The last yard sale

I am so incredibly sore today! Yesterday I woke up at 4:30 AM to go to yard sales and a baby expo - pretty much the same routine I had for two months in the spring. Well shockingly, there's a huge difference between first trimester and third. While I thought I was doing well, later on showed otherwise. Since last night, my legs feel like they can't support my weight anymore. The muscles feel torn. My belly aches. My lower back and hips feel like they're going to break if I bend or put weight on them. Today is every bit as bad!

I also was extremely tired. I took an hour nap yesterday after coming home, which made me more tired and more sore. Last night, we all went to bed together but Bill ended up having to put Katie to sleep because she was still plenty energetic and as soon as I laid down, I fell asleep - a very deep sleep, because usually Katie wakes me up and she didn't at all. Running around all day long with only 2 hours of sleep is definitely next to impossible now.
 Today is mostly about moving the least as possible - probably not going to happen as Bill is working overitme today and I need to catch up on housework again now that Katie is feeling better.

Anyway, yesterday was made worth it by a single yard sale. Someone who had a few boys and were finished with having kids was giving away quite a few baby items. One of these, which I happily took home, was a big tote of clothes. There were more clothes tightly folded into this box than I could have imagined, and I'm so grateful that I found it and then didn't walk away from it like I originally thought to do. Now that I went through it, I feel bad for having her go down because wow - she has everything in that box that I could need for a winter or spring baby for the first 2-3 months! And it's all gender neutral, so if we do go with my plan to try to not find out the gender next time, I can wash all of this stuff up and be totally set for baby (since all my other baby clothing is very boy or very girl, nothing much inbetween). And to top it off, I also got another bouncer, this one to use in the bathroom so I can take showers and give Katie baths. With Katie, I used a swing that I was given that didn't work all that well to begin with. I'm gonna bet that now that Katie is sitting her 26 lb butt in it and using it for her play babies, that it's not going to be in best working shape anymore, so this bouncer will fill in nicely. It's smaller than the swing as well, so that'll be nice.

Here's some pictures that I quickly took. This was before my nap and I was totally crashing so I didn't take my time setting up all the adorable hats - so many things match, right down the socks and hats! It's adorable. In this pile is at least 20 onesies, 20-30 sleepers, about 5 long and short sleeve swaddle shirts, a pair of new shoes, about 10 pairs of socks, 5 pairs of scratch mittens, 8 hats, a few sweaters, two heavy sleep sacks, 10 sleep gowns, a few bibs, etc. It's just so much stuff!

Test Results

Today started off rough.

All last night I had horrible dreams about miscarrying babies. I managed to wake myself up from them a few times, even went to the bathroom to try and shake it, but I kept falling back to sleep into the same dream. What are the odds of doing that over and over? Why did it have to be for that dream? By morning, I was exhausted. I had dreamt that I lost four babies in a row and had to keep finding names for all my angels and finding little wooden boxes to bury them in. It was terrible, and it clung to me.

It got harder when I was awake. We got up early at 8 AM and headed to the hospital to get my blood work and rhogam shot. When we parked, I started to get really upset and teary eyed. I didn't even know why, it was just so sudden that this really upset feeling hit me. I finally realized why my heart was hurting even before my brain could analyze it. We were parked in the exact parking spot on the street as when we had come last time. Last time was just minutes after we found out that we were losing Elizabeth. They had sent us over to the hospital immediately for the exact same thing I was getting today - blood work and rhogam. The memories of that spot were just so clear. That day I couldn't get out of the car, I couldn't stop crying. My phone kept going off but I couldn't even think about talking to anyone. Bill was telling his mom, who had called to ask about the baby, what had happened. We had gotten food because I was so sick, but I couldn't stomach eating any of it. It was the beginning of the hardest time in our lives. And today, even though we're in such a better place, it all rushed back into me and I could feel exactly how I felt that day. Sitting in the car for that moment, it just felt like I was right there again. When I told Bill, he said he didn't remember that, he thought we had gone to the hospital weeks later, but I can remember that day exactly. I can remember every minute of it. I know what I was doing, what he was doing, every emotion of every minute is just burned into my mind. Especially after last night's dreams, it was a really rough thing to go through today.

My day got better from there though, thankfully. Once we were in the waiting room, Katie found a friend to play with for a half hour and Bill ran out and got me breakfast to bring back since we know well that me getting blood drawn on an empty stomach is disastrous. Once I was called back about an hour later, I told the nurse about using butterfly needles on me, especially because my veins are still swollen and bruised from the glucose test - and she actually listened to me! 9 times out of 10 when I tell a nurse to use the butterfly needles, they don't listen and they proceed to blow out my veins, bruise up my arms, and be unsuccessful until finally they say "I should use a butterfly needle." Yeah...I know. But this nurse thankfully listened and had no problems. She got into one of my bruised veins without any trouble at all, took the four viles of blood and sent me to get the rhogam shot - which was actually the best rhogam shot I've gotten so far! For the very first time, it didn't sting like crazy going in (it's a big, thick needle!) and it didn't burn like acid afterwards. Usually I leave limping and I was fine this time. Maybe I'm just fatter now than usual! lol. Either way, much better than what I was expecting.

When we got home, I took a nap because any blood draw tends to tire me out. Once Bill left, I woke up and got out the stroller since it's such a nice day and Katie was asking to go on a walk. We went to the dollar store for some shopping (I didn't buy any baby stuff! Okay...I bought one outfit....but it was on sale!) and by the time we were heading home, Katie was fast asleep. She slept in her stroller for a while, then came to cuddle with me. Over two hours later, she's still asleep!

I just got a call from the Birthing Center that really helped to brighten my day. I passed the glucose test! With Katie, I passed it by only one point and they made me do the three hour. This time, I passed by 13 points! In addition, even though for the two weeks I was sick I didn't take my prenatals, ate no red meat, ate nothing with much iron at all like spinach and did no cooking from my cast iron, I managed to have good iron levels! With Katie, they were concerned because I was borderline and had me take supplements. This time I don't need to because my levels are higher - and that was with being very sick and not eating very well or taking my vitamins! She said everything they tested me for I passed with good numbers, so I'm thrilled, as a low iron count will earn me a hospital birth, as will failing the glucose test. Now I just need to get a good result on my GBS test and get Katie's new pediatrician to sign my baby papers and I'll be all ready to go! Of course this happened last time and I still didn't end up with a birth center birth, but at least I have another chance and I know more this time.

