Not productive as in I had a baby, but productive. This morning we all went out. First of all, I slept awesome last night! No back or rib pain. It was amazing. I was awake an hour earlier than I had been all week. So once we were all ready, we hit the stores. Me and my mom got some kitchen gadgets I was missing and got a few small baby items at Target while the hubs walked the kids through the pet store and book store. Then we had lunch, came home and it was naptime. The hubs went to read and nap, and I was pretty bored. So me and my mom went to the fabric store and thought about projects and a few things we had in mind to make. After we got back, we had a dinner of leftovers and then the hubs played with the kids until bedtime. It was nice. It felt good to be that busy. It took my mind off of other things. I've still been having contractions on and off all day. I haven't bothered tracking them much. I figure that when they get close enough and consistent enough to be important, I'll easily take notice. Although my new theory is that my water is going to break spontaneously and that'll be the beginning of it. I just hope I can sleep as well as I did last night. that would be fantastic.
Moose was very emphatic that he wanted the baby to be born today. At around naptime, he said very sadly that he didn't think the baby would be born today. It was so sad. He's so eager and excited for her to come.
In another note, Monkey has had (what we think are) 2 night terrors. It happened two nights ago, and then again last night. She wakes up screaming, says "no" to everything and eventually just goes right back to sleep. Neither of then have lasted very long. They're pretty horrible to see as a parent. there's nothing you can do about them. Just wait until they're over, basically. But I'm hoping it's a random occurrence and doesn't become anything regular. We'll see.
Tomorrow's the due date. Here's hoping she'll come soon!
Thursday, March 31
Wednesday, March 30
Since I'm Blogging...
I must not be in the hospital right? No. Not in the hospital. Although today was a good day. The hubs needed to go to work and get his lesson plans ready for his sub, so me and my mom spent the day at home with the kiddos. She also painted my toe nails. :) I decided not to do any walking today, since I've been doing but it's not really, really helping. Sure, it gets my contractions going. Just enough so that I can't sleep at night and then once my body cools down I'm back to square one. I figure if my body's ready to go into labor, the contractions will come and stay. I'm still 2 days from my due date so I've decided to stop stressing so much. I wish I'd never thought she was coming early in the first place. Silly notion. I'll never make that mistake again. They were coming every 6 minutes for about an hour. The most consistent they've been. But they've started slowing a tiny bit. I had the notion that perhaps I might stay up tonight and keep tracking, but if they slow and don't stay consistent I'm not going to get my hopes up.
Tonight as Moose said his prayer he prayed that the baby would be born tomorrow. Such a sweet boy. I love him! :) Now let's see if his sweet prayer will be answered. :)
Tonight as Moose said his prayer he prayed that the baby would be born tomorrow. Such a sweet boy. I love him! :) Now let's see if his sweet prayer will be answered. :)
Tuesday, March 29
Still Pregnant...
Today was a good day, despite the fact that I'm still pregnant. I saw my doctor. I, most unfortunately, had made no progress to speak of. Boo! She offered to strip my membranes. I didn't know what that meant, but I was prepared for the possibility and told her to go ahead. She said she wasn't able to do a very thorough job. Either due to her small hands, or maybe because of the baby's position. But she tried anyway. She said my cervix needs to soften. Anyway, it was a bit disappointing.
Me and the hubs spent a few hours walking outside during naptime, while Grandma stayed at home with the kiddos. For the last 4 hours, my contractions have been between 6-9 minutes and getting stronger. But if things don't pick up, or if my water doesn't just break, it might be a long night. I don't really want them to stop so I can sleep. But if they keep up this way I certainly won't get a good night's sleep tonight. So we'll see. We talked about going walking again this evening. But the weather is just so yucky outside. (It was drizzling while we walked this afternoon.) And I just don't particularly want to talk around Home Depot or Lowe's for a few hours. So there's no telling what's going to happen next. But I'm not due til Friday, so I'm not late, and therefore am not going to allow myself to get discouraged.
It has been absolutely wonderful having my mom here and having the hubs home all day. She made us an amazing dinner of buttermilk fried chicken, baking powder biscuits, corn, and some jell-o with cool whip and pears blended in. (Super yummy if you've never had it.) It was delish.
So send me happy thoughts and let's hope this picks up so we can get on with having this baby! Oh, Monkey's doing tons better. Yay!!
Me and the hubs spent a few hours walking outside during naptime, while Grandma stayed at home with the kiddos. For the last 4 hours, my contractions have been between 6-9 minutes and getting stronger. But if things don't pick up, or if my water doesn't just break, it might be a long night. I don't really want them to stop so I can sleep. But if they keep up this way I certainly won't get a good night's sleep tonight. So we'll see. We talked about going walking again this evening. But the weather is just so yucky outside. (It was drizzling while we walked this afternoon.) And I just don't particularly want to talk around Home Depot or Lowe's for a few hours. So there's no telling what's going to happen next. But I'm not due til Friday, so I'm not late, and therefore am not going to allow myself to get discouraged.
It has been absolutely wonderful having my mom here and having the hubs home all day. She made us an amazing dinner of buttermilk fried chicken, baking powder biscuits, corn, and some jell-o with cool whip and pears blended in. (Super yummy if you've never had it.) It was delish.
So send me happy thoughts and let's hope this picks up so we can get on with having this baby! Oh, Monkey's doing tons better. Yay!!
Monday, March 28
Let's Get This Show On The Road...
Seriously. My contractions last night were between 15-20 minutes for a few hours til we went to bed. We had to get up a few times with Monkey's cough last night. Fortunately she seems to be doing way better today. We are so happy about that! Today the contractions have been in the realm of under 15 minutes. Anywhere from 15-6 minutes apart. But nothing consistent. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow at noon. I'm really hoping that I will have progress to show for all these contractions. If I haven't dilated more, I'll be feeling pretty bummed out. Last time I was dilated 1 1/2 and effaced 75%. I've got to be doing better now! But I'm feeling pretty at peace with waiting. I know that my body's prepping up and this is not Braxton-Hicks speaking. I'm confident I'll go into labor sometime this week. It's only a matter of time. But I'm soo ready. Really.
Think baby-having thoughts for me. I'm totally ready to get this show on the road!
Think baby-having thoughts for me. I'm totally ready to get this show on the road!
Sunday, March 27
The Girls...
Today has been all about the girls. Me, Monkey, and the baby. Poor Monkey has had her worst day yet. Her cough has been really bad, keeping her from sleeping well. She's one of those kids that just looks so sad when they're sick that you just want to hold them all the time. She's currently sleeping and hasn't coughed yet. We're hoping she's just too tired to cough. I really hope she gets better soon. Everything that happens is so much more dramatic to her when she's sick. The smallest owie or offense will send her to tears and it'll take a lot more effort to calm her down than is usual for her. So we're crossing our fingers that she gets a real good night's sleep tonight so she'll be feeling better tomorrow.
So, me and the baby. We've been having a good day. Nothing really spectacular. I have been timing my contractions this evening. During dinner I noticed I was having them semi-regularly, so after that continued for about an hour, I figured I'd start timing and keeping track. I've been at it for almost 2 hours, and they've been anywhere from 8-20 minutes apart. For me that's a pretty big leap to one an hour or so. I know it doesn't necessarily mean I'll be having her tomorrow or anything. But it certainly means my body is gearing up, which excites me. My mom has been massaging some pressure points in my hands and feet in the hopes that we'll help things along. At this point I'm all about it! If things are still doing this tomorrow, we're going to go on a nice long walk!
So send me nice, baby-having thoughts. Perhaps I'll be right and she'll be born tomorrow! Wouldn't that be awesome?! Here's hoping. :)
So, me and the baby. We've been having a good day. Nothing really spectacular. I have been timing my contractions this evening. During dinner I noticed I was having them semi-regularly, so after that continued for about an hour, I figured I'd start timing and keeping track. I've been at it for almost 2 hours, and they've been anywhere from 8-20 minutes apart. For me that's a pretty big leap to one an hour or so. I know it doesn't necessarily mean I'll be having her tomorrow or anything. But it certainly means my body is gearing up, which excites me. My mom has been massaging some pressure points in my hands and feet in the hopes that we'll help things along. At this point I'm all about it! If things are still doing this tomorrow, we're going to go on a nice long walk!
So send me nice, baby-having thoughts. Perhaps I'll be right and she'll be born tomorrow! Wouldn't that be awesome?! Here's hoping. :)
Saturday, March 26
Thanks For Having A Baby...
We had a baby shower today. It was great to sit around for 2 hours doing nothing but chat with friends and talk about babies and whatnot. I always love when showers are over, because people will thank you, and I always think, "Yup. Thank me for having a baby so we could have a reason to get together and have a shower." I've been known to thank people for having birthdays so we could get together, or for having babies for the same reason. It still makes me smile, though, when people say "thank you" to the one who's pregnant.
