A Tale of Two Pregnancies

Well, my time is running out.  I am 37 weeks today.  And because my doctor decided she doesn't want surprises (apparently she got called in on a delivery this morning for a vaginal breach birth and it was a high-stress time), she decided to check me and see how things are progressing.  Generally, getting checked is not my most favorite time.  But I sign up for this when I decide to have a baby.  The thrills of motherhood ;).  Anyway, I am full term today and already 1 1/2 centimeters dilated and 60% effaced.  Baby is head-down (this was what the doctor wanted to check the most) and in position.  So it's only a matter of time.  Kinda freaky!  I have the hospital bag mostly packed.  Mostly just lack hygiene items at this point.

On the way out of the exam room, the doctor said, "See you in a week, if not sooner."  So I guess that means this baby really could come sooner than June 9th.  Crazy!  I'm hoping I have at least one week left.  After all, Lynnaea's birthday is Sunday.  And I haven't made the time to make my 10 freezer/jar meals for our adjustment period after the baby is born.  So, seriously kiddo...  Hang out in there a little longer and do some more baking!

So a tale of two pregnancies.  Just for record's sake.

This picture will prove to you the awesome mom I am...  Lynnaea was mesmerized by the tablet.  She doesn't get the tablet often, but I take it with me to the doctor's appointments so she will be entertained while I am on the table.  And then I used it to encourage her to stay awake in the van on the way home.  So I could get lunch into her before a nap.  And so I could nap at the same time.  It worked.  And so I let her finish her Elmo video while I made lunch.  But that's me today at 37 weeks.

Okay, so this pregnancy has  been different from my pregnancy with Lynnaea.  I am sure it is due in part to a few things.  One:  this is a different baby.  Two:  I am older.  (In fact, if we have any other babies, I will fall into the high-risk category simply due to my old age, since I'll be over 35 at that point!).  Three:  I'm chasing after a toddler.

So one major difference has been the physical impact of the pregnancy on my body.  I did not have aches and pains with Lynnaea.  But then, I wasn't lifting a 30 pound toddler back then.  And I could sleep whenever I felt the need.  Or just lay down and read or watch a movie or something if I needed to rest.  Having a 2 year old doesn't really lend itself to those things.  She is very active and energetic.  She loves attention, and wants to be played with and entertained.  These are not bad things, so don't think I'm saying they are.  They are typical toddler things.  And I love my typical toddler ;).  It just means that I cannot do the amount of resting I could do when I was pregnant with her.  It means I have to keep going.  Or put on Elmo so I can lay on the couch and rest ;).  And that happens nearly daily now.  Unless Jeremy is home, because then he takes over so I can lay down.  And you know what?  I've decided I'm okay with that.  If my kiddo gets more than the recommended amount of screen time right now, that's just life.  I need to take care of my body so I can take care of my little girl and the baby growing inside of me.  I definitely feel more tired, but I think that is because I can't rest quite like before.  So before I didn't notice the tiredness as much.  I take a nap pretty much every day, even if I lay down and rest in the morning.  When Lynnaea naps, more often than not, I nap too.  Sometimes for 2 hours...  Which means I accomplish very little, since her nap-time used to be my most productive time.  But it's what my body needs now.  I do remember napping every day at this point when I was pregnant with Lynnaea.  I can remember just laying on the couch and falling asleep.  So that is definitely the same.  Just now, I have to do it on her schedule ;).  Hence the encouragement (or bribe) of the tablet to not fall asleep in the car.  Haha.  Also along the physical lines...  I have pulled my muscles a lot in the last month.  I can recall pulling my muscles with Lynnaea maybe once or twice.  With this pregnancy, it's been more than I can count.  And sometimes it hurts for hours and I cannot relieve it.  Costco shopping trips seem to be a common thread for getting these pulled muscles.  Or grocery stores.  And so I started thinking today (as I was slowly waddling through Costco to avoid more excruciating pain) that maybe it is associated with lifting a 30 pound toddler into the cart.  Maybe I am twisting in some way that is not boding well with my ever-burgeoning belly.  This muscle pulling pain is something I will not miss.  Like at all.  It is the main reason I have actually started to welcome the idea of giving birth (even though I am terrified again!).  With this pregnancy, I now understand the women who are so done with it and ready to have the baby.  I didn't quite understand that feeling with Lynnaea, because the pregnancy was easier.  But now I get it.

