All Done!

I think I am all done being pregnant this time. I don't recall feeling this way with Reece. I was still feeling pretty good when I had him, but this time I am really sore (could have something to do with vacuuming the whole upstairs last night) and can barely get around, let alone get anything done! I pulled a muscle in my back bending over to get something from a sitting position in a chair last night, and that really put me out. Rolling over in bed is a production. I have to hold my belly to keep it from flopping over, and pretty much every time I do roll over my back pops either out or into place, I'm not sure which. But it's a loud noise. Stretch marks abound on my belly, MUCH more so than last time. I was more diligent about lotion last time, but I don't think that is the reason this time. I think I'm just bigger and the belly grew faster this time. I'm uncomfortable sitting, standing, or laying down, so pretty much I'm just uncomfortable. I'm ready to meet this sweet baby and get the labor over with! I also feel bad for holding everyone in suspense on when the baby will get here, namely my parents. I'm ready for you baby! Patience is about gone with the pregnancy!

The nurse Susan told me on Wednesday that they would not induce until I was 10 days over my due date....YIKES!

Reece Quotes

At dinner, Ethan said, "Is it just me, or are there a lot of good match ups in the second round (of the basketball tournament)?" Reece said, "It's just you." Ethan and I cracked up, and Reece joined in, not knowing he had really made a funny, but figured he must have. Ah, it's the little things.

We also love when he says, "I neeeed that!"

He repeats all of the song numbers that the song leader at church says, and then points to the book and says, "That one song."

"I need a poopy diaper change." Classic.

"I a nakey baby." when changing his clothes.

"I go to Jim and Ila's house and play with the cars."

"I need somma dat juice for breakfast."

"Bath time for bonzos!"

Staying Busy....

38 Weeks

Today, Reece and I stayed busy! I'm trying to keep my mind off of the anxiousness I feel about the uncertainty of the baby's arrival. Last night I could not sleep because I was thinking about the names (still had not set on a boy name, no middle names for boy or girl), and also who to call to take care of Reece if we had to go to the hospital before my parents arrival. The timing is all up in the air, obviously, and I'm more anxious this time around because it involves our first born and who will take care of him while I'm in the hospital and how he will react to the baby, etc. So, again, trying to stay busy.

I had a dermotologist appt. this morning at 7am that I went to. Drove around Greenwood for 40 minutes before determining that I had the wrong directions, called the office, got the right directions (located 10 min. from my house instead of 30) and got a few spots taken care of. Got coffee and went home in time for Ethan to leave at his normal time. Reece and I had breakfast and did some chores before I decided that I needed a pedicure! I can no longer reach my toes to clip/file/paint them, and it's flip flop season almost!! It was a much needed (and I think, well deserved!) luxury that I spent some babysitting $$ on. Reece sat so nicely and flirted with the ladies. He pretended to read his picture books, while really he was wondering what was going on with momma's feet? He chose some colors for my toes (neon green and bright blue appealed to him). I don't think so!

Then we went to have lunch downtown with Ethan at work. Ethan forgot his lunch box the day before, so we got him Chick-Fil-A. We had lunch with Jen and Amber, and Reece showed them his books and played ball with them. He zonked out on the way home, it was almost 2pm by the time we left. It started raining just after we got home, so we napped during the nice, gentle rain. Woke up and played, did some laundry, and had Ethan bring home dinner so I wouldn't have to cook. I did, however, bake banana chocolate chip cookies after dinner for the basketball watching. Everyone is a big fan of those!

Baby belly is itchy and numb (stretchmarks galore). Took my 38 week photo today. Can't wait to meet little him or her, and can't wait to decide on a name. Ethan and I tossed around more names tonight and are STILL trying to decide. Ugh! You'd think it would be easier than this! But it's a big deal...the child will deal with this name for the rest of his or her life! It's an important decision, and it weighs on me! And time is ticking! I don't want to have the baby, and have no name to call him or her. That would just be awful! We'll be deciding soon. I think we almost have it nailed down tonight.

Momma Snuggle You

My favorite thing that Reece says right now, "Momma snuggle you." Love that line.

I've got a cold, probably from smooching too much on my sick boy Reece. He's getting over it, and I'm getting it. Haven't slept the past few nights very well. This morning I was so tired, I was in and out of sleep on the couch while Reece played. He would come snuggle for a while, then go play some more. I was totally out of it. Don't want to drink coffee because, A: it makes baby in the belly crazy, and B: if I do want to take a nap during Reece's nap, I wouldn't be able to because I'm hocked up on caffeine. I think this morning I should have gone for the caffeine. While Reece slept, I made Banana Jumbo cookies for Mark across the street because he helped Ethan when his car ran out of gas last week. Then I did my Bible class lesson (that we didn't even get to tonight).