 Hopefully my day continues to improve and we have a nice, relaxing weekend. I could use it after dealing with sickness for over three weeks and then being so stressed this week over these tests and trying to get everything done!

Third Tri Grump

Alright, I officially hit third tri now. Not in the measured weeks, but in the frustration I'm getting that feels very familiar. I'm now in that part of pregnancy where I go from loving everything about my body and how amazing it is to hating all of that bad things happening to it - and there's quite a few!

Tonight I tried to bend over to put on socks. Woah, not happening anymore. I tried to bend over to give Katie a bath and the baby refused to let me - he actually burrowed himself where I bend at and wouldn't stop kicking and punching. It was SO difficult.

Baby is definitely feeling transverse - which means when he tries to stretch, I can feel at least one side of my skin tearing from his head or his butt. It hurts like hell. It feels raw. And this kid really likes to stretch. I'm pretty positive, though I can't see it, that he's either giving me new stretch marks or reopening the old ones. Thanks, kid.

I'm also pretty sure (but again, can't see well enough to tell) that I have a varicose vein in the exact place that I had it last time. It wasn't there before, so it must have just happened in the last week when baby has been changing his position. Ah, joy - it's just not pregnancy without painful varicose veins! I've even made sure to keep my feet up often and not overdo it, but that didn't work.

I also tried to wear prepregnancy underwear today. Yeah, that didn't go well! It bit into my skin and made me sore. They're WAY too small now. Nothing like not fitting into your underwear to remind you of those 25 lbs gained already.

I should be in bed, as tomorrow we have to wake up early so I can get that painful shot in my butt and a bunch of viles of blood taken from me (which should be interesting, as both arms are currently still all bruised up from when they did blood work for just the glucose test.) Yeah, definitely having a grumpy night!

Preparing bags and birth plans

I just dug through my blog with Katie to find my hospital bag list. Since I didn't lack anything last time, I think it's a pretty good list. Doing the run down, it seems like I'm 90% finished. What's crossed off is what I already have in my bag.

My Bag:

Birthing Gowns - this is the one thing I don't have in my bag yet. Mainly because I don't want to make the journey into the attic to dig through my old maternity clothes that I"m not using! But I already have it bagged up neatly, so they just have to get into my hospital bag yet.
shampoo/soap 
hand sanitizer
bikini top
pj bottoms (for going home in) (since this time it's winter, I'm not sure what I'm using yet)
granola bars for snacks
fruit juice boxes
chap stick
lavendar oil
2 pairs of socks  (actually, I only have one because that's all I think I'll need. They're Christmasy too!)
wet wipes
travel hairbrush
hair bands
Pads
Diapers
baby wipes
disposable underwear (I found the exact kind I want, just need to order them when I get my next amount of money in)
Bill change of clothing
Birth Plan (I'm waiting on ink so I can print this out)
peri bottles 
scratch mittens
tooth brush/paste (thought I had this already, but nope!)

Things I have to add later:
insurance/ID/bank card (Bill always has all of his in his wallet, so at least there's that, but I can't add mine to the bag until later)
phone charge cord (No spares, so that'll be a last minute thing)
glasses (another I need to add last minute.)


Baby and Daddy's Bag:Swim trunks
3 receiving blankets
2 baby outfits (one newborn, one 0-3 months)
hand wipes
$7 in quarters (actually, it's currently $5.25. Which I know isn't much, but it's every quarter I have in the house, and he always has small cash on him anyway.)

Just need to buy a birthing ball as well yet!


And since it was in the same blog post, I grabbed my birth plan and started to fix it up. It's pretty much all the same, but I wanted to tweak it a bit now that I know more this time.

                       Birth Plan 

Mother: Jill Keller	Partner: William Keller (Husband)
Date written: 9/26/2013	Due Date: 12/12/13
	Place of Birth: Birth Center

This birth plan is intended to express the preference and desires we have for the birth of our baby. We fully realize that situations may arise such that our plan cannot be followed. However, we hope that barring any extenuating circumstances, you will be able to keep us informed and aware of our options. Thank you.

　

First Stage (Labor):

I would like to labor at home for as long as possible
Everyone present to speak in positive tones
Husband to be present at all times
Would prefer not to have students, residents etc.
Would prefer to keep vaginal exams to a minimum.
Eat and drink as desired.
Relaxation techniques (breathing, focusing, distraction, visual imagry, etc.).
Positioning as desired. (side lying, squatting, pool)
Water (Shower and bath/pool).
Massage (especially counter pressure on back)
Tools I'd like to use for labor: birthing ball, birthing pool, squatting bar if availableSecond Stage (Birth): 
Choice of position (side lying, in tub, squatting, hands and knees)
My delivery is planned as a vaginal and hopeful water birth.
Pushing without coaching unless requested/pushing instinctively
I'd like the option of laboring/delivering in birthing pool
Spontaneous Bearing Down
Prefer to use people for leg support if able
I would prefer no episiotomy, but can use compresses, massage and positioning.
If birthed in water, I'd like my husband or I to catch/lift baby out.Baby Care: 
Prefer partner to cut the cord.
I would like all newborn routine procedures to be performed in my presence.
Hold baby right away, skin to skin
No eye medication
No Hep B vax at birth
Breast feeding only and as soon as possible after birth
No pacifiers, formula, artificial nipples or glucose water
No separation of Mother & Baby ** Please note that I may be RH-incompatible with my baby and need baby to be tested.Cesarean Birth: 
Partner present at all times
Pictures taken if possible
Free one hand to touch the baby
Partner to cut the cord
Breastfeeding in recovery room
I would like to sign any waivers necessary to permit me to be with my baby in recovery.
Please discuss my post-operative pain medication options with me before or immediately following the procedure.

Week 29

One last week to go until I'm in my 30's! (Pregnancy wise, not age wise!) I swear it feels like I just turned 20 weeks like a week or two, where has this time gone? I think so far this has been my easiest pregnancy (I can say that now, before any of my test results come in and before the worst part of pregnancy begins), so I guess that combined with running after a toddler all day makes it go super quickly.

I woke up this morning and immediately did yoga as my body was killing me (yet another night sleeping straight up, but Katie did much better this time!) Wow, I always thought yoga was gentle stretching - not so! Today's yoga was full of deep squatting, large amounts of twisting, and then doing certain continous movement until it starts to kill you, at which point you try to work through because you're supposed to imagine that they're contractions. It's mental preparation and strength...but I didn't do so well under it! I continued to do it, but I was making a lot of groaning noises and hated every part of it. However, I now feel really good. Everything but my neck feels like it's been loosened up. I can't wait to do this after my chiropractor visit.

