Tuesday Tummy Time!

36weeks down! 28 days till baby's due date!

I honestly don't know how this kid is going to stay up in there 4 more weeks BUT you just never know with these buggers do ya? 

Now let's all pretend we have X-Ray vision and can take a peek at little Baby Owen:

Courtesy of BabyCenter.com

"Your baby is gaining about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy hair that covered her body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Next week, your baby will be considered full-term. Most likely she's in a head-down position, but if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an external cephalic version, where she'll try to turn your baby by manipulating her from the outside of your belly."

I don't think there's any need for that manipulation BabyCenter is talking about.  This kid is riding loooooow and good to go.  Seriously.  There is so much weight on my pubic bone I feel bruised most of the time and have had to break out the ice pack.  Sorry...TMI?  There's no such thing with pregnancy!

My BH contractions are getting PAINFUL! and low and I've even had back contractions when I switch positions at night.  Not fun.  Scary....yet exciting.  After next week it will be mostly exciting knowing that at 37 weeks Owen will be considered full term and any labor would hopefuly not be stopped at that point.  With Oliver at home and family out of state I can't play around with the whole going-to-the-hospital/going-back-home thing. 

Feeling the way I've been feeling I really see this kid coming a week early at least, but I'm pretty sure almost every pregnant woman has had the same thought and been wrong.  I have an appointment tomorrow (the lovely strepB swab) so hopefully we'll learn what's going on down there in Babylandia. 

In the meantime- we are working on planning for what will go down at go time, making out instructions for Oliver's care, and packing the hospital bag!  It's time to get serious with this baby prep!

Bringing Home Baby

Not even two years ago we were leaving the hospital with the most precious souvenire ever... our baby boy Oliver.  I can't believe the big monkey next to me with scraped knees was once this little bundle. 

It was kind of sad leaving the hospital.  It was like we had been in our own little bubble, our own private world.  Nate had stayed the whole time with me and the baby was in our room the whole time too, only being taken out when they weighed him and checked stats each night.  Leaving the hospital was like going back out into the real world were we had to take care of ourselves and protect this precious baby from everything out there. (Not to mention I was going to miss the room service!)

Getting close to Baby Owen's due date has us thinking about how things went the first time as we make plans for the hospital and coming home.  Nate mentioned getting Owen's coming home outfit and I had him get Oliver's out of the basement where it was put away with other outgrown clothes.  I had always figured each kid would get his own, but for some reason I automatically answered Nate that I had to wash Oliver's for Owen.  Which led to last nights yo-yo decision:  Reuse? Get a new one?  We see positives in both.  Very close friends of ours used the same outfit for all three of their kids.  But there's was neutral so having a girl after two boys wasn't a problem for them reusing it.  In our case, if the next baby (YEARS down the road!!!) were to be a girl, there is no way we would bring her home in a blue outfit, so is it fair that she would get her own?  And wouldn't it be nice to one day give each kid their outfit to use or not use as they build there own families?  But the emotional impact of seeing both of our boys in the same beautiful outfit calls to me too.  Plus, it took forever to find this outfit that we liked for Oliver to come home in. 

One more thing-  we got this outfit at a consignment store.  Does the fact that a stranger-baby wore it once make it less special?  Sometimes I feel like I can't really say "This is Oliver's special outfit," because they are second-hand (even though I don't know whose hand came first).

I think we've made our decision, but what's your opinion on the matter?

Tuesday Tummy Time!

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I'm Just THAT Fabulous

I make no pretenses- I am a bum.  If I have no plans to go out...I don't get dressed.  My hair has been TERRIBLE since about 4 months postpartum with Oliver when it started falling out around my hairline and grew back in like a friggin circus clown. 

I admit there's truth to the "look good, feel good" train of thought.  Sometimes I need to get dressed to force myself to think up some errand to run.  But today I looked like hell and still felt good. 

I thought my belly looked fabulous in my husbands BoSox tee (from the 2004 ALCS, the series during which we met).  And my frizzy hair was perfect for spending the day uncluttering the bedroom and doing some laundry... I even washed the morning and afternoon dishes at lunch time instead of waiting to pile dinner dishes in my ridiculously shallow sink and forcing myself to get to it before bed. 

I spent today barefoot and pregnant and loving every second of it.

It doesn't get any REAL-er than this! 

I decided to cheese it up and take some selfies like any good pregnant lady would do. 

