34 weeks... getting there.

I'm 34 weeks. I have 5 weeks until my scheduled c-section and its starting to sound really close now.

Weekly update: Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature too. The babies space is not much, because it over 5 lbs and around 18 in long. The kidneys are fully developed now and can make some waste now (yuck!). Babies born after 34 weeks may have to spend some time in neo- to continue growing, but usually at this point you can deliver eariler and have no health issues.

I'm still doing well. Getting harder and harder to move around and putting on my socks are a mission, ha. Just going down the stairs and up makes my belly contract and become, as I call it hard as a rock! Its not comfy, I'll say that.

My newest beautiful picture! And I'm doing maternity pictures with Aydan and I next weekend... Just want a few of myself and one of Aydan kissing the belly/aka his baby sister!

Potty Training is NO FUN!

We started potty training when Aydan was about 22 months old. Didn't push it, and he would potty sometimes when we put him on. He wasn't quite ready, so we let it go the summer he turned 2. Have started back up on it shortly after school started, but I think never pushed hard enough... he def able to do it, but still has had no motivation to tell us when he needs to go.
So.. in last few weeks (now that sooo close to another one in diapers) I have been pushing it. Tried some pull-ups, tried bugging him every 30 minutes asking him if he needs to go...
Now, in last 3 days.. I'm trying something new along with getting off my (very tired) bottom and putting him on it all the time and trying to catch the right times... trying the chart, sticker incentives. We have a chart on the wall, and everytime he potties he gets a sticker on the wall. After 10 stickers he gets a prize. Been doing it for 2 days and he has 7 stickers so he's close to 1st prize. I'll report back in a couple weeks and let you know how its going.

Also.. Grandma bought him some underwear (Handy Manny and Thomas). I have pulled out one tonight and showed him it.. he REALLY wanted to wear them.. but told him he had to be a big boy and start keeping dry during the day to wear them (he's already good at staying dry at night)...  so hopefully this will help too.

???'s and Thoughts of a pregnant women...

*Trying to stay comfortable and yet at the same time enjoy these last weeks being pregnant... because it will mostly likely be the last time I'm EVER pregnant in my lifetime. That's hard to do. Enjoy something that is so uncomfortable...  I find it easiest to do when I'm stressed out and I look down at my belly and its moving on it own... I can't help but smile and laugh because it cute/weird and funny at the same time.

*What will the baby look like? Will Aydan be a mini-Justin and Emma a mini-me...  : )

*How will my sweet little boy (momma's boy) deal with the new baby once she's here?

*Will she be as good of a baby and sleeper that Aydan was/is?

*I also think about how it go and run in the hospital this time. Stupid I know. But I can't help but think about it all and play it out in my head. And of course think about it when I'm trying to sleep, booo.


and finally of course....

*When will I sleep a full night with NO wake ups again??   hahaha, someday I know  : )

40 days until the c-section!

In Need of a Massage!

I am in need of a massage! I got a gift card for one from my friend Beth for Christmas, yay!! I've saved it for a day like now... when its much needed and I'm very uncomfortable and sore. I called today and I go next week for one, double yay!! Thanks Beth! I'm super excited!

33 weeks

I had my check up today. The doctor said everything looked and sounded great. The baby's heartbeat is slowing down a little bit.. sounds more normal now :)  In the early weeks the baby's heartbeat is super sonic fast, ha. I go back in 2 week and then I'm down to the last month, so its appts every week. :)
This week: Again, the skeleton is hardening, except the skull, because its still preparing for child birth and so can fit through the birth canal. Baby now weighs about 4 3/4 lbs., about like a cantaloupe. And is around 17.5 in long. She is getting more "rounder" everyday with the fattening. And the skin is now much smoother than ever.

I am tired more than ever lately and the nights are beginning to be very restless sleeps... between having to pee, her kicking and moving, Aydan occ waking up, and not being able to turn off my brain thinking about baby things to come.. I don't sleep much. Oh well, she's preparing me for when she comes.. then its not much sleep at all :)

48 days until due date. 42 days until c-section.

Visit from my Sis!

My sister, Nikki, came to visit yesterday, and I had a lot of fun!!
We spent the day hanging out in Mt. Vernon...  went to a re-sale kid shop (where we both found some cute new bows for Vivian and Emma), saw a movie.. No Strings Attached (super cute to anyone thinking about seeing it!), went to dinner, and played in Walmart for a bit. My sister said I'm a super fast Walmart shopping! That she had to go stand in one spot and look because I was making her dizzy running around... I told her that's how you shop with a 2 year old.. you make it quick and they don't get bored or restless!
Overall I really had a good time!! Wish she lived closer so we could do that once a week. It really was a treat because not too many people come down to the Mactown to visit!

