Months Fly By

At this point, if you don't follow me on social media, you may think I didn't survive my vacation with the kids at the beginning of the summer. It's been a while. 

The truth is that we had a great trip, and it truly built my confidence as a mom to two now. It's still hard to believe I have a baby some days. I'm so very blessed. 

This little baby will be 5 months old tomorrow. He is such a joy and bright spot in our family. It's hard to believe one so little could enhance our family so much. He is amazing. 

Not only did I survive that first vacation this summer, but we also ventured on two more over the summer. We spent 5 days away at my parents' house for a family camp out in July. Then we went away as a family for 9 days in August. All great trips, and I think it's much easier to travel with Jonah now while he's little & easy to tote. 

I've learned that we really don't need that much baby gear. Sure it's handy to have the swing, bouncy chair and Bumbo at home, but we can easily survive a week without it. Jonah sleeps great even away from home. He likes to be near me and we use baby carriers (maya sling, Moby wrap, mei tai) a lot. 

Now it's back to school time. Zachariah will be a 2nd grader on Tuesday. Jonah and I will be lost without him at home. He's truly a big help. Jonah thinks he's the greatest thing ever, as a younger brother should. 

Sorry for neglecting this blog. I'm actually contemplating starting a new one, basically combine my two. I think it may help me have a place that meets all my blog needs without feeling like I'm neglecting one or the other. For now I'm limited on time to blog, because I cracked my laptop screen and it is out for repair now. I don't know how long before I'll get it back. I'm very thankful for my smart phone, so I have at least some ways to stay connected. However blogging from a phone isn't as easy as you'd think. 

I will try to keep you all up to date. And when I do switch blogs, I'll be sure to get you the link. I hope that you've all had a great summer too!!

Traveling with a Newborn

Can I still call this little guy a newborn? He just turned 2 months old! He's still just the sweetest little thing. I had fun with an impromptu photoshoot with my boys and got a few decent images the other day. Even if I'm not shelling out money for a professional photographer, at least I have a few images to document their changes and cute faces.

I have blog in my head, and I just haven't gotten them all out yet. I'd like to keep better track of things that Jonah is doing, my feelings as a new mom *again*, the second child, this age gap, Jonah's stats and things that I will want to look back on, and about Zachariah too. Some days I miss blogging. Some days I think it's too much to keep up with one more thing. But how can I not share these pictures of my adorable little guys with my internet friends?!!

So on to the topic I really wanted to write about. I'm going to be traveling this weekend. By myself. With both boys. One of whom is a little baby. This little baby is not to keen of riding in the car. He's been known to cry just because he doesn't like it. However, I will say that he's getting better. After Matt & I went away for 2 days with him, he seems better. We were in and out of the car stopping different places a lot then. And he finally let the ride lull him to sleep. Since then he's been a bit better. Still he cried for the last 20 minutes of the trip up to my parents' house last weekend.

When he cries, there really is nothing that helps. Jiggle his seat? Nope. Talk to him in a soothing voice? Nope. Give him a pacifier (which he's still only so/so about)? Nope. Have his big brother hold his hand or touch his face? Nope. None of that helps. When he's really mad, even if you stop and get him out, you can't put him back in his seat or he'll just start crying again. So we do let him cry for a little bit. I don't think it's ever been more than 15-20 minutes, and he cries off and on during that time. But sometimes you just have to drive and pretend you don't hear it. I hate it, but what else can I do? I'm very thankful it's getting better.

Knowing all of that, I'm still taking the chance and driving a 5 hour trip alone with both boys.

My parents invited us to go on vacation with them. We have one planned ourselves for later in the summer, and Matt didn't want to take this week off work now. But it worked out that I could go if I wanted. At first I didn't want to do it alone. I knew I'd have to drive by myself. It's not the driving part that bugs me, just the crying baby that does. And how do I manage stops if one is crying & needs fed and the other has to go potty? Well, I've talked myself into it. It helps that Zachariah is big enough to use the restroom by himself. And he knows to stay near me when I tell him. Jonah will likely just want fed right away, and I can handle that too.

Since it's only a 5 hour drive, I'm hoping we won't need too many stops. We'll need to stop for lunch, so a fast food place will be easy enough to handle. I can take Zachariah to use the restroom them feed the baby while he's eating. And I'm hoping maybe one more break for Jonah will be all that's needed. But I'm not under any time constraints, so if it takes us 8 hours to get there so be it. I'm not going to worry about that. I will keep in touch with my family (who is taking a different route because of where they are starting from) along the way and Matt too.

I just want to have a great week with my family. And in a way, I think this little trip with just me and the boys will be a bonding experience. And if it's terrible, then I can have help on the way back since I'm going back to my parents' house for one night afterwards.

Wish me luck and a sleepy baby who will be content in the car. If you follow on Twitter, I'm sure I'll keep up there. (It might be entertaining. We'll see.)

Attitude

 

So many people, while talking to me, will ask how Zachariah is adjusting to being a big brother. I usually say he's doing well. And well, he was. Then this week we starting having problems.

Zachariah has been a really great big brother. He loves to dote on Jonah. He likes to hold him and take care of him when he can. So far that only involves holding the baby and giving him a bottle. Bit he's happy to help. Zachariah really hasn't acted jealous at all. 

Then in the last week I started getting a bad attitude from Zachariah. It happens usually when Matt isn't around. It's talking back, disobeying, defiance and a general argumentiveness. 

After one particularly bad night, I lost my cool.  There was some yelling on my party, then throwing of toys (he was supposed to be picking up) on his. That bought him a go straight to bed card. Matt was tired of hearing of the bad behavior towards me, so he had a talk with Zachariah the next morning. He was banned to his room the next day after school other than dinner. He was only allowed to read on his bed or think about why he was in trouble. He did sincerely apologize to me when he came out for supper. And that seemed to put an end to the trouble. That and the threat for more things to be taken away if the bad behavior continues (like his field trip next week). 

