Wednesday, December 19, 2012

1 Month Old

With the addition of baby #2, I definitely have less time to blog ...but I want to make sure I keep a record of Bri's milestones, etc. Right now I'm going to continue documenting through the blog and may change things up down the road. 
 

1 Month:
Weight: 9 lbs 11 oz - 75% (born at 7 lbs 13 oz)
Length: 22.5 in - 95% (born at 21 in)

I have a feeling she's going to take after her brother in the long/lean department. OY.

Bri is still a REALLY good baby. At nearly 5 weeks, she has us waiting for the "shoe to drop". We had always thought Grayson was a pretty fussy, difficult baby, but didn't realize it until we had a truly good baby. I remember WANTING to go back to work after having Grayson...this time, I'm shocked at how quick it came. Thankfully I only work Part Time this go-around, which will make the transition way easier. That and the insanely easy commute.

  • Has given us 7 (!!!) hour stretches of sleep. It almost kills me to have to wake up and pump while she sits there dreaming away.
  • Gave us her first social smile over the weekend. She has been giving me a ton of them today
  • Takes anywhere between 2-4.5oz of food at a time. We don't chart anything at all and I just feed her on demand. Seems to be working pretty well.
  • Unlike her brother she RARELY spits up. PRAISE THE LORD. (totally jinxing myself there)
  • Has amazing head control just like her brother. We'll hold her upright and she likes to look around and move her head from side to side.
  • In size 1 dipes
  • I just put away her newborn clothes
  • Takes after her dad - looks like she has a long torso and short legs.
  • Her hair is starting to thin out on top. WAHHHH.
  • Farts. A LOT.
  • Has a bowel movement every other day or so.
  • Loves to be held (especially by her dad) in the Maya Ring Sling
  • Really, the only time she cries badly is when she's hungry. She had a fussy period a couple weeks ago, but as soon as I cut out caffeine, the problem went away.
I'm crossing my fingers our sweet little girl stays as sweet as she is. After our exhausting son, it's nice to have a little reprieve.



Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Newborn Pictures

I'm trying to get a quick post in to show off some of our Newborn Photos.

We decided to go a different route with these pictures - a much more natural style..as oppposed to the super posed ones with props/flash we had with Grayson. Although I LOVE the pictures that we had taken of Grayson, as he got older, I was really hoping to have pictures that were more natural. I also wanted a photographer our family could grow with..and the posed thing was totally not working with an overactive toddler.

We finally found an amazing photographer/graphic artist who only shoots using natural light. She had done a post of a family of five here: http://samanthameister.com/blog/hikingwiththesevensmiths/ and I immediately fell in love with her style (if you have a couple minutes, check out the link..the family is absolutley adorable!) I feel like she was able to capture Grayson's personality so perfectly which made my heart smile.

I'm actually more excited to see her photograph our family as the kids get a bit older...and we already have our next session scheduled for the summer.

Here are a couple of my favorites:









Monday, December 3, 2012

PostPartum-ness

And I'm back!

I'm going to try to do an overall update on everything that has gone on in the past couple of weeks.

The Birth

If you read my husbands Birth Story, you know that we ended up having a very quick natural birth. Some people have asked me which birth I preferred...and it's a really hard question to answer since they were so different. I wouldn't change a thing about either of my kids' births. I thoroughly enjoyed Grayson's birth - the epidural allowed me to relax and really experience everything. I begged for the mirror to be brought down so I could see him and was really "present" during the whole process.

Bridget's birth was so fast that I really couldn't think. A big part of me was in shock having gotten to the hospital complete and ready to push. In my head I thought they would tell me I was 4cm or something. So I resisted actually needing to push. I kept telling everyone that I couldn't do it...but as most books tell you, once the urge to push arrives, your body naturally pushes! Although I didn't necessarily ENJOY Bree's brith,  I felt really great afterward and  proud of what I had just accomplished.

So my answer is... If I had to do it over again, I would just go with the flow...and know that whatever happens, having a healthy baby is obviously the most important.

