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.

14 Weeks to Go

That statement right up there shocks me. For some reason this week when my 26 week newsletter from BabyCenter rolled in, the most shocking part was seeing 14 more weeks to go. That seems like to little.

And it should make sense to me that time will fly now. It always does in the 3rd trimester (which I'm only 2 weeks from). And I know how fast it always seems to be from the first of the year to Zachariah's birthday at the beginning of March. It sneaks up on me every year. I think I'm ready, then it's here so soon. This little one is due at the end of March, so why should it be any less sneaky of a date.

The big deal this week was going to take my gestational diabetes 1 hour glucose test. I think I told you about them making me do this really early on. I didn't make it through the test, because I couldn't keep the liquid down. They gave up on that, used my fasting blood sugar number (I still don't know the number & am really curious...I think it's probably not high at all) and decided to put me on a blood sugar medication anyway. It's supposed to help regulate things. Still all my doctors seemed to think I was at a high risk for gestational diabetes. They look at my size, age (I am quite a bit older than I was for my last pregnancy), and the large size of my first baby. This all makes them think gestational diabetes...even though I did not have it last time either.

I was really nervous about doing the test, mostly because I didn't want to deal with having gestational diabetes. (I know plenty of people who have had it, and it's not a big deal. I just didn't want one more thing to worry about, you know.) So when a local number I didn't know popped up on my phone later in the day, I figured it was the doctor's office. I was surprised they'd have results that quickly. I was afraid to answer.

I did answer. It was the doctor's office, they had results. A nurse informed me that they got my lab results. Everything looked good, but I'm a little anemic. What!!?? That's it! Whew! That was a big sigh of relief. I took iron supplements last time, and it's not a big deal. I can deal with that. Yay for no gestational diabetes! You can't believe how relieved I was to hear that. It also kind of wants me to say "Ha ha, told you." to all of my doctors. (Is that bad?)

You'll also be happy to know that my last OB appointment set me at ease about the elevated blood pressure. I am taking medication for it, and apparently now that I'm on it they can still increase it by 6 times (!) before I'm maxed out. Good to know, and it relaxes them and should help the rest of the pregnancy.

So, it looks like things are going well. I'm glad to just have some calm and nothing to worry about. Well, that is unless you consider getting bedrooms switched and ready and all the other things I have to do in the next few months something to worry about. For now I won't.

The Name Game

*Updated to add another of my newest favorite names.*

After reading Sara's baby name post today, I kind of want to talk names a little more for our little guy. Sara is due exactly 1 day before me (and my last ultrasound actually dated me one day ahead), so now I feel really behind.

A little family naming history and thoughts:

I should state up front that most of the names I discuss are one's I've thought about. Matt has not approved or vetoed my list yet.

Matt and I have a difficult time picking out names. We tend to agree more quickly on girls' names, but obviously that has never helped us. I remember going back and forth just like this last time. So far we've both thrown out names that the other mostly shoots down. This has gone both ways. And every name that Zachariah has mentioned, one or the other of us has said no. (It's pretty cute watching Zachariah get involved in the discussions. We've tried to explain that we likely won't rely on his opinion in this matter, but it's fun to hear what he has to say.)

I'd say that our naming style leans towards traditional/biblical. I know when most people see our names- Matt(hew) and Sarah, plus our son's name- Zachariah, they think biblical/religious. That was never our intention. We truly just fell in love with the name Zachariah without really thinking about the religious connotations. That said, we are a Christian family who is very involved in our church, and of course knowing this name has some biblical significance was a nice bond. But I'm not against other names. However, I feel we will have to stick with traditional/biblical, so this name will fit with our strong Zachariah.

Matt's name is Matthew Charles. Charles is his father's name. His brother's middle name is the same as his father's middle name. Our first son is Zachariah Matthew, in the same sort of tradition. If I followed that tradition, our second son would be named Firstname Charles Lastname. While I wouldn't be against honoring Matt's dad like this (or Matt for that matter), I feel like I'm leaving my dad out in the mix. Plus Matt's sister gave her son the middle name Charles, so the name has been honored in the family already.