For now I think we're past this. I knew a time would come when Zachariah tested me. I just don't put up with it. I sure hope he doesn't try it again. There are only 2 full weeks (after this) of school left. Trouble like that might make for a long summer. I'm thankful for Matt's support. And I know that Zachariah is a good kid. I just want to see that side of him only. 

That Was Fast

So after writing earlier this week about looking for a minivan, I didn't expect that we'd buy one so soon. I was still wishy-washy about wanting to purchase a new vehicle at that point. And that's why I hashed out all my thoughts on my blog.

Last night, this was delivered to my house:

Our friend had a great deal on it at his dealership. Plus he made us an even better deal. We already had a down payment and got a good trade-in for my old car. It fit a need that our family has and we are in a good place to afford it financially, so it was the right choice. I have no doubts.

Our new van is a 2008 Chrysler Town & Country Touring. It only had 56,000 miles on it. It's in really good shape, and we found out the back seats have never been used. In fact they've never seen daylight practically. This is a stow and go van, and the 70 year old previous (and only) owners kept the seats down all the time in the back. They had a scooter that was stored back there, so the back seats weren't used. There are a few minor dings and dents, but otherwise it's in great shape.

Most of us are happy and enjoying the extra space. As you can see in the picture, Zachariah was sad that we were getting a new vehicle. He was sad the car had to go and says he'll miss it. It was a good, old car, and I'll miss it too, but the van is so much more practical for us now.

One Month

Hard to believe, but my baby is one month old already. I'm sure I'll be saying this a lot...where did the time go?

At Jonah's check-up he weighed 8 lbs 11 oz and is 21 3/4 inches long. (That's an almost 2 pound gain in 3 1/2 weeks!) He's pretty much outgrown his newborn clothing at this point and fits nicely into some of the 0-3 month things.

He is cooing now when we talk to him. He follows us really well with his eyes. And he intentionally (at least I think it was intentional...sure seemed like it) smiled at me once this week. We haven't seen the smile since, but there are times when it seems close. I know he'll be grinning soon. He knows Mommy's voice for sure, and will watch for me when someone else is holding him, making sure I'm close by. He responds to Daddy and Zachariah as well.

Some of his favorite things: being held; sleeping with Mommy, looking at lights, staring out the windows, and eating.

He's a sweetheart and we love him very much!

Week 4

So, in the midst of the new car excitement, I didn't post the 4 week post that I wanted.

Jonah turned 4 weeks old. He went to a wedding with us and cried in the car all the way there and back. Fortunately it was at our church and not too far away. He got passed around a bit, and I can tell that's just not his thing. Some babies are content to sleep in anyone's warm arms, but not this little guy. He will stay awake and fight sleep (which he does) when too many people are handling him. He really just wants Mommy. In a way it works out for me, because I would just rather hold him most of the time anyway. When he starts getting fussy people  will pass him back. Plus I know he'll relax with me.

I feel like I'm hitting my stride with Jonah already. I know his hungry cry and when he's tired. I know that the moment he wakes up, he's going to fuss and scream and demand to be fed. While I can't figure out all his problems immediately (and sometimes he's just being fussy), I think we're getting used to each other.

Zachariah loves talking to Jonah and helping out or holding him when he can. It's really sweet. Jonah definately knows his brothers voice & while listen to him with wide eyes.

It's been fun having a little, snuggly baby in the house again. It already makes me want another one (not too soon, but definitely want to do this again).

Time for a Minivan

Well, it's already happened. We've had 3 weeks of 2 children, and we're already thinking about buying a minivan.

Actually we've been looking at them for a little while now. I learned to drive with a minivan, passed my driver's test with one, and that was my first "car" until I totaled it in an accident. I always liked having the space in a bigger vehicle. I also like being up higher off the road. And I knew that our next vehicle would be a minivan.

I'm currently driving a little Ford Focus wagon. I bought it used in it's model year. It only had 6,000 miles on it when we bought it. It's a 2002 and it has around 90,000 miles now. That's great for an eleven year old car. It's still in pretty good shape too. We've done little repairs to it over the years but no major issues. We have had to replace tires a little more frequently than we'd like due to an issue. We recently replaced front brakes and it will need new rear ones sometime relatively soon. Otherwise it's a pretty decent car, and it's served us well so far.

The biggest thing that has us looking is just for the space. My car is small...really small. I like the wagon, because there is a little more storage space in the back. But the inside of the car is cramped. It was tight with one car seat in the back, and now that we have two the whole back seat is packed. I don't think you could squeeze another person back there if you tried. Two car seats and it's completely full.

So, we've been keeping an eye out for a nice used minivan. One of my issues is paying for a vehicle that's newer than mine but has more mileage. So many of the minivans we've seen have high mileage on them.

We've had all our debts paid off for a while now. All we have is a portion of our mortgage. It's been great. The car has been paid off for years, then we paid off our truck a year after that. We haven't made a car payment in a long time. While we have been saving towards a newer vehicle, we don't have enough to pay for one outright yet. That would be the most ideal situation. However, we do have enough for a decent down payment  And we will be able to get a reasonable trade-in on my car in it's condition.

I have hesitated in looking for a new vehicle until recently. My biggest hesitation is needing a car loan. It's been so long since we've had one, I just don't like the idea of paying on one again. But we are in a good place to be able to do so, and we will probably even pay it off plenty early. We'll also continue to save for another vehicle while we're doing it, because Matt's truck is older and we want to be prepared if we're forced to replace that before we want to.

