Three Months!

Wow, it has been a while!  The end of July and the whole month of August are essentially a blur!  End of summer, Lindsey's visit, and school starting up again has made for little time to breath, let alone blog!  

Everyone is doing well.  Ava is growing like a weed. She was 12lbs, 12oz at her two-month check up, so I am assuming she is in the 13 lb. range these days. She is sleeping pretty well at night. She is sleeping in her crib (yay!), and loves sucking her thumb!  I'm so happy she found it!  Some nights, she sleeps straight through until 6:15 or so, other "mornings", she wakes up around 3, eats, then sleeps til 7. So, I can't complain too much! She is eating a whole lot. She is going to Miss Lisa's with Lucas. Ava eats 3 4oz bottles during the day! So crazy! I'm still trying to nurse, but keeping up with her has become tough with my return to work. So, I had to start supplementing with formula. It makes me sad a little because I was able to nurse exclusively for 4 months with Lucas and it just isn't a possibility this time around. 

She is doing a lot more.  She smiles and giggles and blows bubbles. She can roll onto her side. She is growing so fast, I can't stand it!

The hat lasted about 25 seconds...

Lucas is, well... Lucas! He is loving that he is back at daycare. He missed his friends and doing his projects! He is learning letters, numbers, shapes and nursery rhymes! I love it. He talks a mile a minute and loves reenacting scenes from Cars with his toys. I keep trying to record him doing it, but he always catches me and stops! I am determined to get him one of these days because it just cracks me up!

He loves playing with Photo Booth on my iPad!

I'm doing alright. School is crazy. By the time we get home, get everyone fed, get everyone to bed, pump, and make lunches for the next day, it is almost 9:00 and by that point, I am more than ready for bed! We're getting into a schedule, which is always good in my book! 

I feel incredibly guilty most of the time, both at school and at home.  I fell guilty because, while I was able to spend 4 months at home with Lucas, I was only able to spend (less than) 3 months with Ava.  I feel like this year, more than ever, I can't find balance between work and home.  I'm "on" from the moment I wake up until the moment my head hits the pillow at night.  I'm "Mommy", "Teacher", then "Mommy" again and don't stop from 6:00AM until everything is set for the next day.  By the time I get home, I have little patience left, so poor Lucas can't get away with anything (not that he gets away with anything on non-school nights, he just gets away with even LESS on school nights).  I put way too much pressure on myself.  I want to be a good teacher, because my students deserve that.  I want to be a good Mommy, because my children deserve that.  Some days, I feel like I am pretty good at both... others I feel like I am pretty lousy at everything.  It will get better.  We're coming up on Week 4 of school already... it has to get better. 

Two Months!

Ava has been in our lives for two months now. It is incredible how much she had changed and grown. We go for her two-month check up next week. It will be interesting to see how big she has gotten!

Happy Baby! 7/26/13

She smiles a lot and loves to sit on my belly propped up on my knees. She makes these happy cooing noises, too. I've gotten to know her patterns pretty well.  During the day, she wakes up, eats, "plays" for anywhere from 30-45 minutes, then gets super grumpy and wants to nap.  She is a cat-napper.  I can usually get one good two-hour nap out of her during the day.  Other than that, I get little 40-45 minute snoozes out of her. 

Sleeping hasn't changed much. She sleeps at night anywhere from 5-8 hours. She has been going around 6 hours for a while, but occasionally is up earlier. She is sleeping in her room now (yay for having two cameras now!), but still in the car seat. She is just not a fan of laying flat on her back. Next week, I suppose I'll torture myself and try to get her to sleep in the crib. Even though she is swaddled, I think she likes being cradled in the car seat. 

She is still eating well, and will take a bottle from me. Apparently she isn't too picky about where her food comes from! My mom gave her a bottle and she drank all but half an ounce, so we are on the right track!

As for Lucas, potty training has taken a turn for the better! His doctor was right... I have to let it be HIS idea.  He is only wearing Pull Ups at nap time and bed time.  He fights me when I try to make him go, but (knock on wood) hasn't had any accidents at home since we started underwear. I probably just jinxed myself there...

He has been taking swimming lessons. He is doing well now that it is just him and the instructor.  He did not do well when there were 4 other kids to goof around with.  He talks so well, that sometimes I forget that he is still very new at being 3, and I can't expect him to sit for too long watching others swim!

