• Home
  • About
  •  

    32 weeks

    September 26th, 2010

    How far along: 32w
    Weight: 147.2lb
    Sleep: Not much changed here. I do find it interesting, though, that my pelvic pain is worst and sharpest at night. What’s up with that? I’m not even moving.
    Gender: Aw, nuts!
    Movement: Still re-inacting Alien… or attempting to anyway.
    Feeling: Good, but pissy. It has nothing to do with S2. Just the weather. It’s damn frikkin’ hot and heat + pregnancy = me extra bitchy. Sorry y’all.
    What I miss: Right now? Feeling cold. Cool even. And patient. I also miss sleeping on my belly and wine. A chilled Pino Grichio sounds amazing right around now… and I’m not even a big drinker.
    Food cravings: Nothing. It’s too damn hot to eat. Could be why I’ve only gained .5lb over last week (although I’m enjoying that part. My weight gain feels well in check thus far)
    Fetal development:
    By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You’re gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he’ll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.


    Foto Friday

    September 24th, 2010

    Ok, I have an hour left of Friday, so this counts, right?

    Tonight we got a chance to meet some mommies and kids that I’ve been following for years. It’s strange to get together with someone who you feel you know so well, yet you had never met in person before. It’s cool! Our boys played SO hard, and stayed up late, and (hopefully) had fun. Surprisingly there no tears or injuries, despite the bats, play-kitchen gear, and balls being thrown around.

    Our night tonight also gave me a glimpse of what life with triplets could be like. In a word? Terrifying πŸ™‚

    J (of Becoming-mom fame), discovering the joy of the storage bin. It’s a storage container, laundry basket, walker, and toddler toy all in one!

    Just think… what if you had to put all 3 of these guys to bed? By yourself?

    G and J

    J and his mommy

    Look, you can get two toddlers in a bin. Sold as a package deal. We tried for three, but they wouldn’t fit.

    Fist bumps.

    J’s sweet guitar jammies


    Call me a wimp: I want a c/s… I think…

    September 21st, 2010

    You will no doubt recall the Bradley method classes S and I attended in preparation to meet G. You will also, no doubt remember his delivery: the hours of active labor, my swelling cervix, the pitocin, G’s transverse position, the cord wrap around his neck, and his rapidly declining heart-rate that all lead to an emergency c-section. Well, if you don’t, I still do. And those memories are really conflicting me on the birth experience I want with S2.

    Provided S2 doesn’t decide to go breach, Dr. M is pretty flexible with me trying for a VBAC. The decision is mine to make, and to be honest, right now I’m leaning towards a c-section. While I’m not 100% dedicated to this choice, here’s my thinking behind the vaginal vs. c/s delivery route:

    Vaginal delivery PROS:

    • Recovery could be faster. I’m not in as good a shape as I was 2 years ago, and while I bounced to “normal” activity levels before I even left the hospital without any pain-meds following my c/s, I can’t count on this being the case this time around too. While a vaginal delivery will leave me sore down under for a week, a slow c/s recovery can leave me hard of walking for much longer.
    • This is my last chance for one.
    • I would really like an un-medicated birth (and hell no would I consider getting cut open w/o meds)

    Vaginal delivery CONS:

    • It hurts
    • It hurts a HELLA’ve a lot
    • I can tear
    • A tear will hurt too
    • I won’t be able to sit on my bum while
    • There’s no guarantee that a vaginal delivery actually WILL happen
    • Small chance my uterus could rupture
    • I was really upset and disappointing when my med-free attempt ended up in a c/s. I felt like I had failed in some way. If only I had relaxed “more”, perhaps, things wouldn’t have ended up the way they did. It took me a long time to come to terms with this.