32 weeks...Don't I look great!? (no answer necessary)

Tuesday Tummy Time! and West Haven Beach

First things first- Belly Baby at 28 weeks:

Courtesy of Babycenter.com

"By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world"



It's a little too late now to wonder....WHAT THE F WHERE WE THINKING?!?!?!  We PLANNED babies this close!  20 months?!?!?! Good thing I don't think that too often....but there are definitely moments.  Like when I realize the nursery is the perfect size....for Oliver.  That I get almost enough sleep...to last me through a day of Oliver.  That I love the budding independance... at Oliver's age.  A newborn is a whole 'nother barrel of monkeys!  Can I do this? And with BDNP's crazy work schedule...can I do this solo for a good portion of the day?  Will I be myself at the end of the day? 

I am so looking forward to doing more and more with Oliver...will a new baby get in the way of that?  And at the same time... I am so looking forward to loving on a newborn.  Will Oliver get in the way of that?  Oliver spent hours asleep on my chest in the recliner.  Owen will likely spend a good chunk of that time asleep in a swing or cradle.  That's kind of sad for him.

It's getting pretty close to baby time.  October will be here before we know it.  And October will bring our 2nd baby and our 2nd wedding anniversary...in that order!!! crazy! Two babes before we're married two years! That's true love!

****
So here is how we wrapped up our weekend.  A Sunday afternoon trip to West Haven to get a milkshake and corn dog at Chicks, then walk it off on the boardwalk.

Yeah I'm kind of a whale these days.

And THIS ONE...seemed to forget how old she was and wanted to swim deeper and play with other dogs.  She certainly felt her age trying to walk back to the car and was very stiff the next day.

Asleep by 8:30...here's why-

Yesterday I woke up from night 2 on an air mattress thinking, "ugh, better than the first night I guess."  It was grey, foggy and humid and I had committing to meeting up with our besties for a playdate during Oliver's nap time. 

Oliver's morning nap is verrrrry important to him, unless it's Saturday in which case he doesn't seem to need it.  This nap needs to take place when the rest of the mommies and babies seem to be doing all sorts of fun things: playgroups, story times...well whatever other activites they do, seeing as I always miss them and have no idea what they are.  Being a lazy bones myself, I would rather have Oliver sleep so I can lounge, and I have never been to motivated to try and break him of his routine.  But I know that this kid needs more socialization opportunity (I'm still bothered that he's not using words despite what everyone says about him being right on track...my kids a genius and should be talking!) and that opportunity is 10am.  If he is stimulated enough he can usually make it through postponing a nap anyway, so I decided we'd go for it.

It didn't go so hot.  I had a cranky pants before leaving the house, I had a cranky pants in the car, and I didn't know where I was going.  I had a vague idea of where this playground was, but I was very distracted by the angry toddler in the backseat.  Luckily, I've realized that Laurie Berkner's "Moon Moon Moon" is not, in fact, a lullaby, but a magical incantation that calms my shouting baby.  So I had that to sing over and over until he calmed down and fell asleep.  Which is when I got the voicemail that the playground was  a no-go, still wet from then night's rain, and we'd probably meet at the mall instead.  Such great news! I took my time weaving through back roads to get to the mall so monkey-boy could sleep and I even sat in the car in the parking garage for a little bit while he snored away.

We made it to the play space in the mall and things seemed to be looking better.  The power nap in the car had to have made some difference, right?  Well the attitude did seem better, but Oliver has a relatively short attention span for playing in there, as much as he loves it.  I need to take a minute to complain about the play space's design flaw: a wall right in the middle that is impossible to see behind, yet has things behind it to play with.  Oliver was spending a lot of time back there and I kept excusing myself from mom-versation to peek at where he was.  I saw him running around back there and figured he must still be playing at the mirror when I got up again to check..nope.  Gone!  He was no where to be found inside the play place!

My right brain immediately came up with 124,643,346,888 horrible things that could have happened while my left brain said, "check the quarter rides he's been trying to get to." Not there. "He likes the escalaters." (Right brain: "Oh, God! Escalaters!") Left brain again: "Pet store."  And as I started walking towards the pet store I see BFF standing in the middle of the play place pointing to the pet store and my barefoot brat a straight shot from the entrance, in front of the bull dog I've been pining for for weeks and the St. Bernard we played with the night before.