Go, Lucas, go!!

He cracks me up.  Sometimes, he sounds like a robot booting up!  He will "zone out" and when I get his attention, he looks at me and says, "Hi! I'm Lucas!"  kind of like when Frosty the Snowman comes to life in the cartoon and says "Happy Birthday" every time!  The other night at swimming, he embarrassed Scott so badly.  They were running a couple of minutes late, so Scott picked him up and was walking at his usual speed (and I thought I walked fast...).  Lucas starts yelling at him, "Daddy, don't run with me! You are going to drop me!"  Then, Scott told him to go to his teacher, who was waiting for him.  Lucas says, "Daddy, I can't go swimming without my sunscreen!"  I think I'll buy Scott a little bus for our anniversary since Lucas keeps throwing him under it!

I'm doing well.  Summer is winding down way too quickly for my liking.  Lindsey comes next weekend.  I'm really looking forward to that, but I can't believe August will be here so soon!  I've been getting stuff ready for school.  I'm so excited to be teaching Kindergarten again.  My team is great and I am really looking forward to being in a room in the same pod as them! 

That's all for now...

Time is flying :(

Time is going way too fast! Summer always goes quickly, but this summer it seems like it is flying by. 

Both kids went for their check-ups on last week. Ava is 11lbs, 14 oz and 21 1/2 inches long! Her head also grew an inch in diameter!  She got one shot, and cried more when I put her down than during the shot! She is doing more now.  She smiles and is making little noises.  She is also letting me sit her up on my lap without thinking it is eating time.  I've tried the bottle with her - success!  She took to bottle feeding MUCH easier than Lucas did.  Miss Lisa will be so happy ;-)

Lucas is 36 1/4 inches tall and 30 lbs. He is also smart and stubborn according to his doctor, which is why we are having such a hard time with potty training - he is exercising control over something he actually has control over. Great... *sigh* He was so funny at the office. They tried to test his vision, and while he knew all of the shapes, he didn't quite get the concept of covering only one eye. Apparently, they try vision testing three-year olds, but it doesn't really count.  Lucas told his doctor that he wanted to be a doctor.  Sounds good to me! 

He just cracks me up.  He loves Cars (from the movie) and watches this "Mater's Tall Tales" movie with my mom all the time.  When the movie is over, he goes back to his cars and retells a lot of the stories from the movie.  It is hilarious!  

FYI - Potty training sucks.  Pull Ups are useless.  "Learning Designs" are stupid.  If you aren't familiar with these, a "learning design" is a green imprint on the front of the Pull Up that fades away when the child wets their pants.  Well, the location of the design makes it difficult at best to "learn" when you are wet.  I thought Pull Ups were supposed to feel cool or wet so the kid would know they were going!  Nope.  Not anymore.  Something weird probably happened to little kids with the old Pull Ups.  I seriously wish I could find someone and pay them to potty train Lucas.  Two kids in diapers - because, let's be honest, at this point a Pull Up is a glorified diaper - is no fun.  Underwear isn't really working either.  The Pull Ups are to save my carpet!  Lucas just will not stop playing to use the potty.  I'm bribing with candy, TV, cars... he could care less.  I'm using timers to tell him to go try to go on the potty... nope.  I'm trying not to stress about it because clearly, he isn't ready in one way or another, but it it definitely getting frustrating!

As for me, I'm cleared to resume normal activities. My back is killing me, but as my doctor put it, I am small and carried an almost 9 pound baby. He said he'd be shocked if my back DIDN'T hurt a little still! I think I'll set up my Wii that I haven't touched in close to 2 years... and start off slow with my Zumba game!  

The 2 year anniversary of my 30th birthday was yesterday.  I don't feel any older (whew!). The day before, we had yummy cupcakes and family came over to celebrate.

We're actually getting sleep in the house. Ava sleeps between 6 and 8 hours at night, then another 3 hours after feeding. Unfortunately, this sleep is still happening in her car seat (or swing, depending on the night) because (a) we are waiting for the new monitor to arrive, and (b) she is still really stuffy when I lay her flat, so she won't sleep for very long in the bassinet :( Car seat sleep is for Mommy's sanity! 