I wouldn't mind honoring our fathers, but feel I'd have to do both. My dad's name, Mark, just doesn't work well with our last name. They both are 1 syllable and end in "k". It just sounds too abrupt to my ears. If I use Charles Mark Lastname, it honors both dads and flows better. But that means our son will have the same First and Last name as my father-in-law. It's not a bad thing, but I think it would be a bit confusing. Plus Charles isn't a name I would normally choose for my baby.

At this point my preference is that the baby's middle name be after someone in my family. It would either be Mark (after my dad) or John (after my only deceased grandfather). I'm leaning towards John.

Names that have been mentioned:

Here are some names that I've considered for first name position. I'm not completely in love with all of these names, but they are starter ideas.

• Carter
• Ezra
• Harrison
• Isaac
• Isaiah
• Joel
• Josiah
• Tyler
• Lincoln
• Nolan
• Simon
• Peter
• *Daniel

So far Matt has said no to Joel and Josiah. He doesn't like anything that sounds like "Joe". He thinks Ezra (which was one of my first favorites, but I'm losing it now) is too "girly" sounding. Most of the rest he hasn't said anything, or I haven't share with him yet.

Zachariah's current pick is Leo. I don't mind it, but Matt doesn't like it at all.

Matt's pick is Johann. Johann Peter to be exact. While I didn't think badly of it at first, it's really rubbed me the wrong way. It would be pronounced "Yo-han", and I think that would be a little too "uppity". He was looking at names in his German heritage like Johann, Franz, Conrad, and some others. I said no to pretty much all of them.

How we name:

This list is not the end. I have a feeling it's only the beginning. I really want to pull some more ideas and thoughts out of Matt. I don't have any strong favorites at this point. I'm hoping we'll com across a few that work for us.

With Zachariah, and with this one too, I didn't want to name the baby until I saw him. We went into the delivery room with 3 favorites, which all worked with Matthew as the middle name. Last time our list was Jamin, Zachariah, and Ryan. We both agreed on all of them, but the first was my pick and my favorite. When he was born one of the nurses said, "What are you going to name this big boy? He needs a big, strong name." I knew right away she was right, and Jamin just did not suit him at all. He was a whopping 9 lbs 11 oz and needed a sturdy name. Zachariah just suited him.

I'm glad that I waited to meet him to make the final decision. Otherwise we would have scrambled to choose something else since my top choice didn't work.

We did not tell our family or friends all of our favorite names. I remember throwing a few of our ideas out to my mom, but I never gave any indication of what we might choose from those. It kept the opinions down. So when our baby was born, we presented them with the name at that time. It was his.

I'd like to take the same approach this time. I would like to have a few top names or name combinations (if we don't completely settle on a middle name before that). Then I want to name our baby when we first meet him.

Opinions:

OK, I've shared a LOT here. I think I needed to get it all out. Out of the names I've mentioned what do you like? Or do you have other ideas based on these here? I'd love to hear them. I'm open to anything.

Personality Preview

I'm curious about something. This is my second pregnancy, so of course I compare it to my first.

This baby boy is very squirmy and wiggly. He's been this way since the first ultrasound we had at 12 weeks. He didn't completely cooperate for our 20 week ultrasound. And as soon as I started feeling him wiggly and kick inside, at about 15 weeks, I haven't stopped feeling him.

Day and night this little guy is moving. Fortunately he's not big enough (or maybe strong) enough to wake me up at night with his movements, but if I'm awake I feel him. I tried to sleep in Saturday morning, but was rudely awaken by a baby bouncing on my very full bladder. I literally jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom (good thing it's not far).

When I was pregnant with Zachariah, I felt him often. But he didn't squirm all the time like this. He seemed then as a laid back, relaxed baby. And he pretty much lived up to that after he was born. It's funny, because I felt like I already knew his personality. Zachariah is still a pretty laid back kid. He takes things as they come and really has been a pretty easy child to parent.

Does that mean this one will be my active, rowdy boy? (Are we in for it this time?)

What has been your experience with how a baby "behaves" in the womb versus their personality after they are born? I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this matter.

23 Weeks

The belly...it's getting BIG!

*Obviously I'm bot blogging every day in November. The beginning of November was crazy for us. We've spent the last 3 weekends in a row traveling back and forth to my parents' house for various things. This will be the first weekend we're actually staying home.