I called Christina today on the way to my appointment. She was on her way home from seeing Beth and her new baby boy, Levi. This evening Beth called me and we talked for a while about the labor and such. It makes me just want to have the baby here and the labor over with already! Good thing we didn't decide on the boy name Levi! It was on our list, but has since been crossed off of the top 5. I still like it, but am glad she used it! They weren't sharing their name with anyone, they wanted it to be a surprise.

For dinner I made manicotti stuffed with spinach, chicken and cheese. Boy was it good!! Ethan stomached down 2 pieces, but I think just the thought of the spinach (which you couldn't taste) made it less appealing, but he did eat it, I'll give him credit for that. Just wish I had some garlic bread to go with it...forgot to get some from the store.

In 2 days I'll be 38 weeks. At the doc, I weighed 172, measured 38 weeks, and everything seems fine. Nothing happening yet. I'm anxious about what to do with Reece, but we have several people to call, so I think he will be fine. I am just ready to meet this little bundle!

Little Notes about Reece

Just a few notes about Reece:

Today riding in the car to go to the bank, he pulled his knit hat down over his face and said, "Where's Reece?" We played peekaboo in the rear view mirror the whole way home and he just got such a kick out of it, and I laughed so hard. He thinks he's so funny!

He stayed so still while I cut his hair last night. He just brushed his teeth while I cut...such a good boy!

Every morning he wakes and I go into his room, he says, "I watch 'Ightning Akeen and Tow Mater!" (Lightning McQueen) on youtube.

He really likes Barney now. We have only seen it a few times on tv at breakfast, but he already knows who Baby Bop, Riff, and BJ are and loves the songs. If you say, "Say Barney!" instead of "Say cheese!" for the camera, he will look and smile so big every time.

Dr. Visit @ 37 Weeks

36 weeks + 2 days

Went to see Dr. Rothenburg today. He asked if I was ready to have the baby. I said, "I'm getting there." He asked, "Do you want me to strip your membranes today?" I said, "Uh, no!" He proceeded to say that I'm not THAT ready then. :) So I'm not entirely sure if he was serious about the membranes, or if he was trying to get the reaction that I gave him. Either way, that just puts things in perspective...baby is coming soon. All of the vital organs are developed, and all baby is doing now is getting bigger and fatter...and harder to push out during labor. So now would be great, except that I don't feel ready to have the baby come yet. I feel like everything needs to be clean and put away and a place for everything and...you get the picture.

My belly measured 38 weeks, and I'm not sure how much I weighed in lbs. The nurse only could weigh me in kg, and told me she'd tell me the lbs and then didn't and I forgot to ask. Oh well...I'm sure it's not that much more than last week.

I've been having a lot of contractions in the middle of the night when I roll over. And right now baby is moving about so much and the movements are so uncomfortable! But baby is likely uncomfortable as he/she is running out of room. I guess I would rather have baby sooner than later so my belly doesn't have to stretch any further. I definitely have more stretch marks this time around than last time. My belly isn't as pretty this time :( It's all for a great cause! I can't wait to meet this little one!

Boy Name?

Here it is after midnight...again...and I'm still up. Too many things going on in my head right now to sleep. I have started a new Bill Binder for monthly bill keeping and paying, and will be taking over that duty so Ethan doesn't have to do that on top of everything at work. And the other thing on my mind is a BOY name. We have the girl name from when Reece was born, but Ethan and I decided on Reece on the way to the hospital. We just go back and forth about boy names. I must be too picky. There are a lot of nice names out there, but I have just worked with so many kids over the years that it is hard to choose one that hasn't already been taken a hundred times. The other problem is that names remind me of certain people I have come across, or people in entertainment/politics etc. that have negative connotations. There have been children that have been such a handful that I will never name my child after them because every time I say the name it will remind me of that child instead of my own. Too modern, too old fashioned, too overused, too this too that, or we don't like the shortened nickname version that people will inevitably call the child. We just have not been able to come to an agreement on any names. We both have lists, but no names overlap. The other night we had a breakthrough, and decided on a name we could both live with, and then upon looking up the name in the names book, the name is derived from the name Reece, same meaning! Totally different name to me though. We may still stick with it. Not sure. Some names I like are Thaddeus, Titus, Micah, Rhett, Blaine, Gavin, Keegan, Quinn. But really, we had better start deciding soon! I'll be 36 weeks tomorrow! The bag is partially packed, so I've got to get on that too!