No pictures this week... I don't have the patience to upload any.  Yes, I'm getting sleep, but my days are pretty exhausting.  Lucas is still learning his "inside voice", especially when Ava is napping. 

One Month Later...

I can't believe Ava has been around a whole month lately!  She is getting bigger and more alert each day.  She is starting to smile (well, I think she is...) and she has big, beautiful, blue eyes.  I'm hoping they stay that way.  Her hair is still dark, and it doesn't look like she has lost any of it!  She likes being held... a lot.  There are times I can get her to be content in the swing or bouncy seat or even the car seat, but when she gets mad, holy cow, she is intense!  She is still sleeping swaddled in the car seat because she get so stuffy at night.  We start off our night with 5-6 hours of sleep, then I get two 3-3 1/2 hour spurts from her between feedings.  Of course, last night was NOT the case, as she did not fall asleep until almost 10:15 and only stayed asleep 4 1/2 hours... oh well.  Just when I think I have her on a schedule... *sigh*

6/22/13 - One Month Old!

Lucas turns 3 tomorrow.  I can't believe it.  Seriously... where have the last 3 years gone?  He is so funny, and such a chatterbox!  He definitely has his own ideas and opinions about EVERYTHING these days and is SO smart, I'm going to be in a lot of trouble in a few years!  Yesterday, it was POURING outside and he knew Scott was working.  He looked at me and said, "Mommy, Daddy is getting wet outside!"  When Scott came home, Lucas even asked him if he got wet.  I'm sure other kids are like this, but I'm going to be THAT parent for a minute and brag about the random things my kid says :)

We decided not to have a full blown party for him this year.  With the new baby and Scott working so much this summer, it just was not in the cards (or in my energy span) to have a million people over, cook, entertain, and clean up after.  So, we are just going to do a small, immediate family party for him over the weekend.  I figure, it won't scar him for life if we don't have a party for him this year.

My Big Boy!

As for me, I've reached the stage of Cabin Fever.  I'm getting a little stir crazy with not being able to drive.  Not that I really want to go anywhere right now, but it would be nice to have that as an option!

Okay, let me rephrase - I'd like to go somewhere, anywhere ALONE.  The thought of going anywhere with 2 children without a double stroller sends me into a panic attack.  I'm starting to feel guilty because when I look at what my friends are doing, I'm in the mentality of, "Everyone is having way more fun than I am".  I know I won't be anti-social forever, but I'd love to just go outside for a little bit other than to get the mail.  That is the other issue - it is so hot and muggy down here that being out for more than five minutes is just not fun.  

I got back to the doctor next week for my 6-week follow up.  I just want to feel normal again.  I feel very run down (so even if I DID go out, I wouldn't last very long), and still have moments of being really sore in my back and belly.  That's when I know I've overdone it with being productive. 

Both kids go for check-ups next week.  I can't wait to see how big they've gotten! 

3 Weeks!

Another week has flown by.  I don't like how quickly time is passing. 

Mommy News:
Can't remember if I posted this news, but my wedding/engagement ring fits again!  I couldn't wear it for the last few weeks of my pregnancy.  Not sure if it was the weather or some minor swelling (just in my knuckle!), but whatever it was, it is better now!  I love my rings, so having to wear them on a necklace for a little over a month killed me!

I'm down another 3 pounds since having Ava.  Still have about 8 to go, but I'm thinking that won't go away until I finish nursing... ha ha!

Still can't drive.  Still can't twist certain ways.  Bending is still tough.  I go back for my next check up on July 2.  Hopefully everything will be finished healing so I can go back to normal.  In case you were wondering, it IS possible to continue wanting to "nest" after the baby is born.  I have a To Do list that everyone has been helping me with as they come to entertain Lucas.  I'm a crazy lady and have been thinking about school and classroom stuff for next year already.  I did not do a very good job packing (if you saw the shopping carts stuffed with, well, stuff, you would understand!), and am already dreading August when I have to reorganize it all!

Ava News:

2 Weeks, 6 Days... because Mommy forgot what day it was!

"Really, Mom?"

Weight: 10 lbs!  Her doctor was shocked when I said that I wasn't supplementing with anything!