I'm starting to get panicked about everything now. Not about pregnancy, but about anything on the news, anything stressful, etc. Now it just seizes me up and takes my breath away. I feel more hormonal, so that's probably what's adding to it, but trying to shield myself from any stressful topic is difficult. Even the smaller things make me go nuts.

My weight is constantly fluctuating still. It's been like that for a month now. Most of pregnancy, I was steady. I was always either at the same weight, or I'd go up a lb and stay there until I went up again. There was no constant up and down. I'm not even sure what my true weight is because it's always changing now. Before I was fluctuating between 134-137. Now I'm fluctuating between 137-140. I hate when I see 140, it feels like I'm really getting heavy now, that's 26 lbs above my starting weight and I'm only 29 weeks! I know they say I should gain a lb a week, and I've been following that pretty much perfectly, but I don't think they meant for the entire pregnancy and at 26 lbs, that's pretty close to what's going on. If I knew I could keep up with that, I'd be fine. That would mean I'd only gain 11 more lbs, which would be 37 in total. I'm fine with gaining 37 lbs! The problem is the second half of third tri, where I stop gaining only one lb a week and gain several from combination of increased appetite and less energy and exercise because I'm so big at that point. Staying below or at 50 by the end of the pregnancy is my goal.

Also, I'm FINALLY not an eggplant on my ticker anymore! I've been an eggplant for at least four weeks, I didn't think I'd ever get a new one. Now I'm a squash...even though it looks more like a pumpkin! Which reminds me that I can't wait to do pumpkins this year! I think Katie will have a lot of fun with it this year, and we get to do a baby one too!

28w, 6d

Stayed up last night reading through my very detailed birth story from Katie. At the end, I thought "why was that a good idea?" This thought was repeated when I kept reading through the postpartum posts, one of which ended in "I can't imagine ever wanting to do this again." This did, however, get me into finally reading my HypnoBirthing book, which I've had for a week but haven't cracked until this morning.

My back is killing me today. Probably because I haven't done yoga since Katie has been sick, but wow, it really hurts! Everything from my neck down to my tailbone is aching terribly. It hurts just to stand up, but sitting isn't much better. I hope Katie gets better soon, I was so looking forward to going to the chiropractor's this week and now need to hold off. I just feel so tight and scrunched up!
It definitely doesn't help that I've been sleeping sitting up for two weeks, first so I could breathe through a cold and now because I have to help Katie. This sickness couldn't have come at a worse time - she did so perfectly with her bed, and now she needs to sleep with me. By the time the sickness is done, the bed will have lost it's newness and won't be as fun anymore to sleep in every night. I hope I can convince her to make the transition as easily again!

Some of Will's outfits arrived today. They're so snuggly and soft that they make me crave having a baby in them.

And this is why I shop at Zulily instead of normal stores!

 I think I paid $8 each with free shipping for these, and at Disney Baby, they're $28 a piece! 

Also, HOLY CRAP! Tomorrow I'm 29 weeks! I did NOT realize that until trying to figure it out for the title, and then I had to go double check with my ticker. I'm not ready for 29 weeks! That's a scary week! That means that I'm almost 30 weeks. No, I'm not finished with my check list that I wrote last week. No, I didn't actually start on it. I've been sick! This is exactly why I have my 30 week rule - I would hate for this to happen later in pregnancy. What if nothing was finished and we all got sick? But it's still stressing that I'm already up against my deadline. Hopefully I'll be able to hit the whole list this weekend when Katie is better and Bill is home. 

I'm trying to get all of my baby clothes washed in the meanwhile. It helps when I know that I missed the last big flea market filled with baby stuff and now this weekend I'll be missing the Baby Expo because Katie is  going to still be sick. But, now I have a bouncer, which was 75% of the reason why I wanted to go to them. Trying to squeeze all of baby's clothing into the drawers makes me realize that I don't need to go out of my way to shop anymore. I don't really need anything at this point. But I'm still a bit heartbroken that I'll be missing it. 

Glucose Test

Today's midwife appointment did not go too well!

I'm starting to get really annoyed that every single time I go there, we are waiting at least between a half hour to an hour just to be seen. Last appointment it was an hour and a half! With a bored, cranky toddler! (because after all, it's early morning and she woke up early and does not want to be in the same strange room forever.)

Today we were the only ones in the waiting room. I was relieved, it seemed like we'd get right in for once. Nope, we were waiting 45 minutes before we checked for the second time about the hold up (NO one else was there! I watched the nurses walking around. I just needed a two minute blood draw so I could go have breakfast, because after that long wait, I was now up to 13 hours without eating and I was definitely getting sick from it. Finally, someone said "oh, you're here for the glucose test? We'll get your blood drawn right away." By the time I was sent back for the quick blood draw, we no longer had time to do the test I wanted, so now I needed the sugar drink. My body reacts so badly to the sugar drink! But it was either that or try again in two days, and I knew that I'd just be waiting an hour again to be seen, so I took the sugar drink.

I survived better than I thought I would while the test was going on. Just mildly dizzy, hungry, a bit sick, but I wasn't passing out or puking. The receptionist gave Katie a fruit juice box and some pretzels, which kept her busy. A midwife checked out baby, told me he is head's down but he's currently in there crooked (which makes sense - the intense pressure has let up the last few days, and while I knew he was still head's down, his movements didn't quite make sense. Now I know he's in there at an angle.)

An hour after drinking the sugar drink, I got the blood work done. The first arm didn't work and only gave about a third of a vile. They had to start all over again on the other arm and took a few viles. By the time they were done, I was really dizzy and my belly was angry. I drank some juice before leaving and felt good that I was only mildly sick. As we started driving though, it got worse and worse. We stopped for food and while I managed to eat about half of my fries, I kept getting worse. My arms got too heavy to keep moving, so I stopped eating and just slumped in my seat and tried to nap. My whole body felt like it couldn't move and had no energy. Bill said I was extremely pale and looked like a dying patient, and I felt like it. My body doesn't work with 14 hours of no food on top of blood draws and a glucose test!

When we got home, I laid down and tried to nap. Katie, who had been napping, woke up about five minutes after I laid down, so now I'm extremely tired and trying not to crash. I still feel terrible, very unenergetic and have a headache. I changed into pajamas already, I think today will be a slow day full of laying down and taking it easy.

At least we got to hear baby's heartbeat, which like usual is in the 140's, and figure out his position. As long as we keep getting good reports about him being healthy, everything else doesn't matter. I now have all of my appointments for the rest of pregnancy, the last one being on Christmas Eve. Hoping we'll have a baby by then though!