What has convinced me I'm ready for the minivan is Jonah. He's a little sweetie, but he can be a but fussy at times. First of all it's tough getting a baby seat in and out of my tiny car. Then there's the fact of the tight space in mine. But last weekend we dealt with Jonah crying on the way to and from a wedding we went to. He just was not happy in the car. I could not turn around to help him, and even though Zachariah tried he couldn't make it better. If we had a minivan, we could put Zachariah in the back and I could sit in the middle with Jonah when he's like that. (Thankfully that's the only time he's cried in the car like that. He's normally really good for us in the car.)

I can definitely see myself enjoying a minivan. So we've been looking at different ones for sale in the area. And yesterday we talked to a good friend, who works at a used car dealership. He actually has a nice minivan on their lot right now. It's a 2008 Chrysler Town & Country. It has plenty of the extras that I would want. And the best thing is it has low mileage at just over 50,000 miles. The price might be just right for us too. We've been crunching numbers and checking on insurance first to make sure this won't make our budget too tight. And if all that works out (probably will) we will go check it out.

I don't know why I get so nervous about big purchases like this. (We're smart about our money, and it should work out just fine.) Wish me luck!

Week 3

I can't believe that Jonah is already 3 weeks old. It has gone fast already. And in the same way, I can't imagine our family without him. He just fits already. Funny how that happens.

Jonah was a little fussy last week. We're still not sure if there is something bothering him, or that's just how he is. I think he's just fussier than Zachariah was, but it doesn't bother me much. I've figured out how to help him most of the time. Part of it, we realized, was that he wasn't getting enough to eat. I was giving him a small amount of formula and was afraid to give more, because I wanted him to still nurse and get enough there. Well, he does still nurse at each feeding, but it doesn't take long for him to get the little that I have. Then he's still hungry, and being hungry makes him MAD. So I started giving him more formula after nursing each time. That seems to be helping a lot.

We had a busy weekend with outings. My grandfather was in the hospital ICU for almost two months. Then they moved him to a step-down facility. When he first went in we didn't know if he'd live a few days, but he made it well past that. He never wanted to be put in a nursing home, so my grandma's goal was to bring him home. Last week, they did just that. Grandpa Max came home. We figured he would need hospice care and it would only be a matter of time before he passes. So we decided to pack up the kids and head up to visit him. I hadn't seen him since a few days after he was first admitted in Toledo Hospital. Zachariah was not able to see him at all then since he was in ICU. I wanted Zachariah to have one last chance to see him. We were so surprised when we got to their house that Grandpa was talking, knew who we were, picking on us, and he'd requested lunch before we got there. (He hasn't eaten in those few months he's been sick.) It was great for Zachariah to talk to him, and we got to introduce Jonah to his only great-grandfather. Grandpa got a kick out of seeing our new guy, and he always loves visiting with Zachariah. (He seems to be the favored great-grandchild with him.)

Fortunately Jonah rides well in the car. He slept all the way up to our family and all the way back. While we were there it was a different story. My mom & sister were holding him at their house. But when we went to my grandparents' he was tired of being passed around, I think. My grandma did get to hold him for a bit, and 2 of my aunts stopped in and held him for a bit. But mostly he wanted mommy. I think his fussiness there was just being tired of being held by everyone. As soon as I insisted on taking him back from my sister, he curled up on me and fell right to sleep. Poor boy.

Sunday we took Jonah to church for the first time. I sat in the back with him & left him in his car seat. He work up once, so I fed him in the lobby. Then he slept the rest of the time. We even went to a surprise birthday party for a while in the afternoon for Matt's coworker/friend. Jonah slept the whole time there.  What a difference from the day before. I think the fact that we didn't let anyone else hold him helped a lot. Matt & I just kept him to ourselves and others just got to peek at him. He'll be easier to hold when he's a little older, though I know people just want to get there hands on him.

Since all that excitement, we haven't left the house. There really has been no need to, so I find it easier to stay home. I do need to get to the store eventually, though, because we're out of milk now. My goal is to make a quick grocery trip today. It's an adjustment having a baby and all his gear with me again when I get out. I'm a little out of practice.

Week 2

Our sweet Jonah is 2 weeks old already. As you can see, he is simply delicious. And as you can tell, I'm completely smitten. The whole family is really.

He has a decent schedule/routine already, and we're figuring each other out a little more now. He sleeps longer stretches at night, so I feel like I get enough sleep. It's not a full night's sleep, but with a newborn it's decent.

I am having problems breastfeeding again. Sad. I just don't produce much. Right now we're in a good rhythm of nursing then supplementing. I'm taking herbal supplements (expensive) that are supposed to help with my supply and making more milk glands. So far I can't tell if they are really working, but I'm going to keep taking them for a while. We'll do whatever we can to make this work. And for now I'm glad the baby will nurse. But look out when he's hungry. He'll go from content or asleep to screaming mad in seconds!

As you can see, I just started using our cloth diapers. I was using newborn disposables, because this he is such a little peanut. I was at the point of deciding to buy more disposables or try the cloth. I thought they would be too big, nut the FuzziBunz on the extra-small setting seem to be working well. And the are so cute on him.

Matt and Zachariah are pretty in love with this little guy too. Zachariah wants to hold him whenever he can. Jonah likes to watch him with wide-open eyes. Matt misses the little guy when he's at work and enjoys snuggles in the evenings. He's taken to the baby really quickly (especially for not being much of a baby guy). Just seeing him love and care for Jonah melts my heart and makes me love him even more.