Length: 20 1/2 inches
Eyes: Dark Blue still.  I hope they stay that way!
Hair: Still has all of it.  Still dark!
Sleep: We're working on getting her to sleep more than 2 1/2 hours.  Although, if I'm timing feedings from the start of one to the start of the next, she is eating every 3 hours.
Eat: Clearly, she is getting enough!
Health: She is still pretty stuffy at night, but since I started using the saline, it seems to have gotten better.  Unfortunately, it seems to make her belly not feel so good and she is spitting up a little more, but at least all of the grossness is getting out of her nose one way or another.

Lucas News:

He looks so grown up with his new haircut!

Umm... behavior is not going well.  Okay, it isn't THAT bad, yesterday afternoon was just really rough.  He is definitely testing my patience.  I give him as much attention as I can when Ava is sleeping or just flopping.  He pouts.  A lot.  He is just ignoring us when we talk to him.  I'd almost rather him continuously saying "No" than completely ignoring us!  Potty training is also a big challenge.  He likes the Pull Ups.  He wants to wear them.  He is NOT getting the concept that he shouldn't be going potty in them!  I'm thinking my plan of action with the M&Ms is going to need to be a 1, 2, 3 model: 1 for just sitting on the potty, 2 for peeing, 3 for pooping. 
I can't believe he is going to be 3 in a couple of weeks!  It is so mind-boggling to me that I have been a mom for 3 years!  Even though we are in a rough period right now, he is still my Little Bug and I love him with all of my heart.  He adores his sister and tells us all that he loves us.  He keeps telling me that I'm his best friend! 

Family News:
Father's Day is on Sunday.  My sister comes down to visit on Saturday.  Exciting stuff!  Scott has been amazing since Ava was born.  He does bed time like a champ and is becoming the master of poopy diapers... he really can't wait for Lucas to be potty trained... Ha ha!  He knows when I've reached my patience limit and does everything he can to help.  I'm so lucky. 

2 Weeks Old!

Wow... it is so hard to believe that two weeks have passed since Ava was born!

Just look at the difference in the Mommy Body:

5/22/13

6/5/13... What a difference 2 weeks makes!

Ava is doing really well.  She eats, then sleeps for 2-3 hours.  She is starting to stay awake more during the day.  I get two or three moments during the day when she is awake for at least 30 minutes and looking at me!

So happy when she is fed and dry!

Two weeks old... so squishable!

We went to school today for a little bit.  She was a bit out of sorts and kept waking up thinking she wanted to eat.  Different lights, different noise, and LOTS of people coming over to look at her got a little overwhelming for her, but she did pretty well!  My thumb pacified her for a while, but then she wanted to "real deal".  What is it with my kids not wanting an actual pacifier???

Here's the two-week stats:

Weight: 9.2 lbs... we go back to the doctor on Monday

Length: 20 1/2 inches
Eyes: dark blue... I think.  They aren't really open long enough to tell!
Hair: Lots of dark hair!
Sleep: Depends on the night.  Some nights, I get a nice 4 hour stretch and then a few 2 1/2 hour spurts... other nights we're up every two hours!
Eat: That's the only downfall with nursing - I don't know exactly how much she is eating!  She eats until she is full, then she stops.  Most of the time, nursing takes 30-45 minutes each time she eats. 

Lucas is doing well with her.  He's had some behavior things the last few days, but we'll get through it!  Lots of crying, "I don't want to...", "No!"  I know it is a phase, but my tired patience isn't doing well with it.  Next week, he will be home with me and Ava all day long.  Scott is working this summer, but thankfully will be home by 2:30 or so each day.  I have alerted my army of help to the fact that I will need LOTS of help this summer, as I am already over having 2 kids in diapers!  I told Lucas this is the last week for diapers and that next week we are going to wear underwear and Pull Ups.  Heaven help me...

He's so cute...

Its been a week...

Little Miss Ava Marie is here! She made her grand entrance at 3:14 PM in Wednesday May 22!  It was an interesting day to say the least. My appointment was originally at 3:00, and I didn't need to be to the hospital until 12:30. I couldn't eat or drink anything after midnight the night before, so I went into school for a few hours to distract from my crazy thirst and hunger!

Here I am on Hospital Day!

