Update

I know I've been quiet lately. Here's a little update on what's been going on around here...

School started back in August. It's been a bit crazy in my department. I've mentioned a few times that there have been some big changes, including layoffs and basically my department being shut down. My position is okay (for now, at least, though it will continue to be a fight), but, as usually happens with any downsizing, I've been rather swamped trying to cover for the deficits. I've been traveling to schools to help with testing, but also trying to keep up with the loads of calls and emails flooding in. Now that the school year is in full swing, though, things are slowing down, which is nice, but also not a good thing for me right now.

I also caught a fun cold which turned into a sinus infection. When you're pregnant there is so little you can take, not only to combat the actual infection, but just to make yourself feel better in general, so I was pretty miserable for a while. It actually took a LOT out of me. Even when I started feeling better I was just exhausted. I'm still recovering from the cough that always comes after the infection. I have a CF appointment coming up and am hoping it hasn't effected me too much- my doctor is a bit "trigger happy" and very quick to recommend IV antibiotics and more intense treatments as opposed to trying other routes first. I understand my health is just as important to keep baby healthy, but I've also proven several times already that given a little time and alternative methods, I can easily pull my lung function back up without stronger interventions.

Drew has being doing so much better with the potty training again. We've still had a few school accidents, but for the most part he's been staying dry. We reverted back to the "bottomless" method at home, which is what was recommended anyway. We had tried to do our own thing to get him ready for school, but it wasn't working. Since going back to bottomless he's been great, and even starting to stay dry at night again.

He's still a 2 year old so we're still dealing with stubbornness and tantrums, but the intensity that I saw at the beginning of the school year has settled down. I told Jason "he's finally like a normal 2 year old again!". I can't believe I'm excited about that.

He is talking so much these days. He loves to call people on the phone and ramble about random things. He likes to try to "show" things to the people on the phone, too. We were talking to Grandma the other day and Drew held the phone up to the car window and said "green trees, Grandma!". He tells me what he did at school each day (which pretty much consists of "played with so-and-so, and played with so-and-so, and so-and-so"), and he loves to talk about where everyone is and what they are doing (Aunt Laura- I have a video to share with you of him telling me that you're in bed... I have no idea where that came from!)

A photo to break up the monotony of this post
My boys cheering on Wisconsin

The pregnancy is going well, though I have to admit I have never felt so pregnant in my life. Yes, that includes when I was nearly 42 weeks pregnant with Drew. I am so tired and so so SO sore! I'm starting to feel like I can hardly move because my hips and lower back feel like they are falling apart. I know a large part of it is that I haven't been nearly as active during this pregnancy. Cassie, Stacey, and I have been doing pregnancy yoga still (yes, Stacey too- there's some pretty decent stuff), but I haven't been as good about getting out and walking. I know it will help. When I was pregnant with Drew I just didn't get to that "I'm so uncomfortable" point. But I've still got 2 months to go and I'm already there. :-/

I've finally more or less decided to change my "vocabulary" when asked when I'm due. I was SO tired of the bulging eyes and startled comments when I said I was due in early November. By saying late October, even though it's really only a week difference, it seems to have a completely different effect. For the first time I've had a few people tell me, "you look great! You're not very big at all!". Still, at work the other day people were fussing over me and I said "guys, you realize I still have 2 months left, right?". They were more than a little shocked. And today I had a guy walk past me and say "well, you look just about ready to pop!" to which I responded "in about 2 months!". Sigh....

Really, the reason for the "lie" in the first place was to take some pressure off myself. Sure enough, the people at work, when told I still have 2 months left, told me, "no way! That baby's coming early!". That's exactly what happened with Drew, and that's exactly what made it so frustrating to go 12 days overdue. EVERYONE told me that there was no way I was going to my due date with Drew. He certainly proved everyone wrong. And as much as I had tried to ignore people, it still got into my head, and I don't want to do that again. By telling people I'm due in early November not only do I take some pressure off myself, but I've also started believing it. I'm convinced this is a November baby.

Besides the whines and complaints about aches, pains, and my size, things have been going very well. Floodlet is growing and kicking (and Drew will tell you this, after he points out where his baby brother is), and I've still been lucky to avoid a lot of typical pregnancy complaints. I'm seeing a midwife practice instead of a typical Ob/Gyn. They are much MUCH more natural birth friendly (in fact, they encourage it). I really like all the ladies and feel very comfortable there. My only complaint is that the head midwife hugs me at the end of each appointment. Not only do I feel strange being hugged by my "doctor", but you all ought to know by now my feelings on hugs...