I am feeling great and adjusting well to having a newborn around again. We waited so long for this little guy, but I see again now how God's timing is perfect. I actually would really like one more baby (not too soon, of course). Taking care of Jonah makes that feeling grow. I think it would be nice to have two closer in age. And I know the end of my baby producing years is quickly approaching. Whether or not I would even get pregnant again, I don't know. And for a while now Matt has said he is done having children. So since that may be the case, I will treasure every moment with this baby that I can. I know we are very blessed by him.

1 Week

Today Jonah is 1 week old. It's been a fast week, but I know it won't compare to the days, weeks, months, and years to come that will just fly by. So I'm trying to savor every moment with this little one. I feel very blessed and am constantly amazed by him. He's a little miracle in our lives.

We had Jonah's check up with the pediatrician yesterday. He's doing well, and even gained a little weight. He was 7lbs 3oz at birth and left the hospital at 6lbs 9oz. He weighed in at 6lbs 12oz at the pediatrician's office. All good news.

I am very lucky that Matt was able to take 2 weeks of work off. My mom stayed with Zachariah last week, so Matt was able to spend a lot of the time at the hospital with the baby and I. My mom and grandmother were telling me that their husbands didn't take any time off work after the baby came home. They just did what they had to do. While I appreciate that, and I can function on my own, it's been wonderful. When I'm busy with the baby (which as you can imagine is pretty much all the time), Matt is able to keep up with laundry and dishes. He's also making most of my meals and bringing me things as needed. It's been wonderful, and I'm glad that he has the time to take. It's also been good for him to be able to help care for the baby a bit and give attention to Zachariah when I can't. Next week I'll be on full-time mommy or two duty. Packing lunches, changing dirty diapers, laundry, dishes, feedings, homework and all.

He's Here!

**Same post I put at at my other blog, but keep reading here even if you did there. You guys get the link to newborn photos!*


So sorry that I haven't had time to update my blog. I've been a wee bit busy.

Jonah Benjamin was born at 5:26PM on March 26th. He was 7 lbs 3 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. (Can you believe how tiny he is compared to my last big baby?!! I still can't.)

He is an adorable little baby. We can't get enough of him.

Sorry that I don't have any photos loaded on my computer yet to share. You'll just have to take my word for now that he is beautiful.

Or you can go see our newborn photo session from the hospital at www.bellababyphotography.com and enter in the password:tmil0326schmunk. (I wish she'd gotten some with his eyes open. He is one of the most alert newborns I've ever seen!)

We are still in the hospital. He had been really healthy and well, then he developed jaundice. They chose to treat him under the bili lights for a day. We should be able to come home tonight as long as his numbers stay down. So far so good. Just seeing how he's doing out of the lights now. I'm glad he's back in a room with me now. We don't foresee any problems and should leave this afternoon with him.

I had a great delivery and can't wait to share about it. I was in a long labor, but when he decided to come...boy did he! It was a wild and crazy ride...that my OB didn't make it to!

But that's for another time. I'm feeling great and doing well. I haven't had any problems...unless you count my swollen stumps that I used to call feet/legs. Geesh!

That's the update for now. I'm sure I'll have more photos and things to share as we go. 

Baby Day!

Tomorrow morning is the big day! Despite our attempts, I did not go into labor this weekend. So we go with the induction tomorrow bright and early. I'm hoping that the baby will be here before lunchtime.

I am a tiny bit nervous, but mostly just excited at this point. I'm still supposed to be taking it easy, but it's been hard to do that today. Just knowing he'll be here tomorrow anyway has me finishing up stuff around here. To be honest I haven't had much to do.

My bag is packed and ready to go. I will add my toiletries when I finish getting ready in the morning and we'll be off. My mom is on her way here. She's staying the night, so she can get Zachariah onto the bus in the morning. We'll be leaving too early to see him. Then she (or someone) will go get him after school and bring him to the hospital.

I have to say that the one thing (other than meeting the baby) that I'm looking most forward to is introducing him to his big brother. Zachariah has been so excited this whole pregnancy. It was nice to spend his last day as an only child with him at home (snow day) today. He really doesn't know what's coming, but he's thrilled about having a new baby. I know he'll be a great big brother, and it will be fun to watch the interaction.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. I appreciate them as I go in the morning too. I will be updating here when I can, but I'll be able to post on Twitter and/or text some of you pretty quickly after he comes.

No Baby Yet...But Soon!

I had a feeling that I was going to have the baby this week. So far, I haven't but I will have him early next week. At 39 weeks, he'll be born just like his brother was.

It's been a strange week. My blood pressure has been up most of the time since my appointment last week. When I called my numbers into the doctor's office, they put me on bed rest. On bed rest my blood pressure is fine, which is what we were hoping for. But it seems any time I'm up doing things, it rises. For now until the baby delivers, the best thing for me and him is to stay in bed or on the couch laying down and resting.

At my appointment Wednesday we did want I didn't want to do earlier. We scheduled an induction. I knew it was coming, and I think with my on bed rest and not much progress going on it's time. So next Tuesday morning, I'll be reporting to the hospital bright and early. And I know that the baby will be delivered by one of the two doctors that I've been seeing regularly, so that's good. (Lucky for me the 3rd in the practice, who I met once, is on vacation.)

I really didn't want to go through another induction. But it ended well last time, and I did have a pretty good delivery. I know the end result will be fine. I was a little disappointed that I haven't progressed in a week. In fact this doctor thought I was less effaced than Dr. K said last week. Boo! And being stuck on bed rest, I can't do too much to try to get the baby out. It doesn't stop me from hoping and praying that I'll go into labor before Tuesday!

I appreciate your thoughts and prayers at this time. Bed rest is quite boring. And I'm big and uncomfortable (and a bit grouchy today). But I'm trying to just enjoy my last few days (ahhh!) of pregnancy. And I know it's all to meet this beautiful little boy.