Today ended up being a really beautiful day. 51 degrees at one point! (I know for some of you that's dreadfully cold, but for us it was glorious!) It actually felt like spring for the first time. Now I just hope it stays that way. Poor Monkey has a cough that is driving her nuts whenever she goes to bed. She doesn't hardly cough otherwise, but laying down just does a number on her. She's covered in Vicks, has a humidifier, and a Vicks vaporizer thingy so their room is a vicks sauna. I hope she gets feeling better soon. Her cough is so sad. And it ruins her naps more often than not so she's a real grouch in the evening.
Mostly, our days are filled with thoughts of "When's this baby gonna be born?" I really, really hope she doesn't wait until Friday. I've been so set on her coming just a little bit early (which I shoulda known better than to do) because Monkey was 5 days early. Oh well. I know she'll come when she comes. As long as she's not past my due date, I think I'll be fine. I don't even wanna risk having to have a c-section because she's late. Not happening. But I'd really, really love for her to come this week. Oh well. What I want doesn't really matter in this case, I'm afraid.
Today ended up being a really beautiful day. 51 degrees at one point! (I know for some of you that's dreadfully cold, but for us it was glorious!) It actually felt like spring for the first time. Now I just hope it stays that way. Poor Monkey has a cough that is driving her nuts whenever she goes to bed. She doesn't hardly cough otherwise, but laying down just does a number on her. She's covered in Vicks, has a humidifier, and a Vicks vaporizer thingy so their room is a vicks sauna. I hope she gets feeling better soon. Her cough is so sad. And it ruins her naps more often than not so she's a real grouch in the evening.
Mostly, our days are filled with thoughts of "When's this baby gonna be born?" I really, really hope she doesn't wait until Friday. I've been so set on her coming just a little bit early (which I shoulda known better than to do) because Monkey was 5 days early. Oh well. I know she'll come when she comes. As long as she's not past my due date, I think I'll be fine. I don't even wanna risk having to have a c-section because she's late. Not happening. But I'd really, really love for her to come this week. Oh well. What I want doesn't really matter in this case, I'm afraid.
Friday, March 25
She's Here...
Not the baby. My mom. Just as exciting. Well, okay, super close to. We picked her up at the airport today, waiting anxiously until it was time to leave. It even rained as she came in, just for her. :) That's really the most noteworthy thing about today.
The hubs is officially on Spring Break. Yahoo! Things are coming together. I could now go into labor at any time and the kiddos will be covered. But I've got a baby shower tomorrow, and Moose is giving a little talk in church on Sunday. But my Mom is prepped to give me all sorts of pressure point massages after church Sunday so we can get me in labor asap. :)
I've actually slept pretty decently the last few days, so I haven't been as disgruntled. But the rib pain continues throughout the day too, so that's no fun. Moose is extremely excited for the baby to be born and will mention that to me at least once a day. And we have a bassinet (our last missing thing) in our room now, so should we bring her home in a day or two, she can sleep right next to me. :)
So excited for this little lady to come. I've been counting down for a while now. (Who wouldn't be, right?) But now the countdown has really begun. Can't wait to see when she decides to come!
The hubs is officially on Spring Break. Yahoo! Things are coming together. I could now go into labor at any time and the kiddos will be covered. But I've got a baby shower tomorrow, and Moose is giving a little talk in church on Sunday. But my Mom is prepped to give me all sorts of pressure point massages after church Sunday so we can get me in labor asap. :)
I've actually slept pretty decently the last few days, so I haven't been as disgruntled. But the rib pain continues throughout the day too, so that's no fun. Moose is extremely excited for the baby to be born and will mention that to me at least once a day. And we have a bassinet (our last missing thing) in our room now, so should we bring her home in a day or two, she can sleep right next to me. :)
So excited for this little lady to come. I've been counting down for a while now. (Who wouldn't be, right?) But now the countdown has really begun. Can't wait to see when she decides to come!
Thursday, March 24
Guess What...
Did anyone think I went into labor? I didn't. Wish I had. Although my mom arrives tomorrow. But I'm pretty sure I'll still be pregnant when she arrives. So we're in good shape. I had an exhausting day today for no other reason than being pregnant and not having restful sleep. Then me and the hubs spent the evening talking about work issues (darn those awful budgets for education) and our night was taken up quickly. So there was no blogging for me last night.
This morning I thought the baby might've dropped. I slept so great last night, meaning I had hardly any rib pain at all. But I was wrong. She's still right up in my ribs, making up for the lack of pain last night by giving it to me all afternoon/evening. But I prefer that (slightly) over not being able to sleep. I gave my last piano lesson for a while, not to mention the last meal I'll cook for a while. (Certainly something to celebrate over!) We're picking my mom up at our airport tomorrow shortly after 4:30. Wahoo! The kids are so excited! (Mostly Moose. But I'm sure Monkey will pick up on it tomorrow. I'll be lucky if I can get them to nap tomorrow.)
I had a small moment today, as I was blogging and catching up on message in my inbox before the baby comes and I get behind again. I was thinking about the baby being born and had this overwhelming feeling of love for this new, distinct person. I've wondered at times what it'll be like. It was easy enough to imagine it being different with the first 2, since they're boy and girl, and you expect differences. But since this is our second girl, I've wondered how I will feel about her that is different from how I felt about Monkey when she was born. But I had this moment, a moment of clarity perhaps, where I just felt a very different, and distinct love for this little one and who she will be. It was pretty amazing.
My mom arrives tomorrow! (It's about time, right?) I'm due in 8 days. Any bets as to when she'll actually show up? Any day from tomorrow til April 8th. (My deadline.) My current guess is March 28th. Ooh, or how big you think she'll be. I'm thinking around 7 lbs. 10 oz. (Monkey was 7'7, Moose was 9'0.) Moose was 22 in. and Monkey was 21, so I'm betting 21 in. long. Can't wait to find out!
This morning I thought the baby might've dropped. I slept so great last night, meaning I had hardly any rib pain at all. But I was wrong. She's still right up in my ribs, making up for the lack of pain last night by giving it to me all afternoon/evening. But I prefer that (slightly) over not being able to sleep. I gave my last piano lesson for a while, not to mention the last meal I'll cook for a while. (Certainly something to celebrate over!) We're picking my mom up at our airport tomorrow shortly after 4:30. Wahoo! The kids are so excited! (Mostly Moose. But I'm sure Monkey will pick up on it tomorrow. I'll be lucky if I can get them to nap tomorrow.)
I had a small moment today, as I was blogging and catching up on message in my inbox before the baby comes and I get behind again. I was thinking about the baby being born and had this overwhelming feeling of love for this new, distinct person. I've wondered at times what it'll be like. It was easy enough to imagine it being different with the first 2, since they're boy and girl, and you expect differences. But since this is our second girl, I've wondered how I will feel about her that is different from how I felt about Monkey when she was born. But I had this moment, a moment of clarity perhaps, where I just felt a very different, and distinct love for this little one and who she will be. It was pretty amazing.
My mom arrives tomorrow! (It's about time, right?) I'm due in 8 days. Any bets as to when she'll actually show up? Any day from tomorrow til April 8th. (My deadline.) My current guess is March 28th. Ooh, or how big you think she'll be. I'm thinking around 7 lbs. 10 oz. (Monkey was 7'7, Moose was 9'0.) Moose was 22 in. and Monkey was 21, so I'm betting 21 in. long. Can't wait to find out!
Tuesday, March 22
Baby Update...
Alrighty. I had my doctor's appointment this morning. I'm still effaced 75% and am now dilated a whole 1 1/2 centimeters. So not much difference. But I think I'm glad that I'm not moving along too quickly, because I think if I were I would be even more impatient about going into labor. So today has actually put me in a good mood about still being pregnant and dealing with the rest of my week. I have small things to do almost every day this week, so I'm okay with being pregnant til next week. Although I think Monday would be a great day to have a baby. ;)
I know I've thought about small, cute things the kids have done lately tha tI hsould mention, but I tend to forget a lot lately. My mom pointed out that I swapped the kiddos names in my blog last night, although I've already fixed it. I think my brain is just as done being pregnant as the rest of me. I've already lost too many brain cells. But I'm feeling good, and not too grouchy about still being pregnant. I'm sure I'll be able to make it til whenever she decides to be born. In the meantime, I can look forward to my mom coming.
3 days til my mom arrives. 10 til the due date! :)
I know I've thought about small, cute things the kids have done lately tha tI hsould mention, but I tend to forget a lot lately. My mom pointed out that I swapped the kiddos names in my blog last night, although I've already fixed it. I think my brain is just as done being pregnant as the rest of me. I've already lost too many brain cells. But I'm feeling good, and not too grouchy about still being pregnant. I'm sure I'll be able to make it til whenever she decides to be born. In the meantime, I can look forward to my mom coming.
