4 weeks old

Nina is 4 weeks old today. She's about 10 pounds and is a voracious eater. I'll update with her official stats on Thursday after we see the doctor for her one month check up.

Jack is FINALLY having his wordsplosion. We get new words, in sentences, daily. He is finally starting to repeat what we say. It's still slow going, as we struggle to figure out what he's saying but it's so much better than random whiny demands. His favorite right now is mama or daddy play Mario. In Jack speak, it sounds like "mama pway mar-ee!" but it's definitely understandable. He also likes to tell us "I Jack!" And name random people: mama, een, paw-paw, GG, daddy, striyay, ZZ, cat. Cat is Penguin. Striyay is Strider. Jack does struggle a bit with his R sounds, but that's pretty common so I don't worry.

He adores Strider, something we are kind of in awe of, because Strider is definitely the most aggressive of our cats. The cat gets irritated easily, and is the only cat who has scratched Jack. Jack would love to get close enough to pet Cat, but Penguin is absolutely terrified of Jack. Zelda never comes downstairs, but loves the attention Jack gives her. She has the patience of a saint. He crouched down tonight and said "how doin' ZZ?" while she was drinking water.

Miss Nina continues to wow us. It's like she's our first baby all over again. Everything she does is exciting. Jack is fascinated with her now, I guess it just took some time to get used to her. He likes to get in her crib during our bedtime routine and talk to her. Nina loves staring at her big brother. Whenever he gets down on her level, her face lights up. I think Jack will be the recipient of her first social smiles.

We had some issues with soothing this week. Without getting too descriptive, I was letting Nina use me as a pacifier. It hurts after a while. Also, she spits up a lot. And when she comfort nurses too often she spits up more. She doesn't like the soothie pacifiers, so we went on a quest to find one she would take. Soothies and Avent are both Philips companies, so their nipples are similar. Nina prefers the Avent pacifiers. She sleeps better and is instantly soothed by them. I know there's controversy about nipple confusion and blah blah about pacifiers, but you gotta do what you gotta do and I wasn't about to relive the first week of nursing again. Nina seems to be like Jack: she doesn't care where her nipples come from as long as they serve their purpose. Pro: Strider doesn't care about the plastic binkies.

However, unlike Jack: Nina has trouble being soothed by anyone but me. She fights being comforted by Todd. She is getting better, now that we found a suitable binky. We are still working on sleep. We had a couple of nights there where we doubted why we got ourselves into this again. Of course, we love and cherish our sweet girl. I doubt any honest parent going into their second, third, etc., kid would deny that they ask themselves why. We are still discovering Nina's personality. She isn't as easy going as Jack was as a baby, but she is still sweet as pie and we know its going to take some time to really get to know her.

I know it's taboo to admit out loud that their kids are good whatevers...sleepers, eaters, pottiers, whatever. However, we are day two into potty training with Jack. After our initial hurdle of discovering that Jack doesn't distinguish between underwear and diapers, we didn't have a single accident since late yesterday afternoon. I don't think society will approve of no pants Jack, so we know we have to work on it, but the boy has learned that the potty is where pee and poop go. That's right. Poop. He recognizes the sensation of needing to go and will sit on his potty and go. He stops what he is doing and just goes. Other than a brief discussion of "we don't turn the potty over when it has pee in it" we are doing better than expected. Hopefully we can get him trained to work on pulling up and down his own pants and learn that underwear and diapers are completely different.

3 weeks young

Nina will be 3 weeks old on Monday. It's weird, but it seems like we've had her forever, not less than a month. She was the final piece of our family puzzle.

She still likes her fingers, will occasionally take a binky when she's good and angry that those hands won't stay in her mouth. I'm happy she likes her thumb, but because I was a late thumb sucker, I'd rather my kids have pacifiers.

Jack is doing well. He is talking a ton more, and is putting together more and more sentences. He is still a bit garbled and pretty much anything that starts with the letter B is just called "B" (exceptions: black, brown, blue). Today, he was grabbing his diaper and saying "B! B!" And I couldn't figure out if he was telling me if he wanted to pee, or if he was saying B. he got so exasperated with me that he went to the fridge and grabbed the B magnet and said "B!" He is certainly getting better at getting his point across.

Jack is finally showing an interest in Nina. He will "help" carry her between parents (with us holding her and him supporting her bottom) and tries to entertain her. His Mickey babies give her kisses and he is constantly shouting gibberish followed by "Eeen! Eeen!" so we know he acknowledges her. He still won't sit next to her or hold her for photos. He did find her brush today, and after attempting brushing his teeth, he brushed her hair. That was adorable.

Todd and I had our first parenting without help day. I think we did okay. We went to Cracker Barrel for lunch and went grocery shopping with both kids in tow. Jack skipped his nap, but it means we are able to put him down for bed at 7:30 and he falls asleep by 8. It works, even if he is a bit ornery in the middle part of the day.

Not much else has changed. We are still falling in love with our sweet girl and trying to parent through the toddler years in our rambunctious boy. Posts will likely be sparse for a while as I get into a better routine with the kids. Check back every once in a while for photos!

10 days after birth

We made it through the first week! Nina is doing great! She sleeps anywhere from 2-4 hours. Last night she had two stretches of 4 hours so we got a fair amount of sleep. Thank god, because I was starting to lose it.

I have 3 pounds to go before I'm at my pre-baby weight. I lost all weight gain with Jack after 2 weeks as well. I never really lost my belly pooch with Jack but now that I'm done having babies, I really want to work on firming up my belly. We have been talking about losing weight but now is the time to actually get it done. My appetite is back so I can actually focus on eating healthier.

Jack is finally starting to come around to his little sister. He won't hold her or really come near her but is concerned when she cries and tries to give Nina her binky. Jealousy is staring to creep in. Yesterday Jack made me put Nina in the swing so that he could curl up in a tiny ball in my lap. He hasn't done that in a while and I was more than happy to cuddle with my monster of a boy child.

Perspective has changed. Jack is seemingly huge now. Two weeks ago he was a smallish toddler. He weighed nothing. His head was light and fit right in the notch on my shoulder. When I came home from the hospital, he was a giant. He weighs a ton, has a giant, solid "big boy" head, and his diapers are enormous. He is a big kid now. I have heard my friends discuss this strangeness but it was trippy to experience it from my own baby!

4 Days Old

I am not posting any photos. Sorry. Too lazy to grab them off the camera. I will get some good ones tomorrow morning when the lighting is good.

So, since my last post, Nina has lost almost 9% of her birth weight. The danger zone comes when they hit 10% so we are supplementing with formula every 3 hours today and probably tomorrow. This is fine. We had to do the same with Jack and at least Nina doesn't have jaundice. My milk finally came in today so we should be able to drop the formula tomorrow, I hope. We will have to go back to the hospital for another weight check and we'll determine a course of action from there. The important bits are happening: she's pooping more, peeing a lot more (dehydration is the biggest concern with newborn weight loss), and is even eating more. She's received 3 bottles since we've been home and has demanded to nurse in between them. She doesn't seem to be developing nipple confusion, which is also fantastic.

