...until the anatomy scan. I'm losing my mind. Seriously--I'm like one of those nervous little dogs that shake and yip, the kind you just want to drop-kick because they can't hold still or calm down for one freaking second. AHHHHHHH!!!! I was this same way with Ava, I started losing my mind a few weeks before we found out her gender, and it got worse and worse until I was about to just throw up. I hate not knowing things...worse, I hate not knowing something when there's a definite date as to when the truth will be revealed. I was not this anxious before giving birth because although I knew it was coming, I didn't know WHEN. (I should have been nervous...I should have been terrified, in fact. If I'd learned anything at all from that experience, I never would've gotten pregnant again. But, here I sit, knocked up again and losing my mind again. Ahhhh well. ;o) I guess being half-crazy from curiosity is good because it keeps my mind off of the real reason for the scan, which is to make sure we've got a healthy baby. I'd rather be full of nervous excitement about the gender than anxiety about his/her health, you know? If there are any problems we will deal with it when the time comes.
That's about it for now. Craig is out of town (sometimes I really hate his job), so it's just Ava and me, which is not uncommon, just kind of lonely for us. We've had fun and I've actually accomplished quite a bit: Christmas cards are addressed and stamped, gifts are mostly purchased, birthday invites are sent (can't believe my little girl is turning THREE in less than a month!), and I've sort of kept up with the cleaning: I am not going to vacuum or wash the floors until Craig comes home and can help me. Better go make dinner now....
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Not Really Feeling It.... :(
Not so much talking about the kicking here, although it's sporadic at best (which I expect this early)...talking about the pregnancy in general. It just doesn't feel real...kind of bizarre, since I'm excited about it, I'm over 17 weeks and feeling movement, and am talking about it frequently...but I feel like I'm talking about someone else's life. It's hard to explain and in a way it kind of makes me sad. Is this just because, being my second pregnancy, there isn't the same feeling of newness and amazement? Is it because now that I'm finally completely over the morning sickness, my body feels almost normal again? I don't really know what to think. One week from tomorrow, we have our anatomy scan to make sure (s)he's healthy, and to FINALLY determine the gender....hoping at that point, reality sets in. Of course, maybe subconsciously (okay, consciously) I'm terrified of taking on even more responsibility, especially the eating/sleeping/breathing/crying/helpless kind of responsibility. Again--don't know what to think. Hoping my emotions sort themselves out soon. :-/
17 Weeks!
17 Weeks!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
FEEL THOSE KICKS? HE'S GONNA BE A SOCCER PLAYER!
Sorry, couldn't resist a little "Billy Madison" quote... ;o) Anyhow, yes, (s)he has started to kick!! Aside from the weird, shifting pressure, I finally felt a couple of what I thought were kicks last week, and then last night the baby went nuts when I had some Ghirardelli hot cocoa while catching up on CSI with Craig. (UPDATE: I just got a few good ones while typing the end of this post :o) Yeah!!! It's the one part of pregnancy I actually like! Craig was a little disappointed he couldn't feel anything (I told him it was too early but he wanted to try anyhow), I forget how long it takes until movement can be felt externally, I'm thinking another month maybe? We'll know the gender (ten days!!!!) before then, at any rate. Not that it matters, I'm just continuing to slowly go crazy while we wait...
On another note, I've started to look at some baby gear I want for this one...aside from the usual diapers, clothes, crib bedding, etc. I have decided I would like:
1. Video baby monitor. When I was pregnant with Ava, I thought that was one of those stupid, useless extras (like wipe warmers....I still don't get those). I mean come on, how lazy do you have to be to not just go in and check on the kid?! Ummm....more like, how dense do you have to be to not understand how utterly useful a video monitor could be???? It would have saved me a LOT of trouble with Ava, when I didn't know if she was just being fussy or actually needed us, or when she was a little older so I could see what she was up to in her crib without actually going in there. I figure since we have all of the expensive baby gear taken care of already (furniture, car seats, strollers, etc) that we can splurge on this particular item.