Another difference, which could probably fall under the physical aspect, is my experience in the first trimester with this baby.  Every afternoon, I felt like utter garbage.  Food was unappealing in the afternoon.  I wanted to just lay down and sleep.  I was beyond exhausted, but I also just felt nauseated.  I never threw up.  I just felt icky yuck.  That feeling hung around for about 6 or 7 weeks of the first trimester.  I was glad when it was gone.  And I was especially glad it went away before our Alabama trip!  But again, this was different from my first pregnancy.  I had nothing like that with Lynnaea.  I mean, I was tired at the end of every day.  I zonked out at night.  But I was not miserable with yucky feelings.  So this was new to me.

I also had bleeding gums in the second trimester.  I had read that this was a symptom some women have.  I didn't have it the first time around.  But I did this time.

And my ankles are swelling more.  But my blood pressure is awesome, so no concerns about toxemia or any of that.  Oh, and also my eyes are drying out more.  Which makes wearing contacts annoying, because I can't read small print without it being right in front of my face.  But as soon as I put my glasses back on, everything's fine.  

Those all seem to be less desirable differences, I know ;).  But they are some of what I deal with.  Some of the good differences?

Well, this baby has been much more active!  Lynnaea moved, of course, in utero.  But she was mainly a wiggler.  I could watch my belly move with her wiggles.  But it was here and there and nothing super strong.  This baby, though.  Phew!  Some nights I lay there and feel my whole stomach jolt in another direction with a strong kick!  Haha...  And this baby has been that active for a long time.  I can always tell where this baby is laying, and this baby will respond quite quickly to any attempts I make to "make" the baby move (if ever I get concerned about not having felt the baby for a while).

So those are some of the highlights of the differences I've experienced in my two pregnancies which have reached this point.  Nothing earth-shattering.  Just different ;).  I am still guessing this one is a boy.  But yep, we'll know for sure when Baby makes a debut! 

And just to post a couple more pictures...  Saturday, my mom, Lynnaea, and I went to the Armed Forces Day Parade here.  I don't mind doing things like this, but since Lynnaea and I slept until almost 9 on Saturday (due to a terrible night's sleep for her, I ended up in her room with her on an air mattress) and Jeremy had left for work early that morning (like 5:30ish) and wasn't around to wake us up...  Well, we were rushing to get ready!  So that took some of the fun out of it at first.  But we got there and just hung out at the very beginning of the parade, because we went just to see Saria who was playing the marching band for her middle school.  So that was neat and we saw and heard lots of cool things until we left, right after Saria's band went by.  Lynnaea loved the parade, though.  She sat in her stroller quite contentedly for most of the time we were there.

There she is enjoying her snackies during the parade.

Not the most flattering picture of me, but hey...  I'm 9 months pregnant.  I think the fact I get out of bed every day is pretty phenomenal these days ;).  Haha.  And Lynnaea was wearing a monkey backpack someone got her as a gift (really a gift for me, since the monkey tail acts like a leash so I can keep tabs on my toddler while dealing with an infant!).  Lynnaea loves the backpack and wanted to wear it -- in the stroller.

Saria with her trombone, just a few minutes before they started marching!

Here they are marching.  She's the furthest one in the left row.

And this is when they stopped and marched in place for a few minutes right near us.  She's the one with the ponytail.  I'm really glad I got to go see her march.  I try to go to her concerts and such, but haven't been able to go to one since the beginning of the school year.  And being that her end-of-year concert is on my due date...  well...  Not sure I'll make that one either! 

Well, it's after 10, and I turn into a big ol' fat pumpkin soon ;).  So I better get to bed. 

Oh, P.S...  We did some rearranging in our house because we got a recliner on Saturday afternoon!  Woohoo!  Now I have somewhere to sleep on those sleepless nights when I'm up feeding a baby!  It's an awesome recliner.  It's a rocker/swivel/recliner.  Jeremy found it on Craigslist and we got a great deal.  It's big and comfy.  And just plain awesome.