The Sickie is Better

It has been a tough couple of weeks for this pregnant momma. Reece has been sick for 2 weeks, and yesterday I noticed a BIG improvement in his appetite, attitude, energy...everything. So glad he's feeling better. During this time, Ethan has also been working a LOT of overtime, sometimes coming home at midnight, sometimes right before Reece's bedtime so at least he gets to see him before bed. It's hard on mommy not getting a break from a sick toddler, that's for sure. And it's hard on Ethan not getting to see him or me much either. Hopefully we will get a reprieve from the OT soon!

Baby belly is getting bigger. I took a look at my 37 week picture from the last pregnancy, and I'm bigger than that at 35 1/2 weeks today. I am getting a few more stretch marks as the belly gets bigger this time around. Sigh. Nothing I can do! I've been waking up with very sore hips and waddling around all day. I'm in the midst of packing my suitcase for the hospital. This time I have 3 lists instead of 2. My bag, baby's bag, and Reece's bag, just in case he needs to go somewhere while I go to the hospital. I bought 2 coming home outfits for the baby....one boy, one girl. They are SO cute!!! The boy one has cars on it, and the girl one is white with green and pink flowers. I need to get some Dreft to wash them in before packing them. I'm having cravings like crazy, but most of them go unfulfilled. Tonight I want an Asiago Cheese bagel with cream cheese from Panera Bread and a caramel latte.

Today I tried to start another scrapbook page for Reece's book while Reece played....to no avail. It just takes me too long to think of a layout and execute it. Maybe SOMEDAY I'll finish it!!

Dr. Visit @ 35 weeks

Today just about wore me out: took Reece to the doc at 9:30am, went to Babies R Us to get a boy and girl going home from hospital outfit, went to Meijer to get Benadryl for Reece and a few other things, home for lunch which Reece was too tired to eat, put Reece down for a nap, tried to nap myself but too many things are going on in my head, barely had fallen asleep then woke to a grumpy hungry child that had to be whisked into the car to go to my doc appointment downtown, home to do dishes, fix dinner for myself and child, whisk child off to Bible study, home at 9:15pm to put child straight to bed....I will be following shortly!

Nurse Susan said baby's heartbeat is great. Measured me at 36 weeks, but after feeling around on my belly and the position changed, she said I would probably measure closer to 34/35 weeks. She said baby is head down pretty low and asked if I was feeling any pressure...define pressure. I am feeling some sharp sensations on my cervix when baby moves a lot, so I assume that's the head pushing down on it. I weigh 171 lbs. I can't remember exactly, but I think I only got up to 173 with Reece. I hope to not gain much more, but baby is at least going to gain another 2-3lbs before I have baby. So that means I'll gain at least another 2-3 lbs and then some! Ethan is already asking when I shall be joining him for P90X workouts postpartum....hmmm....let me get back to you on that one, honey!!!

Pregnancy Symptoms

Because this blog is partially my own personal pregnancy journal, I'll just mention a few things that I'll probably forget about years down the road. I have been sleeping with a pillow between my knees since probably 28 weeks. At that time it eased some hip pain that I was starting to experience. The past couple of days, despite the pillow, my hips have felt almost arthritic...must be prepping for the birth and spreading. My mom said it won't be long now! Baby is still VERY active...must still be enough room in there to exercise! Baby seems surprised when it's feet get up under my ribs. I'll feel the first kick, then...kick! kick! kick! as if it's trying to figure out...what IS that? Also been having some very taut Braxton Hicks contractions. My belly gets SO hard! And some movements are painful, which I don't remember having painful baby movements with Reece. All in all, this baby seems a bit more hyper than Reece, which may tell us a lot about the future in differences of temperaments between the two. Reece is so laid back, this one might be a bit more active and bouncing off the walls! Who knows!

I have another check up tomorrow with the nurse practitioner Susan. So then I will update weight and other things. I also take Reece to the doc in the AM...he has had a fever for a week straight! I think it's time to take him!

