~*~ Maternity Monday ~*~ 31 weeks down, 9 to go!

Wow!! I have to say the time is starting to pass more quickly these days! It seems like in a very short time, there will be another person in the house!! EEP!! Either way, we made our first big purchase for the baby today! It's our shiny new black rocker recliner!! It's not your "typical" baby purchase, I know, but I spent more time rocking Rachel in the rocker recliner than doing anything else with her! We also took great pictures of her as she was growing up that chronicled how big she had gotten in that recliner. And, there is nothing nicer when baby is fussing than rocking them to sleep, putting your feet up and joining them! I have photos of myself, my mom, my dad, and Gramz all sleeping with Rachel on our chests in that recliner. So, it was something I was really looking forward to having for Curtis as well.

Buying the recliner gave us an excuse to do one of my other favorite activities- moving the furniture around!! It was less fun but just as satisfying to direct Chris & Rachel as they did all the work. Now, my living room looks a little different and I love it when that happens!

Meanwhile, you are all probably wondering how things are going with the baby. Curtis has stepped up the kicking in the last few days. His kicks are much stronger, and happen pretty often, especially when I'm trying to sleep! Chris and Curtis were both restless last night! Hubby woke up at 430 for no reason, which woke me up, and then Curtis was kicking so much, I couldn't get back to sleep for almost an hour and a half. He is an active little one!! I am doing well! This week, I had my first real swelling incident that I can't blame on sitting or standing too much or anything I did really. I just swelled up like a pregnant chick a little. It passed quickly and I'm glad to report it has only happened the one time. The emails say he is weighing in a little over 3 pounds now, I think he's probably a little bigger than that, but it sure helps him kick me harder that he's growing so well!! :D

I am tired, though. I am really glad I had dr gynie check my iron levels last week and am looking forward to hearing next week what the levels are. I'm quite curious to know if this is pregnancy tired alone or pregnancy tired plus low iron levels tired.

I am about 100 pages into the Breast Feeding Book, and about 80 pages into the Vaccine book. I have decided that if you can write a book that is 300+ pages long about a subject, it is highly unlikely that you are simplifying it. So, I have put the breast feeding book down for a while. I think it will be a useful resource when I actually have a baby to feed but, for now, it was just making me really nervous that I was going to have difficulty breastfeeding. That is not why I was reading the book, so I'm taking a break from it. Meanwhile, the vaccine book is a bit repetitive for my tastes- turns out there are really only 3 ways to make a vaccine so every chapter is a little more of what you just read... I'm pretty sure at this point that we will go with a delayed/modified schedule because we just don't feel comfortable giving him vaccines before we even get to know his normal, nor do we feel ok with introducing as many as 6 vaccines into his little system at a time.

Anyhow, the baby and I are doing well! Considering he'll be born between 37 and 41 weeks, I have 6-10 weeks left. That seems like a super short amount of time, doesn't it?? I will not freak out! I will not panic! There's plenty of time! lol... We had Ashley over for a couple days this weekend! It was super great to see her! Also, Rachel has the choir Variety Show this week, where she will be singing a duet with the Theater teacher, Mrs. Duvall! I will be making cake pops for the occasion! This week promises to pass quickly as Chris had the day off for the Holiday, so he only has to work 4 days this week, woohoo!! :D

~*~ Maternity Monday ~*~ 30 weeks!! 7-11 weeks to go...

I cannot believe that I am 30 weeks along, that in as little as 7 weeks, I could be holding my little man!! I had an appointment this morning, and Dr Gynie says that he is measuring at 34 weeks (this is according to her tape measure, not an ultrasound). Of course, I'm only 30 weeks so she is warning me about this a little. Then, she asked how big Rachel was and I said, "8 pounds, 10.5 ounces, 19.25 inches". She said, "Wow!! And, you had her natural?" Yes, definitely!! She was impressed!

So, I took the opportunity today to ask her about some stuff that weighs on an expectant Mom's mind, like "What if I go into labor and you're not there? Who will deliver my baby then?" She had good answers for me, which made me happy. She says they will not try to force me to have an epidural and that the policy is that they will give it to me if I ask for it but won't try to get me to have it. She says there are 7 doctors in the rotation that split on call times and that they are 6 girls and 1 boy. And, she said she is taking her vacation in March, so she'll be around during April! :D She also said if they feel an episiotomy is necessary, they will tell me before doing it and be sure to give me a local first (last guy didn't on that one, so I was sure to ask, because I remembered that!). 

