Our first day went really well. It started out pouring, went to mist as we left the hotel, and around noon, the sun gloriously appeared. We all got a bit pink before remembering that I brought sunscreen. Thankfully, Jack didn't burn. We are always surprised when Jack behaves exactly as he is supposed to. I don't really know why. After 2 ears, you'd think even two morons like Todd and I would be able to figure out that we have a surprisingly good kid.
Enough with the bragging. As a family, we hit the magic carpet ride, the Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Haunted Mansion. Then we had to leave the park for lunch and Jack's nap. As we left, there was a small parade and grumpy Jack got to see Woody and Jessie. His tiredness led to a lack of enthusiasm. After our epic nap, we headed to Epcot for some time before our 8 o'clock reservations at the Coral Reef. Wow. Jack really enjoyed Epcot rides. We did Spaceship Earth, the Nemo ride, Imagination, and captain EO. While Jack refused to wear his 3D glasses, he did seem to enjoy the show. Sadly, Jack fell asleep during dinner and we missed the Epcot character spot.
He is still sleeping as I thumb type this on my phone. It's 8:15 and for a kid that normally wakes up at 7, we know we wore him out yesterday.
*Pictures will be updated when we get home*
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
18 weeks
Today I am 17.5 weeks pregnant. The end of this week puts me at a guesstimated gestational age of 18 weeks.
Guesstimated. That's right. When I went in for my first ultrasound, the embryo measured a bit small (about a week behind where we thought we might be; could have implanted later than we thought) and since we're going by the measurement and not the date of my last period or date of conception (which we surprisingly know...) I'm classified as being 17 weeks today. This is very confusing. Instead of using their due date approximation (which ranges from November 23-28), I'm rounding up to what the baby measured at our 12 week appointment (could I use more parentheses in this sentence??). I was exactly 12 weeks, according to their due date calculations, but baby was measuring 12 weeks 5 days. Which actually kind of makes sense in my brain.
NO MATTER. My scheduled c-section probably won't change unless problems arise. It was November 21, but the OB office called me this morning and informed me that my surgery has been pushed UP to November 19!! Two extra days early??? YAY! And we should be home by Thanksgiving, assuming there are no surprising complications.
Now, considering baby should be measuring at 18 weeks by this Friday, you'd think that my ultrasound tech lady would let me come in for my fetal survey. Not so much. Because we're going by the latest due date, I'm only 17 weeks, so we'd only be 17w4d on Friday...so, we wait until we are for sure in the 18-20 week range. Apparently, there's some sort of valve or septum that closes by week 18 and if it's still open, a level II fetal survey is required. The tech has explained that she's seen women come in at 17w6d and 18w0d and the thing is still open. Thus, we have to wait until we get back from vacation. Sad mama. No personalized Mickey ears for this baby. Maybe I can order them online when we return.
We leave in a week for Disney World. We're getting excited. Still not sure Jack has any idea what's going on. We're staying at the All-Star Movie resort, and I just cannot wait until he sees the giant Buzz Lightyear and Woody statues. I hope we get to stay in the Toy Story wing. I can only imagine how Jack would feel about that one. Waking up everyday to GIANT figures of his favorite characters in the world? Oh boy!
UPDATE 6/19: I'VE BEEN CLEARED FOR DISNEY WORLD!! Yay! Not that we would have considered NOT going, but still. It's nice to know I have the doctor's blessing. My BP was 114/72 this morning and that makes me deliriously happy. :) Advised to do what we already know: Stay hydrated, take the hottest part of the day off and enjoy the pool or nap, take it easy when I get tired.
Behold the ever expanding boobs and incredible shrinking butt
Baby has moved quite high and since she has stolen my butt and hips, I am actually in non-maternity jeans WITH A FREAKING BELT. Otherwise, my pants fall right off my nonexistent rear end.