Belly Paints and Sleepers

We're having a rough weekend with Katie being sick (at least off and on) so I've been finding creative ways to make her happy. Today I broke out the face paint that I bought a bit ago to do some belly painting. I had to paint my belly pictures upside down so they came out a bit off, but Katie really enjoyed it. She got a little Minnie Mouse on her hand, a heart on her other hand, and a Blue's Clue on her knee.

Will was actually making everything so much harder. I don't think there's any way he could have felt the painting, but he was constantly kicking and thumping wherever I was trying to paint. My belly looked like a wave pool while trying to do it! He just didn't want to stay still.

On Friday, I did huge amounts of walking. I walked to the post office to send out $145 worth of hats, then turned around and headed to the yarn store and dollar store. My feet ached afterwards, and baby was very, very quiet for hours. I know all of the activity probably just had him sleepy, and a quiet day once in a while is fine. I got him to wake up later that night with hot chocolate, and ever since, he's been awake constantly. His movements feel even stronger and more constant. He never sleeps!

While I JUST got done saying that I'm completely and totally done with clothes shopping...I found a deal impossible to give up. Seriously! At the Dollar Store they had Disney brand adorable clothes marked half off, and then when I went to buy them, they were then an additional half off! I got adorable baby sleepers for $1.50 each! I really want to go back and get more, but my feet still haven't recovered and tomorrow I'm getting my glucose test, so I might have to wait a few days.

28 Weeks

Week 28 is already here! It's almost like week 27 didn't even happen, I was so out of it for most of the week. Yesterday, however, I was BURSTING with energy and did a lot of work in the nursery. It's about 75% done, at least. Which is really good since I only have two weeks left until I'm 30 weeks and start to panic about how the end days are near. My goals for the next two weeks:

• Pack Katie's overnight bag
• Pack Bill's hospital bag
• Finish cleaning the nursery - pretty much just need to organize the changing table yet, clear off the top of the dresser and move the swing from the basement to the nursery. 

Should be pretty easy to accomplish! Especially now that I'm getting all of Katie's winter clothing out (it's been so chilly lately!) so I'll be able to pack her a few days worth of clothes that she'll be wearing in December.

I want to be completely ready for baby by 30 weeks, so then I can spend the rest of those ten weeks doing general cleaning around the house and mostly relaxing. I want to keep the nightmares of "what happens if I go into labor early and don't have _____ and _____ finished yet?" even though I'm 99.9% sure I'll be at least four or five days overdue from my doctor given due date.

Not much happened in the last week that's really new or different. Baby is awake more and more and is reaching out of my belly further and further (this kid is going to give me stretch marks yet!), I keep feeling so round and like I have a globe attached to me. My bump is currently...well, bumpy. Instead of one smooth belly, the baby seems to be laying inward so all of his limbs are pushing outward and making weird little hills and valleys all over. He seems to be getting less comfortable in there!

I keep going back and forth between 135 lbs and 137. Either one is acceptable and still in the normal range of weight gain, though I'm sure I'll measure smaller at the doctor's as I almost always do. I like to go by my measurements though since they're more frequent and seem to be more accurate (if not about the exact weight, it's accurate with how much is gained.) I haven't worried about my weight gain at all this whole pregnancy, but now I'm starting to keep an eye on it because third tri is when I start gaining the most. Since I already gained a little over 20 lbs, I want to make sure I don't go too crazy. My goal is to gain about 40-50 lbs and not go over. Seems easy now, but I gained a lot more than last time at this time and I had easily gained just over 40 lbs by the time third tri was over. At the same time, I spent most of my last pregnancy relaxing on the sofa and doing a bunch of nothing. This pregnancy, I'm constantly up and chasing after a toddler.

My clothing shopping addiction has finally lessened and I'm gaining control over my buying urges. I passed up some awesome stuff in the last two weeks! The only thing I caved on was last night - and it wasn't clothing! I wasn't going to get it, but I kept torturing myself with it but I just didn't have the money. Then suddenly, as I'm staring at it in check out, one of my hat orders gets purchased and my paypal account has the exact amount - down to the dollar!- that I need for this bouncer. Well surely that was a sign that I had to have it! So here's Baby Boy's new bouncer:

I love the look of it! It's so much nicer than the old standard bouncers. 

And here's this week's picture. 

Ever since baby has stayed roughly the same size for the last few weeks 

and after he flipped, I feel like I've had very little change. In fact, am I shrinking?

Last day of 27 Weeks

I'm starting to feel human again! After a week of hell, of feeling like I was in some delirious  world that didn't quite make sense, I'm starting to be me again. It's wonderful! This sickness stuck to me for so long, it didn't want to let go. Every time I'd start to feel better, I'd get dragged back down and feel even worse. But last night I went to bed feeling pretty good. Sure, I still have a stuffy nose, but I have one of those from allergies and pregnancy all the time, so that's not bad. This morning I felt pretty good too, enough to finally get Katie her overdue bath first thing in the morning (and that's quite a thing to tackle right when you wake up!). I'm still feeling okay this afternoon, enough so that I'm finally unleashing all my pent up need to clean on this house. I did laundry, I cleaned up the front rooms, put things away in the kitchen, made lunch and fed Katie four times as she never, ever fills up. Already what I've done in three hours is more than I've done in all five days of sickness.

And to top it off, Bill was actually able to go to work today! I think he probably looked forward to it, as much as I looked forward to making my own meals again. In the three and a half years we've been married, his cooking skills have gone from really good to...well, he can make the most amazing steak with mushrooms and onions you've ever tasted. And his BBQ grilled chicken is amazing. But normal, every day food? Eek. We've been eating over boiled, slightly burned meals for days. While all I made today was Tuna Helper, I was glad to be able to do it myself!

However, last night didn't go too smoothly. While Katie once again peacefully fell asleep in her little bed, she woke up around dawn crying and sounding snotty. I grabbed her out of bed and cuddled her while I kept her against my mountain of pillows to help her drain while sleeping. I was sure that my little girl was sick with how snotty she sounded and with a little cough, but there's no trace of it today. She did the same two nights ago, where she sounded sick and woke up happy. She doesn't sound snotty today, she's not coughing, there's no signs. It's like she only gets a bit sick when it's nighttime!

