The Home Stretch July 19, 2008

Usually, when you hit 30 weeks, people pat you on the back and say “oh the home stretch! Not long now!”  Well, I’ve entered my home stretch at 28 weeks!  Why you ask?  Because for a month or two now, we’ve had babies birth on the books.  He’ll be making an appearance on September 25, 2008 and not a moment sooner (or later– holy heck it’s getting hot outside!)

My method of birthing my children does not really jive with my whole outlook on the pregnancy/nursing/childrearing perspective.  But for new time readers I assure you that I tried with all of my ability to make M march out the right way, but it didnt’ happen.  And when C was miraculously conceived, after long debate, it was decided a section would probably be our best route.  And it turns out it was.  So I have no fears in scheduling Little Dude’s section.  In fact, I’m a bit comforted by it.  It’s the only thing that is comforting on a 90* day with 60% humidity in Indiana.  Little Dude will no longer be in me after 10 weeks.  Very comforting.

We had an ultrasound this week and the dude is most definitely a dude.  yay!  Better  yet?  He’s healthy, gorgeous, has hair, and 100% perfect.  He’s measuring overall about a week ahead of my dates (measuring around 29 weeks) and his legs measure 31 weeks! Again, that tall Daddy passes on some really long legs!  They estimate he weighs about 3 pounds at this point putting him in the 7ish pound range at birth.

I refused my 50 gram test (glucose tolerance test) and had an A1C drawn, which came back perfect. No gestational diabetes and no anemia.  I’m cruising past those little pregnancy annoyances and enjoying my time with him in utero, though he’s starting to hurt me a bit more with his constant love kicks.

So that’s all the news.  We’re expecting a DUDE after two beautiful girls. Erich and I feel 110% blessed.

The Tricky Son? June 18, 2008

The last time I posted, I said we were going in for our “big” ultrasound and hoped to find out gender.  The good news was that baby is perfectly healthy.  Beautiful spine (am I the only one that loves to see the spine on those ultrasounds?), brain, heart everything turned out okay.  Baby measured about 4 days ahead of dates, but that is pretty typical with our children.  They all have long legs that I think throw off the calculations, but having a 6′5″ Daddy will yield long legs.

Unfortunately, baby had legs crossed at the ankles, tucked in my bladder with the cord pulled in between the legs.  It was impossible to see gender.  At first they said, oh probably girl, and then something round appeared and they said “well maybe boy?”  It was decided I’d sneak in in June to take another look.

So Monday of this week I went in for another look.  And wouldn’t you know that the first tech when we got in there said boy! It was crazy, but then another tech came in “just to be sure” and she said, no no it’s a girl.  But baby was (yet again!) in another tricky spot and really hard to see anything the way he/she was laying.  So they said come back later.  hahaha.

So on Tuesday of this week I headed back in again feeling a little… frustrated.  I wasn’t worried about not bonding with the baby, but I am not a waiter.  I am not patient.  And I am a knitter! I have lots of preparation to do for this baby! And I find it easier to get the girls ready for a baby if I can give them a name and we can talk about the actual person that will be marching out of me and rocking their worlds, instead of an abstract “baby”, you know?

So on Tuesday, the tech was saying “girl” but honestly, it just didn’t look like a girl *to me*.  I do realize that I’m not a trained ultrasound person, but I’ve stared at my fair share of ultrasounds of friends and family and heck I have two girls of my own.  It just didn’t look like a girl to me.  Baby was again sitting weird in there.  Legs were criss crossed (when I was little we called this sitting Indian Style but Erich has pointed out that that is probably not the most PC term anymore), and the cord was in between it’s legs still (I’m not complaining, better than around the neck!) and he/she just did not want to “give it up”.  Then baby turned and we realized that the “three lines” we were seeing were his little back end and out popped what Magdalena declared “his peenut!” The tech said she is 98% sure it’s a boy and that she is never 100% sure.  And you know, I’m pretty sure it’s a boy too but that doesn’t stop that nagging fear in my head that they’ll pull a girl out in September. hahaha

So see for yourself.

A Big Day May 7, 2008

Tomorrow morning we have our big mid pregnancy ultrasound.  Honestly, I’ve never been  more nervous and anxious about an ultrasound.  I think this may partly be because the pregnancy just seems to be flying by.  We are so busy every day and I’ve tried not to dwell on bad stuff.  I feel baby move a lot but I’d probably feel LD more if I were able to just sit and relax sometimes.

The other thing that is making me anxious is finding out the gender.  I really really don’t care one way or the other, but many people are driving me a bit nuts.  Most say it’s a boy, and I can’t help but feel they may be disappointed if it’s a girl.   I’m just ready for it to be 9:30am tomorrow morning.

Sleeping Sisters April 21, 2008

We’re a cosleeping family. From the very first night Magdalena was born, I could never imagine having her farther than a few feet from me. She eventually moved on to her own room with her own big bed by her own choice when she was around 2. For several weeks she had slept in her own room for naps, and at night we’d ask where she wanted to sleep, with Mommy and Daddy? Or in your own bed? She almost always chose to sleep with us until one day she decided she wanted to sleep in her own room. And there she has slept for the past 2 years with the exception of a few slumber parties on the floor in our room.