I will definitely put an update on here as soon as I have the opportunity after the little one makes his appearance. I will most likely update Twitter first, because that's easy to do. If you aren't on there much and really want to be in on the news right away, email me your number if you'd like a text update. I can add you to my list.

By this time next week, I should be sharing pictures of my beautiful new baby from home!

The Birth Plan

So, now I'll tell you about my birth plan discussion with my doctor. (Sarah, I'm seeing Dr. K at Women's Health for Life. I'm thinking that's who you had for your last birth. I've also seen the newer Dr. C there.)

I printed out a simple birth plan from BabyCenter and just marked some things that are important to me. I'm a pretty easy-going person, and I understand that birth requires some flexibility. I'm good with that. But there are some things that I would really like to have happen. Some because I missed out last time, and others because I feel they are important.

With my first pregnancy I was induced at 39 weeks with elevated blood pressure and knowing I was having a large baby. I had a pretty good birthing experience. There were a few things that I missed out on, that I'd rather have had. I found out before I had Zachariah that the doctor would not let me hold the baby after I delivered. He would pass him off to the nurses to clean and assess, then eventually give back to me. That's just the way he did things. He was very sterile/surgical about delivery. It was probably 10 minutes or so before I finally got to hold my baby after only having a brief glance at him.

Discussing this with my current doctor went really well. She agreed that I could have the baby flopped on me right away. She said we could hold off on all cleaning and major baby checks for a while. We would have plenty of time with the baby right then and could even breastfeed immediately.

Getting a great start on breastfeeding is really important to me, because I had a difficult time before. Zachariah was born with an infection, which lead to a week long stay in the special care nursery. This started off a bad nursing relationship. He was too sick at first to try breastfeeding. And my supply never really came in good. It was a battle for months.

I'm hoping by more bonding time with the baby right away, we can get off to a great start. And my doctor is all for that! Hurray! I'm also feeling better, because I tested negative this time for Group B Strep. I did have GBS with Zachariah, and that's likely what caused his infection even after receiving antibiotics during delivery. Because I had this happen before, I will be treated with antibiotics as soon as I arrive at the hospital for delivery. But I feel better about our chances of having a really healthy baby by testing negative this time.

The doctor agreed that I can push as I need to instead of being told, unless circumstances are different. She's willing to let things progress naturally as possible. After experiencing labor through pitocin before, I'm hoping everything can happen as naturally as possible this time.

Then after discussing all this, she said she would even be OK with letting me grab the baby as he's coming out and pulling him up onto myself if I'd like to do that. I would love that. I told her that would be great. Assuming I'm feeling decent as he's being delivered that may be a possibility. How neat! I never even thought about that possibility  And since Matt doesn't want to cut the cord (the thought grosses him out), she said I could do that too. I'm a little concerned that the baby may come out quickly, and I wouldn't be able to grab him. But that's OK. I won't have my heart set on it. I just know Zachariah came out quickly in one push.

I can't wait for this birth experience  I'm sure hoping that I'll go into labor on my own, so I don't have to think about being induced. At this point she thinks I'm good to go to about 41 weeks. I have already made a little progress too. At 36 weeks I was thinning and baby's head was right there. Last week I was almost 1 cm. This week I was definitely 1 cm, 80% effaced, and baby's head was right there. The baby is definitely down. I'm hoping with this progress, when I do go into labor it will go quickly.

I think I'm more ready to have the baby after this last appointment than I was before. Plus I've gone into major nesting mode in the past two days. For now I'll wait and prayer for a good delivery, healthy baby, and great breastfeeding with this baby.

38 weeks!

I am officially 38 weeks pregnant today. I can't believe how fast this is going. And I'm very excited to be meeting me new little boy very soon. At this point I know it will be no more then 2-3 weeks. It is a little surreal.

I had my checkup with the OB yesterday. Things went pretty well. They were a little concerned at first, because my blood pressure read 140/100. Yikes! That's high for me, especially since I'm on medication for previous blood pressure concerns this pregnancy.

Everything else looked good. The baby's heartbeat was normal. My urine sample came back with everything normal. And I am experiencing no other symptoms to indicate blood pressure (or really preeclampsia) issues. So after waiting a little while, the doctor rechecked my blood pressure. It was back to normal and even a bit lower in my left arm. Because everything else was good & it was fine now, this set everyone's mind at ease.

I'm under instructions to rest for an hour every day. Check my blood pressure occasionally and call if it goes up like that & stays there again. Otherwise, we'll wait another week and see what happens. It did earn my a non-stress test (NST) to check on the baby though. So we were at the office longer than planned. Fortunately Matt's job is pretty flexible for things like that, and he was able to stay with me. The NST results were good. I'll have an appointment in a week & another NST scheduled then too.

Before I left the doctor wanted me to talk game plan. She said at this point she wants to have an idea of what we'll do if I go over my due date. She doesn't want to pressure me into rushing into things, but just wants to know my thoughts. Being due around a holiday makes it a little odd too, but we've made no plans for Easter this year. I'll either be waiting on baby, in the hospital or have a newborn at home. Too much  to try to think about doing anything else.

I should mention that the doctor is fine with my going to 41 weeks too. I'm happy about this, but it's so different than last time when I was induced at 39 weeks (because of elevated blood pressure & a big baby). She doesn't think this baby will be quite as big. And I agree, I don't think he's as big as Zachariah was.

And we also talked birth plan at this appointment. I'm pretty easy going, but there were a few things I wanted to have done if possible. Mostly about mommy/baby bonding immediately after birth. My doctor with Zachariah wasn't into that, and I feel like I really missed out. This doctor is all on board and in fact added her own thoughts. I am so excited. I was really happy to hear her ideas, but I think I'll save that for another post.