2. Covers for the Boppy lounger. I just don't have any.
3. New bottles. I need these anyhow, and a few years ago (right before Ava was done with bottles, so I didn't get them) I saw some that were pretty boob-like, which seems like a good idea, especially because I don't plan on nursing very long. (I'm thinking I can almost exclusively nurse for 3-3 1/2 months and then maybe do enough pumping/partial nursing to last another month....but that's it. It's also dependent on exactly how my maternity leave pans out.) Unfortunately I cannot remember the brand name and a search of Babies R Us (online) didn't produce anything.
4. Glider. All I have is the creaky old rocking chair from when I was a baby (not that it isn't cool to have that, but it's LOUD), and it's in Ava's room...although she doesn't care that her old crib will be used for a new baby, I don't think she's going to part with the rocking chair. Unfortunately, the baby's room is half the size of Ava's so I don't think we'll have a place for one of those big things.
5. Fisher Price Rock n' Play Sleeper. It just looks useful--very portable, can have the baby next to the bed, or the couch, etc. Keeps the baby's head elevated in case reflux is a problem or if it has allergies like Ava and is frequently congested. I don't know that we NEED this but I'd like it. (Yes, there are other colors besides pink).
Things I currently have that are fairly useless?
1. The Boppy. Unless we have a small baby this time, the Boppy was only helpful for about a month or two before it was easier to sit Ava on my lap while feeding her.
2.) Diaper Champ. So, I don't think diaper disposal units are much help after all--at least, once the diapers take on any kind of real odor. But, it keeps the used diapers out of sight, doesn't require special bags, and I already have one, so I guess we'll use it.
3.) High Chair. These aren't useless as much as they are just disgusting. Even with wiping down after each use, we still had to drag it out back periodically and hose it off. But I'm too cheap to buy one of those little portable ones that sit on a chair (even though it's not expensive) so we'll use what we've got.
Tidbits About the Firstborn
As I was typing the beginning of this post, Ava was dancing--naked from the waist-down--with her stuffed camel and singing. Kids are insane. She drives me NUTS with some of her behavior (which I know is typical toddler stuff), but oh my goodness, she can be so sweet and so funny! Lately, she's taken to grabbing me by the hand and saying, "Mommy, you're my best friend!" Awwwww! And--this isn't good but I couldn't help laughing--she got in trouble for sitting on another kid at day care. That itself isn't funny or acceptable but when I questioned her about it, she very matter-of-factly told me, "Yes, I sat on David and got a time-out!" We talked about it and she hasn't done it since, but it was all I could do to keep from laughing. Unless she does something particularly vicious, I'm not going to spank her for a first time offense when she's already been disciplined at school with a time-out. She knows if she does the same thing twice (pushing, squeezing, sitting on someone) that she'll get spanked. I just hope this doesn't mean she's going to just get more and more creative with her misbehavior to avoid doing the same thing twice.... ;o) Doesn't seem like it thus far.
On another note, I've started to look at some baby gear I want for this one...aside from the usual diapers, clothes, crib bedding, etc. I have decided I would like:
1. Video baby monitor. When I was pregnant with Ava, I thought that was one of those stupid, useless extras (like wipe warmers....I still don't get those). I mean come on, how lazy do you have to be to not just go in and check on the kid?! Ummm....more like, how dense do you have to be to not understand how utterly useful a video monitor could be???? It would have saved me a LOT of trouble with Ava, when I didn't know if she was just being fussy or actually needed us, or when she was a little older so I could see what she was up to in her crib without actually going in there. I figure since we have all of the expensive baby gear taken care of already (furniture, car seats, strollers, etc) that we can splurge on this particular item.
2. Covers for the Boppy lounger. I just don't have any.
3. New bottles. I need these anyhow, and a few years ago (right before Ava was done with bottles, so I didn't get them) I saw some that were pretty boob-like, which seems like a good idea, especially because I don't plan on nursing very long. (I'm thinking I can almost exclusively nurse for 3-3 1/2 months and then maybe do enough pumping/partial nursing to last another month....but that's it. It's also dependent on exactly how my maternity leave pans out.) Unfortunately I cannot remember the brand name and a search of Babies R Us (online) didn't produce anything.
