32 weeks

Grayson came with Mommy to the midwife this week. It was quite the adventure!
Grayson doesn't like it when other people touch "his" mom and gets pretty upset- so Cheri and I have been planning some practice runs at midwife appointments and dr visits to try to prep him for when mommy is in the hospital with the new baby.
Grayson got to help take my blood pressure (still well within normal range), push the buttons while I stood on the scale (still gained about 6 pounds this pregnancy), hold the doppler while we listened to Baby B (solid heartrate of about 143) and play with cars on the floor while Cheri and I talked. All in all G did much better than I expected- he will come along with Ry as well to the next appointment and hopefully there will be even less crying and moments of general distress.
Cheri can't tell which way Baby B is pointed this time around, and I am measuring a little bigger this pregnancy than I was at this time last pregnancy yet haven't gained any more weight (though I honestly haven't worked out as much either so...) Cheri said that if she cannot tell what position Baby B is in at the next appointment she would like to do an ultrasound to see where he is and how big he is getting. We have tentatively scheduled that ulatrasound for my 36 week appointment but can move it up if need be.
Good appointment, good news, good days and already 8 months pregnant :)

Goodbye Elevators

Okay so here I am 31 weeks pregnant already and I *still* haven't managed to find the time in my schedule to start working out.  That means that in 9 weeks I have to do some work called childbirth and I am not in shape to do that at all.... SO
Goodbye Elevators for the rest of this pregnancy!
I work at St Joseph's Hospital at least 2-4 days a week at this point in time- and that is a seven story hospital with my speech office in the basement.  I have discovered most of the stairwells in the hospital and am fairly confident that I can navigate all of the patient rooms I need to without using the elevators at all.
So I have issued myself the challenge of no more elevators for the rest of this pregnancy- and so far I have succeeded! My goal is to avoid elevators and use the stairs at work and in life whenever I can (I am not going to risk getting locked into a stairwell just to get a bit of exercise) and sneak in exercise that way.  The first couple of days were rough- but hopefully I can build more lower body strength, build some cardiovascular endurance (hiking a pregnant body up 6 flights of stairs takes some work after all) and build some confidence as well!

Baby B's Crib

This is what Baby B's crib looks like- in the store.
We haven't quite gotten around to cleaning out the guest room/office in our house that shortly will be Baby B's room so his crib needs to stay in the store for a little bit yet. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks- maybe a month- we can get the room all cleaned out and pick up the crib from the store. The goal is to have Baby B's room all set up and ready for him before Mommy goes back to work at the school in the last week of August (about 4 or 5 weeks before he is due to arrive).
Wish us luck!

30 weeks

Nearly 8 months pregnant and so far all is pretty good. At my appointment with Cheri this week she officially told me I do not have gestational diabetes (which I suspected since no one called me last week to tell me that I did). I am holding steady at my 6 pounds of weight gained over my starting weight- which is good. Baby B's heart rate sounds great- I seriously will never get over how awesome that sounds.
Only thing is that I am measuring a little big- 33 cm at 30 weeks (about 3 cm bigger than I was this time when I was pregnant with Grayson) and so Cheri wants to make sure everything is growing okay and not too fast or big. We might have an ultrasound in a couple of weeks if baby keeps measuring large- or we might not.... we will decide at some point in the 34-36 week range of time.

Stupid Glucose

I failed my glucose tolerance screening/ diabetes screening at 28 weeks by two dumb points (a pass is 140 or below and I got a 142). That means I had to do the long three hour glucose tolerance test to be sure that I don't have gestational diabetes.  This shouldn't be shocking to me as when I was pregnant with Grayson I only passed that same screening by one point with a 139, but somehow I am shocked and sad about it.  I also shouldn't be shocked since I have possibly, just maybe been indulging in ice cream on a nightly basis as well, and yet I was. Shocked that is.
So today I took the three hour test. I had to fast for 12-14 hours before the test so I didn't have anything to eat this morning before I went in.  The lab tech took my blood when I arrived at the office and then I had to drink a whole lot of a very, very sweet drink. And then wait. And wait. And wait....for an hour until the lab tech came back to take my blood again.  Then I waited for another hour until the lab lady took another vial of blood and then waited another hour before she took the final blood sample.
My elbows are bandaged and I was one hungry, grumpy lady by the time the whole thing was over.  Then I went to get something to eat and all that food combined with all that time of not eating made for a really nauseated and shaky feeling- so I had to lie down and nap while Grayson napped for about an hour or two.  After that I felt much better and life seems to have resumed at its normal and hectic pace.
I am really hoping I passed this test- I really don't want a super sized baby, I don't want to end up diabetic later in life, I don't want a c-section delivery, I don't want to increase the risks of anything bad happening to me or baby B --- and Gestational Diabetes increases all of those risks.  So perhaps nightly ice cream should be done and daily walking should begin....perhaps.
Here's hoping I don't get a phone call from Cheri or a diabetic counselor anytime soon- which means I would be in the clear!

