which can be difficult when I have to nurse you and put you in your bed for naps. It was a little daunting at first, but at least I can honestly say there hasn't been a time where it doesn't work for us...
So about mid-June, you started waking ALL THE TIME. For example, last night, you ate at 7, 9, 11, 2:30, 4 and 5. Then didn't eat again until about 9 a.m. It was tough. In fact, it's been tough for about a month. Today, I was so tired when the rest of the fam-bam got up at 6:30 that I told Eric he was in charge and passed out in James' bottom bunk for two hours. I tried to take a nap, but again, that was impossible with two other little ones. I used to never nap. Now, I could fall asleep just about any time, any where. Case in point, the other night when I was nursing you, I fell asleep for about an hour and a half, from 6:30-8. Eric woke me up at 8 to ask me something. I moved you to your pack-n-play, cleaned up for the night, and came back to bed at 9. I was looking forward to a great night's sleep, but no, you had other plans.
Most times, if you are up a second or third time, I drag you into bed with me. NOW, I understand co-sleeping. I know it's dangerous, I know you could roll out of bed, or someone could roll on top of you, but holy hell, it's about the only thing that saves me. Luckily, you go right back to sleep once you're done eating. And again, nay-sayers would say you that you don't really need to eat. You just need to be rocked back to sleep. WRONG. I tried that. I tried letting you cry a bit. I tried the pacifier. No-go. You want to eat, and boy do you eat. No wonder we're into 6-9 month clothes already. You're a hefty one!
It also seems in the past month or so that you need to be nursed to sleep, which, of course, ratcheted my anxiety to sky-high levels. I was starting to read all about sleep training methods, which I have never had to use before, when the past week or so, you have started to fall asleep on your own. Most times, I do still nurse you, but you are still awake when I put you down. Or when I move you to James' room, you wake up, but are able to settle back down. I know this seems false, because of what I have written in the previous paragraph, but I do believe I have been blessed with amazing sleepers. James usually sleeps about 12 hours, Catherine sleeps 13-14 hours with a solid 2 hour nap, and you set your own, incredibly easy schedule. 9-10:30/11:00, 1:00-3:00/4:00 and occasionally a cat-nap at 6:00. If so, you go to bed about 8:00 and if not, you go to bed about 7:00. James was the same way, and when Catherine wasn't screaming, she was the same way. Now, if I could just get you to sleep through the night.... I am guessing it will come, with time. Instead of sleep training, I am just going to be patient. Like I said, when you wake up to eat, you EAT. Sometimes just one breast (I have the classic overactive let-down, so usually you can get enough to eat off one boob at a time), but sometimes both. You do the same during the day.
You are rolling back to front with ease, and have started to figure out that if you move your arms and legs at the same time, you might actually get somewhere. It's been fun to watch you try and move around the room. Rolling from front to back is possible, but seems more difficult for you to figure out, and once you do, it's not graceful at all and you don't like it. I think army crawling is in the near future. Hopefully not before we go on vacation in August! We rented a three-floor house, and hope that we don't regret not asking about baby gates.
Otherwise, you're an incredibly chill baby. You cry if you're hungry, tired, or have to poop. You are incredibly easy to read because you have set your own schedule and I just follow your cues. I thank God we were blessed with another "easy" baby, but constipation issues seem to continue to plague us. I had some bananas laying around and thought I would start you on some solid food, only to remember that bananas can lead to constipation. I give you probiotic drops every day, and that seems to help, but again, I can tell you are constipated. Nay-sayers would tell me, and HAVE told me, that breastfed babies don't get constipated. Umm, sorry, but mine do. So other than trying to help the poop along with some probiotic drops and the occasional Miralax, you are an easy baby. Thank you, Drew-boo, for that.
Your eyes are turning a beautiful deep blue. Sometimes, I look at my beauties and all their features, and tonight, I was looking at James and Catherine's eyes. James has deep blue eyes that almost look brown with his brown hair. Catherine has light blue eyes that remind me a lot of my mom's eyes. Both beautiful, but very different. You, my son, are most likely going to have the deep blue eyes of James and me. Eric also has lighter blue eyes, but still very pretty. I also have to say, you are just fricken adorable, and I love taking all my kiddos somewhere. SOMEONE always comments on one of your features. It's amazing how we created all three of you, but you're all so different.
I love you so much, boo-boo, and I can't wait to see what the next month brings!
Monday, June 6, 2016
4 Months!
I should probably start calling you champ, because that's what you were this past weekend. ALL weekend long.
You held up through almost 7 hours of driving (probably helps that you still nap a lot) on Saturday, and your baptism on Sunday.
Your dad and I were just talking the other night about how we were so shocked to find out about you, but yet, you have rolled into our family (emphasis on the pun since you're a porker!) and it seems like you should have always been here.
You are also starting to actually roll from the back to the front. It's not consistent yet - you seem very happy on your back and seem to really enjoy playing on your activity mat. But every once in awhile, you seem to really want to get moving and then FLOP - right onto your front. We haven't seen you roll from your front to your back yet, but it will come. You are going through the developmental stages just like you should, although I was worried for awhile.
You started having some poop issues last month, reminiscent of Catherine's, which totally freaked me out. I thought for sure we were starting down the same path, but low-and-behold, a little probiotic cleared that right up! You are now consistently pooping, and it's hilarious when you do. Usually some farting, some grunting, and then a big grin when you're done.
You have a tooth! Another thing that I am so grateful for - we had no idea you were even teething. I had my suspicions, since you seem to be drooling like a crazy fool, not to mention always chewing on your hands, but I didn't think it would be this soon. I felt in your mouth Saturday and could feel the teeth just below the surface. So I felt again yesterday and tadaa, your first tooth! Could be why I am so sore after nursing lately.
Speaking of nursing, you are a champ. I am excited that this summer there will be LIMITED pumping sessions. I have a love-hate relationship with the pump and am so glad to be done with it for awhile. Although tonight I have an evening obligation, so I will, once again, be pumping once I get home. But for the most part, we are done with it and I couldn't be happier. So we will cruise throughs summer nursing and cuddling all the live long day while your siblings are in daycare for mommy's sanity (except Fridays when I have all three of you).
Otherwise, we are cruising right along. I just said to your dad this morning that it's crazy you are out of the infant stage and now well into the "baby" stage. Tomorrow is your 4 month Well-Child check up. I will be anxious to see how much you weigh and how long you are. I am betting that you are about 16-17 pounds and 25 inches. We will see how good I am after being through this with two other children...
James made you laugh the other day, and it was delightful to hear. I didn't get to see it as we were coming home from daycare, but I heard it and I about cried. You love your siblings, and they are crazy about you. I can't wait for a few years when all three of you can run about and enjoy each other. Those will probably be the best (and worst, most-trying) days of mommyhood for me. James and Catherine are getting there, but Catherine is just a tad too little...
You have graduated from the carrier to the "rocket ship" - a $300 car seat purchase that I made for $150 when I found it on clearance at Target (yay Target!). That will make for some interesting trips to the store, as I will have to carry you since your'e still a little too small to sit in the actual seat on the shopping cart. Looks like I will actually have to figure out how to put you in the wrap! Catherine has then graduated to the 5-point harness booster seat that we had for James, and I found out today when trying to squeeze all of them across the second row bench seat that, by God, James doesn't even need the back on his booster seat anymore. Now, it's just the seat. Crazy how it seems like yesterday that James was breaking in the carrier. I am trying to figure out where to recycle it since it has expired, but have yet to find a place in Des Moines. Tomorrow, when I have more time, I will try Babies-R-Us or Buy Buy Baby. They have to know, right?
You don't look like James, or Catherine, but a combination of the two, which is funny. I don't know if it's my memory playing tricks on me, but I see so much of my dad in you. It makes me miss him, but at the same time, I am thankful I can look at "him" every day.
I love you more than you know, little man.
You held up through almost 7 hours of driving (probably helps that you still nap a lot) on Saturday, and your baptism on Sunday.
Your dad and I were just talking the other night about how we were so shocked to find out about you, but yet, you have rolled into our family (emphasis on the pun since you're a porker!) and it seems like you should have always been here.
You are also starting to actually roll from the back to the front. It's not consistent yet - you seem very happy on your back and seem to really enjoy playing on your activity mat. But every once in awhile, you seem to really want to get moving and then FLOP - right onto your front. We haven't seen you roll from your front to your back yet, but it will come. You are going through the developmental stages just like you should, although I was worried for awhile.
You started having some poop issues last month, reminiscent of Catherine's, which totally freaked me out. I thought for sure we were starting down the same path, but low-and-behold, a little probiotic cleared that right up! You are now consistently pooping, and it's hilarious when you do. Usually some farting, some grunting, and then a big grin when you're done.
You have a tooth! Another thing that I am so grateful for - we had no idea you were even teething. I had my suspicions, since you seem to be drooling like a crazy fool, not to mention always chewing on your hands, but I didn't think it would be this soon. I felt in your mouth Saturday and could feel the teeth just below the surface. So I felt again yesterday and tadaa, your first tooth! Could be why I am so sore after nursing lately.
Speaking of nursing, you are a champ. I am excited that this summer there will be LIMITED pumping sessions. I have a love-hate relationship with the pump and am so glad to be done with it for awhile. Although tonight I have an evening obligation, so I will, once again, be pumping once I get home. But for the most part, we are done with it and I couldn't be happier. So we will cruise throughs summer nursing and cuddling all the live long day while your siblings are in daycare for mommy's sanity (except Fridays when I have all three of you).
Otherwise, we are cruising right along. I just said to your dad this morning that it's crazy you are out of the infant stage and now well into the "baby" stage. Tomorrow is your 4 month Well-Child check up. I will be anxious to see how much you weigh and how long you are. I am betting that you are about 16-17 pounds and 25 inches. We will see how good I am after being through this with two other children...
James made you laugh the other day, and it was delightful to hear. I didn't get to see it as we were coming home from daycare, but I heard it and I about cried. You love your siblings, and they are crazy about you. I can't wait for a few years when all three of you can run about and enjoy each other. Those will probably be the best (and worst, most-trying) days of mommyhood for me. James and Catherine are getting there, but Catherine is just a tad too little...
You have graduated from the carrier to the "rocket ship" - a $300 car seat purchase that I made for $150 when I found it on clearance at Target (yay Target!). That will make for some interesting trips to the store, as I will have to carry you since your'e still a little too small to sit in the actual seat on the shopping cart. Looks like I will actually have to figure out how to put you in the wrap! Catherine has then graduated to the 5-point harness booster seat that we had for James, and I found out today when trying to squeeze all of them across the second row bench seat that, by God, James doesn't even need the back on his booster seat anymore. Now, it's just the seat. Crazy how it seems like yesterday that James was breaking in the carrier. I am trying to figure out where to recycle it since it has expired, but have yet to find a place in Des Moines. Tomorrow, when I have more time, I will try Babies-R-Us or Buy Buy Baby. They have to know, right?
You don't look like James, or Catherine, but a combination of the two, which is funny. I don't know if it's my memory playing tricks on me, but I see so much of my dad in you. It makes me miss him, but at the same time, I am thankful I can look at "him" every day.
I love you more than you know, little man.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
3 Months!
My little boo-boo is already 3 months old!!!
You LOVE to smile, especially in the mornings, which always makes me sad since we are always in a rush to get the three of you dressed and out the door. You love hanging out with James and Catherine, and they absolutely adore you. I may have been incredibly upset when I found out I was pregnant with you, but I have to say you have fell right into this chaos and made yourself our blessing.
You are cooing and every once in awhile, I hear something that resembles a laugh. It's so similar to Catherine's when she was that age too. It's adorable.
I think you have stopped liking your Rock-n-play to sleep. Last night, while I was puking, I fed you and left you on the bed where you promptly fell asleep. So tonight, I think we might try putting you in the pack-n-play. Although, I'm not sure where we might put the pack-n-play, but hopefully it fits right in between my bed and the window. It will be annoying, but we don't have much of a choice. Hopefully tonight, your dad and I can figure out a better arrangement for you, especially since you'er only waking once to nurse.
Breastfeeding is going better than I could imagine. I pump anywhere from an ounce or two to a whole bottle more than what you eat at daycare, so I have quite a stash already saved up. I will be thankful when summer gets here and I no longer have to pump for three months. Thank God! I believe you reverse cycle quite a bit where you eat the majority of your food at night, but I don't mind. You nurse about every two hours until you fall asleep at 8:00-8:30 and then you wake up about 2 or 3 to nurse and you go right back to bed.
You are such an easy baby, for which I am so grateful. You are such a blessing to our family and I am so glad you are here, baby boy.
You LOVE to smile, especially in the mornings, which always makes me sad since we are always in a rush to get the three of you dressed and out the door. You love hanging out with James and Catherine, and they absolutely adore you. I may have been incredibly upset when I found out I was pregnant with you, but I have to say you have fell right into this chaos and made yourself our blessing.
You are cooing and every once in awhile, I hear something that resembles a laugh. It's so similar to Catherine's when she was that age too. It's adorable.
I think you have stopped liking your Rock-n-play to sleep. Last night, while I was puking, I fed you and left you on the bed where you promptly fell asleep. So tonight, I think we might try putting you in the pack-n-play. Although, I'm not sure where we might put the pack-n-play, but hopefully it fits right in between my bed and the window. It will be annoying, but we don't have much of a choice. Hopefully tonight, your dad and I can figure out a better arrangement for you, especially since you'er only waking once to nurse.
Breastfeeding is going better than I could imagine. I pump anywhere from an ounce or two to a whole bottle more than what you eat at daycare, so I have quite a stash already saved up. I will be thankful when summer gets here and I no longer have to pump for three months. Thank God! I believe you reverse cycle quite a bit where you eat the majority of your food at night, but I don't mind. You nurse about every two hours until you fall asleep at 8:00-8:30 and then you wake up about 2 or 3 to nurse and you go right back to bed.
You are such an easy baby, for which I am so grateful. You are such a blessing to our family and I am so glad you are here, baby boy.
Friday, February 26, 2016
Our Family of 5: An Update
I knew I needed to blog everything that has been happening in our lives in the three short weeks since Drew joined it, but I didn't know how to pare it all down. So instead, here it is: an update.
Drew-Boo:
Oh my, son, you are a champion nurser. You were born 8 pounds, 7 ounces. We made it all the way down to 7 pounds, 7 ounces when we had our two day check up at the doctor's office. On Wednesday, at my breast-feeding support group, you weighed in at 9 pounds, 14 ounces. Holy hell. And you have been consistently been eating about 4-4.5 ounces each time I have gone in and weighed you. Good Lord, boy! BUT, in all that, I am thrilled that we are having such a great nursing experience. I went into this breastfeeding experience with a very different expectation than I had with Catherine. I bought formula ahead of time to prepare for those cluster feeding experiences that I hated so much with Catherine. But I have only used two ounces, one ounce two different times. And it was during cluster feeding both times. The past 24 hours have been difficult as you have been nursing consistently about every two hours. And that includes the hour or so that you will nurse. Last night, you nursed from 3:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and then from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. It was tough, especially because Eric wasn't feeling well, but otherwise, we kept on keepin' on.
You are growing so quickly, I am putting your newborn onesies away (22 inches long already!), and your newborn pants won't really fit around your size 1 diapers. But because I sold so many of James' clothes, you have a mish-mash of clothing items that don't really fit. Not to mention, the only pacifier we seem to be able to find is one of Catherine's old ones, which is pink and has a heart on the front. Sooo, for that, I'm sorry. Today, at the grocery store, I could tell the person talking to me about "the baby" couldn't tell if he was a girl or a boy. The onesie says boy, the pacifier says girl. Hmmm, sorry son!
James is absolutely smitten with you. He tells us all the time that he "loves Droob." It's amazing. Catherine is a little bit more indifferent, but she does try to help with you when you're crying by shoving our only pacifier into your eye. Right area, wrong orifice. But, she tries.
Speaking of Catherine:
Our Sweet Catherine:
I have some intense mom-guilt when it comes to our little girl. I wish I would have known what I know now about breastfeeding. I wish I would have done things differently with her. I wonder if I would have how many things would be different.
