Wednesday, March 27, 2013

The End

I know you've all come here to see pictures of the new baby, but I'm tricking you in posting just another pregnancy update. This is odd because I'm almost 95% sure that this will be the last one I ever write. 

Weight: I gained 1 pound according to the doctor's scale. So overall this pregnancy I gained 42ish pounds, which compared to the 55 pounds last time, that's pretty amazing. And I started about 7-8 pounds lighter this time around too.

Maternity Clothes: I am waiting to put away these maternity clothes once and for all. I will say that wearing maternity clothes is pretty limiting and I would recommend opting to splurge a bit and buy some cute ones. Hindsight is 20/20.

Stretch marks/belly button: Same -No stretch marks and the belly button is still not permanently out.

Baby Movements: Lots of them. And she loves kicking my right ribs with her foot. It also feels like she's punching my pelvis at times, which is just as comfortable and lovely as that sounds.

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing. I'm getting heartburn again -mostly when I'm too full. But it's hard to prevent it because my appetite is so much smaller so the quantity of food I am able to consume is much less than I'm used to.

What I miss: Being able to stand on one foot! I have a lot of pelvic pressure and climbing in and out of bed (mostly Callan's) has proven to be challenging since standing on one foot straddling the bed rail is pretty painful.

Other: I am supposed to be getting induced today (actually as we speak), but I've been turned away! Well, not really, that was just my very dramatic way of saying that it hasn't happened yet. We got a nice early time
slot (5:30 AM) and at 7:30 they told us to go home. Sigh, now we're just waiting for a call back. What the heck, isn't the whole point of scheduling this so you know when it's going to happen? Guess not... maybe nature will take over and I'll have to go in and be admitted.

The (hopefully) last picture taken of the belly... this is what 40+ lbs looks like!


Dear Callan: Month 23

Dear Callan-

This month you are 23 months old. That means next month you turn TWO! What, the what? I still remember finding out I was pregnant with you like it was yesterday... and then you turning ONE just a hot minute ago. Sigh.

This month was just as amazing as the last. Although, let's be honest, you've got your toddler moments where you L-O-V-E to stomp your feet and scream, but when those pass you're back to your usual self. You are chatting up a storm (although, seriously, where are those sentences?!?) and you comprehend an amazing amount of stuff. You know your A-B-Cs and numbers (or as much as an almost 2 year old can), colors and you've started potty training. This is obviously all Adelia's doing, but I'll take credit for the genes :)

You LOVE the ipad, watching Elmo and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I know we need to get better about limiting your screen time, but I like to pretend it's "educational" and it sometimes gives mama a few minutes to get ready for work (when you've decided to start your day at 5 am!). You still love books (current favorites are Dr. Seuss' Cat and the Hat and One Fish, Two Fish, which are REALLY long to have as bedtime stories!) and your play kitchen (you especially like to "mix" and "flip"). You also learn lots of "tricks" during your day home with dad. He's teaching you "karate" and it is so flipping cute.

Your bedtime antics are still in full force, with some days being better than others, but at this point I figure you were just prepping us for the baby and you'll eventually (hopefully) go back to your good sleep ways.

Playing the '"lay-lee", one of your favorite things.


On one of your many McDonald's dates with Adelia.

Getting ready for baby -testing out the chair to make sure it's safe.

So happy eating breakfast.

And your favorite past time -BATH TIME!

What else? I'm not sure. This month has been kind of a blur. I can't believe you're almost TWO. This month is a special one as it is the last one as an only child. I know you're going to love being a big brother and you're already so excited to see/meet/hold your baby sister, but I also know that you're going to be a little mad at me since all my energy and focus won't be on you. You are such a mama's boy and I am by far and large your favorite person (although you never name me as your best friend when asked). But no matter what, no matter how you might feel, whether this week, next or in 10 years, you are always my number one little man and I will always love you to the moon and back. 

You are an amazing little man and I have loved every minute of being your mama.

Love,
Mama



Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Week 38 -the end (ish)

Weight: I didn't gain anything since last week and may have even lost a little. I haven't been super hungry recently, so other than the gallon of orange juice I've been drinking a week, I actually have a fairly normal diet.

Maternity Clothes: Yes and I am getting sick of them. I see all the cute clothes around me and I can't wait to dress like a normal person again.

Stretch marks/belly button: Same -No stretch marks, but the belly button threatens to pop out permanently. Right now it still wavers.

Baby Movements: She seems to have a decent amount of room in there or at least it seems that way based on her movements. Towards the end it's supposed to get less agitated, but she's still bouncing around.

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing new to report. Same as last week. My appetite has definitely diminished and I'm not having full out aversions, but something that sounded delicious to me a minute ago now is the furthest thing from what I want.

