Tuesday, September 4, 2012

week 38

We are almost there...these last couple weeks have me really anxious. I can't help but think of all of the 'what if's' that could happen with the delivery of our little guy.

What if something happens to Ethan? To me? What if Bella doesn't like her brother?

In short - this is what I've been experiencing:

NO SLEEP
lot's of pain (and pressure)
TONS of contractions
Plus, it's super HOT - like seriously hot. (my edison bill is ridiculous!)...and I am just so large and uncomfortable!

Bella wanted to help me out with the chalk board this week:


Monday, August 13, 2012

week 36 & 37

Week 36 - Another week has basically flown by. We are getting closer to our little boy's arrival! We are now officially in his birth month - crazy! It seems like it was just last week that I took a pregnancy test (or six) and told Stephen that we were expecting baby #2. For the most part, this pregnancy has been pretty easy. I am just now reaching the point where I am super uncomfortable...

We had another doctor appointment, she checked me and I'm not dilated. I'm actually happy that I'm not considering she leaves to go on vacation on the 12th. Ethan still has lots of amniotic fluid, and as long as he's moving a lot, he's happy - since he moves all day and night, I'm going to guess he's SUPER EXCITED to be a part of this family :)

I went and took care of my pre-registration at the hospital, so now all we have to do is show up on surgery day, and tell them that we're here to have a baby - crazy. As we get closer and closer to the big day, I get more and more excited - but I'm not going to lie, I'm terrified to have this surgery. Luckily, I have an amazing husband that keeps reminding me to just 'picture yourself holding Ethan'...and that's what I'm doing. I can't wait to see what he looks like. A little part of me hopes that he looks just like me - it always seems to go that way; girls look like their dad's (Bella is a spinning image of Stephen) and boy's will look like their mom's. We will just have to wait to find out.

Bella still doesn't really understand that she's going to have a baby brother soon. We keep telling her, and she seems excited, but she doesn't know what it means. She has no idea that she's going to have to share her mommy / daddy time with this little boy - that should be interesting. I have been getting things in the room ready, washing Ethan's clothes and blankets and every time she sees boy clothes she'll say, "Dylan?" (our nephew) So, I tell her that she's going to get her own baby Dylan but his name is Ethan...she just looks at me and grins.

Ethan is now the size of a watermelon, and by the looks of my belly in my chalkboard picture, I couldn't agree more!


Week 37 - Total weight gain so far....wait for it....34 pounds. Not too shabby.

We had another doctor's appointment this week (on Monday) it was supposed to be the last one before surgery - but since I pulled a muscle in my stomach, I ended up having to see her again on Thursday to make sure everything was okay, and it was.

I have still not dilated, no softening or anything. This is good. He's listening to his mommy and is going to hopefully stay in until his due date.

We've had a rough couple of weeks. Stephen was in a little fender bender and our Sonata has been in the shop getting repaired, so he's been driving a rental truck (which is impossible to get in and out of, and that's how I ended up pulling a muscle)...and then our expedition decided that it was going to have the ignition lock up on us, so we had to take that in as well to get worked on. At one point we were down to only having a rental car, and with me being so close to my due date, you can imagine how lovely I was :) 

Ethan is officially considered full term now. If I were to go into labor, his lungs are developed enough that he wouldn't need serious medical attention - but, we want him to stay in there just a tad longer. At this point we are pretty much set up and ready for baby. I finally packed my hospital bag, his things are with mine. It's funny what you learn for the second time around. I remember checking into the hospital when we were going to have Bella, and we (I) had tons of stuff with me - with Ethan, I threw his clothes and blankets in with my stuff, we have ONE bag, and we're ready to go.

I am having a lot more contractions that I want to be having at this point. There will be a few good ones that I'll have to sit down for. Plus now that our little guy is head down and in the correct position, I have so much pressure it's ridiculous! I can't believe that in just 2 short weeks, I will get to hold my little boy!!


Thursday, July 26, 2012

week 35

I am exhausted. I am officially on maternity leave now which means that I have only a few weeks to get everything in order before Ethan arrives. I had a doctor's appointment on Monday and was told that our little boy is already measuring 7 1/2 pounds! He's head down, but I'm not dilated yet. He still has plenty of amniotic fluid (that's a good thing), so when (if) my water breaks, it's going to be a huge gush! Dr. Chu told me that by the looks of everything, she's expecting me to go into labor within 1-2 weeks...this was a little shocking to me considering we are only 35 weeks into this, and I'm not expecting him to arrive until August 20th! She also told me that she's going on vacation from August 12-19th - which means that if I do go into labor during that time, someone else will deliver him. This is NOT a part of my birth plan...I am scheduled to go back and see her on Tuesday the 31st, and will continue to see her weekly until he arrives.