Oh! And, the last time I did blood work, the lab lost some of it, so she did a CBC and ferritin level today too. This is good because it will give us a clear idea of how my iron levels are for the end of pregnancy! She agrees with me that it will be a lot easier to do an infusion or two before the baby is born than to wait until after he is born for them! So, if my levels are low at all, I'll be scheduling that with Dr. Hematology!

Chris took a sick day from work today, so he's been here keeping me company and got to hear the heartbeat with me this morning! It's going to be so nice having him home with me for Paternity leave, but also so sad for me when he goes back to work again. We are having a pretty mellow day around here, although we were told we need to get our DTAP shots, and she suggested flu shots too, but I'm not incredibly big on those, so we'll get the first but probably not the latter.

This Facebook thing keeps asking me "How are you feeling, Sarah?" I'm feeling very pregnant and quite tired after the amazing Sing A Thon on Saturday. I may have joined in a bit too enthusiastically during a dance break because yesterday I could barely move at all and today I'm still a little sore and super tired! But, it went great, and I think a good time and lots of good food was had by all! Rachel's trip to New Orleans is almost completely paid for, to which we owe an amazing debt of gratitude to all her sponsors! Other than her choir trip and the choir Variety Show (Feb 20), Rachel's big focus now is on choosing songs for her College Auditions, of which she will have 3! They will be March 2, 9, and 16th! Ashley is in San Diego for a vacation, but we might get to see her on her way back home, and we are looking forward to that very much!  And, that's what is going on with all of us this week!! :D

~*~ Maternity Monday ~*~

Wow! 29 weeks along... 8-12 weeks to go! It's all going super fast these days! Baby is growing like a weed, and kicking up a storm! I'm still right at or pretty close to my pound a week goal... So, I feel good about that. I'm starting to walk funny not because I have to but just because it's so much more comfortable, lol... I sang at church with Rachel this weekend and probably won't be able to do that for much longer! It was tougher than I remember. But, I think I'm in the part of the pregnancy where even though I don't have the smoothest smooth bump, people can tell I'm pregnant and not just putting some weight on...

I've been having some back spasms, and they are getting quite bothersome. Before now, if I got one a week, it was unusual. But, I've been having 2 or 3 a day for the last few days, with the exception of Sunday, when I didn't have any. Maybe the crampy misery that was standing for a long time singing did something to ward off the spasms. Or, maybe the cramping on the stage was my spasm for the day. But, I'm definitely going to have to mention it to dr. gynie either way...

Rachel's got her Sing A Thon this weekend, so that will be some work, but a lot of fun I think... And, she's been getting envelopes in the mail from sponsors, which is so amazing!! She sent letters and photos out asking friends and family to sponsor her in the Sing A Thon, and it is really paying off! It's so amazing because the trip will cost $1200.00 per student, and every little bit people send in to sponsor her helps get her to New Orleans!! 

One fun thing I have learned on the internet lately is that Flergs and I are both going to have baby boys in the same month!! That's pretty groovy in my opinion, especially since she is one of the most awesome designers out there!! 

 Anyhow, happy Monday! I have a freebie ready for you tomorrow, I hope you'll come back tomorrow to snag it up!!

Huggles!!
~Sarah~

~*~ Maternity Monday ~*~ Week 28, 12 to go!!

Well, I had an appointment today!! I was starting to wrap my head around being in the third trimester and being so close to the finish line, but dr told me I might be closer to the finish line than I even realized... Turns out any time I go into labor after 37 weeks, I will be allowed to have the baby! And, she will put the hammer down at 41 weeks, to induce if he hasn't come on his own by then. So, now I have this concrete window that I will be having this baby between April 1st and the 29th!! Holy cow that seems super soon right this second! Anywhere between 9 and 13 weeks and we'll have a baby!! Woohoo!! (I'm actually really hoping to have him over Spring Break which would be a little early but it's in the window, lol... And, I really want to go into labor naturally so if you are the praying type, please pray for me to have the baby during the window without having to be induced!!)

I have to keep reminding myself that we are making progress! We have nailed down a date and hopefully a time for the shower, which you'll be hearing about once we have a place decided upon!! We have created a registry or two, and have only a few more key products to decide upon! It seems like every day, I come up with some new thing for Chris to have to think about with regards to the baby. I know I'm overwhelming him a bit. So, I don't know if it is better if I just flood him with all of it at once or if I should keep drizzling out a tiny bit at a time... I should ask him about that, I guess!! He probably has a preference!!

Also, I'm reading two books at the moment- One designed to make breastfeeding simple, and the other about vaccines. I am going to have to start reading them more quickly because I don't have anywhere near as much time to get through it all as I thought I did... And, I have to start looking for a pediatrician. I haven't picked one of those in forever and have no real clues where I'll start on that one... Rachel's got tons of college music department auditions coming up in March and the sing-a-thon February 9th for her choir trip fundraiser, so it's going to be a busy time either way!!