Speaking of poop. OMG. Sorry, but the first few weeks of your kid's life revolve around bodily functions. They really don't do much else. Jack has always been a solid, once a day pooper. When he was very tiny, it took 3 days for him to produce his first poop in the hospital. After that, we could pretty much clock him in at once a day. During the times when he was exclusively breastfed, he would go up to 6 days without pooping and Todd would freak out and we'd feed him formula and he'd poop (upon reflection, we should have known he was mildly lactose intolerant). So far, Nina has pooped at least 6 times today with 2 pee only diapers and she peed all over the nurse during her weight check.

Jack, as always, is awesome. When Nina fusses, he demands we give her her "burple!" (binky) and it is adorable. He tries to give it to her but is a little too rough. We're working on being gentle to sister. He won't kiss her, touch her (except to offer "burple"), or really acknowledge her. He likes to demand we put her places: the bouncy, back on the floor after a diaper change, and give her back to mommy so we can play daddy! GEEZ! He has learned new words this week: bowling, pogo, diaper, June (from Little Einsteins), battery, and Pop Pop. He doesn't seem to be negatively affected by a lack of mommy attention. Which is good and bad. I miss my Jack snuggles. He did climb up in the recliner with me this morning and we cuddled for a bit and that was especially nice.

My recovery is going well. I use Motrin during the day and then take my Vicodin at night. It's mostly to help me relax and sleep. I find it uncomfortable to lay on my sides without flinching or tensing, so it's nice to have the pain medication for that reason. Nina sleeps in 2-3 hour stretches and because I'm still recovering I sleep on my back at an incline and she sleeps on my chest. She doesn't like to be all alone in the bassinet but will sleep in her Boppy pillow.

November 20, 2012

Nina update: she's amazing. As of midnight last night she's only lost 3 ounces. Her birth weight was 7lb 14oz. So far, her weight loss is less than 2%. She is feeding, pooping, and peeing. Bonus points when she does it on mommy. She loves her fingers, mommy, and daddy.

Nina rarely fusses but certainly lets us know when she's displeased. She does not enjoy her bassinet or having clothes put on.

She loves stretching out but is most content when she is swaddled. When sleeping next to mommy, Nina will sleep in 3-4 hour stretches.

She's beautiful. She has a couple of long fingernails and has scratched her face a bit. I didn't bring anything to trim or file them. I am not hiding them from her because she uses them to self soothe. She is getting better about finding her hands to suck on and though she scratches herself less, she grips her face to keep her thumb in her mouth.

Jack came to visit today. He was a little more interested in Nina and mom than his first visit. He was excited to see me at least. He was well behaved and adorable as ever. I can't wait until I'm home and can love on him again. I miss him so much.

The last couple of weeks of pregnancy were very uncomfortable for me. I had a lot of pelvic pressure and pain. I am so grateful that Nina is finally here and that I'm able to move around again. Of course, now I have incision pain to deal with! But, it's such a comfort knowing that she's here and safe and happy.

39 Weeks!

Updating on a Sunday as I don't think time will be my friend tomorrow morning. I am definitely not a morning person and getting up at 6 for surgery is even worse. However, the outcome of the surgery is pretty exciting so the anxiety is a bit different.

I am most concerned with how Jack will react to his sister and less time with mommy and daddy. I'm worried how he will handle the change. If you asked me 3 months ago, I would have said he's the most flexible kid ever, won't notice the baby, might whine a bit when his needs weren't met immediately. Now? Now we are in the lovely terrible twos. Tantrums still really don't happen, at least not the kind you think of. He cries, a lot, and for no discernible reason. He whines for things, won't use his words, and seems to have developed a selective hearing impairment when the word "no" is used. For the most part, he is still an easy kid. We just don't know how to respond to the tantrums and endless crying because we have never had to endure it from him before. It's a learning process.

I will likely not update my blog until I get out of the hospital, but will post photos and birth updates on Facebook. Hopefully, I will get to go home Wednesday sometime. If things are weird, or if Nina develops jaundice like Jack or loses more than her alloted weight, I will be coming home Thanksgiving. Expect at least a quick update on Friday after things settle down a bit.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

One More Week! What?

We almost had a baby on Friday.

*gasp*

Not really. But it was looking like that for a short while. After my NST on Friday, I began to feel very dizzy and nauseated. My blood pressure was taken twice, once after resting for 10 minutes. Joanne and I were told to go home, gather my things and head to the hospital. Calls were made, Todd came home from work, I got anxious. Then, my blood pressure went down. Waaaay down. From 154/96 to 120/67.

For the past few weeks the only labor symptoms I've been having are weird dreams. I dreamed that my epidural didn't take and only worked on one side. Apparently I was having a vaginal delivery, not a c-section. That was weird. I keep having a recurring dream that my water breaks. Sometimes I wake up thinking I've peed the bed and sometimes I just sleep through it. (note: I have yet to pee the bed, honest.)

I'm writing and posting this on Sunday because I honestly don't think much is going to change at tomorrow's appointment. There's nothing new going on. Dilation doesn't matter because I am having a c-section in a week. Unless the baby falls out, I'm going to go ahead and assume that tomorrow is going to be relatively routine. HOWEVER, I will update this sometime tomorrow with a 38 week belly picture. I'm currently upstairs in bed and will not be leaving until the morning. Hopefully. Maybe. We'll see.



Now, onto the fun stuff. Since we did think we might have possibly ended up with a baby this past Friday, we thought it was about time we got our butts in gear. Enjoy some photos of Nina's crib set, along with a close up of her Mr. Bear. I also got her diaper stacker hung in our room as well as the bassinet emptied out and lined with aluminum foil (to keep out cats, especially Miss Zelda).

We have to hang new shelves in the kids' room. Their current shelves which were moved from one wall to the other are no longer safe. They're drooping, which is weird, since they're floating shelves. Somehow, over the last two years they have lost their structural integrity. We'll do that sometime this week. Since Nina will be in our room for the first little while, it's not a HUGE priority that they get hung today.

Crib set with bow holder

Mr. Bear and Lady Bugs

I haven't been posting much about Jack lately. He is starting to talk, answer questions, and is becoming more willingly repetitive. He obtained "my" recently but isn't really all about MINE MINE MINE, so that's good. He "needs" things. "I need dat, Mama!" is especially effective when referring to the iPad.

I used to have a baby who hated dirty hands. No more do we have that child. Look at him finger paint! His daycare teacher says he really enjoys painting, so we're encouraging that at home. His uncle is a fantastic artist so hopefully this will bring them close together. Of course, paint is messy business. Jack must be stripped down to his diaper because that stuff, it gets everywhere. Obviously, we only paint on bath night.

You want me to what now?

Here are my hands! Covered in paint!

We went to lunch at UNO today and Todd introduced Jack to hand tracing with crayons. After that, everything had to be traced. Mama's hands, Daddy's hands, GG's hands, Mama's iPhone. He had a blast. We also discovered that he's grown out of his shoes in the last week. Thankfully, GG had 30% off at Kohl's and some Kohl's cash so we stopped and bought him new "choos!" He didn't want to try any shoes on until we bargained letting him out of his seat to run around. Then, he adored his "choos!" and ran all over the store. He's been in the same size shoe for close to 6 months now. He has finally outgrown 24 month size pants. They're floods on him. Still not filling out the waist, so adjustable waist pants are absolutely still necessary, but at least we know he's growing taller.