*For those who have been waiting on pins and needles (ha!), I do apologize that I didn't post the BIG REVEAL yet. We are having a BOY! As much as a little girl would be fun, I'm kind of relieved that it's another boy. I feel like I know boys now. And I kept all of Zachariah's clothes (out of all things that I actually kept), so we're all set there. Since Zachariah was born in March too, the seasons should line right up for us.

*I've been dealing with some pregnancy problems. I really haven't talked about them much, though. At my last appointment my blood pressure was up a little. This concerned the doctor. She started me on medication and sent me home with instructions to check my blood pressure twice a day. Even with the medication my bp was still up a little. So they increased my meds. That helped a little, but it still was not as low as she wanted. Now I'm on a double (from where I started) dose. My bp is better, close to where it should be, but not under it all the time like she wants.

The scary part was at the appointment when she explained some things to me. She started me on the meds right away, because they can't start them after 24 weeks...and that's where I'd be by the next appointment. And if it continues and doesn't regulate, I could be diagnosed with preeclampsia. (I know a little about it, but I've refused to google & research it. I know it will stress me out more, and I don't need that right now.) If I am diagnosed with that, I'm looking at bed rest as early as 28 weeks. That is what scared and upset me.

I never had issues like this last time. I am 7 years older this time. And I weigh more this time. I think my body forgot how to do this. For now I'm doing what the doctor tells me, trying to eat better (that's been tough this month), and just trying not to worry too much. In the end I want a healthy pregnancy and a healthy little boy out of this. That's really all that matters.

*Other than all of that I am feeling good. I have more energy now (which still isn't a lot), and it feels good to not be sick. The baby is growing and developing well. And I'm already 23 weeks today. I can't believe how quickly this is going.

*We are still working on the big room switch-over. It will get there. I think we have most of the necessities for the baby. Eventually I will have Matt draw the clothing out of the attic, so I can sort and wash. I think I'll wait until we have the rooms switched, though, so I have somewhere to put everything. I ordered our first diapers (Black Friday sales). I need a lot more, but it's a little start. I wanted to get a few different kinds/types to start with. I also ordered some cute baby legs (another good sale) and can't wait to put them on our little guy.

Vote Here...Boy or Girl?

Today is election day. I hope that everyone who can gets out to vote. I was able to vote early, so my vote has been counted. Even if you're canceling out my vote, I would love to see that you voted. GO VOTE!

Now, let's do something more fun. You can vote right here.

I am 19 weeks pregnant!(20 on Thursday) Tomorrow is my big ultrasound. We will be finding out whether we're having another boy or a girl. Most of my family has a strong leaning towards girl, but maybe that's because we already have a boy.

I wanted to do a gender reveal party with my family, but Matt spoiled that idea when he informed me yesterday that he will tell everyone at work when he goes back in after the ultrasound. So we will just tell everyone right away, I guess. I still have a strong urge to not find out. Mostly I'm doing it because Matt really likes to know, and my family is so excited to know too.


What do I want? I honestly don't care either way. I've had so much fun being the mom to a boy. I was completely unprepared for a boy the first time, but now I wouldn't change it for a thing. (I grew up with two younger sisters & always babysat for girls). So I know what it's like and what to expect with a boy. Plus I still have all his baby clothes...which is a TON. That would help and we wouldn't have to buy much more.

If it's a girl, it will be fun to have one of each. This is especially true, because this might be our last baby. It would be nice to have another female in the house, as I'm outnumbered now. And all the cute girly clothes would be great! (I'm sure I'd spend way too much on clothes!)

So, either way is fine with me...really!

What do I think it is? By now in my last pregnancy I knew that I was having a boy. I'd had a dream a few weeks before our ultrasound that we had a boy. I couldn't get over the idea, and I just knew it was. I was right.

This time I don't have that strong of a feeling. My guess is girl. That is mostly based on how this pregnancy has been pretty different from the last. I was very sick and for longer than last time. Only in the last few weeks have I stopped taking my anti-nausea medication. It was a rough start. So, no big reason to thing it is a girl, but that's my official guess.

What do you think? This vote is way more fun than the political ones. What is your guess for me? Boy or girl?

If you want to ask questions to help you decide, you may do so in the comments. I'll answer them there for you. Then when we know what we're having, I'll be sure to announce it here for you all to share in our happy surprise. :D

Thinking About It

Here we are already in the 4th day of November. (How did that happen?) I'm sure most of you have noticed that it's National Blog Posting Month, or NaBloPoMo. I know several of my blogging buddies are doing it again this year. I have participated in it every (or is is almost every?) year since I've had this blog.

