baby update – 38 1/2 weeks

Saw the midwife today and I had NO cervical change from last week, still at 3 cm and 80% effaced.  I was disappointed, and not so much because I am desperate to have this baby soon, I’m really not!  I’ve learned that they are much easier to take care of while they are still inside me, I can sleep when I want (usually) and I don’t have to feed, diaper or clean his clothes.  BUT it would be really nice if we could have him before Dan leaves to take the bar exam in Wyoming next Wednesday!  He’ll only be gone for 24 hours, but if this guy happened to be born while he’s gone I would be so sad!  I really would like him to be there with me for the birth!!  I talked to the midwife about it today and she scheduled me for an induction Monday morning so we could have him and come home from the hospital before Dan has to leave town.  Which is nice… of course I would prefer to go into labor on my own that would make it easier for me to go natural, but that is not as important to me as having Dan present.  On the other hand, we would probably be fine to just take our chances and wait, how likely am I to deliver in the 24 hours Dan will be gone?  Nobody knows. :) So I guess we’ll just have to think about it some more and pray I go into labor on my own before Monday so we don’t have to decide!

We have everything ready for him, I think I’ve remembered everything… down to binkys and nursing pads.  The one thing we don’t have is a name… boy names are so hard!  We have a short list but there is no one name we are super excited about.  I hope he comes out with it written on his forehead… otherwise it could be awhile before we choose.

Memorial weekend in Utah - part 2

So this is out of order… oops!  I posted the rest of my June pictures before I finished my Utah ones from May.  Oh well!

Wheeler Farm

My mom brought a huge bag of old hamburger buns for the kids to feed to the ducks and geese.  Sophie was all over that!  Tessa was terrified, especially as there got to be more and more.  I don’t blame her, I don’t trust any animals wild or domestic.  Sophie scares me to death sometimes.

Sydney is more like Sophie, fearless.  She just laughed at the geese.

Photo op!! (We can’t help ourselves.)

The {exciting} animal pictures!

I forgot how ugly turkeys are, yikes! Here’s PROOF that Tessa summoned the courage to pet a goat.

CHEESERS by the cow cage!  My Dad is so good with the grandkids.

 

Tessa in TIME OUT, I don’t remember the reason but I am sure she deserved it!  Just cracked me up to see her sitting on a bench all alone screaming her guts out while Dan pretended not to notice as he watched her.  Parenting can be so fun! :)  All the cousins except Elliot who was either nursing or asleep in the stroller.

Not sure why, but sticks are a really cool toy.  Never met a kid who didn’t love to find sticks to hold.  My girls got quite the collection that day.

Back Home (at my parents’)

Crazy Sophie horse enjoying the new horses Grandma got and the dress from her Great Grandma (yes, red velvet with fur trim is ALWAYS in season.)  Tessa is off her rocker too.

Sydney joined the crazy girl ranks as well! Elliot’s just plain cute.  She’s looking at her dad in this picture, they adore one another.

This picture isn’t in very good focus but I had to throw in the nose crinkle, she gets that from her mom.  Adorable huh?   The 2nd picture is Josh imitating Elliot’s expression at the fan, sometimes parents are funnier to photograph than the babies.

Sophie getting some air time, love the determination on her face!  Grandma holding the little ones’ hands so they don’t fall over, little do they know she’s just as likely to loose her balance! :)

Well, that’s all for tonight!  I guess there will have to be a part 3 because I need to go to bed!

BTW – Here’s a little pregnancy update, since I am sure I will want to remember and really stink at writing in my journal.  Monday was crazy, I thought I was in labor ALL DAY.  I felt lousy starting at 6am and couldn’t sleep.  I was achy in my back and crampy in the front, I had irregular contractions (meaning tightening of my stomach) all morning, but the aching was constant.  I tried to sleep while the girls were napping but couldn’t, so I called and talked to my mom who thought I was in labor and advised me to arrange babysitters but try to sleep.  Dan was 2 hours away from home at this point (in court).  Anyway, I tried a hot shower for the aching as the midwife suggested and that worked.  But I continued contracting. But they weren’t increasing in intensity so I didn’t worry about it.  I finally started timing the contractions at 4pm and they were 10 min apart, they would go down to 2 min apart and I would start to get nervous that we should leave for the hospital but then they next couple would be 10 min apart again!  I ended up packing my hospital bag (which I needed to do anyway), cleaning the bathrooms and bed sheets (since someone would be spending the night at our house) while Dan did the dishes.  At 8 they still weren’t increasing in intensity and the frequency would increase and then decrease, so I decided to try and sleep since I was so exhausted.  My contractions woke me at 9, I watched a little Top Gear with Dan to distract me then went back to bed about 11, expecting to be woke up in labor at any time.  I woke again with hard contractions at 1am but they weren’t consistently close together enough for me to wake Dan up.  But they kept me awake until 4am.  I was able to sleep until 6 when the girls got up.  After that, NOTHING!  No more than 5 or 6 contractions all day Tuesday, I felt lousy (probably from lack of sleep) but no contractions.  Today (Wednesday) has been the same story.  I saw the midwife today and she checked me… still at a 3-ish!  I didn’t dialate any more after all those contractions!  I was pretty surprised.  I did efface a bit though, now at 80%.  She said that it “feels like” I will deliver very soon, his head is very low and my cervix is very “ripe.”  I will be 38 weeks on Saturday, with Tessa I was at a 4 and 80% effaced at 38 weeks and I didn’t have her until 39 weeks.  So I figure I’ve got at least 1 more week left.  But boy do I feel like I’ve already done it!  Monday was exhausting.  But good practice… I guess.