We finally got an appointment with the ENT clinic, which was yesterday, and the news we received was devastating to me as a mommy. According to your hearing test, you can hear the equivalent of if you or I had our fingers in our ears. When the doctor was telling us that, I thought, "Oh, well, that explains a little bit." However, I didn't realize how much until I actually tried it in the privacy of our bedroom after putting Drew down. I was shocked. You can hardly hear anything, little girl, and it makes me feel terrible for being short with you when you don't do something that I ask you to do. Or when I have put you in time out when you didn't follow my directions etc. Because you can't hear shit! It breaks my heart. Thankfully, surgery will be happening fairly quickly thanks to the fact they had an opening March 8. The doctor said once you have surgery, odds are your hearing will be 100%. Which makes me feel better, but not that much better.
We have a sound machine that we have used in your room since you were a baby because James can be really loud after you've gone to bed (and you still go to bed at 6:30 and James not until 7:30/8:00), so we have been using this sound machine to drown out all the noises a little boy makes. I realized last night you probably can't even hear it. And that made me incredibly sad. You can hear music, and you dance to it, but I guarantee it's just the bass beats. It's interesting to think about, and it makes me feel awful. Even though, in this case, there was nothing that I could do to help the fluid in your ears, but holy cow. I am trying to forgive myself, but it's difficult. There are so many things I know now that I wish I could go back and change.
James Thomas:
Oh buddy, you are amazing. In every awe-inspiring, horrifying sense of the word. You are loud, you are opinionated, you are FUNNY (when did you get a sense of humor??) and you are having a tough time at daycare. Thinking about it today, when you started daycare, you had four friends who were, essentially, the same age as you. There is only one of those friends left. You keep talking about starting school, which should be happening next year (pretty exciting!), and you so badly want to be like the "big kids." So it's hard when you fight us to go to daycare. We get it. It's hard to go to a place that has changed so much. And I feel badly for you, But at the end of the day, what an important life lesson you are learning. And I"m sure it's harder on mom than it is on you, but holy cow, what a battle it has become. Hopefully, it goes away soon.
You love "Droob" and tell us this all the time. When Drew first came home, I was worried because you started treating Catherine pretty poorly. Taking her toys, shoving her down, and just overall not being very nice. Luckily, that is subsiding, and you're sliding into your role as a big brother. It's adorable, as you always want to make sure you are kissing "Droob" good night, and one night, when I came downstairs to grab some water and Drew started crying, I heard you on the monitor saying, "It's ok, buddy." Melt my heart!
You are such a lover and a fighter rolled up into this loud little ball of boy. I am enjoying this trip and you certainly keep things interesting!
The Kitchen:
Ohhhhh, the kitchen. Ugh. It's slow-going, but at least I am no longer walking on a combo of sub-floor, 70's linoleum, 90's linoleum, and our new flooring. Eric was able to rip it all out two days ago and now I am just walking on sub floor and our new flooring. Hopefully, Eric will be able to install it sometime this weekend.
All of our cabinets are in, all the handles are on the cabinets, and I have begun arranging the kitchen the way I want. Although it's extremely stressful, which Eric makes fun of me for. I am having a hard time figuring out where I want to put things. I actually don't really like our lazy susan's, and luckily, they came with a shelf you can use instead. Even though it's going to be a bitch, Eric is going to uninstall the lazy susan's and just install the shelves for me. For the things I will be keeping in there, it's more feasible to have shelving anyway. So I have been SLOOOOOWLY putting things here and there, and I think I like the set-up I have going. Eric teases me that even if I decide, I can change my mind. The thing he doesn't understand is I think things through greatly before I execute. So then when I execute, I only have to do so once and not have to think about it anymore. However, this time, I don't know if what I decide is actually going to work, or if everything will be fit, or if I will have to change it. I don't want to do that. So I am thinking it through A LOT. Oh well! It's working out so far!
I was able to put every single glass Anchor and Corningware dish that I own (which happens to be at least 20 - WTF?) in ONE CABINET. That's awesome. I used to have to keep them in the hutch that my dad built me. Some of those glass baking dishes have never seen the oven. Or the dishwasher. The countertop was installed, everything has been painted, we are slooooowly picking out backsplash, which has proven to be very difficult. Eric doesn't want the thin glass tile that is so in right now, because that's just it: it's "in." Soon, it will be "out" and we want a classic kitchen that will hold for the next seven years, as our seven year plan is to move to a bigger house. Wahoo!
Slowly, but surely, our kitchen is coming along, with all the other things Eric has been doing, is actually a miracle. I am hoping that we will be able to finish it by the time April rolls around. I think the goal was going to be before Drew-boo came along, but obviously, that was a pipe dream!
Eric and Me:
I am thoroughly enjoying my maternity leave, and thankfully, Drew has been a great baby, so I am glad to help him out. Next, I am hoping that we will get into our taxes, as I would really like to have those done as soon as possible! We shall see.
We are in desperate need of a date night, but he has been working at home the past week, so I have been able to see him and we are able to spend a lot of time together when Drew is sleeping, which is nice.
I go back to school April 4, but I am thinking of taking another two weeks. Eric doesn't know this, but now that I'm staring down the barrel of week 4 of my maternity leave, I really don't know if I will be ready to go back at week 8. Week 10 would probably be better, and I know I will be able to do that. I plan to broach the subject with Eric this weekend sometime, so hopefully, he will be supportive of it. We shall see - it will be another two weeks of unpaid time, but I think for my breastfeeding experience, and for how much I have been breastfeeding, it will be worth it. We will see. There is no way that I want to be a stay at home mom, but I do want to spend this time with my last baby.
Speaking of last baby, yes, this is our last baby. The Iowa Urology Clinic phone number is the only thing on our fridge. Eric just has to call (because I'm not doing it for him!). I am slowly gathering stuff for my second "No More Kids" Yard Sale, and all in all, we are cruising through as a family of five. It's been fairly easy to throw a third into the fray. I believe going from one to two is much more difficult than two to three. People talk about zone defense with the third, but so far, it's been fairly easy. I am thankful for that.
Eric has been a rock star, Drew has fit into the picture nicely, Catherine's hearing and speaking issues will hopefully be resolved by summer, and James is well on his way to being ready for Pre-School. I am so thankful for our little family and I am ready to be done with this "having babies" part of my life.
No really, this was our last one. ;)
Drew-Boo:
Oh my, son, you are a champion nurser. You were born 8 pounds, 7 ounces. We made it all the way down to 7 pounds, 7 ounces when we had our two day check up at the doctor's office. On Wednesday, at my breast-feeding support group, you weighed in at 9 pounds, 14 ounces. Holy hell. And you have been consistently been eating about 4-4.5 ounces each time I have gone in and weighed you. Good Lord, boy! BUT, in all that, I am thrilled that we are having such a great nursing experience. I went into this breastfeeding experience with a very different expectation than I had with Catherine. I bought formula ahead of time to prepare for those cluster feeding experiences that I hated so much with Catherine. But I have only used two ounces, one ounce two different times. And it was during cluster feeding both times. The past 24 hours have been difficult as you have been nursing consistently about every two hours. And that includes the hour or so that you will nurse. Last night, you nursed from 3:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and then from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. It was tough, especially because Eric wasn't feeling well, but otherwise, we kept on keepin' on.
You are growing so quickly, I am putting your newborn onesies away (22 inches long already!), and your newborn pants won't really fit around your size 1 diapers. But because I sold so many of James' clothes, you have a mish-mash of clothing items that don't really fit. Not to mention, the only pacifier we seem to be able to find is one of Catherine's old ones, which is pink and has a heart on the front. Sooo, for that, I'm sorry. Today, at the grocery store, I could tell the person talking to me about "the baby" couldn't tell if he was a girl or a boy. The onesie says boy, the pacifier says girl. Hmmm, sorry son!
James is absolutely smitten with you. He tells us all the time that he "loves Droob." It's amazing. Catherine is a little bit more indifferent, but she does try to help with you when you're crying by shoving our only pacifier into your eye. Right area, wrong orifice. But, she tries.
Speaking of Catherine:
Our Sweet Catherine:
I have some intense mom-guilt when it comes to our little girl. I wish I would have known what I know now about breastfeeding. I wish I would have done things differently with her. I wonder if I would have how many things would be different.
We finally got an appointment with the ENT clinic, which was yesterday, and the news we received was devastating to me as a mommy. According to your hearing test, you can hear the equivalent of if you or I had our fingers in our ears. When the doctor was telling us that, I thought, "Oh, well, that explains a little bit." However, I didn't realize how much until I actually tried it in the privacy of our bedroom after putting Drew down. I was shocked. You can hardly hear anything, little girl, and it makes me feel terrible for being short with you when you don't do something that I ask you to do. Or when I have put you in time out when you didn't follow my directions etc. Because you can't hear shit! It breaks my heart. Thankfully, surgery will be happening fairly quickly thanks to the fact they had an opening March 8. The doctor said once you have surgery, odds are your hearing will be 100%. Which makes me feel better, but not that much better.
We have a sound machine that we have used in your room since you were a baby because James can be really loud after you've gone to bed (and you still go to bed at 6:30 and James not until 7:30/8:00), so we have been using this sound machine to drown out all the noises a little boy makes. I realized last night you probably can't even hear it. And that made me incredibly sad. You can hear music, and you dance to it, but I guarantee it's just the bass beats. It's interesting to think about, and it makes me feel awful. Even though, in this case, there was nothing that I could do to help the fluid in your ears, but holy cow. I am trying to forgive myself, but it's difficult. There are so many things I know now that I wish I could go back and change.
James Thomas:
Oh buddy, you are amazing. In every awe-inspiring, horrifying sense of the word. You are loud, you are opinionated, you are FUNNY (when did you get a sense of humor??) and you are having a tough time at daycare. Thinking about it today, when you started daycare, you had four friends who were, essentially, the same age as you. There is only one of those friends left. You keep talking about starting school, which should be happening next year (pretty exciting!), and you so badly want to be like the "big kids." So it's hard when you fight us to go to daycare. We get it. It's hard to go to a place that has changed so much. And I feel badly for you, But at the end of the day, what an important life lesson you are learning. And I"m sure it's harder on mom than it is on you, but holy cow, what a battle it has become. Hopefully, it goes away soon.
You love "Droob" and tell us this all the time. When Drew first came home, I was worried because you started treating Catherine pretty poorly. Taking her toys, shoving her down, and just overall not being very nice. Luckily, that is subsiding, and you're sliding into your role as a big brother. It's adorable, as you always want to make sure you are kissing "Droob" good night, and one night, when I came downstairs to grab some water and Drew started crying, I heard you on the monitor saying, "It's ok, buddy." Melt my heart!
You are such a lover and a fighter rolled up into this loud little ball of boy. I am enjoying this trip and you certainly keep things interesting!
The Kitchen:
Ohhhhh, the kitchen. Ugh. It's slow-going, but at least I am no longer walking on a combo of sub-floor, 70's linoleum, 90's linoleum, and our new flooring. Eric was able to rip it all out two days ago and now I am just walking on sub floor and our new flooring. Hopefully, Eric will be able to install it sometime this weekend.
All of our cabinets are in, all the handles are on the cabinets, and I have begun arranging the kitchen the way I want. Although it's extremely stressful, which Eric makes fun of me for. I am having a hard time figuring out where I want to put things. I actually don't really like our lazy susan's, and luckily, they came with a shelf you can use instead. Even though it's going to be a bitch, Eric is going to uninstall the lazy susan's and just install the shelves for me. For the things I will be keeping in there, it's more feasible to have shelving anyway. So I have been SLOOOOOWLY putting things here and there, and I think I like the set-up I have going. Eric teases me that even if I decide, I can change my mind. The thing he doesn't understand is I think things through greatly before I execute. So then when I execute, I only have to do so once and not have to think about it anymore. However, this time, I don't know if what I decide is actually going to work, or if everything will be fit, or if I will have to change it. I don't want to do that. So I am thinking it through A LOT. Oh well! It's working out so far!
I was able to put every single glass Anchor and Corningware dish that I own (which happens to be at least 20 - WTF?) in ONE CABINET. That's awesome. I used to have to keep them in the hutch that my dad built me. Some of those glass baking dishes have never seen the oven. Or the dishwasher. The countertop was installed, everything has been painted, we are slooooowly picking out backsplash, which has proven to be very difficult. Eric doesn't want the thin glass tile that is so in right now, because that's just it: it's "in." Soon, it will be "out" and we want a classic kitchen that will hold for the next seven years, as our seven year plan is to move to a bigger house. Wahoo!
Slowly, but surely, our kitchen is coming along, with all the other things Eric has been doing, is actually a miracle. I am hoping that we will be able to finish it by the time April rolls around. I think the goal was going to be before Drew-boo came along, but obviously, that was a pipe dream!
Eric and Me:
I am thoroughly enjoying my maternity leave, and thankfully, Drew has been a great baby, so I am glad to help him out. Next, I am hoping that we will get into our taxes, as I would really like to have those done as soon as possible! We shall see.
We are in desperate need of a date night, but he has been working at home the past week, so I have been able to see him and we are able to spend a lot of time together when Drew is sleeping, which is nice.
I go back to school April 4, but I am thinking of taking another two weeks. Eric doesn't know this, but now that I'm staring down the barrel of week 4 of my maternity leave, I really don't know if I will be ready to go back at week 8. Week 10 would probably be better, and I know I will be able to do that. I plan to broach the subject with Eric this weekend sometime, so hopefully, he will be supportive of it. We shall see - it will be another two weeks of unpaid time, but I think for my breastfeeding experience, and for how much I have been breastfeeding, it will be worth it. We will see. There is no way that I want to be a stay at home mom, but I do want to spend this time with my last baby.
Speaking of last baby, yes, this is our last baby. The Iowa Urology Clinic phone number is the only thing on our fridge. Eric just has to call (because I'm not doing it for him!). I am slowly gathering stuff for my second "No More Kids" Yard Sale, and all in all, we are cruising through as a family of five. It's been fairly easy to throw a third into the fray. I believe going from one to two is much more difficult than two to three. People talk about zone defense with the third, but so far, it's been fairly easy. I am thankful for that.
Eric has been a rock star, Drew has fit into the picture nicely, Catherine's hearing and speaking issues will hopefully be resolved by summer, and James is well on his way to being ready for Pre-School. I am so thankful for our little family and I am ready to be done with this "having babies" part of my life.
No really, this was our last one. ;)
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Drew Michael Engels
I wanted to name this post something like, "Welcome to the Shitshow!" but decided that your name was a more appropriate title! But I want to get your birth story down on this blog before I forget all the beautiful events that took place one week ago today (already??).
My last pregnancy update (EVER) was definitely on point. I woke up nervous, jittery and I had a very bad feeling about how this labor and delivery was going to go. In all, I am glad I convinced my doctor that you were going to be a big boy and you came early, with the help of drugs, otherwise it could have been a bad situation.
Wednesday night, the night before I was induced with you, Grandma Terri came down to stay with James since he had the flu and couldn't go to daycare the following day. Thank God for Grandma's! So your dad and I were up bright and early, getting ready to go. We ate breakfast, said our good-bye's and headed out. It was much less emotional than when we went to the hospital to have Catherine, most likely because this wasn't our first, or even second, rodeo. However, it is always surreal, that ride to the hospital, where you realize that no matter what, you are going to come back a family of five.
We checked in, they gave us the crappiest room on the floor (seriously. And what's even more interesting about that is that a couple of nurses said it was the least busy they had been in a long time and had a ton of rooms open. Ummmmm, so, could we have gotten a bigger one, with a better bed for Eric?), and they got the pitocin started.
It was slow-going at first, but the nurse also said they didn't want to rush into it before I could get my epidural. So Eric and I passed the time by hanging out, playing on our phones, talking about your name (Drew Michael was about the most concrete of names we had decided on for any of our children thus far. I knew you were going to be Drew before you were born, definitely), watching the contractions on the monitor. We guessed when you were going to get here, and since Catherine was born around 2:30, and knowing that once my body got going, it new how to labor and deliver a baby, I guessed you would be 8 pounds 3 ounces, born at 1:15 p.m. Eric guessed 9 pounds (thanks a lot!) born at 1:30 p.m.