After that Oliver and I went to grab some greasy and delicious S'barros for lunch before meeting or friends back at their house where we'd spend the rest of the day.  Since we are living out of boxes right now and most of Oliver's toys are in a storage unit we were invited over for dinner and more playtime.  Things went well for a while, then another nap time came around.  After fighting with a pack and play we were able to get it set up in the nursery for Oliver to try and nap in...and he refused.  He cried and snotted all over utnil I gave in and took him out.  It was pretty down hill from there.  His attitude got worse and worse and culminated in a disastrous dinner time (thank God daddy had met us over there by then!).

We very rudely ate and ran, leaving our mess behind.  I was dreading the ride home and was close to beggin Nate to pop the car seat in his car, but surprisingly there was not a peep out of the boy and he was asleep quickly.  He was not happy getting out of the car, getting in the house, and while we had a few smiles with the mention of a bath, he was over it before we could wash his hair (yes, WE, it was a two parent job).  Bed was not happening without a bottle of water to keep him calm and hydrated, but somehow...we made it!

I was asleep before our first DVR'd program for the night was over!

On another note: I am halfway through my pregnancy! So crazy! I can't believe it's been 20 weeks already!

Courtesy of BabyCenter.com

9 More Days!!!

Can you tell by the THREE exclamation points that I am super happy to find out Baby #2's gender in just 9 days?  At first I wanted another boy.  With the age difference being only 20 months, I'd say Oliver could use (and would enjoy) a brother more.  Plus, they will be sharing rooms regardless of #2's gender.  But with the different symptoms I've felt, I very quickly started to think this could be a girl.  The first OB visit we got to hear the heartbeat at, the midwife said it sounded like a girl...fast heartbeat.  So now I have my heart set on girl.  But as all us parents know- whatever it is I am MORE than happy to welcome him or her!

But along with that excitement and happiness is the very sobering realization that: I am ALREADY far enough along to find out?  I am 18 weeks today and I can't believe it! It's gone by so fast!  I guess that is the case with second pregnancies, isn't it?  At least when the first is still a toddler.  I am so busy with him that the days just fly by, and so the weeks seem to fly by also.

My baby a 18 weeks.  Courtesy of BabyCenter.com

One thing I am definitely not excited about is doing my glucose tolerence test.  I'm thinking I will be doing it on Saturday.  You may find it surprising, but I do not think it sounds fun to bring Oliver with me for a 2 hour blood sugar test.  Not that being up early to get to the lab when it opens at 6 sounds like much more fun, but at least it will be quiet. 

With Oliver I was tested for gestational diabetes early because of my weight and previous diagnosis of PCOS (still not convinced I have that.  I never got a concrete answer from my previous GYN, and if I'm not mistaken getting pregnant would have been much harder than simply losing the condoms for a week.  Seriously, both pregnancies happened so easily we are now aware of how careful we are going to need to be!).  My first test around 18 weeks came back borderline, and the second test around 24 weeks was still pretty borderline but they had me see the specialist anyway.  Since I was high risk and tested early I had to deal with the weekly visits to the GD specialist even longer than most women.  (Sarcastic) YAY me!  It was terrible.  At least a 2 hour wait every week for a visit that went like this:

"Let's have a look at your numbers.

Very good.

See you next week."

Doesn't that sound like it would be fun with a 15 month old in tow?  A two our wait for a two minute visit.

I was able to manage my GD without the use of insulin.  By the end of the pregnancy I was pretty fed up and cheated a bit with the diet.  I even used insulin twice to keep my numbers low (without the insulin I just "forgot" to check and didn't have numbers for that occasion to show them) and pacify the doctor and his nurse/dietician.  So when people congratulate me for doing such a great job, I honestly don't know that I did.  I remember lots of Friendly's sundaes which sure as heck were a no-no.

I gained 14 pounds throughout the pregnancy, L&D was ridiculously easy (and enjoyable!), and Oliver was born at a perfect 7lbs 10.5oz with normal blood sugar.  So the fact that I was referred for being borderline makes me almost as sceptical about the GD as I am about the PCOS. 

Still, I am soooooo not looking forward to it.  When we decided we were ready for another offspring I was determined to get myself in the habit of eating for GD before becoming pregnant...but that didn't happen, nor have I since becoming pregnant.  Oliver has me much more active during this pregnancy and I have lost about 5lbs so far in my 18weeks, but I'm pretty sure I will end up classified as GD again.  Yippee. 

Well we'll cross that bridge when we get there.  Soon enough.