4. Glider. All I have is the creaky old rocking chair from when I was a baby (not that it isn't cool to have that, but it's LOUD), and it's in Ava's room...although she doesn't care that her old crib will be used for a new baby, I don't think she's going to part with the rocking chair. Unfortunately, the baby's room is half the size of Ava's so I don't think we'll have a place for one of those big things.
5. Fisher Price Rock n' Play Sleeper. It just looks useful--very portable, can have the baby next to the bed, or the couch, etc. Keeps the baby's head elevated in case reflux is a problem or if it has allergies like Ava and is frequently congested. I don't know that we NEED this but I'd like it. (Yes, there are other colors besides pink).
Things I currently have that are fairly useless?
1. The Boppy. Unless we have a small baby this time, the Boppy was only helpful for about a month or two before it was easier to sit Ava on my lap while feeding her.
2.) Diaper Champ. So, I don't think diaper disposal units are much help after all--at least, once the diapers take on any kind of real odor. But, it keeps the used diapers out of sight, doesn't require special bags, and I already have one, so I guess we'll use it.
3.) High Chair. These aren't useless as much as they are just disgusting. Even with wiping down after each use, we still had to drag it out back periodically and hose it off. But I'm too cheap to buy one of those little portable ones that sit on a chair (even though it's not expensive) so we'll use what we've got.
Tidbits About the Firstborn
As I was typing the beginning of this post, Ava was dancing--naked from the waist-down--with her stuffed camel and singing. Kids are insane. She drives me NUTS with some of her behavior (which I know is typical toddler stuff), but oh my goodness, she can be so sweet and so funny! Lately, she's taken to grabbing me by the hand and saying, "Mommy, you're my best friend!" Awwwww! And--this isn't good but I couldn't help laughing--she got in trouble for sitting on another kid at day care. That itself isn't funny or acceptable but when I questioned her about it, she very matter-of-factly told me, "Yes, I sat on David and got a time-out!" We talked about it and she hasn't done it since, but it was all I could do to keep from laughing. Unless she does something particularly vicious, I'm not going to spank her for a first time offense when she's already been disciplined at school with a time-out. She knows if she does the same thing twice (pushing, squeezing, sitting on someone) that she'll get spanked. I just hope this doesn't mean she's going to just get more and more creative with her misbehavior to avoid doing the same thing twice.... ;o) Doesn't seem like it thus far.
Friday, November 26, 2010
More pictures!
This is my 3rd post in the last twelve hours, so please scroll down to see recent pictures and an update. :) These are some older pictures I have FINALLY gotten around to formatting in such a way that I can post them on the blog. Enjoy! (Or not. I don't really care. If you don't like them, feel free to leave and explore other parts of the internet... ;o)
Ava's first sketch of the family--LOVE IT!!!! I cannot wait for all of the adorable and funny things she will draw for us! In case you were wondering, the big blob on the left is me, the medium-sized one on the right is Craig, and the one underneath "Craig" is Ava. :-)
Ava and Craig in front of the fountain at Goodberry's when we went for custard a couple of months ago. Good stuff, but the crazy fools don't know how to make a malt. When I asked for a chocolate malt they just looked at me like I'm nuts and the best I could get was a chocolate Concrete (their version of a DQ Blizzard I guess) with malt mixed into it. Craig said to ask for a milkshake with malt in it...maybe that will work?
Craig and I at Lake Michigan in Chicago over the summer. I love this picture!
Arrrr, matey! My little pirate...Ava is obsessed with pirates. When I asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween, she answered, "A pirate!" immediately, as though she'd been thinking about it all year. ;o) She's also asked for a pirate birthday party.
This picture should've been included with the previous batch but I forgot. Oops.
The rest of the pictures are from a photo session on October 1st, when we were in Illinois. They were taken by Brianna, a girl I used to babysit when she was a toddler (holy crap, I feel OLD)...she's now seventeen years old and takes beautiful pictures! I'm going to use some of these on our Christmas card this year, and have some others printed out since I don't have any framed, professional pictures of Ava more recent than 15 months old....yikes. There were more of these shots by Brianna, these are just a few.
