Monthly Photos with the Boys

3-9 Months

Cherry Blossom 5k: 21 Weeks Pregnant

When I registered for the lottery required to enter the Cherry Blossom 5k at the beginning of December, I knew I could be pregnant because we had just started trying, but I really doubted I would be over 20 week along when the race came along.  Things happened so much more quickly this time.  And though I ran throughout my first trimester, I started majorly slowing down in the second as the pressure during running was getting uncomfortable.  So I was sad to know I wouldn't be completely running this race, but I wasn't going to withdrawal since I have always loved the D.C. cherry blossoms and this could be our last year in the area (Brian's contract is up next March, who know's where we'll be after that).

I ended up being surprised at just how much I did run, and enjoyed the course starting near the Washington Monument, across the Arlington Memorial Bridge (near the Arlington Cemetery entrance) and back.  I psyched myself up to run back across the bridge without any walking, and then noticed the course was sloping down on the return making for an easier second half of the race.  I surprisingly was only about 8 minutes less than my normal time, even with walking quite a bit.  And having a 21 week old side kick running with me.  This was baby's second 5k race (see post on first one here).
 

My official time was 43:12.  And here are the fun little maps that go along with it.  My mileage here claimed 3.4, which wouldn't surprise me with all the swerving I ended up doing.  I started myself too far back in the coral and had to run around a lot of walkers.

 The boys all came with me, loving the train ride into the city, but ending up exhausted due to such an early start to the day.  We picnicked for lunch, thankfully as most of the food truck lines were endless.  Eli slept through almost all our hike around the tidal basin, but I managed to get a few pictures with him.  And the blossoms of course.

 We always stop by The Tulip Library.  Elijah loved them.

 So excited waiting for the train.

And then we stopped by our favorite pie shop in Occoquan on the way home, since my motivation and reward for finishing this 5k was a slice of cherry pie.

Nesting: List of Bare Minimums to Stock Up On

So, I'm behind on blogging.  We weren't doing much at the beginning of the year, but we've had some adventures lately I want to post about.  But, I can't stop nesting to write and edit photos!  I don't really remember ever feeling these compulsions with the last two, but all I want to do lately is to buy everything we might need until a good month after the baby comes, and find places to store it all.  I'm finally feeling the baby quickening, and I think that has something to do with getting started with preparations.

Now, I'm normally not one to buy in bulk.  I just feel like our house doesn't have much storage space, so I never buy more than we need.  That all changed last week.  I basically spent a day price shopping between Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon, soap.com, and our local grocery store.  I was pleasantly surprised that Target actually gave me the best prices for lots of things, especially when I factored in my 5% red card savings, shopkick points, and Cartwheel deals.  As well as a few coupons I happened to have on hand.  The next day I headed out and bought up lots of things, including:

Bathroom:  Toilet Paper, Shampoo, Conditioner, Shampoo + Conditioner (for days when you don't have time for both), Deodorant, Contact Solution, Toothpaste (3 types, adult, kids, training), Make-up Wipes, Kleenex, Body Soap, 1 extra baby soap (in case Eli dumps it out again)

Kitchen:  Dishwasher Tabs, Trash Bags, Water filters, Wax Paper, Aluminum Foil, Zip-lock Bags, Plastic Wrap, Paper Towels

Laundry:  Softener Sheets, Detergent, Bleach, and Oxy-clean

Pets:  Dog Food, Cat Food, Cat Litter

Other:  Batteries, Vitamins, Newborn/Size 1 diapers, printer ink

I then re-organized the bathroom closet, hallway "baby" closet, and boys' room closet to find places for everything (and to put away size 2 & 5 clothes-  Theo is definitely a size 7, and Eli is starting to fit into size 3).  Another couple trips to Target for plastic totes later, I was in love with all my newly organized spaces.  I basically just keep going in and opening the doors and staring.

Tall Closet in Bathroom, (more supplies are under the sink)

Boys' closet all ready (box on bottom is the remainder of 

the baby boy clothes, in case we need to grab it in a hurry).