Size-wise

Yesterday was the 36 week ultrasound for a size check. It went well. Zachariah was able to come along to see his little brother. He loved it. He was amazed at hearing the heartbeat (and seeing it too), watching him breathe, but most of all he liked seeing the little ones squirmy hands and little feet. It was fun to share the wonder with him.

The ultrasound went well. The baby is doing great. All his parts check out. We even did a confirmation that it's a boy. It is...we saw those parts. (Makes me feel better about those clothes that I already washed. LOL) He is head down, which is great. I already knew he was. I can feel his head low in the past week or so. And I get very uncomfortable pressure and sometimes slight pain when he's really down there. (Something that I didn't experience before.)

His head measured him at about 6 lbs 12 oz. He's going to be a good-sized baby. This we had expected. But his femur length measured him a bit smaller. I forget exactly, but it was around 6 lbs 6 oz there. Pretty average for 36 weeks. It looks like he may just have a larger head. Zachariah did too, but I didn't have any problems delivery him.

I asked the doctor what she thought about the size and everything. (Before the appointment I was worried they'd try to rush me into delivering early due to size.) She said she's not concerned. She's guessing he'll be able 8-9 lbs by my due date. There is no rush or worry about his size, but she wouldn't want me to go more than a week overdue.

I was so relieved to hear that. I didn't even make it to my due date last time. I had an induction at 39 weeks due mostly to size. So I was a little excited to hear that (assuming everything is still great), I could actually go a little over.

The doctor explained that most times second babies are a little easier to push out and their heads don't get as squished on the way out. She said this will most likely not be the case for me. Since his head looks a little big, he'll probably need more time pushing to get everything out. This is not a concern, but just something that is likely to happen. No big deal to me.

I had an internal exam too. There is no dilation yet, but she says I'm thinning. With all of the pressure I've been feeling, I would not have been surprised to be dilated. Sounds like it may not take long though. And she could feel the baby's head. He really is down low. This didn't surprise me either, because I feel him down there. When he's wiggly, it can get really uncomfortable.

And the best news is I have permission to go into labor at any time now. I am on the high side for fluid (not too much though), so if my water breaks it will be a lot. But if my water breaks or I have regular contractions, I can just go with it. And I can get checked at the office or chose to go straight to the hospital. She said walking a lot or anything else I want to do to get labor going is fine at any time.

While I'm not ready quite yet to have this little guy (ask me again in a week or two), it was surprising and reassuring to hear this. I feel good knowing I'm in the safety zone and ready for delivery. Things are moving in the right direction. I'm hoping with the baby's position and pressure I've been feeling, I'll have a smoother delivery. I really just want to go into labor on my own without any other "help". I know he'll come in his time, and I can't wait to meet him.

It's amazing how much calmer and prepared I feel after this last appointment. It was good to hear that things are going so great. My goal is to keep that up and deliver a very healthy baby boy in the next few weeks.

Quick Update

Tomorrow I have my 36 week appointment. I'm not quite 36 weeks yet, but I will be on Thursday. The plan is to have an ultrasound done to peek at the baby and get an idea of his size.

From the beginning my doctors were worried about my having another big baby. I'm not that worried about his size, because I didn't have any problems delivering a big baby before. But maybe this will ease their minds. I'll be interested in hearing what they say about his size, one way or the other.

According to babycenter.com a baby at this gestational age will weigh just under 6 lbs. I'm guess he's at least 6 lbs or more by now. I don't feel as big as I did last time. I'm probably about the same, so it's hard to tell.

I do know this little guy has been hanging out low. He pushes down on my pelvis often now. Or I feel a lot of pressure down there when I stand up at times. That's a little uncomfortable. I don't remember that from last time. I'm hoping it means we'll have this one a little earlier, but on his schedule. It's not that I'm ready to have a baby this early. It's more that I don't want to get to so close to the end that I have to deal with induction or other such things because he's getting too big.

So, what do you think? Am I going to hear this is another big baby? I'll let you know what I hear.

Cute Baby Things I Made

I do have several more things crossed off my list now. I didn't anticipate getting these done this early. I already had everything I needed to make things, and I had to get the sewing machine out last Saturday for something anyway. I figured I may as well make use of it.

I have completely worn myself out working on all of this. But it has been so much fun to sew some cute items I needed for the baby. At this point I have finished 3 receiving blankets, a car seat cover, and 6 burp cloths. The only thing left is a couple of nursing cover ups. I have made these before, so it won't be too difficult. However, I need to take a break to get other things done first.

Tomorrow my mom comes to help paint Zachariah's new room. He's chosen the color "brick red". I'm not a fan of red, so I really hesitate. The color isn't too bad, though, and it will be in his room not mine. Once we get the painting done, we can start moving his things into the room. That will be a BIG step. That means soon we'll be able to get all of the baby's things set up in his room. About 5 more weeks until his arrival!!

I won't make you wait any longer. Here are pictures of my craftiness:

Car seat cover

Front view with cute, little polka dots

Peek-a-boo! Owls on the inside. Love!

Owls with polka dots

Fleece receiving blankets

Cute pirates

Soft, fuzzy, light, big & two-sided

Outer space

Burp rags! This is my favorite material- robot cotton with matching robot parts flannel on back

Getting There

*Oops, I didn't hit publish on this post last week.*

I really should go back to that post from a while ago and check out my to-do list. I know that some things have been crossed off, but I also know there are many things yet to be done. And if I look at it too long, I know I'll get discouraged. And I'll probably add to it. So, I won't bother.

Let's just say that things are getting done. I've had a few days of extra energy and motivation when I've been able to tackle some of the big things. Most days I don't have energy at all. It stinks, but I know that's just how it goes when you are 8 1/2 months pregnant. Some days I still can't believe it. A quick look down brings me back to reality, though.