I stayed at school until 11, then got Mom and went to get my eyebrows done (hey, I had to be photo ready!). We headed to the hospital around 11:15 when my phone rang. It was my doctor's office asking if anyone had called me telling me to be at the hospital at 9:30 that morning!  Clearly, that answer was "no".  Apparently, my doctor's office thought the hospital did it, and vice versa.  So, I told them we'd be there in 10 minutes and off we went... a little faster.  I called Scott and he got there about 10 minutes after Mom and I did!

From there, Scott got to see me in "super nervous, cry at the sight of any medical personnel" mode.  I was like that until I got into the OR.  My doctor is wonderful and when he saw Scott, he asked how I was.  Scott told him, and in he came, cracking jokes about how big she probably was and if she'd be bigger than Lucas, and how they let everyone know about the change in surgery time except the patient, and doing everything in his power to get me to stop crying so they could start my anesthesia.  Once that was all set, I was fine.  No headache, no nausea.  Spectacular.  I was so numb, I had no idea they had even started!  Okay, I told them I didn't want to know what they were doing as it was happening...

About 5 minutes later, one of the nurses told me that I'd feel pressure and maybe like I couldn't breathe.  I felt none of that... in fact, very shortly after she said that, I felt like I could breathe BETTER because I no longer had a child pushing into my ribs!  My doctor started asking Scott and I how much we thought she weighed.  We both had figured in the 9 lb range.  Then he asked me how I could possibly hide that much baby in my tiny body!  They finally told us that she was 8lbs, 15.6oz and 20 1/2 inches long.  She has .6oz birth weight on Lucas, but they were both the same length and their heads were the same size.  Craziness!  She had an Apgar score of 9 at 1 minute old, and a 10 at 5 minutes old! 

 

 

So happy she is here!

We stayed in the hospital for 3 days.  I had the option to go home Friday or Saturday.  I chose Saturday.  I was REALLY sore once I wasn't numb anymore.  She passed all of her blood sugar tests (they had to test her 3 times after birth because of her size), hearing test, PKU test, and all of the other things that they had to poke my newborn for!  I have to say, Countryside was great.  The nurses were fantastic (and genuinely LIKED each other, unlike when I was at Helen Ellis with Lucas) and really helpful and supportive. 

When we got home Saturday, Lucas was very excited!  He had come to visit us Wednesday night in the hospital, but I still felt dopey (and for those of you who saw pictures, I looked GRAY from surgery... pretty.) and there were a lot of visitors, so he didn't really get a sense of what was going on.  He loves his baby sister!

My babies, 5/30/12

I took her Tuesday for her 1st newborn check up.  She is back over birth weight at 9lbs, 2oz.  Considering I'm nursing, that is pretty impressive!  I went today for my post-op check up and everything is healing nicely.  I have been able to get away with only taking Advil for pain, which is good. 

I felt so overwhelmed when I had Lucas.  I was in denial over the fact that I had Postpardum Depression with him and didn't get help when I should have.  This time, I feel completely different.  I am just as tired, for sure, but I don't feel as helpless.  I've only cried a few times.  The worst was the other night when Lucas wouldn't kiss me goodnight.  After Scott put him to bed, I started sobbing, saying that Lucas hated me.  Scott brought me in to Lucas' room, helped me get on the bed, and Lucas and I got to have some cuddle time, which made me feel better.  My doctor also said that I feel different because my labor and delivery with Lucas was REALLY difficult.  I had a lot more things to recover from than one incision. 

The adjustment to life at home has been alright.  I have a lot of help right now, and will still have lots of help once the school year is over and I have 2 children at home to entertain.  I am on "don't lift anything heavier than the baby" duty until at least July 2.  That has been tough.  I can't make any sudden movements.  But I can sit, so I'll take a little discomfort ;)

I'll try to update when I can.  A fun update (well, fun for me) is that I've lost 20lbs since I had her!

38 Weeks!

How far along are you? 

38 Weeks, 4 Days!

 

Total weight gain? 

  34.6 lbs.  The last time they weighed me, I'd literally just had lunch, so I'm not sure how accurate that weight gain is!

Baby Information?

  Baby sounds good!  They ran an ultrasound to take one last look at the accessory lobe to the placenta.  The baby is pretty squished in there.  Karen was able to point out where her belly was, so it gave me a sense of what body parts were poking me at that moment!  That was about all we could make out!

Any doctor news?

Blood pressure was 104/64 Friday.  I go for Pre-Op on Tuesday!