I should have took before-and-after shots for all of them, but this closet was definitely the biggest change.  This hallway closet, though a blessing to have, has always been a nightmare for me.  I use it to store holiday decor (except Christmas), overflow kitchen/table decorations, candles, frames, swimwear, and my maternity clothes (or currently, non-maternity).  The wreaths are always all over the place, and I feel like I have to go through the whole closet every time seasons change to make sure I get everything.  I have thought about getting totes to organize it better before, but could never find good sizes to fit on the shelves.  It finally hit me that I could get some large totes and use the top shelf to store all my Easter, Thanksgiving/Halloween/Fall, and minor holiday decor.  And put the wreaths on top!  It worked perfectly, and I even had room left to store my clothes in totes and hang all of the baby stuff in here as well.  This baby, like Eli, won't be getting a room for the first 6+ months of it's life, but will basically be in ours.  So finding so much room in this closet it great for us.

I also got out most of the baby supplies and made room in the bathroom wardrobe and boys' wardrobe for some of it's things.  I pulled out everything that could possibly be described as neutral, and this baby already has a nice little wardrobe full of yellow ducks and monkeys.  I love seeing these tiny things hanging in the closet.

Finally, with my nesting energy, I even drug out everything from our downstairs storage (Christmas, baby, and mostly-school related) and downsized a few boxes of files/books/school supplies (though I still have many-many more).  Through this I was also able to put together several more busy bags and activities for the boys and got out some math manipulatives they are ready to play with now (tracing paper, base ten blocks, geoboard for Eli, pattern blocks, etc) as well as some beginner chapter books to start reading with Theodore.

And I'm done now.  At least for a while, I'm going to force myself to take a break.  I'm waiting to do some freezer meals closer to d-day (4 months away!) but I am half tempted to right now.   And Brian's lucky that we don't necessarily plan to be in this particular town house for too much longer or I would probably want to paint everything...  I still just might.  We'll see what other nesting compulsions crop up.

1st Pregnancy vs. 2nd Pregnancy

I have been lucky and blessed by two fairly easy pregnancies.  Both times I had no complications, always low blood pressure and normal glucose levels.  I did not have much nausea in either pregnancy, and carried both babies well.

I definitely had more heartburn with my first pregnancy, leading me to believe the wives-tail about the more heartburn the more hair, b/c my second had very little heartburn, and very little hair. 

Both pregnancies ended in unwanted c-sections.  In the first case, I was unsuccessfully induced and stopped progressing at 7 cm.  This time, they would have let me try for a VBAC had I started labor on my own, but I did not and the alternative was a scheduled c-section at about 41 weeks.   The second c-section was a very different experience.  The first time, it was so entirely unexpected as I never, ever imagined my childbirth experience going that way.  But this time, after my due date had come and gone, and I had tried everything to get the baby coming on my own, I was resigned to the fact that I was going to have a repeat section.   While with the first I had lots of baby blues and emotional swings after he was here, I got all my emotions about the c-section taken care of before my second son was born and have really been able to enjoy almost every moment since he arrived.  It was also much easier to recover from without the induced labor beforehand, and knowing what to expect after.

40weeks + 1day Pregnant with a 9 lb baby (Age 25 1/4 years)

40weeks + 4days Pregnant with a 8 lb 9 oz baby (Age 27 5/6 years)

My weight gain was different with each, though my starting weight was similar for both pregnancies.  For the first I gained 41.5 pounds, while I only gained 32 pounds with the second.  Perhaps that had sometime to do with the ease of recovery too? 

Hopefully, for #3 I’ll be able to successfully have a VBA2C.  I really don’t want to go through surgery again, but thankfully I am almost recovered from this one.