Postpartum Quiz

  • How far along were you when you had your baby? 41 weeks exactly
  • How long was labor? 3.5 hours
  • Total weight gain: 23lbs (same exact as Grayson)
  • Total weight loss since: I'm back down to my pre-preg weight. I attribute it to the breastfeeding
  • Back into your own clothes yet? Yes and no. Even though my weight is off, a lot of my shirts don't fit right and I have a little bit extra fluff around my middle. I'm not complaining one bit..I'll probably just buy some more clothes :)
  • Did you get stretch marks? NONE!
  • Did you deliver vaginally or by c-section? Vaginally.
  • Best moment this week: Getting Bri (Bree?) all dressed up for the annual "Fancy Dinner" our friend Elizabeth hosts
  • What I miss about being pregnant: Not much
  • How big is baby: Honestly not sure..she is probably around 8lbs.
  • Baby's temperament? Pretty content, although she is starting to show us some more personality.
  • What I am looking forward to: when she can interact with us a little more!
  • Working out: I have NOT started to workout yet. This time around, I will be waiting until I'm 6 weeks PP to start back up. My midwife was very adamant that I not overdo it  - I've already had Mastitis and am finally feeling pretty good. She said if I over do it, I have a higher chance of getting it again.

Family Dynamics

Obviously our family dynamic has changed drastically. Dan and Grayson spend a lot of time one on one, while I spend a lot of time with Bridget one on one. This past week has been a bit tiring...Bridget tricked us into thinking she was the perfect baby, and while she's definitely still pretty easy, she displayed some of the typical newborn behavior of "fussing" from 5pm-11pm for a couple nights. I altered my diet to make sure I had NO caffiene which seems to be helping a lot. Obviously, with two there isn't a "break"...Saturday Dan took G to the zoo, while I shopped a bit with Bridget. We didn't think B was ready to take an all day trip outside yet, but don't want to deprive Grayson of the nice weather (and fun!) to be had at the zoo.

I get to spend some time with Grayson on my own Wednesdays and Fridays when he's home from daycare, although it's proving to be a tad difficult with timing my pumping and keeping him active. I feel a bit guilty because before Bridget was born, Grayson and I RARELY stayed home all day. I made sure we went to the park, museum, or had some sort of activity OUTSIDE of the house. One of my worries with having Bridget in the winter was that I'd be tied to the house. Luckily, we have a playdate this friday with Christina, Vincent and Zach...and then my sister Rachael will be coming into town the following Monday/Tuesday for about a week.

Dan will be taking his first business trip back at his new office in the next two weeks...so it'll be just me with both kids for about a week. He'll be averaging about a trip a month with his new position, which isn't terrible...it'll just take some getting used to with TWO little ones under my belt.

On another note, Grayson seems to be doing really well with having a new baby in the house. He's pretty affectionate with her, although at times, does tell one or the other parent to "put it down" or "give it to mommy". He doesn't do this in a mean way, just wants us to play with him and put her down!

Bri or Bree??

When we picked Bridget's name, the agreement was that I could call her Bri (or Bree). I really love the nickname, but Dan wanted her to have a longer first name. That being said...we cannot agree on the spelling of her nickname. I say Bri and Dan says Bree. Since I can't decide, I'll probably go back and forth for a little while writing her name different ways..so if you're confused or want to voice your own input, feel free:)

Feedings

Since Dan has gone back to work, I don't feel right asking him to help me out with feedings unless I'm super exahusted. Luckily, Bree goes 2 hours (at least) between feedings. So on a typical night Bree will get up, I'll feed her, put her down and then pump. This whole process takes about an hour when all is said and done. It's been a pretty easy process and on the weekends Dan will feed while I pump..that way he gets his nightly bonding experience in with her :) When I go back to work, I hopefully won't need to pump at night and Dan and I will alternate feedings. Maybe she'll be super awesome and be sleeping through the night by then..(Grayson didn't STTN until he was 8 months old!)

Bree's Temperament

Unlike her brother, Bree is much more calm. She LOVES being held and cuddled...to the point that I've resorted to Co-Sleeping on occasion. I remember while being pregnant with Grayson thinking I would NEVER co-sleep...but this time around, I'm really enjoying the extra cuddles.
Grayson used to need us to be moving around quite a bit to calm down, while with Bree, we can sit with her on the couch and she'd be perfectly happy. Not sure if it's still too early, but I'm hoping she stays like this!