    C-section delivery PROS:

    • I know what to expect
    • I might be able to take a nap again during πŸ™‚
    • It’s over with quickly
    • I get 2 extra weeks of time at home with S2
    • No under-carriage tears or other owies
    • More dedicated alone bonding time with S2 in the hospital, with the rest of the world locked out

    C-section delivery CONS:

    • Realistic chance I won’t bounce back quickly
    • I’ll be away from G longer (4-5 days in hospital w/ c/s, vs. 1-2 days otherwise)
    • I won’t be able to pick up and carry G for awhile, and he’ll likely want that after some sibling jealously kicks in

    Really there are 2 parts that lean me very heavily towards a c/s: the physical pain of vaginal delivery and the extra 2 weeks of time at home. The second part is purely financial. There isn’t a spot at daycare for S2 until end of March. Right now, if S2 comes exactly on his due date, we’ll be making it just in time with how much time I can take off. However, if he comes early AND I choose to deliver vaginally it really puts us in a tough spot in having to bridge daycare for the difference. I just can’t handle the idea of putting him in one daycare for a period of time, only to pull him out and bring him to G’s daycare when his spot is available. The transition will be rough as is, and it’s not fair to him, to get him attached to one care provider only to turn around and change everything on him all over again.

    Then there’s the physical pain part. Those of you that have gone through labor and have had the privilege to deliver vaginally experienced the joy of holding your baby right away with all the happy hormones following that made all that pain feel worth while. I hope. You got that reward. Me? I didn’t. Instead, I have the pleasure of sporting a 4″ scar on my lower abdomen as a reminder that I spent 9 weeks in a childbirth course that I felt I flunked out of. And the longing for that un-medicated birth I wanted.

    If I plan for a vaginal delivery again, and if it doesn’t happen, there won’t be a 3rd time. I will still have the same sadness and longing as before. Still the same feeling of failure as before. PLEASE don’t get me wrong and think that I regret the safe delivery of G in ANY way. I am BEYOND thrilled that he was born healthy and safe and I wouldn’t have it any other way. My emotional hang-ups are not about him: they are about me, and how I feel I did during those hours of labor. The “what ifs”. I worry that if I plan for an un-medicated vaginal birth, and again if fails to happen for us, my feelings of sadness will be worse. If I plan for a c/s, on the other hand, then I won’t be disappointed. It’s a set the bar low kind of plan πŸ™‚ I’m being an emotional wimp as much as a physical wimp.

    However, I’m leaving the door open for myself. Dr. M and I have agreed on an unplanned c-section. I will wait to begin labor on my own and then head to the hospital for my c/s. S2 will get to pick his birthday and he’ll bake for as long as he chooses to. Within a limit that is. If he doesn’t come by 11/22 (the day after his due-date), we’re having the c/s then. Why 11/22? It’s the first week-day following his due date, and a few days ahead of Thanksgiving on the 25th. With this approach, I’m figuring if I feel emotionally ready and physically able to take on the pain of labor, I can change my mind about the c/s right then and there and go for it. And if not, well, then it goes as planned.

    So there you have it. Call me a wimp. I want a c/s… I think…


    Say it ain’t so!

    September 19th, 2010

    So now that G is 2, you think it’s time I put his 12m clothes away? I’ve come to the sad realization that now that his long sleeved shirts are starting to resemble his short-sleeved shirts in arm coverage, it’s probably time to part with them. Except that they are so stinkin’ cute, and some of my favorites are in this size.

    Yes, I know S2 will be sporting the same soon enough, but it’s just sad to put them away.

    It’s shocking that at 2 G still fits in his 12m clothes, huh? I guess it’s one of few benefits of having a kid on the low end of the charts. You stretch out clothing wear for a looooong time.

    But between the outgrown shirts, and the impending move to the bedroom next door, I started prepping his 2T sized clothing. I washed three loads of 2T sized clothes today. Out of the first load came a dozen short sleeved shirts, and about as many long sleeved shirts. Two more loads of folding to go. I think it’s safe to say I won’t need to do any shopping for G for the next year. And, as an added bonus, with this quantity of clothes, I think I’ll only need to do his laundry once a month πŸ™‚


    31 weeks

    September 19th, 2010

    How far along: 31w. I have about a month and a half left at work, and that gets me pretty darn excited… and then I think about having an infant, and I freak out.
    Weight: 146.6lb
    Sleep: Still good. I need to train myself when I gotta go pee, to just do it and not hold it until I can’t stand it anymore. As it turns out, breaking point is between 5:20 and 5:40 am, and I have a hard time going back to sleep after that.
    Gender: Still frank and beans.
    Movement: Lots. S2 is strong and persistent too. S is amazed at just watching him do flips. Last night I’m pretty sure he was imagining himself at a space station and was just doing flips, to a point where I coulda sworn he was sideways. He’s been head down for awhile, so that would be quite surprising, but still.
    Feeling: Overall, good. I’m getting tired again, but my appetite is very subdued. Joints still hurt, but I’m coping.
    What I miss: Full night’s sleep without having to get up. I guess I’ll be missing that one for a looong time though, huh?
    Food cravings: Sweet stuff
    Fetal development:
    This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He’s probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby’s kicks and somersaults keep you up.