So, even though the big project (the great room switch) could have been done months ago, it's not yet. My original goal was to have everything moved by Christmas. Ha! We're already past Valentine's Day and approaching Zachariah's birthday now.

But...the good news is we might have Zachariah in his new room by next weekend. I have most of the old office (his new room) cleared out. I have thrown away a lot of things, donated a lot of things, and have a lot of things in boxes that need to be sold. The big bookcase is now in our room. The cabinet is mostly cleaned out. Most of what is left in the room is baby stuff that will go to Zachariah's current room.

My mom is coming to help me paint next week. We'll paint Zachariah's new room and start moving stuff in as it dries. I'm hoping Matt & I can get the rest moved and have him settled by next weekend. Then we can start setting up baby stuff. The baby's room needs painted too, but I'm less concerned about that at this point. If we have time and it happens, great. If not, no biggie for now. I have the pack & play in our room already for when the baby arrives. He'll sleep in the bassinet insert in that for a while anyway.

Other than feeling the time crunch and wanting to get everything done, I'm doing well. The pregnancy is progressing nicely. I have been seeing the OB every two weeks for a while now. They are simple and quick appointments. We will have an ultrasound done in 2 weeks. This is mostly to check for size (they think I'll have another big baby). And then I'll be seeing the Dr. every week. We'll start discussing birth plans and all that fun stuff. It's coming so soon!

Routine

I had my 32 week check up with the OB yesterday. Have I mentioned that I've seen the same OB for the last 4 appointments now. I like her. She's laid back and a little quite. But she's nice and takes time to talk when needed. The practice I'm going to this time (my OB with Zachariah left town about a year later) has 3 doctors and several nurse practitioners  I've now met all the doctors (the other two only once each, but I liked them both) and the one nurse practitioner I've seen several times. I've seen so many people, though, that it feels nice to have a little consistency with this doctor. We haven't discussed the birth yet, so we'll see where she stands on some things that I want to ask about.

So, today I am 32 weeks pregnant. I can't believe that I'm already that far. Only 8 weeks or less to go. On one hand, I'm excited to meet this new little guy. But mostly I'm not ready yet, so let's not rush this thing.

My appointments have been really routine and uneventful. They are just checking normal things, like weight (I have finally gained a few pounds), blood pressure, urine, fundal height, and baby's heartbeat. Since everything looks good for now and I haven't had any big questions, the appointments go quickly.

In 4 weeks I start going to the doctor every week until baby is born. Hard to imagine we're that close. They also talked about an ultrasound at 36 weeks. I forgot to mention it to this doctor and haven't scheduled one yet. We'll see what she thinks. I'm betting she'll want one at some point there to check for size. Although this particular doctor is the only one who hasn't said anything about the size of my first baby. Maybe she'll be a little more laid back about it. I just know it's likely I'll have a large baby, but it doesn't scare me. I had a good delivery last time, and his size didn't cause any problems. Time will tell.

I have made very little progress on my to do list. But it's all still stuff that I need to work on. Plus I often think of more things that would be helpful to have done. I'm sure I'll need to enlist help of family and friends to get it all done. Thank goodness I have caring people in my life who have already offered.

My To Do's

I feel like I have so much to do before the baby's arrival. The problem is that I don't have the energy to get much done. The closer we get, though, the more these things bug me. So I'm going to start a list here. Maybe I can update as I go. It might help to have a little accountability.

1. Switch bedrooms - This is a big project and involves other small projects to get there. We are taking a room that has always been an office/spare room and turning it into Zachariah's bedroom. Lots of cleaning out, selling furniture, storing things, getting rid of things, etc. Once we get Zachariah in that room, then we can start getting his old room turned into the baby's nursery.
2. Paint - I'd really like to get Zachariah's room painted before we move him in. Then paint the nursery too. (My mom will help, but I don't know if it will happen in time.)
3. Paint changing table - I just bought a used changing table, but it's really light & the crib we have is dark. Doesn't match at all, so I'm thinking of painting the table. Maybe in a blue/gray color combo to match the nursery decor.
4. Sell old toys and such - I have a box off things that came out of Zachariah's room and the office that need to leave my house. I donated a bunch, but have a box of "sell-ables". I need to get them listed and out of my house.
5. Get out baby clothes - All our baby clothes are stored. I need to get them out, go through them, and wash them.
6. Make baby items - I have fabric to make a nursing cover, car seat cover and burp clothes for the little one. I want to get the nursery ready, so I have somewhere to put everything when it's made.
7. Clean my bedroom - It just needs it, but I also have to clear out a corner to move a large bookshelf in from the office. Plus pretty soon I'll be setting up the bassinet in there too.
8. Finishing buying diapers & prep diapers - I only have a start on my cloth diaper stash. I know what I want, but I'm waiting to see if I can get a sale on some of the others I want to get.
9. Prepare a few freezer meals for quick fix after baby is born - We're pretty blessed with friends, family, and a church that will provide meals for a little while when we bring the baby home. But I think it would be good to have a few things handy for those hectic days, maybe after Matt goes back to work. I don't worry about food when he's home, because he's a great cook. And that's one big way he helps me out when I'm busy with baby.
10. Get a big brother/new baby gift - I think it would be nice to let Zachariah pick out a stuffed animal or something to give the new baby at the hospital. And maybe something from the "baby" for Zachariah. Ideas??

I'm sure there are more...many more things that need to be done. But these are the big ones for now and the ones that are bothering me. I know things will get done. And the ones that don't, I'm choosing not to fret about. We have the basics for baby. He will be fed, changed, and have a safe place to sleep. The rest really won't matter in the end...but it would be nice to be ready completely. (It would make me feel better at least.)

