Week 28 - Holy Cow, Hello Third Trimester

"Time" you are a funny, funny thing.  How fast "you" move, yet how slow "you" go.

That's how I'm feeling this week as I officially round the bases into the last third of my pregnancy.  I'm trying to relish this experience but am wishing the next couple of months away at the same time.

This past Saturday welcomed a new baby Robison into our lives.  Little Sophia Grace was born to Braden's brother Cortny (really born to his amazing wife Amber).  Seeing little Sophia makes me want to meet Eva (that's the name we think we're going with) now.  Patience is not my greatest strength.

And as we get closer, I think I get anxious about how the next few months will progress.  I just want her to arrive safe and sound.  In another month I start 2/week non-stress tests due to the umbilical cord defect.  It just seems like a lot of testing.  But I'm staying positive and trying to focus on the things I do have control of.

Another reason to speed along is the wear and tear of pregnancy.  It takes its' toll on me and the family.  My abilities are becoming more and more limited.  As the tummy rounds out (I no longer have visibility to certain parts of my body) bending and lifting become constrained because the abs are gone.  It also feels like the relaxin is kicking in big time so my joints are sore after a nights rest or being in one position for too long.

Poor Braden has to take up more and jobs around the house and in life...I know he's excited to have the "real" me back.  I'm more needy than ever and it's just frustrating to both of us.  And I feel like I'm just not as focused on Ellie these days.  I feel like I'm constantly distracted.  So that bums me out.

On the flip side of all this though, is the watching Eva grow into a little person.  She's big enough now that my whole belly shifts and contorts with her movements.  She reacts to her outside environment of sounds and touches.  So at least once a day, I'm mesmerized by my belly.  I stop and watch the little life inside doing her thing and am in awe.

And I know that for all the discomforts, she's much easier to take care of now.  And that I don't have to worry about her out in the world because she's always with me.

So yeah, time (and being human)...it's a funny thing. 

 Ellie decided that Eva needed an Elmo tattoo this week!

Ellie's First Sleepover

Sometimes I find it intimidating to blog about Ellie.  Her little life changes on an hourly basis some days.  So where do I begin.  I'm not great with words or communicating.  And because I get intimidated, I procrastinate and then weeks or sometimes a month goes by before I get a blog pulled together.

This happens to the case for this post.  Ellie's first sleepover was a few weeks back with her cousin Elizabeth.  The girls were so cute and wonderful together.  Their personalities and age difference seem to be just perfect at this point in life.  They are both strong minded and determined.  They both tend to very strong in their approach with others (aka bossy).  But when together, they don't seem to mind the other taking a demanding approach.  They seem to "get" each other in that way.

Elizabeth being three years older and having a sibling Ellie's age is very caring and looks out for Ellie.  Ellie being a tall three year old, can keep with Elizabeth pretty well and seems to idolize the girl time.

I was nervous about the actual sleeping part of a sleep over.  We debated whether or not to put them in the same room.  Elizabeth seemed open and very understanding as we discussed different options.  But Ellie was insistent that she wanted them to sleep in the same room.  So we agreed under the condition they actually sleep.

It started off as a perfect night's sleep with two little girls sleeping next to each other in sleeping bags.  And although there were a couple wakeups due to Ellie's middle of the night milk habits, they did very well considering.

In the morning, we headed off to Chelsea Teddy Bear Company to make some teddy bears.  Elizabeth was much more excited and into the cuddly result.  Ellie still doesn't seem to value sleeping with dolls or animals...she prefer her pacifier and a glass of milk to cuddle. 

After we headed to the Chelsea Tree House for a couple hours of play and lunch.  The girls did great in amongst the chaos of the indoor play structure.  Elizabeth kindly looked after Ellie who still struggled to get up some of the structures.  And they both did a great job listening to me.

As we drove away from the day's excitement back to the other side of Detroit, wrapping up our event, they fell fast asleep, happy to be near each other.   When we left Elizabeth they both refused to say goodbye and from what I've been told and experienced with Ellie, there were heartfelt tears that they weren't ready to be separated.