His growth spurt is accompanied by a cold, we think. His eyes have been watery and his nose is running. He's not been running a fever though, and has as much energy as you'd expect a 2 year old to have. It's about time. I don't think he's had a cold in months. Despite his cold, his appetite has been incredible. He's been eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For a while dinner was a fight. However, on Thursday he at french toast for breakfast, requested TWO PB&J sandwiches for lunch, ate a ton of cereal, cheese and fruit snacks between meals, 3-4 cups of watered down juice, AND ate grilled cheese for dinner. That's a lot of food for my little guy to partake in one day. I even let him have one of my Milky Way Midnights for dessert.

Not much else has been going on. I have just 7 more days (at the most) before Nina arrives. We're down to the wire here. Things are starting to feel real, people. My next update may possibly include fresh baby pictures! 

2 Weeks Left!

37 Weeks

Two more weeks? That's a long time. Let's see...what can I complain about today? I'm waddling, there are feet protruding from below my right ribs, I am clumsy(ier than normal...), and I can no longer bend over when things get dropped on the floor. You should see me put on a pair of socks. That's hilarious.

So, I'm 37 weeks today. I've never been 37 weeks pregnant before. It's beginning to look like I'm actually going to make it to my scheduled c-section. I'm excited and miserable about this. No, I don't want Nina to come earlier than she should. I want her to bake for as long as possible. However, I am uncomfortable. She wedges her cute self down into my pelvis as low as possible and it hurts to walk, roll over, and is hard to pee (apologies, but I promise not to talk about what happens after the baby comes...)

As of this morning, our sweet Nina Bug is approx. 7lb1oz. That's a bit smaller than Jack was at 36w5d gestation. However, measurements are give or take up to a pound, so she could well be closer to 8lbs. I have not gained weight in the last two weeks. I don't know if this is good or bad. I'm under my 25lb limit, so I think they're fine with it.

We are mostly ready for baby. My house isn't as clean as I would like it to be, but we are managing. Her bassinet and crib are ready. Clothes are washed, sorted by age, and ready to go. My hospital bag is packed as is her bag. We have Jack's big brother gift ready. The van seats are rearranged to accommodate the new car seat (INSTALLED!) and allow adults to fit in the back seat. I went all nesty and panicky this past weekend trying to locate my pump parts and milk storage bottles. I am thinking that we must have tossed them. After a frantic search of three different stores, we tracked everything down. I ordered new tubing since my old tubing was weirdly discolored. I think all we are missing now is the actual baby.

We are so excited for this kid, it's insane. Todd, his mother, and I talk to Nina everyday begging her to come out at any time. I even think Jack is finally acknowledging the baby. He started saying baby this weekend and calls only his little Mickeys "baby." The next couple of weeks will go by quickly, I hope!

Speaking of Jack and new words:

Purple
Spider
Bye-bye (yup, took this long)
Baby
Bug (the letter "B")
Paint (we think, he could be saying pink)
Sound

He is also structuring 2-3 word sentences. His language isn't very clear, but it's a definite improvement over whining and pointing. We are definitely starting to understand him more and it's very exciting.

3 Mondays left!

36 Weeks. Am huge. Penguin is offering moral support

Sorry, sorry. If you've been trying to access this via Facebook, I inadvertently turned it back into a draft. Oops. I blame pregnancy brain.

Today I am 36 weeks pregnant. We had a bit of a wind storm named Sandy, so I spent the day in my pajamas. I did wear clothes to the doctor, I promise, but boycotted fitted clothes once I got home. It was a pajama day for everyone. Anyway, I have three weeks until my scheduled c-section. Today's doctor appointment included signing my pre-op authorization forms. We discussed whether I am going to make it to my surgery date. My doctor once again agreed with me that she hopes I don't because I am likely to be more uncomfortable than I am. My blood pressure was slightly elevated, but I blame it on my inhaler use. I've been wheezy the last few days; probably because I made Todd dust our entire room and I'm deathly allergic to cleaning. 

This past week, I've been feeling energetic, grumpy, and frustrated. I'm frustrated because I can't do the type of nesting that I would like to do. I'm grumpy because no one sees my vision. I'm energetic because I need to nest. I've cheated on my bed rest because I fully believe my blood pressure is increased due to anxiety this pregnancy. I've noticed a difference at home. My numbers are easily 10-15 points lower than at the doctor's office. Could I have a faulty monitor? I say no, because when the numbers have been high, it is on par with the MAs readings. 

Beginning next week, I'm going to attempt to get this baby out. (Oh, don't be like that. I'll get permission first...) Because of my blood pressure, past abdominal/uterine surgeries, I am certainly not a candidate for a vaginal birth. I'm good with this. It also means that if I show signs of labor, they'll bypass labor and send me straight to the OR. Whee! Dear lord, I've never been more excited for surgery in my life!

Jack found my surgery instructions in my purse today. He said "wow!" and brought them to me. I said they were my instructions to get baby sister out. Jack, in the most adorable way possible, said "oh," and then lifted my shirt and spread the paper across my belly. We often wonder how much he picks up on when we talk about the baby, baby Nina, little sister, etc. While he will oblige and point to my belly when asked where baby is, he doesn't show any other interest in the other changes (crib bedding, swing, new carseat, all of the tiny baby clothes) and overall doesn't seem anxious or intuitive at all. Sleep patterns aren't changing, eating is as stubborn as usual. He is so go with the flow that I really don't anticipate a problem once Nina finally arrives.

I'm typing this from my phone and my thumbs are protesting the length. I will update again after Friday's appointment. Have a wonderful week.  Hs 

4 Mondays Left

I am so tired

This baby is almost here. I'm 35 weeks today. That means I have FOUR! Mondays left before she arrives. FOUR! I'm not sure if you can count, but that's 1, 2, 3, FOUR! 

I'm not entirely convinced I'm going to make it. I am so tired. I slur speech I'm so tired. I forget words, names of my loved ones, and cannot remember things. I am so tired. Have I said that yet? I go to bed between 10 and 11. Possibly stay up to 11:30 and wake up at 8, forcefully.

In other news, Nina's head is incredibly low. So low that bending over has become nearly impossible without pain. Her feet and butt are up a bit higher. The good news is I can eat food without constant indigestion and heartburn. The bad news? I can't sit up straight in order to eat the food. I'm best at a slightly reclined level of sitting. 

My NST today and 36 week appointment was good. Baby is good, nice and reactive, my blood pressure was 138/78, which is a bit higher but about what it's been running at home. I got my 36 week goody bag from the OB office which included the birth certificate paperwork, preterm labor sheet, hospital packet, and formula samples. I know I'll be breastfeeding again, but it's nice to have some formula on hand for just in case moments. Like when my milk isn't really in and I'm too dead to wake up to feed baby and Todd takes over for a nightly feeding. We're looking to avoid the 2 week night time breakdown of "I can't do this, I'm soooo tiiiiiireeeeed!" this time around. 

What's left to do? Organize. We need a place for the pump parts and bottles. We need to wash bottles and see if I need to order more in the event of leaking. They've been sitting for over a year and a half. Who knows what could happen during that time?