Showering the Baby

I am 30 weeks pregnant now. Things are going well. Nothing notable happening, and for that I'm thankful. He continues to be a very active, squirmy baby. I can't wait to meet him and see his personality unfold.

I can't believe I'm going to be a mom again. The chance to carry this precious baby inside for 9 months (10 technically). Then I get to hold him, snuggle him, care for him, nourish him, and love him. It's been a while since I had my own little one. And there was a long time when I thought I wouldn't get to experience this joy again. I can't describe how it feels to be so blessed with this baby.

Some of the ladies at my parents' church asked if they could have a baby shower for us. I grew up with these ladies and still seem them a few times a year at least. I have to admit that I was really excited that they wanted to do this. So much fun to get to celebrate this little baby. We had a bunch of showers the first time, but no one had mentioned one this time. I was a little sad. So it was really fun to find out that we are having one.

I don't need lots of things, so it's not about that. But it is fun to feel like this little baby is getting his own time to be loved and honored before he is born. Plus there are a few little things that we still need. I did end up making a baby registry on Amazon.com and at Walmart. (Links in case you're curious what I registered for. :D) I think my Amazon registry is pretty inclusive and has the things I need/want. At the last minute we decided to register at Walmart too, because most of these church ladies don't shop online. And the only store in their little town is Walmart. It was hard to find as much that I really want there, but we found a few essentials that would work. Then maybe I can order some of my must-haves from Amazon that we don't get later.

I'm starting to feel the time crunch. I just want to finish moving the bedrooms around. Then we can set up the baby's crib. And I can get all the baby clothes and other items out of the attic. Once I can go through boxes and see everything I still have, I know I'll feel better. There's always more to do.

Been a While

So it's been a little while since I've updated this blog. Let's see. What have you missed? (Well nothing, honestly, if you're on Twitter as much as I am!)

*We had a great Christmas with family. We of course were traveling. Most of our family live within half an hour or so of each other (including extended family), so we're the ones stuck traveling.

We spent Christmas Eve with Matt's parents, sister & brother-in-law, and my niece & nephew. They are 1 & 2 now and so much fun. We don't see them nearly enough, and the kids are changing so much. But it was fun to spend an afternoon/evening there with everyone. They are the closest to us (distance-wise) and about halfway to my parents' house from here.

After that we spent Christmas Eve night with my parents, sisters, their husband/boyfriend, and my nephew. Easton (my nephew) is two and a ball of energy. We didn't see him much that night, because they got there late and past his bedtime. Poor guy was cranky and tired. But it was fun to wake up Christmas morning with him and watch everyone open presents together.

The rest of Christmas day we divide between Matt's extended family & my extended family. We have 3 places to go all about 1/2 hour drive apart. So it was a busy day driving from here to there, eating at each place, opening presents, then on to the next. We ended the night back at my parents' house & stayed the night.

*We ended up rushing home the next morning because of the winter storm that was quickly moving in. It was worse at our house when we got home, but we got home before the worst of it hit. We spent the rest of that week mostly being stuck in our house because of the multiple snow storms that hit us. We played with new Christmas toys, relaxed, read, napped, and enjoyed being together. It really was a nice break for several days.

*New Year's Eve we invited some friends over for an early ringing-in of the new year. It was a fun kid-friendly party. The kids played well together, the adults chatted and caught up with each other, and of course there was lots of food that we all enjoyed. Everyone left by about 10:00. I was so tired, but I did manage to stay up to ring in the New Year with Matt & Zachariah. We fortunately got to sleep in the next day.

*On Jan. 2nd I had my 28 week OB appointment. It went fine, but we ended up talking about how I was feeling. I had gotten sick just a little while before I went and still didn't feel good. I had a feeling I caught what some of our friends had around Christmastime. Ugh. Matt was starting to feel bad too. I went home from the appointment, threw up again, crawled into bed and stayed there. Within an hour Matt was home from work sick too. He camped out on the couch. Zachariah was at school and we prayed he didn't have it too. He normally gets off the bus about 4:00, but at 3:30 I got a phone call from the school. He'd gotten sick as they were packing up for the day. I had to pull myself out of bed to go get him. Fortunately I made it to the school & back with him. Then got sick as soon as we got home. We spent the rest of the afternoon/evening trying (but failing) to keep down gatorade and taking turns running to the bathroom. No fun.

I was close to having to go back to the doctor for fluids, because I hadn't kept anything down for quite a while  I decided to wait until morning to see how I felt. We all slept well and no more sickness during the night. Whew! We were all worn out and tired the next day, but we were over the worst of it. Thankfully Matt was able to go back to work and Zachariah back to school that Friday.

*Sunday night I had terrible cramps/aches/pain in up and down my left side. I had a hard time sleeping & woke up feeling that way too. I put a call in to my doctor's office to see what they thought. I was having hemroid problems too & wondered if the two things were related. I wasn't too worried, because I otherwise felt good, was eating & drinking, and the baby was moving like normal. The doctor decided I needed to come in. By the time I was seen that afternoon the pain was mostly gone. After talking to her it wasn't the type of pain or in the right spot to be anything major like kidney problems or anything else. She was reassured after talking to me and checking the baby's heartbeat too.

*I haven't had any problems since then. And I've been feeling great. Other than Zachariah getting sick again early Sunday morning (this week), we have all been good. His was short-lived this time and he was in school yesterday. I hope we've already had our share of illness, because I'm ready to move on.

*Tomorrow I have another OB appointment. I'm in the 3rd trimester now and being seen every two weeks. I'm sure this will make it got quickly. I'm not ready for the baby to come quite yet. We still have a lot to do to be ready for his arrival. Slowly we're getting there.