I didn't mind cuddling her though. I've been having bad dreams this whole week, probably because of the weird way I lay/sit to sleep. Last night I dreamt that I had Will, but something seemed so off and I couldn't understand it. It took me forever to realize that he wasn't acting right and he was so tiny, until I understood that he was a tiny little preemie baby. He looked the size of how he is now, he was even tinted quite pink from the lack of fat on him. It was so vivid that it really made me nervous, so cuddling up with Katie was quite welcomed at that point.

Even though I'm feeling better, I'm still exhausted from not sleeping well. I feel like I have so much pent up energy until I try to run around and do things. Then I'm drained within minutes. Hopefully tomorrow will be better! Week 28 is tomorrow, maybe it'll be the end to this sickness curse.

Ongoing Sick during week 27

This miserable sickness is still ongoing. I felt well enough yesterday to go out to the Disney store (which is a half hour away, a little more since our GPS took us in the wrong direction) and then go grocery shopping. I could talk, I could stand up without being dizzy, it was a great improvement. And then I woke up today and bam...I'm as sick as day one. I don't know if I overdid it yesterday or what, but it feels like I started all over again. It's so frustrating.

Today was a bit worse though, because I could not stay awake. Even now, after hours of sleeping, I'm struggling to keep my eyes open (I'm trying to though, so when I take Katie to sleep I'll be able to sleep through the night. I know my body would love to keep me up all night if it can!) I felt like death, and apparently I looked like it too. While making lunch, I got really light headed so I went to lay down. I accidently fell asleep for hours. Luckily Bill was still home, and while I was totally zonked out, he called off work and finished up lunch. I found out later that he told his bosses that he was definitely staying home today (he tried to take off for me twice last week but the bosses had taken off and wouldn't let him) because he said I looked like death and he was worried about leaving me. When I looked in the mirror after waking up, I realized that I did look really pale. It's what happens every time I get sick (or have surgery, or have a baby, or anything weird going on really!)

I also haven't been able to talk again today, though now that I slept all day, took meds all day, and been in and out of the hot shower, I'm starting to be able to talk and have a bit of a clearer head. I'm hoping it's a good sign for tomorrow, as we can't afford for Bill to stay home again.

It was, however, lovely to have a day off. I literally laid on the sofa, doing nothing but napping or sometimes watching tv, all day long. Bill did all the cooking, he helped get me caught up on the five days of chores that have built up while I've been sick, he took care of Katie, kept the dogs away from me/fed them/took them potty, he fetched me anything I needed, and basically didn't sit down for more than two minutes all day. Even being so sick, it was nice to have a day where I didn't have to get up at all except to go to the bathroom.

The nice part about being like this while pregnant (and there's not many - between the hormones, the peeing every ten minutes, the insomnia, etc) is that while I was in this world of sickness, it felt like it was just me and this baby. Every time baby moved, it was a big deal because there were no other distractions. I got lots of time with just him and I. And boy is he moving a lot today! He's not used to me staying so still all day so he's really energetic (no wonder I have no energy - he takes it all!)

The bad part is, I had to have Bill call the birth center this morning and cancel tomorrow's appointment. No way did I want to go sit there among the other pregnant women and the newborn babies and expose them to these germs. Not to mention, it was supposed to be my blood work and glucose test day - if I can't handle being sick normally, I wasn't going to fair well when they put my body through tests and removed blood - which always gets me super sick as it is. So now my appointment is for Monday, and it's later in the morning - which will suck that day as I need to fast before it, and it's more time I need to not be eating. Pretty sure I'll get quite sick, but at least I won't be this kind of sick!

Katie is now in a big girl bed. Last week she chose her own bedding, which of course was Minnie Mouse. I love having Will's crib bed all set up along with Katie's big girl bed, as both of them are cooresponding, since one is all decked out in Mickey and the other in Minnie. It's adorable!

27w,1d

Today is going to be really rough. It's just barely the afternoon and I am already wanting it to be over.

Last night my allergies turned into the sickness Bill had last week. I thought I had gotten by without getting it (for once!) but instead, it was just waiting until the worst of times. Last night I was left with no meds to help me because what we had weren't pregnancy approved. By 11 PM I felt like I was dying, and Bill told me that he wouldn't be home until 2 AM as his boss took off which meant he had to do everything. Great for overtime, terrible for me.

This morning I woke up feeling just as rough. I have no voice at all today, not even a whisper. I feel terrible for Katie, as she keeps trying to get me to talk because she doesn't understand. Bill tried to take off today to take care of us, but when he called in he found out that his boss had already taken off AGAIN - so Bill has to go in. I might be a bit more understanding of this, but knowing that his boss is taking a four day weekend because he has a very expensive car he's building up and all the car parts came yesterday so he told Bill he was so excited that he wasn't going to come in until Monday. So while he's playing on his days off, Bill has to go in and leave a very pregnant, miserable me at home to take care of a toddler and myself.

I thought I didn't care that he was going in, I told him it was fine, until he actually shut the front door and left. That's when my hormones kicked in and I burst into tears. He bought me a few frozen meals for today to help me get by, but it won't be enough for both me and Katie and just sitting up is killing my head. Standing makes me very dizzy. I'm so glad I made Bill go to the doctor last week so I don't need to be scared on top of it - I know that despite the bad sore throat, it's not strep and it's not anything serious, just a nasty cold.

 I'm hoping it doesn't get any worse, as I'm already half out of it. Today Bill was trying to talk to me while wrapped in a blanket. Since i can't focus on anything, I've been watching a show about wedding dresses since last night. As he was talking to me, my brain kept thinking about how that yellow blanket wedding dress was a terrible fit, the style was all wrong, and I hated the hemline. It actually took me awhile afterwards to realize what I had been thinking and realizing that I'm nuts!

This means, obviously, that I'm unable to get my blood work done today. Now I'll have to get it done on Monday, which means they won't have the results to give me on Tuesday's appointment and I'll have to wait a few weeks to hear anything. I should have known yesterday when I woke up and felt like I couldn't get out of bed that there was something going on, not to mention the day before when I slept until 11:30 and was still exhausted.

The one good thing about the last two days is the baby is suddenly doing some really, really weird stuff, but it's fun to watch. He keeps pushing out something - I can't quite tell if it's a foot or hand, and shoving it out as far as my skin will let him. He seriously makes these little mounds that are over an inch tall (when I'm laying on my side and he has more room to push) coming out from my belly, and then he starts waving around that little mound and making it go all over. It's fun to watch, and a fun reminder that holy cow, this baby is getting so big and strong!