Getting Ready

                This pregnancy has been so low-key compared to my first one.  With it being the second, and being another boy, there just isn’t much to do to get ready for this one.  Thankfully, my doctor’s visits are very simple:  my blood pressure is fine, I’m measuring right, and don’t really have any questions.  Hopefully my glucose comes back fine again.  I had to take an early one months ago since Theo was so big, and it was fine, so as long as this one is too it seems like smooth sailing this last trimester.
                Because of this, it doesn’t quite feel as real.  I have the next two months off of work, so I am basically just sitting around waiting for baby, even though I don’t have much to do to get ready.  Today I started a few things that made me feel like I was doing something to get ready.   First, I pre-registered to donate the cord blood again, same was as last time.  Then we looked into the VBAC class at the hospital, which we’re planning to attend.  And I started really researching double strollers.  And that about completes my list of things to do.  It seems so much easier the second time around.

28 Weeks Along

40 weeks pregnant with a 9 pound baby

We took these right before we went in to get induced...

Within a week...

So, no real changes in my pregnancy today, except that this baby seems to be pretty big! My doctor is getting a little nervous about letting me go too long, since she thinks he's going to be so big and have trouble getting out. So, I'm scheduled to go in and be induced Monday, Feb. 22 at 9:00 PM, if he doesn't come on his own by then! I guess we really need to get to work picking out a name now!

She sent us over to get an ultrasound to get an estimated weight of the baby. According to their measurements, he is measuring 40 weeks, 6 days (instead of the 39 weeks, 2 days he's estimated to be). And his weight is 9lb 3 oz +/- 21 oz. Hopefully not on the plus side! The tech also mentioned that my fluid is on the high side, so that is a slight concern.

I love this picture below! His lips aren't really that big, they are pursed because he was practicing sucking! It was pretty amazing to see his little mouth moving like that.

Doc's Apt

Today is the date of our first due date. Our adjusted date is the 21st, but the 10th was our original one.

Yesterday, we had a check up. I'm still the same, and the baby is still really high! I don't see this baby coming for a while still. She also ran a quick ultrasound to make sure he is head down, which he is. Had me a little worried though.

I'm starting to feel the uncomfortableness... and sitting around for three snow days in a row isn't helping anything! I've had to start pacing the house since I don't have any shoes that will fit to walk out in the snow in. I'd rather be up moving than sitting too long, I get very stiff. But if I do too much, then I get pretty exhausted. And I'm not that comfortable sleeping anymore... I must have gotten up 5 times last night.

I just want the baby to go ahead and come soon. To give you an idea of what this little one might look like, I've included Brian and I's baby pictures.

Baby Update

2 Weeks to go!!

So, it's been a while since I've written any updates on this pregnancy. There's actually been a lot going on in the last two months. Here are some of my pregnancy related events:

Right now we are at about 38 weeks, and according to the doctors for the last couple of weeks I've been 75% effaced and 1.5 cm dilated. I take that as a good sign that things are starting to get going. I've actually got another appointment tomorrow, so we'll see if I've had any changes.

My plan is to stop teaching on Feb. 23, whether the baby is here or not. It's the start of a new term, and I figured it would be good to just put a start date on my maternity leave. If I use all of my FMLA time, I'll need to go back for about the last two weeks of school (more if we keep getting snow days :( Right now, I'm counting down the school days left.

Mon. Feb. 8 -CANCELED
Tues. Feb. 9 - CANCELED
Wed. Feb. 10-regular day, plus parent teacher conferences all night
Thurs. Feb. 11- NO Kids in school, parent teacher conferences all day
Fri. Feb. 12- NO SCHOOL
Mon. Feb. 15- NO SCHOOL (President's Day)
Tues. Feb. 16 REGULAR DAY
Wed. Feb. 17 REGULAR DAY
Thurs. Feb. 18 REGULAR DAY
Fri. Feb. 19 LAST DAY!!!