"No matter how far apart we are, you are always with me Sis"

More Snow Days

We had our 6th snow day today and we'll be having our 7th one tomorrow. So, we're offically teaching into June, boooo. Oh well I guess. 2 of them I was sick and I needed them. And the other ones have been nice days with Aydan and relaxing... since I'm getting more and more uncomfortable.
Hopefully tomorrow I won't be as tired and can get some stuff done. 

52 days until my due date. 46 days until the c-section date. Its getting close!!

Today's Survery

How far along: 32 weeks

Size of baby: Around 4-4.5 lbs

Total weight gain:  Ha, did you think I was really going to tell you this! jk. At 32 weeks, I have gained 28 lbs.

Maternity clothes: def! In my bigger stuff. I have had to buy a winter coat this time around. I'm in my bigger stage at different seasons this time.. so don't have much. But trying not to buy much more this time.

Gender: Girl of course!

Movement: Yes, plenty! She holds her feet and slides them down into my slide all day long.

Sleep: Some nights, its good... some nights its bad. Hard to get comfortable and hard to re-position in the middle of the night.

What I miss: My normal body and the clothes I used to fit in! Walking normal, instead of waddling. A glass of wine :)   Sleeping a full night without having to get up and pee.

Cravings: Chocolate...  its came on the last month and won't leave.. goo..

Best Moment of the week: We took 3 family naps this weekend, Sat, Sun, and on our Mon off! Oh, and Aydan learning how to catch!

32 weeks... definite growth :)

When Emma has definitely grown, ha. You can tell from the picture. Again she should be around 4 lbs by now, maybe bigger. She could be up to 16-17 in long already. She has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (as we saw in the sono!). Her skin is becoming soft, as she loses the wrinkly look.
Today I saw my belly moving on its own during church.. ha, its so funny to watch. It made me smile. (and kinda alien like too :)
7 weeks until the C-Day  (section day). Great, because its already getting hard to put socks on, move, sleep comfy, sit and move at school (my kids are great, if i drop something, they get it in a hurry, they understand that bending over is not easy), etc. Still getting around ok though and staying positive about the big belly  :)

 Yup, she's growing, bigger than the last 2 week pic

 Up close

Another onesize I made. So cute, gotta keep this one for me and my girl

10 things I learned this pregnancy vs. the last one!

1. They tell you every pregnancy is different.. yes, but really no. Soooo much of this one is just like the last one. I had no sickness in the beginning hardly. I'm tired throughout the whole thing pretty much. And I'm uncomfortable the last 3-4 months, ha!

2. Girl baby kick way more than boy babies! At least for me!

3. Both my babies like to hang out with their heads in my belly button/ribs. 2 breech babies, yay! (unless little girl moves in next few weeks)

4. I am hiding a lot of my "baby weight" in my legs/butt this time. I heard this is because the weight stinks faster the 2nd time, ha. I'm going to have a lot of stairs to climb after the baby to rid the weight, ha.

5. Being pregnant while having a kid at home is way more tiring, than without a kid at home. Espically a
toddler!!! You're always chasing around the little more, while having another little one swimming in your belly.

6. I am somehow bothered this time by all the people saying, "wow, you grown lately." This is not a compliment to a pregnant women... why not just say, "wow, you're gotten fat!"

7. I prefer to be in sweatpants and a t-shirt all day long, everyday!! Didn't mind dress clothes the 1st go around, this time... comfort is a MUST!

8. Last time went sooo fast. I didn't find out until I was 4 mon pregnant. Then we got married.. had 2 months to get everything.. then moved into a new house.. then had 1 1/2 to set up house and then baby was here..  it flew by!! This time, found out at 1 month... nothing huge going on this time.. so now at almost 8 months, it feels like an eternity.

9. I am some days scared about missing being pregnant.. because this is going to be our last one. But some days.. can't wait for her to come out and meet us. Such mixed emotions. gooo.

10. It doesn't matter how many kids I have.... I will always be scared of having the baby again. I will always fear getting the spinal in my back. And I'm sure I'm cry this time again  :(

31 weeks and 2 days.

Well this is a day late, but I had some complacations last night. I was sick, boo. I felt uncomfortable all day yesterday. My belly was sore and she was moving enough to make me in a lot of pain. Then we got to our doctor's appointment and we had to wait a long time. We were used to it with our doctor at his old office, but at this new office, I've never had to wait longer than 10-15 min to get it. Yesterday we waited an hour and a half. The lights were off when we came out of sono. Niccce, real nice huh. And the 5 people who came in after us somehow were gone already. We then went to Walmart to food shop. By the time we got our of there, I was going downhill. Got home, had the achy feeling, temp.. and was sick an hour later. Temp of 103. Not cool for a women almost 8 months pregnant.
Feeling a little better today. We're out for a snow day. And I had to send my baby to his babysitter so not to get him sick. Didn't really get to see him yesterday, so I miss him already.