My comfort level is diminishing. I feel like it takes everything out of me just to roll over in bed! My stomach has also starting itching, which means that it's growing more and more - which also means that I'm getting more and more stretch marks!

On a good note, Stephen set up his bedding in his crib - I love it. It's so 'boy-ish'...Bella asked us, 'what doing?' and when we lifted her up to see it, she said, 'oh wowwww!' She's going to LOVE being a big sister!

Pictures coming soon of the nursery :)

Monday, July 16, 2012

week 34

34 weeks down, and 5 to go! We had Ethan's baby shower this past Sunday, it was perfect. I always get really stressed out before parties - worried that I won't have enough food, or worried that I won't get everything set up in time - and then I leave myself with only a little time to actually get ready...ugh! We had a very good turn out too - I only wish that Ash and Kel could have been there, but they live in Colorado and asking them to fly out is a little crazy :)
the 34 week bare belly...

New things in "Bella's world" - she went POTTY again! This time it was on the big potty (no picture, though - bummer. ha!) She told me 'potty' and then took off her pants, she then started to take off her diaper and Stephen was worried that there might have been a little surprise in there, so he helped her - when we took her diaper off, we realized that she was dry and that she wanted to go potty...so, we sat her up on the toilet and off she went! When she was finished she said, "all done", then she hopped off the toilet, flushed it and said, "bye-bye pee pee"...we rewarded her with a scope of mint & chip ice-cream (her favorite)...I'm hoping she gets used to this whole toilet thing!
Week 34 - baby is now the size of a butternut squash
 Here are some cool facts about the baby at week 34:
  • At week 34, you might breathe a little easier, since baby may descend lower into your pelvis and give your lungs some space - (not the case for me!)
  • He's urinating about a pint a day!
  • He can recognize and react to certain songs - which he might recognize at birth, so SING to him!
A few updates from the mommy-to-be...

How far along? 34 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I will have to confirm at my next dr visit - but I'm pretty sure it's close to 25 pounds.
Maternity clothes? yes
Stretch marks? Yes :( and I got 2 new ones...
Sleep: not sleeping at all.
Best moment this week: we had his baby shower - it was perfect.
Miss Anything? sleep.
Movement: all night long.
Food cravings: just the normal: OREOS, milk, meat...
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope.
Have you started to show yet: I have a HUGE belly.
Gender prediction: you're all BOY baby!   
Labor Signs: just the normal few contractions that I get daily.  
Belly Button in or out? out
Wedding rings on or off? off
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy all the time!
Weekly Wisdom: register at the hospital, and pack my hospital bag.
Looking forward to: my doctor's appointment on Monday, and my last day of work is this FRIDAY!!! WOO HOO!

week 33

No chalk board pic this week :( to be honest, I think I actually squeezed my 32 week photo in, and I might have just started my 33rd week...I can't keep up - these weeks are literally flying by. I did go see Dr. Chu this week for a check up. Her exact words to me, "I hope you go into labor earlier than your scheduled C-Section date - you look really uncomfortable, and your kid is huge!" wow. OK, that sounds awesome! She only used the doppler at that appointment to listen to his heart - his heart rate was a strong 154. I go back to see her on the 23rd - she'll do an ultrasound, take his measurements, check out how he's positioned, and also check my amniotic fluid to make sure he still has lots. I won't even tell you what my weight gain was - let's just say that I have passed my delivery weight with Bella by 2 pounds, and I have six weeks left :/

We have been trying to get Miss Bella to use the potty ever since her 1st pee pee on July 3rd - no luck yet. She tells us 'potty' and we put her on it and she sits there and makes a psssssssss sound, stands up and says 'all done' - but there's nothing there. She thinks she's hilarious, it's the cutest thing, ever.