This post is useless. I'm so freaking tired that I have nothing creative to write. Sorry about that. Maybe next time :)

Pregnancy Brain, or Why I Should Not Be Allowed to Cook While Pregnant

I've posted a lot about food in the last few months. We tried freezer cooking, successfully I might add, I've discussed my aversions and cravings. However, I think it's time to share my cooking failures.

Mostly, I'm a pretty good cook. I tend not to experiment a lot because I'm a somewhat picky eater. I let my nose guide me and if it smells funny I won't eat it. No sushi, no Indian food, no to certain cheeses, etc. I'm a "traditional" foods kind of girl. Thankfully, I married a man whose food preferences are very similar to mine.

When I was pregnant with Jack, I burned breadsticks. Not just burned, but full on lit on fire. See, we had gotten a toaster oven for Christmas, and it was a rather small one. Perfect for reheating pizza, baking biscuits, etc. just what we needed it for. You know what should NOT, under most any circumstances go into a tiny toaster oven? Olive Garden breadstick bags. The number of meals burned (lit on fire, whatever, semantics) can be counted on one hand. The number of meals ruined in general, could be counted on one hand until my current pregnancy. (BTW, this does not include potatoes au gratin from a box. I can't make those for the life of me.)

In the last few months, I've burned lasagna, I made the world's most tasteless chicken dish, I failed to turn on the crock pot (thankfully that was a short cook meal and we just ate late), I made the mistake of trying something without a recipe and failed at that, too. I guess it's a good thing, a learning experience even, that I accepted these failures and rectified the situation by taking my family elsewhere for sustinence.

Where is this going? Why do you care about my cooking skills? Because tonight, I made a delicious roasted butternut squash. Prior to this evening I have not ever enjoyed butternut squash. The few times I've tried it has been at someone else's experimentation and has been over seasoned, too mushy, undercooked, or just plain gross. (I'm so sorry if those people read this post, I'm fairly certain the meals were prefaced with "this was an experiment" and the rest of your meals were mostly delicious, I am picky, sorry.) I have been getting much braver experimenting with fresh vegetables. Farm fresh, from the local farm down the road. So much that I want to purchase a CSA share for next summer. I admit, I much prefer summer vegetables over winter vegetables.

I want Jack to start eating, and enjoying, vegetables. I think by using fresh colorful veggies would be best. We offer him some type of vegetable at most every meal. Usually they're just ignored. He does enjoy corn on the cob, but fails to recognize that the kernels are the same thing as loose corn. I don't know how I got a kid who doesn't like vegetables. I love most of them, Todd tolerates them, but Jack just won't even touch them. I am envious of people who brag that their toddler loves salad, or broccoli.

34 Weeks

 Today we had my cousin Bruce over to do some maternity photos and attempt to capture Jack's 30th month on Earth. He does all of our family photos since we've moved out here and shot our wedding. Usually at these things, I have plans and props. I had nothing today, which is good because nothing would have gone as planned. Considering we got photos of Jack at all is a testament to our fabulous photographer.

First up, though, is a gratuitous (unlike all of the other weeks I've posted) belly shot. I can say that I now feel as big as I look. It's amazing what happens over the course of a week; or day, actually, my belly was cute yesterday. I feel swollen and puffy today. My doctor is right; I'm going to be horribly uncomfortable when/if I make it to 39 weeks. This kid is running out of room very quickly.

34 Weeks

I'm going to post a few of my favorites.

One of two where Jack is actually happy to be looking at the camera.
The other is for his 2.5 year photos so I'm not sharing it on the blog yet.

We have fun

Please understand that I have no photoshop skills.
The top of Jack's head will just have to be ignored for now.

I get it, we're ready for Nina to emerge,
but Jedi mind tricks won't work.

My Mama! MAMAMAMAMA! 

I have no doubt that these photos will be all randomly placed once I post this. We had a lot of fun this morning getting the pictures. I have much better ideas for Christmas photos and fully intend to medicate Jack so that he is obedient and docile during the pictures (okay, I'm kidding, but the kid was a maniac today!)

I attempted to get a couple of Jack in his Halloween costume. Even with an M&M and Pez bribe, he had the tantrum to end all tantrums. He screamed like the costume lit his little 27lb body on fire and was melting into his skin. He was happy (as you can tell from the first photo) that he was allowed to put normal clothes on. He had a couple of different outfit changes mostly because my only plan was to have his 30 month photos in the plaid shirt and our family photos in the red shirt. I should know this by now, but kids have no concept of plans or order or pregnant mommy's insanity. 

I will update again tomorrow as we have an ultrasound and NST in the morning. Which I will be attending BY MYSELF because my husband "has to work" or something. It's a late morning ultrasound, so my mother in law will be on standby to pick up Jack from daycare if my appointment runs late or if we find out something is funky with the baby. 

UPDATE 10/15:

Baby is measuring 5lb12oz. Yay! My placenta works still! She performed quite well on her NST and we were in and out of the OB office in under an hour. My blood pressure wasn't great but it was not horrible either.

Here is a foot (I hope...I'm editing from the blogger app and cannot adjust where I want photos to go)

33/34 Week OB appointment

Had my 33/34 week OB appointment today. Went in feeling dizzy and seeing spots. My blood pressure was 151/87 before I left the house and was 144/84 at the doctor's office. I left after I was feeling better. They were nice and rescheduled tomorrow's NST for today so I didn't have to go in 4 days this week!

Baby Nina is perfect. Her heart rate, NST reactivity, and growth are all fine. I'm measuring back on target, so my fluid levels must now be back to normal. Me? Not so much. I'm a mess.

I don't know if it's just the knowledge from Jack's pregnancy that things can go from "normal" to "oh shit, let's have a baby" in less than 24 hours, but I feel like I'm constantly anxious that something wrong is going to happen in the next couple of weeks that would result in Nina coming before 36/37 weeks. The NPs and my doctor all try to reassure me that there's nothing showing that Nina is going to come early. Logically, I know this. I know that I can make it to 37 weeks if not all the way to my c-section. Well, the emotional part of my brain has all but murdered the logical part.

I've been so focused on what it means if she comes early that I haven't been focusing on what I'm doing right: drinking a crap ton of water, resting as much as possible (with Jack suddenly not letting anyone besides me change his diapers, I'm up a few extra times a day, but I'm trying and that's what counts), and going to bed around 11 every night and occasionally napping with Jack during the day, I'm doing pretty well. I was informed today that for each extra day I manage to keep my baby inside, it's 2 days off a potential NICU stay if she does come early (which she won't, I know, I know, I'm trying) and that even if she comes tomorrow (which she won't, etc), babies at 33 weeks do extremely well and we'd worry most about her lung development. I was also reminded that at 36 weeks, babies rarely spend any time in the NICU at all. Also, instead of my thinking in terms of Mondays, I was reminded that 36 weeks is ONLY 2.5 WEEKS AWAY, THE FU....? Remember, Jack was born at 36.5 weeks. That's only 3 weeks out. Oh my heavenly angels above.

Jack was perfect at 36.5 weeks. He was a healthy weight for his gestational age, was more full term than not so he never had an adjusted preemie age. He hit every milestone (except language) on or before the average. He's brilliant. I shouldn't worry as much about his sister.

