33 Weeks!

Hard to believe that we are already 33 weeks into this pregnancy! It really has gone by fast, with everything that has been going on around here over the past 6 months or so! So, as much as I despise doing it, I asked Ray to do a few belly photos. I always feel like such a dork doing this, but I know I will regret it later if I don't! As I have been with the past 3 pregnancies, I am huge. Ginormous. I hardly have any clothes that fit me anymore. Overall I feel pretty good still, but I am getting increasingly more uncomfortable and achy as these last few weeks go by. We are ready to meet our newest arrival! I have had lots of fun going through what is left of Emmy's old baby clothes, and a wonderful friend has let us borrow some of her baby items and clothes. The kids are super excited to meet their new sister. She will be here before we know it! :)

Introducing.... My Gummy Bear

So, our little gummy bear is finally here! I wanted to post this last week, but it has been a bit busy. Gummy arrived on December 18, just after midnight. He weighed 8 lbs, 13 oz, and was 19 3/4 inches long. And he is so cute!













I was scheduled to be induced on the 18th. I did not really want to be induced, but I also did not want to take the chance of being in the hospital on Christmas day. And since my due date was the 2oth, my OB said it would be a great idea to just induce on Friday. Anyways, I had one last OB appointment on Thursday morning, the 17th. I was already at 4 cm dilated, 100 % effaced, so I was definitely ready. As a last ditch effort to avoid the induction, I asked her to strip my membranes again (maybe I am crazy. It hurts. And it didn't work the week before). However, this time it worked! My contractions started around 3:30 that afternoon, just after I got home from picking up Emmy at school. The got regular pretty quickly, and by 6:00, the contractions were getting much more intense, and about 5 minutes apart. I took a shower, got our things together, and we left for the hospital, arriving there around 8:00 pm. I was 5-6 cm by that point.

I got my epidural shortly after I arrived, which was wonderful. My OB broke my water and gave me just a bit of pitocin, and a couple of hours later, with about 3 pushes, our Gummy Bear was born, at 12:23 am on the 18th. He is healthy, sweet, a good sleeper and eater.

We got home Sunday morning, the 20th. He has jaundice pretty bad, so we have been to the pediatrician already a couple of times to be rechecked, but hopefully he should start looking "less yellow" over the next couple of days. We had a nice Christmas yesterday (which I will write about later) and right now we are just adjusting to having a new little one in the house!

Still Pregnant...

Well, I am 39 weeks, 3 days, and still pregnant and miserable. I have one last check at my OB tomorrow morning, then I am scheduled to be induced on Friday - so at this point, it is looking like that is how it is going to go. I may be absent for a bit (although I think I still have one scheduled post coming up), so Merry Christmas everyone! I will try to at least post a quick birth announcement next week! :)

Baby Update

So, Gummy Bear has not arrived yet. 2 weeks ago when I started feeling miserable, I was sure he would be here by now - I was having random contractions, cramping, etc - but yet I am still pregnant. I am really not complaining too much, because I have felt pretty good this week. At my OB appointment this morning, I was 3 cm dilated, 80 % effaced. She stripped my membranes, said my water was bulging, and asked me if I wanted to be induced on Monday. I had a momentary freak out, because I was NOT expecting that, despite the fact that I am SO ready for him to arrive.

I decided to give it one more week, hoping to go into labor on my own. If not, I will be induced next Friday, 2 days before my official due date. Which is perfect, because I know for sure that I will be home for Christmas, which was one of my biggest worries. Also, next Friday is Ray and my 10 year wedding anniversary.. so it is a special day anyway. Why not have a baby? lol.

That is the update - he could still be here anytime, but next Friday at the latest. :)

35 Weeks...

Ready for Gummy Bear!

Less than 7 weeks until my due date, and I am ready! I spent this past weekend getting the baby's nursery ready. Most of it was ready already, since he will be in Pooky's old room, but I spent a lot of time scrubbing the baseboards and walls, washing baby clothes and bedding, hanging pictures, fixing the window valance... the room is ready to go! It is so nice to have this done, since with Pooky, we were in process of moving, so I was not able to do anything with the nursery until after he was born (for those of you who may remember, I was in labor ON moving day!) Here we go!



One view of the room











The other side of the room....








All the clean baby clothes, folded, ready to be worn!







I even picked up a pack of newborn size diapers... I feel ready now!

Awesome

Yuck. Husband had flu-like symptoms for the past 3 days - fever, cough, etc. Both kids came down with it today. Still have 2 extra kids here for daycare, who of course have also been exposed to our illness already, so they might as well keep coming over. Tomorrow should be extra fun.