Stacey snapped those pretty photos of Jason, Drew, and me that I posted on Wednesday and today Cassie and I got together and did some maternity shots for each other. So there will be more to come. :) Let me go ahead and say that toddlers are NOT cooperative when it comes to photo shoots. Even if you just try to play and not pose... Drew knew the instant that camera was out and clicking that he should NOT smile or be cute in any way. :-/

In general we're finally starting to act like we're going to have another baby in the house. I feel like I've been such a procrastinator this time. Seriously- I just signed up for birth class last week. And before you say anything, yes, I know I've done this before, but considering how little I remember about when Drew was a baby, I certainly don't remember enough about labor and delivery.  Still, we're taking a one day class instead of a 4 week one. We also signed up for a water birth class since the hospital actually offers that option, but you have to be "certified".  I'm not sure if that's the route I'd like to go, but I'd love to learn more and have the option available. The baby's room is finally painted as well, thanks to my mom. We're doing a fun alphabet nursery based around this sheet. The walls are more or less that light blue/teal color- very pretty! :) I've started picking up and making a few things for the walls, but hopefully I'm going to have some help from a friend to do something really fun on the walls! Pictures will, of course, be posted.

And I suppose if I'm going to do this much updating, I should put in a little piece about Jason, though I try to leave him out of this for the most part (he's prefers not to be online). He's doing well. Recovered from the appendix surgery. Work has been busy as you can imagine a golf course is in the summer. And his at home work has been keeping him busy, too. I'm certainly looking forward to the days getting shorter so we have him around more often.

Alright, is that enough to make up for my absence around here? I have a video for Monday, but other than that I make no promises. Keeping up with everything has been rough. And I think I'm allowed that. :)

Why I'm NOT ready

 At 38 weeks I know a lot of women are just "done" with pregnancy.  They're over the whole thing, tired of sharing their body and all the aches, pains, and side effects caused by it.

I, however, am apparently not at that point yet.  It could be partially due to my long "to-do" list which looks something like this:

1. PACK!
2. Install car seat!
3. Clean carpets
4. Get glider cleaned and moved
5. Make curtains
6. Hang wall art
7. Find a solution for bookshelves
8. Finish organizing nursery

I need more time!

I'm sure there's a "fear" element too.... fear of not being a good mom, not knowing what to do, not being able to handle things, not getting enough sleep, and overall life changing so drastically!  But I'm also super excited to meet this little guy and get to see who he looks like, what he'll be like, and who he'll grow up to be!

It could also be due to the fact that I'm simply not miserable.  What I'm about to write makes me nervous because I could be ruining everything, right here, right now, as I bring up all the things I have yet to suffer.  I could be "jinxing" myself to say these thing "out loud" (okay, in writing, but still...).  But here goes....

Overall I feel I've had a really good pregnancy.  Except for the pretty rocky beginning (see these posts: 1, 2, 3) I've skipped out on a lot of the typical complaints, as I've mentioned before.  I have been happy not to suffer from:

• Morning sickness- except for the one morning I actually threw up and an overall sense of "bleh" for a little while, I never really had a problem with morning sickness
• Itchiness- I don't know if it's been the stretch mark creams, or what, but I am thankful that my belly and skin haven't been driving me nuts!
• Moodiness- even ask Jason, he'd tell you overall I've probably been more level-headed than normal.  Until the last few weeks that is... I'm getting a little irritable and the stress of the unknown with my job is getting to me too... but still, I don't seem to have "whoa, watch out for the pregnant lady!" mood swings.
• Trouble sleeping- okay, this one is kind of surprising me.  I still only get up once, maybe twice, a night to go to the bathroom, then I go right back to sleep!  Sleeping is not as comfortable as it used to be, but it really doesn't take me long to fall asleep, nor do I wake up out of discomfort or from Floodling squirming around.  I used to be an incredibly light sleeper, but things have changed and now I sleep like a rock.  I swear this kid could kick me right between the ribs and I wouldn't even roll over.  Kind of makes me worry about when he arrives.... will I wake up when he cries!?
• Painful kicks- I've heard a lot of people complain about their little ones getting their hands or feet all tangled up in their ribs, or getting really painful kicks.  Every once in a while Floodling will do something that makes me go "oof" (especially if he hits my bladder) but it hasn't been bad at all!
• Swelling- unless I sit in a chair for too long I really haven't had any swelling!
• Food cravings/aversions- I've had a few things that I've had "hankerings" for- spicy pickles in the beginning, steak in the middle, and right now it seems to be s'mores, but I haven't sent Jason out in the middle of the night to grab me anything because I haven't needed anything "right now!!".  Nor is there anything that just completely turns me off.
• Weight gain- I've put on the appropriate amount of weight, not too much, not too little, so I feel good and mobile still! 
• Stretch marks- I know I still have 2 weeks to go, and he's going to grow a lot in those two weeks, so I really shouldn't say anything yet, but so far, so good!  My secret? Check here!
• Heat- I really haven't been overly hot at all. I think, though, that I've really just become more like a normal person.  I am usually always freezing cold and my husband and I would always argue over the house temperature.  I think he's fairly pleased that I am now happy to have the temperature set where he likes it!