We've started to get the nursery together a little bit. We mainly have the changing table area set up. We need to start working on getting some cool "sea" themed prints up on the walls.
Jan. 2, with Brian's cousin Jessica. She's due a little bit after me.
While we were home for the holidays, my mother took us to her hospital and ran a stress test on us so we could track the babies movements/heart rate in relation to mine. Her nurses also played with their ultrasound on me. We could see that the baby had hiccoughs at the time. I couldn't feel them, but I've been able to feel them since then. It is pretty cool.

I had showers on Dec. 26 (in Ohio) and Dec. 27 (in Indiana) and got a ton of stuff we needed for the baby. Ashley had a really cute posting, so I'll just direct you there for the photos of the Indiana shower.
Ashley's Link
I finally finished up most of my thank-you cards today... while doing so I got to thinking about how many aunts this baby is going to have. According to my calculations, when he is born he'll have... 5 aunts, 18 great aunts, 14 great-great aunts, and at least 6 great-great-great aunts!

I loved my super cute winter pajamas. I'm about 31 weeks here (and looking huge).


We also had an ultrasound mid-December, confirming he is still a boy. They calculated him to be about a week and a half too big at the time.

25 at 25

I'm almost to the last third.... here I am 25 weeks pregnant at 25 years old.

Cori wanted in the picture too!

Through 23 weeks...

My due date is calculated from about May 15, 2009. I don't think I really started showing at all until about week 16, and even then it is marginal. The baby really moved in the past few days and seems to really be showing now. I do pretty good covering it up at school with cardigans.

This baby has already been a lot of places...

2 Weeks - Rehoboth Beach

4 weeks - Atlantic City7 weeks - Ohio

11 weeks - Montreal, Canada

16 weeks - Baltimore, MD

21 weeks - New York state

23 Weeks-At home in Delaware

Cupcakes and Cocoa and Coffee

On Wednesday I wanted to see my husband during the daylight. I leave before the sun comes up, and he is normally not home until the sun goes down. The only time I see him in the sunlight is on the weekends. So to lure him away from his laboratory I met him at DBI with cupcakes and cocoa and coffee. To do this I had to face two experiences I normally don't encounter. Ordering cocoa and ordering coffee. I traditionally don't drink hot chocolate, but I was thirsty, it was cold, and the worker at the cupcake shop really made it sound good, so I ordered some. With whipped cream. It was very odd for me, but it was really delicious. I think Brian's love of chocolate is alive and well in his son, because I've never wanted as much chocolate as I have during this pregnancy. Then I had to go across the street to Starbucks and order coffee there for the first time ever. I don't drink the stuff, but Brian is an addict and has at least a few cups a day, so I went through the torture of ordering there so I could bring it to my husband. Apparently I overestimated in getting him a large (I refuse to say Venti), but other than that he had no complaints.

And apparently that might have been the last time in a while we could have sat outside comfortably to eat. It has been freezing and raining most the rest of the week.

Pregnancy Update

So I'm over half way done now! I'm going on my 22nd week. The baby is almost a foot long and almost a pound in weight. It will grow pretty quickly from here on out. I've definitely noticed it growing in the last few weeks when I had to totally switch to maternity clothes. And it's (he's) been kicking since the beginning of October. (It is apparently hard for me to use the proper pronoun.) We do have a name that we call him, but it is only the "womb name," not what we plan to put on the birth certificate. It is very stressful trying to come up with one, so I'm not going to try until 2010. Right now, I'm just waiting on the kicks to be strong enough that Brian can feel them.

I bought a blue baby book yesterday

So we fiiiiiiinally shared the news with everyone. Now our little secret is public knowledge.

We had our ultra sound Monday, and they decided I wasn't quite as far along as we thought and bumped my due date back to Feb. 21. They took lots and lots of measurements of every part of the little ones anatomy, and Brian got pretty excited when the tech said that his hands were in little fists. I didn't notice the slip, but I think he was paying more attention to that than I was. She later pointed out those other parts of the anatomy that did indicate "it" is a boy. I was a little bummed, but Brian was very excited. I think he was very scared of having a daughter after knowing me and my 3 sisters in our teenage years. He's very happy to have a son.