34 Weeks...and Counting

33 Weeks

Baby Belly Update:

As I am typing this, baby is moving about very vigorously! I have had some very painful movements, and I don't remember those with Reece the first time. All of his movements were painless. The heartburn gave me a rest for about a week, and then started up again today. I woke this morning with a foot kicking me under my rib cage, so I'm assuming the position of the baby changed, and therefore caused the heartburn. Ethan took a look at my belly tonight, and said, "I think you're going to have that baby soon! How do you hold that up?" Referring to my heavy belly. It's hard, I said. It really is. It gets heavy as the day wears on. Reece has been sick the past couple of days, and it's been hard dealing with him as he wants to be held, carried and snuggled more. Ethan also suggested last night that I pack my bag for the hospital. "I'm only 34 weeks!" I said. He countered that you just never know, and we should at least start getting things around! I started thinking about all the things I need to pack: bag for Ethan, bag for me, bag for baby, bag for Reece because who knows what the situation will be...will he go to someone's house? Or will someone come to our house?? All great questions!! Ethan said he can handle packing his own bag...to which I rolled my eyes I'm sure and said, that's a relief! One less thing to worry about.

Reece's Never-ending 2nd Birthday

What a lucky little boy Reece is...he has family and people in his life that love him SO much! We just finished Christmas, then came back from traveling and got gifts from people at church, then we celebrated his birthday with Grandma and Grandpa Walker, and this past weekend Grammy and Papa (AND Meow-Meow kitty!), Auntie Em and Uncle Jeff and Nolen came to stay with us to celebrate his birthday again! And then he got Valentine's gifts on top of that!! Wowee! Reece thinks it's great!

He just loved having everyone in the house this weekend. We opened gifts and he had to take breaks in between opening because he was just so excited about each one, and wanted it "open please." He got an ABC puzzle, food for his kitchen, a remote control dump truck, a backpack, a Hot Wheels semi-truck, Cars underwear, a rug for his room with a road and town on it, a black corduroy suit and tie set, an Elmo outfit, Hot Wheels plate and bowl, Cars plate/bowl/cup set, Cars crayons, and a Mustang tshirt.We made a cake for Reece, and put the candles on and he blew out the candles all by himself! He sat with Auntie Em...he liked that :)

On Saturday, Ethan signed Reece and Nolen up for a Valentine project at Lowe's. They helped build a heart music box for their mommies. Here is the one Reece made for me!

Grammy and Papa brought Meow-Meow kitty with them to stay with us while they are traveling. Reece has been loving having her around. If she's not in the room, he's got to go find her. He loves feeding her treats, and loves playing with her. Today he has been playing with a bouncy ball and tennis ball with her, and tossing them on the stairs. Meow-Meow likes to play with the string on the balloon that Reece got for Valentine's day too. Nolen spends a lot of time with Meow-Meow, so when she would meow, Nolen would too. So Reece joined in the meowing as well. Reece talks to the cat and wants to show her things. When he woke from nap the other day he had his Cars underwear on his bed with him looking at the pictures. He said he wanted to show kitty the Tow Mater underwear. So he went over and held up his underwear for her to see in her face, and said, "Look kitty, Tow Mater!"

I'm cracking up at the tiny undies! Reece loves Tow Mater!

Coloring Cars

They thought it was a novel idea to color on the floor...so much more fun than on the table!

Boy has Reece gotten into the Disney/Pixar Cars characters lately! We do not own the movie, nor has Reece seen the movie, but somehow, someway, he has discovered Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater, Chick Hicks, etc. We got him a Cars coloring book for Christmas, and he loves that, but so far has not colored in it. He just likes to look at the pictures, and it came with stickers that he sticks to everything until they won't stick anymore! He wants to watch Cars movie trailers and music videos on YouTube, and I have printed out some coloring pages with characters on them. I also printed a small version of the movie poster and put it by his bed. He goes through and names all of the characters that he knows and talks about them. He thinks Lightning McQueen looks like "daddy's car." (We have a red Grand Prix that Ethan drives to work.)

Today I got a glimpse of my postpartum future. Reece has gotten into asking me to play with him. He has probably noticed a downturn in my physical activity as far as playing with Reece goes. I do housework, and get tired and have to rest. Reece notices this and asks me to come play. "Momma try driving the car on the floor." "Momma drive the choo choo train down the hill." So he's trying to get me to engage in play, but I'm just so much more tired now than I used to be. I think he will be doing this a lot once the baby is here and I'm trying to recuperate, and even after I physically feel better he may continue this...perhaps asking me to play while the baby is nursing or something. We'll see how things go! Poor guy. He just wants someone to play with!