3 days til my mom arrives. 10 til the due date! :)
Monday, March 21
I Think I Can...
I feel like I'm definitely in the final leg of this pregnancy marathon. I stayed up later than I should've reading a book last night, and consequently spent as much time in bed as I could this morning. This kiddos accomodated me, but were probably slightly restless the rest of the day because of it. Then when the hubs gets home, they flip a switch and become slightly insane. I feel awful when they're suddenly fighting over everything or running around being noisy. But they just get so excited when he comes home, there's not much I can do to stop it from happening. I think it'll be something that dies down as they get older. They're now sleeping. I'm exhausted. Feeling very pregnant. I have an appointment tomorrow. I sure hope my body has progress to show for this last week. I need a pick me up to keep me going.
4 more days til Mom gets here. I talked with her today. We're both so excited. Moose asked me twice today how many more days were left til she would come. He's definitely excited. 11 more days til the due date. And I'm certainly hoping it ends up being less than that. We'll see. I might have a better picture come tomorrow. I always said I'd wait til my mom shows up, then it would be any day. Now my new deadline is Sunday, since Moose is giving his first little talk in his Primary class. So excited! So I have to be there for that. But come next Monday, it's on! I'm so ready to deliver this baby. No joke. Please send me positive thoughts to get me through the end of this week. I'll need it! :)
4 more days til Mom gets here. I talked with her today. We're both so excited. Moose asked me twice today how many more days were left til she would come. He's definitely excited. 11 more days til the due date. And I'm certainly hoping it ends up being less than that. We'll see. I might have a better picture come tomorrow. I always said I'd wait til my mom shows up, then it would be any day. Now my new deadline is Sunday, since Moose is giving his first little talk in his Primary class. So excited! So I have to be there for that. But come next Monday, it's on! I'm so ready to deliver this baby. No joke. Please send me positive thoughts to get me through the end of this week. I'll need it! :)
Sunday, March 20
Good Day...
Today was just a good day. The kids didn't sleep in, even though they went down at 9:30. No surprise there. We went to church, got them down for a late nap at 3. Me and the hubs prepped some dinner for some friends who were coming over with their 1 1/2 year old. It ended up being great. The guys ended up going together and helping tear down equipment from the concert last night. The ladies stayed home chatting and making sure the kids didn't break anything. They all played really well, which was great. The hubs is putting the kiddos down right now. I slept pretty awful last night. Major rib pain. It's coming back currently. Argh. But I'm looking forward to a foot massage from the hubs since I was on my feet cooking for quite a while. My contractions are staying stronger, and occasionally I'll get more than one in an hour. Sometimes closer together. So that's good. Things are slowly progressing. I'm pretty eager for my appointment Tuesday to see if I'm progressing. This week should be relaxing enough. Not a ton to do.
5 days til my mom comes! Holy cow! Only 12 til the baby is due! Yahoo! It's all winding down and I couldn't be more excited!
5 days til my mom comes! Holy cow! Only 12 til the baby is due! Yahoo! It's all winding down and I couldn't be more excited!
Saturday, March 19
The Tour...
We were finally able to go walk around Labor & Delivery today. Our hospital rocks. Each labor and delivery room has it's own full sized tub with jets. Sweet! The rooms are totally spacious, and some of the recovery rooms have double beds. We got what paperwork we could do finished, so we're ready to go. Let's get on with this!!
We were also able to attend an amazing album release party for my bro-in-law's band Marshall Catch. It was so much fun! Moose and Monkey ended up dancing on the dance floor, right infront of the band. It was basically a kiddo free for all. Luckily they had ear plugs, so we don't think they damaged anything. They got to bed around 9:30 and we know they have to be completely wiped out. Goodness knows I am!
My ribs are aching. Contractions continue to be a bit stronger than before. And for an hour or two or three after our hospital tour I was feeling all sorts of tightening and discomforts in my lower back and abdomen. Guess my body was just getting excited about the idea of delivery too! I'm gonna go sit on the couch with a newly opened container of ice cream and finish watching "Breakfast at Tiffany's" with the hubs. Good night!
We were also able to attend an amazing album release party for my bro-in-law's band Marshall Catch. It was so much fun! Moose and Monkey ended up dancing on the dance floor, right infront of the band. It was basically a kiddo free for all. Luckily they had ear plugs, so we don't think they damaged anything. They got to bed around 9:30 and we know they have to be completely wiped out. Goodness knows I am!
My ribs are aching. Contractions continue to be a bit stronger than before. And for an hour or two or three after our hospital tour I was feeling all sorts of tightening and discomforts in my lower back and abdomen. Guess my body was just getting excited about the idea of delivery too! I'm gonna go sit on the couch with a newly opened container of ice cream and finish watching "Breakfast at Tiffany's" with the hubs. Good night!
Friday, March 18
Weekend...
I'm so glad it's the weekend. This week still wasn't as busy as I thought it would be, although the hubs did go and help out with more set-up stuff for his bro and got home kinda late. I spent the day attempting to entertain my kids while reading books. I think I'm getting a little tired of being pregnant. Just a little. Low on comfort, energy, motivation, etc. So I guess I'm mostly glad for the weekend so the hubs will be around to pick up my slack. I get the necessities done, but I can tell the kiddos are feeling a lack in the activity department.
My mom officially comes in one week. Woohoo! And we don't have much going on this week, so I'm hoping it will be pretty darn relaxing. Who knows, in the end, but that's my hope. That means only 2 weeks left for me! I'm also hoping it will be slightly less than that. Again, you never know with this sorta thing. But I'm hopeful. I've been able to tell that some of my contractions are slightly stronger. Not painful or taking my breath away. But now I notice it before I get the urge to pee. Before, I would think to myself, "I need to pee. Oh, it's just a contraction." I'm hoping I'll be dilated to at least a 2 by Tuesday at my appointment.
We're hoping to visit the hospital tomorrow. Perhaps their rooms won't be filled with other ladies who have already delivered so I can check one out. I need to register too. Darn all the paperwork and whatnot that's involved with this!
So, so excited for this pregnancy to be winding down, and for our new little one to be joining the fam. I know the kiddos are super excited. I'll be glad to have most of my body back, even if it means I'll be trading for breastfeeding. The physical discomfort that can come from that is so much less than pregnancy, it's really a win-win for me.
Perhaps we'll start taking bets on things. Like when she'll come? I'll have to take a day and make my guess. But I'm thinking on the early side. Monkey was 5 days early. 4 days early sounds about right... Can't wait to find out!
My mom officially comes in one week. Woohoo! And we don't have much going on this week, so I'm hoping it will be pretty darn relaxing. Who knows, in the end, but that's my hope. That means only 2 weeks left for me! I'm also hoping it will be slightly less than that. Again, you never know with this sorta thing. But I'm hopeful. I've been able to tell that some of my contractions are slightly stronger. Not painful or taking my breath away. But now I notice it before I get the urge to pee. Before, I would think to myself, "I need to pee. Oh, it's just a contraction." I'm hoping I'll be dilated to at least a 2 by Tuesday at my appointment.
We're hoping to visit the hospital tomorrow. Perhaps their rooms won't be filled with other ladies who have already delivered so I can check one out. I need to register too. Darn all the paperwork and whatnot that's involved with this!
So, so excited for this pregnancy to be winding down, and for our new little one to be joining the fam. I know the kiddos are super excited. I'll be glad to have most of my body back, even if it means I'll be trading for breastfeeding. The physical discomfort that can come from that is so much less than pregnancy, it's really a win-win for me.
Perhaps we'll start taking bets on things. Like when she'll come? I'll have to take a day and make my guess. But I'm thinking on the early side. Monkey was 5 days early. 4 days early sounds about right... Can't wait to find out!
Thursday, March 17
Not So Busy...
We were fully anticipating this week to be our super crazy week. Granted, yesterday was probably our busiest day since the hubs took off in the evening to help his brother. But in general it hasn't been half bad. Half of the things we had planned took less time or were cancelled, or just weren't as stressful as they could've been. But it's still helped the week to go faster. Yay.
I hosted my last day of preschool today. At least til I'm back on my feet post-baby anyway. Then we all napped together. Miss Monkey woke up shortly after 4 crying and when the hubs went in, she ran away from him screaming "MAMA!" She's done that to me. It makes you feel awesome. (sarcasm much?) So I went in and got her calmed down. Then she was whimpering at 5:30 when the hubs got up for work. So I went in again. She was sitting up but basically asleep. So I got her back down and went back to bed. But for every wake up I have with them, it takes me double that time to get back to sleep. So nap for me was necessary. That was really the extent of our busyness today, however. The hubs is staying home tonight, to give us some family time. Last normal night we had was Monday. (That's quite the long time for us home-bodies.)