Doctor's Appointment: Things checked out ok. Heartbeat was good. She did not want to cooperate for the 4-D sono though. She was holding her feet in her hands up by her face.. so getting a good picture didn't really happen. She is breech, just like Aydan was at this point. She also opened her mouth a couple times and had her hands on her forehead. Nurse says she probably around 4 lbs.

If you look closely you can see her arm holding her foot up  : )

We tentively have a date for the c-section. March 7th!!! Doctor said we should be able to set the date offically at our next appointment.

Also, we picked up the rug yesterday, yay! I like it.. little more yellow than expected, the picture online showed it as more yellow/white, but its still nice.

Aydan hit a growth spurt

Aydan tells me last Tuesday, "Mommy, shirt too small!" lol. And yes, it was getting quite tight. The next day the long sleeve t-shirt I put on him was short on his arms. So... it was time to take Aydan on a mini shopping spree to get through the rest of the cold weather this winter.
Grandma, Aydan, and I hit St. Louis up for the day. Aydan of course was a good boy.. even for a "on the move" 2 year old, he's a good shopper! :)   The day was a success and he got some new clothes and got his 1st real experience of getting new shoes.. they measured his foot and everything! He got a ballon for it, he was pretty excited!
(His little sister on the way, even got some new cute outfits!)

Also, I'm 31 weeks today, yay! I'll up date more tomorrow after my doctor's appointment!

The room is defintely coming together

Grandpa came over yesterday and got most of the things on the walls in the baby's room. The only thing missing is the wooden letters spelling her name. We have it all ready now.. and some time in the next week the hooks for those will go up too. The rug has came in too, just haven't picked it up, doing that Monday after my appt. I'm pretty happy with the way the room is turning out. Acutally, shortly after I took the pictures I put Aydan's old mobile up on the bed, so all the room is missing is the baby, lol.

 This is the storage cubes and the hats/jacket rack. And Aydan's old basket for stuffed animals.

 Here is the new toy basket next to chair (I like that!). The curtains will be different soon, just tan colored.

 Love my floating shelves. Just need a couple frames to put up and those will be set!

 My bow/hair assc holder, I'm pretty proud of this.. the picture doesn't do it justice!

The crib of course! And all the soft blankets mommy's has gotten for ther. :)   Also love the mirror. The EMMA wooden letter will go to the left of the mirror.

Oh, and 65 days left. I'm 31 weeks on Sunday, and my 3-D Sono on Monday, yay!

Meanwhile Aydan likes to try and climb up on the crib.. only 1 spot to put his feet and it just barely lets his head peak over the crib.. and he looks in, its pretty cute. Plus I think he likes to look at the next music/picture screen in her bed! 

My new Sewing Machine!

I got a new sewing machine from my Hood parents... and I'm loving getting to learn how to use it. It's defintely a learning process, but I think I'll be a pro in no time, hehe! I got to spend some time Sunday morning working with it.... with a couple mess ups due to me and due to Aydan crawling under my chair.. I managed to get a couple projects finished.

1st I got a bag done and a bib (the theme is Cardinals, they're fans too) for a shower gift. (Note: the letters were not embroided on, they were iron-ons.. so I did that and then sewed them on so won't come off during wash). In the end, I was super happy with it.

This one is a onesize I made for Emma (our baby girl on the way).

I have quite a few others ones I have either started or ready to start... just need to buy some black thread! More fun projects on the way.

The family goes to see the new SIUC stadium

They re-did the basketball stadium last year, but we didn't get to any games. This season I def wanted to get there. Saturday, New Years Day, was the perfect day for an afternoon game! We took Aydan to the game, and to be honest he really wasn't into that day, he was having more fun doing up and down the seats because we we're in a less busy area. He did watch a little bit and did dance a bit (we were trying to get him on the jumbo tron... didn't work).
For my other SIUC alumi.. the stadium is really really nice. It feels more like a college stadium, instead of high school basketball gym now. New seats! New 4-sided jumbo tron! New "team store" for SIU clothing! You get the point, all new stuff, looks really good.. I was impressed.

 Watching the game

 The big shot view

 Crying.. of course

Better now, cause Mom is there

You can't tell in this picture, but he's laying across seat and watching game.. cute, my little future Saluki

30 week mark...

The 30 week mark is here. Feeling good. Can def feel the "getting big" feelings, ha. Harder to move around and get into tight little spots that I used to be able to do.
Baby progress: Eyesight continues to improve, not great yet and after she's born she open her eyes gradually so that they can adjust to the light. (When born babies can only see things a few in. from face until eyesight improves over time). The baby should def be growing to over 3 lbs this week. And she can turn her head from side to side. : )   They also say the Braxton Hicks could start now and the tightening of the muscles, ha.. I've had that for weeks! (nothing alarming though yet, thankfully)
I go in for my 3-D sono next week, so we'll get to see her 1 more time on the tv screen befroe she's born and they can measure weight so far.

My lovely 30 week picture (right after a nap, so extra beautiful!).