Except? I do. I worry that I've been to stressed and worried during this pregnancy that poor Nina is going to be a high maintenance baby and it's going to be all my fault. I've tried to be relaxed. The first trimester was the hardest. I was a nervous wreck at the possibility of her being another ectopic pregnancy that I cried a lot before I started feeling her move. I kept my mouth shut until after the first ultrasound showing she was planted squarely in my uterus and not my remaining tube. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to keep secrets? I'd be a terrible spy.

We're going to get Jack a pumpkin. He's been obsessed lately. I honestly think that keeping me busy is the best way to relax me and not have me sit sedentary on the couch all day worrying about kick counts or calculating the earliest she can come without NICU time. Seeing my boy light up instantly relaxes me. This will be a good day!

Verbal Skills

Since we "invested" in an iPad, I've been negligent in keeping track of Jack's word list, which is on my netbook. I am going to start posting updates here (hopefully weekly!) in order to remember where he is at in language development.

This week, Jack has been working on putting sentences together and is really focusing on his colors and additional sound effects. He tries to "count" but the words aren't quite there yet. For now he just points and screams various forms of "oh" "ah" and "oooh".

Colors:
Yellow (pronounced either yawl or yelly)
Green (geen!)
Blue (ooooh or boo)
Brown (bown)
Pink
Orange (owe-ie)
Red (woo or something similar)

Newly understood words:
Owl (every time he says this I think he says "ow" until I notice the owl. He now enunciates with "hoo! hoo!" for his moron mommy)
Dowdy appears to be "sound" and is said in frustration when he can't hear Angry Birds
Boo!
Got it! (Best thing ever. Sounds like "gawddit!")
Binky (but usually just asks for them by color)
E sound for "ear"
Node for "nose"
Maow for "mouth"
Cheese

He is putting descriptors with his nouns. We get "geen tuck!" Or "owe-ie choo choo" a lot. He points out all trucks on the road. He is starting to say things like "no cat!" and "hi Z!" and he does still follow up with a lot of gibberish, but he's getting a lot clearer. A lot more of our day is listening and responding instead of saying "I don't understand Jackenese, please translate to English." When he cries, he says "eye" and rubs away the tears. He turned a chip into a train tonight. Early imaginative play is awesome to watch develop.

He's starting to really come into his language. Granted, he is still not a big word mimicker, but he repeats every sound effect introduced to him. I think he will end up being artistic. He likes music, drawing, sounds. Maybe he'll end up working on animated movies/shows as the sound guy. All I know is he's really starting to become an actual little person and less of a blob that occasionally cries or whines. I hope he continues to be as awesome as he is now and becomes an excellent role model for his baby sister, whenever she arrives!

6 More Mondays

33 Weeks and I actually like this picture

We have just 6 short weeks until my scheduled c-section and 4 weeks until I'm comfortable with her coming early. I swear I don't feel as big as I look. I don't know what it is about mirrors, but they kind of suck. I could actually see my feet yesterday morning. On the other hand, some shirts are getting shorter on me. I wore a different shirt than the one in the photo today and my belly kept poking out.

Had my NST at the hospital today. We were in and out. Under 1/2 an hour total to trace the little mover. The woman next to me's baby was a mover, but not enough so they sent her to ultrasound. My mother in law said she was very upset. I remember when Jack wouldn't react after about an hour they would send me to ultrasound. I wish I had eavesdropped a bit better and let her know that in our case everything worked out. I hope she and her baby are okay.

I cheated a bit on my bed rest today. We went to the outlet mall to look at some Halloween costumes for Jack and found nothing. I did find a coming home outfit for Miss Nina at the Children's Place. I promise I've been restful since we got home. Jack, on the other hand, skipped a nap today. I'm pretty sure I can count the number of skipped naps on one hand total. We're going to try and get him down for bed early.

I'm starting to get the "anytime now, eh?" comments from strangers. I repeat, I don't feel as big as I look, so I'm always a bit taken aback when someone says that to me. I am not offended, especially when the comments come from men (because seriously, how would they know?!). I just honestly don't feel like I look big enough to pop yet! My belly button is flat, and sometimes is even almost an innie depending on how Nina is positioned in my belly. I weigh less than what I did with Jack at this point, but only by a couple of pounds. I think, especially if I go to my c-section, that I will meet or surpass my full weight with Jack. (And hope to lose it as quickly too. With Jack, I was down to my "prebaby" weight at 2 weeks postpartum. Go breastfeeding! Of course, my body was a different shape, but whatever.)

I have an OB appointment and additional NST later this week. Will update at that point.

7 More Mondays

32 weeks!

So, here we are. 32 weeks. That's 8 months pregnant. If Nina were to come this week, our biggest concern would be lung development. At 32 weeks (33 if we go by my perceived due date) we have passed the scarier of potential problems: brain bleeds and eye related issues. 32 weeks would mean time in the NICU, but not months and months. 

I'm not concerned that Nina will be coming this week. I fully intend to make it to at least 37 weeks, if not my c-section date. Despite how uncomfortable I may be, I would rather have another 36w5d "late term" preemie than a 32 week preemie. Interesting fact, according to the March of Dimes website, babies brains at 35 weeks are only 2/3 the size they are at 40 weeks.  That's a lot of growth, little one, and its absolutely necessary to avoid those scary diagnoses that come with tiny preemies. 

Why am I not concerned? Well, my medication seems to be doing the trick. I have my wonderful mother-in-law here and just knowing that she's here if I need to be rushed to emergency surgery is probably the most calming thought I've had in the last week. Nina performed this morning at my NST, meaning we were essentially in and out of the doctor's office. My blood pressure was low, I have been feeling better in general being on the medication. Jack also starts 3 days a week at daycare, so I have an additional morning of downtime which doesn't involve rushing to the OB office. I'm definitely not going to be doing anything strenuous with my morning, but it's nice to have some time to myself to relax. 

After looking at wood kitchen sets, I was unable to find something I want in the $80-110 price range I was looking at. We ended up buying a plastic set from Toys R Us that wasn't too large or busy. I had resigned myself to having it in the corner of the room. Today, because going home after my NST would have been a waste of energy before picking up Jack, we stopped at Sweet Potato. And there, in all its woody glory, was a white wooden kitchen set with separate fridge. For $25 less than what I paid for the plastic one. I called Todd and he told me to go for it. We have Jack's Christmas present all set. We will be asking for Melissa and Doug foods and kitchenware for Christmas this year. I wanted something that would last two kids and that was nice enough to look at.

8 Mondays Left

She's very cozy in there

I'm going to continue to count down Mondays as though I'm going to make it to my scheduled c-section. Optimism or what not...

Today was the first of my weekly NSTs. I guess it really started last Friday, but this is the first official full week of NST monitoring. My blood pressure was a bit elevated this morning, but I forgot to take my medication before I left. It went down to a safe 134/78 or something before I left. Before they'd let me leave.

I have my 32 week OB appointment and a growth ultrasound tomorrow. I've been continuously paranoid that Nina is still a boy. Which would royally suck. I will update after the appointment, assuming all goes well and I'm allowed to come home.