Tomorrow we actually have nothing going on. So me and the kiddos are gonna do a quick shopping trip, and then spend the day at home. I'm looking forward to it. (Not the grocery store part, but the staying at home part.) I'm still ready to have this baby. Last night I was had a few contractions within the span of an hour that were slightly more noticeable than normal. It was kind of exciting. But I know my body's just gearing up. As hard as it feels sometimes to wait 2 more weeks, I know that it's plenty of time and I'm in no rush. I think I'll spend the next while getting psyched up for delivery. So I don't wuss out and ask for meds right away. Not that anyone who does that is wussy. It just works with our current philosophy of how my body works and does labor/delivery. I want to wait as long as possible before getting my intrathecal-so it doesn't wear off before I deliver. Anywho...
8 days til my mom comes. Holy cow! 15 til the baby is due. Woohoo!
I hosted my last day of preschool today. At least til I'm back on my feet post-baby anyway. Then we all napped together. Miss Monkey woke up shortly after 4 crying and when the hubs went in, she ran away from him screaming "MAMA!" She's done that to me. It makes you feel awesome. (sarcasm much?) So I went in and got her calmed down. Then she was whimpering at 5:30 when the hubs got up for work. So I went in again. She was sitting up but basically asleep. So I got her back down and went back to bed. But for every wake up I have with them, it takes me double that time to get back to sleep. So nap for me was necessary. That was really the extent of our busyness today, however. The hubs is staying home tonight, to give us some family time. Last normal night we had was Monday. (That's quite the long time for us home-bodies.)
Tomorrow we actually have nothing going on. So me and the kiddos are gonna do a quick shopping trip, and then spend the day at home. I'm looking forward to it. (Not the grocery store part, but the staying at home part.) I'm still ready to have this baby. Last night I was had a few contractions within the span of an hour that were slightly more noticeable than normal. It was kind of exciting. But I know my body's just gearing up. As hard as it feels sometimes to wait 2 more weeks, I know that it's plenty of time and I'm in no rush. I think I'll spend the next while getting psyched up for delivery. So I don't wuss out and ask for meds right away. Not that anyone who does that is wussy. It just works with our current philosophy of how my body works and does labor/delivery. I want to wait as long as possible before getting my intrathecal-so it doesn't wear off before I deliver. Anywho...
8 days til my mom comes. Holy cow! 15 til the baby is due. Woohoo!
Wednesday, March 16
More Busy Days...
Yesterday the computer was off when I got home, so I decided to leave it off. I had a dinner out at church with the ladies, and the hubs put the kiddos down. Unfortunately, Monkey had a humongous screaming fit for some reason and it wasn't a super smooth night for him. There's no telling what's going on with her exactly. Here's her update though. We still think she's teething, those 2 year molars. She won't hardly eat anything that involves any chewing. She'll put her hand to her jawline and say "ouch". Or "hurt". So today I worked really hard to only give her foods she could eat. Which, for the entire day, included one bite of cheerios at breakfast, half a stick of cheddar cheese at lunch, 1/3 container of yogurt, then at dinner she had half a piece of bread and most of her yogurt. She's had tons of fluids, and never complains of hunger. So I'm guessing she's not totally up to par. Not to mention her insanely disgusting diapers. Sorry, but it's such a huge part of the last two days. Feel free to skip. She's just been pooping a ton, and it's horribly odorous, kinda runny, and she says it hurts. I'm guessing it's diarrhea-ish. But since she's not eating too much, I'm hoping she'll run out and the pooping will slow down. Tuesday she seriously only ate cheddar cheese all day. For the most part. That was when we were starting to realize she didn't like to eat certain things, especially if it involved chewing. But even today, she couldn't hardly touch it. Either because she was sick of it (who wouldn't be after eating it all day) or her gums are just continuing in their sensitivity. Either way, we're making adjustments to her diet, and continuing to try and ease the pain with ibuprofen or tylenol. I just hope this doesn't last long. Granted, I haven't checked out her mouth the last few days to see if I can see anything, but as of late last week, I couldn't see any evidence of teeth. Perhaps they're coming in fast. I hope this doesn't last long. Moose never had anything weird go on when he got teeth. He barely drooled extra. So this is totally foreign territory for us. But I figure if we keep her hydrated (which we have been) and try and offer her foods she can eat that I won't feel horrible about her eating all day, (For now her selection is bread, bananas, applesauce, and yogurt.) she'll work through it. If she doesn't improve in a day or two, however, we're going to go visit the doc. Better safe than sorry.
Today was another busy day. I slept in as much as possible, took the kiddos to the library, (where me and Moose both managed to get paint on the fronts of our shirts. He painted himself. I was painted on my Monkey.) had a semblance of naptime, then ran to the music store, (Looking for more piano music for my students. I'm going to have 3 when I'm done with my maternity leave. How exciting!) ran back to the library, (they had 2 more books on reserve for us that weren't ready this morning) and stopped at the toy store. The kids love it there, and they totally just let you play. I ended up getting them both a small toy. Moose was happy enough to pick something, although the small inexpensive choices were not his first pick. Monkey, however, was impossible to buy something for. She kept saying "no" everytime I found something I thought she'd like. It was kinda funny. She finally said yes to a small rubber ducky. But then when it was time to buy it, she said "no" again. But we bought it anyway. We enjoyed dinner sans the hubs, plopped the kids in a bubble bath, then dressed for bed and watched a small bit of "elmo show" (Monkey's favorite) and one of Moose's library videos. When it was time to go back for bed, the hubs had gotten home (parent teacher conferences tonight) and took them back to bed. It was a long and tiresome day, but a good day.
Tomorrow I'm hosting my last round of preschool. Just talked to the hubs. He left shortly after the kids went to bed. His brother is having a CD release party tomorrow and he's helping set up. Whatever they get done tonight is time he doesn't have to spend Thursday and Friday night getting ready. So he's most likely going to be there til midnight or later. So I'm going to go tuck myself in to bed and read a book til I'm tired. Maybe that means the next 2 days won't be as bad since I was planning on him being gone both days basically from 6:30 am to at least 8 pm. But maybe this one late night will keep him at home with us the next 2 nights. Perhaps.
Feeling more and more ready to be done being pregnant. My rib hurts, occasionally my back, and I'm waddling something awful. (It's the hips. They get so sore.) 9 days til my mom comes. 16 til the baby comes. (Or perhaps less. It could always be less.) :)
Today was another busy day. I slept in as much as possible, took the kiddos to the library, (where me and Moose both managed to get paint on the fronts of our shirts. He painted himself. I was painted on my Monkey.) had a semblance of naptime, then ran to the music store, (Looking for more piano music for my students. I'm going to have 3 when I'm done with my maternity leave. How exciting!) ran back to the library, (they had 2 more books on reserve for us that weren't ready this morning) and stopped at the toy store. The kids love it there, and they totally just let you play. I ended up getting them both a small toy. Moose was happy enough to pick something, although the small inexpensive choices were not his first pick. Monkey, however, was impossible to buy something for. She kept saying "no" everytime I found something I thought she'd like. It was kinda funny. She finally said yes to a small rubber ducky. But then when it was time to buy it, she said "no" again. But we bought it anyway. We enjoyed dinner sans the hubs, plopped the kids in a bubble bath, then dressed for bed and watched a small bit of "elmo show" (Monkey's favorite) and one of Moose's library videos. When it was time to go back for bed, the hubs had gotten home (parent teacher conferences tonight) and took them back to bed. It was a long and tiresome day, but a good day.
Tomorrow I'm hosting my last round of preschool. Just talked to the hubs. He left shortly after the kids went to bed. His brother is having a CD release party tomorrow and he's helping set up. Whatever they get done tonight is time he doesn't have to spend Thursday and Friday night getting ready. So he's most likely going to be there til midnight or later. So I'm going to go tuck myself in to bed and read a book til I'm tired. Maybe that means the next 2 days won't be as bad since I was planning on him being gone both days basically from 6:30 am to at least 8 pm. But maybe this one late night will keep him at home with us the next 2 nights. Perhaps.
Feeling more and more ready to be done being pregnant. My rib hurts, occasionally my back, and I'm waddling something awful. (It's the hips. They get so sore.) 9 days til my mom comes. 16 til the baby comes. (Or perhaps less. It could always be less.) :)
Monday, March 14
It Begins...
Last night was a little late for us, so I opted out of blogging to get me in bed asap. We had a fun family dinner, and the kiddos stayed up late. Monkey ended up whacking her head on the edge of a metal desk, giving her a small owie above her eye. It was really sad, but she recovered quickly. (Faster than her Grandpa, who was playing with her at the time. But I find I'm the same way.) She's got a pretty scab today, and it will take a while to go away, I imagine. But no bruising or swelling. Yay for that.