Only 6 more weeks until our little boy is here, we can't wait!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

32 weeks

I am 8 months pregnant, and I look and FEEL like I'm 8 months pregnant. Seriously though, I am very uncomfortable. Thank God for my amazing husband - he's been rubbing my feet every night, he's chasing after Bella and keeping her entertained 80% of the time, and he remembers to wake me up from the couch to give me my vitamins every night! I really do appreciate everything he does.
Ethan moves so much. A lot more than Bella did...he kicks me so hard sometimes that it literally makes my have to stop what I'm doing to rub my stomach. I am having lots of those 'braxton hicks' contractions, and we did have a little scare on July 3rd. I started having contractions every few minutes for about 25 minutes. I ended up calling my mom at 10:30 that night (I mean, who else would you call except your mom)...she told me to get my feet up and drink tons of water - I did, and they stopped. She's amazing :) It's a good thing to because 32 weeks is way to early for this little boy to make his debut!

Some other big news - our little Bella Boo went potty on the potty! It was the cutest thing ever, and of course this momma got a photo :) Stephen and I were cheering for her, and she was looking at us like we were crazy - but it's a HUGE deal! She's only 21 months old, and the thought about getting her potty trained by two sounds amazing...my goal is to get her potty trained by the time I have to go back to work after maternity leave.

Week 32 - baby is now the size of a S Q U A S H
Here are some cool facts about the baby at week 32:
  • Ethan is getting ready to make his move - and is most likely head down at this point.
  • Real Estate in my uterus is getting a little tight...he's growing even bigger!   
 A few updates from the mommy-to-be...
How far along? 32 weeks 6 days
Total weight gain/loss: 23 pounds (since the last Dr appointment)
Maternity clothes? yes
Stretch marks? Yes :( and I got 2 new ones...
Sleep: ha!
Best moment this week: I actually could feel his little foot moving (and I thought it might have been the heel of his foot, it was CRAZY!) He's so much bigger now that I can tell where his little booty is :)
Miss Anything? my ankles.
Movement: all night long.
Food cravings: umm, my favorite right now - OREO cookies! Thank goodness Vons has them on a 2 for 1 deal!
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope.
Have you started to show yet: I have a HUGE belly.
Gender prediction: you're all BOY baby!   
Labor Signs: we had a little scare on July 3rd - contractions were setting in a few minutes apart, but stopped after about 25 minutes...I was a little dehydrated.
Belly Button in or out? out
Wedding rings on or off? off
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy to see him, anxious for the birth.
Weekly Wisdom: drink lots of water, stay off of my feet as much as possible...
Looking forward to: my doctor's appointment next week.

31 weeks

We have lots of things to do, and I feel like we're running out of time to get them done before he's here! We (I mean Stephen) painted the kid's room this weekend. We thought it would be best to divide it up so that Bella would still have her pink butterfly wall,  and Ethan would have his half of 'boy' stuff.
 
We also went to Target and registered for a few items that we're going to need for our little man - since we have all of the 'big items' (like a car seat, high chair, walker, bath tub, stroller) we only registered for the smaller things that Ethan would need...blankets, bedding, and some misc. items. I will say that the second time around you can definitely pin point the items that you "really" need / use and items that just take up space.
 
Now that I think about it, we actually got a lot done this week (now that I'm writing it all out). My favorite thing this week was taking our maternity photos. They were taken by Angela Mae Smith http://www.angelamaephotography.com/ - she is amazing, and I already talked to her about taking Ethan's newborn pictures, and our family photos in November. Here are a few images from our session - Isabella looks like a kid now, and not like a baby anymore. I can't even image how old she's going to look once her brother is here!  (there was no chalk board this week because we took the maternity photos instead)...
 
 

 
        

  
Week 31 - baby is now the size of a PINEAPPLE
Here are some cool facts about the baby at week 31:
  • Baby is going through some major brain and nerve development
  • His irises now react to light, and all five senses are in working order.   
 A few updates from the mommy-to-be...
How far along? 31 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 22 pounds.
Maternity clothes? yes
Stretch marks? Yes :( and I got 2 new ones...
Sleep: ha!
Best moment this week: taking our maternity photos, I LOVE THEM!
Miss Anything? honestly, sleeping through the night without having to wake up 5 times to go pee.
Movement: a whole lot - especially at night time. Ethan has decided that he likes to have dance parties in my stomach right when I get comfortable on the couch.
Food cravings: chocolate and red meat (I know, it sounds gross...luckily, I do not eat them together!)
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope.
Have you started to show yet: people might mistake me for carrying twins.
Gender prediction: you're all BOY baby!   
Labor Signs: braxton hicks contractions starting already!
Belly Button in or out? OUT! With Bella, it never went out, that's how I know he's going to be bigger - he's already running out of space in there!
Wedding rings on or off? on for now, but they should be off because my fingers swell over them :/
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy
Weekly Wisdom: drink lots of water, register at the hospital- and pack my hospital bag!
Looking forward to: just having him here!!!!