There are years that I just haven't blogged much here, but I still find that it's fun to participate in NaBloPoMo. It's a good challenge to blog every day. It helps me reconnect to my bloggy friends and meet new ones. Since I've actually been blogging here a few times a month lately, I'm thinking this might be a bit easier this time.

Still it's blogging every day for a whole month. I'm already behind. I posted one other time this month already, but I missed two days now. I will probably backdate some short posts to catch up. Then I'm going to give this a try. I believe every time I've participated before, I completed it. This time I'm a little nervous that may not happen. But you'll be kind and understand, right?

Goodness knows I'll have plenty to write about anyway. I'm almost 20 weeks pregnant, so exciting things are coming up. I also need plenty of advice and help getting prepared for this baby. And...we have our big ultrasound reveal this week. Then we can talk baby names a bit. (I say a bit, because I normally hesitate to share. I like to keep names to myself.)

I think I'll have plenty of things to say this month, so let's get this show on the road. Are you doing NaBloPoMo? Will you join me? Be sure to comment if you are, because I want to be sure to follow along and comment on your blog. Here we go!

Trick or Treat

All of our Halloween activities were the week before Halloween this year. This worked out really well in our favor, because it was nice and warm. It was almost 80 degrees, and that was in the evenings when we were out and about. So much better than on Halloween, where we had cold temperatures and snow on the ground the day before. Brr.

Normally we let Zachariah choose one activity to participate in for Halloween. It's not a holiday that we go crazy about here. Our church did it's 3rd annual Trunk & Treat. This is always a fun event, and Zachariah's chosen one for the last 3 years. He chose this right away. We went early and had a good time. They had about 1000 kids (that doesn't include parents) come through that night. They have decorated cars that hand out candy in the parking lot, then inside (it's a gym/activity center) they had snacks, drinks, and bouncy houses. It was pretty fun...for him. We just follow him around, doing whatever he wants to do.

However, this year Zachariah somehow (if he just weren't so darn cute) talked us into taking him Trick-or-Treating too. Since the weather was nice and we had nothing else to do, we decided to let him go. This is the first time that he's ever done door-to-door trick-or-treating. You see, we live along a fairly busy street, no sidewalks, and not many young kids in our neighborhood. It's a good neighborhood. We've lived here for 11 years, but we've never once had a trick-or-treater come to our door. I always leave the porch light on, and I always make sure I have some kind of candy in the house. Even though no one comes here, there is a housing development behind us. The road to it is a few houses down from ours, and we often go back there for walks. There are sidewalks, children, and they do participate in trick-or-treating. So we headed that way and let him walk around for about an hour.

Between both of these events, we were tired. Zachariah had a plastic pumpkin brimming with treats. He really hasn't gotten into the candy big time. (He won't.) But he has managed to eat all of the Reese's cups already (his favorites), and he had 1 or 2 a day for several days.

It was fun watching him have a good time this year. And I'm already thinking about coordinating a baby costume to his next year. Fun! Shaggy & Scooby Doo. Darth Vader & Yoda. So many possibilities. And the baby will be too little to care.

Show Off

I can't help it. I must show off these hats I made!

Yesterday I came across a pattern for adorable owl hats that you can make in any size. Well, I know that Sara is a little addicted to owl things. And since she just found out the sex of her babies, I knew I had to make these. (Eeee! So excited for her! And only 1 week until we find out what we're having too!)

I had enough scrap yarn to quickly make a few newborn size owl hats. They turned out so cute. Now I just need some black buttons for the eyes. I can't wait to make one for my own little baby. Although it's hard to imagine a hat small enough to fit into these little things. So tiny.

Zachariah saw the little blue one this morning and requested one be made in his size. How can I refuse that?!! I might even make one for myself.

Baby Gear & Gift Registry for 2nd Baby

Taken @ 16 weeks. Just starting to pop out a little.

We will have a 7 year gap between our "babies". I can't believe that Zachariah will be 7 years old when this baby is due to be born. This was not the plan, but it's reality. We have a big gap.