Today was the first of a busy week for us. I had a make-up piano lesson from my one student. She'll be back on Thursday for her regular lesson. Then I had my anticipated doctor's appointment. I say anticipated, but not really. I was just eager to see if my body was beginning to gear up for labor. Which it is. Yay. A week and a half ago, I was not dilated or effaced at all. As of today, I'm dilated to 1, and effaced 75%. So my body's been doing something to get ready this last week and a half. I imagine by the time I go in next week, I'll be progressed just a little bit further. I've learned (since this is my third) that dilated and whatnot doesn't really mean much at this point, but I'm happier knowing my body is getting ready, versus being at 39 or 40 weeks with nothing having happened. That would feel frustrating. Being a VBAC, I can't be induced for fear of rupturing the uterus, so I have a very literal deadline of April 8th. Then I'm in for a c-section. I don't anticipate that happening, but you never know. So for me, any progress keeps me positive and upbeat. I'll be back in next Tuesday for another appointment.
Tomorrow is another busy day for us. I'm doing my last week hosting our preschool group before the baby comes. So I'll have 3 kiddos plus Monkey running around. (One is gone, so that's nice in a way.) Then tomorrow evening I'm attending a dinner at church for the ladies, so it'll be a ladies night out for me. So, not too busy. But there's two or more things for the rest of the days this week. I welcome the busyness though. It keeps my mind off of wanting to go into labor already. It's really just a waiting game at this point since I feel ready, the house is ready, the hubs and the kids are ready. But she won't come until she's ready, so the rest of us just get to wait.
11 days til my Mom comes. (Yippee!) 18 til the baby comes. (Hooray!)
Today was the first of a busy week for us. I had a make-up piano lesson from my one student. She'll be back on Thursday for her regular lesson. Then I had my anticipated doctor's appointment. I say anticipated, but not really. I was just eager to see if my body was beginning to gear up for labor. Which it is. Yay. A week and a half ago, I was not dilated or effaced at all. As of today, I'm dilated to 1, and effaced 75%. So my body's been doing something to get ready this last week and a half. I imagine by the time I go in next week, I'll be progressed just a little bit further. I've learned (since this is my third) that dilated and whatnot doesn't really mean much at this point, but I'm happier knowing my body is getting ready, versus being at 39 or 40 weeks with nothing having happened. That would feel frustrating. Being a VBAC, I can't be induced for fear of rupturing the uterus, so I have a very literal deadline of April 8th. Then I'm in for a c-section. I don't anticipate that happening, but you never know. So for me, any progress keeps me positive and upbeat. I'll be back in next Tuesday for another appointment.
Tomorrow is another busy day for us. I'm doing my last week hosting our preschool group before the baby comes. So I'll have 3 kiddos plus Monkey running around. (One is gone, so that's nice in a way.) Then tomorrow evening I'm attending a dinner at church for the ladies, so it'll be a ladies night out for me. So, not too busy. But there's two or more things for the rest of the days this week. I welcome the busyness though. It keeps my mind off of wanting to go into labor already. It's really just a waiting game at this point since I feel ready, the house is ready, the hubs and the kids are ready. But she won't come until she's ready, so the rest of us just get to wait.
11 days til my Mom comes. (Yippee!) 18 til the baby comes. (Hooray!)
Saturday, March 12
Money Treasure Game...
The hubs officially wins creative parent of the year award from me. He suggested playing a family game tonight. So we popped some popcorn (the kids were probably more excited for that than anything else) and pulled out our Monopoly board. (Which happens to be some Super Bowl version.) He proceeded to make up a game for them to play, letting them roll the dice (Monkey very carefully placed them in the middle of the board instead of rolling them.), move their pieces and earn rewards. They sometimes had to sing songs, or act out like animals. Like when Monkey landed on the Cardinals, she had to fly around like a bird. Anyhow, it was such a simple thing, but the kiddos loved it and really had a blast. Moose named the game the "money treasure" game, so he can request it again in the future.
I've been feeling really well the last few days. Today I had a momentary lapse of "I want to have the baby already" but not out of frustration or discomfort, just an eagerness. I feel like at this point it's purely a waiting game. I feel ready, the kids are excited, so now we just get to wait. Granted, I'll feel better about it all once my mom is here, but that's a little less than 2 weeks from now. I try to do something every day to feel like I'm getting ready. The crib has been set up for months, the clothes, blankets and whatnot out for weeks. I've been putting the final touches on our hospital bag. I've got my labor music on my mp3 player. I've got a baby book. I suppose we still need to borrow my bro-in-law's bassinet. We keep forgetting to mention it. Although his kiddos have been sick, so it's okay waiting. I'm starting to mentally prep myself. Positive thinking and all that. (For the pain of labor and whatnot.) I fully plan on getting some meds to help out. Last time I had an intrathecal, which was a non-permanent epidural. I really liked it. But if you get it too soon, it might wear off before the delivery, which I most certainly don't want. So I figure I have to hold out long enough to make it last through delivery. With Monkey I had it when I was dilated to about a 5 or so, and I delivered maybe an hour or hour and a half later. It was still fully functional, which was awesome. I loved being able to deliver without worrying about pain.
Tonight we're setting the clocks ahead. Don't forget. This can always do some serious damage to kid's schedules. We try our best to go with the flow. But we get them adjusting as quickly as possible. It seems like this change can be a bit easier since it makes it seem like they sleep in for a while. But you just have to adjust so they're not going to bed super late. I'm sure it'll be a struggle for a few days, but I'm glad we have enough time to adjust before the baby's born.
13 days til my Mom comes. 20 days til the baby comes!
I've been feeling really well the last few days. Today I had a momentary lapse of "I want to have the baby already" but not out of frustration or discomfort, just an eagerness. I feel like at this point it's purely a waiting game. I feel ready, the kids are excited, so now we just get to wait. Granted, I'll feel better about it all once my mom is here, but that's a little less than 2 weeks from now. I try to do something every day to feel like I'm getting ready. The crib has been set up for months, the clothes, blankets and whatnot out for weeks. I've been putting the final touches on our hospital bag. I've got my labor music on my mp3 player. I've got a baby book. I suppose we still need to borrow my bro-in-law's bassinet. We keep forgetting to mention it. Although his kiddos have been sick, so it's okay waiting. I'm starting to mentally prep myself. Positive thinking and all that. (For the pain of labor and whatnot.) I fully plan on getting some meds to help out. Last time I had an intrathecal, which was a non-permanent epidural. I really liked it. But if you get it too soon, it might wear off before the delivery, which I most certainly don't want. So I figure I have to hold out long enough to make it last through delivery. With Monkey I had it when I was dilated to about a 5 or so, and I delivered maybe an hour or hour and a half later. It was still fully functional, which was awesome. I loved being able to deliver without worrying about pain.
Tonight we're setting the clocks ahead. Don't forget. This can always do some serious damage to kid's schedules. We try our best to go with the flow. But we get them adjusting as quickly as possible. It seems like this change can be a bit easier since it makes it seem like they sleep in for a while. But you just have to adjust so they're not going to bed super late. I'm sure it'll be a struggle for a few days, but I'm glad we have enough time to adjust before the baby's born.
13 days til my Mom comes. 20 days til the baby comes!
Friday, March 11
What's The Use...
The other day Moose and I read a book. In it there was the line "I lost my lunch. What's the use?" For some reasom Moose picked up on this and kept repeating it over and over again. To our surprise, Monkey started repeating him, and she will now say over and over again "What use." It's so hilarious. I said "What's the use?" to her in the car tonight to see if she'd do it, since the hubs hadn't really heard it. She started repeating it over and over again and we were all laughing. Then Moose quoted another line from the book that says something about "burgers and fries". So then Monkey started saying "Boobers fries." over and over again. We just laughed harder. She's really talking so much, and mimics everything. It's just funny. She'll also say, multiple times a day, "sis, sesen, eight, nine, TEN!" It's so cute. I know it won't last forever, but it's definitely a fun stage.
Thursday, March 10
Another Day...
My plans for the day changed, but it was still a nice day. It was a tiny bit rainy, but it was in the mid-40s for most of the day, which was so nice! My doctor's appointment this morning was first moved, then cancelled completely. My doc had a c-section this morning, which is why they moved it. Then when the nurse called, she said there were 3 gals in labor, so she doubted I'd be able to get in today at all. She said I could go in and the nurse could do the regulars, and listen to the heartbeat, but since I'm doing well and don't have any concerns, I can just wait. Since I would've been going with Monkey, I decided waiting is just fine. So now I'm rescheduled for Monday, after the hubs gets home. So I actually get to go on my own!
I'm finding that I'm more and more able to "last" until the hubs gets home after 5. It's so ironic that I'd finally be getting to this point, now that we're adding another kid, and upping the difficulty level for me. But that's always how it is. You adjust to parenting in phases, and stages.