And for a couple pictures:










Sunday, November 18, 2012

One for the boys: Bridget's Birth Story told by Dad



One For the Boys: What to Expect During Labor and Delivery (Based on Personal Experience)

Here is a step by step description of what to expect during labor and delivery based on personal experience on Friday November 16, 2012. I know it reads like cuts from a comedy movie depiction of labor, but I assure you it is 100% true.

 • 1 week after her due date, at 4:00 AM your wife will wake you up because she is having contractions. Your first thoughts will be…”Of course, after the one night in months that I chose not to go to bed until 2:00 AM. WTF.”

• You will start timing contractions with her. She will immediately complain that they are really really painful. She will tell you to call the doctor. You, having read up on your stuff ahead of time, will calmly explain that the contractions are still not really on a pattern and you should hold off on the phone call. She will not so calmly scream in your ear to call the effing doctor. You will call the effing doctor.

• While you wait for the doctor to call back she will be going to the bathroom…a lot.

• The doctor will call, you will hand the phone to your wife. She will fall on the floor in pain during a contraction while on the phone. The doctor will say it’s probably best if you come to the hospital.

 • You call the grand parents to watch your sleeping toddler. While you wait you will have arguments with your wife about why she can’t pack 90% of the household in her labor bag that should have been packed weeks ago. Explaining that all you had to do was grab your bag off the ground next to the bed and throw it in the car because it was packed 2 months ago, and by the way you aren’t even the pregnant one, is not a good idea. Grandparents arrive, wife falls on the floor in pain a few more times, get in the car and go.

 • Your wife will not buckle herself into the car seat, in fact she will not sit forward in the seat, she will lean over the back. She will yell loudly during contractions. Contractions apparently never end as yelling never ends. Profanity that will make a sailor blush is used liberally. Did I mention it was done loudly.

• You will wonder why your wife chose a hospital 45 minutes from home when there is a perfectly good one 15 minutes from home. It is not suggested to ask her this question at this time.

 • Do not try to explain that getting pulled over will take longer than driving 90 MPH to the hospital, she will not understand. Explaining it’s not so hard a concept is also not suggested. Please refer to the previous note as it will cross your mind to discuss it again.

 • Profanity use in the car will progress to the point that you expect to find a restraining order from the catholic church in your mailbox later explaining you are not allowed within 500 yards of any of their parishioners.

 • You will get to the hospital, you will calmly lead your wife inside, up to the labor unit reception desk. While checking in your wife will fall on all fours in pain. A mental image will spring to your mind of what this must look like to a normal person getting off the elevator, a horribly pregnant short stack of a girl on all fours in a hospital hallway. Try to keep the smile at this image inside because the receptionist nurses will look at you like you are the scum of the universe. You will try extra hard to look extra concerned, which is what you are really feeling, but it will be too late, damage done. Trust me, in the end it’s ok. These things are funny, just not until later. Thank the higher powers your wife did not see.

 • They will send her back for initial evaluations while you finish checking in for her. The nurse asking you questions will be the same one that saw you smile earlier. She will look like she would rather be stabbing you than asking you questions. Luckily you are saved because your wife is wheeled by on a hospital bed, the midwife has grabbed you by the shirt and explained while you are running to keep up that your wife is having a baby. You start to explain, that you already knew that and that was why you were there in the first place, but she cuts you off and explains that she meant your wife is having the baby now, like immediately, like not in a few hours, like now now.

• You wife gets in the birthing room and continues to scream obscenities mixed with just flat out screaming. There is no humor to be found in this situation. Ok a little, but you have learned your lesson previously.

• Your wife will ask the midwife for an epidural, the midwife will explain that she can’t have one because by the time it gets there and gets installed the baby will be born. Your wife will not hear this because she is screaming.

 • She will tell you to hold her hands, and then scream at you to stop touching her. You will wonder why you didn’t take your wedding ring off because your fingers will be breaking.

• Your wife will continue to yell at everyone to stop touching her. No one will be touching her when she says this. • You will wonder why your labor bag did not include ear plugs.

• The doctor will ask for your wife to push. She will say she can’t, but this will seam interesting to you because the doctor is already telling her what a great job she is doing pushing.