Guesstimated. That's right. When I went in for my first ultrasound, the embryo measured a bit small (about a week behind where we thought we might be; could have implanted later than we thought) and since we're going by the measurement and not the date of my last period or date of conception (which we surprisingly know...) I'm classified as being 17 weeks today. This is very confusing. Instead of using their due date approximation (which ranges from November 23-28), I'm rounding up to what the baby measured at our 12 week appointment (could I use more parentheses in this sentence??). I was exactly 12 weeks, according to their due date calculations, but baby was measuring 12 weeks 5 days. Which actually kind of makes sense in my brain.
NO MATTER. My scheduled c-section probably won't change unless problems arise. It was November 21, but the OB office called me this morning and informed me that my surgery has been pushed UP to November 19!! Two extra days early??? YAY! And we should be home by Thanksgiving, assuming there are no surprising complications.
Now, considering baby should be measuring at 18 weeks by this Friday, you'd think that my ultrasound tech lady would let me come in for my fetal survey. Not so much. Because we're going by the latest due date, I'm only 17 weeks, so we'd only be 17w4d on Friday...so, we wait until we are for sure in the 18-20 week range. Apparently, there's some sort of valve or septum that closes by week 18 and if it's still open, a level II fetal survey is required. The tech has explained that she's seen women come in at 17w6d and 18w0d and the thing is still open. Thus, we have to wait until we get back from vacation. Sad mama. No personalized Mickey ears for this baby. Maybe I can order them online when we return.
We leave in a week for Disney World. We're getting excited. Still not sure Jack has any idea what's going on. We're staying at the All-Star Movie resort, and I just cannot wait until he sees the giant Buzz Lightyear and Woody statues. I hope we get to stay in the Toy Story wing. I can only imagine how Jack would feel about that one. Waking up everyday to GIANT figures of his favorite characters in the world? Oh boy!
UPDATE 6/19: I'VE BEEN CLEARED FOR DISNEY WORLD!! Yay! Not that we would have considered NOT going, but still. It's nice to know I have the doctor's blessing. My BP was 114/72 this morning and that makes me deliriously happy. :) Advised to do what we already know: Stay hydrated, take the hottest part of the day off and enjoy the pool or nap, take it easy when I get tired.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
My favorite age...so far
I think the terrible twos might be skipping my Jack. I know we're only a month and a half in, and not that he doesn't have his moments (and wow, they're bad), but I'm finding two to be my favorite age, so far. Jack is full of imagination and curiosity, which can sometimes be a bit exhausting. Granted, there aren't dramatic scenes played out yet, or if there are, I don't understand them. He has learned how to open the dishwasher, the dryer, he can manipulate the fridge lock (which we've had for about a week...), and can get on Todd's laptop and open up a profile and the Internet. What a love.
Last week, Jack voluntarily climbed up onto our big toilet and sat there for a good 5 minutes. He didn't produce anything, but had a fantastic time flushing and wiping himself; in that order.
I wasn't planning on potty training until baby #2 arrives because I didn't want to deal with regression. Our plan was to start after Christmas unless Jack showed signs of being ready. We were banking on the fact that he's showed absolutely no interest in the toilet. Of course, since children always do what parents expect them to do, we figured we had more time. Even though he is showing an interest, we're not going at the training hardcore. We leave for Disney World in two weeks and I don't want him confused. I suppose we'll get home and purchase him a little potty.
I've mentioned a couple times that we follow Jack's cues when deciding big things, like weaning and moving him out of his crib. Both events were prompted by unexpected situations, but ultimately, the decision was his. With weaning him from breastfeeding, he was forced to go at least 24 hours without boob when I had my ectopic surgery. He had already weaned himself to just bed with the occasional comfort session and about a month later he just decided he was officially done. With the transition from crib to big boy bed, he began climbing out of his crib around Thanksgiving. We got very lucky and he would only climb out when he knew something more fun was going on (i.e. he wouldn't crawl out in the middle of the night). We bought him a twin bed shortly after Christmas and he decided he wanted to sleep in it instead of his crib. No tears, no trouble, and he is happy to be in charge. Now, and for the last few months, he climbs up into his bed and talks to himself for a while and goes to sleep.
