Flashbacks

22 Weeks with Baby Walker #2

21 Weeks with Reece

Finally got back to work on Reece's first year scrapbook...I'm still on the hospital photos! It's pathetic how long it takes me to do a page! I journaled about the labor tonight for the page I'm working on, and the memories of the pain came flooding back! Ethan and I reminisced a little about those long hours of contractions and I said that I don't want to go through that again if I don't have to! So I think I'm leaning toward getting an epidural as soon as the pain gets to be too much, and especially if I'm not progressing very quickly like last time. Who knows, maybe things will go much faster and I'll be able to handle it.
I have been having a LOT of Braxton Hicks contractions since about week 19. I'm on week 22. Baby is very active and loving life in the womb, I can tell. Except for when Reece tries to climb on my belly. I'm cutting back on picking up Reece now, after noticing the other day after making Thanksgiving dinner and cleaning and just doing too much I had some cramping on the right side of my abdomen that stopped me in my tracks. Ethan told me to take it easy and let him do things for me. So today I took it easy and rested a little, but of course I just can't relax all day when there are things to be done! I did do a little scrapbooking and tried to work on the quilt, but found out I need a different color of thread. So I have to go to the store to get some tomorrow before I finish that project. Wish I could start on a quilt for baby, but don't know the gender, and after baby is here there will be NO time!! Trying to get as much done now as possible. I keep thinking about Reece's room and what needs to be done about that, and how our lives will change once another baby is in the picture. I hope it's not as hard as I think it will be to make sure Reece still feels loved and special, because he is my good little guy. I just don't want him to get lost in the shuffle. We'll try to make sure he is involved with the baby as much as he wants to be, and give him all of the love and attention he deserves. I love him so much (I'm tearing up as I type). And my hope for the baby is that he/she gets as much attention and guidance as Reece has had to this point. Being a mommy is an emotional roller coaster.

Thirsty....but not for Dr. Pepper

I had a Dr. Pepper with dinner....it sounded so good at the time, but now I don't think I could sleep if I tried. So, I'll journal a little bit! I gave Reece a few sips, and it took him an hour to get to sleep. He sang "Choo choo Train," counted, recited quotes from books like Mr Brown Can Moo, Can You?, said momma and dada a few times, etc. Then he finally conked out.

At church, Reece likes to give the play by play. We're trying to teach him to whisper when he wants to say, "All done singing da songs" or "I give da money to Dod (God)," or "Say da prayers to Dod." He is such a sweet little man.

Pregnancy wise, I am still craving sour things. Went scrapbooking on Saturday with some girls from church and one of them brought sour worms. Man, did I chow on those! And chocolate is just take it or leave it right now! I have been having regular Braxton Hicks contractions. The baby doesn't like those. Baby squirms and wiggles after those every time. I have been waking up parched at night and needing something to drink in the worst way. Last night I had to go downstairs and get some ice water, then it took me at least an hour to get back to sleep. My right leg fell completely asleep last night for no reason at all. That's not a good sign! That means my hips are probably adjusting and widening and affecting my nerves and blood flow. Belly is about as big now at 21 weeks as it was at 26 weeks with Reece. In my scrapbook on the 26 week photo, I wrote that I finally broke down and bought maternity pants...HA! I've been wearing maternity pants now for at least 3 weeks!! It's true what they say about getting bigger, sooner the second time around. I can feel the waddle coming on already!

Halloween and Growing Babies

Well, I'll start by saying that I'm glad that my belly has somewhat caught up to my, ahem, rear end. For a while there it just looked like I had a bigger bum for no good reason. Which reminds me, I need to take a belly photo!! I started taking belly photos with Reece at week 14 I think. I'm going on week 19 with this one! Just today starting to feel the belly encroaching upon my ribs if I don't sit up straight enough. Baby has been hanging out verrrrry lowwww. Way down there. Just poke, poke, poking away!

Reece went trick or treating on Sunday night after we got home from evening worship. It was pretty chilly out, so we only went to about 10 houses behind our block. I rode him around in the wagon with Ethan's lantern setting on one end, and Reece on the other. He never let go of his little pumpkin bucket (which used to be mine when I was little) or his little pumpkin flash light that he got from the Halloween party we went to. He loved going up to the houses to see their Jackolanterns. "Pun-ins!" he would say. When prompted, he was very good about looking the people in the eye and saying, "Treat," (he usually omitted the "trick"), "Tu tu," and "Buh bye."

Reece and I went to vote today. I gave him a mini Tootsie Pop to lick out of his Halloween stash. He loved it to the Tootsie middle. He handed me the stick and said, "All done!" He got a "I Vote, I Count" sticker and said, "Tu-tu" (thank you) to the nice man. Such a good little guy. We then went to the mall so he could play in the play area with the kids. Really all he wanted to do was sit in the big car all by himself. He got very defensive if anyone else wanted to sit with him in the car. After a while he began to play in the house and go down the little mini slide, with some slight interactions with other children. I gave a mom my number that I had been talking with. She was new to town this week from North Carolina. I thought she could use a contact in the area.

Reece took a 3 hour nap today, preceeded by a 4 hour nap yesterday, and a 3 1/2 hour nap the day before...I think we're looking at a growth spurt here!!

Well, I don't know why I'm still up because I didn't get a nap today, and I'm super tired! Off to bed for this sleepy head!