full term! any day (or week) now!! & an embarrassing story

I took some more ridiculous pictures of my belly in the mirror for y’all, here I am at 37 weeks:

Yeah, I’m huge… what can I say?  I kind of hope he’s big so I have some justification for my size, but I really hope he’s not, so he’s easier to deliver.  Funny story, I actually had a guy ask me for my number this week at Big Lots!  He said that he always wished he had a pregnant girlfriend.  He was over weight, like 45 and from some Slavic country (didn’t ask where, just guessing by his accent) flattering huh? (NOT, creepy is what it was!)  You want to hear the embarrassing part?  Instead of refusing him, I just gave the wrong number.  I’m such weak sauce!  Why didn’t I just tell him I was happily married (I did have my ring on).  In my defense, he was tricky… he started out by saying that he saw me and just knew that I could be a good friend and that he was lonely and really wanted a good friend.  So I was all sympathetic.  I thought he just meant he wanted to have a conversation in the aisle so I said sure!  But then he got all weird… oh well, I just hope I never run into him again!  Have you ever done that?  I’ve never been good at telling people no.  But I will if it ever happens again, I totally regret it. 

In other news, I didn’t progress a whole lot last week, the midwife said I was between 2 and 3 cm and 50% effaced (was at 2cm last week), the effacement is new but I dilated less than 1 cm.  I feel contractions like crazy and if I’m being honest, I am feeling much more uncomfortable than I ever felt with my girls.  I get cramps in my lower abdomen that will last for up to 3 hours and my back kills.  But I am good, I know that he is certainly easier to take care of while he’s still inside.  I haven’t ran for a week now, I got nervous when I had all that cervical change last week and didn’t want to put myself into pre-term labor.  But I may try and go some this week, depends on how I’m feeling.  We’re almost ready for him to come, just need to pack our bag for the hospital and hang some pictures in the nursery.  We’re so excited!

baby shower & update

So I hate to leap frog the other pictures I have taken and that are waiting to post, but sometimes it makes sense!  I guess I feel like baby updates are more time sensitive. :)

So over the weekend my really good friend Kim threw me a baby shower.  I tried to tell her that I didn’t need one, this is our 3rd baby after all!  But she wouldn’t hear it, she said it’s our 1st boy, I didn’t have a choice, she was doing it and I might as well tell her which day would work for me.  I felt so spoiled!  I was worried that no one would come because they would all assume I didn’t need anything either, but my friends really came through and made me feel really special.  Plus I got lots of manly things for our little man.  THANK YOU SO MUCH!!  Here are some pictures:

The adorable invitations (some info has been concealed to protect the innocent) which Kim pain-stakingly hand traced and cut out until 3am one night.  Read it, she worded it real cute.  We actually had a few people ask if we were naming him Cadet! (we’re not) 

This game Kim made up because of something like Dan likes to say (he stole it from a Bill Cosby skit).  When people ask what we’re having he likes to say, “finally put the stem on the apple!”  So that’s what we did for the game!  So clever. And HILARIOUS!

FIrst, Kim spun us around (I know I look drunk, but I was just dizzy from being spun) and then we tried to pin the stem on the apple.

Kim also put together a TRUE/FALSE game with stories about me as a baby.  She contacted my mom and got a few and then talked to Dan and got some baby stories about him too.  She then told the stories and we were to decided if it was truly about me or not (we didn’t know that the false ones were Dan’s stories until afterwards).  Funny thing was that I got beat by 2 people at the party with my own stories!  In my defense I don’t remember being a baby, so how am I supposed to know for sure things are false? :) 

We did the string around the belly game which is always funny.  Most people are either way too big or way too small! (except for Susan, who was like less than an inch off!)  Then it was time for presents!  I was spoiled.

