Looking good!

I had a routine prenatal checkup yesterday and everything is looking A-OK. I didn't get hollered at about my weight, which is good because I really didn't want to have to launch into the sob story I had prepared in case it was brought up. It's a sensitive issue....can you tell? Anyway, Baby's hearbeat was hovering right aroud 140 beats per minute and I'm actually measuring a bit small this time around. With Isaiah, I had to go get an additional ultrasound because I was measuring about 4 cm ahead of where I should be, but this one is about 1 cm behind! Small baby perhaps? I'm holding out hope that this one is going to be much easier as far as labor and delivery are concerned, but I am terrified about going into labor itself. Since I didn't get to do it on my own last time, I have no clue how to recognize labor and what to do when it happens. Yeah....little nervous about that. I'm just praying my water doesn't break in public. Or in bed. Or in the shower so I don't notice.

The Comma Pillow

I had to break down and start sleeping with "the pillow" again. Nope, it's not just any pillow. It's my Boppy pillow that I bought when I was pregnant with Isaiah and my sleeping starting to really suck because I was so uncomfortable. It's shaped like a comma and, for some reason, I completely forgot how to use it! For over a week, I was sleeping with the little end of the comma between my legs and the big end up by my belly. Well, this was not helping at all and I had always chucked the pillow to the floor before morning ever rolled around. I finally complained to Evan one night that the pillow wasn't working and that I guess I just had to resolve myself to 10 more weeks of terrible sleep. He suggested I was using it wrong....that perhaps the big, chunky end was supposed to go between my legs and the little end of the comma was to go under the belly. I thought this sounded ridiculous, but I decided to give it a try. What did I have to lose?

I hate it when he's right. How could I have completely forgotten how to use the stinking pillow? It made a world of difference and it really does help to have that pillow wedged around me while I sleep. In my defense, how could I have thought this? Look at the picture - I tried it the exact way it's pictured. I guess it figures that I would need to use it all backwards. Leave it to me to be difficult!

In other news, the baby continues to move around like CRAZY and grow like a weed. Our next prenatal checkup is next week Monday, but I don't anticipate any problems. I'm starting to get periodic heartburn and swelling in my ankles and fingers plus tingling in my toes is starting to become an issue. More than anything, I just feel BIG already. Not a comforting fact when one considers how much BIGGER I am actually going to get. Oh well!

2 Months to Go

About 2 more months before this baby is predicted to arrive, huh? That's it? That's all the time I have left before my life is going to double in the craziness factor? I was just starting to get the hang of this whole "parent to a toddler" thing. We've got the big boy bed going, I've been able to scrapbook a couple times a week, and I'm actually semi-comfortable going out in public. But soon, it's going to be a whole new ball of wax. Back to the world of engorged breasts, 10-12 daily diaper changes, 2 am feedings, pumping, gas bubbles, hemorrhoids, sleeplessness, and non-showering. Oh, and that's just the baby! Add in everything that concerns Isaiah and you've got a world o' hurt coming. Don't get me wrong....I am thrilled to have another on the way. I love being a Mommy and I can't wait to experience that joy all over again. I remember the amount of work it was when Isaiah was a newborn and I'm not going to lie and say "I'm sure I can handle it" because I'm pretty convinced that I'm going to find myself suddenly highly unqualified to be the mother of two young boys. But, like everything else with parenting, we learn as we go and just try to survive.

Like I keep telling myself when things get difficult: "This is only temporary."

I'm a Hippo!!

I feel like a hippo.

That's it.....I just wanted to say that!

Braxton Hicks

Believe it or not, I have started to have contractions every now and again. Granted, they are only the "practice contractions" that are completely normal at this point in the pregnancy, but it is kind of weird to just be walking down the aisle in Target or something and suddenly feel your belly tighten up like a rubber band. At least I know that my body is getting ready, right?

The baby's room is still an absolute disaster area. I have the crib moved in there now that Isaiah is officially in the big boy bed and I have managed to get it all set up with his bedding, but that is about the extent of the development the room has taken toward becoming a nursery. The guest bed is still propped up against the wall, the computer is in there, and a whole bunch of stuff that will eventually end up in either the playroom or the baby's room is piled in there because we have nowhere else to go with it for the time being. I'm just dying for the basement to get to the point where I can start moving stuff down there. That won't be until after the drywall is up and the flooring is down, so I'm looking at late August at the earliest. It's going to be a pretty close finish!! The good news is that the baby won't really need a whole room to himself when he first arrives and we'll be able to get by with using the changing table in Isaiah's room, a boucy chair, and the Pack n Play for a few weeks. One way or the other, I am holding out hope that the basement will be at least some level of "done" by the end of September. I'll only be on maternity leave for 2 months so it will really cut into the time I can help once I go back to work.

All in all, everything is progressing well! We're prepared for what to expect due to the baby's kidney condition and he looks to be otherwise perfectly healthy and normal. I'm trying to resist the urge to buy a whole bunch of cute baby stuff because I already have quite a bit, but there will be plenty of the utilitarian stuff that we still need - diapers, wipes, diaper cream, formula, bottle liners, breast pads, breastmilk bags......the list goes on and on. I know I don't get a shower for baby #2, but who do I talk to about getting a quick hose-down? :-) Just kidding.