UPDATE 9/25:
Had an ultrasound and OB appt with my doctor this morning. I have high fluid again, but without the weird 10lb weight gain over two weeks that I had with Jack. The ultrasound is showing that Nina isn't affected by my blood pressure, or the supposed high fluid levels. She is measuring a respectable 4 lb 7 oz. At this rate, I'm pretty much repeating Jack's pregnancy. I will likely not make it to November 19, but as long as she comes after Halloween, we will be happy. My doctor says that even if I do make it full term, I will probably be miserable. Nina will end up being a big baby, just like Jack would have been had I made it to full term (and like he really was when you consider he was nearly a month early).

My blood pressure was fantastic. 120/60. Looks like the medication, which "isn't meant to lower my bp, but prevent me from having a stroke," is working to keep it low. Good. I am not going to be running around like a crazy nesting mama, but I don't feel so bad if I have to get up and make Jack some lunch. For now, the regimen is the same.  Twice weekly NSTs, ultrasound every 3 weeks to measure growth and fluid levels, and bedrest. 

Goals While on Bedrest

Every couple of years (or maybe once a year, it depends on what else I have going on) I read the Harry Potter series. The last time I read them from beginning to end was the week I got pregnant with Jack. I'm taking my time this read around so that I can stretch them out to last longer than a week. Once I finish them, I'll focus on Lemony Snicket, Hunger Games, probably Twilight. Not the Sookie books, though, because I will want to read them closer to when the next book comes out in May.

I am also going to focus on spending more one on one time with Jack. We've pretty much been doing this nonstop for the last 2 years, but I want to get as much time in with just the two of us as possible. He does get disappointed when he grabs my hand and tries to pull me off the couch. "Go, go, Ma! Go!" and I have to explain that mommy is kind of sick and cannot go go. I think, after the last couple of days, that he's starting to catch on. He's being a tad bit more independent. While he's not incredibly verbal, his imagination is definitely starting to develop. He plays with his trains in elaborate chases, he parents his stuffed animals. He is always tucking Mickey Mouse in on top of the toy box.

He has also been bringing me more and more books to read. This is what the nurses and doctors suggest I do during the day instead of active playtime with Jack. I'm not sure they've met my son. This kid went on a 5 month reading strike. NO books. NO bedtime stories. We were not allowed to read to him. I was barely allowed to read my own books. Try getting a kid to sit still on the couch to read a book when all he does is scream bloody murder when you even attempt to open a book. I'm not sure why he started acting that way. We read to him almost every night from the time he was about a month old. Todd got through the first 5 Harry Potter books before Jack went on the first reading strike. That wasn't so much of a reading strike as it was Jack just wanting some boob and then to be put to bed to fall asleep on his own; he didn't have time for distractions. That was at about a year old. We couldn't get full chapters in. At that point we switched to short kids books. Todd would still read while I nursed and rocked Jack. It worked. Around February of this year though, he just wanted to be placed in his crib and he talked himself to sleep. Now that we've reached the procrastination stage, he tries to bring us books to read. I've (disgusted to admit this) actually said the words "no, Jack, no books tonight. It's bedtime." While Todd doesn't really like to read, we both think it's important that Jack enjoy books and reading. We are glad to see an interest returning.

I like series books. I think my next series is the Divergent series (I think that's what it's called. Insurgent? Supposed to be set in a dystopia like Hunger Games.) Also, Chrome is telling me that dystopia isn't a word. I like being smarter than my internet browser.

We're watching a LOT of TV. We watched plenty before, but now it's on CONSTANTLY. Combined with Jack's love and genius regarding navigating the Netflix and YouTube apps on my phone and he's been watching a surprising amount of what I would consider "educational" videos. There's this color video on Netflix that he absolutely adores. He's learned to say "brown" and "orange" this past week, so I'm encouraging that particular show. He is excellent at identifying his colors. He can say red, blue, green, yellow, brown, and orange. I am trying to figure out if he knows more colors, because they're coming faster than any other words. He will especially tell you the colors of candy. Yummy, delicious candy. He knows that when I go to the OB office he gets a lollipop. He points out the color he wants and then he can have it. Right now we're pretty much at the point where we will give him anything he wants if he asks for it directly. Identifying by colors works. The only thing he doesn't get on demand is Cars fruit snacks. He is limited to two packs of snacks a day and only after he eats the majority of lunch. He is gaining more weight now that we've cut out the snacks.

Last week, as we were walking in from the car, he looked up at the sky and said "I see cowds!" His language is certainly improving. It's a little garbled, but we're getting to the point of being able to understand about 25% of what he's saying (for reference, at 26 months, non-caretakers should understand closer to 50+% of what he's saying). I've been working on getting him to sign or say help, please, but he's not having it. His "help me" whine is obnoxious. Am I supposed to admit that? Can I expand with he's really not terribly whiny in general, and this is really the only behavior issue we've been working on lately? He does normal toddler stuff, like throwing toys that shouldn't be thrown. We worked on that over a couple of weeks and he's much better now. It's just this one whine. Every time he starts, Todd or I emphasize on him saying "help, please" and sign help to him. I suppose I would say this whine is his worst character flaw, and for that I'm thankful.

Nina is still extremely active. I'm excited to start the once a month ultrasounds. I can't wait to see her again. I desperately want to meet this little girl who keeps me up at night and NEVER EVER stops moving. EVER. Kick counts aren't even necessary because she just never stops. I notice when she doesn't move for 30 minutes. I keep reminding myself that we have to keep her in for X amount of weeks (5 weeks at the time of this post) and then she is free to come. I'm hoping to make it to my c-section but I'm not 100% confident that's going to happen.

This whole post went somewhere beyond goals. I just can't help bragging about my kid. I'm sorry about that. I keep saying this whole bed rest thing would really suck if Jack had a different temperament. As I'm writing, Jack decided he was done with his breakfast plate. He put it on the coffee table and I said "sink, please" so he picks it up and says "uh oh! okay!" and put it in the sink. He's excellent at following directions.

I'm sorry. I just can't stop. It's mommy blogger word vomit. I will be done now. Look for an all new exciting update tomorrow complete with NST report and belly picture. I will probably update tomorrow's post on Tuesday, so make sure to come back and check for some ultrasound pictures!

Day 3 of Bedrest

The walls are closing in....

Just kidding. In all seriousness, my days are somewhat normal. With the exception of being able to get on the floor and roughhouse with my two-year old, our routine hasn't changed too much. There's a lot more TV and video games, but it's for the good of the family, I guess.

I went into my doctors office for my NST today. Nina is much more well behaved than Jack ever was. She moves more, is feistier, but at least she doesn't play hide and seek from the monitor. Her NST was perfect.

I saw my least favorite NP today. She's just not very personable. I suppose it's good from a medical standpoint that she is all business, but it doesn't really make for good bedside manner. Our conversation revolved around what kind of bedrest I'm on. She wants me to lay on the couch all day, of feasible. Sure. That works, but how much activity can I do? Please remember I have a two year old at home. "oh, you can't do bedrest with a toddler!" Todd and I agreed. Then she explained that they usually recommend full time childcare or bringing in full time help. Thankfully, my mother in law is coming up and I will have help. But, what if she couldn't come? We can't afford full time daycare. Also, I would have to change daycare providers because our current daycare provider is M/W/F. I don't want to change. Jack is happy, I love his daycare, and it just wouldn't be fair to throw even more change at him right now.