• A fairy princess will slide down a colorful rainbow into the land of unicorns. *****NOTE***** The previous sentence has been changed by my editors to be more appropriate for the common reader. The original text included the words “fluids” and “trajectories”.

 • The doctor will say she can see the head. She asks if you would like to see. You try to explain that you would rather not because you are still trying to “un-see” portions of your son’s birth and have failed after 2 years. You realize no one is listening to you.

 • Your wife will say she can’t push the baby out. You will again think this is interesting because there is currently a small head out side of her lower regions. You will curse yourself for looking. One more think you will not be able to “un-see”.

• Your baby will be born 15 seconds later, it will have been less than an hour since you pulled into the parking lot.

• Your baby will be amazing.

• Later when holding your daughter you will try to explain to her that if her mother hadn’t made you call the effing doctor when you are being logical earlier in the morning she probably would have been born in the car. Your daughter will give you a reactionary smile and then look at you like she doesn’t care. You won’t really care either.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

39 weeks

39 weeks and I'm really done with being pregnant. I have 5 days until my due date and I'm starting to get sad that the day is going to come and go...and we'll be waiting here for our little girl.

I had a pretty good 39 week check-up Friday. I'm 2-3cm dilated, 80% effaced, and the baby is WAY low. My midwife had a hard time checking me because she was so low. It was the first time I've ever bled from a cervical check (I'm assuming it was from the cervical check...)

Because my cervix is favorable, if an induction is needed, this particular midwife said she had no issues with breaking my water to induce labor as opposed to starting me on any pitocin. She DID mention that she couldn't speak for all of the midwives in the practice, but that Bridget was so low, there are no worries of a prolapsed cord or even taking very long once my water was broke. 

Obviously this is just talk right now. We won't be entertaining that idea until 41 weeks at this point. I'm starting to get frustrated because I obviously want her to come on her own...but at the same time we have family coming in for Thanksgiving...so delivering her at 41 weeks is giving us a couple days on our own as a family, and that's barring no issues after delivery. (we hope she's super healthy!)

I'm totally being whiny right now and I have no reason to. I feel awful for even writing this all out. I've had a really wonderful pregnancy this time around, but had a mini breakdown today (my first at 39 weeks, 2 Days!) and it's so trivial. I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for going 41 weeks. But it's really REALLY hard.

Ok. Enough whining.

The obligitory Dan and Grayson picture!




  • How far along?  39 weeks
    • Total weight gain:  Still hanging out at 21lbs
    • Maternity clothes? Yep, I've been wearing tops. STILL haven't bought maternity pants yet....I have a pair of pre-preg skinny jeans that fit and leggings have been my BFF.
    • Stretch marks? still none
    • Sleep: MEH.
    • Best moment this week: Hearing that I had made some progress
    • Miss Anything? Regular clothes!!!!! And a DRINK. I really need one.
    • Movement: a lot of pressure down low. Her movement has slowed down a bit it seems
    • Food cravings: I'm seriously dying for a drink. SO so bad.
    • Food aversions: nothing really
    • Gender: Girl:)
    • Labor Signs: I had contractions for 5 hours friday afternoon and 5 hours Saturday afternoon. Some were painful enough for me to breath through and got me thinking I needed to call the midwife. We were very lucky to have friends come over and cook us dinner which helped me take my mind of the contractions...and they ended up going away. This is way different then when I was pregnant with Grayson. I had contractions for maybe an hour or so a couple nights before he was born, but that was it. I've been dealing with HOURS of contractions with this little girl for the past couple of weeks. Each time they start up I get a little excited only to be shot down. I really hope that my water breaks like it did with Grayson, because I feel like I'm not going to know if I'm truly in labor at this point!
    • Symptoms: See above.
    • Belly Button in or out? Out.
    • Wedding rings on or off? On.
    • Looking forward to: Um. Birthing this baby girl!
    • Feelings- my oh so cool attitude has worn off and I'm starting to get that "pregnant girl" emotional. Luckily for Dan, I made it to 39 weeks before it happened. So hopefully he doesn't have to deal with it for very long:)



    Wednesday, October 31, 2012

    38 weeks + Appendectomy. OY

    I'm actually closer to 39 weeks as I write this, but better late then never!