Braden and I have always hoped Ellie would get to experience special relationships with her cousins.  I rank my cousin relationships as some of my most important ones.  I'm happily thinking that this wish is coming true.

Week 26 - 3D Baby Bean

We get lots of extra attention with Baby Bean's umbilical cord defect.  I went in for another round of appts today.  OB first.  Heartrate was good and my belly was measuring large at 33cm.

The ultrasound was next.  By measurements she's about a week ahead.  They are estimating her weight at 2lbs 4 ozs.  With overall size at 70% percentile.  (Her head is leading the measurements at 87% percentile...poor me)!

So the geneticists was very pleased and feels that we're not going to have to worry about restricted growth due to the umbilical cord condition :-)

Although I found out that I need to start twice a week non-stress tests at 32 weeks.  That's a lot of appts!

The best part of the day was getting a sneak peek at Baby Bean.  She was unusually calm during the ultrasound so the tech was able to turn the 3D on and get some great pictures.  It makes such a difference for me.  I felt very blessed getting to see who was behind that wall of skin.  

I'm in love...for the third time :-)

Week 25 - 15 more weeks

Ahhh yes.  It's all coming back to me.  I've already reached the point in pregnancy #2 where I feel like I'm going to pop.  The belly is already peeking out from under my shirts.  By end of a day, what is left of the adominal muscles feel stretched and sore and the lower back feels achy.
 
Recently, I find that I'm having a hard time concentrating.  My brain seems to jump from thing to thing, never fully completing or processing a task.

Baby Bean is big enough that her subtle movements now are visible from the outside.  I seem to have more belly quivers with her.  Ellie was definitely a hiccups kid but this one seems to get muscle fatigue from all her movement.

Other funny Baby Bean observations.  She seems to have strong reactions (lots of moving) when I'm typing on a keyboard and driving long distances in a car.   Ellie didn't like keyboards either but the car one surprises me.

For all the not so wonderful prego parts...there is something I really like about week 25.  The really wonderful part about week 25 is that babies tend to be developed enough that they could possibly make it out of utero.  So for me, it's a magical week.  Somethings shifts in my mind when we hit this week.  Maybe it's even more reason why it becomes a countdown instead of counting up.

Ode to Mom

Ellie's drawings continue to grow in their detail.  Her favorite drawing instrument is the magnadoodle. Here are a couple of my recent favorites.  One is a rainbow and the other a potrait of me :-)


Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Week 24 - It's all coming back to me

Baby Bean is 24 weeks today!  We only have 16 more weeks and all the joys of second half pregnancy are coming back to me.  As space for two bodies shrinks, heartburn starts.  My veins start to stand out against my really fair skin (from the increased blood volume).  Abdominal strength diminishes so I feel like a wibble wobble getting up from a seated position.  I have to roll to one side and then use my hands and arms to push my body forward.

Happily, I feel Baby Bean almost all the time now.  She must be big enough that even her slightest movements are noticeable.  I think she's going to be an active kid based on what I'm feeling.  When I lay down it seems like she's "playing" with the sensation of the bed pressing against my tummy.  And when she's lower in the uterus, my bladder gets a tickle from some part of her body.  It's a very strange sensation...like getting a signal that you have to go potty.

We had our fetal echo cardiogram (an ultrasound solely focused on the heart anatomy) on July 3rd.  Baby Bean got the heart clearance we were hoping for.  They saw a perfectly healthy, correctly formed heart! 

So now we just monitor her growth and ensure the umbilical cord defect doesn't effect her size or in utero environment.

Oh yeah...and finish the nursery space, eat right, get into my birthing exercise routine and keep all the other balls in the air.  I have a feeling it's going to be a busy 16 weeks ;)

Is McDonald's where farmers go?