~*~ Maternity Monday ~*~ (week 27, 13 to go)

In the land of vegetables I'm familiar with, I've been reading that Curtis probably weighs in at about 2 pounds aka a head of cauliflower! I will say that so far he has never had a week where I could compare him to an asparagus, which makes me a little sad because I was looking forward to all the Veggietales references... But, alas, I'll take Cauliflower for now!! :D

Anyhow, these between appointment weeks are tougher to write about because if a lot of stuff is changing, I don't really know about it that much, except for the differences I can note. For example, it seems that Curtis is moving around a lot more now than he has been up to now. But, I know, because I read stuff, that he's probably moving around the same as always, I can just feel it better now. Either way, he seems to be having a good ole time in there! He doesn't do any predictable stuff like Rachel did just yet. (Rachel used to roll over every single night when I would lay down for bed, so it was a fun thing my mom and I used to watch.) But, he does do this awesome punching bag thing where it feels like he goes bump bump bump bump bump bump with alternating fists in RAPID succession. It's a really weird sensation.

In my reading, I'm getting to the time when almost everything is a reason for concern. I read the lists of things to go to the doctor for and they get longer every week, it seems like. And, in my mommy groups, I'm seeing a lot of posts about people wondering if they peed themselves or if their water broke. So far, they all peed themselves. I'm pretty nervous about this and have taken to going to the bathroom every 2 hours or so to avoid that scenario! But, more amazingly, in my April Mommy groups, the babies that are being born early are all doing really well now. Just a few weeks ago (6-7), babies that were born were not faring well at all, and most didn't make it. Now, they are all staying in the NICU for a while, but they are all thriving and most are drinking breast milk through their feeding tubes or via sucking on q-tips. That is just amazing to me!!

It is really amazing to be watching both my children grow at this stage! Rachel had a quite brilliant moment yesterday, where she got to sing at the Bulldog Pub with the jazz band there! We have an "in" with the band there as the leader is an old friend of the family and lots of people there knew my mother, who sang there every Sunday. But, we had no real way of knowing if we'd be recognized or if Rachel would get a chance to sing. But, I told her to bring her song book and see what happens. And, what happened was she took the bull by the horns, charged right up to Bob (the friend of the family), introduced herself as Debbi Stawicki's granddaughter, chatted with him about the possibility of recording some songs with him sometime, and graciously accepted without hesitation when he offered to let her sing!

Both my children are charging head first into the next stage of their lives, and it's exciting to watch! Curtis is preparing to exit the womb, strong and healthy! And, Rachel is preparing to go to college and enter the performance universe, also strong and healthy! They are both growing at a pace that is hard for me to measure, but one that makes me an immensely proud Mama!! :D

~*~ Maternity Monday ~*~

** So, I've been writing about this pregnancy every Monday on Facebook. And, I've been wanting to get back into posting on this blog again. I decided I would post my Maternity Monday updates here too! Small update, I'm 26 weeks along, and we know the baby is a BOY! He'll be named Curtis Jon and we just can't wait to meet him!! **

Well, it's Monday again, so here I am talking about the baby... Yesterday, Chris, Rachel, and I hit the Baby's R Us and added a ton of stuff to the registry. It was exhausting! It took a really long time, and we were entirely clueless about what to put on the list... Thankfully, they gave us a suggested list, which we put Rachel in charge of, and she guided us from one section of the store to the next. Having that list really made me and Chris focus on one product category at a time. Still, we were not and are not done or even close to done really.

The emails say the baby is the size of an English Hothouse Cucumber. Who in the US is familiar with this particular piece of fruit?? It's amusing in a serious way if you ask me... I got some actual really nice maternity jeans designed by Heidi Klum. Turns out she has spent enough time being pregnant to really know what to look for in some pregnancy jeans. They fit pretty well, and they look so much better than the sloppy ones I have from the Burlington, which it turns out are actually too big...

Emotionally, I think I'm doing pretty ok with the whole thing. I'm feeling a bit traumatized by the weight I've been putting on, which I'm sure will be worse tomorrow as I have an appointment with my WLS surgeon. But, the important thing is that she'll be able to tell me how my vitamin levels are doing with the pregnancy, which is important information! It's still overwhelming watching plans change and feeling like I don't know what is going to happen or when, but I'm trying to just go with the flow, which is a challenge for me. At the end of the day, seeing Curtis' smile will be worth all of the uncertainty and I just don't care what house, or what city, I see that smile in as long as I get to see it!!