Best moment ?

  Everything is washed and put together.   The house is ready for baby... now we just need her here!

Worst moment ?

Still having lots of anxiety about the surgery.  I know once I'm in the situation, I'll relax a little, but it is the anticipation that is affecting me right now.  

I also am SO not ready for my leave... I'll be living at school for the next two days just shoving stuff into boxes if anyone is looking for me.   I'll organize it in August...

I'm also trying to pack for the hospital.  I looked at my bag today and realized that while I had lots of stuff for the baby, I had only packed a pair of yoga pants and some underwear for me.  I'll be fixing that today!

Stretch Marks?
Same.  Haven't gotten anymore, which is amazing!

Maternity clothes?

  2 more days of "normal" clothes, then I can wear pajamas ALL the time until August!
Symptoms Wow, heartburn.  I can't wait to be done with that.  I wonder if there is a world record for how many Tums one can consume over a 9-month period...  She is rolling around a lot still.  I get spurts of energy and then they fade.  

 
Cravings

  Nothing in particular.  Just hungry all the time.  
 
 Gender? 

The room is lavender with butterflies, and I now have girly things and dresses.  She'd better still be a girl.

 

Sleep?
I've been doing alright in the sleep area.  Last night wasn't so great, but the last few nights, I've only woken up twice! 

What I miss?

Bending.  Thankfully, my students are very well trained to pick things up when I drop them without being asked!
 

What I'm looking forward to?

Meeting this little girl on Wednesday!!!

37 Weeks!

How far along are you? 

37 Weeks, 4 Days!

(eat your heart out, Kim Kardashian... I can be pregnant and pull off floral print!)
 

Total weight gain? 

  29.6 lbs.  I lost a pound somewhere between last week and this week.  Oh well.  Clearly, this baby doesn't look like she is starving.

Baby Information?
Baby sounds good!

Any doctor news?

Blood pressure was 90/60 Friday.  I felt pretty crappy all day Friday because of that.  I go for my final appointment on the 17th, then pre-op on the 21st.

Best moment ?

 Our school shower was a lot of fun.  We got lots of cute girly clothes and a bunch of Target cards, so I ordered a bunch of stuff from our registry yesterday.  I'll actually go there this week some time to grab a few more things before she comes!
Yesterday was the hospital tour.  I learned there is no nursery at Countryside :(  This means someone HAS to be with me at all times for the first few days because getting out of bed will be difficult at best.   Lucas was confused and thought were were going to the hospital to GET Baby Sister.  He did alright there, though!  He also was talking to my belly, and when I told him to tell Baby Sister something about me, he said, "Mommy knows what to do!"  I love him.
Mother's Day was nice.  I got to rest a little, and my mom treated me to a mani-pedi!   

Worst moment ?

Realizing I am having major surgery and will be awake for it.  I had my tonsils out when I was 20.  I had crazy panic attacks from the moment I walked into the hospital, until they put me out (which, even then, I was in major anxiety mode and as I was inhaling the anesthesia, I thought I was dying and kept telling the nurses this - they thought I was nuts).  When I went to the doctor on Friday, she swore I wouldn't feel anything but a little pressure, and I certainly wouldn't be seeing anything.  She also said it would be a good idea when I go for my pre-op appointment to let them know about my anxiety in the OR!

Stretch Marks?
Some by my belly button.  Nothing major.  Considering how big I am, I'd say I'm doing alright.

Maternity clothes
Yup.  I think since I only have 7 school outfits that I need to plan (for my 6 1/2 days left), I will pick 3 comfy dresses and just keep rotating them... ha ha!

Symptoms
I am effing HUGE.  Some mornings I wake up and wonder if she is just going to fall out in the shower.  I have heartburn.  It was so bad the other night, I seriously thought I was going to be sick to my stomach.  I'm seriously starting to wonder if I am going to need an endoscopy after this to make sure I haven't done any permanent damage!  I am a bottomless pit when it comes to eating lately, which is odd because this "little" one is taking up a lot of room! 

Cravings
These days, I'm not really all that picky.  I was getting a little tired of regular water, so I sliced up 2 lemons and put them in a gallon of water.  Yum.  
 
 Gender? 

The room is lavender with butterflies, and I now have girly things and dresses.  She'd better still be a girl.