27 Weeks - Hello Third Trimester!

Here we are, third trimester! Baby is now a cuddly teddy bear size at nearly 15 inches. His limbs, however, do not feel like they are teddy bear plushy! He's been poking, kicking, punching, head butting, elbowing and kneeing me at every moment! He's such an active little boy and so strong! I have no idea how my insides are going to make it through the next three months!

At 27 weeks, baby has a really good chance at surviving and without permanent problems. I believe it's next week when the survival chance goes up to 80%. We're really getting somewhere now!

We were planning on getting up early today and getting my bloodwork and rhogam shot done at the hospital, but I was too exhausted to get up in time and I just felt terrible. A rough way to start out a trimester! I still don't feel rested. Hopefully it gets done before Tuesday.

I just did a second round of laundry for baby. I'm now becoming convinced that I have about enough clothes. The problem is I've been buying clothing for the whole first half of the year, so I always feel a bit worried that one of those stages is lacking. I know newborn is, I think I have about four or five newborn outfits plus the few shirts I'm going to buy yet. I'm hoping he doesn't come out smaller than I'm thinking he will. I know Katie was in newborn for a few weeks, but I'd rather stock up on 0-3 than newborn clothes that'll only fit for 2-3 weeks. I'm hoping this isn't a mistake! I did the same with diapers - I bought two small bags of newborns and a huge box of 180 size 1 diapers, but that's much easier to remedy.

I changed the going home outfit I had for Will. I still have the newborn one in case that's all he fits in, but I love this 0-3 outfit. Newborns in pure white are so adorable, and this is the softest, most cuddly outfit. It's definitely the nicest $2 baby outfit I ever got!

I need a nap terribly. The weather changing every week (it was summer, then last week it felt like mid/late fall, now it's hot and about to storm) is driving my allergies nuts and leaves me so sleepy. I took the weekly pic early today, so here it is:

Last Day of Second Tri

This is my LAST day of second trimester!

I don't know if I should throw a party or go hide under my bed. On one hand, we're getting closer to having this little baby. I am having baby fever so bad! I've been looking at Katie's old baby pictures, I see other people on FB with newborn pics, and I see these tiny babies everywhere and I WANT ONE! I can't wait to snuggle with my little boy. I'm so ready to have another baby! It feels like I've been waiting forever, even though this pregnancy has felt so short.

My bladder has certainly heard that it's third trimester time. I go to the bathroom literally every 20 minutes or less. I often will go to the bathroom, walk back down the stairs and before i reach the sofa (which is like five steps away), I need to go again. I'm not saying that happens once in a while - I mean half the time I already have to go again! I drink so much water and there's just no room for it anymore. My bladder is so small that only so much can come out at a time and then the room that leaves is instantly filled and I need to go again. I didn't have to pee this much with Katie, but bladders get weaker with each pregnancy.

I've been doing yoga twice a day for a the last three days. Did I really just say that? It's so unlike me, but it's not a choice anymore. I HAVE to, or it means a day where I can't breathe and I'm hurting really badly. So yoga it is! Of course, that's really difficult to do - not only because my body does not want to be flexible anymore, but because Katie thinks it's the perfect time to cuddle, or have a fit, both which conveniently happen right in my lap when I'm in the middle of a pose. If that wasn't hard enough, my bladder starts to say that it needs to go again and the baby wakes up EVERY time I start doing yoga and kicks me like crazy, which makes it really hard to keep my balance and my breath. But hey, this is the first time in all of my pregnancies that I did any exercising, so I guess it's still good.

Exercise

Apparently my body is not giving me a choice about exercising this pregnancy. It's either do the damn yoga and stretches or get used to horrible muscle pain and a chest that feels like it's collapsing on the lungs. Pretty much, I can no longer breathe if I try to get up and do anything for more than a few minutes. Of course, this scares me in relation to labor - if I can't stand and do dishes for fifteen minutes without serious aching and a lack of air, how in the world am I getting through labor?

It scared me enough to take action today. I couldn't bare to actually go all the way up to the attic to grab my exercise dvd (because, you know, that would be exercising...) so I put on youtube. Turns out, they have an awesome pregnancy series on there for ten minute prenatal yoga. I turned it on, did it and...well, I barely made it through! I am not as limber as I once was, and doing anything with this giant belly is proving difficult. This is why, of course, they tell you to start these things in FIRST trimester, not on the last days of second. With that said though, it did help. It stretched out my back muscles, opened up my chest a bit, and helped with my hips and pelvis. I'm a bit sore afterwards, but honestly I want to do more. I need something for my neck and shoulders as well, as they're hurting badly.

Now that this "oh my gosh, I actually need to get this baby out of me soon" ordeal is becoming so real, I feel the need to start getting my body prepared. Even though I had a great, uncomplicated (for the most part) birth, I'd love if I could improve on it this time. Last time, I did no exercising at all, not a single day of my pregnancy, and I just went with it. I'm hoping this time, I won't need to push for three hours. I'm mentally preparing with the hypnobirth book so that I can control my pain enough to keep up strength and try to get the baby out sooner (last time I just felt like death once transition hit - which was around the time where my tailbone was breaking too, so while I pushed every time I was told, it was very hard for me to make my body work the way I wanted it to. It just felt broken and I felt like i couldn't get a handle on it.). I want to physically get those muscles working well so that I have more strength as well. I can't control how long my labor will be and how my contractions will go, but I can try to prepare for the pushing part, which is the hardest on me.

Of course, day time yoga is a challenge though. Keeping up the breathing while trying not to get frustrated at the little complaining toddler who decides that your lap is the very best place to sprawl and whine about something every few minutes is a bit rough! Me being on the floor and looking like I'm trying to do something is an instant toddler magnet! Since Katie is no longer taking daily naps so I can get her to bed earlier, which also makes her wake earlier, this means there's no real time for me to do it while she's not active and running around.

Slowly, I'm getting the nursery ready. It's had so much stuff in it since moving the attic downstairs and vise versa that now I'm just slowly picking away at it. There's Katie's toys mixed with baby toys, wrong sized clothing, leftover birthday stuff, etc. But I got all the clothing that isn't washed yet together to do another load soon so I can see what exactly I have, and I put up the Mickey Mouse curtains last night. I also took down Katie's name from the top of the closet (I put it in another part of the nursery) and put up the sign from the party announcing baby's gender and name. I also still have the balloons from the party that I put up, and the original sign from back in April to announce another baby on the way, which has been on the closet door for months. I also reorganized the dresser drawers so I can fit more clothing in - all the sheets and comforters are now under the crib where Katie's are. Three days until third trimester and I'm nearly ready!