Reece's 2 Year Checkup

Reece had his 2 year check up today with Dr. Vik. He didn't go to sleep until 2pm, and I had to wake him at 3:15pm for his appointment. He was not very happy, but his version of not being happy is just saying, "No." when I told him we were going to the doctor. We got to the docs office and Reece flirted with the nurses, but when the nurse called him back to walk down the hallway, he got cold feet and wanted to "get in the car." So I had to carry him back to the room. They wanted to weigh him and get his height right away, and he wasn't ready. He barely stayed on the scale long enough to get the weight, and was trying to squirrel away from the nurse as she tried to get his height. She initially said he was only 34 inches, but after he got comfortable in the room he ventured out to the scale again and I took his height and he was 36 inches standing up straight, and 28.8 lbs. He just talked the doctors ear off when she came in, and she said he is way ahead on his language. After she left, the nurse came in to give his shots. As soon as she came in the door, he said, "I want to go out that door!" I think he saw the needles in her hands! Poor guy. He knew what was coming. He boo-hooed when she gave the shots and wanted his pants back on so he couldn't get anymore shots. But all was well after I gave him the fruit snacks I brought for him.

As for the baby belly, I have figured out why the movements are so different than when I was preggo with Reece. It dawned on me that Reece was posterior, so his limbs were towards my back and I felt mostly big rolling movements of his back and behind against the front of my stomach. This baby is anterior facing, so I feel all of the feet and knees and elbows and hands poking the front of my stomach! This makes for a bit more of an uncomfortable experience, but fun to watch all of these sharp little extremities moving across my abdomen!

Potty Time

I am one proud Momma...last night Reece pee-peed on the potty for the first time! We have had a little potty for some time now, and just had it in the bathroom downstairs. Anytime I would go potty, Reece would come in and sit on it and pretend, fully clothed. I have only put him on there diaper-less maybe 2 other times, and he seemed rather uncomfortable with the situation, so I didn't push it. Last night he needed a diaper change before bed anyway, so I asked him if he wanted to sit on the potty whilst I was in the bathroom going potty. He said, "I sit on the potty." So I took off his pants/diaper and he said he needed help sitting, so I sat him on there. I said, "Okay, now, can you put your pee pees in the potty?" He looked down. I said, "Can you make your pee pees come out?" And there it went! Of course, all over the floor and none in the potty because he's a boy, but he got the idea! He was able to do it pretty much on command so he knows how to work that body function for sure! I was so excited! He smiled because I was making a big deal. We cleaned up the floor and Reece said, "I wash hands in da sink." So we washed hands and he said, "I need a diaper on." So we put his diaper back on. I gave him some chocolate chips because that was the only "treat" I had in the house. We will have to figure out what the next step is. We're not sure how to proceed now that this has happened! With the baby coming, do we start hard core potty training, or just be relaxed about it and not push it? We'll figure it out along the way, I guess!

Taking Inventory and Nesting

I have REALLY been nesting this week! Ethan has been home a few days because of the weather (Ice Storm, 2011) and has been playing with Reece, so I have been able to get things done! I went through the 2 boxes of girl clothes that I had been given to take inventory. I got out a clipboard and paper and pen, and wrote down all the sizes and description of each thing. Most things are 0-3 months, but there are things for both seasons - spring/summer, fall/winter. I did this mostly because I wanted to have an inventory of things in case I do have a girl to know what I need to look for at garage sales, store sales, etc. for the future. There were SO many sleeper outfits in the boxes, and none bigger than 3 months. In addition to the already huge number of "neutral" sleepers I have (probably between gowns and sleepers there are at least 20 (and this isn't counting the boy sleepers!) I am overwhelmed!! I think the overwhelmed feeling is because of the suspense and not knowing. I have both boy and girl clothes and just want to get them in drawers and out of boxes. With Reece, I just didn't even look at the girl clothes in those boxes, and all I had were neutral outfits and that was that and I would just get the rest later. Well, now, the frugal person in me wants to be prepared in case I see a sale or be ready when the garage sales start (which will be soon after baby arrives) to know what sizes I need to get and types of clothing. I also went through all of Reece's clothes that I have either picked up at stores/garage sales last year and hand-me-downs and made an inventory list of those items too. He is going to need a few more things than baby will for summer and next fall/winter, but not many. I have a feeling he will be outgrowing his current shoe size for spring as well. So moving on from 7 to 8!

In addition to taking clothing inventory, I also sanitized bottles, pacifiers, aspirators, etc. for when baby arrives. Reece and I hung some things in his room (a clock and a cork board). I think tomorrow I will have him paint on a canvas that I have and hang that in his room. I was going to paint a truck or car on it, but I think it would be cooler to have something that he painted himself on the wall.