Baby Shower Pictures

So thanks to ever-dwindling time, I'm going to just post some pictures and leave it mostly at that.  I seriously need to blog "A Tale of Two Pregnancies" to chronicle all the differences between this pregnancy and Lynnaea's.  Because there are a lot of differences!  And I want to remember.  Or maybe I don't!  So I'm hoping to manage to get that crammed in before it's too late and this baby is born!  (I only have 4 weeks left!)

But it's not going to happen tonight.  I'm already sensing that Mr. Sandman is on his way to sprinkle sleepy sand in my eyes.  Or whatever it is that he does.

So, baby shower pictures:

The table-scape before all the food was out (and eaten!)

Just a cute little gender-neutral theme -- since we don't find out before the baby is born ;).

My sweet friends who threw the shower (they are mother and daughter, if you can't tell by resemblance ;)).

And now for some gift opening pictures:

I got a ton of diapers and wipes!  Which is so awesome!  It's really what we need the most of.  Call me an anti-tree-hugger if you will.  But seriously.  Disposable diapers are the best.

This was a cute little gag gift.  Tuxedo onesie plus a mustache pacifier.  In case we're getting a boy ;).  Which we think we are...  But there's always room for surprise! 

That evening, we saw Christina and the girls for a bit, since they dropped by to pick up the extra crib.

Probably the last time we'll take a preggo picture together.  We both had less than 5 weeks to go (since she is officially scheduled for her c-section 2 days after my due date!  Meaning she could have a baby sooner than I do!).  Yeah, I'm like twice her size.  I've never been the small one in our family...

 

This was last night.  Basically, yesterday, while out shopping, I pulled a muscle or something.  Which happens frequently this pregnancy (more details will end up in the "Tale of Two Pregnancies" post I hope to write one day soon.  I hurt so bad.  And now things look a little different.  And some of my friends say I look like I've dropped (or that the baby has).  Which supposedly doesn't happen with pregnancies after #1 until you're actually in labor.  But who knows anyway.  But basically, the baby dropping is a sign of things nearing the end.  And so I was thinking -- based on my inability to get relief from the pain of the muscle thing (which usually doesn't happen, usually it hurts a bit and then I change positions or whatever and the pain eases.  But yesterday...  Well, I wanted to die a little bit.), maybe the baby dropped and that's why I'm having such a huge discomfort?  Again, who knows.  But do I look different in that picture?  Or rather, does the position of my belly?  That's 36 weeks.

And my sweet girl.  Who had croup over the weekend.  She sounded like a barking seal.  We had many, many sleepless nights of she and I trying to sleep on an air mattress.  Fun stuff.  She slept.  Me?  Not so much.  Thankfully that is past now.  It was not fun!

About Those Last 2 Weeks...

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks.  The time is flying.  I'm 35+ weeks pregnant (yep, the baby's still in there.  Here's a picture to prove it!)

That's tonight.  I'm huge.  And I feel it.  There's nothing quite like having your belly precede you everywhere you go...

It's been busy lately.  Last week I went to a THRIVE Life event called Power Up!  It was fun to go with my friend Rebekah and try new recipes (we got to make several of them right at the table in like 10 minutes!) and just learn and such.

Last Saturday, it was a beautiful day, so we went to another local state park.  We paid for that Discover Pass to be able to park in the State Parks, so I figure we better use that thing!  Fortunately there are a lot of State Parks around here.  And the one we went to Saturday happens to be close to my in-laws' (or at least semi-close), so after we ate a picnic lunch there and let Lynnaea experience the creek and look at creek creatures (pictures to follow below), we headed out to visit the farm.  Lynnaea has a love/hate relationship with their cows.  She loves the idea of them.  But as soon as we go see them and she's close and they moo (they are fenced, of course), she freaks out.

This was after she tried dipping her feet in the creek.  It was cold (she told Jeremy "cold") and she didn't like it so much.  So we put her shoes back on.  But just seeing this picture made me realize how big my little girl has gotten!  Look at those long legs!!!  She's getting tall.  Sigh.  My baby is growing up.

Getting her feet dried off to put her shoes back on.  What a sweet girl :).

And here she is checking out the creek critters her daddy caught for her. She loved this!  She would see it swimming around in his hand and say "There it are!"  Haha.  Okay, so her grammar is still needing a bit of work ;).  But she's definitely communicating a lot more!  And the grammar will come in time. 