Sleep?
It is 11:45 on a Sunday night and I am blogging.  Clearly, tonight is not a good sleeping night. 
 

What I miss?

It sounds terrible, but I'd really like an alcoholic beverage.  I had 2 sips of a mimosa (side note, I didn't get hives from the OJ... although, I literally only had 2 sips!) this morning with my Mother's Day breakfast, and it was glorious. 

 

What I'm looking forward to?

Being done with school.  I will miss my kids (even the ones who are driving me insane), but I am very pregnant, and my patience and energy levels are showing that.  It is a good thing I've had more than one person sitting in on my last few parent conferences, because they kept my filter in check! Although, last week, I did have one where both parents looked at me and said, "We really don't know what to do about his behavior," and I said, "Honestly, neither do I!"  Thankfully, I've had a fairly good relationship with these parents all year, so they laughed when I said that!

36 Weeks!!!

How far along are you? 

36 Weeks, 2 Days!

 

Total weight gain? 

  30.6 lbs

Baby Information?
Baby sounds good!

Any doctor news?

Blood pressure was 110/60 yesterday.  I am measuring perfectly, which is good because with Lucas, I measured small (I swear sometimes he was hiding in my spine) from having low amniotic fluid.

Best moment ?

 The bed set came the other day.  Her bed is made.  It looks so pretty!

 

Worst moment ?

I'm getting a lot of, "Why?" about the c-section.  Not that I have to defend it, but this was not a choice I made lightly. I am having placenta issues, this baby could be just as big as Lucas, and I don't want to risk injury to her because I chose to try to deliver her.  My doctor is not the type to push for a c-section, he just remembered that Lucas was a really tough delivery, and my recovery time was longer than it would have been had he been a little smaller.  Yes, a c-section is surgery, and the recovery takes a while, but at least I'll be able to sit (TMI? LOL!).

Stretch Marks?
Some by my belly button.  Nothing major.

Maternity clothes
Yup.  I would like to wear pajamas all day every day.  

Symptoms
 Heartburn.  Have to use the bathroom a lot.  Haven't had a nosebleed in a while (knock on wood).  I am EXHAUSTED.  I had to remind Scott that when I was this far along with Lucas, school was done, so I could lay around the house all day and I wasn't as tired.  

Cravings
Grapes.  Water. Pretzels.
 
 Gender? 

As far as I know, she is still a girl!

Sleep?
It comes and goes.  I'm on an every other night cycle with halfway decent sleep.  
 

What I miss?

Being able to form a complete sentence without really having to think about what I want to say!  I think my class is starting to think I'm losing my mind!
 

What I'm looking forward to?

My team is throwing us a baby shower (sprinkle? drizzle?) on Tuesday, so that will be fun!  And, of course, I'm looking forward to May 22nd!!!!!

Kindergarten on a Full Moon...

Okay, this post has nothing to do with babies... well, not my flesh and blood babies, anyway!  This is too crazy not to share. 

On Friday I had a substitute teacher so that I could get my state reading testing done before I go on Maternity Leave.  For FAIR testing, we have to pull each child individually and test them on letters, sight words, vocabulary pictures, and reading.  It takes a while to get through everyone.  I had one child left to test towards the end of the day on Friday, and when I asked the second to last student to go get her, she said, "Oh she went home."  I said, "Oh, really?  Was she sick?"  The student replies, 'No, she swallowed a crayon and had to go home!"  Umm... WHAT???  Yes.  My 6-year-old, almost a 1st grader somehow swallowed a (tiny) crayon.  She was fine when I saw her.  I think she just got freaked out because we all reacted to her like, "You did WHAT???" 

My kids were AWFUL for the sub (and I had a REALLY good sub!), and this was the final straw.  I went into the room and at that moment decided to reward the students who were well behaved for the whole day.  So, I counted sticks and only 8 kids stayed on "green" that day, so I told them I would bring them Munchkins on Monday for being well behaved for our guest teacher. The rest of them just stared at me like, "Wait, what???" because even my normally "good" kids were not so good for the sub.  What kills me is that they KNEW I was at school... only a few feet away from our classroom!

I'm going to chalk their craziness up to the Full Moon that happened this past week.  I really hope that's what it was, otherwise the next 17 school days are going to feel like Kindergarten Boot Camp so that they can get their behavior back in check before my sub takes over.