But I labored very slowly this time. I didn't want to have the epidural as early as I did with Catherine and be incapacitated that long, so I waited as long as I felt comfortable and finally asked for it about 10:30 a.m. It was an excrutiating experience, but it was the best epidural I have had thus far. The anesthesiologist kept hitting me on the right side. So she would take the needle out and put it back in. It was a long 5 minutes or so, but finally, she hit the money spot, and throughout the course of labor, I could move both my legs and still had some sensation. Not feeling by any means, but I could tell when someone was touching my leg etc.
So 1:15 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. came and went. Eric's mom arrived about that time, but I was only at an 8. About 2:30, I was about a 9 and finally about 3:00, I was a 10, but there was a lip of my cervix that was caught at the top of your head.
At 3:00, Dr. Dejong came in and broke down the table to start pushing. Now, at this point, I had not had anything to eat since 6:30 a.m. and I was STARVING. So when I started pushing, I thought I was going to throw up! The pushing was excrutiating, and even though I am a champion birther, it was so tough. I pushed with everything I had, but seemed like I was progressing so slowly. Thankfully, I could feel the contractions ramp up and worked with my body to push through them. Eric was amazing, per usual, and cheered me on, kept my face cool with a wash cloth and overall, was a champ in his own right. You have a pretty amazing dad.
So I clamped down and pushed and pushed and pushed. Finally, I was told they could see your head and how much hair you had (WHAT? I was having a child born with HAIR?)! But you were slow to come out. Once you did, they told me to stop pushing, with an urgency that even had me opening my eyes (the first time I have ever done so during a labor) to see what was wrong.
The cord was wrapped around your neck three times. This is what I meant above when I said that had we waited for me to go into labor naturally, and you could have come very quickly, or the cord could have twisted even more, it could have been dangerous for you.
So I waited and breathed through contractions as Dr. Dejong pulled on the cord to loosen it. It was hard to get his scissors in to cut it, but he managed and they told me to push one more time through a contraction. I remember the precise moment I opened my eyes with James and saw him come out, I remember the precise moment I opened my eyes and saw Catherine come out, I remember the precise moment I opened my eyes and saw you come out. Three of the most beautiful moments in my life.
They put you on my chest, but true to form, you were stubborn and didn't want to breathe, so they whisked you away and put you on the table.
I cannot remember what your dad said to me after James and Catherine were born, but this time, I will never forget it. He took my hand, leaned down and simply said, "I love you." It was one of the most sincere, raw moments between your dad and I. It was lovely and I will never forget it.
Of course, then true to form, your good ole mom shooed Eric away to make sure you were doing ok while Dr. Dejong worked on me. It took me a long time to actually see you. I was surprised that I didn't cry, even when they put you on my chest, but I really think it's because I didn't SEE you.
Finally, they brought you over to me, and there you were. Beautiful. And there I was, crying.
8 pounds, 7 ounces, 21 inches long at 3:23 p.m. I didn't push for long, but it seemed like an eternity as every time I pushed, I was meeting the resistance of a cord that was wrapped tightly around your neck. It was as slow as James, it wasn't as quick as Catherine, but it was still beautiful. You are beautiful.
All in all, it was a lovely day. My mom, your grandma, came in an hour or so afterward, while the nurse was helping me get cleaned up in the bathroom. When I came out, she was holding you in the rocking chair and crying.
It was the first of our kids where I had seen her cry like that. I know it was because she was remembering my dad.
All while we were preparing for your birth, all I could ever seem to think about was my dad. It still astounds me that your due date was February 5th. Even though that's one day earlier than the date of his death, it still happened to fall on the exact day. And that due date never wavered. Every time I was measured, with each ultrasound, I was reassured that by God, you were due February 5th. Even our 20 week ultrasound, where sometimes the head circumference says a different date than the development of the organs etc., everything lined up perfectly with February 5th.
I think that's why I was leery of your labor and delivery. I had yet to see a sign from my dad. No cardinals. No looking at the clock randomly and seeing 11:11 (your birthday, in fact). No signs that were otherwise telling me it would be ok.
Even after you were born, I didn't see any sign from my dad, telling me he was there. Even when I was pushing, toward the end when I was getting really tired, it seemed like I wasn't making any progress and I was feeling like I was going to throw up, I'm pretty sure I said, "C'mon dad, throw me a bone here!" There was still nothing.
So in the wee hours of February 6th, the nurse came in to wake me up to nurse you. She left you with me, and since you were still only stirring, I took a few moments to wake myself up. I propped myself up in bed, and there was my sign.
A red hat, donated by the American Heart Association.
Seems trivial, and maybe a bit weird, but it was what was written on the pamphlet that really got me. "February is American Heart Month. In support, we ask that you post a photo of your new little one wearing their red hat on social media!"
So, that is my goal for you today. I will post a picture in memory of my dad, one of the greatest men I knew.
You are perfect. In every sense of the word. Welcome to the shitshow, son. :)
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
39 + 5
This week has been a little bit better than the last. Saturday and Sunday were tough, no joke. However, I was able to survive them. Barely. Eric worked god-awful hours (until 3 a.m. Monday morning god-awful). I have been having inconsistent contractions consistently, which is annoying. And I am just starting to feel like crap. Awesome.
In all, tomorrow's birth has me nervous, excited, scared, and exhausted. I am nervous it won't be as easy as the last two. I'm excited to meet you. I'm scared because of the afterbirth that I know will come because of it, and I am exhausted just thinking about three kids under the age of 4. Hopefully, somehow, I will survive it. Hopefully, this little family of 5 will survive it.
Random Thoughts from This Week: I have birthed two children, but for some reason, I am really scared to go in tomorrow.
Maternity clothes? Of course, but from now on, it shall be sweatshirts and yoga pants! Hip-hip-hooray!
Weight gain? Probably. I have done nothing but eat like crap and swell up like a sausage.
Stretch marks? Nope!
Best moment this week? The fact that today was my last day at school for a few months?
Worst moment this week? Today was, in fact, my last day, but I also had to leave early to get James because he has the flu! Luckily, my mother-in-law is here now and will be watching him tomorrow. Hallelujah!
What the doctor says: Nothing because I am being induced tomorrow!
Any symptoms? Contractions, lightning crotch, and overall just not feeling very well. Very tired, very ready to be done being pregnant!
Movement? Yes, surprisingly quite a bit!
Anything make you queasy or sick? Not really!
Looking forward to: At the end of all of this, I will be meeting my little man tomorrow. It seems like only yesterday we were bringing home a cross-eyed James Thomas and a scowly Little Miss Catherine Lynn. Crazy how this time has flown.
Here's to tomorrow, and our little family of 5.
In all, tomorrow's birth has me nervous, excited, scared, and exhausted. I am nervous it won't be as easy as the last two. I'm excited to meet you. I'm scared because of the afterbirth that I know will come because of it, and I am exhausted just thinking about three kids under the age of 4. Hopefully, somehow, I will survive it. Hopefully, this little family of 5 will survive it.
Random Thoughts from This Week: I have birthed two children, but for some reason, I am really scared to go in tomorrow.
Maternity clothes? Of course, but from now on, it shall be sweatshirts and yoga pants! Hip-hip-hooray!
Weight gain? Probably. I have done nothing but eat like crap and swell up like a sausage.
Stretch marks? Nope!
Best moment this week? The fact that today was my last day at school for a few months?
Worst moment this week? Today was, in fact, my last day, but I also had to leave early to get James because he has the flu! Luckily, my mother-in-law is here now and will be watching him tomorrow. Hallelujah!
What the doctor says: Nothing because I am being induced tomorrow!
Any symptoms? Contractions, lightning crotch, and overall just not feeling very well. Very tired, very ready to be done being pregnant!
Movement? Yes, surprisingly quite a bit!
Anything make you queasy or sick? Not really!
Looking forward to: At the end of all of this, I will be meeting my little man tomorrow. It seems like only yesterday we were bringing home a cross-eyed James Thomas and a scowly Little Miss Catherine Lynn. Crazy how this time has flown.
Here's to tomorrow, and our little family of 5.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
39 Weeks!
There are people who say that God doesn't give you what you can't handle. There are also people who say that's a crock of shit. I am one of them.
I walk into our house and NOTHING is being done on our kitchen. Except for half a floor being laid for a couple of hours, and my painting. That's right, me. Up on a ladder. 3 feet above the ground and reaching up to the ceiling to paint. Because that's not dangerous or anything.
I slipped in the driveway of our daycare provider on Monday after my PT appointment, while carrying Catherine because I had forgotten it was supposed to snow (or I didn't even realize? it seems like so long ago, I'm not really sure). Since then, I have been able to barely walk. But yet I would come home to another crockpot creation or leftovers, feed myself and the kids, change into gross clothes and get to work painting. Thankfully today, I had another PT appointment, so it helped me immensely. Hopefully tomorrow, I'll be able to walk.
Every time I turn over in bed, my pubic bone pops. No joke. I didn't even know it was possible that you could dislocate your pubic bone, but apparently, I have. Your pubic bone is supposed to line up horizontal. Mine does not any more, thanks to this baby. So now when I pop my pubic bone, it kills. The pressure is unbelievable and the pain is pretty incredible. All in all, I am so excited to be done with this pregnancy.
School has been increasingly difficult. It's hard to find the motivation to be the "dog and pony show" that I was before I was so incredibly heavy, pregnant, and uncomfortable. I teach bell-to-bell, which I know there are several teachers out there who don't. I am on all the time, and I expect my students to be on all the time. And yesterday, I actually let them have 10 minutes of class time to themselves. I never allow that. EVER. And yesterday, because I was so uncomfortable just from standing in front of them, I had to sit down and let them have that ten minutes.
I am so tired and hardly sleeping. I have been hiring my 14 year old neighbor girl and my daycare providers 14 year old daughter to watch my kids so I can do the things around the house that Eric would normally help me with, but can't because he has all these jobs that are coming due.
Today, a colleague, who has the same due date as me, gave birth to a healthy baby boy. And all day I got to deal with, "You have 12 hours to have your baby at the same time as Cassie!" Or, "think you'll go today too?" No. I don't think I'll go today, or tomorrow, or the next. Because that's not how my pregnancy works. But here I am, surrounded by people who apparently have their babies early. Talk about repeated slaps in the face!
And at the end of the day, I am incredibly lonely. I feel like I'm doing this parenting, and this pregnancy, all by myself. There came a time today when I wondered if Eric would even be able to stay with me in the hospital, or if he would have to go finish a job somewhere. He swears the kitchen will be done in time, he swears he will have everything finished, hopefully by Monday, but in the end, I don't foresee it happening. I am throwing up prayers to my dad all the time, asking him to help Eric get everything done in time, but unless there is a miracle, I don't think it will happen. It almost feels like I will forever be walking on a combination of half done walnut wood flooring, subfloor, 80's linoleum and the old laminant flooring we laid when we first moved in, which is still in our foyer.
Onward, I guess.
Random Thoughts from This Week: Are we done yet?
Maternity clothes? they are taunting me from the closet. Will today be the last day I get to wear my hot pink pants? Will tomorrow be the last day I wear my cute wrap dress? I am ready to put them away!
Weight gain? Yes, which led to an interesting convo at the doctor's office.
Stretch marks? Nope!
Best moment this week? Last Friday night I went to Christy's with the rest of the "cul-de-sac" girls and they proceeded to make me 20 freezer meals for after the baby gets here. I couldn't believe it. Most likely, with leftovers, that will last me an entire month. I was floored and so touched that they would think to do that for me. It was also a lot of fun to just sit around afterward and chat.
Worst moment this week? On Friday, Catherine threw up, on Saturday she had a fever all day, and on Sunday, I finally took her to Urgent Care. Guess what? A fucking ear infection. So we tried an ALL NEW family of anti-biotics. It seems to have worked, but those three days were endless. Then James had a fever and cough on Sunday night, but luckily didn't wake up with a fever on Monday, so off to daycare he went, although he was clearly not feeling well. Last night was the first night that both of my babies seemed to be in good moods and feeling good. Just in time, right?
What the doctor says: Still very swollen, still dilated to a 3. He tried stretching me, but just like with James and Catherine, I have not noticed anything and doubt I will. Just some blood-tinged mucous, but that is what happens every time. Luckily, my conversation about my swelling, weight gain AND how I tend to have big babies no matter what size I turn out to be lead him to try to get me an induction next week. Which is another reason why I have been freaking out. It looks like it could be Thursday, and that's a week from today. And we are nowhere near finishing the kitchen, or the hall bath, or really, do we have any semblance of order in our house.
Any symptoms? Just a ton of contractions that never go anywhere. Typical!
Movement? Probably not. I am going to be pregnant forever.
Anything make you queasy or sick? Not that I know of, but I have been feeling nauseous. Every little thing that I say to anyone gets the reply, "Oh, it could be anytime!" Yeah, it should be!
Looking forward to: Holy shitballs, getting this baby out.
Here's to one more week... maybe.
I walk into our house and NOTHING is being done on our kitchen. Except for half a floor being laid for a couple of hours, and my painting. That's right, me. Up on a ladder. 3 feet above the ground and reaching up to the ceiling to paint. Because that's not dangerous or anything.
I slipped in the driveway of our daycare provider on Monday after my PT appointment, while carrying Catherine because I had forgotten it was supposed to snow (or I didn't even realize? it seems like so long ago, I'm not really sure). Since then, I have been able to barely walk. But yet I would come home to another crockpot creation or leftovers, feed myself and the kids, change into gross clothes and get to work painting. Thankfully today, I had another PT appointment, so it helped me immensely. Hopefully tomorrow, I'll be able to walk.
Every time I turn over in bed, my pubic bone pops. No joke. I didn't even know it was possible that you could dislocate your pubic bone, but apparently, I have. Your pubic bone is supposed to line up horizontal. Mine does not any more, thanks to this baby. So now when I pop my pubic bone, it kills. The pressure is unbelievable and the pain is pretty incredible. All in all, I am so excited to be done with this pregnancy.
School has been increasingly difficult. It's hard to find the motivation to be the "dog and pony show" that I was before I was so incredibly heavy, pregnant, and uncomfortable. I teach bell-to-bell, which I know there are several teachers out there who don't. I am on all the time, and I expect my students to be on all the time. And yesterday, I actually let them have 10 minutes of class time to themselves. I never allow that. EVER. And yesterday, because I was so uncomfortable just from standing in front of them, I had to sit down and let them have that ten minutes.
I am so tired and hardly sleeping. I have been hiring my 14 year old neighbor girl and my daycare providers 14 year old daughter to watch my kids so I can do the things around the house that Eric would normally help me with, but can't because he has all these jobs that are coming due.
Today, a colleague, who has the same due date as me, gave birth to a healthy baby boy. And all day I got to deal with, "You have 12 hours to have your baby at the same time as Cassie!" Or, "think you'll go today too?" No. I don't think I'll go today, or tomorrow, or the next. Because that's not how my pregnancy works. But here I am, surrounded by people who apparently have their babies early. Talk about repeated slaps in the face!
And at the end of the day, I am incredibly lonely. I feel like I'm doing this parenting, and this pregnancy, all by myself. There came a time today when I wondered if Eric would even be able to stay with me in the hospital, or if he would have to go finish a job somewhere. He swears the kitchen will be done in time, he swears he will have everything finished, hopefully by Monday, but in the end, I don't foresee it happening. I am throwing up prayers to my dad all the time, asking him to help Eric get everything done in time, but unless there is a miracle, I don't think it will happen. It almost feels like I will forever be walking on a combination of half done walnut wood flooring, subfloor, 80's linoleum and the old laminant flooring we laid when we first moved in, which is still in our foyer.
Onward, I guess.
Random Thoughts from This Week: Are we done yet?
Maternity clothes? they are taunting me from the closet. Will today be the last day I get to wear my hot pink pants? Will tomorrow be the last day I wear my cute wrap dress? I am ready to put them away!