Now I'm not going to say I haven't had my complaints....

• Back pain- if I move the wrong way, or sit in the wrong type of chair, my back gets so achey that the only thing I can do to make it go away is lay down.  I can't even do the stretches I love at the gym because they make my back hurt!  And spending more than an hour at a restaurant? No thanks!
• Bending- it's getting incredibly difficult these days, and so, of course, I seem to be dropping everything!  I can thankfully still tie my shoes, though that is a long and annoying process in and of itself!  I'm loving that it's summer break and I can wear flip flops all the time!
• Getting around- getting up off the couch, out of the car, out of bed.... everything takes a little extra effort these days and it's getting a little old.
• Exhaustion- trying to get my "to do" list finished seems impossible sometimes because I get half a task completed and am just too tired to keep going!
• Bras- This is probably THE one thing that is getting to me the most.... the pain I posted about earlier has still not gone away!  Even after giving the bra a break for a bit.... the doctor thinks Floodling must have a foot there or something and it's stretching the muscles or skin.  I don't know, but living with this stabbing/burning sensation constantly is one thing I am looking forward to getting rid of!
• Bathroom- for someone who used to go maybe 3 times a day, it's hard sometimes having to go 3 times in one hour!  But I do have to admit that's not the norm for me.  I think I went from peeing like a camel (hardly at all!) to peeing like an actual normal person.

But overall I don't have the feeling yet that I'm just ready for this to be over.  (Of course, nor do I feel like I want to do this forever!)

My grandmother said that her mom told her not to wish away the pregnancy because "they're easier to take care of on the inside than the outside!".  So for now I'm happy to go with the flow and not wish away my time. 

We'll see how I feel in another week or so........

Feeling good!

Posting a little late today, sorry!  I decided to get up and get going this morning rather than laying in bed as I usually do, but it's during my lazy laying in bed time that I usually post my Saturday weekly updates.

It's been a long week since our Tahoe trip brought us back home at nearly midnight on Monday night, putting me to bed around 1 before getting up at 5am (yes, I get up at 5... I have to be at school by 7:15, it's a 40 minute drive to get there, and I have to do meds, etc. before leaving).  Starting off a week that way generally leads to a very long week.  And it certainly did!

So, I am thankful to have a restful weekend this weekend.  I say I got "up and going" this morning, but I neglected to mention that I didn't wake up until 9 and would have slept even longer if it hadn't been for the lovely Charlie Horse I got in my calf.... ugh... hoping that's not going to become a frequent thing as I've had a couple in the last week or so and I keep reading that at this point they become fairly common in pregnancy.  I think it was from not drinking enough water (for me it tends to be from dehydration).  I slept so solidly last night that I didn't wake up once.  I usually wake up thirsty as a camel several times throughout the night, but I didn't wake up at all so I didn't drink a drop!  Thankfully that means I didn't wake up to go to the bathroom, but it apparently also left me somewhat dehydrated.

Even with being as tired as I've been this week, I'm thankful to say I have been feeling a lot better overall.  The achiness in my sides and belly has seemed to go away.  My back has been hurting, but not as frequently as it had been.  I'm really thankful for this as I had been starting to wonder why people say the second trimester is the most comfortable.  I kept thinking "if this is the best it gets, how bad is it going to be later!?".  Hoping the last month of the second trimester will continue this way... :)

I had fun shopping today with my gal pals in Athens.  My friend Lisa is getting married in September.  She's very busy finishing up in vet school so she's trying to pace herself in wedding planning and is trying to get things done as she can.  She ordered her dress a few months ago and it arrived this week, so she went for a fitting and for Sarah and I to try bridesmaids dresses.  Obviously I couldn't really try anything on right now, which makes me sad!  I love trying on dresses!  I will also have to order the dress by May, which means it will be a guessing game as far as sizing.  I'm hoping I will have dropped my weight by September (that gives me about 3 months), but I guess we'll see! They recommended buying a size larger than I normally wear (pre-pregnancy) that way it can be altered smaller if necessary but I won't screw myself over by having a dress that doesn't fit at all if I don't loose the weight.

For whatever reason, the site that I get my weekly development blurbs from (babycenter.com) says that at 23 weeks our baby is the size of a large mango, but the picture for 23 weeks from the same site is a corn cob... strange.  I was using two different sites before for my pic and development update as I liked the pics from another site better (thebump.com) because I liked how it showed the week number, and approximate weight and length, but that site only had a brief development blurb.  Anyways.... since I can no longer use the weekly photos from thebump.com as there are no weekly photos anymore, this is what I've got! :)

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb.

I've been saying it for a while now, I'm glad that the baby gets used to sounds now.  I was scared for a while that my frequent coughing would constantly wake him up or scare him.  I'm glad to know that he should be used to it by the time he gets here!  Maybe he'll also be used to our loud cats! They are worse than our dog!