Grandma took all 4 grandkids over night givening parents a much appreciated break.  Today after lunch they walked to the local Mc Donald's for a special treat.  Ellie's never really been so when I asked her later where Grandma took them, she replied to "the farmer's place".  I was totally puzzled.  After my Mom thought about it for a second she realized Ellie thought they had gone to Old Mc Donald's Farm!  Not a totally crazy assumption on her part.  Silly and smart kid :-)

Here's a pic of the little ones at "Grandma's Camp"

 

 

21 Weeks - 15ozs and growing

Today was a baby bean day.  Appt with the ob in the morning and ultrasound in the afternoon.  She's doing great per both visits.  My belly is a whopping 21cm which aligns with her 21 weeks.  And heartbeat was within normal range at 140 something.  The ultrasound guesstimated her weight at 15ozs (per measurements of arm/leg bones, abdomen and head circumferences).  And all organs looked healthy and normal.

Ellie's really starting to get this sister thing too.  Baby Bean (via my belly) has been getting lots of daily hugs and kisses.  Ellie tells me all the time that her sister will sit next to her (I'm presuming she's talking about in the car since she likes sharing car rides with cousins).  And the cutest of them all was her question last night as I was leaving for hypnobirth class.  She asked if I was taking "her sister" to the class with me.  I giggled and nodded yes...the baby was going to have to go to class with me.

Side Note: I'm sorry to the universe for all the times I rolled my eyes at little people prior to having Ellie.  Cause' it really is amazing how far their minds come in such a short amount of time.  I guess that's part of the you just can't understand until you have your own stuff.

Happy Ellie and Walking on Water

About a month ago, Braden and I were able to escape to Arizona for a long weekend.  We had the best time and even better, when we arrived back home, we were greeted by a very happy, appreciative Ellie.  It was the first time I felt she got that we, as parents, shouldn't be taken for granted. 

The well mannered and appreciative child has (pretty much) stuck around since then.  She has been a happy little person.  I've been a happier Mom.  It's all flowed.  I keep wondering if this good time, all loving phase can be bottled for the next not so fun phase that might come up?

Another cute story Ellie story, as passed on to me by Ellie's Gigi.  This past Sunday (Father's Day), Ellie and Gigi were hanging out at the lakefront (her grandparents live on a lake) looking out at the water.  I don't know how they got on the topic but Ellie looks out at the nearby dock and boat and declares "You need the dock to get to the boat because we can't walk on water."  I think it was her matter of factness that caught her grandma's funny bone.  Ellie's starting to put the pieces of the world together and it's so fun to watch.  Gigi hasn't been able to look at the water this week without thinking, "Cause' you just can't walk on water, Gigi" :)

20 weeks - Half Way!

So here we are...half way thru the pregnancy.  The baby has been very active this week or she's just gotten big enough that her movements are very noticeable.  Yes, I don't think I've mentioned it yet but it's a girl!  We are very, very excited that Ellie is getting a sister.

And the belly is already feeling big and stretched out by evenings end.  And there's so much more to go.

We also started a hypnobirth course this week.  It's a very interesting premise.  And in a funny twist, Kate Middleton was rumored to be considering hypnobirthing for her July delivery.  So I know people are going to be asking a lot of questions about it and wondering if we're doing it because she is.  But I have to say that it's a good course for a second pregnancy.

Otherwise, we're collecting items for the new nursery, investigating birth photography and working to collect more information on double vessel umbilical cords.

First Day of Preschool

Ellie started preschool yesterday.  I love this new school!  On Monday, I received a note that described the weekly planned activities as the following:

Monday: In the morning, we will have choice time with Yoga enrichment.

Tuesday: In the morning, we will be testing different materials down the hill (ramp) on our playground.  The children will explore cause and effect when testing balls, trucks, and even tires down the hill and applying what they already know about ramps.

Wednesday: In the morning, our playdough group will be able to use the small muscle in their hands to manipulate the playdough and make representations.  Our volume group will compare and measure using cups, sand, rocks and bristle blocks.

Thursday: In the morning, we will be using different materials to create boats.  Then we will test our boats in tubs of water.  The children will be using what they know about boats, and how they float to make their own boats.

Friday:  In the morning, we will be making art using flowers that we pressed a few weeks ago.  The children helped press the flowers, they are now ready for us to use.