This last one from Kim was a big surprise.  She made some wall art out of fabric for our little guy’s room!  Something I had told her I meant to do but hadn’t got around to yet.  She had seen the bedding at our house and asked me where I got it (Target), she then looked it up online and used the images there to make templates!  Didn’t it turn out cute?  And now I don’t have to do it!! :)  I also got some hand-made toy blocks and bib from Cami and the star blanket above was made by a friend named Amy.  Most of the gifts were cute boy clothes, which we love!  I also received a gift certificate for a pedicure from Stephanie, so nice!  I can’t wait.

Diaper tower, also made by Kim.  She really went above and beyond planning this shower for me and it means a lot!  I felt so loved.  Thank you so much!!  Here’s a picture of her and I outside her house after loading gifts in my car.  (Because I’m sure I’ll look back at this and wonder, I’m 35 weeks to the day in this photo. Just 5 weeks to go!)

As for the baby update:  I went in today and had the Midwife check my cervix (I switched from an OB to a midwife, but that’s another story) and I am already at 2 cm!  SO that’s exciting, like she said, only 8 more to go!  I looked back at my “notes” (aka-blog posts) from last time and I was 1 1/2 cm dilated with Tessa at this time and she still stayed in until almost 39 weeks, so I’m guessing this guy will do the same.  A week early would be nice since Dan will be leaving me over night to take the bar in Wyoming (for work) 3 days before my due date.  I would really like him to be there for the birth, but we’ll work with what we’ve got!  My mom will be here while he’s gone, so that’s good.  All of these contractions and finding out today that I actually am starting to dilate makes this seem so much more real!  This probably sounds strange, but I guess he really is going to come out!  Pregnancy can seem so long when you are in it and I’ve tried to push delivery far from my mind, just for sanity’s sake.  But I can’t deny it any longer!  We are so excited!!  His nursery is almost done, I just need to sell a couple of empty shelves that are cluttering it up and re-organize the closet and we should be ready to go.  Such exciting times!

28 weeks and BIG AS A HOUSE!

First of all; I REALLY need to get some cord hiders for those ghastly black cords coming down from the TV!  How embarrassing.  Secondly; before everyone comments and tells me I’m NOT as big as a house, I admit it could be worse, and yes I know it’s worth the sacrifice to expand our family.  I actually feel a little better about my size after I seeing these pictures, I feel bigger than I look I guess.  But I am definitely bigger than I was with the girls at this point.  I’ve already gained 20 pounds!  Pretty sure I only gained 25 total with the girls and I wasn’t exercising near as much or as hard as I have been this time.  I don’t know about this boy… he’s trouble already! :)  Oh well, as I said before, it’s totally worth it, children are such a blessing!

I was feeling kind of goofy Sunday afternoon by myself taking these photos in the mirror, so lucky you there’s more…

Besides feeling big as a house waddling around town I don’t have many complaints, well not for you guys anyway! Dan hears plenty. :)  Isn’t it funny how we can be the worst behaved for those we love most?  I complain more for Dan, I nag him, it’s not fair at all!  Hopefully I tell him I love him enough to make up for it.

For the record  (I know I will want to remember this later) I am still running but I have scaled back, instead of running two 5’s and one 10 mile run a week, I’ve switched to kilometers, doing two 5K’s and one 10K run a week (5K=3.1M, 10K=6.2M).  It takes a lot more effort to run fast so I’m doing good if I keep it under a 10 min/mile pace. I feel so good when I  get out and run, I’ve scaled back the distance because the longer I run the more sore my pelvis is the next day.  The doctor said it’s not hurting anything though, just the weight of my belly putting pressure on my pelvis.  But to me it’s worth it, running makes me so happy.  Since I’m not running as much; I’ve started doing work out videos on my days off of running.  I like Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred a lot, mostly because it’s only 20 min and I still feel like I’ve worked out.  Funny thing is that Sophie and Tessa love to watch me do it!  They won’t let me get away without doing my “exercise movie” in the morning, they will keep asking me until I do it, so that’s nice.  Sometimes they even join in!  Usually they just tell me to lift my arms higher or use the heavier weights, the funny little girls are my personal trainers.

Hard to believe that we’ve only got about 2 1/2 months left until this baby will be born!  I’ve enjoyed buying some boy things for a change, although I’m not sure what my boy style is yet… I’ve never bought boy clothes before!  I know what I like when I see other boys wearing it but putting it together from scratch in the store is totally different.  I am nervous for this delivery because I want to go without the epidural if I can this time.  I practically did it without with Tessa (I got to 9 cm w/o drugs, but not because I wanted to!) and my labors are so fast I really have no excuse (4hrs w/Soph and 2.5hrs w/Tess).  Plus now that we have to pay a lot of the cost… (no more Medicaid) I am more motivated.  Sad but true.  So if any of you have advice or can recommend a good book on the subject of natural child birth I would love to hear!  Because I am a wuss and will surely cave if I’m not prepared.