I got my first random comment from some guy while standing in the checkout line at the grocery store ~ "You look like you might have your baby before we get out of this checkout line!".

Yes, I might just stand here for the next 2 months. Why do people say dumb things??

Praying for a quick recovery of my family, praying that I will not get it, and hopefully the dude in the grocery store realized after he spoke that he is a moron.

3rd Trimester...

29 weeks....

And because I couldn't just post a photo of myself without snarking, I am loving my double chin. And the way my boobs have sort of disappeared and merged into my belly.

But seriously, I do love being pregnant. I really do. The belly is awesome. Feeling all the kicking and movement is indescribable. No greater feeling.




P.S. Photo credit to my darling hubby. Thanks Ray, much better than me propping up the camera on a table and using the timer to get a decent belly shot of myself....

Update

So I did really well getting back into blogging for a week - then I fell off the face of the planet again... oh well.

Updates:
Emmy seems to be doing well in school. She is finishing her 3rd week, likes her teacher, making new friends, everything is going well. Her teacher did mention to me last week briefly that they are looking at getting her help with her speech (which I knew was coming) but so far nothing else has happened with that. She still has trouble pronouncing her L's, K's, and G's.

Pooky is still potty training and doing fabulously. He has been dry now for 2 weeks straight, no accidents. He is wearing his new big boys all the time, except bedtime, and most mornings he wakes up dry as well. We are still working on the poo-poos. We had one success last week, then lots of not-successes. :) Still working on it, but I am very happy with how he is doing!

I am 24 weeks along now! Went in for my glucose test this morning. That orange drink is awful - it made me so nauseous... otherwise everything is great, Baby Gummy is moving and kicking like crazy now, and I still feel pretty good.

Beautiful weather this week... makes me wish fall would hurry up and stay. However, this is S.C. and we still have a few more weeks of the hot weather before it turns nice again.

We have been doing lots of work on our house over the past few weeks. Ray and I repainted our bedroom and bathroom 2 weeks ago, both of which still had the original builders flat paint from 3 years ago - and the rooms look awesome now! So happy to get some color on the walls! I will post some pictures soon... We are also working on the upstairs bonus room, which will soon be Emmy and Pooky's shared bedroom. Hopefully we can get most of that finished this weekend.

After 3 years of having an empty lot next door, we finally have a house being built there. The driveway and sidewalk were poured this morning, and the only reason I am even mentioning this is because Pooky has been so excited to watch the construction over the past several weeks. Then the cement mixer this morning - very exciting for my little boy who loves trucks and tractors!!!

Hooray for football season! Go Buckeyes! :) And hooray for a holiday weekend with no plans.... enjoy it everyone!

22 Weeks

Finally got around to taking a belly picture today - I am feeling ginormous. However, I felt rather large with my last pregnancy, and I think I am even bigger this time around.
Here is a comparison shot - I even had the same shirt on - this is me at 22 weeks with Pooky. (I don't know why I cropped my head out - must have been a bad hair day)

Gummy Bear.... It's a BOY!!! :)

I had my 20 week ultrasound this afternoon. Everything looks great - and we are having a boy!! I will get one more ultrasound in a couple of months - there was a tiny bit of fluid in the kidneys that they want to recheck, but I was told it was such a tiny amount that they were not worried - but they want to follow up anyways. Other than that small thing, everything is measuring and looking perfect. Now he needs a name.....

Baby Thoughts

So, I know that I have not blogged forever. I feel like there is not much going on. I could complain some more about feeling crummy, but who wants to hear about that? Or about how all 4 of us have been passing around a nasty cold. Or about how Emmy and Pooky are constantly arguing and annoying each other. That is fun. Hitting is the new problem. All I ever hear is "moooommmmm..... (insert name here) just hit meeeeee........". SO annoying.

No, instead I will write about Baby Gummy Bear, who is currently about 14 week gestation. Truly, I am feeling a lot better, but still not 100% and I am not sure if I will be any time soon - but I am okay with that. For the most part I am fine - I feel like I am back to doing my regular schedule, just with a few breaks and naps when I get the chance.

I am still very, very nervous about Gummy. Even though we had a good heartbeat at my 12 weeks visit a couple of weeks back (no ultrasound that day), I am still worried. I know that I really don't have any control over it - if something goes wrong and Gummy is not okay, then there is not anything I can do about it - but I hate the possibility of not knowing. Until I can start feeling regular movements, I will worry. However, today I decided to rent a fetal doppler - so I can check the heartbeat whenever I want for peace of mind. Hopefully I will have it by this weekend, and I really think it will help me relax a bit.