Just one of our selfies...  We hadn't done one in a while. 

And this little gem is from yesterday.  When we were supposed to be leaving for a play date.  See, little miss here has woken up before 6 for the last two mornings.  And so she crashes.  Bless her little heart.  This mama isn't a fan of such early mornings either.  But the last two days were busy days, so I had to just keep plugging through while she grabbed a catnap ;).  Tomorrow, though, if she does it again...  Well, it's not going to be a busy day, so maybe I'll have to get some extra sleep too! 

We did a THRIVE Jar Meal party Tuesday night here at the apartment.  It seems no matter how much I try to prepare, it's still chaotic!  But they are pretty popular, so we keep doing them.  Then today I did a THRIVE Party at lunch time for someone.  So yeah... Busy busy.  I'm looking forward to having a little respite tomorrow!  And then I have a my baby shower on Saturday.  I'll work hard at getting pictures posted from that in a more timely manner ;).  Especially considering we're getting to that point where I could have a new baby any day!

The Best-Laid Plans of Mice... and Preggo Ladies

Remember on Tuesday how I said I'd hopefully write more tomorrow?

Yeah, that didn't happen.  I've learned to throw in words that will excuse me ahead of time.  Like I always now say "I'll be there around 10ish..."  That way, when I'm the inevitable 15 minutes late, it's forgivable ;).

Anyway.  So I didn't get around to it yesterday.  Lynnaea woke up in the middle of the night Tuesday night with a stuffed up nose.  So yesterday's plans got side-lined majorly.  She ended up sleeping with me (with Jeremy on grave shift and a whole bed to myself, I've found very little motivation to lose sleep by trying to get her back to sleep in her room...  And yes, I'll be suffering the repercussions of said choice later, I know.  Because she has slept with me for at least 2 hours each night for the last 4...).

The good news is my placenta is high now and we are not looking at a scheduled c-section.  A last-minute c-section is always a possibility, of course.  But so far, we're looking like things will be without complications (and hoping that that's true too!).  They say Baby weighs about 5 pounds 4 ounces.  I'd be concerned about that number (given the fact that babies are known to gain 1 pound a week in the last 4 or so -- and that makes at least a 9 pound baby!), but I also know their numbers aren't all that accurate.  I have a friend who was told her baby was already 10 pounds around 35 weeks.  At birth he was 8 and change.  So there ya go.  We'll know when the baby's born if he/she is a large baby or not.  Truthfully, I'm hoping not.  I have to push Baby out, after all...  But by the time we do find out actual weight, it won't matter, as Baby will be out :).  Also, Baby is head-down.  So unless Baby decides to be a pill and turn around (which is probably more trouble than it's worth these days with not so much room in there...), we are good to go for non-breach!

So here's an ultrasound picture (not the greatest of quality, but that's okay).

And here's me at 33 weeks on Tuesday night (about 11 p.m.)

And here's a picture of Lynnaea in her new rocking chair.  This is a very special gift from her Aunt and Uncle in Eastern Washington.  And she loves it!  She got into it immediately and started rocking and saying "rock rock." 

Wow she's a cute kid.  But also a pill...  I just turned around to check on her (because she was being that suspicious amount of quiet) and she was literally right behind me, drawing on her bouncy horse in green ink.  And now guess who has been restricted from pen use?!  (This is after she closed herself in her room yesterday and colored all over her knees with black ink...).  Oh the mischievous little munchkin!

The (Very) Short of the Long

Baby = growing well (estimated 5 pounds 4 ounces already, but I'm pretty sure their numbers are always higher when guessing at this point)

Placenta = high (yay!)

Mommy = exhausted

More to come, hopefully tomorrow.  With a couple pics.  Peace out.

What a Week!

So you may have noticed I never got around to posting that 31 week picture as I said I would.  Life.  It happens.

So there is today's 32 week picture.  That way I can say I managed ;).  That's my Lynnaea in the foreground, chasing her bubbles.  She loves bubbles.