As I was sending Moose off to bed, he came to give me a good night hug and kiss. He also kissed my belly and said good night to the baby, telling her she was the bestest. He's getting more and more excited for her to come! (And for Grandma too!) It's so great. I love feeling his enthusiasm. It keeps me going. It's also nice that he understands so much. If I tell him I can't do something or need a few minutes because of discomfort he understands. Yesterday I had him fetch me my water bottle and tylenol from my dresser and he did it happily. He's such a great helper. I just know he's going to be a big help when the baby's born. (And when he's not having a bad day. That still does happen.)
15 days til Mom comes. 22 days til the baby comes!
I'm finding that I'm more and more able to "last" until the hubs gets home after 5. It's so ironic that I'd finally be getting to this point, now that we're adding another kid, and upping the difficulty level for me. But that's always how it is. You adjust to parenting in phases, and stages.
As I was sending Moose off to bed, he came to give me a good night hug and kiss. He also kissed my belly and said good night to the baby, telling her she was the bestest. He's getting more and more excited for her to come! (And for Grandma too!) It's so great. I love feeling his enthusiasm. It keeps me going. It's also nice that he understands so much. If I tell him I can't do something or need a few minutes because of discomfort he understands. Yesterday I had him fetch me my water bottle and tylenol from my dresser and he did it happily. He's such a great helper. I just know he's going to be a big help when the baby's born. (And when he's not having a bad day. That still does happen.)
15 days til Mom comes. 22 days til the baby comes!
Wednesday, March 9
Decent day...
Today was a decent day. The kiddos woke up too early, unfortunately, but I dealt. Fed them, got them set up with their shows and napped a tiny bit. Then we set off for the library and storytime. Today was the first time I was able to get Monkey to go and sit with Moose during the stories. I bribed her with fruit snacks. Unfortunately, every time she finished a fruit snack, she'd come back to me for another one, then go sit back down. But it was an improvement. Naps weren't fantastic either. Moose never fell asleep. He interrupted my bath to go potty, then came out and noisily shut the door 30 minutes later, which is most likely why Monkey came out a few minutes after that. All that happening while I was still in the bathtub. So it ended a little early. It's okay though. I wasn't terribly comfortable anyhow since I've been dealing with rib pains today. The bath only helps with my back. The ribs, it seems, aren't really helped by anything.
Still sleeping okay. (I know I'm amazingly fortunate in that regard. My sister spent her last pregnancy's third trimester sleeping in a recliner.) But I'm still finding myself completely exhausted by the end of the day. As I was chatting with my mom last night, we talked about what was going to keep us busy over the next few weeks. I know this little one will be born before we know it, but it's still hard to have that perspective all the time. So I've been trying to remind myself of what I have that will keep me busy for the next 2 weeks til my mom comes, the hubs has spring break, and I can sleep in as much as I need to.
Next week I'm hosting my last round of our preschool group. So that's Tuesday and Thursday, with prep time on Monday and Wednesday. Definitely something to keep me busy and keep my mind occupied. This Friday me and the hubs are going to tour the hospital. (Our first two were born in different states. This one is the same state as Monkey, but different city. New doctors, new hospitals.) And pick up registration paperwork. The week my mom comes I don't have a ton on the agenda, but I'm hoping it'll go quickly because it's so close to her coming. We'll see. Or maybe I'll just have to keep devouring books like I've been doing to keep myself occupied? Whatever works I guess. I'm also keeping a really close eye on the weather. Spring is trying so hard to make its way. Every day is a tiny bit warmer, and each day the ten-day forecast is a little bit warmer than it was the day before. Each day still forecasts rain or snow, or both. But so far we actually haven't had any of either. So I'm looking forward to the possible 50 degrees tomorrow. Once it gets warm enough, I can start going on walks outside. Oh, how I look forward to going on walks!
So let's hope I can keep myself busy, so I don't focus too much on how much time is left. I'm trying to stay positive. For me, a positive mental outlook changes everything, and keeps me feeling so much better. So think happy and productive thoughts for me. :)
16 days til Mom comes. 23 til baby comes.
Still sleeping okay. (I know I'm amazingly fortunate in that regard. My sister spent her last pregnancy's third trimester sleeping in a recliner.) But I'm still finding myself completely exhausted by the end of the day. As I was chatting with my mom last night, we talked about what was going to keep us busy over the next few weeks. I know this little one will be born before we know it, but it's still hard to have that perspective all the time. So I've been trying to remind myself of what I have that will keep me busy for the next 2 weeks til my mom comes, the hubs has spring break, and I can sleep in as much as I need to.
Next week I'm hosting my last round of our preschool group. So that's Tuesday and Thursday, with prep time on Monday and Wednesday. Definitely something to keep me busy and keep my mind occupied. This Friday me and the hubs are going to tour the hospital. (Our first two were born in different states. This one is the same state as Monkey, but different city. New doctors, new hospitals.) And pick up registration paperwork. The week my mom comes I don't have a ton on the agenda, but I'm hoping it'll go quickly because it's so close to her coming. We'll see. Or maybe I'll just have to keep devouring books like I've been doing to keep myself occupied? Whatever works I guess. I'm also keeping a really close eye on the weather. Spring is trying so hard to make its way. Every day is a tiny bit warmer, and each day the ten-day forecast is a little bit warmer than it was the day before. Each day still forecasts rain or snow, or both. But so far we actually haven't had any of either. So I'm looking forward to the possible 50 degrees tomorrow. Once it gets warm enough, I can start going on walks outside. Oh, how I look forward to going on walks!
So let's hope I can keep myself busy, so I don't focus too much on how much time is left. I'm trying to stay positive. For me, a positive mental outlook changes everything, and keeps me feeling so much better. So think happy and productive thoughts for me. :)
16 days til Mom comes. 23 til baby comes.
Tuesday, March 8
Packages...
I received a package in the mail today from my mom. Can I just say she is awesome? Well, this package is packed full of stuff for the baby. Two blankets, each with two matching burp cloths, a hoodie towel, and a quilted blanket. It's all so adorable. The kiddos were super excited to see what came, and then of course they both wanted to hold and carry around her stuff. So I had to go and pull out the kiddo's quilts. (They both received even more when they were born since they were the first boy and girl for us.) So now they both have their own quilts out, so they can leave the baby's stuff alone. There's just something fun and sweet about baby blankets and clothes. The clothes have been out and put away for a while now, so having our sweet package with new blankets and spit rags was too fun. My mom is insanely talented and I'm so lucky that she uses her time to make such amazing things for my kids. (They each have their own blanket that was knit or crocheted as well.)
I've been able to sleep comfortably the last few days, so I'm feeling more patient about waiting out my 3 1/2 weeks. I know it's such a short period of time really, but when you're being stretched about from the inside out, sometimes it's hard to be patient. And I can't wait to sleep without a pain in my ribs. (Or back.) I know the downers of the baby being out. (No longer having a 24/7 feeding/diaper changing service.) But I'm definitely looking forward to her being in my arms and out of my belly.
While I was reading to Moose today, the baby was doing some serious stretching. So we stopped reading his book and he felt the baby moving. When the baby moved under his hand, his face lit up, "She's moving!" It was so precious! Then I talked to him about how the baby is folded up with her feet in her face, and she'll need to come out head first, so she'll be upside down. Then he talked to her, telling her that she's "the bestest." Last, we looked at the calendar to see where we are today and when she's due to come. It was such a sweet moment for me. He's really so excited for her to come, and I think Monkey will follow suit. She's such a baby-enthusiast in general and I think she's understanding in her simple way that there is a baby coming.
17 days til Mom comes. 24 til our newest addition is due. :)
I've been able to sleep comfortably the last few days, so I'm feeling more patient about waiting out my 3 1/2 weeks. I know it's such a short period of time really, but when you're being stretched about from the inside out, sometimes it's hard to be patient. And I can't wait to sleep without a pain in my ribs. (Or back.) I know the downers of the baby being out. (No longer having a 24/7 feeding/diaper changing service.) But I'm definitely looking forward to her being in my arms and out of my belly.
While I was reading to Moose today, the baby was doing some serious stretching. So we stopped reading his book and he felt the baby moving. When the baby moved under his hand, his face lit up, "She's moving!" It was so precious! Then I talked to him about how the baby is folded up with her feet in her face, and she'll need to come out head first, so she'll be upside down. Then he talked to her, telling her that she's "the bestest." Last, we looked at the calendar to see where we are today and when she's due to come. It was such a sweet moment for me. He's really so excited for her to come, and I think Monkey will follow suit. She's such a baby-enthusiast in general and I think she's understanding in her simple way that there is a baby coming.