26w, 1d

Today has been quite productive! Bill stayed home from being sick, which I took advantage of. I finished packing my hospital bag (with the exception of finding what pants I want to take for going home in and finding the birthing gowns that are somewhere around here) and finished packing what I need for the baby as well. I just need the Daddy bag and Katie's bag packed, which are both quick and easy (I'm waiting to do those for when the winter clothing come back out).

I also went to the store and found a great deal on diapers. I never saw a bigger box of diapers, I'm not even sure what they were called because the big Katie box of diapers I get are called Jumbo...and these are twice as many! (edit - I just walked by them and looked - it's called "the HUGE box")
I had two options - I could get the Pampers Swaddler box for $24 and get 88 diapers, or I could get this huge box of Pampers Swaddlers for $30 and get over 180. Obviously, I went for the latter. This is in size one, so that combined with the two bags of newborn diapers should get me through quite a few weeks. This doesn't include all the diapers I had left over that I have sealed in totes. Diaper Stash - completed!

I have now received all of Will's Christmas gifts except one. I have to get him a Scout (Leapfrog) to go with Katie's Violet. The problem is, if Katie sees it she's going to go nuts so I'm waiting on that one until I can go in by myself and grab it. Everything else is all ready to be wrapped up!

I also bought a few more outfits. I know, don't I say that every few days? But I swear, I look in the drawers and the stash just looks lacking. I don't feel confident yet that I have enough. But, I'm also buying for newborn, 0-3, and 3-6, and 6 months, so I'm covering half a year of clothes here. Today I grabbed a few hats for the baby, which seems so foreign to me because Katie never wore hats past the first day. But this baby is a winter baby, he's going to need hats for when he goes places (like the doctor's) and when it's cool in the house. I also got a few more pairs of tiny, fluffy socks. I have about 10 pairs now, which I don't think is enough because they're so small and pretty much immediately get lost after the first week. I had some for Katie, but after a few times through the laundry, they just disppeared. Luckily though, as a summer baby, she never needed them anyway. The only thing left that I need ( I think, I haven't washed everything up yet) is some long sleeve swaddler shirts - which, even though they have winter suits, winter jackets, long sleeve everything and winter sleepers, they STILL don't have any swaddle long sleeve shirts.

Besides what I accomplished so far today...I also had some moments where I was close to tears. One of my favorite maternity shirts, which I wore up until delivering Katie last time...yep, it's too tight now. SERIOUSLY? I'm 26 weeks and I can't fit into a shirt that I wore until 40 weeks last time? And my normal jeans, which are always giant on me outside of pregnancy, are now too tight. I also had to go up a size in underwear. Everything is expanding so fast now! The scary part about it is I know how my body is in third tri - all of a sudden, I gain a lot of weight and I get huge. So the fact that I'm doing that pre-30 weeks is a bit worrying! I can only imagine how huge I'm going to get by the end this time!

I had horrible nightmares all last night. I thought I was safely past the time where miscarriage dreams might plague me, but I was wrong. They're more vivid now, and they're more personal as they were about this baby. Having gone through the process made it feel so realistic and horrible and it seemed like all night long wanted to focus on just that. Obviously, I got very little sleep.

With all that said, I'm feeling better about going into third trimester next week. At least my bag and baby's bag is packed. I have the major things, like the car seat, already bought. Everything I'll need for baby is bought, I just need to do another load of baby laundry now. Christmas is 75% done, and honestly even if I for some reason wasn't able to finish up the Christmas list, Katie would have lots to unwrap and all the really important gifts are here and waiting to be wrapped next month. It's such a different feeling to be prepared in pregnancy!

26 Weeks

26 weeks today! AKA, 98 days left as well as this being the LAST week of second trimester! It's getting real now!

Baby's eyes are now open and able to see and his brain is developing a lot this week. He's now about or just over 2 lbs. He's also starting to get squished in there - something that is becoming apparent to me from how he's moving so roughly!

After having a silly panic the other day about baby not moving enough (even though he had moved like crazy all day and then by night was sleepy) I've been really relishing in baby's movements everytime. I think it was just a wake up call to remember to be so grateful for everything, because this pregnancy - even through the constant aches and pains - has gone by so smoothly and baby is wonderfully healthy.

I can't seem to get full today. Watching Masterchef probably isn't helping, but wow, no matter what I eat I'm still hungry right after. I had a plate of chicken stir fry, a granola bar, a large chicken and peppers fajita, and been drowning myself with water all in the last two hours. Still not enough. I'm now thinking of grabbing a bowl of cereal and hoping the hunger passes because I'm running out of food I can warm up! After cooking a huge amount of stir fry yesterday and chicken fajitas, I'm in no mood to do much cooking today, especially since I'm still finishing up cleaning the kitchen.

There's quite a difference in this week's belly picture. Now that baby flipped, my belly looks so much smaller. Well, maybe not smaller, but more up and down instead of straight out. Which is pretty funny, as to me, my belly looks bigger than ever, but in the pictures it looks smaller than the last three weeks or so.

And to compare some of second trimester:

or the whole thing:

25w, 6d

I have a shopping addiction.

This baby, who was supposed to cost us very little because we have pretty much everything but clothing and I was going to yard sales for 50 cent outfits...is ending up costing me A LOT. It's not his fault though, it's zulily's! Or, you know...mine. You know you have a problem when you actually count the days proudly since you last made an order and spent money. I haven't made it over 7 in weeks! Thankfully, my hat business and online jobs are making sure that none of this shopping is actually touching the bank at all. If I didn't have that money, that would definitely cure me of my addiction, because I don't touch bank money.

As for now though, this baby is going to be the most cutest dressed, adorable little baby ever. I started off thinking that boy clothes were pretty boring. And in the stores, I'm right - unless I want EVERYTHING to be monkeys and trucks, I'm out of luck. But then I found some online stores that have everything I want for this baby - Mickey Mouse, Superheros, and even adorably geeky outfits. They have Doctor Who onesies! Seriously, how am I to avoid temptation when they keep coming out with more?

I got my pack of superhero sleepers today:

I liked them so much that 15 minutes after opening these, I ordered this (it has a matching hat AND socks!)

I need to buy Katie's Minnie Mouse toddler bedding next, so I HAVE to stay off of zulily for at least a few weeks. 