On a positive side, my next ultrasound is the 1st week of August. I have been very back and forth about whether or not we should find out the sex of little Gummy. Since we have already had a boy and a girl, I have plenty of clothes and supplies for each gender. And it might be a fun surprise to wait.... but I really don't think I want to. Even though I already have all the baby stuff, I still want to plan ahead and know what to have ready. What do you think??

I am also considering starting cloth diapering again with Gummy. We did it with Pooky for about 4 months last year and it was okay. I had problems with leaking, especially if he was riding in his carseat longer than 10 minutes and at bedtime. We tried a couple of different covers, and I used doublers over my prefolds during those "high-leak" times, but it still wasn't perfect. I did not mind cleaning the diapers, and I loved not having to buy disposibles. However, I got lazy and went back to them because of convenience. We'll see if I try it again, this time right from the start.

I look like a beached whale. Not pregnant, just fat. That is all I have to say about that.

And I am tired. Nap time for everyone.... :)

Crazy Busy...

Just a quick update - we have been running non-stop for the past week. We have had something going on every day, usually during the day, then we are busy in the evenings too - play groups, birthday parties, t-ball, bible study, dinner with friends, pool party... I am exhausted, and today I declined a play date invitation just because we needed a break!

I am starting to feel a bit better. The nausea is still there, but it doesn't seem to be bothering me all day like it was before. My 12 week OB appointment is next week so I am praying for healthy growth and a strong heartbeat! I feel huge already - I am well into my maternity clothes, even though I have actually lost 4 pounds (having no appetite will do that to you!).

And it is super hot outside - going out there now to fill up our little plastic pool in the driveway for the kids to play!

Finally, a couple of random pictures - the first is our garden which has grown tremendously and we should have fresh veggies very soon! The second one is our pretty backyard and back porch - everything looks so nice and green and my flowers and plants are doing well! Happy summer!

I Feel Crummy...

So, let's talk about this gummy bear...

I am 10 weeks along now. I have been feeling incredibly nauseous and tired since about week 5. I am starting to forget what normal feels like. Some days are better than others, and I am praying that the nausea will subside around 12 weeks, like it did when I was pregnant with Emmy.

With Emmy, I was also very nauseous, had no appetite, and just the smell of food made me want to toss my cookies. However, it was easier to manage then - I wasn't chasing 2 small children around the house. I was working full time, at a desk, with a flexible job that if I needed to go home early or take a 3 hour lunch I could. Fortunately, as I said, I felt much better after 12-13 weeks, even if I still did not have much of an appetite, at least I felt normal.

With Pooky, I had very little nausea or morning sickness. I was actually very concerned that he was not developing properly, or that something was wrong, because I didn't feel sick. Of course he was fine, it was just a much easier 1st trimester.

That said, Ray thinks that this one must be a girl. I feel inclined to agree at this point, but I am terrible at guessing these sorts of things.

I have tried several different medications for the nausea this time around. Per my OB, I started by taking doses of vitamin B6 along with Dramamine. I tried SeaBands, those stretchy bracelets that you wear on your wrists that apply pressure to relieve nausea - very little relief for me. Then I got a prescription for Reglan. Which did nothing. Finally I got a script for Zofran, which is supposed the be the best one. It does work, but only for about an hour or two, and I can only take it every 6 hours - and it is super expensive and my insurance will only pay for 12 at a time - so I feel like I am rationing them out, only taking them when I have something I need to do, or am feeling really lousy.

Emmy is super excited. Pooky is clueless. Emmy has surprised me with how much she remembers from when Pooky was born. It will be interesting to see how Pook reacts once the little one is actually here...

So..... blah is how I am feeling. Ray has been awesome, helping me out with the housework and the kids more than usual. I am terrified that I will feel this badly for the entire 9 months.... but just praying for healthy growth of my little gummy bear.

Gummy Bear

So, I have been a bit absent lately. I have not been feeling so great and the last thing I have wanted to do is sit at the computer. But, I have news....




This.....







Which very quickly turned to this....















(And still is...)


BUT...... we have this....

1 little gummy bear, 8 weeks along :)

Countdown

For those of you keeping track only 2 days until we close on the new house. YAY!
And Baby Luke's due date is only 15 days away. I feel like he will be here sooner because I feel so yucky, but we will see....

;)

Nesting

It has been a very pretty fall down here in SC - this picture doesn't come close to showing you how pretty it has been. I am loving the cooler temperatures.