17 days til Mom comes. 24 til our newest addition is due. :)
Monday, March 7
One, Two, Three...
Today was alright. Monkey is still sick, and Moose has a slight cough. They woke up normal time. Monkey fell asleep just before noon watching Baby Einstein. Of course my attempt to carry her back to bed failed miserably. So I put them down together at 1, which meant the lights didn't turn off til 1:30. And ultimately Moose was in my bed by 2. She was awake by 3. I heard her playing first, then I heard sudden crying/screaming.
When I went in, I had no idea what to expect. She was sitting on her bed sans socks or pants. I thought she might's managed to pee on herself somehow. (Despite a fresh diaper) I still don't really know what happened. But I think she was trying to take her diaper off. She had a gnarly poo in there and I think something freaked her out. She didn't get it off. (Hallelujah!) She only managed to pull off one tab. But I ended up changing her, and then thanking my lucky stars that I didn't just become a parent with a "my kid smeared poo on the wall" story. Fortunately, my kids will never touch poo voluntarily.
Anywho, we just put them down. She is so exhausted. Poor thing. On the bright side, she can count to ten. Randomly she'll say "six, seven, eight, nine, TEN". It's so darn cute. I've been trying out small "preschool" activities with her. I started Moose when he was a bit older than her, but she sees him doing it all the time, I thought it might be good to give her her own things. So we've been doing colors. She's so darn good at them, I think it's time to move to counting. She can also repeat back the alphabet. Never tried that til today, but she'll repeat back any letter you give her. I love it.
So all in all a decent day. Hoping the kids sleep better tonight and that I continue to sleep well. The better the sleep I get, the more relaxed I am about being pregnant another day. It's when I have a few uncomfortable days that I become the grouchy lady who tells people how tired she is of being pregnant. I'm really okay with it. As long as I can get decent sleep. Today was a good day in that regard. Oh, and I think the little one had hiccups today. First time that I can recall for her.
18 days til my Mom comes! (Is it sad that I had to pull up the calculator to figure that out? Don't answer that.)
When I went in, I had no idea what to expect. She was sitting on her bed sans socks or pants. I thought she might's managed to pee on herself somehow. (Despite a fresh diaper) I still don't really know what happened. But I think she was trying to take her diaper off. She had a gnarly poo in there and I think something freaked her out. She didn't get it off. (Hallelujah!) She only managed to pull off one tab. But I ended up changing her, and then thanking my lucky stars that I didn't just become a parent with a "my kid smeared poo on the wall" story. Fortunately, my kids will never touch poo voluntarily.
Anywho, we just put them down. She is so exhausted. Poor thing. On the bright side, she can count to ten. Randomly she'll say "six, seven, eight, nine, TEN". It's so darn cute. I've been trying out small "preschool" activities with her. I started Moose when he was a bit older than her, but she sees him doing it all the time, I thought it might be good to give her her own things. So we've been doing colors. She's so darn good at them, I think it's time to move to counting. She can also repeat back the alphabet. Never tried that til today, but she'll repeat back any letter you give her. I love it.
So all in all a decent day. Hoping the kids sleep better tonight and that I continue to sleep well. The better the sleep I get, the more relaxed I am about being pregnant another day. It's when I have a few uncomfortable days that I become the grouchy lady who tells people how tired she is of being pregnant. I'm really okay with it. As long as I can get decent sleep. Today was a good day in that regard. Oh, and I think the little one had hiccups today. First time that I can recall for her.
18 days til my Mom comes! (Is it sad that I had to pull up the calculator to figure that out? Don't answer that.)
Sunday, March 6
Sunshine...
I just have to say that today was fantastic. For those who are in warmer climates, it won't mean much, but it was almost 45 outside, so we all went for a walk this afternoon. We still ended up trudging through some ice piles and the kids totally got mud all over their shoes. But it was awesome. It felt so good. I love looking at the weather every day because each day's predictions are warmer than the last. I'm hoping that within a week, it will actually look like spring in the forecast. We're still too close (degree wise) to the snow zone, that it's not spring yet. But more and more days are forecasting in the low and mid 40's. So perhaps in a while, it'll be upper 40's, low 50's? I sure do hope so! (I know my Mom hopes so too!) I really don't want my baby to be born in the winter. I want to be able to get out and walk around these next few weeks. That's what we did before Monkey was born and I just loved it. And I want to be able to get out (should I desire it) after the baby's born. Choosing to stay inside is one thing, but having to stay in because the weather is yucky is entirely another.
Today Monkey was a bit sick. Boo. She's got some congestion and a runny nose. At this point, anything she gets could be her two year molars coming in, so we don't know for sure what it is, but there is so much yuckiness going around right now that it's a no-brainer. Keeping her in, doing whatever we can to get her better. Moose has a little cough too, but it seems like kids get those constantly and it doesn't necessarily mean anything most of the time. So unless something else comes up for him, I'm not gonna make a fuss about it. I do hope they don't get sick. I'd hate to have sick kids in the house before the baby's born. Although it's still early enough that they could get better before she comes.
Slept so great last night. It was so fantastic. Hoping that whatever it was (possibly tylenol every 4) works again tonight so I can be that comfy again. Although tomorrow I won't have the luxury of sleeping in til 8:30 since the hubs has work. But I'll sleep in as long as I can. My kids are pretty reasonable about it.
19 days til Mom comes. Yay!
Today Monkey was a bit sick. Boo. She's got some congestion and a runny nose. At this point, anything she gets could be her two year molars coming in, so we don't know for sure what it is, but there is so much yuckiness going around right now that it's a no-brainer. Keeping her in, doing whatever we can to get her better. Moose has a little cough too, but it seems like kids get those constantly and it doesn't necessarily mean anything most of the time. So unless something else comes up for him, I'm not gonna make a fuss about it. I do hope they don't get sick. I'd hate to have sick kids in the house before the baby's born. Although it's still early enough that they could get better before she comes.
Slept so great last night. It was so fantastic. Hoping that whatever it was (possibly tylenol every 4) works again tonight so I can be that comfy again. Although tomorrow I won't have the luxury of sleeping in til 8:30 since the hubs has work. But I'll sleep in as long as I can. My kids are pretty reasonable about it.
19 days til Mom comes. Yay!
Saturday, March 5
Day Trip...
So we did make our day trip. The kids had a fantastic time with the in-laws, for which I am super grateful. But most of all, I learned that I will never again travel 3 1/2 hours one way and 3 hours back (the way there took longer because of weather) when I am 36 weeks pregnant. Never again.
My back is killing me. We are both so super tired. The kids were tired. They're already in bed. We're going to turn our brains off and watch something on tv. Something. Then be in bed. Probably by 8:30. Hope you are all having a great weekend. Our trip was great. But exhausting. Now I'm back to counting down til this little one is no longer weighing me down from the inside out.
20 days til my Mom comes. :) Oh, and I probably have never mentioned, I have a sister due 4 weeks after me. Probably less since she's scheduling a c-section. And I have 2 sister in laws that are pregnant. Babies are just always coming in my family. :)
My back is killing me. We are both so super tired. The kids were tired. They're already in bed. We're going to turn our brains off and watch something on tv. Something. Then be in bed. Probably by 8:30. Hope you are all having a great weekend. Our trip was great. But exhausting. Now I'm back to counting down til this little one is no longer weighing me down from the inside out.
20 days til my Mom comes. :) Oh, and I probably have never mentioned, I have a sister due 4 weeks after me. Probably less since she's scheduling a c-section. And I have 2 sister in laws that are pregnant. Babies are just always coming in my family. :)
Friday, March 4
Second Try...
So tomorrow me and the hubs are making a second attempt at that day trip I mentioned last week. But we won't be for sure until we check the roads in the morning. But so far this week, the weather has been much more favorable than last. We'll see.
4 more weeks. Officially. 3 more til Mom comes. 21 days exactly. I have been feeling so much more tired in the evenings than I used to. I can only blame that on pregnancy. I even slept pretty good last night. I don't remember this amount of exhaustion with my other pregnancies, but back then I wasn't tending to 2 kids while being pregnant. Makes a huge difference. I'm most certainly gearing up for this pregnancy to be done so we can move on to the next phase.
The other night I thought to myself, "Am I read to be woken up multiple times each night to breastfeed this baby?" The answer was a quick, "No." But are you ever? Again, "No." But at least I'll be able to sleep so much more soundly in between those times. Right now I probably don't wake up as much as I will, but my sleep is not nearly as restful as it could be. Back pain, rib pain, potty breaks, etc. Not to mention no more acrobatics going on in my innards. I'm ready for it. Let's cut the leash on this lady and get rolling!