Reece has been so funny lately! He just gets funnier every day. He has a car puzzle that he switches the pieces and thinks it's so funny. We have also found that we are able to reason with him a lot more at meal times when he doesn't want to eat something by asking him to take 2 more bites or saying that he has to eat such-and-such before he can get down and play. He usually complies. His latest songs that he knows or are learning are: "Sanctuary" "Psalm 118:24 (This is the Day)" "God is so Good" "The Song that I Sing" "ABC's" He really is a little song bird. He can hit every note, and he learns songs SO fast! He just asks to sing it again about 4 times, and he knows half the words and the tune!

Heartburn has been getting to me lately. I can't eat anything without having to take a TUMS or suffer the consequences. Right now I am hungry, but I can feel I'm on the verge of heartburn so I don't want to eat anything and make it worse. So I guess I'll go to bed hungry!

My "Baby" is 2!

Doing a puzzle with Grandma and Grandpa

Grandpa Walker showing Reece how the Hot Wheels track works

Reece trying to hold up "2" fingers for 2 years old

Reece having birthday cake

Mesmerized by the candles while we sing to him

Happy Birthday to you!

My first baby is 2 years old. I'm not sure how I feel about that!! I do know that I cried the second night he slept in his big boy room in his big boy bed, but then again, I was crying about anything and everything that day from commercials to movie endings, to not being able to find something I was looking for in the garage. Must have been my pregnancy hormones going crazy...OR maybe I was just emotional because of all of the changes going on while my parents were at the house. Putting up a baby gate, painting in Reece's new room and getting his clothes moved in there, getting out newborn baby clothing, just nesting in general.

Grandma and Grandpa Walker came over on his birthday and brought some cake and some gifts. We went out to dinner at Smokey Bones and Reece had a good time flirting with the waitress and driving his cars on the table. He ate a BIG dinner and then we went home and had cake and ice cream. We sang Happy Birthday to him, and he wanted us to keep singing it over and over again. We put 2 candles on his cake, and he tried so hard to blow the candles out, but he just didn' t have enough umph, so grandpa blew them out for him and Reece looked a little confused, wondering where the fire went. When we asked him how old he was, he tried and tried to put his fingers down with his thumb...he had been working on it all day. He had 2 pieces of cake and some ice cream, then opened gifts. He got a harmonica and a 4 lane Hot Wheels race track from grandpa and grandma Walker. He was thrilled! We played with the track way past bedtime, but that's okay. He had fun!

He also got some gifts from people at church. He got a few Hot Wheels, a snow plow, a monster truck with light up wheels, and a new winter hat that a talented lady made him. So nice! I think we are up to our ears in Hot Wheels by now, and every time Reece gets a new one, that's his favorite for the time being. The ones he usually goes back to are the PT Cruiser (which he can spot on the road a mile away) and the Hummer. If we go on long trips, those are the ones that come with us. He can tell you the model of almost every car he has (Chevelle, Mustang, Maverick, Hummer, etc.) and most of them he can tell you who he got it from, or that he got it for Christmas. He thinks everything he has been getting for his birthday is for Christmas. He got a birthday card today at church, and said, "I got it for Christmas!" And we corrected him and said it was for his birthday. He nods his head up and down and says, "I got it for my birthday!" So it's a little confusing to him why he is eternally getting gifts since December, but he thinks it's pretty neat all at the same time. Now he'll really be confused because we're celebrating his birthday with Grammy and Papa, and Auntie Em and Uncle Jeff and Nolen in Michigan on Friday, and he'll have another cake, and get sung Happy Birthday again, and get more gifts! There could be worse things!!! :)

Has It Been 40 Weeks Yet?