Monday, June 25, 2012

week 30

30 weeks have gone by - I can't believe it!

It's hard to believe that I am almost there...only 9 more weeks to go until we get to meet our little Ethan. Of course I have all different kinds of emotions running through my mind all day. I am constantly happy / excited - and every now and then my anxiety sets in. I am a planner, I have always been a planner - and currently we are on 2 daycare waiting lists. Kinda crazy right, he's not even born yet, and is already on a wait list?! I know that everything will work out the way that it's supposed to...in my perfect world, I would be able to stay at home with my kids...but, considering that Stephen and I want to buy a home very soon, we both have to work. I am also extremely terrified to have another C-Section. There, I said it. It's a HUGE surgery, and I don't like hospitals at all. I saw Dr. Chu on Thursday for my regular check up, while I was there she went ahead and scheduled my delivery date with the hospital. I'm not going to lie, it was a little weird to listen to her call the hospital and say, "hi, I would like to schedule a C-Section"...a lot of mom's have no idea when their baby is going to be born - we have an exact day and time for our little boy to arrive. Unless of course he decides to make his debut earlier and I actually go into labor, that's a completely different story. Part of me wants to deliver naturally - but, that means that he would be arriving earlier than 39 weeks which isn't always best. I guess I will leave this decision up to him :)

After looking at all of my chalkboard pictures, I have decided that I seriously need to wear tons of makeup. The problem is that I usually have Stephen take these at night, after I have already showered, and Bella is in bed...

My weight gain hasn't been too bad - currently I'm up 22 pounds. It looks like I've gained half of it in my belly, and the other half in my ankles and feet. I am retaining lots of water, and the swelling has definitely kicked in. I was told to stay off of my feet as much as possible...sure okay, with an almost 2 year old running around - got it.

Dr. Chu also did an ultrasound at the appointment to check his growth...our little guy is measuring about 35 weeks in length, and 4 lbs 15 oz already - and looks very healthy! Since Stephen wasn't able to join me for the visit, she gave me a lovely photo to bring home to daddy...


He's positioned so that his head is on my right side and he's looking down...hopefully he starts to turn completely soon, we will see at our next ultrasound in 3 more weeks. 

Let's see, some other good news - my last day of work before I take off for my maternity leave is Friday, July 20th. That means that Bella and I will get to spend some good quality time together before her little brother arrives. I might just have to spoil her a bit during those 4 weeks (even more than we already do).

Oh! I almost forgot, father's day was this past Saturday and we went down to Huntington Beach for dinner with Stephen's family. How cute are these two?!







week 29

i need to write about this week

week 28

Hello 3rd Trimester!

Ethan’s Progress - Baby's now the size of a eggplant!
Ethan's lungs are mature enough that, if born right now, he has a pretty good chance of surviving (with help from medical technology). His skin is still pretty wrinkly (one byproduct of living in amniotic fluid) but will smoothen as fat continues to deposit.


We had quite a busy weekend. Saturday I woke up early to help my friend Lindsay with hair for a wedding – we also attended the wedding later that evening, so I was completely exhausted! We ended up spending the night in San Diego because Bella was at Candie and Jerry’s house while we were at the wedding, it was waaayy past her bedtime when we got home but she was still awake – I didn’t mind because I had missed her all day long! Here's a picture of me and my sexy husband the day of the wedding...this was the 3rd attempt of this photo because he was acting like a crazy person for the first two.


Sunday, we woke up and took Bella to Sea World – she absolutely LOVED it! Again, this preggo mama at 28 weeks, walking around all day = EXHAUSTED. By the time we had got back home, I swear my feet were going to fall off!


I also decided not to take a picture next to the chalkboard this week – instead, it’s my first ‘bare belly photo’…Isn't it amazing how much stretching your skin can take?! I am growing a HUMAN inside my belly, crazy!