No, I really don't want to deliver very early. Monkey was 5 days early and that was great. But I want to be able to take my baby home 24 hours after delivery. (After 4 days in the hospital with Moose, we left asap with Monkey. It was awesome!) No NICU for me. So I'll suck it up for the next few weeks. Although once my mom is here, bets are off. I'll be doing whatever I can to get the ball rolling. :)
4 more weeks. Officially. 3 more til Mom comes. 21 days exactly. I have been feeling so much more tired in the evenings than I used to. I can only blame that on pregnancy. I even slept pretty good last night. I don't remember this amount of exhaustion with my other pregnancies, but back then I wasn't tending to 2 kids while being pregnant. Makes a huge difference. I'm most certainly gearing up for this pregnancy to be done so we can move on to the next phase.
The other night I thought to myself, "Am I read to be woken up multiple times each night to breastfeed this baby?" The answer was a quick, "No." But are you ever? Again, "No." But at least I'll be able to sleep so much more soundly in between those times. Right now I probably don't wake up as much as I will, but my sleep is not nearly as restful as it could be. Back pain, rib pain, potty breaks, etc. Not to mention no more acrobatics going on in my innards. I'm ready for it. Let's cut the leash on this lady and get rolling!
No, I really don't want to deliver very early. Monkey was 5 days early and that was great. But I want to be able to take my baby home 24 hours after delivery. (After 4 days in the hospital with Moose, we left asap with Monkey. It was awesome!) No NICU for me. So I'll suck it up for the next few weeks. Although once my mom is here, bets are off. I'll be doing whatever I can to get the ball rolling. :)
Thursday, March 3
Using Our Time...
So the other day (when the internet went on the fritz) I had a blog all planned out. So I'm going to share it today. Lately I've had a pretty genius idea that I stumbled upon but has been awesome. It's a new way for using Moose's computer game time and movie/show time. He gets 1 hour of computer games each day and 2 hours for tv/movies. (His longest movie is 2 hours. Cars.) On occasion he would get so bummed out because he'd use all his computer time at once, and then not be able to play the rest of the day. So the change we've made is, I give him computer, and occasionally tv watching, in 20 minute increments. It works awesome for his computer time. When he is watching episodes of shows (lately it's been 1984 Transformers via Netflix) they're generally about 20 minutes. He rarely watches movies anymore, so this works great. In between his computer or tv time, he'll do school activities (practicing writing, activity books, reading, etc.) or just have active playtime alone or with Monkey. Normally he's not allowed to do either tv or computer back to back anyhow, just as policy. But this really spreads his inactive time throughout the day instead of clumping it into big chunks, and I've found that there are days now when he doesn't even use all the time. Like today. He only used 40 minutes of computer time, and maybe one hour of tv time. All of which were spread out throughout the day. And it gets him doing more of his school activities at home, which is always a plus. As I've gotten further along in the pregnancy we've done less of our school stuff. But he really enjoys it when I buckle down and do it. His reading is improving dramatically as well as his writing. And I feel better when I can keep him doing productive things, outside of sitting on the computer or infront of the tv. I know once spring and summer hit, that won't nearly be as much of a problem, but it's still nice to keep him more active now.
I had my doctor's visit today. I'll be back there next Thursday. My weight gain is now around 24 pounds. As of tomorrow I'll have 4 weeks left. 22 days til my Mom arrives. The rib pain is still there, although not nearly as bad as yesterday. Yesterday was pretty awful. Since I had to get a "lady swab" done to make sure I don't have some bacterial deal (which I've not had for my previous two kiddos) the doc asked me if I wanted to be "checked". (To see if I'm dilating or effacing yet. Pre-delivery preparations.) I figured, why not? So she did. Nothing yet. Which is good. It's a bit early for me to start dilating. She did say things were soft, which I take to mean that the effacing should move along as the weeks whittle down. So far that's the pattern for me. I'll be totally effaced, and just dilate a tiny bit. Then when labor picks up, I'll dilate super fast, and it'll be pure pressure as the head moves south. So great to think about, I know. But I think I'm finally figuring out how I do labor and delivery. As long as this little one doesn't try to throw any curve balls. Like being breech. But let's not think negatively, shall we? I've had such an awesome pregnancy. I know I'll be uncomfortable until she drops, which will probably be in 2 weeks. And after that I'll be much more comfortable. So I'll deal with these 2 weeks, and then take it from there. Until then, tylenol and tums will be my good friends. :)
I had my doctor's visit today. I'll be back there next Thursday. My weight gain is now around 24 pounds. As of tomorrow I'll have 4 weeks left. 22 days til my Mom arrives. The rib pain is still there, although not nearly as bad as yesterday. Yesterday was pretty awful. Since I had to get a "lady swab" done to make sure I don't have some bacterial deal (which I've not had for my previous two kiddos) the doc asked me if I wanted to be "checked". (To see if I'm dilating or effacing yet. Pre-delivery preparations.) I figured, why not? So she did. Nothing yet. Which is good. It's a bit early for me to start dilating. She did say things were soft, which I take to mean that the effacing should move along as the weeks whittle down. So far that's the pattern for me. I'll be totally effaced, and just dilate a tiny bit. Then when labor picks up, I'll dilate super fast, and it'll be pure pressure as the head moves south. So great to think about, I know. But I think I'm finally figuring out how I do labor and delivery. As long as this little one doesn't try to throw any curve balls. Like being breech. But let's not think negatively, shall we? I've had such an awesome pregnancy. I know I'll be uncomfortable until she drops, which will probably be in 2 weeks. And after that I'll be much more comfortable. So I'll deal with these 2 weeks, and then take it from there. Until then, tylenol and tums will be my good friends. :)
Wednesday, March 2
Owies...
Today was a day of owies for Monkey. She literally had 3 breakdowns within 15 minutes while I was cooking dinner. This morning, she fell next to the piano and hit the corner of the piano leg with the side of her head. She had a nice white welt after that one. My favorite of the day was when she got mad at me for taking her off the table (she was literally laying on the table, which is not allowed, and didn't take my offer to get off on her own.) so she ran full speed into the kitchen and right into the oven door. Her forehead hit the long handle for opening the oven. It was so sad and so pathetic. Even better, she was mad at me - since the whole thing was my fault - so Moose had to comfort her and make her feel better. She can be so much more dramatic than Moose ever was at this age. Must be a girl thing. :)
I've had my own share of owies too, unfortunately. The last few nights I've been unable to lay on my side without a nasty pain in my right rib. So last night I did my best to lay on my back (propped up, of course) the whole night. For me, that's just not natural. So I slept much better than the night before, but still not great. But I've been dealing with the rib pain for a large portion of the day. (I always forget to even try tylenol during the day. It might not even help, but I need to remember to try.) Then by the time the kiddos went to bed, my back was hurting too. Fortunately, a nice long - hot - bath helped the back pain. It doesn't help the rib pain. I've tried. I'd have to be in a jacuzzi sized tub for it to help that, I think. This discomfort is making me feel more and more ready for this little lady to be out.
Now I just have to prep myself for the pain of labor. I haven't mentally geared myself up for it yet, and when I was thinking about it earlier today I was feeling less than ready. But I've done it before, I can do it again. 4 more weeks. 3 more til Mom comes. We're officially counting down til she gets here. (me and Moose) 23 days. :) I told Monkey she was coming and she got so excited. I doubt she really remembers my mom, but I know they'll have a blast. Well, I'm going to go veg on the couch until the hubs gets home. Perhaps chew on a tums. Doctor's visit tomorrow. Every week now. Oh goodness. :)
PS, I was totally prepped to blog last night, but the internet was on the fritz. I wasn't just being lazy. :)
I've had my own share of owies too, unfortunately. The last few nights I've been unable to lay on my side without a nasty pain in my right rib. So last night I did my best to lay on my back (propped up, of course) the whole night. For me, that's just not natural. So I slept much better than the night before, but still not great. But I've been dealing with the rib pain for a large portion of the day. (I always forget to even try tylenol during the day. It might not even help, but I need to remember to try.) Then by the time the kiddos went to bed, my back was hurting too. Fortunately, a nice long - hot - bath helped the back pain. It doesn't help the rib pain. I've tried. I'd have to be in a jacuzzi sized tub for it to help that, I think. This discomfort is making me feel more and more ready for this little lady to be out.
Now I just have to prep myself for the pain of labor. I haven't mentally geared myself up for it yet, and when I was thinking about it earlier today I was feeling less than ready. But I've done it before, I can do it again. 4 more weeks. 3 more til Mom comes. We're officially counting down til she gets here. (me and Moose) 23 days. :) I told Monkey she was coming and she got so excited. I doubt she really remembers my mom, but I know they'll have a blast. Well, I'm going to go veg on the couch until the hubs gets home. Perhaps chew on a tums. Doctor's visit tomorrow. Every week now. Oh goodness. :)
PS, I was totally prepped to blog last night, but the internet was on the fritz. I wasn't just being lazy. :)
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