Anyway, it's been quite a week.  Last Thursday I started to feel particularly overwhelmed and exhausted.  Like brought-me-to-tears-at-the-end-of-the-day emotionally exhausted and physically exhausted.  It was like I couldn't go an hour without needing to sit down and rest.  Which made me feel like an awesome mommy, let me tell you.  I think the TV was on a lot that day...  The plus side is that my little sweet girl has started to snuggle with me more, so I enjoyed her snuggles a lot.  But at the end of the day, when I felt like I hadn't accomplished nearly enough, I just felt like failure.  With a capital F. 

Friday wasn't much better.  I managed to go to the grocery store and take Lynnaea to the park.  But again, I was beat.  I slept multiple times (while my toddler watched TV nearby) and suddenly realized that maybe, just maybe, I'd caught whatever bug has been going around.  Because it had me whooped. 

Saturday things seemed improved.  And Jeremy was home, so that was helpful.  He's been working A LOT lately.  His most recent check had 27 hours of overtime, if that tells you anything.  And don't give me the whole "but look at the money he's earning!" thing.  Yes, the financial benefits are great and all, but there is a limit to what money can buy.  I'm grateful for our financial security, I truly am.  But these days, I could use my husband home more as I get larger and larger.  And especially on days when I'm sick. 

But I digress.  So Saturday was looking up.  We even went out to eat as a family, because I was still really tired and slept a lot again (Jeremy gave me lots of time to nap, since he knew I was so tired).  Well, by about 9 Saturday night, I realized dinner may have been a mistake.  It felt like a lead brick in my stomach and I went to bed hoping I wouldn't throw up.  Fun.  I didn't, by the way.  But all through the night my stomach didn't feel normal. 

Today finally confirmed to me that I must have had some weird bug that was wiping me out.  Because I woke up this morning and felt like a new woman.  It was a beautiful thing.  Funny what we take for granted.  For a while there I was worried it was just that I was an old fat pregnant lady and this was going to be my lot in life for the next 8 weeks.  I'm thankful to say it seems that is not the case.  Today I was able to keep going and have a busy day and not even take a single nap.  Not that I'd have minded a nap.  But there simply wasn't time.

Because we had toddler story time this morning.  Then home for lunch.  Then nap for Lynnaea, during which time I tried to get a few things knocked out on the computer.  Jeremy came home early from work around 1 so that he could go with me and Lynnaea to my Stork Express visit (pre-registration for the hospital and having a baby in June!) and then we went to Costco.  Where I wore a poor choice in shoes (flip flops) given the way the weather turned out (rainy rainy rainy) and the way the water slickens up the paint on the asphalt in front of Costco (yes, I made up that word, but I like it).  My flip flops have no grip.  And I slipped.  Fortunately I caught myself, but I have a lovely bruise on my right shin now.  Just call me Grace.  Jeremy had previously left the store with Lynnaea and was waiting in the van, due to her decision to have a meltdown over not getting to sit in the back of the cart...  Ah, parenthood.

So yeah, it's been quite the week.  And I'm tired.  Baby is moving around a lot still.  We will find out next Tuesday if things are well placenta-wise.  It was a bit low (close to the cervix) at my last ultrasound, so they are doing another to see if it migrated.  If not, we may be looking at a scheduled c-section.

And to end on a high note -- and the cutest note ever...  Here are some pictures of my Lynnaea girl from the last week.

I love this cheesy girl.  She is so happy.  She carries around her stuffed toys (she especially loves bunnies) and is so loving with them.  She gives them lots of kisses, puts them to sleep, etc.  She is also starting to want to choose what she wears.  It doesn't always match -- or look particularly great together (take the outfit in the picture above...).  But it's a choice she can make and it's a harmless one.  Who cares if her outfit clashes?  She is learning to choose, and this is a way I can help her be able to.  And she's happy.

One benefit of letting her choose her outfits, too, is that she is more cooperative about getting dressed.  You can't tell in this picture, but she was running around in just a diaper.  Which wouldn't matter so much if it wasn't still a little on the chilly side here -- and if I could trust her not to disappear and take off her diaper...  It's a new thing, this desire to run around half-dressed.  She cracks me up.  She is really developing more and more of her personality every day and she wants to express herself more and more -- and have her way more and more.  She's becoming her own little self.  It's amazing to watch her grow and develop.  I cannot believe she is almost 2.