Ava's first sketch of the family--LOVE IT!!!! I cannot wait for all of the adorable and funny things she will draw for us! In case you were wondering, the big blob on the left is me, the medium-sized one on the right is Craig, and the one underneath "Craig" is Ava. :-)
Ava and Craig in front of the fountain at Goodberry's when we went for custard a couple of months ago. Good stuff, but the crazy fools don't know how to make a malt. When I asked for a chocolate malt they just looked at me like I'm nuts and the best I could get was a chocolate Concrete (their version of a DQ Blizzard I guess) with malt mixed into it. Craig said to ask for a milkshake with malt in it...maybe that will work?
Craig and I at Lake Michigan in Chicago over the summer. I love this picture!
Arrrr, matey! My little pirate...Ava is obsessed with pirates. When I asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween, she answered, "A pirate!" immediately, as though she'd been thinking about it all year. ;o) She's also asked for a pirate birthday party.
This picture should've been included with the previous batch but I forgot. Oops.
The rest of the pictures are from a photo session on October 1st, when we were in Illinois. They were taken by Brianna, a girl I used to babysit when she was a toddler (holy crap, I feel OLD)...she's now seventeen years old and takes beautiful pictures! I'm going to use some of these on our Christmas card this year, and have some others printed out since I don't have any framed, professional pictures of Ava more recent than 15 months old....yikes. There were more of these shots by Brianna, these are just a few.
A week in pictures
I never post pictures because frankly, it's a pain in the butt. Also, we no longer have a functioning camera so I have to take pictures on my iPhone, email them to myself, download them to my computer, and then do the resizing thing. And they aren't even that high-quality. Ugh. Maybe there's a new camera in my future, seeing how I have a birthday coming up tomorrow and Christmas in another month? ;o) We'll see!
This is the best family shot we were able to get for the Christmas card. Good grief. We all look like we're in pain....I think I'll do a Christmas card with multiple pictures this year, and make this one small! ;o)
Ava looking pretty cute...wish she'd have smiled like this for the family shot!
Ava at Beaverdam At Falls Lake...Tuesday, Nov. 23rd it was gorgeous outside (low 70s!) so Ava, Mom, and I packed a picnic and set off in search of a park...Beaverdam is awesome! I can't wait to take Craig...there are picnic areas, a playground, beach, etc....good stuff.
Ava and Mommy at Falls Lake...is my face puffy from pregnancy or does it always look like that? :-/
Ava and Mimi at Falls Lake
A shot of Falls Lake...it was a windy day, but on a calm day it would be fun to take out a canoe and explore from the water.
Wrightsville Beach--this is where Craig and I went for our weekend getaway. Not exactly beach weather but it was beautiful and the time alone with each other was fabulous!
On the beach...first sort-of belly shot for Baby #2! I guess I'll have to get on that.... ;o)
Craig on the beach...he's so cute... :o)
Ava with her prize for sleeping all night in her own room: a Tinkerbell doll!
She was SO proud! Unfortunately, it was a fluke and she has yet to do it again: she ends up on the chair in our room at some point every. single. night. Yeesh.
This is the best family shot we were able to get for the Christmas card. Good grief. We all look like we're in pain....I think I'll do a Christmas card with multiple pictures this year, and make this one small! ;o)
Ava looking pretty cute...wish she'd have smiled like this for the family shot!
Ava at Beaverdam At Falls Lake...Tuesday, Nov. 23rd it was gorgeous outside (low 70s!) so Ava, Mom, and I packed a picnic and set off in search of a park...Beaverdam is awesome! I can't wait to take Craig...there are picnic areas, a playground, beach, etc....good stuff.
Ava and Mommy at Falls Lake...is my face puffy from pregnancy or does it always look like that? :-/
Ava and Mimi at Falls Lake
A shot of Falls Lake...it was a windy day, but on a calm day it would be fun to take out a canoe and explore from the water.
Wrightsville Beach--this is where Craig and I went for our weekend getaway. Not exactly beach weather but it was beautiful and the time alone with each other was fabulous!
On the beach...first sort-of belly shot for Baby #2! I guess I'll have to get on that.... ;o)
Craig on the beach...he's so cute... :o)
Ava with her prize for sleeping all night in her own room: a Tinkerbell doll!
She was SO proud! Unfortunately, it was a fluke and she has yet to do it again: she ends up on the chair in our room at some point every. single. night. Yeesh.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving!