For some reason, I'm starting to panic over everything. Okay, not some reason, but the fact that I'm almost in third tri. But I'm not sure why I'm panicking over the baby too. The baby is moving like normal, but I get scared if I don't feel him at certain times. He hasn't decreased movement, and he's very strong, so I know there's no reason to worry. But at certain times of the day, all of a sudden I feel like he should be kicking me and if he doesn't when I try to get him too, I get concerned. Again, he hasn't decreased movements at all! There's NO reason to worry. But everything is a worry right now. Looking in the baby's drawers and being unsure if I have enough is a big worry. The nursery not being done makes me feel uneasy. The hospital bag still not finished makes me need to run around the house to locate the rest of what I need. 

(I actually stopped at that last sentence above, ran upstairs, and located my travel size toiletries, my right after birth nursing top, bikini top, and witch hazel wipes and added them into the hospital bag.)

Tomorrow is 26 weeks already! Insane! I now have less than 100 days to go!

Just 9 days

I swear, last week I was convinced that I still had a month to go before third tri. And then I woke up and realized that oh my gosh, as of today, I have NINE days left of second tri. Nine - single digits!

No wonder I've been nesting like crazy lately. My body knows what's going on better than I do, and it's panicking faster than my brain can keep up! I'm going to go grab the rest of the stuff I need tonight to finish packing my bag, and then get started on the rest of the family's bags. I'm glad I already got my carseat, and I'm almost done with clothing now. I started on my diaper stash and plan to add to it tonight. Right now baby is putting so much pressure on my body that it's hard to walk, but as soon as that gets a bit better I'm going to attack the nursery. The five sleepers I have coming that should help me finish up what I need will arrive tomorrow.

I also finally just ordered my first Hypnobirthing book. The book had a few hundred more reviews than the cds did and the cds were 4 times as much, so I thought I'd start with the book and see how I liked their ideas before investing, but I need to start it soon as I know the recommendations are to start it in second tri! The book will be here in two days, hoping that I can get a lot out of it, or at least like it enough to get the cds and see how they work. The problem with the cds is last time with Katie, I wanted NO noise in the room. I hated the idea of music or anything, so I'm not sure if the cds will work as much as memorizing the methods.

The pressure "down there" is getting worse and worse. Baby is really hanging low, and he's so active that sometimes it's almost scary! It feels like he's busting out of my skin, and I have no idea how my insides aren't completely bruised because he's that strong. I have no idea how it is that when babies come out, they seem so fragile and tiny, but when they're inside, they seem so strong and invincible! Even with how constantly active Katie was, I don't remember her being this strong this soon. Makes me wonder how big of a baby I'm dealing with this time!

I'm starting to hit that time where I can't wait for baby, but oh my gosh am I getting terrified of labor. The tailbone breaking again, the contractions and no meds, wondering how to get through it again...praying that pushing doesn't take 3 hours again, regretting not having exercised all pregnancy and yet still having a hard time motivating myself beyond daily walks, panicking about having to leave Katie for who knows how long....yep, it's getting to be third trimester, all right! And it's happening SO fast!

25.5 weeks

I started to sing to the baby.

It was around this time in my pregnancy with Katie that I started to sing to her every night. When she was a baby, she was easily soothed by those songs that I had sung every night. In fact, last night there was a lightening storm and she was overly tired but couldn't fall asleep. She didn't want to cuddle, she didn't want to lay down, and she was crying. I asked her if she wanted me to hold her and sing to her, and she said yes and hurried up. I haven't sung to her in a while, but she curled up in my arms and I sang Baby Mine to her. By the third time I sang it, she was fast asleep. 

Today I started singing Puff the Magic Dragon (or rather, trying to. It ALWAYS makes me cry in pregnancy. And now the line that goes "a dragon lives forever, but not so little boys. Painted wings and magic rings make way for other toys" makes me tear up more. I'm not ready to think that little boys grow up and leave, which is how the song ends - Jackie Paper stops visiting Puff because he grows up and loses his imagination. Anyway though, I started singing it, and as soon as I did, Katie immediately stopped what she was doing, ran over and started to cuddle and kiss me. I think she must remember that one too. Normally when I sing other kinds of songs, she doesn't even pay attention. It's adorable - last night when she fell asleep in my arms just from me singing had me having major flash backs to when she was an infant and I'd be up walking her in the nursery, singing the same two songs over and over and over until she calmed down and fell asleep. 

I felt broken yesterday, but in the opposite of usual. I was overly energetic. Hmm, maybe energetic isn't right. Restless? That's probably better. Our town had a Hamburger Festival and we went FOUR times. We were there for about eight hours all together. No, it isn't the most amazing festival ever that you just have to spend all day there, but I kept going. I kept dragging Bill and Katie back out to do more because I didn't want to sit. Alright, the fact that there were Cheese Fries was also a driving factor at times! Even after those four times, I still wanted to go out, this time just for a walk or to go to the park...anything to keep going. I have no idea what was wrong with me. My feet ached and I knew I was going to regret it all later, but sitting felt like my skin was crawling. It was like I couldn't bare to sit.
Today is another story. Today DOES hurt. My legs are locked up, my back hurts, my chest is tight. I woke up in pain and at 11 PM, I'm still in pain. And sleepiness galore! I passed out twice today. I kept getting overwhelmingly sleepy, so I would keep Katie with Bill and I'd go nap for a while. I'm still sore!

I feel broken in other ways too. As in, I have baby fever. Which should be obvious, most pregnant women have baby fever, eagerly getting ready for their babies. I'm getting everything ready, super excited about this little boy...but I'm having baby fever over the next baby too! I keep thinking of what the next one will be, or what I even hope it'll be (two little boys in a row would be adorable, and I have my perfect boy name picked out already that I've wanted to use since I was a teenager. But I'd also love to have another little princess and get my girly on again, and have another girl as close in age to Katie as possible.) I keep thinking of what the girl name would be - as now I'm reconsidering the names. I have six names I really like for a girl (though Bill is iffy on one, another I haven't told him about but he probably won't like it, another he hates, and the other two he agreed on but now I"m not sure!) And then the theme! I'm pretty sure I know which princess I want for a girl, but still debating. For a boy, I'm almost positive what I want the next one to be.

BUT, the bottom line here is what the heck am I thinking about the NEXT baby for? Now I can't even get through a pregnancy without thinking of the next? My hormones must be going nuts. As if I didn't have enough to prepare for with this Christmas miracle! Calm down, ovary - let's do this one at a time!

I think the baby flipped in the last few days. I went from getting my cervix tap danced on every hour to now not being able to breathe. I get higher movements now, and no cervix dancing (YAY!). Not that it really matters yet, even though most babies start to turn between this week and next week, there's still plenty of time for him to be a little trouble maker and flip back to cause problems. But, I'm trying to be optimistic!