What I miss: Lying on my stomach! I've been lying in bed to read Callan's books and I gravitate towards lying on my stomach and that is a definite no go.

Other: The swelling seems to have calmed down a bit (probably helps that I'm not eating as much) and I've decided to become a sensible person and stop wearing heels. I'm still working (and commuting on the train), but those days are definitely numbered. We are actually contemplating an induction next Wednesday (when I would be 39 weeks). I technically am a good candidate since I've already started dilating and effacing (funnily enough, I'm at the same point I was last pregnancy. Between the last 2 appointments I didn't gain any weight and I didn't dilate any more, but I'm slightly more effaced --just like last time!) and I had pitocin last time so I know I won't have a crazy reaction to it. And it makes sense. We could get someone to come in and help for a bit, we wouldn't have to worry about Callan and Huge's work schedule is perfectly aligned as he'd be home for 2 weeks straight. So it seems like the best thing to do, but for some reason I'm really hesitating. Part of it is knowing that life as we know it is about to totally change (which, I get logically was going to happen anyway, but maybe knowing that there's a deadline now makes it different? Who knows -can you really reason with a pregnant lady?) or having to really acknowledge it's about to happen with a finite countdown -like this could be Callan's last week as an only child... The good news is technically I don't have to decide until next Tuesday, but in reality if this is going to happen we've got to decide a heck of a lot sooner so we can get our ducks in a row. And in other news, Huge is away again this weekend... Can a 9 month pregnant lady and an almost 2 year old assemble a crib and put together a baby's room on their own?!? haha. And if we schedule this induction is it going to be Murphy's law where the baby is going to come even earlier because I am having some serious Braxton-Hicks today!

Of course, here's today's picture... Don't be alarmed by the giant-ness!


Friday, March 15, 2013

Week 37 -full term (already?!?)

Wowsers, I'm full term already. How did that happen?

Weight: I've hit 40 lbs... I've always been an overachiever (at least when it comes to weight).
Maternity Clothes: Yup and the shirts are getting s-h-o-r-t. You'll see in the picture below that unless my pants have a full belly panel, there's a possibility of feeling a draft on the bottom of my belly. I'm still in my puffy coat though. Good thing I decided this was the last year for it because the zipper is getting tested on a daily basis.
 
Stretch marks/belly button: No stretch marks, but the belly button threatens to pop out permanently. Right now it still wavers.
 
Baby Movements: She has gotten into a nice comfy head down, spine out position (perfect for delivery). She's still pretty active and lots of kicks to the ribs.
 
Cravings/Aversions: Nothing new to report. Although my appetite has definitely diminished. I used to eat like a truck driver (or a high school football player), but recently I've had to remind myself to eat a proper meal (somehow I don't forget to eat my daily share of candy).

What I miss: I miss being able to walk briskly for long periods of time. Going to the store seems like a long trek. There's also lots of Braxton Hicks and pelvic pressure which make walking briskly somewhat challenging.
 
Other: We had our 36 week ultrasound, which confirmed baby G's head down position. She also was measuring at an estimated size of 6 lbs 11 oz (about 70th percentile). Interestingly enough, Callan was 6 lbs 8 oz at his growth ultrasound appointment (I also wore the same shirt in that week's picture and I'm definitely more giant this time around). It also looks like I've dropped and the swelling has started. It's not too terrible, but it's definitely starting. I'm also slightly dilated (almost 2cm) and slightly effaced (50%), which was again where I was last time around so we are right on track.

 

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Snow days

We have had a ton of snow this winter. Thankfully some of us don't mind.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Dear Callan: month 22

Dear Callan-
Guess what, this letter is weeks late! You turned 22 months old (on the 22nd of last month), which means that you're two months away from being two and about a month away from being a big brother. This month has flown by (just like last month -or you know, the last 22 of them).

You are getting bigger and bigger every day and seeing you with smaller kids just reinforces this fact. You love babies and want to hold and kiss them, which is so sweet. This past month you got to meet your cousin Noah, mama's friends' baby Nate and Ellis' new sister, Rosie. You take an interest in the babies and love being around them. You're going to be such a great, gentle big brother.


You've got lots of words in your repertoire and you've got lots of opinions that you're not afraid to share. In fact, your new method of communication mostly involves you pointing, yelling and stomping your feet. Especially when you're not getting what you want fast enough. We're trying to teach you to "ask nicely" and to stop whining/stomping, but I'm not sure you're really getting it although your stomping will then include a bunch of "please"s -both verbal and signed (just for reinforcement). You still aren't stringing a whole lot of words together, but you've got a pretty decent vocabulary, so I'm not worried. I'm sure one day you're going to figure it all out and then there will be no stopping you.