He does not decide everything; we set his meals times, bedtime routine, and have no problem denying him candy, toys, etc., at the store. He doesn't get to determine if we are ready to leave somewhere by throwing a fit. He says "no" a lot and on certain things we respect his self set boundaries, but he doesn't rule the coop.
I'm also surprised at how kind and giving he is. I think daycare has a lot to do with his new found sharing abilities, because as the firstborn with no siblings yet, sharing isn't a priority in our house. He gives hugs and kisses to friends, he kisses Strider (much to the poor cat's annoyance) and loves on Zelda as much as she will let him; Jack and Penguin have an mutual "you don't bug me, I don't bug you" understanding. He's growing into being such a lover that I hope it continues once his brother or sister arrives. (To prevent confusion, we might refer to the baby as "she" but never tell Jack that the baby in my belly is his sister. Baby #2 is always referred to as "brother or sister" which is beginning to be a mouthful and I can't wait to actually refer to one or another or it's name. Trying not to refer to baby as "the new baby" when talking to Jack.)
*I have been judged recently for making it clear that we would like a girl. I feel as though I need to add a disclaimer: Despite how much I complain, this baby was planned and is wanted and loved, despite it's gender. The fact that I have to reassure people of this is ridiculous. Yes, I am miserable. But I know that in November, it will all have been worth it. Thankfully, my blog comments MUST be approved. If there is any negativity directed toward me or Todd, I will block readers and make my blog private. Todd and I appreciate all of the positive support and love that we have received during this pregnancy.*
Last week, Jack voluntarily climbed up onto our big toilet and sat there for a good 5 minutes. He didn't produce anything, but had a fantastic time flushing and wiping himself; in that order.
I wasn't planning on potty training until baby #2 arrives because I didn't want to deal with regression. Our plan was to start after Christmas unless Jack showed signs of being ready. We were banking on the fact that he's showed absolutely no interest in the toilet. Of course, since children always do what parents expect them to do, we figured we had more time. Even though he is showing an interest, we're not going at the training hardcore. We leave for Disney World in two weeks and I don't want him confused. I suppose we'll get home and purchase him a little potty.
I've mentioned a couple times that we follow Jack's cues when deciding big things, like weaning and moving him out of his crib. Both events were prompted by unexpected situations, but ultimately, the decision was his. With weaning him from breastfeeding, he was forced to go at least 24 hours without boob when I had my ectopic surgery. He had already weaned himself to just bed with the occasional comfort session and about a month later he just decided he was officially done. With the transition from crib to big boy bed, he began climbing out of his crib around Thanksgiving. We got very lucky and he would only climb out when he knew something more fun was going on (i.e. he wouldn't crawl out in the middle of the night). We bought him a twin bed shortly after Christmas and he decided he wanted to sleep in it instead of his crib. No tears, no trouble, and he is happy to be in charge. Now, and for the last few months, he climbs up into his bed and talks to himself for a while and goes to sleep.
He does not decide everything; we set his meals times, bedtime routine, and have no problem denying him candy, toys, etc., at the store. He doesn't get to determine if we are ready to leave somewhere by throwing a fit. He says "no" a lot and on certain things we respect his self set boundaries, but he doesn't rule the coop.
I'm also surprised at how kind and giving he is. I think daycare has a lot to do with his new found sharing abilities, because as the firstborn with no siblings yet, sharing isn't a priority in our house. He gives hugs and kisses to friends, he kisses Strider (much to the poor cat's annoyance) and loves on Zelda as much as she will let him; Jack and Penguin have an mutual "you don't bug me, I don't bug you" understanding. He's growing into being such a lover that I hope it continues once his brother or sister arrives. (To prevent confusion, we might refer to the baby as "she" but never tell Jack that the baby in my belly is his sister. Baby #2 is always referred to as "brother or sister" which is beginning to be a mouthful and I can't wait to actually refer to one or another or it's name. Trying not to refer to baby as "the new baby" when talking to Jack.)