So I am still pretty symptom-less in this pregnancy. I'm starting to get my appetite back-but am being very, very picky. Brian made me a dish last night of hot ham (I won't eat it cold), grapes, tomato slices, and a chunk of cheese. I do have some headaches, head cold symptoms and have been waking up a few nights with charlie-horses in my calves, but I'm not sure which and if any of those are associated with the pregnancy.

I am highly emotional though right now, which I definitely blame on the pregnancy. It's normally whenever I'm alone, but there have been many songs on the radio or scenes on tv that just make me tear up and have a tightening in my chest. Just now I was looking through some Better Homes and Gardens magazine and was moved by all the displays of pumpkins and other autumn delights... almost to tears but not quite this time.

I just heard bike pedals so my husband is approaching... he is only slightly wet from coming home in the rain. He made the best smelling stew ever this morning that slow-cooked all days, so I am going to go enjoy that with him... I'm definitely using the eating-for-two excuse tonight.

On the way...

8/9: I'm starting this blog Aug. 9, but I know I probably won't be posting it for quite a while still. I'm ready to start talking about the upcoming event that will be happening sometime around Feb. 10. --

Tiffany and I have something in common.

I learned a few weeks ago that a friend I went to middle school and high school with is expecting her first in February. So am I.

When my mother and friends were out here at the very end of the school year, I started suspecting that we might finally be pregnant. We've been trying somewhat since January, so it was about time. I've taken many p.t.s in the past when I felt even a day late, so I held off this time and really waited until it was worth the $5 test. Around June 15 I took 3 tests, and confirmed that it was really finally time. With Father's Day approaching, I wanted to wait to tell Brian, but I am of course always too impatient for that. So instead, I planned on telling him when we went out for our 3 year anniversary.

As I've already recounted, we went out to Ole Tapas to celebrate our 3 years together. Even though I'd already told Brian that I was still on a water-only-as-far-as-liquids-go-diet, he wanted to order us a bottle of wine, so I discouraged but let him, not wanting to ruin the surprise. Most people that know me know that I like to give out lots of cards, so he wasn't too surprised when I had a whole stack for him. After he received his anniversary card, and early father's day cards from the cat and new puppy, he found out he'd have to drink the whole bottle himself when he got the card from his newest, unknown, charge.

It was pretty unreal, and the pregnancy took a while to really set in. As far as symptoms, I had cramps at the beginning that were quite annoying. The next few weeks, I became mildly nauseous for most of most days. I never actually got sick, but I just didn't really want to eat or cook much. So I’ve actually lost about 5 pounds in the first trimester.

I had my official blood test on June 29, but didn't get the results until a week into July.

I had my first appointment with an OB doctor on July 24. Brian didn’t leave work in time and we arrived at the appointment late. This was actually a pre-appointment where they asked Brian and I lots of medical history questions, and gave us lots of information and free samples of pre-natal vitamins. And took a lot of my blood. Turns out I’m A-positive.

I ran late to our next appointment Aug. 4 (a student coming for an advanced math test I was giving came the wrong day and I had to sort out his appointment). I’m afraid we will never be on time. This appointment had an internal component, and they also listened for the baby's heartbeat. I had Brian wait outside, but then asked the doc if she would find the heartbeat again so Brian could hear it. It took her a while to find it, and Brian’s face looked really surprised when he heard the 160+ beats per minute. Her heart monitor was running low on batteries, so she went out to get another one, and returned with an old ultrasound machine, and gave us an impromptu, unofficial ultrasound. Since we weren’t expecting this, it was especially awesome. It was really shocking to see the baby moving around in there. I’ve never thought you could really see that much in ultrasounds, but I could see the features fairly clearly of our little one. It was quite active, and kept bouncing around, gaining the nickname from me “baby jumper”. It finally made this whole thing real.

Now we just need to decide when we are going to share this news with our family and friends.