Two Weeks Pass Quickly

A little two quickly for this girl to keep up with!  That said, I'm mostly going to post pictures.

A couple things to note:  Jeremy and I celebrated 3 years of marriage in March.  It's been a pretty quick 3 years.  It's a good life ;).

I am sometimes great at taking my camera places... and not so great at actually using it while there.  Like for Easter dinner at my mom's house.  Ooops.

Today was a super-productive day!  Two loads of laundry, strip and make both beds, cut out 20 hexagons for my next 2 "I Spy Quilts" (for my new baby and Christina's little boy to be born soon), dishes (times 3!), dinner (mac and cheese -- homemade, salad, french bread), THREE loaves of french bread, delivered 2 loaves to friends just to say "thinking about you," and THRIVE stuff.  It may not sound like a lot, but it's a lot for me these days.  Plus the usual mommy things like feeding a toddler, coloring with a toddler, bathing a toddler, etc ;).  It was a full day, and my body is happy to sit and relax.  So on that note, I'm going to post some pics so I can get some reading in before I hit the sack and recuperate! 

Oh yeah, and last week was an insanely busy week.  Had a THRIVE Jar Meal party which was way more successful than either my friend or I anticipated!  Which is a good thing.  But we really learned A LOT.  We're planning to do it again in May.  Went to Seattle with my mom and grandma on Thursday so my mom didn't have to do it alone.  Went to the Pompeii exhibit at the Pacific Science Center.  Lynnaea loved the butterfly house and the touch pool and the toddler area.  And she loved just being on an adventure.   It was an exhausting day, though.  

This picture was taken on Thursday before we headed to Seattle.  I sure love my girl.  We were wearing blue for Autism Awareness.

She totally wanted me to give her the camera here.

Here we are all when we finally made it to the Science Center.  It was an upside down mirror we were trying to show Lynnaea.  She liked waving at herself.

We took a few pictures outside of the Pompeii exhibit while waiting to go in.  Lynnaea loved looking at the water around the Science Center.

The Pompeii Exhibit was interesting, but so crowded.  And I had a toddler who couldn't care less.  So I didn't get to enjoy it as much as I otherwise would have.  However, it did make me want to add a book about Pompeii to my ever-growing to-read list.  Intriguing stuff.

My girl is growing up!  She loved touching everything in the touch pool that she could!  She was very brave.  She is my little adventurer!

Easter carnage...  And actually, this was the tame part.  Before long, that purple stuff was strewn from the window to the kitchen!  She loved playing in it.  And I figure it's just part of childhood, so why be a fun-killer ;).  Easter was pretty low-key.  We did a few plastic eggs with gummy bunnies in them and pictures of the Savior I'd cut out of the Ensign magazine folded up inside too; so we could talk about each picture.  Plus we gave her a new toothbrush and training toothpaste (she chews on her toothbrushes and they don't last long...) and a Disney Princesses cup with a straw.  Nothing fancy, but she loved it all anyway.  Especially the gummies -- which we eventually took away since she doesn't have a moderation button...  And she found them pretty darn fast -- like before we were ready to eat breakfast.  Ergo, in an effort to not have gummy bunnies for breakfast, we confiscated them and have been doling them out a little at a time.  So maybe I am a kill-joy after all ;).

On the way back from my mom's house after Easter dinner.  She loved riding on Daddy's shoulders!  I think ti's her new favorite, because when we went to deliver our loaves of bread today, she requested to be put up there again!  (She is also starting to remember a lot more!  Which can be scary -- no more 'out of sight out of mind' going on here!)

This morning, after I made her bed, she crawled in it with her quillow from her grandma (Jeremy's mom) and a blanket and a spitty and just laid there while I was making the bed in our room.  She is just such a sweet girl.  Oh, and have I mentioned that she is now a successful toddler-bed sleeper!?!  Yay!  I was so seriously ready to throw in the towel and give up after 4 nights of very little sleep.  Fortunately, Jeremy was a patient trooper and just kept working with her. 

And this was while doing laundry.  I got all the laundry folded and put away, so she started using the basket as her new sitting spot -- with quillow, blanket and bunnies for company!  She is so much fun.

Anyway, so that's that :).  Oh, and I'll be 31 weeks tomorrow.  Will try to post a picture later this week.