I have a dr. appointment today, and I think I may switch docs after this baby comes. I should be going every 2 weeks as I am in my 3rd trimester, but last time they didn't have any appointments available at 2 weeks so I had to wait 3 weeks for an appointment. I'm going to tell the doctor today that I'm not happy with the scheduling, and that they should be trying to fit women in who are in their 3rd trimester. These women should take precedence over yearly exam people, etc. Perhaps after the doc has a talking to with the scheduling lady, I'll get in on time in 2 weeks next time. Also, it is quite inconvenient to have to drive downtown to the hospital for an appointment and pay for parking in the parking garage. I'm quite over it! Somewhere much closer to home would be much better.
Yesterday, I had an odd spell of fatigue coupled with my heart pounding and it wouldn't settle down even when I laid down for a while. It did stop after about a half hour, but I'm going to ask about it today and see what the nurse practitioner says (that's who I'm seeing today, and I don't like her much). I think I am about ready to have the baby...has it been 40 weeks yet? I'm sure after I have the baby there will be some days that I wish baby was still in my belly so that I only have 1 child to care for! I keep wondering what it is going to be like having 2 and trying to balance attention, mealtimes, nap times, housework, etc. It's going to be crazy, but I'm looking forward to growing our family and meeting this little one that has been growing inside my belly for 31 weeks! This little one has been nudging my ribs lately and my pelvic bone, and some movements make my belly button pop out, and pop back in. Also, my stomach is running out of room I think, because I'm getting heartburn more often. Tums have been my friend!
Reece has been happy as a clam today which makes mommy's day easier too! He has learned "C" is for "car." No surprise there! At breakfast he started saying, "Momma loves you, and Daddy loves you, and Grammy loves you and Papa loves you, and Auntie Em loves you, and Zuncle Jeff loves you, and Zuncle Zach loves you"...etc etc etc. So cute. Then he wanted down, but hadn't eaten all of his breakfast. I told him he needed to eat all of his breakfast before he got down to play, and this works for now. He (with a little help from me) ate the rest of breakfast and said, "NOW I get down and pway!" That's right little buddy...you just remember that!

Big Boy in a BIG Bed!

My parents came this weekend and we touched up paint in Reece's big boy room and did a few other things around the house that I just felt I couldn't leave undone before baby gets here. We had Grammy and Papa talk up the big boy room and say how cool it was and what a nice big bed, etc. So we did the bath time routine, and Reece got jammies on and wanted to go into his new room (I think he said, "I seep (sleep) in the big bed!" So we said, well, by all means! We did story time and prayer in there, and had daddy bring in the fan from the nursery, and we sang songs like we always do. We talked about going to Bible class tomorrow, and Grammy and Papa coming to church with us. Then he said, "Momma seep in this bed." I said that mommy was going to sleep in her bed, and grammy sleep in her bed, and papa sleep in his bed, and daddy sleep in his bed, and Reece sleep in his bed. He seemed okay with that answer, and I said night night and walked out like I normally do. He was quiet for a minute, then said, "Momma? Mooomma?" More quiet. Then a bit of a distressed "Momma!" More quiet. Then, "Momma seepin' in da bed. Dadda seepin' in da bed. And Grammy seepin' in da bed. And Papa seepin' in da bed. And Reece seepin' in da bed..." Repeat. Then he was talking about his cars a bit, and after that Ethan and I descended down the stairs and didn't hear a peep otherwise. We were so nervous and surprised that he even stayed in his bed! And didn't cry at all! Aww...he's growing up! I just checked in on him, and he looks so small in that full sized bed. Cars in both hands.

Getting Sleep While I Can!

It was so nice to have Ethan home on a Monday! We slept in until 9am because Reece slept until 9 am! However, he was up in the middle of the night crying and talking about cars. I had Ethan go see to him, and he tried rocking him back to sleep, but to no avail, and he kept asking for momma. So, he brought him to bed with us, and and snuggled between us and went to sleep. Meanwhile, I couldn't sleep because Reece was rolling over and talking and twitching, etc. At about 6am I took him back to bed...I just needed to sleep! Luckily, he stayed asleep soundly until 9am. Then we all had breakfast and left to run errands. After Lowe's, Sears, and WalMart, we had lunch and all took a nap of some sort.
I have been experiencing some discomfort as the baby is head down I think, and grinding against my pelvic bones and squashing my bladder. I think the baby was doing the log roll today! Ugh! Every time I hold Reece upon my belly the baby gets a little antsy. I wonder if Reece feels all of that going on in there. I hope the baby isn't feeling too much pressure in there when Reece is sitting on my lap or what have you. Ethan is doing most of the lifting, putting Reece into the car and his high chair, when he's here.

Teething or Two?