    A lesson lost?!?!

    September 18th, 2010

    Yesterday G and K were bouncing on our bed. G is new to this whole bed-bouncing activity, and actually last night was his first time. You’d think the boy who sings “No more monkeys jumpin'” ‘just cause would’ve learned something from that cautionary tale,Β  but no. Alas last night he jumped too close to the ledge, bounced off S’ night stand and landed on the floor. He wasn’t hurt (thankfully), but it did startle him a good deal.

    So today, we’re in the car, and G begins to sing the monkey song to himself.

    G: Doctor said, no more monkeys

    Me: The doctor said no more monkeys should do what?

    G: No more monkeys!

    Me: What should the monkeys not do?

    G: Jumpin’ on the bed

    Me: Why?

    G: Fall head

    Me: That’s right. They fall and bump their heads. Did YOU jump on the bed last night?

    G: Yeah

    Me: Did YOU fall and bump your head?

    G: Yeah

    Me: Are you going to do it again?

    G: Yeah

    So thereΒ  you have it. No lessons learned here. Our monkey will keep on jumping on the bed. Sigh!


    Foto Friday

    September 17th, 2010

    Should I be worried about G having a sibling?

    Get ready; Set…

    Jump

    Go, Horsey, Go!

    G at his new kitchen

    He likes to wash everything… all at once

    … cut his fruit …

    … and occasionally eat it (or pelt it at my head).

    Then he leaves a fine set of little things for me to pick up from the floor. I don’t like MY kitchen cleanup. This isn’t much better.


    No more daycare tears

    September 17th, 2010

    Today is the second day in a row that G has let me leave daycare without crying for me doing so.

    Don’t get me wrong, he really likes daycare. He doesn’t cry because I’m leaving him there. He cries because he wants me to stay and play with him all day. Now, as much as I would like to spend my day finger-painting, being read to, fed snacks and milk, and nap for 2 hours in the middle of the day, someone’s gotta go make the doughnuts. Plus we’ve grown quite accustomed to sleeping inside of a weather-shielding structure.

    Until now, when it was time to leave I had to sneak out, hopefully unobserved, so that G wouldn’t cry. I had 3 escape routes, and tried to mix them up as best I can. If S and I ever did drop off together, we also has an exit strategy. Over time G’s gotten pretty smart to all of them, so departure met with various success rates. I felt like each day I was making a prison break, that involved the daycare instructors as my accomplices. There were maps, and secret hand gestures involved. Believe me.

    BUT… yesterday and today, I decided to try the “preschool” parent departure approach. It goes something like this: “G would you like to push me out the door?” Wouldn’t you know it? Yesterday, he did. G escorted me all the way to the door; I opened it; he pushed on my rear; out I went and closed the door as he ran back of to kick a ball, eat a piece of waffle, or whatever it is he does. No tears.

    Today? Same thing. I don’t know if this is a temporary event, or our new departure routine, but I like it.

    More of this, please!


    Yeah!

    September 17th, 2010

    We’ve got a new word. This on it’s own these days isn’t too much of a big deal, since G is sprouting new words & phrases left and right, but it’s more of “what” the new word is. G has now given us “Yeah!”

    He got “No!” figured out quite quickly. He even has “Stop!” complete with the hand in your face, but any version of Yes has escaped him until recently. Do you have any idea how frustrating it is when you have a toddler ask for something that you don’t understand and you try to narrow it down? Grunts didn’t help, and when you couldn’t figure it out fast enough, it only made for one pissed off toddler.

    So now it’s a bit easier. I can ask him a question and he responds with “Yeah”. Plus I get the added bonus of feeling like we’re having more of a conversation now.

    Small steps, but big communication leaps.


    If your pants feel a little tight…

    September 15th, 2010

    If your pants feel a little tight, don’t just assume that your growing body is responsible. Look down and ensure you didn’t put them on backwards. Not inside out. Backwards.

    This moment has been brought to you by: pregnancy brain.