As you approach your second birthday we're thinking more seriously of potty training you. You've been sitting on the potty for awhile now with Adelia, and it's part of your routine, but when we ask you on the weekends if you want to go and sit on it, we usually get a firm no. You like to sit on it when someone else is in the bathroom, but you're using it more for a seat than an actual potty. Somehow though Adelia gets you to use it...


Speaking of Adelia, you do a lot of things for Adelia that you DO NOT do for mama or dada. One of which is sleep in your bed. Somehow for naps she has figured out how to get you to get yourself to your room, shut the door and lie in your bed to nap. I hear that it is not without complaint (there's a good amount of crying/yelling), but somehow you do it. But at night for bedtime, you have become a TERRIBLE sleeper. Maybe it was because mama was so smug at the smooth transition we had from crib to toddler bed, but I guess you needed to prove us wrong. It's been over a month and the first 3 weeks were amazing. I put you in bed and you stayed there. You might wake up at night, but you got yourself back to sleep (in bed). This past week? Well that's another story... you wake up at night and immediately run out of your room and into ours. You want to sleep in our bed with us and you wake up 2-3 times a night -meaning mama has to wake up 2-3 times a night to get you back into bed. The other thing is that you used to sleep until 7 or 8. This past week we've been lucky if we make it to 6. I love seeing you in the morning before I go to work, but it makes getting ready for work awfully hard, especially when your dada is out of town. I'm tempted to lock you in your room, but I'm kind of nervous about how that will go down. I would love to get this sleep situation cleared up before baby girl G arrives, but I'm also aware that the days of this individualized attention are numbered. Maybe you can figure it out on your own?
It's a good thing you're so stinking cute.

You are totally obsessed with airplanes and lucky for you, we got to take another flight this month to visit everyone out in Boston. We spent lots of quality time with family and mama and dada got to catch up with some friends.




We've gotten a bunch of snow this year, both in Chicago and in Boston. There was a giant snowstorm that delayed our trip when we went to go visit nana and papa in Boston, but it meant there was lots of snow for you to play in - you got to build your first snowman in Boston and you had so much fun getting pulled around in a sled.




Munchkin, we've only got a few weeks left before the newest munchkin arrives, but even for all the bumps in the road (tantrums, sleep, etc), we've had such a good month together.


Happy 22 months.
Love,
Mama

 


Friday, March 1, 2013

35/35 -35 weeks down, 35 days left...

We are at that point where we're 35 weeks down and have 35 days left. That means there's a month (at most) left for this little girl to cook... This has gone by way too fast, but I'm excited to see this new little munchkin.

Weight: So, we're at 37 lbs... Ya...
Maternity Clothes: Yup and the shirts are getting shorter and shorter. I'm miraculously still fitting into my winter puffy coat, although by the end of a day (or after a big meal), it's definitely tight around the belly and I need to unzip it from the bottom a bit to sit comfortably.

Stretch marks/belly button: Still no stretch marks. This clearly goes to show that it's mostly genetics/luck that play into it. If it was just weight gain or size, I think I would have a bazillion already. The belly button is pretty flat and sometimes sticks out. It's not all the time and it's usually just one side (the left), which makes it look even odder. I'm not as weirded out by it as I thought I would be.

Baby Movements: Still rolling, kicking, punching and moving about. She's pretty active and every now and again she'll get something stuck up under my ribs (mostly my right side), where I'll have to gently coax her to move. She was breech at the beginning, so I'm hoping all this movement is just her way of settling into a nice head down position.

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing new to report. Same old, same old.

What I miss: After a day of eating and sitting, the belly's getting kind of uncomfortable, but considering my size I feel pretty lucky. I also miss being able to walk up the stairs/carry Callan or play comfortably on the the floor with him. I'm assuming the last few weeks are just going to get worse, but again, considering my size (and stage of pregnancy), I feel pretty lucky.

Other: Still feeling calm about everything. I've been talking to friends who have 2 and although I know it's not going to be a walk in the park, I'm not thinking it's going to be so difficult. Huge (of course) is freaking out a bit, but my philosophy is sort of like I'll get through it and there are tons of people who have gone through this before me. I may not remember what the first few weeks of newborn life are like, but we got through them (I do remember I made Huge come home early one day, but by the time he got home I was totally over whatever it was that I freaked out about). I think my expectations are realistic, but I'm also pretty optimistic that in the end it'll be fine.

I have a doctor's appointment and ultrasound in a couple of weeks, so it'll be interesting to see just how big this child is (I'm going with giant. I had a 2 vessel umbilical cord last time with Callan, which usually causes some growth restriction and yet I still managed to birth an 8lb, 21 inch baby) and maybe get a better idea of when I should prepare myself for her arrival.

Here's this week's picture so you can envision for yourself how giant this baby girl will be:


Don't mind Callan in the corner, he wanted to get in on the action. Also, yes, I know we're missing Callan's 22 month newsletter... it's not denial it's just a lack of time right now.