    At my 38 week appt I had made almost no additional progress from the previous week. I'm currently sitting at 1cm and about the same effacement. Wah. No matter how much you try to convince yourself that you *know* the numbers don't mean a thing, at  the end of the pregnancy you really want to hear something. And yes, I do ask to be checked because I'm just way too curious.

    Other then being uncomfortable, I'm still having a couple hours of contractions every other night or so that clearly go no where.

    On a completely side topic and "story to tell our kids one day"...Dan had to have an appendectomy Monday afternoon. After being up ALL Sunday evening (both of us), he made an appointment with his doctor to see what the deal was...hoping that maybe he had pulled a muscle/hernia. The doctor did one test and confirmed exactly what we didn't want to hear. He needed to go to the hospital immediately for an appendectomy. I freaked out at first because I had heard through the grapevine that the hospital stay was 3-4 nights. UM. That's not going to work.

    Luckily, they got him into surgery ASAP and told us we could go home almost immediately afterwards!!

    Not saying this has been easy. He's been in pain, taking doses of Oxycodon (sp?) and been pretty much not helpful for the past couple of days. I'm super tired because I get to deal with an active toddler who really really REALLY wants to play on the daddy jungle gym and can't. So I have to keep him busy doing other activities, which I swear make him want to play on Dan MORE.

    This has been the most tired I've ever been. While I would love to have Bridget here, I'm actually way too tired for her to come. Along with the fact that Dan would basically be useless to me during labor at this point...Like, he wouldn't even be able to drive me to the hospital. We've been joking about it the past couple of days. We'd actually have to call our neighors or parents to drive us to the hospital if I went into labor! He's started to wean himself off the medication, but I don't think he'll feel much better until friday.







  • How far along?  38 weeks
    • Total weight gain:  21lbs
    • Maternity clothes? Yep, I've been wearing tops. STILL haven't bought maternity pants yet....I have a pair of pre-preg skinny jeans that fit and leggings have been my BFF. The weather here has been really odd. Really nice and in the 70's one day, and then 42 (today)
    • Stretch marks? still none
    • Sleep:  MEH. 
    • Best moment this week: Getting to bring Dan home from the hospital and not needing an overnight stay!
    • Miss Anything? Regular clothes!!!!! And a DRINK. I really need one.
    • Movement: a lot of pressure down low. Her movement has slowed down a bit it seems
    • Food cravings: Meh. Not much, honestly.
    • Food aversions: nothing really
    • Gender: Girl:)
    • Labor Signs: Contractions, 1cm dilated, 70% effaced
    • Symptoms: My RLP is still pretty bad. I have a ton of pressure down low.
    • Belly Button in or out? Out.
    • Wedding rings on or off? On.
    • Looking forward to: Hopefully a non-eventful weekend. If Dan's feeling better, then Bridget can make her debut.
    • Feelings-physically I'm feeling done. Emotionally I'm pretty much ready for her. I need Dan to catch up with my on the physical part. I really need him to be more "awake" during our labor :)


     



    Saturday, October 20, 2012

    37 weeks and Progress

    Oh man. Has this week been TIRING.

    It looks like I'm going to be having lots of false/pre-labor with this little girl.

    It started Monday evening, which didn't surprise me since we had done so much travelling. It was only for about 2 hours but were pretty consistent at about 5-6 minutes apart.

    Then came Wednesday evening and I had contractions ALL NIGHT LONG. From 11pm-5am. I was able to fall asleep for a couple hours before getting up for work, which thankfully wasn't as tiring as I thought it would be.

    And then again last night...for a good 5 hours. 5-7 minutes apart. We'll see if this is how the next 3 weeks proceeds! I know very well that I could be stuck with contractions like this every night for quite awhile - at least it's getting my body prepared for actual labor:)

    On another note: I was totally surprised thursday afternoon by the wonderful shower my co-workers threw me! They purchased Bridget a BEAUTIFUL baby bedding set from Pottery Barn Kids which included a Crib Skirt, Crib sheet and Quilt. I know most people think that baby bedding is a waste of money - I'm actually not one of those peopl. The only piece of the bedding I feel is a waste are the bumpers (which my co-workers knew not to buy!) We registered for a really nice bedding set from Pottery Barn for Grayson and although he didn't get to use his quilt right away....has slept with it ever since we allowed him to have a blanket. It's now on his toddler bed and totally adorable. If Dan and I were to invest our own money in a bedding set, we were going to go with Pottery Barn again because of the simple classic styles they offer - something our kids can grow with.