 

 And here's Ellie's first day note from her teacher.  I figured she explained the day better than I could :)

Ellie had an amazing first day!  I heard her drop off was text book.  She was happy and smiling ALL day!  This morning Ellie painted in the sunroom.  I asked her a little bit later if she painted, she said yes.  I told her I could tell because she had orange paint on her face! ;-)  She had snack. She came outside and immediately jump on a bike and started riding around!  She played in the sandbox and seemed to enjoy watching the other children.  During group time we rolled things down the 'ramps' we found outside.  Ellie rolled many small plastic balls down the hill and the slide.  At lunch she sat next to Zavi, another new friend in our group.  She did not nap, which I am not sure if this is normal or just a first day thing. (Can you let me know?)  This afternoon she played outside again.  During afternoon group she was very interested in the dinosaur 'poop'.  She also really enjoyed watering the plants, especially with the watering cans.  She is a very happy girl and really seemed to enjoy CDC!  Overall, great day!  I have attached some pictures of Ellie on her first day.

Week 18 - Wiggles

Baby is doing great.  Very wiggly.  Last week we had the "big" ultrasound.  The tech really struggled to get all the pictures she needed/wanted.  Baby flipped and rolled and arms were moving up and down.  All measurements are spot on!  14cm, 7ozs for 17weeks along.  We got to see hands, feet, heart, brain, eyes, arms, legs, spine.  The placenta is just under the belly button.  But that didn't seem to stop baby...I really started to feel them last week.  There's a lot going on in that cocoon!

Baby is special in one way...the umbilical cord is a double vessel cord instead of the a standard triple vessel cord.  So that means baby gets extra attention for the rest of the pregnancy...monthly ultrasounds to track growth and a super duper echo at U of M in the 22nd week. Here's more detail for all you medically minded :)  http://pregnant.thebump.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-problems/articles/two-vessel-cord.aspx?MsdVisit=1

But really, it's not anything the dr was concerned about at this point since all measurements were correct and baby is still measuring a couple days ahead.  Just being conservative.

I just think Baby Bean wants equal attention ;)

Week 16 - Oh Baby

Ellie and I took a sibling class last Tuesday.  I was surprised by the depth of fetal development they went into.  I guess I took for granted that Ellie was just too young to explain this stuff to.  But she was genuinely interested and curious.  She sat right in front of the teacher and wanted to touch and "See" everything that was presented.  And then we toured a hospital room...she didn't really seem to care.  But maybe the experience will come back to her when she comes to visit us at the hospital. 

Every day since she asks if the baby is still in my tummy.  I answer yes.  She asks why.  I say because the baby is still growing.  It's going to be a long wait until November.

And I can stop obsessing over the hair thing...I guess it just takes awhile.  So happy to finally report that the lush hair is coming ;)  Funny how this was a "big" thing for me but I guess I was just looking for all the same, positive pregnancy things from the first time.

Lastly, Friday we received good news from the bloodwork we did over the last couple of months.  The tests were screen negative for a couple of the key chromosomal defects.  And the odds have dramatically dropped.  Feeling very blessed as this week rolls over to week 17.

Baby #2 - week 12 update

Went in for genetic counseling and neural tube ultrasound today.  it was absolutely fascinating.  it's my second time around but the I don't always count the first time because I was in such a state of shock that I didn't always think clearly.

Baby Bean was giving the tech a run for her money.  She needed very specific profile pictures.  Ever time she thought she had the baby in the right place, the baby would do a complete flip.  It was fun to see the baby interacting with the outside world.  I took it as a sign of things going well on the development side of things.

Also good news, the nuchal tube measured in the normal range.  A good indicator of health for Baby Bean at this point.

Baby #2 Week 12 - Monday 4/22

More baby updates.  We've had the opportunity to hear baby bean's heartbeat twice in the last month.  The first was in Utah with Braden's family.  We used Cort and Amber's doppler heart monitor.  And then again at the second OB appt last week (the midwife said it was a nice, steady 170 bpm).  It never gets old.  It's special each and every time.  It's such wonderful reassurance that everything is "ok in there".