The problem with having a big gap between children is that we've either gotten rid of baby gear or it is too out of date to use. We have some things, but we were missing some really big imporatant items. We got rid of our crib, infant seat, and car seat just a year ago. I realize now that the car seat would have been ready to expire by now anyway, so we needed a new one.

We found a car seat/stroller travel system at a local home improvement store. They don't often carry things like this, so there was one left that kept getting marked down. We checked it out and it was a decent one that would work for us. When Matt bought it, we ended up with a great price plus a $20 rebate. Score!

Last weekend we picked out and bought a crib from Target. Nothing fancy, but it's nice (probably nicer than the old one was new). And Matt had a $100 gift card from a prize he won that we used towards it. I also had a few Target gift cards (from various blogging things), so with all of those combined we paid VERY little for the crib. Yay!

Now that we have the crib and car seat/stroller, there isn't a lot more we need. I kept our bouncy seat, play mat, pack 'n play, baby bathtub, and a few other things that I used with my nephews/niece.

I think the obvious thing would be clothing...but only if it's a girl. I still have all my boy clothes. My sister has been borrowing them as needed, but she never needed things until about 12 months or so. So most of the little baby clothes haven't been worn since Zachariah was little. If this is a girl, we'll have to start over with most clothing.

The other major thing we will need are diapers. We've decided to cloth diaper this time. This is all new to me, so we're starting from scratch. I haven't decided exactly what type(s) I want to use yet. But I see that Amazon.com has some available there.

And that brings me to baby gift registry. I feel a little funny doing a registry since this is our 2nd baby, but I know there will be at least one big shower for my family/friends. Since I already have quite a bit (more than I originally thought), I think it might be necessary to register for what we actually do need. I'm thinking of setting up a registry on Amazon and maybe Babies R Us. Mostly on Amazon for the cloth diapers I can register for.

What do you think? Is a registry acceptable for a 2nd baby? Did you do it? Does it make a difference that there is a big age gap?

And I'm still working through what other baby gear I need. It can be overwhelming, but at least I've done this before and know where to look. What baby items are must haves for you?

16 Week Update

I know it's been a while since I updated. Sorry. After talking to Sarah (she has the cutest little baby, by the way) for a while on Sunday, I figured I better update how I'm doing. (She said she had to stalk me on Twitter to make sure I was still doing OK. Which works because I post there A LOT! Ha!)

I will be 16 weeks pregnant on Thursday. I had my 16 week check up with my OB today. It was a quick, easy, and good appointment. We went over some general questions, talked about getting enough calcium in my diet, and listened for the baby's heartbeat. The LPN we saw gave me this whole speech about how for some reason she finds it very hard to hear heartbeats at 16 weeks. She speculates it's something to do with the growing uterus and small baby. As she finishes telling me this, just in case she can't find the heartbeat, she finds the heartbeat. Well, that was easy. It was so good to hear our little baby again. The heartbeat was around 142 this time. (Last time it was 180, so quite a difference.)

I have been feeling better overall, but I am still dealing with nausea and vomiting (once in a while). No fun. I tried to stop taking the Zofran, because I was feeling better. I quickly learned that I'm not ready to stop taking that. I have a lot less vomiting when I'm taking it...still, unfortunately.

The same week I stopped taking the medicine for a few days, I had some other bad issues too. I ended up with a terrible yeast infection. I've only had 1, maybe 2, ever, and this was terrible. I used the recommended treatment from my OB office, and it started clearing up within a few days. That was a rough few days.

While that was clearing up, I had to up the medication I'm taking to keep my blood sugar levels good. They told me to do it gradually, so that's what I've been doing. When I increased it, I started having diarrhea  That lasted for about 3 days off and on all day. I had to try hard to keep some food down and get lots of liquid. No fun.

What a bad week that was. I'm glad to be past all of that. And it helps to have great friends to listen to me complain and send fun care packages to cheer me up. Thanks, Sara! I can also thank Sara for my newest craving- Jolly Ranchers. They are good to have especially when I'm feeling a bit nauseous.

15 going into 16 weeks is starting to look better for me. I have more energy to get things done, and I'm glad I'm not feeling down all the time. Looking back I can see time is passing quickly already with this pregnancy. Only 4 more weeks and I'll be half way there. I want to treasure each moment, like the little flutters I'm just starting to feel.