    A quick pic of my guys:



    And for the weekly Quiz:



  • How far along?  37 weeks

    • Total weight gain: still 20lbs according to the docs scale
    • Maternity clothes? Yep, I've been wearing tops. STILL haven't bought maternity pants yet....
    • Stretch marks? still none
    • Sleep:  Not very good this week.
    • Best moment this week: finding out that I had made some progress - made the contractions worth it.
    • Miss Anything? Regular clothes and bending over. Seriously.
    • Movement: Still have a lot of big movements
    • Food cravings: Meh. Not much, honestly.
    • Food aversions: nothing really
    • Gender: Girl:)
    • Labor Signs: Contractions, lost my mucous plug,  70% effaced, Fingertip dilated, Baby's head is engaged and my cervix is anterior!
    • Symptoms: My RLP is still pretty bad. I have a ton of pressure down low.
    • Belly Button in or out? Out.
    • Wedding rings on or off? On.
    • Looking forward to: Pumpkin picking and possibly HallZooWeen..although the weather is pretty poor.
    • Feelings- Starting to feel done. I'm getting to that uncomfortable stage in pregnancy where my belly is taking over everything. I finally packed my bag for the hospital yesterday, along with a bag for Grayson in case we need to drop him with the neighbors or parents. I also washed all the material that was on the swing, car seat, rock and play and put most of it together. We may bring the swing upstairs this weekend so that Grayson can get used to it. Luckily, his daycare is small so he knows that baby's aren't supposed to be touched while in the swing...

    Monday, October 15, 2012

    36.5 week Comparison

     
    I'm a little delayed in writing this post. We've had a lot going on...
     
    Because of the passing of a very dear boy, Dan and I made the 11ish hour trip back to CT to say our goodbyes. In preperation to travel, I had my appt thursday where they basically printed out my whole medical history and delivered it to me in a manila envelope stating "do not go anywhere without this". We also were instructed to map out every hospital on the way to CT just in case.
     
    Because of the patience and confidence of the midwives, we felt pretty comfortable making the trip without any issues. We were "supposed" to stop every two hours...and totally failed on that front. I was very anxious to "just get home" and made sure to move my ankles around, etc.
     
    We did the trip in one shot on the way TO CT, but decided to leave Saturday evening to break it up a bit on the way back. Although it wasn't terrible, I really wasn't excited about getting back in the car for a full 12 hours in one day and we wanted to get back home to Grayson since it was the first time we'd left him for two nights, and been so far away from him.
     
    All in all, I'm very happy we were able to go home.
     
    ******
    I really like looking back and "Comparing Bellies"
     
    The left is myself 37 weeks pregnant with Grayson, and the right is me 36.5 with Bridget. Just noticed how tired I look in both pictures. Ha! 
     
     
    
  • How far along? 36 weeks
    • Total weight gain:  20lbs according to the docs scale
    • Maternity clothes?  Yep, I've been wearing tops. Haven't bought maternity pants yet. It's "casual dress" all week at work, so I'm still holding off....:)
    • Stretch marks? still none
    • Sleep:  Pretty terrible last week - not necessarily pregnancy related.
    • Best moment this week: Getting to see family, even under the sad circumstances
    • Miss Anything? Regular clothes. Definitely. And my movement is becoming limited...
    • Movement: A lot of big movements still.
    • Food cravings: Meh. Not much, honestly.
    • Food aversions: nothing really
    • Gender: Girl:)
    • Labor Signs: Cramping a bit more. I was checked last week at my appt before leaving for CT and I wasn't dilated at all, but 50% effaced. Bridget is also measuring AHEAD now..she was consistently measuring a week or 2 behind, which is fine, but it may be the reason why I clearly look much larger these past 2 weeks all of a sudden. Baby girl had a growth spurt!
    • Symptoms: RLP is getting pretty bad. I had to really slow down on the elliptical today because I was being so bothered!
    • Belly Button in or out? Out.
    • Wedding rings on or off? On.
    • Looking forward to: This weekend with my family. We're hoping to go pumpkin picking and do the HallZooWeen. The weather is looking a little gloomy, so we'll see.
    • Feelings-  Starting to feel done. I'm getting to that uncomfortable stage in pregnancy where my belly is taking over everything. I'm definitley better this time around then when I was pg with Grayson, but it's still starting to get a bit tiring.