I am being placed on a blood pressure medication. On top of the twice weekly NSTs, I am having growth ultrasounds every 3 weeks. Maybe they'll give me pictures of her toes finally. I'm sorry, but there's nothing cuter than fat little ultrasound toes. Then I can imagine nomming on them until she finally gets here. I am aiming for November 5, at least, before they take the baby out. I will be about 37 weeks at that point and she will be considered full term. Assuming the BP issues don't affect her growth or fluid levels, I hope to keep her in even longer. Jack was born at 36w5d, making him a late term preemie. I found out the earliest they'll deliver at my hospital is 35 weeks so long as the baby appears to be fine via ultrasound.

My first ultrasound is Tuesday. I also see my actual OB instead of an NP or an on call doctor. I'm thankful for this. She has a way of presenting information in an official manner but still making me feel comfortable and not terrified. I don't know why it seems like they're handling this pregnancy so much more intensely than Jack's. I want to find out why. All I know is this is my last baby. We had talked about the idea of a third eventually, but I am done.

So, this weekend I plan on doing absolutely nothing. Todd is going to have to manage everything before his parents get here. He has a list to do. I will lay on the couch and watch movies with Jack. It'll be great.

Day 1 of Forced Bed Rest

Well, the walls aren't quite closing in on me yet! Jack is, as always, awesome. I get to get out of the house today to trudge over the hospital to give them my jug 'o pee. Yeah. I'm not going to focus on urine every blog post, but having a doctor approved outing is a plus today, regardless of the icky circumstances.

I broke the rules and prepped all of our meals for the week, with the exception of cleaning and trimming meats. I will let Todd handle the rest.

Big things that I'm unable to do:
Laundry (which I rarely do unless I'm out of underwear or clean towels)
Clean bathrooms (I've delegated this Todd's job since my right leg falls asleep when I'm bent over too long, so about 2 months, and I've never done the downstairs bathroom while pregnant because of the kitty litter)
Bathe Jack (see above, bending sucks)
Vacuum (HA! Like I did it before [okay, I did, once every couple of days under the highchair])
Cook (this isn't so much of an "unable" as a "it hurts my back to stand for too long, and I get contractions, so I'd rather not" thank the maker for freezer meals)

I really don't do much, especially with the pollen count being as high as it has been. It's just different when you chose not to do something versus being told you cannot do something. I'm a stubborn person and like to make my own decisions. I figured we have to keep this baby in the oven until at least November 5. She's still pretty active (by which I mean VERY active) so as long as she keeps moving and feeling like there are 2 babies in there, I'm not worried about her growth. I'm sure I'll have at least one ultrasound before she comes to do a biophysical profile on her to check for lung development. I remember these with Jack and they were always my favorite ultrasounds because they show so much more detail.

Until told otherwise, I've put myself on modified bed rest. The doctors are going to have to live with it, because I have a tiny dictator that demands things like food and diaper changes. The office is working with me to schedule my NSTs while Jack is at daycare. We decided to enroll him for a third morning starting in October. I'm not going to worry about the toy mess, the stairs, or the state of our closet. I can sit back and tell Todd what to do and where I want things. I just have to remember not to take over.

Days like this are when I am most grateful that I have a low key toddler. He is happy to sit and play with his trains for a while. I can hand him my phone and he plays his games for as long as we let him. He's learning hand-eye coordination with his Jake and the Never Land Pirates app. He does puzzles and is learning shape recognition. We've invested in some toddler friendly apps and he seems to be really enjoying them. If he gets bored of games, he knows how to put on Netflix and choose a "tchoo-tchoo" video to watch. He's been really into this weird coloring video. Yesterday he started saying "brown" and "orange" so I know he's learning something from my negligence. iPhones are excellent babysitters. Yes, he does real art, and plays with real puzzles. He likes to build with blocks and play with Lincoln Logs (although the longer logs usually turn into swords), and he still likes to play with his play food. The iPhone is an excellent distraction for the 8,000 times a day when I have to pee. It's also good for when I just need a minute to myself.

9 more weeks?

I have nothing to write. My brain is on vacation. Here, enjoy a belly picture :)

UPDATE 9/18:

So much for having nothing to write...

As of this morning, my "borderline" blood pressures have gone up to put me in a danger zone. I'm officially on bed rest. I start twice weekly NSTs, I'm sure with 24 hour urine collections and blood work. I have an NST and follow up appointment with my doctor on Friday, at which time I want to discuss the possibility of medication before forced bed rest.

Let's face it, bed rest is NOT conducive to life with a two year old. Jack's next two months are going to be filled with movies and a lot of independent play time. This week, Todd and I have to figure out a schedule that works for us. He can't take any time off to take care of Jack, so I'm somewhat on my own until help arrives. We're going to handle this in much the same manner as we handled bed rest while I was pregnant with Jack, with some minor tweaks (like getting Jack to daycare). At least I will have another person to talk to this time around. Two, once my mother-in-law arrives. 

The doctor I saw at L&D today didn't put me at ease. She brought up steroids, which Jack never needed, and talked about how hmmm....she wasn't going to deliver me today and that she wants to keep Nina in for "at least" 3-4 more weeks. I upped that estimate to at least 6 more weeks, until she could be considered full term. She advised me to remain optimistic. I am a bit surprised by how she approached the situation, considering she'd just told me how good my blood work was. My blood pressure had dropped to an acceptable 130/80 (with Jack, as soon as I rolled to my left side, my pressures dropped to the 110/70s, so this is a bit high for me). 

We always considered bed rest a possibility. I'm pretty sure I wrote about it, and our contingency plan. I'm going to hope that this pregnancy will end like Jack's, with baby being pretty much unaffected by the high blood pressure. So far, she has been showing no signs of growth issues, so that's good. Despite the high blood pressure, a 2 week period of high fluids, and being delivered 3.5 weeks early, Jack was a healthy 7lb 4oz baby. We're expecting the same of Nina.

To Build or To Buy?

Jack has reached the age where he really wants to help cook. He always wants to flip pancakes, stir pasta, etc. So, we've been talking about getting Jack a play kitchen. I don't want a giant plastic monstrosity, so I've been scouring all of the toy sites for an affordable wood option. I think I've settled on one, but I can't be sure. I kind of like the idea of making one from a refurbished entertainment center. I'm pretty sure I've been on Pinterest for too long.

I talked about it with Todd this morning. He reminded me of how unhandy he is when it comes to building things. Sure, we can put together something that has directions and putting part A with part B, but we don't have a good track record of building stuff from scratch. Back when we first started dating, Todd took a TV stand and attempted to make it taller. With boards, screws, and nails, he failed. The TV was more than slightly slanted. We're special people, that's for sure.

But, I still feel like this is something I can do. I can sand and prime and paint something. Then Todd asked me about the sink. What would we use for a sink? Well, most of the examples found online show a round sink using a stainless steel bowl. Todd laughed at the idea that we'd have to jigsaw a circle. I told him that if we're smart, this could save us quite a bit of money (rough estimate is about half of the cost of the play kitchen I found on Amazon), to which he responded we'd end up with some ghetto jagged edged kitchen that most definitely wouldn't be safe for kids. He actually encouraged me to spend the money and buy a properly made kitchen set. Thanks, honey! I love spending money. 