Weight gain? Yes, which led to an interesting convo at the doctor's office.
Stretch marks? Nope!
Best moment this week? Last Friday night I went to Christy's with the rest of the "cul-de-sac" girls and they proceeded to make me 20 freezer meals for after the baby gets here. I couldn't believe it. Most likely, with leftovers, that will last me an entire month. I was floored and so touched that they would think to do that for me. It was also a lot of fun to just sit around afterward and chat.
Worst moment this week? On Friday, Catherine threw up, on Saturday she had a fever all day, and on Sunday, I finally took her to Urgent Care. Guess what? A fucking ear infection. So we tried an ALL NEW family of anti-biotics. It seems to have worked, but those three days were endless. Then James had a fever and cough on Sunday night, but luckily didn't wake up with a fever on Monday, so off to daycare he went, although he was clearly not feeling well. Last night was the first night that both of my babies seemed to be in good moods and feeling good. Just in time, right?
What the doctor says: Still very swollen, still dilated to a 3. He tried stretching me, but just like with James and Catherine, I have not noticed anything and doubt I will. Just some blood-tinged mucous, but that is what happens every time. Luckily, my conversation about my swelling, weight gain AND how I tend to have big babies no matter what size I turn out to be lead him to try to get me an induction next week. Which is another reason why I have been freaking out. It looks like it could be Thursday, and that's a week from today. And we are nowhere near finishing the kitchen, or the hall bath, or really, do we have any semblance of order in our house.
Any symptoms? Just a ton of contractions that never go anywhere. Typical!
Movement? Probably not. I am going to be pregnant forever.
Anything make you queasy or sick? Not that I know of, but I have been feeling nauseous. Every little thing that I say to anyone gets the reply, "Oh, it could be anytime!" Yeah, it should be!
Looking forward to: Holy shitballs, getting this baby out.
Here's to one more week... maybe.
Thursday, January 21, 2016
38 Weeks!
It's funny that every week seems to get busier... and busier... and busier. Eric and I have barely seen each other the past week, I've been in charge of the kids by myself, at this point in my pregnancy, and I am fricken exhausted. I am hoping this baby comes early, but then again, I don't.
Random Thoughts from This Week: James has become obsessed with the movie "Home" in which the cute, animated aliens are called "Boovs." I'm wondering if that was just some sick, perverted joke the writers put in there, knowing that all little girls and boys would not be able to pronounce the "v" and just say "Boobs."
Maternity clothes? Oh Lordy, things are getting smaller. At this point, I'm not looking in my closet to see what clothes I'll be able to wear again when I'm not pregnant, but I'm looking at the maternity clothes I'll be able to wear again when I'm not pregnant.
Weight gain? No, surprisingly. Although we have been busy as hell, so that could be part of it!
Stretch marks? Nope!
Best moment this week? Uhhh... I have been having some really great rehearsals at school lately... that's about all. And the drywall was finished on our kitchen today. So... that's done with. Now it will be time to paint...
Worst moment this week? Catherine's ear infection came back on Monday, and today, I was home with a sick James. Just an elevated fever and cough, but still...
What the doctor says: Still very swollen, dilated to a 3, "should have a baby in the next few weeks." haha.........
Any symptoms? Yes! When I went to the doctor on Tuesday, I told him we needed to get things moving. He laughed, but then did some stuff to try and get things moving. It hurts, but since then, we've had bloody mucous-y discharge. Continuously. Hopefully, that was the sign Baby E3 needs to start the process... And hopefully, but not hopefully, the process doesn't take too long...
Movement? Yes, and I think it's downward. You've been making me cringe for a couple days now. Hello lightning crotch!
Anything make you queasy or sick? Ummm, nope, not that I can remember, that is.
Looking forward to: When Eric's "hell" week is over with. Which is not looking good. I am so thankful he is in high demand, in late January, which is unusual for the construction business, but I'm not excited about the late nights, no forward movement on our kitchen (except the drywall) and really, I am ready to be done being pregnant. I am looking forward to this weekend when I have our babysitter coming over so I can do some work in the kitchen and hopefully get some things done with freezer meals, but we will see. OH YES! I am also looking forward to my girls night out tomorrow night - but really it's a night in and we're making freezer meals. Wahoo! I can't wait.
Here's to two more weeks........ hopefully, but not.
Random Thoughts from This Week: James has become obsessed with the movie "Home" in which the cute, animated aliens are called "Boovs." I'm wondering if that was just some sick, perverted joke the writers put in there, knowing that all little girls and boys would not be able to pronounce the "v" and just say "Boobs."
Maternity clothes? Oh Lordy, things are getting smaller. At this point, I'm not looking in my closet to see what clothes I'll be able to wear again when I'm not pregnant, but I'm looking at the maternity clothes I'll be able to wear again when I'm not pregnant.
Weight gain? No, surprisingly. Although we have been busy as hell, so that could be part of it!
Stretch marks? Nope!
Best moment this week? Uhhh... I have been having some really great rehearsals at school lately... that's about all. And the drywall was finished on our kitchen today. So... that's done with. Now it will be time to paint...
Worst moment this week? Catherine's ear infection came back on Monday, and today, I was home with a sick James. Just an elevated fever and cough, but still...
What the doctor says: Still very swollen, dilated to a 3, "should have a baby in the next few weeks." haha.........
Any symptoms? Yes! When I went to the doctor on Tuesday, I told him we needed to get things moving. He laughed, but then did some stuff to try and get things moving. It hurts, but since then, we've had bloody mucous-y discharge. Continuously. Hopefully, that was the sign Baby E3 needs to start the process... And hopefully, but not hopefully, the process doesn't take too long...
Movement? Yes, and I think it's downward. You've been making me cringe for a couple days now. Hello lightning crotch!
Anything make you queasy or sick? Ummm, nope, not that I can remember, that is.
Looking forward to: When Eric's "hell" week is over with. Which is not looking good. I am so thankful he is in high demand, in late January, which is unusual for the construction business, but I'm not excited about the late nights, no forward movement on our kitchen (except the drywall) and really, I am ready to be done being pregnant. I am looking forward to this weekend when I have our babysitter coming over so I can do some work in the kitchen and hopefully get some things done with freezer meals, but we will see. OH YES! I am also looking forward to my girls night out tomorrow night - but really it's a night in and we're making freezer meals. Wahoo! I can't wait.
Here's to two more weeks........ hopefully, but not.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
37 Weeks!
So I thought last week was bad. It does not even come close to what this week has been. Needless to say, it's been filled with sleepless nights, 12+ hour work days, absolutely NO movement forward on the kitchen, but yet, so many things have been decided and delivered (but not our damn cabinet yet!). It's been a whirlwind and Eric and I are so incredibly tired. Holy hell.
Random Thoughts from This Week: I am absolutely dreading the weight that I will have to lose after Baby E gets here. Ugh.
Maternity clothes? Yes. I broke out some leggings that I haven't worn before that are thicker since it's been so cold. Nope, don't even go up over my belly. Someone, get this baby out of me. I just can't wait to get back to the clothes that I am used to. Y'know, the ones that won't fit for like, 9 months while I lose this baby weight.
Weight gain? Hahaha, yes. I stepped on the scale at my doctor's appointment the other day and about fell off again. Up FIVE pounds. Really? The doctor assured me it's most likely water weight, and I do remember having something similar happen with both Catherine and James, but seriously, it doesn't make a person feel good. Up five pounds in about 2 1/2 weeks? That's not good at all...
Stretch marks? Nope!
Best moment this week? My mother-in-law had Casey's pizza delivered to our house last night. After the week we have had, it was an amazing gesture and we were so thankful.
Worst moment this week? James has been getting up multiple times a night. Combine that with the fact that I, too, am up multiple times a night peeing, it's been terrible. I finally broke down and told him that if he gets up in the middle of the night to come and lay with mom and dad, we will read one less book the next night. I felt awful about doing it that way. I talked to our daycare provider about it, who has become like my Nanny 911 at times, and she suggested giving him incentives, like having someone over to play. Well, Eric and I are going on a day date to finish out everything for our kitchen remodel (faucet, vanity for the bathroom etc., backsplash, wood for the open cabinetry in teh middle), and a little bit of "us" time, and our next door neighbor girl is coming to play. James LOVES her, so that is his incentive, even though he's going to get it. After many sleepless nights, last night, he stayed in his bed all night. This morning was even adorable as he yelled from his doorway, "Mom! Is it morning time yet?" And I was rested enough to actually reply back. It was better than the morning before when he got up, turned on all the lights in the upstairs at 5:00 a.m. and then went DOWNSTAIRS and turned on cartoons. Ugh.
What the doctor says: I am very swollen, so I need to watch that. I am dilated to about a 2, which is no surprise considering the contractions combined with the fact I am on my third pregnancy in four and a half years. I asked him about my extreme thirst, and he said that's pretty natural at this point. Especially in the winter. He suggested using a humidifier. Baby E is still pretty high, but a lot can happen quickly and since my babies seem to come without a problem, he said to be on the ready once contractions really start moving along. Looking forward to next week!
Movement? Yep. And I've noticed that when I have a contraction, you like to "push back." It's incredibly painful and uncomfortable, but all is well.
Anything make you queasy or sick? I don't think just one thing has been making me queasy, but just overall third trimester nausea has set in. There are times where I don't think I'm going to make it. It's tough!
Looking forward to: Mine and Eric's day date on Saturday. It's much needed and I'm hoping that we have some fun, that I don't feel crappy, that we both get some sleep the night before, and we get everything done that we need to. *sigh* God help us.
Random Thoughts from This Week: I am absolutely dreading the weight that I will have to lose after Baby E gets here. Ugh.
Maternity clothes? Yes. I broke out some leggings that I haven't worn before that are thicker since it's been so cold. Nope, don't even go up over my belly. Someone, get this baby out of me. I just can't wait to get back to the clothes that I am used to. Y'know, the ones that won't fit for like, 9 months while I lose this baby weight.
Weight gain? Hahaha, yes. I stepped on the scale at my doctor's appointment the other day and about fell off again. Up FIVE pounds. Really? The doctor assured me it's most likely water weight, and I do remember having something similar happen with both Catherine and James, but seriously, it doesn't make a person feel good. Up five pounds in about 2 1/2 weeks? That's not good at all...
Stretch marks? Nope!
Best moment this week? My mother-in-law had Casey's pizza delivered to our house last night. After the week we have had, it was an amazing gesture and we were so thankful.
Worst moment this week? James has been getting up multiple times a night. Combine that with the fact that I, too, am up multiple times a night peeing, it's been terrible. I finally broke down and told him that if he gets up in the middle of the night to come and lay with mom and dad, we will read one less book the next night. I felt awful about doing it that way. I talked to our daycare provider about it, who has become like my Nanny 911 at times, and she suggested giving him incentives, like having someone over to play. Well, Eric and I are going on a day date to finish out everything for our kitchen remodel (faucet, vanity for the bathroom etc., backsplash, wood for the open cabinetry in teh middle), and a little bit of "us" time, and our next door neighbor girl is coming to play. James LOVES her, so that is his incentive, even though he's going to get it. After many sleepless nights, last night, he stayed in his bed all night. This morning was even adorable as he yelled from his doorway, "Mom! Is it morning time yet?" And I was rested enough to actually reply back. It was better than the morning before when he got up, turned on all the lights in the upstairs at 5:00 a.m. and then went DOWNSTAIRS and turned on cartoons. Ugh.
What the doctor says: I am very swollen, so I need to watch that. I am dilated to about a 2, which is no surprise considering the contractions combined with the fact I am on my third pregnancy in four and a half years. I asked him about my extreme thirst, and he said that's pretty natural at this point. Especially in the winter. He suggested using a humidifier. Baby E is still pretty high, but a lot can happen quickly and since my babies seem to come without a problem, he said to be on the ready once contractions really start moving along. Looking forward to next week!
Movement? Yep. And I've noticed that when I have a contraction, you like to "push back." It's incredibly painful and uncomfortable, but all is well.
Anything make you queasy or sick? I don't think just one thing has been making me queasy, but just overall third trimester nausea has set in. There are times where I don't think I'm going to make it. It's tough!
Looking forward to: Mine and Eric's day date on Saturday. It's much needed and I'm hoping that we have some fun, that I don't feel crappy, that we both get some sleep the night before, and we get everything done that we need to. *sigh* God help us.
Hello week 37!
Thursday, January 7, 2016
36 Weeks!
Holy hell. What a week it has been. Tuesday we had Catherine's 18 month appointment (at 19 months....... oops!) and she had a fever and a raging ear infection, which we had suspected. So instead of getting her shots, she got Amoxicillin and another appointment for two weeks out. It was a good appointment, but it was a little disheartening. Again, the doctor mentioned spina bifida, which I really don't believe she has. Then she mentioned she was concerned about her lack of talking, or more specifically, the fact that she only says "Mama" for mom and "Nom nom" (no joke) for food. Sometimes we can coax "dada" out of her, but otherwise, she is mum. I keep telling them that I have a niece who was the exact same way: walked late, talked late, and now she's a normal 5 year old. I'm guessing Catherine isn't too good at her words yet, because she was spending so much time concentrating on those gross motor skills she needed to WALK. Now that she's walking, she's become so much more like a TODDLER. So I kind of waved it off, but made sure that I called the Physical Therapist for a consult with a Speech Pathologist.
Thursday was that appointment, and I have never met a more enthusiastic speech pathologist in my life. Holy crap. This lady was like Marcia from The Brady Bunch Movie. It was incredible. But she was very nice, and she said she would recommend a speech and language consult in a couple of months since she's not really using her words. Well, I hate to put it like this, but I was concerned about our appointment. Catherine was not herself. She literally just stared at the physical therapist and speech pathologist, and really just wanted to be held. And Thursday was the beginning of a very cranky weekend for Catherine.
Long story short, Saturday was terrible and she was completely out of sorts. I almost took her to Urgent Care because I truly did not know what was wrong. Even moreso on Sunday. Sunday was even worse. I noticed on Saturday she was developing some eczema on her stomach, but I thought it was because it's winter, James has some eczema in a couple of places (behind his knees) during the winter, so I didn't think too much of it. Until she woke up on Monday morning with her cheeks, forehead and chin covered in eczema. I called the doctor and said it looked like to me that not only was she having an allergic reaction to the Amoxicillin, but she was also clearly not over her ear infection. We got a new medication that night and boom, by Tuesday night, we had a completely different little girl. Thank God, because the weekend was a nightmare.
Not only were we trying to deal with that, but in all our kitchen designing and re-designing, Eric and I forgot to order a 6 inch spice cabinet. Yep, that's right. There is one 6 inch cabinet that is keeping us from making hardly ANY progress on our kitchen. We are at a complete standstill. Luckily, that gave Eric a little time to finish our bathroom, which he did, and it looks amazing. I have yet to take some pictures because he has yet to switch out the toilets, so the new one is just sitting there in the boxes, but it's lovely. I love love love it! So glad that is off our plate. And so glad we got the tub we did. It's been a huge help in keeping me comfortable, that's for sure!
But I digress. So Eric and I have to order this new cabinet. I thought it was going to be as easy as going on the website and ordering it again, until I got to the shipping and handling, which was going to be FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS. Yes, for a $190 cabinet. I was appalled. So last Wednesday I called the company, and by Tuesday, they hadn't gotten back to me. So I called again. Needless to say, I did some digging and found another dealer of our cabinets that would ship the same cabinet for $60. Only we would be paying about $40 more for the cabinet because Eric gets a contractor discount with the current cabinet company. So, we had a bargaining chip, and they were able to help us out with it. It hasn't been a real pleasant experience, but it's done and cabinet will be here on Wednesday.
I haven't really had a chance to nest yet, as I don't really have room to put any diapers, clothes or anything for this third baby. We don't have a nursery for him, so I'm having trouble figuring out just what to do with all the stuff that you would normally keep in a nursery. So I tried rearranging Catherine's room, but that didn't help at all. Finally, Eric told me to just order a dresser, which is exactly what I did (eeeeeek!) and it will be here on Tuesday. That will seriously be the only thing that Baby E3 will have that is his "space." That's where I'll keep his diapers, clothes, and anything else he might require. Luckily (unluckily?) Catherine is still in diapers, so the changing table that I bought with her will definitely be used, when I thought we weren't going to use it for very long. Haha. Silly me.