What I Didn't Mention

OK, there are some things that I didn't mention in my last post. I had a few pregnancy related problems that we talked with the doctor about.

Remember that glucose test that they wanted me to take? I went to do it, sat there for an hour with the orange stuff in my belly, then my belly rejected it. I was sent home. After a week they told me to go retest.

Since I haven't been feeling great, still, I have not gone back to be retested. The doctor mentioned at this appointment that my fasting glucose level was "a little high". (I'd like to see the numbers.) Therefore, they are putting me on medication that will help with that. And after a while I will just do the regular 1 hour glucose test to check for gestational diabetes.

I'm hoping this will help and there is no other reason for concern. But honestly, I'm past being upset about the conclusions everyone jumped to, and just ready to do what I need to do to have a healthy pregnancy.

The other issue was a little infection from my ...uhh... female check. So I have to take antibiotics for a week too.

I'm now on 3 medications plus a prenatal vitamin. I hope this doesn't all last.

At least we have a healthy little baby growing inside just like it should!

12 Weeks - A Sneak Peek

I'd like to be able to say that now that I'm 12 weeks pregnant the "morning" sickness has completely disappeared. Unfortunately I can't. The medication is helping, but I've still had a few rough days. It's not completely helping, though, most of the time I can function better with it.

Today I am officially 12 weeks along. I can't believe it! The baby is about the size of a lime, and I had my 2nd OB appointment. This time I got to see one of the doctors, and Matt was able to join me. I had my pap smear (which was long overdue) and some other fun such things. (I'll come back to that.)

The best part was that they tried to listen to the baby's heartbeat on doppler. After searching for some time, the doctor and nurse both reassured me this was normal and if it couldn't be found they could do a quick ultrasound. OK, fine. She tried and tried and couldn't get it. I just smiled and said OK. After the doctor said we'd move to another room for an ultrasound I mentioned this happened with my last pregnancy. The doctor laughed and said, "Now i understand why you're smiling and not crying. You've done this before."

Had this been my sister, she would have been really freaked out given her past experience. But I knew that it could be hard to find a heartbeat and honestly wasn't worried yet. And I was secretly (or maybe not so secretly) excited that I finally get to see my baby!

Thankfully Matt was able to make this appointment, so we were quickly ushered into another room where we had a quick ultrasound. She found the baby with no problem and we were able to heat the steady, strong heartbeat. The heartbeat was around 180 (faster than I ever remember Zachariah's being). The baby was kicking and moving around a LOT! It was great to watch. The doctor wanted to get a measurement while she was looking, but baby just wouldn't cooperate for that. There was not a good view from crown to rump to measure.

So, we walked away with smiles and our first baby picture. (It's a rough picture, I know. Like I said, baby was being uncooperative.)

Good Medicine

I finally gave in last week and called my OB about getting a prescription for my nausea. It was getting bad. I was throwing up a meal at least once a day...and not always at home. I'd had enough. Nothing else seemed to work for me.

Fortunately the practice I'm going to had recommended the prescription and readily called it into my pharmacy. Unfortunately when I got to the pharmacy I found they only had enough medication for a 3 day supply. I took it, knowing it would at least get me through our weekend away.

This stuff rocks. We drove all the way to Columbus without me getting sick or even feeling like I needed to get sick. I was able to keep down food and even eat a bit more. It was easier to drink things and keep my prenatal vitamins down too. Ahh, relief.

But I knew my time was running short. When I took my last pill Sunday afternoon on the way home, I called the pharmacy to see if they'd filled the rest of my prescription. They had not. And since Monday was a holiday the shipment wouldn't be in until Tuesday. I asked about filling this somewhere else. Maybe even the same pharmacy on the other end of town. No. They had to keep it to give me the rest of the partial.

Ugh. Knowing that I'd had 3 days of relief, then had to go through 2 more days of feeling sick was not a great though. But it didn't seem there were any other options.

Sure enough by Monday afternoon I was feeling blah again. And yesterday was a really rough day. I got sick once and felt terrible all day.

Matt stopped in the evening to pick up my prescription and they hadn't filled it yet. He had to wait for an hour in the store while they filled it. I don't think I can thank him enough. Now I'm back on the medication and hoping that I can function again. It feels good to be feeling a bit better. And I think in a few weeks I'll be past this tough phase anyway.