10 Mondays left!

29 weeks 2 days (official timeline)

Hey all! So, this week has been exciting. Actually, not really. I've been trying to take it easy.

My OB appointment today revealed I haven't gained weight in the last 3 weeks. We've been eating healthier, with smaller portion sizes, so that's probably some of the reason. Believe me, the smaller portion sizes aren't taking anything away from the munchkin in terms of calories. I'm still probably eating more than I should be, but we're trying to be healthier in general. My blood pressure is meh. It's borderline, but under the danger zone, as it has been lately. I'm beginning to believe there's probably a bit of mild chronic hypertension coming. 

Nina's heartbeat was fantastic, and went up appropriately after some movement as she attempted escape from the Doppler probe. I've been a bit more comfortable today and I'm crediting that to the fact that she's FINALLY in a vertical position. After weeks of being horribly uncomfortable, I can finally sit down without her entire body in my lungs and ribs. Even though I was reminded that it really doesn't matter because of the c-section, I'M more comfortable. And a comfortable mama is a happy mama.

We mostly relaxed this weekend. Todd did wake up and clean the upstairs bathroom. He also picked up our bedroom and moved the bassinet from the entryway to the bedroom. It fits, is out of the way in the next couple of months. The cats love laying in it, so I threw a sheet over it. As Ninatime approaches, I will lay some aluminum foil in it to prepare the kitties understanding that it's not their bed. It worked with Jack's crib so I'm hoping it works with Nina's bassinet. I will probably put a kitty bed underneath the bassinet for Zelda's protective instincts.

Confession: I am secretly a girly girl. I'm just too lazy to actually do anything about it. I also think I look silly in dresses, for the most part. Because of that, I'm preparing miss Nina for a babyhood of dresses and ruffles, of big bows and flowers, of tights and Mary Janes. I had so much fun dressing Jack in the early days, when 4-5 outfit changes were necessary. I can't wait to do the same with Nina. 

I do have a couple of projects up my sleeve in the coming months. Or weeks. I don't know. Whenever I have a free minute. I need to find a scrapbook for her. Her ultrasound page is going to be a bit less padded than Jack's, but I have far more pictures of my belly than I did with Jack so I figure they're about even in terms of documenting their individual growth. 

Potty training has stalled in the last couple of weeks. We're going with the theory that this developmental milestone is going to be similar to every other milestone. He'll let us know when he's ready and then all of a sudden, he'll just be potty trained. I'm not anticipating the overnight solution, as potty training is a bit more involved than weaning and transitioning from crib to bed. But I am anticipating a big interest soon.

This weekend we're going to experiment with a home office/playroom type setup in the dining room. That should be fun. There's nothing I love more than rearranging furniture! I'm sure Todd agrees, he just doesn't know it yet.

Sideways Baby

Right now, and for the last couple of weeks, Nina has been transverse. She's basically lying sideways. It's making for a very uncomfortable mama. She needs to switch her position in the next couple of weeks. Ultimately, it doesn't matter because I'm having a scheduled c-section, but I imagine I'd be more comfortable if she were breach or head down. Right now, when she moves I have contractions. I can directly tie these contractions to her movements, so I don't worry. It took a while to figure this out, but my brain has completely quit working over the last couple of weeks.

I am here to publicly admit that I am beyond spacey. I lose words and their meanings. I am constantly pausing in the middle of sentences while Todd's interruptions of "what's that thing?" and "yeah, finish what you were saying" and then I just lose it. It's frustrating and annoying. I have lost items, put clothing on inside out or backwards. I misplace my keys, phone, purse, etc. Thankfully, I haven't lost the outside baby yet and inside baby is impossible to lose considering she's still, you know, attached to me and whatnot.

Jack is now addicted to my iPhone. We're considering getting him his own iPod Touch for Christmas, but might have to reconsider the timeline and invest in one "from Nina"

We finally closed on our refinance. To celebrate, I purchased some new burp cloths, a new diaper bag, pink binkies, a ladybug Boppy cover, and since BRU had a sale on Pampers we picked up some newborn and size 1 diapers. We're about ready for Nina to come home. Her crib is now "Ninafied" with her bedding and mobile. I would post pictures, but I've been known for posting things "too early" (read: EVERY TIME I POST A CHRISTMAS TREE PICTURE BEFORE CHRISTMAS EVE) so you're all going to have to be patient. 

I think I mentioned last week that I got the car seat and swing/bouncy seat covers washed. This week was focused on getting home improvement jobs finished. We hung new curtain rods for the living room. The others had a nasty tendency to fall down and the curtains didn't really glide very well. After a hefty Ikea trip, we now have three new rods, blackout curtains for our bedroom, a rod for our bedroom, a light for the kids' room, and some new storage bins.

I love our curtains. They're chocolate brown, so they complement our bedding. They hang along the back of our bed so they look like an accent wall. The problem with Ikea curtains is they come in 96" lengths and needed to be hemmed to 84". Ikea is great because they give you hemming tape. Todd and I suck because we fought the entire time hemming was done. Our third curtain was the only one done right. The 4th "just in case" curtain was the breaking point. Thank the maker we didn't need it, because I laid the hem tape down the wrong way and melted it to my iron. My favorite iron. The best one I've ever had. We accidentally touched the tape once or twice and it's easy enough to get off, but I've been lazy for the weekend.

These are actually from a couple of weeks ago when Jack helped me make cupcakes. 

My kitchen is much cleaner now.

We're trying out another week of prepared freezer meals. The only one I'm not confident enough freezing is pot pie. I will make the ingredients ahead of time and assemble them at cooking time. After this week's exploding lasagna disaster, we're a bit hesitant to use the oven (because it still smells like burned tomato sauce and cheese) but the weather is supposed to be nice enough that I should be able to open the windows as the pie bakes. The coming menu consists of pot pie, turkey meatloaf, Yankee pot roast, salsa chicken, meatball sandwiches, baked spaghetti, and lemon chicken (plus various sides). I'm excited. Most sites that have recipes list enough ingredients for two or more meals. We're cutting them in half for one meal to try out how we like the plan ahead cooking. It's also for portion control. In order to ensure leftovers, we have to force ourselves to cut back on the amount we eat for dinner. So far, we're 6/7 on successful meals. We're focusing on crock pot meals to avoid a huge cooking day. The exception to this is my giant vat of red sauce. I will freeze it in preparation for meals and throw some in with some frozen meatballs for said meatball sandwiches.

Todd took a belly picture! 11 Mondays left!

11 Mondays left! YAY! We're getting prepared and very excited. Mama can't wait to sit/sleep/stand comfortably again and Daddy can't wait to meet his princess. Jack rubbed my belly today at the grocery store. I had to stop what we were doing in order to remember the moment. When my firstborn acknowledged his sister by feeling her. He usually won't hold his hands long enough on my belly to feel her. It was a big moment. The 5 other people in our aisle just had to huff around my little family as I basked in this big brotherly attention.

I wonder what I'll decide needs to be done next weekend. Probably the storage unit. YAY Todd! It's time to enlist some buddies for the big furniture moving you're going to be doing in the next few weeks.