Otherwise, it's seriously been balls-to-the-wall busy. I feel like I am constantly doing something that has to do with my health (see below), Catherine's physical therapy, not sleeping, or ordering stuff for the kitchen (or sending it back...grr). So onward, so this week's incredibly blurry update.
Random Thoughts from This Week: I do not know why I have sucked so badly at making meals for the past 12 years Eric and I have been together. Seriously, I have been forced to make crockpot creations almost every night, thanks to not having a stove, and I become the worlds greatest cook? It's amazing what you can make in a crockpot, and amazing how easy it is. Not sure why I haven't done this before!
Maternity clothes? Yes. I am going to try my jeans for the last time tomorrow, I believe, since it's jeans day at work. But I can't guarantee anything.
Weight gain? Now that I'm back at work not eating crappy food? Probably not...
Stretch marks? Nope!
Best moment this week? Again, it was physical therapy. I didn't feel better right out of the gate, but tonight I feel the best I have in awhile. She manipulated some things and gave me some exercises, as well as some tips when I'm moving (transverse abs, anyone?). Tonight, 24 hours later, has been great (even though I'm really swollen, at least I can move!). Also, prenatal massages. Why have I never gotten those before?
Worst moment this week? James has been getting into our bed at night, while I'm passed out apparently, and I will wake up with a little butt in my face, while Kinnick, our cat, is on the other side. I am a person who likes my space, and when I wake up sardined between a 3.5 year old and a cat, I can feel myself getting pissed. It's like, "lay with someone else!" Holy hell. Then when James isn't creeping in our bed, Eric will sometimes make his way to my side of the bed because it's deflated all the way, which causes him to "fall" that direction, and I will wake up with my face in his armpit, or his elbow on my forehead. Ugh, it's so annoying! So then I have to get up with James and walk him back to bed, and then I have to make sure I pee, because of course, once I'm upright, gravity takes hold. Not only that, but moving around in bed has sucked, and Monday night, my pubic bone literally popped. It was the most horrifying, disgusting noise I have ever heard. And then, I was in pain. So of course, I was up from 4:00 a.m. I could hardly walk. Luckily, at physical therapy that night, I described it to her and she was able to "diagnose" it as the fact I had dislocated my pubis. What? How does that even happen? Is that possible? Well, when you're this pregnant, it is possible, because your pubic bone is so separated. So she gave me some exercises, manipulated my hips and tried to get it to pop back into place, which is wouldn't, and unfortunately sent me on my hobbling way. And let me tell you, I hobbled. It was horrible. BUT, I've been doing the exercises and I actually feel SO MUCH BETTER! Hallelujah! So maybe my "pubis" moved back into place? I don't know, but thank God. On another note, I am so swollen that even my boots the other day were hard to get off. The ones that I wore religiously with Catherine with lots of leggings and dresses. Yep, could hardly get them off! Ugh!
Movement? Yes, and today was terrible. You kept stretching out toward the front of my belly, and I kept having to push you back! It was incredibly painful. Then, I get home, and have to stand in front of a dying griddle for 1.5 hours because I was making pancakes and sausage, and started having braxton hicks. Bad bad bad. I had to breathe through a few of them. So after supper FINALLY got done, I threw myself in the bath and I feel a lot better. And you're moving a lot less now. Maybe it's because we're both tired from the day.
Anything make you queasy or sick? The way some people smell, which is weird to say. But seriously, so people not realize how they smell? Just because you don't wear cologne doesn't mean you naturally smell delicious. Good lord. Spray yourselves!
Looking forward to: Tomorrow's physical therapy appointment, Saturday'd mommy/son date with James to see Goodnight Moon at the Civic Center (I HATE that book, but we have two copies and James likes to read it along with me at night, so I thought this would be cool for him), Tuesday is my birthday and finals start, so I'll have two nice long periods in which to get things done. The dresser comes Tuesday, the cabinet comes Wednesday and hopefully by the next day, we'll be able to start laying flooring. Hopefully. I hope we get this kitchen done in time for Baby E's arrival!
Here's to the ninth month of pregnancy!
Thursday was that appointment, and I have never met a more enthusiastic speech pathologist in my life. Holy crap. This lady was like Marcia from The Brady Bunch Movie. It was incredible. But she was very nice, and she said she would recommend a speech and language consult in a couple of months since she's not really using her words. Well, I hate to put it like this, but I was concerned about our appointment. Catherine was not herself. She literally just stared at the physical therapist and speech pathologist, and really just wanted to be held. And Thursday was the beginning of a very cranky weekend for Catherine.
Long story short, Saturday was terrible and she was completely out of sorts. I almost took her to Urgent Care because I truly did not know what was wrong. Even moreso on Sunday. Sunday was even worse. I noticed on Saturday she was developing some eczema on her stomach, but I thought it was because it's winter, James has some eczema in a couple of places (behind his knees) during the winter, so I didn't think too much of it. Until she woke up on Monday morning with her cheeks, forehead and chin covered in eczema. I called the doctor and said it looked like to me that not only was she having an allergic reaction to the Amoxicillin, but she was also clearly not over her ear infection. We got a new medication that night and boom, by Tuesday night, we had a completely different little girl. Thank God, because the weekend was a nightmare.
Not only were we trying to deal with that, but in all our kitchen designing and re-designing, Eric and I forgot to order a 6 inch spice cabinet. Yep, that's right. There is one 6 inch cabinet that is keeping us from making hardly ANY progress on our kitchen. We are at a complete standstill. Luckily, that gave Eric a little time to finish our bathroom, which he did, and it looks amazing. I have yet to take some pictures because he has yet to switch out the toilets, so the new one is just sitting there in the boxes, but it's lovely. I love love love it! So glad that is off our plate. And so glad we got the tub we did. It's been a huge help in keeping me comfortable, that's for sure!
But I digress. So Eric and I have to order this new cabinet. I thought it was going to be as easy as going on the website and ordering it again, until I got to the shipping and handling, which was going to be FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS. Yes, for a $190 cabinet. I was appalled. So last Wednesday I called the company, and by Tuesday, they hadn't gotten back to me. So I called again. Needless to say, I did some digging and found another dealer of our cabinets that would ship the same cabinet for $60. Only we would be paying about $40 more for the cabinet because Eric gets a contractor discount with the current cabinet company. So, we had a bargaining chip, and they were able to help us out with it. It hasn't been a real pleasant experience, but it's done and cabinet will be here on Wednesday.
I haven't really had a chance to nest yet, as I don't really have room to put any diapers, clothes or anything for this third baby. We don't have a nursery for him, so I'm having trouble figuring out just what to do with all the stuff that you would normally keep in a nursery. So I tried rearranging Catherine's room, but that didn't help at all. Finally, Eric told me to just order a dresser, which is exactly what I did (eeeeeek!) and it will be here on Tuesday. That will seriously be the only thing that Baby E3 will have that is his "space." That's where I'll keep his diapers, clothes, and anything else he might require. Luckily (unluckily?) Catherine is still in diapers, so the changing table that I bought with her will definitely be used, when I thought we weren't going to use it for very long. Haha. Silly me.
Otherwise, it's seriously been balls-to-the-wall busy. I feel like I am constantly doing something that has to do with my health (see below), Catherine's physical therapy, not sleeping, or ordering stuff for the kitchen (or sending it back...grr). So onward, so this week's incredibly blurry update.
Random Thoughts from This Week: I do not know why I have sucked so badly at making meals for the past 12 years Eric and I have been together. Seriously, I have been forced to make crockpot creations almost every night, thanks to not having a stove, and I become the worlds greatest cook? It's amazing what you can make in a crockpot, and amazing how easy it is. Not sure why I haven't done this before!
Maternity clothes? Yes. I am going to try my jeans for the last time tomorrow, I believe, since it's jeans day at work. But I can't guarantee anything.
Weight gain? Now that I'm back at work not eating crappy food? Probably not...
Stretch marks? Nope!
Best moment this week? Again, it was physical therapy. I didn't feel better right out of the gate, but tonight I feel the best I have in awhile. She manipulated some things and gave me some exercises, as well as some tips when I'm moving (transverse abs, anyone?). Tonight, 24 hours later, has been great (even though I'm really swollen, at least I can move!). Also, prenatal massages. Why have I never gotten those before?
Worst moment this week? James has been getting into our bed at night, while I'm passed out apparently, and I will wake up with a little butt in my face, while Kinnick, our cat, is on the other side. I am a person who likes my space, and when I wake up sardined between a 3.5 year old and a cat, I can feel myself getting pissed. It's like, "lay with someone else!" Holy hell. Then when James isn't creeping in our bed, Eric will sometimes make his way to my side of the bed because it's deflated all the way, which causes him to "fall" that direction, and I will wake up with my face in his armpit, or his elbow on my forehead. Ugh, it's so annoying! So then I have to get up with James and walk him back to bed, and then I have to make sure I pee, because of course, once I'm upright, gravity takes hold. Not only that, but moving around in bed has sucked, and Monday night, my pubic bone literally popped. It was the most horrifying, disgusting noise I have ever heard. And then, I was in pain. So of course, I was up from 4:00 a.m. I could hardly walk. Luckily, at physical therapy that night, I described it to her and she was able to "diagnose" it as the fact I had dislocated my pubis. What? How does that even happen? Is that possible? Well, when you're this pregnant, it is possible, because your pubic bone is so separated. So she gave me some exercises, manipulated my hips and tried to get it to pop back into place, which is wouldn't, and unfortunately sent me on my hobbling way. And let me tell you, I hobbled. It was horrible. BUT, I've been doing the exercises and I actually feel SO MUCH BETTER! Hallelujah! So maybe my "pubis" moved back into place? I don't know, but thank God. On another note, I am so swollen that even my boots the other day were hard to get off. The ones that I wore religiously with Catherine with lots of leggings and dresses. Yep, could hardly get them off! Ugh!
Movement? Yes, and today was terrible. You kept stretching out toward the front of my belly, and I kept having to push you back! It was incredibly painful. Then, I get home, and have to stand in front of a dying griddle for 1.5 hours because I was making pancakes and sausage, and started having braxton hicks. Bad bad bad. I had to breathe through a few of them. So after supper FINALLY got done, I threw myself in the bath and I feel a lot better. And you're moving a lot less now. Maybe it's because we're both tired from the day.
Anything make you queasy or sick? The way some people smell, which is weird to say. But seriously, so people not realize how they smell? Just because you don't wear cologne doesn't mean you naturally smell delicious. Good lord. Spray yourselves!
Looking forward to: Tomorrow's physical therapy appointment, Saturday'd mommy/son date with James to see Goodnight Moon at the Civic Center (I HATE that book, but we have two copies and James likes to read it along with me at night, so I thought this would be cool for him), Tuesday is my birthday and finals start, so I'll have two nice long periods in which to get things done. The dresser comes Tuesday, the cabinet comes Wednesday and hopefully by the next day, we'll be able to start laying flooring. Hopefully. I hope we get this kitchen done in time for Baby E's arrival!
Here's to the ninth month of pregnancy!
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
35 Weeks!
Happy New Year! This is a day early because tomorrow night I'll be celebrating, Friday I will most likely be working on the kitchen with Eric and I have shit to do on top of all of that!
Random Thoughts from This Week: I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas break. I love it because I have time to myself. I hate it because my kiddos are restless and are in a different routine because I'm in a different routine and it screws everything up. But damnit, I want that ten extra minutes of sleep!
Maternity clothes? Yes, and this week it has been nothing but yoga pants and shirts.
Weight gain? Yep, sitting at a glorious 190. Every time I eat something, I think, "I'm going to have to lose this weight." At this point, I think I was only 175 with Catherine, if that. Also, I am pretty sure when I gave birth to Catherine, I was at 182. Sooo... go me.
Stretch marks? Nope!
Best moment this week? Physical. Therapy. Oh my God! It was amazing! She showed me all the reasons I am in pain, and then showed me how I can actually combat that pain. I actually thought I might be able to skip out of my appointment. Then I had an hour-long prenatal massage, and I feel awesome. I didn't realize how much pain I was in until I wasn't in that much pain anymore! Another "best" moment this week is that we actually started in on the kitchen. And we started with a bang. It's been pretty crazy, but somehow, it's actually still functional. Sure, we don't have a floor and are just walking on the sub floor, which is dusty. Sure, we don't have a counter top, but in all reality, we didn't really have much to begin with, so we're not really losing much. It's been a good time, but we hit a snafu today, so hopefully we can get past it quickly!
Worst moment this week? James has been naughty naughty naughty and tonight, I bribed him with a New Year's Eve party if he stays in his room after bedtime. He has made a habit of getting out of bed for one thing or another, which seems to be the norm every couple of months.
Movement? Oh my, yes. The other night, you stuck your knee out and moved allll the way across my belly, making my belly button pop out! It was crazy to watch, and certainly alien-like, but still very cool.
Anything make you queasy or sick? Because the stove is unhooked and Eric took down the microwave to put up a cabinet, I had to be really inventive when cooking dinner last night. We had grilled cheese sandwiches, and they are so good, I had too many and felt like hell. So yes, I was definitely queasy after that bout.
Looking forward to: I get to have physical therapy TWICE A WEEK. I am so damn excited, I can hardly contain myself. I can't believe how much better I felt! Here's to a few more days of break, and week 35!
Random Thoughts from This Week: I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas break. I love it because I have time to myself. I hate it because my kiddos are restless and are in a different routine because I'm in a different routine and it screws everything up. But damnit, I want that ten extra minutes of sleep!
Maternity clothes? Yes, and this week it has been nothing but yoga pants and shirts.
Weight gain? Yep, sitting at a glorious 190. Every time I eat something, I think, "I'm going to have to lose this weight." At this point, I think I was only 175 with Catherine, if that. Also, I am pretty sure when I gave birth to Catherine, I was at 182. Sooo... go me.
Stretch marks? Nope!
Best moment this week? Physical. Therapy. Oh my God! It was amazing! She showed me all the reasons I am in pain, and then showed me how I can actually combat that pain. I actually thought I might be able to skip out of my appointment. Then I had an hour-long prenatal massage, and I feel awesome. I didn't realize how much pain I was in until I wasn't in that much pain anymore! Another "best" moment this week is that we actually started in on the kitchen. And we started with a bang. It's been pretty crazy, but somehow, it's actually still functional. Sure, we don't have a floor and are just walking on the sub floor, which is dusty. Sure, we don't have a counter top, but in all reality, we didn't really have much to begin with, so we're not really losing much. It's been a good time, but we hit a snafu today, so hopefully we can get past it quickly!
Worst moment this week? James has been naughty naughty naughty and tonight, I bribed him with a New Year's Eve party if he stays in his room after bedtime. He has made a habit of getting out of bed for one thing or another, which seems to be the norm every couple of months.
Movement? Oh my, yes. The other night, you stuck your knee out and moved allll the way across my belly, making my belly button pop out! It was crazy to watch, and certainly alien-like, but still very cool.
Anything make you queasy or sick? Because the stove is unhooked and Eric took down the microwave to put up a cabinet, I had to be really inventive when cooking dinner last night. We had grilled cheese sandwiches, and they are so good, I had too many and felt like hell. So yes, I was definitely queasy after that bout.
Looking forward to: I get to have physical therapy TWICE A WEEK. I am so damn excited, I can hardly contain myself. I can't believe how much better I felt! Here's to a few more days of break, and week 35!
Friday, December 25, 2015
34 Weeks!
Merry Christmas!!!
Random Thoughts from This Week: I know that in the grand scheme of things, Christmas is about Jesus, not presents. But I fucking won in the parenting department with the presents I got the kids. Especially with James' bunk bed. Super awesome!
Maternity clothes? Yep! Especially for our photos at Christmas, the staples came out. Boots, leggings, dress, scarf.