*I have been judged recently for making it clear that we would like a girl. I feel as though I need to add a disclaimer: Despite how much I complain, this baby was planned and is wanted and loved, despite it's gender. The fact that I have to reassure people of this is ridiculous. Yes, I am miserable. But I know that in November, it will all have been worth it. Thankfully, my blog comments MUST be approved. If there is any negativity directed toward me or Todd, I will block readers and make my blog private. Todd and I appreciate all of the positive support and love that we have received during this pregnancy.*
Monday, June 4, 2012
16 weeks
Huge. That is all. Huge and my maternity jeans that fit at 9 weeks are now too big at 15.5 weeks. So, it's been determined that the weight I've lost has been in my butt and hips. Thanks for that, Baby.
We spent the weekend in NJ at my in-laws house. My mother-in-law is retiring this year and we drove down to attend her retirement dinner. Jack had a blast, as always. He loves his grandparents so much. I just love seeing him interact with them.
A few times during the weekend I experienced some cramping. I let Todd know, we agreed to keep an eye on it. It wasn't anything debilitating. We weren't too worried because there weren't other symptoms, but discussed the ER (shot down, NO WAY) and I said I'd call my doctor if they continued through to Monday, when we were home and I could go where I was comfortable. Also, in the event that it was something serious, I wanted to be near home. I figured if it was something bad, there's not much that we'd be able to do to prevent it at that point.
This morning, they continued. I drank a large lemonade from Panera and 1/2 a giant water bottle and waited a bit before calling my OB. I experienced some Braxton Hicks contractions towards the end of Jack's pregnancy, but I wasn't sure if they were something I was supposed to be experiencing at not quite 16 weeks. I picked up Jack from daycare a bit early with high hopes that he'd fall asleep in the car before arriving at the OB's office. No such luck. He stayed awake and was surprisingly well behaved.
After hearing the reassuring heartbeat, the NP ordered a quick ultrasound to make sure the contractions weren't doing anything to my cervix. Got to see our stubborn cross-legged baby and she's getting so big! If only she'd spread her little legs so that we can officially refer to her by name. ***Reminder--we DO NOT actually know the sex of the baby. We are wishfully thinking it's a girl*** No cervical change, so I've officially been diagnosed with having BH contractions. Joy.
Every time I start to really feel like things are looking up, this baby throws out yet another curve ball. Every symptom that wasn't experienced with Jack's pregnancy has been unleashed on me this time. I feel like it's karma because I had it so easy with Jack. I wonder what's next! OH WAIT. As I'm resting quietly typing this entry, baby started kicking like mad. Apparently I'm feeling BIG kicks now :)
On the way out of the office, an older couple was on the elevator with me. Jack was sleeping in his stroller as peaceful as any 2 year old could be. As the first floor "pinged" but before the doors open, the man leaned over and mumbled to his wife something along the lines of "*mumble mumble* must not believe in birth control." I was texting Todd, so I can't be sure these were the exact words that he said or that they were directed at me, but he was looking right at Jack when I looked up after he spoke. The couple hustled out of the elevator before I could even form a response. I kind of stood there with my jaw on the floor before realizing that people were waiting for me to leave before boarding the elevator.
*I have been judged recently for making it clear that we would like a girl. I feel as though I need to add a disclaimer: Despite how much I complain, this baby was planned and is wanted and loved, despite it's gender. The fact that I have to reassure people of this is ridiculous. Yes, I am miserable. But I know that in November, it will all have been worth it. Thankfully, my blog comments MUST be approved. If there is any negativity directed toward me or Todd, I will block readers and make my blog private. Todd and I appreciate all of the positive support and love that we have received during this pregnancy.*
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