Belly Shot – 19 weeks

I tried to do the timer for the picture but was too lazy to get out the tripod so none of the pictures were framed well and NONE were in focus.  But I did manage to get this picture of my belly in the mirror without the camera covering my face and I think that’s pretty good!  I am DEFINITELY filling out this shirt much more than I was with Tessa at 17 weeks here.  I think my abs loose some of their ability to “hold it in” with each pregnancy.  Oh well, babies are definitely worth it. 

For you smart ones, who may have noticed… I am now 23 weeks but am just behind on blog posts. Sorry.  I have been feeling fine, I had to take a couple weeks off of running due to a bunch of stitches up my thigh (mole removal).  Since then, I haven’t got back up to my 20 miles a week yet, I have found that I loose fitness very quickly while pregnant!  Plus between bad weather days and sick kids (I have to take them with me) it’s hard to find the time.  But I did a 7 mile run last week that I was quite proud of, my goal is to get to 30 weeks and still be running.  Just because it makes me feel so good!  Plus I am less self-conscious about rising number on the bathroom scales when I know I am exercising well.  Do you have a favorite exercise you would recommend for pregnancy?

Oh and I have had my first pregnancy cravings!  Never really got them with the girls, but this little guy wants protein!  I eat at least 1 bowl of cottage cheese a day, something I haven’t enjoyed on its own since I was a kid.  Plus I crave red meat from time to time which is not something I usually prefer.  Funny.

a pre-birthday party

We were lucky enough to have my mom, sister, and nephew here for a couple days the week of Sophie’s birthday (and the month of Jenny’s birthday).  It was a quick visit but we relished every moment.  I sure love my family, thank you for coming guys!

We went straight from the airport in the afternoon to the Nature and Science Museum because they were having another free day.  I had forgotten to bring my camera to the airport though, so no pictures. :(  They closed at 5 and we went home.

It was Februrary 13th, so when we got home Grandma whipped out a ton of Valentine making stuff and these cute head bands.  Sophie made several valentines for her friends.  Tessa likes the ideas of stickers, but ended up taking all of her stickers off, she can’t commit I guess.  Just on and off with Tess, until the stick is all gone.  She’s in process in the pic below. :)

This picture makes me laugh because usually Grandma can do no wrong, but I guess hair brushing hurts no matter who is doing it.  But Sophie didn’t cry for Grandma… interesting.  But she really does love her, see:

Tessa really enjoyed Jenny oozing over her jewelry, such a girl.  {BTW - Can you see the boy jeans over the back of the chair?  They were part of a bunch of baby boy clothes my mom brought for us, we didn’t know what we were having yet… I am convinced my mom is either a)physic or b)has special privileges with God, because she’s always right!}  Dean went to bed pretty early that night, but here he is the next morning just so proud of himself for getting in that chair on his own!  He has the cutest smile and bright eyes, he’s going to be a big brother in just a couple months, so exciting.

 

All the kids in the morning, Dean would rather investigate his head gear rather than wear it.  Maybe he knew it was the wrong holiday to wear antlers. :)

Sophie went to her preschool Valentines party that morning while Dean napped and then he woke up just as it was my girls’ nap time (of course!).  So I took the monitor with me so I could hear the girls and we went out for a walk around the apartment complex.  Dean’s learning to run, he wants to so bad!  It’s very cute.  It was a beautiful day, don’t let the snow on the ground fool you, it was sunny and warm, no jackets required (unless you are from Houston and can’t handle anything under 70, although they eventually shed their coats too.)

Dean really just wanted to play in the puddles, Jenny didn’t really want that. :)  Here’s a bump check, Jen is 2 months ahead of me.  Not that you can even tell!  It’s fun to be pregnant the same time as her, she’s having a girl (in May) and we’re having a boy (in July).

After the girls were up we went over to the park by the university that we love.  Dean was supposed to nap in the van while the girls played but he ended up coming out to play instead.  He never held still much, just have this picture of the back of his head. I know these pictures of my girls in short sleeves next to snow covered ground look terrible, but I PROMISE it was really warm!

After the park we headed down towards Dan’s office and went to a maternity store… a dangerous place for my mom to recommend with 2 pregnant daughters.  She treated Jenny to a really pretty dress and me to the darling shirt (which I love and wear at least once a week) which I am wearing in the framed picture at the beginning of this post.  Thanks Mom! 

And as if that wasn’t enough, she insisted that she should take us out to dinner.  Dan met us at Red Robin.  Here’s Sophie with her complementary birthday treat, and a scary smile.  Notice Dan trying so hard to be noticed, out of focus in the 2nd picture.

We all shared Sophie and Jenny’s ice cream.  Oh yeah, get after it Tess!

Then they left the next morning, after some couch photos on the timer.  (Look for me trying to get the kids to smile in the mirror reflection, kind of cheesy.)

Thanks again for making the trip out Mom and Jen, it was lovely to have you as our guests!