28 weeks

28 weeks already!
Midwife appointments every two weeks already!
Seriously this pregnancy is flying right by- we are so very busy between me working multiple part time jobs to save up enough money to stay home as long as possible with Baby B and chasing a very active toddler around.
Midwife appointment this week was with Ali again. Baby seems to be fine, good heartbeat, good size.  I didn't gain any more weight (phew) so I am standing at 6 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight.  I did however fail my glucose tolerance screening- which means I *may* have gestational diabetes and now have to undergo the long three hour glucose tolerance testing and hope I pass.
In the meantime- I am planning some nice long walks, a bit less ice cream and a more balanced diet.
Not much else to report- I finally have some maternity scrub tops and so I can comfortably sit down to chart at work which is very nice.  Baby B is moving and shaking and generally seems awesome- though so far less active than his big brother was at this time.

24 weeks

At my 24 week appointment this week I discovered that I have gained 9 pounds in 4 weeks! Whoops....is about all I can say.  Ali kept telling me that because it has been SO blessed hot and therefore I could be retaining water or maybe not moving as much due to the heat that the weight gain may not be 'real.' But I also need to be careful. Since I lost 3 pounds in the beginning of this pregnancy this weight gain puts me at only 6 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight- which is not awful.  However no one should really gain 9 pounds in just their fifth month of pregnancy so I better keep things in check from here on out.
It has been SO hot and miserable and we have been so busy that I haven't been able to walk or work out much at all this pregnancy.  It makes me kind of nervous because I worked hard during my pregnancy with Grayson to walk daily and work out frequently to try to support an easy and safe delivery- and I haven't been able to do that this time at all.  I would LOVE to experience a similar delivery as I was blessed with last time but that also means I should probably try to find the time and energy to get moving, walking, doing Bradley exercises, being treated by the chiropractor..... and yet it seems that there just isn't enough time.  Hopefully things will slow down a little bit and I can make taking care of myself and supporting a good delivery a little more of a priority.

20 weeks

At 20 weeks this second pregnancy is already half over! Time is flying, I think chasing a toddler, working full time and generally being a grown up is taking up most of my mental energy because I just haven't been as focused on counting down the days this time around.
We got to see our sweet baby on ultrasound this week at our 20 week appointment. Some important things to mention: Baby B is perfect! The head, heart, lungs, palate, GI tract, kidneys, femurs, bones, spine, bladder, brain, and cord are all exactly as they should be according to the ultrasound. Baby B is measuring within a day of his due date of September 22 so perhaps we will all be home and settled in before Grayson's second birthday on September 28.
Excitingly we also learned that Baby B is a BOY!!! We are thrilled and feel so blessed to be given the privilege to raise two boys, two years apart. I hope they will be the best of buds and will always have each other as a support system. I can hardly wait to watch two boys grow up together, boying it up, building and playing and just being boys!

18 weeks

18 weeks
18 weeks already!! and finally feeling better. This time around the nausea and food aversions have really been kicking my butt- but finally between 14-16 weeks it seems to have resolved. I am super hopeful this baby is a boy so I can watch G and he buddy up and boy around and just be awesome together- but I secretly think this one might be a girl since I have been so very nauseated and feel pretty much the opposite of how I did when I was pregnant with Grayson.
I am feeling Baby B swimming around on occassion now- and I love it. I find the baby's movement so reassuring and so connecting. I love it when I can feel it and right now can hardly wait until I get to feel it every day (I am sure in 10 weeks I will be kicking myself for wishing for more movement sensation :).
I made the big switch to maternity pants this week during my spring break and am so very happy I did- I am so much more comfortable and plus it kind of feels like I have whole new wardrobe (I am sure that feeling will wear off long before this pregnancy ends as I cycle through the same few tops and pants). I am hopeful for warmer weather soon- apparently my pregnancy with Grayson must have been during warmer weather even though their due dates are just a week apart as I have mostly capris and t shirts in maternity clothes. It will be nice to be able to get out of the house and get moving too- I am feeling pretty housebound and wishing that we could have afforded a spring break vacation to get some sun for a while.
Here's hoping that May brings some warmer weather, more baby B movements, an ultrasound revealing a healthy and well developing baby and the chance to be outside!!

Big News

Hey Everybody Guess What........

Our big boy Grayson is excited to tell you all that he is going to be a big brother! Baby B is due to join us sometime around Grayson's second birthday :) How life is going to change around here in about 6 months- should be fun to watch!