    Friday, October 5, 2012

    35 weeks/35 Days

    So here we are at 35 weeks!

    I'm VERY tiredly (word??) waiting for my oil change to be complete at Toyota. I lucked out with about 3-4 days of great sleep....and then my body decided to wake me up at 3:00am for the day. I was doing good up until I sat down, and now I totally want to nap in the waiting area.

    The nap thing is probably not going to happen since I have errands to run...but it's a nice thought:)

    We have been sending Grayson to daycare on fridays since it was easier then trying to find a sitter on the days I have my appointments. (And yes, there is absolutely NO WAY that I would even think about bringing my child to an appt. He is THAT bad) I actually pay daycare less for the whole day, then what it would cost to have a sitter watch G for 3 hours. This has been pretty awesome the past couple of fridays when we've needed to get stuff done.

    Other then being a little sleepy today, I'm definitely starting to feel like I'm ready for the end.

    In the picture below, I feel like I've had a pretty big growth spurt. Both Dan and one of my co-workers think that I've "dropped"...although I don't really have much of a torso...so to me it's really hard to tell. Either way, I've been having a lot more pressure "down there" (yey)

    Look at that artwork!! I think this is a pretty accurate picture of my size.



  • How far along?  35 weeks 
    • Total weight gain:  19 lbs 
    • Maternity clothes? Still just tops right now...
    • Stretch marks? none yet
    • Sleep:  It was great this week until last night!
    • Best moment this week: Seeing the wainscotting complete - YEY!! Picture below. I am totally jumping on the "Gray" bandwagon and looking to paint above the wainscotting a very light gray...that project will have to wait until after Bridget is born and I'm back to work. Way easier to have the house painted when we're not in the house!
    • Miss Anything? Regular clothes. Although I've really enjoyed this pregnancy and my bump...just today I had a little moment of "I want my body back!!"
    • Movement: A lot of big movements - which was why I was up last night
    • Food cravings: I've been drinking a lot of Powerade and ice tea's...
    • Food aversions: nothing really
    • Gender: Girl:)
    • Labor Signs: Cramping a bit more. My contractions with Grayson started as really bad cramps...and I've started to get them a bit more, especially after I excersice or other activities *ahem*
    • Symptoms: Leaking a LOT more. Definitely feeling more "pressure" down there. RLP, and shortness of breath. I don't remember ever having shortness of breath with Grayson, it must be her positioning.
    • Belly Button in or out? Out.
    • Wedding rings on or off? On.
    • Looking forward to: Taking Grayson to either museum tomorrow OR Entertrainment Junction.
    • Feelings-  Still feeling really good. Starting to feel "done" though. Dan is definitely ready for her to be here....he's always wanted a little girl, so this is like the icing on a cake for him to actually get to have one. I have to say, I've bought a LOT of clothing these past couple of weeks...and Dan DOESN'T.SAY.A.WORD. He may roll his eyes a bit..:)

    
    Bags - we haven't packed any bags yet. I don't remember when I did it with Grayson, I have most of the things I need, and will probably put something together within the next week or so.

    We're going to pack G a little bag to keep all his things together in case we have to either drop him off at Dan's parents or have the neighbors come over quickly {waves to the Adams}. That way, no one has to go searching for anything he needs...it's all right there in his bag.




    Sunday, September 30, 2012

    34 weeks

    This will be a combined 33/34 week post with a handful of updates:

    So we figured out the best way to keep Grayson busy on the weekends: Petting Zoo.
    We've decided to try out the Hall-Zoo-ween this year - they seem to have a great program for little kids...and hopefully his newfound interest in animals will keep him entertained.

    Doggie Update:

    I posted a couple months ago that we added someone to our family: Brewsky! He has been an AMAZING addition to our family...the.perfect.dog. Especially for us. He is such a sweet, cuddly guy. A little too cuddly at times - he totally thinks he's a lapdog!