I need suggestions for fun closure things I can do with my kids before I leave.  Not necessary End of the Year stuff, but stuff I can do with them since I will be leaving.  Thoughts?

Baby Stuff!

People have started asking me what we need for the baby.  Well, thankfully, we don't need any big stuff!  We're using all of the furniture, car seat, pack and play, etc. that we got when we had Lucas. 

We registered at Target, and made a wish list at Bealls.  We aren't having a shower (sprinkle? drizzle?), other than the one at school.  I think it would have been fun just to have a little party with a bunch of pink, frilly stuff just to get together... LOL...  Oh well!

Here are the links to both:
https://www.beallsflorida.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/InterestItemDisplay?catalogId=12003&langId=-1&storeId=10151

http://www.target.com/baby/registry/pGu8r5I1ubYKrVNSpRYX6w

33 DAYS TO GO!

So, we have set a date for our Baby Girl's arrival.  My surgery is set for May 22.  Not sure what time yet.  Now I feel extra overwhelmed because I don't feel ready.  I'm not ready.  33 days... well, 32 at this point since it is so late... 

Our school is having a shower (sprinkle?  Is that the trendy word these days?) for us next month.  They are so wonderful.  I'm glad we kept all of the nursery furniture.  So, really all we need are clothes and the bed set.

Lucas is starting to act out more (hoping it is from Baby Sister's upcoming arrival...).  If I am the only one who puts him to bed, he has started this screaming, crying thing so I come a-running.  The other night, he told me he was sad because I was going to run away (where does he get this stuff??). Tonight, he pinched his finger in his bed gate... the real word for it is escaping me right now.  I went in, kissed, hugged, gave him boo boo turtle and 15 minutes later he was fine.  I left and the crying started again ("Mommy, come take care of meeeeee!") Please, just rip my heart out while I already feel guilty that in a few weeks you will no longer be the only small person needing my love and attention.  I found myself just yelling, "Lucas you are fine," from the living room to reassure him that I didn't go anywhere.  15 minutes later, he was asleep.   *Sigh*

34 Weeks

How far along are you? 

34 Weeks, 1 Day!
 

Total weight gain? 

  28.8 lbs

Baby Information?
Heart rate was 150 at my appointment today.  She is very busy rolling around!

Any doctor news?

Blood pressure is 112/60 today. After a long talk with my doctor, I elected to have a C-Section a week before my due date.  No date has been set yet.  Now, I know some people are opposed to this (in general, having nothing to do with me), but it was not a decision I took lightly or made easily.  Lucas was very big.  His shoulders got stuck.  He could have had nerve damage or a broken arm from that, but thankfully didn't.  I had to have quite a few stitches, which made sitting (among other things) very difficult for the first few months that Lucas was around.  Not that the recovery from a C-Section will be easier, but it will be a different kind of difficult.  I have "normal" glucose levels, but they are on the higher end of "normal", which leads to larger babies.  So, in my mind, I'd rather have a C-Section and know that (a) all of the placenta gets removed (see the Week 31 post for that drama), and (b) the baby comes out healthy and with no damage to the arms or shoulders.

Best moment ?

 Knowing there will be a definitive light at the end of the tunnel.  Just not 100% sure of the date yet.  The baby's room got painted and it looks beautiful!  I separated Lucas' old onsies that my mom had gone through to find ones that could be for a boy or a girl, so she won't be naked... ha ha!

Worst moment ?

I'm still grumpy.  I'm still snappy.  

Stretch Marks?
Still no.  Lots of lotion!

Maternity clothes
Yup.  It is getting really tough to find work appropriate clothes that are comfy.

Symptoms
 Heartburn.  Have to use the bathroom a lot.  The nosebleeds are worse, but they stop after a little bit, so my doctor isn't concerned.

Cravings
Grapes.  Water. Pretzels.
 
 Gender? 

As far as I know, she is still a girl!  No one thinks another ultrasound is ready, so I guess I'll know for sure in 5 weeks!

Sleep?
It comes and goes.  I'm on an every other night cycle with halfway decent sleep.  
 

What I miss?

Walking more than 5 feet without getting out of breath!
 

What I'm looking forward to?

Setting a date and meeting this little girl!