My skin is nice and pretty.  We're past the acne!  Fatigue is still getting me.  Today I took about 4 hours of naps.  Sigh.  Who has time for that kind of sleeping?

Hair is still the same.  No thick mane yet :)

Baby #2 Week 8 - Tuesday March 26

I came down with a cold last week and was miserable.  But feeling much better this week.  Actually, the nausea is significantly diminished and my energy seems to be better.  I'm still wondering when the hair goes lush...cause it's still the same ol' hair (Post note:  I'm starting to see how obsessed I am with the hair going lush  :)).  Although another positive has been a less acne and increasingly better skin.

I had the ob intake last week.  Bloodwork yesterday.  And first midwife appt this Friday, Good Friday.  I'm hoping that we can hear the heartbeat or get some indication of how things are going from the bloodwork.

Baby #2 Week 6 - Friday March 7

Well it's hit...the nausea and fatigue.  I spent most of the day in bed sleeping and fighting off yucky tummy feelings.  Thank goodness it was a day Braden was home and he was able to help out with Ellie.

Hair is still "normal"...no signs of the lush, thick hair yet.  Skin is still acne prone.

Other than that, all's well.  I did take another pregnancy test this week.  It's just so strange that you go so long before seeing a doctor and getting any kind of confirmation that there's someone hanging out.  I have no idea how people did before all the technologies of the day...ultrasounds, on the fly pregnancy tests, etc.

Baby #2 Week 4 - March 4th

Monday - My hair is still falling out.  My skin is oilier than normal and makes makeup look silly by the end of the day so less is more these days.  I think I had a bout of nausea yesterday (or else I'm fighting off the norovirus that went through our house last week). 

Baby #2 - Starting at the beginning Feb 23

After Ellie turned 2 and was a fully walking, talking and an amazing being, we finally felt ready to consider a second person.  And here we are 6 months later with a positive pregnancy test.  It's early...like really early thanks to Clear Blue's "6 days before your missed period" testing capabilities.  We found out on Tues Feb 19 and it's been a very different and strange experience from Ellie.  I think with Ellie we were surprised, apprehensive, and clueless (many of the feelings first time parents have).  With this baby, it's a very calm excitement.

I want to be able to document all my feelings for both Baby #2 and Ellie's sake.  I just wasn't in a place to do it the first time.  I just didn't settle into things until we found Ellie was Ellie at 20 weeks and even then, I was still completely focused on surviving labor. :)

According to the Chinese Gender Predictor, it's a Girl Month.  While the "Ring Test" predicted a boy.  So we shall see.

week 14 - the belly has popped

No more hiding it...the baby's officially making it's presence known!  I have a baby belly.  It seemed to appear relatively quickly.  I knew it was coming because the muscles located just below the sternum started to firm up.  (I've seen all sorts of videos and pictures of babies growing from their fetal selves.  But it makes me curious to know how the uterus grows and the surrounding body accommodates...I'm sure the internet contains this info somewhere.)

Now that we are in week 14, I think it's safe to start sharing/spreading the news that Baby #2 will be joining us later this year (the official date is Nov 3 but I think it'll be October).  We are super excited to see the family grow to 4.  We love having siblings to share life with and are excited to give that to Ellie and our new little person.

I've been writing notes the last 3 months so you'll be seeing those get posted next.

We just had our third ob visit today and it was so nice and assuring to hear a solid heartbeat in the right developmental location.  We also took Ellie with us which was a first.  Thank goodness it was Dr Davidson taking care of us.  He was so kind to include her throughout the appt and even wrote a prescription for a sucker.  I think she's finally starting to process that there's someone else, a baby, coming.

Skin is still very clear (very little acne) but no changes in hair to report.  I keep waiting for the thick, lushness hair to come.  Not yet I guess.  But on the excited side, I seem to be past the first trimester blahs.  I feel pretty normal and am even finding my groove with the new sleeping positions.  (Once the belly pops, it makes tummy and back sleeping pretty impossible for me.)