    At first we were a bit overwhelmed by the amount of HAIR he shed...but we realized a week or so ago, that it's calmed down a ton. We think it's because he's more comfortable with us and healthy! He had a couple ear infections and eye issues that we were medicating him for, and now he's pretty much 100%. I mean...he still sheds...but not nearly as much as what we were dealing with the first month or so (I would vaccum every other day and pick up a TON of hair!!)

    We love him so much...that we will most likely get dog #2 in another 2 years. Unfortunately, B is a little old (8 next month) and we think he'll  be a great, calm example for a puppy (if we decide to go the puppy route next time, that part is not decided) We don't want Grayson to be without a dog at this point since he is so in love with his "doggy". It doesn't hurt that we went to Home Depot the other day and saw THE CUTEST Golden Retriever puppy. OMIGOD!!!

    I grew up with very small/non shedding dogs and really love having a big family dog around. We take a walk every night to the open fields in our development and let B and G run around. They both love it - it gets G a little tired for bed since he's running around, and gets B some healthy dog excersice.

    Dan's Birthday Celebration

    We did Dan's bday Celebration a bit early for a couple reasons:

    1. Dan is hoping beyond HOPE that his little girl is either born on his Birthday OR Halloween. (I'm really not a fan of her being born on Halloween...REALLY.)

    2. As we get closer to Dan's Bday - we contend with a lot of Halloween parties....

    3. We thought it would be nice to "get it done" before things got really crazy and before Bridget (yep - we named her!) arrvies

    We went to Nicholsons Gastropub downtown and had a fabulous time.

    Bridget Alivia

    We were going to wait to announce the name of our little girl, but there have been a couple instances where we slipped (since we refer to her as Bridget at home for Grayson to start getting used to)
    Our name choice was a hard one - because we actually don't know if she's going to be a Bridget OR an Alivia! Alivia (specifically Olivia) is super popular and we were a little hesitant to use it as a first name....Bridget Alivia flows really nicely and we decided if she comes out looking like an Alivia, then she will just go by her middle name. And apparently it's a huge southern thing to go by your middle name - had no clue!

    Wainscotting

    Is almost done! Crossing our fingers it's completed today - we've been trying to stay out of our house since friday..gah!

    Midwife Meeting

    Switching to a midwife group was seriously one of the best decisions I've ever made. Dan and I went to my 34 week appt together to go over some birth details and ask some questions - the midwife again assured me I was growing completely fine - Bridget is measuring at exactly 34 weeks now - yey! Again, she is the second midwife to tell me she doesn't think I'll have another 8lb baby...which means this labor and delivery is going to feel easy compared to Graysons :) (right?!)










    Not gonna lie - they were not happy about "getting thier picture taken" - The Birthday Boys
    P.S - my husbands pretty good looking!



  • How far along?  34 Weeks 
    • Total weight gain: 18lbs - (official Doc weight gain!)
    • Maternity clothes? Still just tops right now...this weekend I have to go out and buy some fancy yoga pants that will substitute as "work" pants. I refuse to buy maternity pants at this stage of the game.
    • Stretch marks? none yet
    • Sleep:  Mehhhhh....not so good. I'm getting flashbacks to when I was pregnant with Grayson. Ha. Why must my children be awake at night?!!
    • Best moment this week: Getting to see Bridget on U/S again! Our midwife wanted to calm our fears about baby being head up and popped us in the U/S room for a quick viewing. She looked perfect - and head down!
    • Miss Anything? RED wine. I went out to dinner with co-workers and someone ordered a red wine and the smell was DIVINE..
    • Movement: A lot of big movements!
    • Food cravings: I've been drinking a lot of Powerade
    • Food aversions: nothing really
    • Gender: Girl:)
    • Labor Signs: I happened to have a couple hours of untimeable contractions Wednesday afternoon. It's my day off with Grayson, so I'm usually a bit more active on those days....
    • Symptoms: Leaking. Getting physically a bit more tired.
    • Belly Button in or out? Out.
    • Wedding rings on or off? On.
    • Looking forward to: Getting the wainscotting finished in the hallway and foyer!!! It's about 3/4 done AS WE SPEAK! It should be finished by this afternoon.
    • Feelings- Again, still feeling really good. Getting a little anxious as we get closer to the due date.