Weight gain? Probably. All I've done is eat, and it's awesome. On the news today, they said the average American will gain 6 pounds between now and New Years Eve. I bet I will gain more. ;)
Stretch marks? Negative, ghost rider. Which is surprising, because the way this kid stretches out is insane.
Best moment this week? Definitely being together with family for Christmas. It was really fun, and for the first time in several years, Eric's family Christmas was enjoyable. It was enjoyable when we first got together, but after things went downhill with his parents, it got really awkward. Finally, they are at an amicable place where we can actually have fun. It was awesome.
Worst moment this week? I am in so much pain, it's unreal. It doesn't matter if I'm walking, sitting down, sleeping, whatever I'm doing, I'm in pain. In the past week, I have not once woken up feeling great. I have a feeling this will be the norm in this pregnancy until I give birth.
Miss anything? This week, definitely my dad.
Movement? OMG, yes, my child, how you love to move. You don't really kick anymore, you just sloooowly shift around. You especially like to stick your knees out at my belly button, which hurts. I usually have to push back so you'll stop. It's very painful. Add that to the pain that I'm already feeling, and I just want to lay down on the bed and cry!
Anything make you queasy or sick? If Christmas cookies made me queasy or sick, I would be incredible sad.
Random Thoughts from This Week: I know that in the grand scheme of things, Christmas is about Jesus, not presents. But I fucking won in the parenting department with the presents I got the kids. Especially with James' bunk bed. Super awesome!
Maternity clothes? Yep! Especially for our photos at Christmas, the staples came out. Boots, leggings, dress, scarf.
Weight gain? Probably. All I've done is eat, and it's awesome. On the news today, they said the average American will gain 6 pounds between now and New Years Eve. I bet I will gain more. ;)
Stretch marks? Negative, ghost rider. Which is surprising, because the way this kid stretches out is insane.
Best moment this week? Definitely being together with family for Christmas. It was really fun, and for the first time in several years, Eric's family Christmas was enjoyable. It was enjoyable when we first got together, but after things went downhill with his parents, it got really awkward. Finally, they are at an amicable place where we can actually have fun. It was awesome.
Worst moment this week? I am in so much pain, it's unreal. It doesn't matter if I'm walking, sitting down, sleeping, whatever I'm doing, I'm in pain. In the past week, I have not once woken up feeling great. I have a feeling this will be the norm in this pregnancy until I give birth.
Miss anything? This week, definitely my dad.
Movement? OMG, yes, my child, how you love to move. You don't really kick anymore, you just sloooowly shift around. You especially like to stick your knees out at my belly button, which hurts. I usually have to push back so you'll stop. It's very painful. Add that to the pain that I'm already feeling, and I just want to lay down on the bed and cry!
Anything make you queasy or sick? If Christmas cookies made me queasy or sick, I would be incredible sad.
Looking forward to: This coming week have a snowstorm coming (wahoo!), I have Catherine's 18 month appointment (just after she has turned 19 months and after missing her 15 month - parenting win!), I have my first physical therapy appointment (THANK YOU JESUS), I have an hour-long prenatal massage (YESSSSS) and Eric will be tearing apart our kitchen (half excited, half dreading it...). Not to mention, our kids are in daycare ALL WEEK until Thursday. Whoopee!! Usually, she takes time off for the holidays, for which we still have to pay (ugh, but that's the way it goes), but this year because of the way the holidays fall, she is staying open. I can't wait to have all this time to myself and help Eric out on the kitchen... as much as I can, I suppose!
Here's to 6 weeks left!
Friday, December 18, 2015
33 Weeks!
Random Thoughts from This Week: Holy. Shit.
Maternity clothes? Yes, and I am squeezing into all of them. Luckily, it's finally cold enough for the staples: dress, leggings, boots. Add a scarf, and it looks like I tried. My biggest issue so far has been *gasp* the boobs. Holy. Hell. Where did these things come from? Why have they not gotten this big before? You can tell I've gained some weight here and there (face, as always!), but if you look at the boob comparison from pregnancy to pregnancy, this time, they are HUGE. I finally broke down and bought bigger nursing bras to give the girls some room because they were getting out of control! I have only ever been this size once, and it was when I was breastfeeding Catherine. Incredible!
Weight gain? Yes, believe it or not. Although I'm only up 20 pounds from the weight I was when I got pregnant, not to mention I was wearing boots, heavy pants and a bunch of shit at the doctors office, I am definitely as heavy as I was with James at this point. Which isn't fun. It was so nice to lose the weight so quickly with Catherine, and it was so hard with James.I am guessing that after multiple pregnancies, given my age, it will, again, be difficult to lose weight. Hopefully, not too difficult!
Stretch marks? Nope. I just might actually be one of the lucky ones.
Best moment this week? Umm... I had my concert on Monday night. Even though I wasn't happy with the end product, I spent most of it hobbling around because I was in so much pain, and at one point, I contemplated stepping outside because I was so nauseous, it's OVER. That means I don't have anything major going on until this baby comes. Thank God. Also, I was referred for physical therapy from the doctor, since she said my pain is just going to get worse as baby gets bigger. So I have my first appointment on the 30th, and I can't wait. I am so ready to have this baby and NOT be in pain anymore! Then, I had my second pregnancy massage, and it was glorious. Since I won't be having one next week, I scheduled an HOUR massage for Christmas Break. Can't wait! Already, I am dreaming of Gregorian Chant, aromatherapy candles and laying on my stomach. Cannot. Wait.
Worst moment this week? Eric has been gone a lot this week already, and will be gone again tomorrow morning. Which leaves a very pregnant me trying to entertain two small children. I am thrilled that James is really into a couple of apps on his tablet and puzzles (OH MY GOD, PUZZLES...), and that Catherine is really finding her purse to be fascinating, but it is difficult to try and get down on their level and play with them. While I was hanging out on the floor (oh lord, the pain in getting up from that!) I had a bit of mommy guilt, much like I did when I was pregnant with Catherine. Soon, these two aren't going to be my one and only's. And even though we are simply adding to the brood, and I have been through this before, it is still the last time I will ever have just two kids. Pretty nuts...
Miss anything? Walking normally. I am officially starting to waddle.
Movement? It has started to slow down dramatically. Lots of pushing and squirming, not so much kicking jabbing. Which tells me it's getting tight in there!
Food cravings? Chips and dip. Right now, in fact. And Honeycrisp Apples. Oh my, how I love Honeycrisp Apples!
Anything make you queasy or sick? Not really anything in particular, I have just been feeling sick in general. I am guessing third trimester nausea is starting to make an appearance, which is always fun. At least I don't have to pretend that I've not sick, like we normally do for the first trimester!
Maternity clothes? Yes, and I am squeezing into all of them. Luckily, it's finally cold enough for the staples: dress, leggings, boots. Add a scarf, and it looks like I tried. My biggest issue so far has been *gasp* the boobs. Holy. Hell. Where did these things come from? Why have they not gotten this big before? You can tell I've gained some weight here and there (face, as always!), but if you look at the boob comparison from pregnancy to pregnancy, this time, they are HUGE. I finally broke down and bought bigger nursing bras to give the girls some room because they were getting out of control! I have only ever been this size once, and it was when I was breastfeeding Catherine. Incredible!
Weight gain? Yes, believe it or not. Although I'm only up 20 pounds from the weight I was when I got pregnant, not to mention I was wearing boots, heavy pants and a bunch of shit at the doctors office, I am definitely as heavy as I was with James at this point. Which isn't fun. It was so nice to lose the weight so quickly with Catherine, and it was so hard with James.I am guessing that after multiple pregnancies, given my age, it will, again, be difficult to lose weight. Hopefully, not too difficult!
Stretch marks? Nope. I just might actually be one of the lucky ones.
Best moment this week? Umm... I had my concert on Monday night. Even though I wasn't happy with the end product, I spent most of it hobbling around because I was in so much pain, and at one point, I contemplated stepping outside because I was so nauseous, it's OVER. That means I don't have anything major going on until this baby comes. Thank God. Also, I was referred for physical therapy from the doctor, since she said my pain is just going to get worse as baby gets bigger. So I have my first appointment on the 30th, and I can't wait. I am so ready to have this baby and NOT be in pain anymore! Then, I had my second pregnancy massage, and it was glorious. Since I won't be having one next week, I scheduled an HOUR massage for Christmas Break. Can't wait! Already, I am dreaming of Gregorian Chant, aromatherapy candles and laying on my stomach. Cannot. Wait.
Worst moment this week? Eric has been gone a lot this week already, and will be gone again tomorrow morning. Which leaves a very pregnant me trying to entertain two small children. I am thrilled that James is really into a couple of apps on his tablet and puzzles (OH MY GOD, PUZZLES...), and that Catherine is really finding her purse to be fascinating, but it is difficult to try and get down on their level and play with them. While I was hanging out on the floor (oh lord, the pain in getting up from that!) I had a bit of mommy guilt, much like I did when I was pregnant with Catherine. Soon, these two aren't going to be my one and only's. And even though we are simply adding to the brood, and I have been through this before, it is still the last time I will ever have just two kids. Pretty nuts...
Miss anything? Walking normally. I am officially starting to waddle.
Movement? It has started to slow down dramatically. Lots of pushing and squirming, not so much kicking jabbing. Which tells me it's getting tight in there!
Food cravings? Chips and dip. Right now, in fact. And Honeycrisp Apples. Oh my, how I love Honeycrisp Apples!
Anything make you queasy or sick? Not really anything in particular, I have just been feeling sick in general. I am guessing third trimester nausea is starting to make an appearance, which is always fun. At least I don't have to pretend that I've not sick, like we normally do for the first trimester!
What pissed you off this week? Mmm, nothing really. It's been a pretty normal week.
Here's to week 34!!!!
Thursday, December 10, 2015
32 Weeks!
Random Thoughts from This Week: Ready to not have to bend over at an awkward angle in front of my students anymore........
Maternity clothes? Yes, and they are starting to get too small. How's that for self-esteem?
Weight gain? Probably - we will find out on Tuesday!
Stretch marks? Nope, and I'm hoping to get to the mall this weekend for a little Bath and Body Works lotion!
Best moment this week? It's been a rough week, but maybe today when my Select Choir sang at the Senior Citizens Dinner and was AWESOME. Not to mention today I had my first (of many) prenatal massages. I felt AWESOME afterward! She pinpointed all the spots that I have been complaining about, including my sciatic nerve, and it was amazing. I seriously felt like I was 22 weeks instead of 32!!!! Also, the fact that we have a decent bathtub that I can soak in every night is glorious. And I do soak in it every night. It's amazing. I just wish I could make it blazing hot like I enjoy, but alas, I have to make sure Baby Engels is safe (hence, no pregnant women in hot tubs)!
Worst moment this week? I have been very sore, and very tired. It has made dealing with our kids a bit of a handful. James has also been extra naughty and extra whiney and it has made for some long nights for this family of four. Eric and I have been strung out.
Miss anything? I desperately miss being able to haul myself off the couch faster. I also miss not having to plea every time I bend over, which makes balance very difficult.
Movement? Right now, he is boot scooting. I can tell it's getting much tighter in there!
Food cravings? Honeycrisp apples are in season right now, and it's awesome. I have been munching on one of those for breakfast every morning, and they are glorious!
Anything make you queasy or sick? Nope. I pretty much dealt with the majority of that last week with the flu. I am fully functioning this week.
Maternity clothes? Yes, and they are starting to get too small. How's that for self-esteem?
Weight gain? Probably - we will find out on Tuesday!
Stretch marks? Nope, and I'm hoping to get to the mall this weekend for a little Bath and Body Works lotion!
Best moment this week? It's been a rough week, but maybe today when my Select Choir sang at the Senior Citizens Dinner and was AWESOME. Not to mention today I had my first (of many) prenatal massages. I felt AWESOME afterward! She pinpointed all the spots that I have been complaining about, including my sciatic nerve, and it was amazing. I seriously felt like I was 22 weeks instead of 32!!!! Also, the fact that we have a decent bathtub that I can soak in every night is glorious. And I do soak in it every night. It's amazing. I just wish I could make it blazing hot like I enjoy, but alas, I have to make sure Baby Engels is safe (hence, no pregnant women in hot tubs)!
Worst moment this week? I have been very sore, and very tired. It has made dealing with our kids a bit of a handful. James has also been extra naughty and extra whiney and it has made for some long nights for this family of four. Eric and I have been strung out.
Miss anything? I desperately miss being able to haul myself off the couch faster. I also miss not having to plea every time I bend over, which makes balance very difficult.
Movement? Right now, he is boot scooting. I can tell it's getting much tighter in there!
Food cravings? Honeycrisp apples are in season right now, and it's awesome. I have been munching on one of those for breakfast every morning, and they are glorious!
Anything make you queasy or sick? Nope. I pretty much dealt with the majority of that last week with the flu. I am fully functioning this week.
What pissed you off this week? My y'all come sing choir has been incredibly talkative, so I channeled my inner bitch, and let them have it. If they talk out of turn, they have to sing their part for me by themselves on the spot. If they continue, they go to the library to write a paper. Every time after that, they add one page to the paper. Needless to say, they have been awesome. I am very excited to work with them this week since they sucked all last week adn when I came back from having the flu on Monday. Just a lot of kids who don't know how to work hard.
So here's to Week 33, which is making me nervous... We have a kitchen that we have yet to order cabinets for, lay flooring for etc. Although I have to hand it to Eric, he is cleaning and organizing the garage so he has a place to assemble the cabinets. We are going with Ready to Assemble cabinets as they are very inexpensive, but higher quality. Not to mention, we don't need any custom cabinets, so that will keep the cost down too. I am always so surprised at what people pay for things. Our neighbors got their cabinets "re-faced," meaning some people came in and sprayed them down with white paint, and they really don't look that good. We have done our research, Eric is a smart contractor, and it really is the best option for us right now. He will also be able to store and assemble them as we install them, which will mean that my kitchen won't be completely demolished and then rebuilt over time. Instead, we will demolish slowly.
The bathroom is almost completely done. We just need to cut the mirrors to size (again, my hubby's a contractor, so he got perfectly good mirrors out of a remodel he was doing and thought, "I should put those back in case we need them as mirrors are expensive." Smart guy, I tell ya!) and get vanity lights. I thought that would do it, but Eric thinks our toilet is leaking. He put some sawdust down and yep, just the slightest bit of water. He thinks it's the way he positioned the toilet. I think we have a crack somewhere in the bowl and need to return it as soon as possible. Just what I wanted to deal with at 8 months pregnant.
I read an article the other night about deciding (who decided this one??) to have the third kid. One of them said DO NOT have a third kid if you are thinking of doing any remodeling in the next 5 years. Ummmmm, we are completely ignoring that one. Remodel is about the only thing we know. But here we are, with almost 100% equity in our home (thank you assessment and property value increases...). Not a whole lot of people can say that... unless they can say their parents gave them a ton of money for a down payment. Haha. But honestly, that's huge. And our house genuinely looks nice. What I cannot understand is that we have a house that is 1500 square feet, with a 700 square foot (finished portion) basement, and a 400 square foot deck. We have acquaintances that just bought an 1800 square foot house, basement UNFINISHED and about 800 square feet, for $280,000!!! What the hell??? Why on earth would you do that? Do they have a three-stall garage? Yes. But they are only on a quarter-acre of land, like we are. And yet, they paid more than double we did? I'm telling you, foreclosures are where it's at. It's a lot of work, but in the end, when we go to sell this puppy, we will have a ton of money for a much bigger house, and we will still be able to live comfortably. You could say I'm pretty proud of that!
But, of course, I digress. Bottom line: we are almost done with our remodels. The question is, will we be done by the time Baby E3 gets here??? We shall see!
Onward!
So here's to Week 33, which is making me nervous... We have a kitchen that we have yet to order cabinets for, lay flooring for etc. Although I have to hand it to Eric, he is cleaning and organizing the garage so he has a place to assemble the cabinets. We are going with Ready to Assemble cabinets as they are very inexpensive, but higher quality. Not to mention, we don't need any custom cabinets, so that will keep the cost down too. I am always so surprised at what people pay for things. Our neighbors got their cabinets "re-faced," meaning some people came in and sprayed them down with white paint, and they really don't look that good. We have done our research, Eric is a smart contractor, and it really is the best option for us right now. He will also be able to store and assemble them as we install them, which will mean that my kitchen won't be completely demolished and then rebuilt over time. Instead, we will demolish slowly.