Just like last year, Thanksgiving 2010 was celebrated a day earlier with my mom, as the rest of the family stopped making the journey after 2008...we had a few busy years before that and then it just trickled off. Sad, but what can you do? We had a great traditional meal with my mom yesterday, complete with decorations provided by Ava (turkey hats, autumn leaf placemats, pinecone turkeys....totally cute). My mom left today and then we relaxed with Ava, ate turkey leftovers for lunch, Craig and Ava napped while I cleaned, ate turkey leftovers for dinner, and then conducted the bedtime routine. Ava didn't make it past 10pm in her own bed: she's sleeping on the chair-and-a-half in our room even as I type this. I have no idea how to get her to stay in her own bed all night but as I've said before, this is one case where the tough love thing is not the answer. It's been nearly two months and she has GOT to get over it! As much as I hate to admit that I do think it's sweet to hear her moving around and sucking on her fingers, she needs to remain in her own space at night.
Anyhow, in baby news, nothing is really new....the last of the first trimester symptoms are finally releasing their grip on me: it seemed like they were going away but then came back again, although not as severe. Oh, I had to reschedule the anatomy scan so now we have two more days of waiting...augh!!!! I hate Craig's stupid work schedule....and I almost didn't reschedule it because waiting an extra 48 hours just might kill me. ;o) Still nothing new to report in the movement dept...wish (s)he'd just haul off with a good kick already. Oh well.
Oh, on Sunday we celebrated my birthday a little bit early--while Craig and I were out of town, Ava and my mom made me a cake. The best part is that after the cake was done, my mom apparently got out a bag of potatoes so she could make a baked potato for dinner, and Ava insisted on putting one on the cake....haha! She was so excited about it too...it was definitely the most unique cake I have ever seen, and given my insane-o, gaudy, over-the-top wedding/baby shower cakes (anyone who knows the story knows what I mean here)....that's saying a LOT. I love my crazy daughter, and the fact that a potato sitting atop a red velvet cake is perfectly logical to her. :)
My next post will simply be a collection of pictures from this week: the trip to the beach, spending time with Mom, the potato birthday cake, Thanksgiving, etc....I just don't feel like doing the necessary resizing and editing at the moment.
Anyhow, in baby news, nothing is really new....the last of the first trimester symptoms are finally releasing their grip on me: it seemed like they were going away but then came back again, although not as severe. Oh, I had to reschedule the anatomy scan so now we have two more days of waiting...augh!!!! I hate Craig's stupid work schedule....and I almost didn't reschedule it because waiting an extra 48 hours just might kill me. ;o) Still nothing new to report in the movement dept...wish (s)he'd just haul off with a good kick already. Oh well.
Oh, on Sunday we celebrated my birthday a little bit early--while Craig and I were out of town, Ava and my mom made me a cake. The best part is that after the cake was done, my mom apparently got out a bag of potatoes so she could make a baked potato for dinner, and Ava insisted on putting one on the cake....haha! She was so excited about it too...it was definitely the most unique cake I have ever seen, and given my insane-o, gaudy, over-the-top wedding/baby shower cakes (anyone who knows the story knows what I mean here)....that's saying a LOT. I love my crazy daughter, and the fact that a potato sitting atop a red velvet cake is perfectly logical to her. :)
My next post will simply be a collection of pictures from this week: the trip to the beach, spending time with Mom, the potato birthday cake, Thanksgiving, etc....I just don't feel like doing the necessary resizing and editing at the moment.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
15 Weeks and All is Well!
The title of this post sums it up nicely: everything is fine, of course. I have been feeling sporadic movement, mostly changes in pressure rather than real "kick"-type movements. In 19 days we will find out if baby H is a boy or a girl, and of course I'm going to continue to lose my mind until then! Yes, I would prefer a girl but a boy would be awesome too...it's not like I'll be mad if it's a boy, you know? (Seriously, as long as it's not a hermaphrodite we're good. Although even if it is, I'll still love it and they can do that genetic testing thing and fix the parts accordingly. You know what? I'm going to shut up now.) Instinct tells me it's a girl, but I have crappy instincts so that doesn't actually mean anything...we shall see!
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