So, I have decided that I am nesting. The last 2 weekends, I feel like I have a million things to do, trying to get ready for both Luke's arrival and our new house. I have organized Luke's boxes of baby clothes and nursery decor about 10 times. I have been buying Christmas presents, trying to get a head start since I know that I will be busy. I have bought a few things for the new house as well, such as bath towels and rugs. I also seem to have a lot of energy to get these things done, and I have several more things that I need to do.... pack my hospital bag, pack up our belongings here for the move and clean up the bedrooms.... so little time!
My 37-week OB appointment was last Thursday - I am dialated to 3 centimeters and 75% effaced. This doesn't really mean too much, I could go 2-3 more weeks with no change, or I could go into labor at any minute - who knows? I have felt very crampy with lots of sharp pains and aches for the past week or so. 18 days until my due date...
AND... only 5 days until we close on the new house! Ray is going to Michigan Friday evening after closing to get our furniture and belongings out of storage, and he should be back Sunday night. Now, just as long as I don't go into labor during those couple of days... it is making me very nervous! I am so excited to finally have our house! The next 1-2 weeks are going to be very busy and exciting... I will keep everyone posted!

Let's Compare.....

I am not trying to obsess over my belly. Really. The truth is that I am fascinated my how huge it is. Every now and then I will catch a glimpse of my ginormous stomach in the mirror and laugh, because it always shocks me to see its size.
Now, both of these pictures below were taken at about the same point in my pregnancies - right around 34-35 weeks. The first one is me with Emmy, the second one is me with Luke.




















Now, do you all understand why I think that I am so huge this time around??? I am way bigger now than I ever was with Emmy.
(By the way, I absolutely hate that first picture. Between the horrible haircut and my chunky arms, I look terrible). :)

Just a Bit of Whining....

I am not writing this so that you guys feel sorry for me. I am just needing to complain about my latest pregnancy aches and pains.

I am tired of being pregnant. I have 5 weeks to my due date, which really means that Luke could be here any day - or it could be a while yet. I waddle when I walk. Some guy said to me last week, "Wow! You must be ready to pop!" Not really. But thanks. So, I guess he thought that I was ginormously huge.
I have been having what I call mini-contractions for the past couple of days. Mainly it happens after I have been walking around a lot or I have been busy. After work on Wednesday I had a few, and they were particularily bad last night after we had a busy day at the fair. Asides from the contractions, I have been feeling just generally crampy and nauseaus. It sucks.
On top of this, I have pretty bad carpal tunnel. My hands are tingly or numb almost all the time, especially at night. It doesn't matter how I lay, I wake up every hour or so at night whith my entire hand and wrist completely numb which is rather uncomfortable. It also bothers me throughout the day. I have sharp wrist pains or a tingly feeling in my fingers doing regular activities like picking up Emmy, brushing my teeth, and washing dishes.
My hands and feet are very swollen. I tried to put on my cute black shoes for church this morning only to find that my feet are much too fat. I couldn't even get my foot in the shoe, much less buckle them. So I had to wear my gross tennis shoes that I wear to work which are very worn and ugly.
I have a few other gross pregnancy symptoms that I will spare you all the details on (because I know that people like Ashley would rather not know the graphic details).
And my house is still not done. Not that it was supposed to be yet, but I am feeling pretty doubtful that it will be ready in time. I have accepted it, and I realize that at the very worst, it should only be a week or 2 after he is born before we can move in. Not much I can do about it. Although there was a lot of progress this week - painting is done, siding is up, driveway and sidewalk have been poured, cabinets are in....
OK, enough rambling and sorry for the whining. Overall I did have a good weekend, despite feeling like "a big blue whale" (Ray's term of endearment for me - isn't he sweet??).

:)

I Hate Maternity Clothes

I have decided that I must have an odd-shaped pregnant body. I cannot find anything that fits right - and as my belly continues to get bigger and bigger, fewer and fewer things seem to fit. And, even the things that do fit aren't comfortable - my pants are always falling down and my belly keeps trying to peek out of the bottom of my shirt.

One of the worst types of maternity wear are panel pants - those pants that you have to wear up around your boobs with the panel that covers the entire belly. This is not an attractive look. I almost didn't post these pictures because they are a bit scary. But... for the sake of proving my point, here are the panel pants....





Ahhhh! What is that??

It is my ginormous belly (which I know, all of you keep telling me isn't that big, but it certainly feels that way)








Let me back up a little bit so you can get the whole effect. Ugly, aren't they?? And they are horribly uncomfortable.

Now granted I do not normally walk around with the panel showing like this. Of course I have a few shirts that are still able to cover the hideous pants.

But, I will assume that I have made my point. Maternity clothes suck, and panel pants are just plain ugly.