Whew! What a day! Reece woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Usually when I go get him from his bed he is excited to tell me about something...cars, blanket, baby, Elmo, but this morning all he said was, "No." So I asked if I should go bye bye, and he said, "Momma go bye bye" so I went to leave and he didn't want me to leave, and then he did, and .... you get the picture. He did this for the rest of the morning about breakfast, going down stairs, cars, etc. And finally had a melt down about not being able to carry all of the cars he wanted to carry at a time which was about 7. My plan for the day was to run errands before an 11AM story time at the library. Well, we left at 10:30AM with Reece not having had breakfast at all. I said, "We ARE going to the library, and we WILL have fun!" On the way out the door of course he spotted some pretzels and wanted those...Nope! I prepared him a bowl of cheerios and yogurt covered raisins and a cup of milk and called that breakfast. Once in the car, and eating, he was happier and talking about cars passing by and the like. Of course, I had also dosed him with Tylenol at some point in the morning hoping to help the teething situation, IF in fact that was the problem. So, either the Tylenol kicked in, or he's just 2 years old, or a change of scenery did him some good. I, on the other hand, called Ethan and told him about the rough morning, to vent. Then, I got some coffee at McDonald's...by then, I needed some! We drove to the library, where we saw an old friend from baby story time months ago, and had fun reading books, doing finger plays and action songs, and then puzzle time. We checked out some books and headed back to the car. On the way out, Reece tripped and fell in the black slush in the parking lot, dropping the picture book he was holding in the black slush...and soaking his jeans with black slush. Not to be deterred from my errands (sorry Reece about the wet pants! He didn't seem to notice at all) we ate a cheeseburger from McDonald's (it was past lunch time and he only had a small snack for breakfast) on the way to Walmart to get wipes (much needed), and then to the Dollar Tree to get something for a craft day with some girls from church. We got home, and Reece went straight to bed and slept for a couple hours. Woke up with the same kind of up and down, crazy behavior that he had this morning. Needless to say, he went to bed shortly after 8pm as soon as he had his last tantrum about not being able to carry 8 cars in his little, chubby hands. (Although, it is 8:30 and he is still awake talking about cars.) What a day. I hope a long nights rest starts the day off better tomorrow!

Snow and Snuggles

Today Reece was in a funk. He didn't eat breakfast and then sat on the couch with me for a hour and a half watching Sesame Street and other kid shows on PBS. Totally unlike him! He dozed in and out and then asked to get up and play. It has been snowing all day, so I got him dressed and we went outside and sledded down the driveway on what little tiny of a hill there is! He had a little fun, but as usual wanted mittens off and is "all done with coat." So we came back inside and snuggled on the couch again after he had a huge meltdown about not being able to carry all 7 Hot Wheels cars in his hands at the same time. He fell asleep snuggling with me on the couch without having any lunch or breakfast to speak of. When he woke he was hungry, ate a big lunch and was all kinds of smiles and happiness. So glad he felt better after sleeping!
I have really been feeling the baby roll around in my belly. I can now feel actual body parts moving around. When baby is smaller, they just float around in fluid and don't fill out the uterus as much so you can feel the movements and bumps but they are random and disappear. Now, I can feel the big baby in there filling out! I feel like this baby is going to come early like Reece did. I just feel further along with the pressure, size of belly, size of baby, etc. I have been nesting and trying to get the house in order but there just always seems to be SO much to do!! The major thing is transitioning Reece to his room and new bed, and when to do it. And of course I have projects that need to be done that I know won't get done after baby arrives. Well, I better sign off before I freak out right before going to bed. The adrenaline will get baby all fired up and moving around right as I'm attempting to get to sleep! :)

Dr. Visit @ 28 weeks

29 Weeks

Today was the good ol' glucose test. So funny that they have to do that for everyone, even when clearly I am in good health and have no sugar issues. Wouldn't you be able to tell?? Anyway, had to wake Reece up to go to the doc after only an hour. Poor guy needed his sleep! He cried the whole way because the sun was in his eyes and he was trying to go back to sleep. He never was able to. He did fine at the doctor though...gave him lots of snacks. At the appt. I measured 26 weeks, so 2 behind, but I told her everything just spreads out nicely when you are tall like me. I weigh 160 lbs., which means I have gained about 25 lbs. already!! Last time I gained 38 lbs, so I guess I'm on track for the same.
Baby was VERY active yesterday to the point that I thought I might get sick if it moved around anymore from motion sickness or something! When I woke, for the first time I felt feet kicking up under my ribs and a head bumping into my pelvic bone. So funny how everything is kind of "old hat" the second time around, but still amazing all at the same time. I'm feeling the waddle coming on...boo hoo. But otherwise I am feeling great besides the occasional heart burn. Peppermint for whatever reason gives me heartburn...even gum! So no peppermint patties or gum or candy canes for me.
Reece has had a few quotes of the vacation: "What in the world are you talking about?" and "I don't know where the car went!"