The bathroom is almost completely done. We just need to cut the mirrors to size (again, my hubby's a contractor, so he got perfectly good mirrors out of a remodel he was doing and thought, "I should put those back in case we need them as mirrors are expensive." Smart guy, I tell ya!) and get vanity lights. I thought that would do it, but Eric thinks our toilet is leaking. He put some sawdust down and yep, just the slightest bit of water. He thinks it's the way he positioned the toilet. I think we have a crack somewhere in the bowl and need to return it as soon as possible. Just what I wanted to deal with at 8 months pregnant.
I read an article the other night about deciding (who decided this one??) to have the third kid. One of them said DO NOT have a third kid if you are thinking of doing any remodeling in the next 5 years. Ummmmm, we are completely ignoring that one. Remodel is about the only thing we know. But here we are, with almost 100% equity in our home (thank you assessment and property value increases...). Not a whole lot of people can say that... unless they can say their parents gave them a ton of money for a down payment. Haha. But honestly, that's huge. And our house genuinely looks nice. What I cannot understand is that we have a house that is 1500 square feet, with a 700 square foot (finished portion) basement, and a 400 square foot deck. We have acquaintances that just bought an 1800 square foot house, basement UNFINISHED and about 800 square feet, for $280,000!!! What the hell??? Why on earth would you do that? Do they have a three-stall garage? Yes. But they are only on a quarter-acre of land, like we are. And yet, they paid more than double we did? I'm telling you, foreclosures are where it's at. It's a lot of work, but in the end, when we go to sell this puppy, we will have a ton of money for a much bigger house, and we will still be able to live comfortably. You could say I'm pretty proud of that!
But, of course, I digress. Bottom line: we are almost done with our remodels. The question is, will we be done by the time Baby E3 gets here??? We shall see!
Onward!
Thursday, December 3, 2015
31 Weeks!
Random Thoughts from This Week: Last week, I was thanking God for not getting the flu. This week, I am thanking God that I lived through the flu.
Maternity clothes? Yes, yes and yes. I have taken a few out that were too big in the beginning, as they fit me now. Why not, right?
Weight gain? Considering how much I have thrown up in the past 24 hours, I'm guessing there is not a whole lot of weight gain there...
Stretch marks? Negative. I wonder if I'm just one of those people who are lucky and don't get them. Although I have been spreading lotion on!
Best moment this week? We put up our Christmas tree on Sunday, AFTER we laid our new floor in our dining room. Hallelujah! James was hilarious and kept taking ornaments to Eric to put on the tree. He would run to the tree and give Eric the ornament and then say, "Merry Christmas!" or something to that extent. It was adorable.
Worst moment this week? The flu. Holy hell.
Miss anything? Feeling normal. I am so tired, I think I strained a muscle in my stomach from puking, I can't seem to get comfortable in bed anymore, and I feel like a cow most days. I can't wait for post-baby!
Movement? A ton, despite all the puking I did last night. You were still boot scooting away!
Food cravings? Not right now!
Anything make you queasy or sick? Just the sight of food last night sent me to the bathroom. So yes, right now, everything except for the crackers and apple I have choked down.
What pissed you off this week? Not much! Surprisingly...
Here's to week 32! Can't believe how close we're getting!
Here's to week 32! Can't believe how close we're getting!
Thursday, November 26, 2015
30 Weeks!
Happy Thanksgiving Baby E!
Random Thoughts from This Week: Thank God I have not gotten the flu.........
Maternity clothes? Yes, and it's getting pretty bad. Now I am having to put bigger maternity tanks under t-shirts just to cover my belly. UGH!
Weight gain? Probably. It's Thanksgiving for God's sake. I have been eating nothing but crap!
Stretch marks? No, but I think I found a sign that I should start spreading lotion on when I got a Bath and Body Works coupon book in the mail... I think I might just take them up on that!
Best moment this week? Catherine is starting to get over whatever it is that pisses her off and is getting to be FUN. She is laughing and running around with James and being goofy. It's awesome. She still gets tired and goes down about 6:00-6:30 p.m. (and sleeps until we wake her at 7:15 or so), but otherwise, she has been awesome. Thank God!
Worst moment this week? This morning, I thought I was going to go out of my damn mind. The kids weren't getting along, James was antagonizing Catherine, being a big butthead, and we had to put him in timeout a time or two. Luckily, after that, he had an attitude adjustment, but holy hell. Both Eric and I were going to go out of our minds!
Miss anything? Something has gone awry in my left glute. It's almost like I pulled a muscle. Whenever I bring it up to say, take the stairs or something, it kills. Not to mention, getting up from a sitting position is tedious as I have to wait for my hips to adjust before taking a step. Then when I take a step, my lower back kills. I can tell it's because you're sitting so low, because even though I still get out of breath per normal, I can take big breaths with out discomfort, which is interesting. Also, if you look at my belly from the side, you can see how low you're sitting compared to my other pregnancies. In short, this pregnancy sucks ass.
Movement? Yes. Large kicks about knock the wind out of me.
Food cravings? Yes. Uncle Bucks' turkey wrap, which I am eating TOMORROW. I am so damn excited about it too!
Anything make you queasy or sick? Not this week!
Random Thoughts from This Week: Thank God I have not gotten the flu.........
Maternity clothes? Yes, and it's getting pretty bad. Now I am having to put bigger maternity tanks under t-shirts just to cover my belly. UGH!
Weight gain? Probably. It's Thanksgiving for God's sake. I have been eating nothing but crap!
Stretch marks? No, but I think I found a sign that I should start spreading lotion on when I got a Bath and Body Works coupon book in the mail... I think I might just take them up on that!
Best moment this week? Catherine is starting to get over whatever it is that pisses her off and is getting to be FUN. She is laughing and running around with James and being goofy. It's awesome. She still gets tired and goes down about 6:00-6:30 p.m. (and sleeps until we wake her at 7:15 or so), but otherwise, she has been awesome. Thank God!
Worst moment this week? This morning, I thought I was going to go out of my damn mind. The kids weren't getting along, James was antagonizing Catherine, being a big butthead, and we had to put him in timeout a time or two. Luckily, after that, he had an attitude adjustment, but holy hell. Both Eric and I were going to go out of our minds!
Miss anything? Something has gone awry in my left glute. It's almost like I pulled a muscle. Whenever I bring it up to say, take the stairs or something, it kills. Not to mention, getting up from a sitting position is tedious as I have to wait for my hips to adjust before taking a step. Then when I take a step, my lower back kills. I can tell it's because you're sitting so low, because even though I still get out of breath per normal, I can take big breaths with out discomfort, which is interesting. Also, if you look at my belly from the side, you can see how low you're sitting compared to my other pregnancies. In short, this pregnancy sucks ass.
Movement? Yes. Large kicks about knock the wind out of me.
Food cravings? Yes. Uncle Bucks' turkey wrap, which I am eating TOMORROW. I am so damn excited about it too!
Anything make you queasy or sick? Not this week!
What pissed you off this week? Mmm, my kids. But that's normal. :)
Thursday, November 19, 2015
29 Weeks!
I hope you brought waders, because shit is about to get deep in here!
I had my 28 week appointment, which technically, is my 29 week appointment. Either way, I am officially measuring right on. Which means that odds are I will not be delivering on or even close to the day my dad passed away because my babies like to come late.
There are some sort of bittersweet feelings in knowing this. I have been preparing myself for the day that I give birth to this miracle baby, which could easily come on the anniversary of my dad's death. And in some ways, I want him to come on that day. Childbirth is like nothing else in this world; it's incredibly chaotic, beautiful and so far, the two best moments I have had in not only my life, but in this life with Eric. Giving birth to you on the same day that death took my dad wouldn't necessarily be replacing one memory with another, but it would remind me that my dad is truly always with me.
On the other side, I don't want to give birth on the anniversary of my dad's death, because that one day reminds me that I need to live the three hundred sixty-four other days that aren't bogged down with sadness and grief. Even though those feelings are still deep-seeded, they don't steal my breath like they used to. But when that day comes around each year, I am able to remember and realize how precious life and relationships with other human beings are; to never take anything for granted.
And then, with all that being said, I know this miracle baby will surprise me and make our family complete. So come what may...
In other news, when I finished my check up this week, the doctor said, "Ok, we'll see you in two weeks." I did a double take and said, "Two weeks?!" Since we're technically at week 29, they start the two week appointments at week 30.... so, that would mean that in two weeks, I begin every two weeks until week 36. Luckily, I asked if I could put it off another week and truly come on week 32, and she approved it, so this one will be three weeks. But still. What the hell??? I cannot believe it. I was so shocked. I think because with my other two pregnancies, at this point, I was looking forward to finding out if Baby E was a boy or a girl. Now, at this point, I'm in my third trimester and staring down the barrel of the Holiday Shotgun. What comes right after the holidays? BABY. It's so weird to think like that.
Luckily, our bathroom is almost finished and next will be the kitchen. I made pumpkin bars tonight for our family Thanksgiving this weekend (where we will ALSO be attending the Iowa game. SO EXCITED!) and kept thinking about how excited I was about my new kitchen. I cannot wait. After Thanksgiving, Eric and I will be ordering our cabinets and looking for our counter top. I have been busy pinning the various colors and organizational things I want in my kitchen, and overall, getting very excited that soon, our house will be 90% complete. The whole house. And currently, we have over $80,000 in equity in our home. Which means with it actually complete, we will have much more than that. Which means we are closer to our seven year goal of moving into a bigger house, or buying an acreage. WAHOO! WE ARE MOVING FORWARD!
Speaking of moving forward, on to the update!
Random Thoughts from This Week: I hope I don't get the flu, I hope I don't get the flu, I hope I don't get the flu...
Maternity clothes? Yes, and some of them are about to be retired. So long, brown pants.
Weight gain? Yes, which again, I am trying not to stress out about. From my ideal weight, I am almost 30 pounds. From my typical weight, I am about 23 pounds. From my weight when I first found out I was pregnant, thanks to my anxiety pills (that's my story and I'm sticking to it...) I am only 15. So that's not technically that bad. For some reason, I've really been hard on myself. So I feel a little bit better about it after today's appointment. Although I am really surprised that no doctor has mentioned it, but after thinking about it, this is probably why!
Stretch marks? Nope! I hope it stays that way!
Best moment this week? We have this thing called "Homeroom" which is like an advisory period once a week where students are assigned to a teacher, and that teacher acts as their liaison, communicator etc. in case the kid feels like they don't have one in the school. This week's homeroom lesson plan was to write thank you notes to people. It was the teacher's choice to whom they wanted the students to write, but most kids wrote to the teachers. I received 13 "thank you" notes from some of my most unsuspecting students. Some of the students that I didn't think I was reaching, I was. It was really incredible. I was shocked, but it was an incredibly humbling feeling.
Worst moment this week? Probably from 2:00 a.m. this morning until about a half hour ago. The flu has struck my little man down, and being that I'm so far along, I do NOT want to catch it. It's not just the "I ate something horrible" flu, it's the genuine flu, with a fever and everything. So I spent most of last night wiping up puke, wiping James' face, yelling at him to get to the trash can at the side of his bed etc. Eric took the reins and actually got into bed with James to make sure he didn't choke on his vomit etc. while I stayed in our room, but we were up about every hour, either cleaning up puke, cleaning up James, or just guiding him toward the waste basket while I rubbed his back and he puked. I ended up going to a conference today, and Eric took the day off to take care of him. About noon is when the fever and dry heaves hit, and the poor kid dry heaved and slept off and on all afternoon. I feel awful for him, but Eric smartly gave him a bath about 6:00, which broke his fever and he's been slightly warm, but in much better spirits since.
Miss anything? Not hurting when I move.
Movement? Yep! You've started your twitchy thing!
Food cravings? I went out to eat with my mom at Uncle Buck's and had a turkey wrap thing. IT WAS FUCKING DELICIOUS. I want to order another one. Every day.
Anything make you queasy or sick? The smell of James' vomit. It was terrible.
I had my 28 week appointment, which technically, is my 29 week appointment. Either way, I am officially measuring right on. Which means that odds are I will not be delivering on or even close to the day my dad passed away because my babies like to come late.
There are some sort of bittersweet feelings in knowing this. I have been preparing myself for the day that I give birth to this miracle baby, which could easily come on the anniversary of my dad's death. And in some ways, I want him to come on that day. Childbirth is like nothing else in this world; it's incredibly chaotic, beautiful and so far, the two best moments I have had in not only my life, but in this life with Eric. Giving birth to you on the same day that death took my dad wouldn't necessarily be replacing one memory with another, but it would remind me that my dad is truly always with me.
On the other side, I don't want to give birth on the anniversary of my dad's death, because that one day reminds me that I need to live the three hundred sixty-four other days that aren't bogged down with sadness and grief. Even though those feelings are still deep-seeded, they don't steal my breath like they used to. But when that day comes around each year, I am able to remember and realize how precious life and relationships with other human beings are; to never take anything for granted.
And then, with all that being said, I know this miracle baby will surprise me and make our family complete. So come what may...
In other news, when I finished my check up this week, the doctor said, "Ok, we'll see you in two weeks." I did a double take and said, "Two weeks?!" Since we're technically at week 29, they start the two week appointments at week 30.... so, that would mean that in two weeks, I begin every two weeks until week 36. Luckily, I asked if I could put it off another week and truly come on week 32, and she approved it, so this one will be three weeks. But still. What the hell??? I cannot believe it. I was so shocked. I think because with my other two pregnancies, at this point, I was looking forward to finding out if Baby E was a boy or a girl. Now, at this point, I'm in my third trimester and staring down the barrel of the Holiday Shotgun. What comes right after the holidays? BABY. It's so weird to think like that.
Luckily, our bathroom is almost finished and next will be the kitchen. I made pumpkin bars tonight for our family Thanksgiving this weekend (where we will ALSO be attending the Iowa game. SO EXCITED!) and kept thinking about how excited I was about my new kitchen. I cannot wait. After Thanksgiving, Eric and I will be ordering our cabinets and looking for our counter top. I have been busy pinning the various colors and organizational things I want in my kitchen, and overall, getting very excited that soon, our house will be 90% complete. The whole house. And currently, we have over $80,000 in equity in our home. Which means with it actually complete, we will have much more than that. Which means we are closer to our seven year goal of moving into a bigger house, or buying an acreage. WAHOO! WE ARE MOVING FORWARD!
Speaking of moving forward, on to the update!
Random Thoughts from This Week: I hope I don't get the flu, I hope I don't get the flu, I hope I don't get the flu...
Maternity clothes? Yes, and some of them are about to be retired. So long, brown pants.
Weight gain? Yes, which again, I am trying not to stress out about. From my ideal weight, I am almost 30 pounds. From my typical weight, I am about 23 pounds. From my weight when I first found out I was pregnant, thanks to my anxiety pills (that's my story and I'm sticking to it...) I am only 15. So that's not technically that bad. For some reason, I've really been hard on myself. So I feel a little bit better about it after today's appointment. Although I am really surprised that no doctor has mentioned it, but after thinking about it, this is probably why!
Stretch marks? Nope! I hope it stays that way!
Best moment this week? We have this thing called "Homeroom" which is like an advisory period once a week where students are assigned to a teacher, and that teacher acts as their liaison, communicator etc. in case the kid feels like they don't have one in the school. This week's homeroom lesson plan was to write thank you notes to people. It was the teacher's choice to whom they wanted the students to write, but most kids wrote to the teachers. I received 13 "thank you" notes from some of my most unsuspecting students. Some of the students that I didn't think I was reaching, I was. It was really incredible. I was shocked, but it was an incredibly humbling feeling.