Carmina has slept with us up until now too. My plan has always been that Magdalena and Carmina would share sleeping space, since their room has a double bed. For months I’ve been asking Magdalena if she wanted to sleep with Carmina. Her answer has always been an adament “no!” One night Carmina ended up sleeping in Magdalena’s room, and Magdalena slept in the spare bedroom. I’m not sure why we had such a crazy bed arrangement that night, but the next day Magdalena was asked if it was okay if Carmina slept in her bed again. And Magdalena was thrilled! Carmina seemed to be sleeping as good or if not better in her bed with Magdalena, and hasn’t called out for me at all.Magdalena practically begged for Carmina to sleep with her the next night and Carmina automatically runs into their bedroom now and not mine. The arrangement seems to be working and I’ll admit after a few nights of restless sleep, I’m easing into sleeping in a bed only with my husband, if only for just a few months. Not that I really sleep at all anyway, but that’s a whole other post.

Shaky April 18, 2008

This morning we were laying in bed and I felt this little shake. The fan started rattling. I figured Erich was moving the bed and it irritated me. Then, the bed started shaking, everything on the dresser started shaking and Erich woke up. An Earthquake in Indiana! It was relatively long, about 30 seconds, considering you are just sitting in bed listening to everything shake around you. It ended up waking up Carmina too. That’s crazy stuff.

I’ve Lost My Brain April 5, 2008

My no brain state has reached new heights. I stand by that whole theory of Momnesia being true. I’m a lot dumber than I was say four or so years ago. I had a conversation with Erich (so he says) that I have absolutely no recollection of. I went to get my laptop to take it downstairs and do a little cleaning (clean the screen etc.) and forgot in the span of about 30 seconds of when the idea popped into my head and when I got to the area of the laptop. It’s amazing and embarassing at the same time.

Magdalena, who is four, has lately been really hard to handle. TONS of tantrums and crying and fighting and just really random behavior so unlike her. After about a week of this, I finally figured it out. She *needs* a nap, but has not been napping. I’ve been making her stay in her bed and read books at naptime in hopes that it will help, but I’ve had to focus on Carmina so much because she gets up and walks around, that I’ve really overlooked getting Magdalena to take a nice nap. I have been able to lay both down and leave and everyone goes to sleep. Today I decided that I needed to probably lay down with them. I can’t lay down with them together though because that just does not seem to work. So we go up to take naps, I tell Magdalena I will be in there in a few minutes. I lay down with Carmina, she falls asleep. I slip out and get Magdalena situated and lay down. She was out in literally 2 minutes of just being able to lay still. That little light bulb went off in my head. She’s just been *tired*. She knows she doesn’t want to go to sleep, but she really does need lots of sleep. She’s like her Mommy, we need our beauty rest. Unfortunately, Carmina woke up and I went and laid back down with her where I fell asleep for like 45 minutes. Oops. I lost my nap quiet time!

We have got to get naptime figured out and without me laying down everyday because come October it’s not going to be so easy me thinks. Hopefully Little Dude will be easy going and lay down with me if I need to lay with either girl.

The Unknown March 3, 2008

The only thing I don’t like about pregnancy, besides my hyperemesis issues, is the beginning. The unknown. Yes I’m sick. Yes I’m tired. Yes I have major food and smell aversions. Beyond that though, I have no reassurance that everything is O.K. There is no kicking from within or a big round belly to remind me that yes, things are fine. And that is what I hate about early pregnancy. I suspect that I do some overreacting as many other infertility patients do. I have no reason to believe that things aren’t okay, but at the same time I really don’t feel like I have good reasons to believe that they are okay beyond the sickness and faith. I must have faith. Faith in God. Faith in my body. Faith. OB appointment tomorrow… let’s hope for some reassurance.

8 down, 30 to go! February 28, 2008

8 weeks! We’ve seen the heartbeat (twice! long story.) and Little Dude as this fetus has come to be called is doing fine and making me very very very sick.

And then life marches on… February 8, 2008

Time seemed to stand still for a few days last week as we digested the fact that we are expecting our third child. Considering the work that went into conceiving our second, this seemed miraculous for sure. But now it’s over a week later, and as fast as a blink of an eye we are into the 5th week of pregnancy. I imagine this pregnancy will go just as fast if not faster than my second.

I’ve already started knitting for the little one. We have an appointment on the 28th to see a heartbeat. I love those early u/s where you get a glimpse of that tiny heartbeat and the miracle that is a forming baby. I have daily reminders of his/her presence though. Currently I can smell dinner in the crockpot and while it smells good, it also makes my stomach turn. I’m tired by 9 or 10 am. I gag easily. My face has broken out into a million little reminders that my body is working. I beg for naps. Magdalena says “growing babies is HARD work Mommy!” Yes my love, it is. The nausea comes in waves but makes a bigger appearance each day. And with all of that, it’s wonderful. I’m thankful. I’m blessed. I know this. I do.

Coming Soon To A Theatre Near You… January 30, 2008

10-10-08