Friday, June 1, 2012

27 weeks

My last week in my second trimester! C R A Z Y. I had an appointment with Dr. Chu on Tuesday morning, my glucose test came back normal - my sugar levels were actually better with Ethan than they were with Bella...I find that hard to believe considering all I want to eat is sweets with this boy! I also had to get my rhogam shot (because I'm rh negative...here's what that means http://www.rhogam.com/patient/WhatRhNegativeMeans/Pages/default.aspx  
This injection goes right in the booty - oouch! Good news at my appointment: Ethan's heartbeat was nice and strong...and I only gained ONE pound. Thank goodness. I have been really trying to watch what I eat, and look- it seems to be working. The plan is that I have to go back in 3 weeks for an ultrasound to check his measurements again, and then I will see her every other, or every week until he's born...I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by!
 
In the middle of our crazy schedules, we are also attempting to plan a baby shower - oh and at some point, we need to get his room ready...wow, I'm behind!
 
 
Week 27 - baby is now the size of a RUTABAGA
Here are some cool facts about the baby at week 27:
  • Your baby weighs almost 2 pounds
  • He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening & closing his eyes, & sucking his fingers!
  • With more brain tissue developing, his brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning- with a lot of medical help - if he were born now.
  • Baby hiccups are very common from now on, they do not bother him and usually only last a few moments.      
 A few updates from the mommy-to-be...
How far along? 27 weeks 6 days
Total weight gain/loss: 18 pounds.
Maternity clothes? oh gosh yes.  
Stretch marks? Yes.
Sleep: what's that?
Best moment this week: he moves around A LOT. Went to see Dr. Chu and she told me that my sugar levels were GREAT!
Miss Anything? Wine – STILL.
Movement: LOTS.
Food cravings: chocolate!
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope.
Have you started to show yet: ohhhh yes.  
Gender prediction: boy.  
Labor Signs: braxton hicks contractions starting already!
Belly Button in or out? almost out.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! and anxious!
Weekly Wisdom: call the chiropractor – I still have not done this. - STILL. 
Looking forward to: 3rd trimester beginning! woo hoo!!!

26 weeks

Again, no chalk board picture this week - I had quite the busy week...

Sunday - BBQ at Kristi & Scott's for Jerry's birthday
Tuesday morning- I had my first mole removed from the dermatologist (not as bad as I thought it was going to be)
Tuesday evening - BEFORE THE STORK APPOINTMENT!!!!
Thursday - Glucose test :(

Anyways, back to little E - We had an appointment at Before the Stork (a 4D Ultrasound facility). We got to watch him on video move around in my tummy. It's probably one of the coolest things I've seen. We did it with Bella and loved every second of it...so we wanted to do it again for Ethan. Let me just say that he's freakin' adorable! He looks a lot like Bella's 4D pictures...of course after watching him on the big screen, I am more anxious to have him here now! He put on quite the show for us - lots of yawning and stretching...he was even sucking on his fingers for a little bit. We invited the family to come watch with us - it was me, Stephen, Bella Boo, Nana, Pop Pop, Auntie Kris, and Uncle D...we were given a 20 minute DVD of the ultrasound, and lots of pictures....did I mention how much I love this little boy already!?

Things that are coming up - I have another appointment with Dr Chu next week to go over my results from the glucose test, and I have to get my RH shot :/ boo.

here's a picture of our little guy...



Our little princess...seriously though, how cute is she with her daddy! He's going to have a tough time when she starts dating (when she's 35). ha!




Friday, May 25, 2012

BowsByBellaBoo

Over a year ago, I started making bows / headbands as a little side gig, and it actually turned out to be a lot more than what I expected. I now have lots of fans on Facebook, and people all over the United States ordering these bows from me! (I also get people ordering from Australia and Canada - kinda cool, right?

When I first started making these, my hopes were to have endless supplies for Isabella to be able to wear - the only problem is, she doesn't like headbands! boo. She'll keep in the clips and will rarely let me take a picture of her wearing a new design, but that's about it. Even when she was a tiny baby, she didn't like things on her head - which was fine, because she has always had tons of hair - so I never had to put a bow on her to make her 'look girly' :)

I got so involved that my inlaws actually bought me a sewing machine for Christmas - I've been able to make little boy bowties so now I can cater to both boys and girls...

I hope that this business continues to grow, especially while I'm on maternity leave...I'll be able to work on more orders (hopefully) while little Ethan is sleeping! :)

Here's a link to my facebook page where you can place your orders :)
http://www.facebook.com/BowsByBellaBoo