Worst moment this week? Probably from 2:00 a.m. this morning until about a half hour ago. The flu has struck my little man down, and being that I'm so far along, I do NOT want to catch it. It's not just the "I ate something horrible" flu, it's the genuine flu, with a fever and everything. So I spent most of last night wiping up puke, wiping James' face, yelling at him to get to the trash can at the side of his bed etc. Eric took the reins and actually got into bed with James to make sure he didn't choke on his vomit etc. while I stayed in our room, but we were up about every hour, either cleaning up puke, cleaning up James, or just guiding him toward the waste basket while I rubbed his back and he puked. I ended up going to a conference today, and Eric took the day off to take care of him. About noon is when the fever and dry heaves hit, and the poor kid dry heaved and slept off and on all afternoon. I feel awful for him, but Eric smartly gave him a bath about 6:00, which broke his fever and he's been slightly warm, but in much better spirits since.
Miss anything? Not hurting when I move.
Movement? Yep! You've started your twitchy thing!
Food cravings? I went out to eat with my mom at Uncle Buck's and had a turkey wrap thing. IT WAS FUCKING DELICIOUS. I want to order another one. Every day.
Anything make you queasy or sick? The smell of James' vomit. It was terrible.
What pissed you off this week? Not much. Surprisingly...
Thursday, November 12, 2015
28 Weeks!
How interesting it is to look back at each of my third trimesters. The first one I was soooo excited about James! The second one, I was sooooo excited about Catherine. This one? I'm just trying to make it through this damn pregnancy with two other small children to look after.
I hurt. ALL THE TIME. It's nearly impossible to walk quickly, or move quickly, or really, do anything like I used to. Being that I'm about the only one who knows what I'm doing when it comes to setting up the sound system in our auditorium, I have setting up all week for the Variety Show. Holy hell, is it a lot of work when you are this far along. UGH!
Either way, I only have three more months until I meet my little guy. I remember thinking with the first pregnancy about how little time I had until I met him. With this pregnancy? Not so much. It seems like February 5th is a lifetime away.
Anyway - onward to the update, of which I took a couple questions from the other pregnancy updates, just for fun and because, surprisingly, I have some time to do that...
Random Thoughts from This Week: I just need the Variety Show to be DONE.
Maternity clothes? Um, yes. Of course.
Weight gain? Most likely!
Stretch marks? Not yet, which is impressive. And my linea nigra has yet to show. Probably because this is the third pregnancy and my stomach is used to stretching this way!
Best moment this week? Not last night, I can tell you that. Possibly the fact that I looked at all my "acts" for the Variety Show and said, "Huh... they are definitely ready."
Worst moment this week? Last night. It was horrible. I was busy with work, Eric was busy with work. Everyone was pissed off. It sucked.
Miss anything? Not feeling like a huge heifer.
Movement? Absolutely. It's been crazy. The other night, I didn't get to sleep until well after midnight because he would not stop moving around! Arg!
Food cravings? Spice spice and more spice. I love it!
Anything make you queasy or sick? Not particularly this week.
This is my update with Catherine...
How far along? 28 Weeks! Wahoo!
Maternity clothes? Of course. Today I was wearing my brown pants, white shirt, brown flats, and a cute pearl necklace with a floral accent on the side, and a student told me I looked really pretty today. It made my day!!!!!!!! Still have these pants, which I wear regularly. But this shirt that I'm talking about does NOT fit this pregnancy. My boobs are out of control!!!
Weight gain? I'm pretty sure only the typical 3-4 pounds (Update: I was right on the money with only 3 pounds gained). I stubbed my toe on our scale in the basement moving something else (it's buried beneath God knows what) and decided to step on it. Granted, it has never worked correctly, but I've made it work for the most part. I think I've gained a few pounds since my last appointment, taking me somewhere in the upper 160's, which I'm ok with. Some people my height would have a hard time with that weight, but to be completely honest, at 150, I look like I weigh 130. It's really bizarre, and it's not like when I weigh 150 that I actually have fat on my body. The least I've weighed in my female adulthood was a dangerous 145, and I looked anemic. It was kind of gross. So I'm pretty happy that I've only gained about 18 pounds. My pregnancy calculator said that I should gain about 11 pounds in the third trimester, which would only put me in the 170's. That's only about 20 pounds more than I would normally weigh, so I'm good with that. It's healthy, but not the unhealthy 40 pounds I gained with James! I am right on the mark to gain a little less than I did with James, and more than I did with Catherine. I am trying really hard not to stress about it, but even with all the movement I do every day, plus the fact I truly am watching what I eat, it still doesn't help. I just have to resign to the fact that with this pregnancy, pineapple for lunch every day is just not good!
Stretch marks? No, thankfully. Still lotioning up!
Best moment this week? Eric's mom came to visit, so we were able to escape for a night out. We went out to eat, and then saw a movie. We're really homebodies and like to be at home, or at someone else's home. We hate spending money like that, but at the same time, sometimes we need that. It was nice to sit across from Eric and talk about adult things, instead of trying to keep James occupied. Not to mention we had a snow day on Monday, so we were able to take some time to work on our master bedroom/closet/bathroom remodel, which was nice. One of our favorite things to do together are home renovations and we've done them all - remodeled bedrooms, bathrooms, our living room and dining room, sided our house, put in new windows, insulated our attic, finished our basement. All by ourselves. Although it was hard to move being almost 28 weeks pregnant, it was also nice to give my husband shit about how he grunts when he's exerting a lot of energy. It took me back to our pre-children days. :)
Miss anything? As of right now, not really. Everything is really falling into place!
Movement? Yes, and only on one side, which is odd. And usually, a ton after I eat (duh) and 9:30 or so at night, which is annoying! You also love to move during the night and wake me up when you're in my rib! This guy LOVES to move at the exact same times. I just finished supper and he is boot scootin' away in there. Not to mention, about 9:00, it's like he strikes up the band in my abdomen. Holy crap.
Food cravings? This week, it's been sweets. I've been dominating the candy jar at work, and buying candy bars that the post prom committee is selling in the teachers lounge every day. It obviously gives me more energy, but I also am craving sweet things. Which is probably where the pineapple comes in. I need to get back on that track rather than the sweets train I've been riding. But it's so good...
Anything make you queasy or sick? I can't remember what it was this week, but I wanted to puke all over the place. It was something kind of obscure and not something that I run into all the time. But oddly enough, I cannot, for the life of me, remember what it was!!!!! But I just remember wanting to gag in my mouth. And typical to my last pregnancy, someone posted a chicken recipe on facebook, complete with a picture of the chicken breast, and I wanted to barf. So, I haven't had chicken in a really long time!!!
Labor signs? TMI, but tons of mucus discharge. I remember with James at 28 weeks exactly, and the morning of my doctor appointment, I lost my mucus plug. I remember crying when telling the nurse, terrified that labor was starting and I had no idea what to do. She asked me if I was sure it was my mucus plug. YES. There is absolutely no mistaking the mucus plug. After checking me, the doctor assured me that yes, I did lose my mucus plug, BUT the mucus plug usually regenerates if you lose it too early and don't go into labor. Seriously? So I've been looking for that to happen again, but luckily, nothing! Although this time, I'd say I'm much better prepared!
Symptoms? Pregnancy insomnia is back (shit!). It sucks. Could be a direct correlation to all the sweets I've been eating?? I'm not sure if it's pregnancy insomnia, or the fact that I have small children, but the insomnia is definitely beginning to return.
Belly button in or out? In, but barely. I'm waiting for it to finally pop!
Linea nigra? Nope! Smooth belly!
Wedding ring on or off? On! But this time, it's slowly getting tighter. I doubt I will be able to wear it much longer!
Happy or moody? It's been off and on moody this week, thanks to me being so tired.
Looking forward to: TOMORROW! We have our ultrasound, my glucola test, and our 28 week appointment. I'll be anxious to hear what they have to say about the placenta. Hopefully all is well! :)
I hurt. ALL THE TIME. It's nearly impossible to walk quickly, or move quickly, or really, do anything like I used to. Being that I'm about the only one who knows what I'm doing when it comes to setting up the sound system in our auditorium, I have setting up all week for the Variety Show. Holy hell, is it a lot of work when you are this far along. UGH!
Either way, I only have three more months until I meet my little guy. I remember thinking with the first pregnancy about how little time I had until I met him. With this pregnancy? Not so much. It seems like February 5th is a lifetime away.
Anyway - onward to the update, of which I took a couple questions from the other pregnancy updates, just for fun and because, surprisingly, I have some time to do that...
Random Thoughts from This Week: I just need the Variety Show to be DONE.
Maternity clothes? Um, yes. Of course.
Weight gain? Most likely!
Stretch marks? Not yet, which is impressive. And my linea nigra has yet to show. Probably because this is the third pregnancy and my stomach is used to stretching this way!
Best moment this week? Not last night, I can tell you that. Possibly the fact that I looked at all my "acts" for the Variety Show and said, "Huh... they are definitely ready."
Worst moment this week? Last night. It was horrible. I was busy with work, Eric was busy with work. Everyone was pissed off. It sucked.
Miss anything? Not feeling like a huge heifer.
Movement? Absolutely. It's been crazy. The other night, I didn't get to sleep until well after midnight because he would not stop moving around! Arg!
Food cravings? Spice spice and more spice. I love it!
Anything make you queasy or sick? Not particularly this week.
What pissed you off this week? I had a student make a poor decision, and he has definitely been my stressor. Not to mention, his parents. But at the end of the day, he made the poor decision and violated the behavior contract I had him (and his parents) sign, because his behavior warranted it.
How far along? 28 Weeks! Wahoo!
Maternity clothes? Of course. Today I was wearing my brown pants, white shirt, brown flats, and a cute pearl necklace with a floral accent on the side, and a student told me I looked really pretty today. It made my day!!!!!!!! Still have these pants, which I wear regularly. But this shirt that I'm talking about does NOT fit this pregnancy. My boobs are out of control!!!
Weight gain? I'm pretty sure only the typical 3-4 pounds (Update: I was right on the money with only 3 pounds gained). I stubbed my toe on our scale in the basement moving something else (it's buried beneath God knows what) and decided to step on it. Granted, it has never worked correctly, but I've made it work for the most part. I think I've gained a few pounds since my last appointment, taking me somewhere in the upper 160's, which I'm ok with. Some people my height would have a hard time with that weight, but to be completely honest, at 150, I look like I weigh 130. It's really bizarre, and it's not like when I weigh 150 that I actually have fat on my body. The least I've weighed in my female adulthood was a dangerous 145, and I looked anemic. It was kind of gross. So I'm pretty happy that I've only gained about 18 pounds. My pregnancy calculator said that I should gain about 11 pounds in the third trimester, which would only put me in the 170's. That's only about 20 pounds more than I would normally weigh, so I'm good with that. It's healthy, but not the unhealthy 40 pounds I gained with James! I am right on the mark to gain a little less than I did with James, and more than I did with Catherine. I am trying really hard not to stress about it, but even with all the movement I do every day, plus the fact I truly am watching what I eat, it still doesn't help. I just have to resign to the fact that with this pregnancy, pineapple for lunch every day is just not good!
Stretch marks? No, thankfully. Still lotioning up!
Best moment this week? Eric's mom came to visit, so we were able to escape for a night out. We went out to eat, and then saw a movie. We're really homebodies and like to be at home, or at someone else's home. We hate spending money like that, but at the same time, sometimes we need that. It was nice to sit across from Eric and talk about adult things, instead of trying to keep James occupied. Not to mention we had a snow day on Monday, so we were able to take some time to work on our master bedroom/closet/bathroom remodel, which was nice. One of our favorite things to do together are home renovations and we've done them all - remodeled bedrooms, bathrooms, our living room and dining room, sided our house, put in new windows, insulated our attic, finished our basement. All by ourselves. Although it was hard to move being almost 28 weeks pregnant, it was also nice to give my husband shit about how he grunts when he's exerting a lot of energy. It took me back to our pre-children days. :)
Miss anything? As of right now, not really. Everything is really falling into place!
Movement? Yes, and only on one side, which is odd. And usually, a ton after I eat (duh) and 9:30 or so at night, which is annoying! You also love to move during the night and wake me up when you're in my rib! This guy LOVES to move at the exact same times. I just finished supper and he is boot scootin' away in there. Not to mention, about 9:00, it's like he strikes up the band in my abdomen. Holy crap.
Food cravings? This week, it's been sweets. I've been dominating the candy jar at work, and buying candy bars that the post prom committee is selling in the teachers lounge every day. It obviously gives me more energy, but I also am craving sweet things. Which is probably where the pineapple comes in. I need to get back on that track rather than the sweets train I've been riding. But it's so good...
Anything make you queasy or sick? I can't remember what it was this week, but I wanted to puke all over the place. It was something kind of obscure and not something that I run into all the time. But oddly enough, I cannot, for the life of me, remember what it was!!!!! But I just remember wanting to gag in my mouth. And typical to my last pregnancy, someone posted a chicken recipe on facebook, complete with a picture of the chicken breast, and I wanted to barf. So, I haven't had chicken in a really long time!!!
Labor signs? TMI, but tons of mucus discharge. I remember with James at 28 weeks exactly, and the morning of my doctor appointment, I lost my mucus plug. I remember crying when telling the nurse, terrified that labor was starting and I had no idea what to do. She asked me if I was sure it was my mucus plug. YES. There is absolutely no mistaking the mucus plug. After checking me, the doctor assured me that yes, I did lose my mucus plug, BUT the mucus plug usually regenerates if you lose it too early and don't go into labor. Seriously? So I've been looking for that to happen again, but luckily, nothing! Although this time, I'd say I'm much better prepared!
Symptoms? Pregnancy insomnia is back (shit!). It sucks. Could be a direct correlation to all the sweets I've been eating?? I'm not sure if it's pregnancy insomnia, or the fact that I have small children, but the insomnia is definitely beginning to return.
Belly button in or out? In, but barely. I'm waiting for it to finally pop!
Linea nigra? Nope! Smooth belly!
Wedding ring on or off? On! But this time, it's slowly getting tighter. I doubt I will be able to wear it much longer!
Happy or moody? It's been off and on moody this week, thanks to me being so tired.
Looking forward to: TOMORROW! We have our ultrasound, my glucola test, and our 28 week appointment. I'll be anxious to hear what they have to say about the placenta. Hopefully all is well! :)
And this is my update with James...
How far along? 28 weeks
Maternity clothes? My yoga pants rock and pretty much, anything that's comfortable. I love changing into really comfortable clothes when I get home from work!!! Still do... still definitely do.
Stretch marks? No! Hooray!!! I'm super excited that I still don't have stretch marks. I'm hoping hoping hoping that it stays that way!!!
Sleep? It a little touch a go a couple days ago, but last night, I put a pillow between my knees. Heaven! It worked like a charm and I woke up this morning feeling refreshed! After reading this particular post this week, I tried it again and guess what? It worked like a charm (again) and yesterday morning I felt incredibly refreshed.
Best moment this week? I saw you MOVE. As in, MOVE. My whole belly moved really slowly! I can tell things are getting tighter in there and you must be uncomfortable, but hopefully the more uncomfortable you are, the sooner you'll come out and join us! :)
Miss anything? Not waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom!!! Once again, this is true. However, I have began limiting myself to water only before 9:00 p.m. After that, I don't drink anything. It has helped!
Movement? A ton! And real movement - not just kicks. I've noticed moreso this week than any other week that you do this twitching thing that sometimes scares me a little bit. It's like when you get an eye twitch, only in my belly! Pretty crazy!!!
Food cravings? Not really. I really like all of it! :)
Anything make you queasy or sick? Not really, although I have been feeling slightly queasy on and off for a week or so. It goes away fairly quickly...
Labor signs? None!
Symptoms? I have an incredible urge to nest!
Belly button in or out? It's in...but my mole has begun to stick out!
Linea nigra? A very faint line on a very stretched, smooth belly!
Wedding ring on or off? On!
Happy or moody? Still ridiculously happy. All the time! Hahaha, how things have changed...
Looking forward to: My baby shower is this weekend. I can't wait to see everyone and get all those great gifts that is going to make this even more real! :)
I love how I have switched from the count-up to the count-down! Only 12 more weeks until I get to hold you in my arms! :) I love you already! Nope, still in the count-up this time around. Haha...
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