baby number 2

20 week check-up check-in

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

My 20 week appointment was last Tuesday and as promised, we did NOT find out the sex of our baby during the fetal anatomy ultrasound.  And it’s a good thing that we chose not to find out, because the doctor hinted that the ultrasound tech couldn’t “really” tell anyway.  I don’t know if there would be anything more frustrating than wanting to know and not being able to find out.  I think it’s fun not knowing and I hope that I don’t regret this decision!  The doctor said that the ultrasound looked perfect and our little baby boy or girl is just as healthy as can be.

Aside from that, we talked AGAIN about my possible c-section.  Looks like that is going to be what the doctor wants to do.  She talked to me about all the pros and cons of both options.  Either could go horribly wrong.  I didn’t realize that c-section babies have a higher rates of NICU stays because they don’t have a chance to get all the goo squished out of their lungs like babies that hang out in the birth canal do.  Technical, right? 

Obviously, the baby’s safety and my safety are top priority.  With that being said, suppose the vaginal birth goes smoothly.  The recovery for me is much quicker.  I kind of  need to be back on my feet asap.  The c-section is going to cost us a lot more than a vaginal birth.  O.R. fees.  NICU staff automatically assess the c-section babies so there’s their fee.  I will stay in the hospital an extra day so that’s more money.  Aargh.  We had somewhat prepared for Theo by saving up money in our Health Savings Account before he was born and it still wasn’t enough.  We are still making payments on his birth.  Needless to say, there’s no extra money sitting around in the H.S.A. for this baby.  Not to say that we couldn’t pay for things out of the checking account, but that’s not what that money is there for and why should we drain it anyway, when that’s what the tax-free money going into the H.S.A. every pay period is for?  Blah.  It’s a lot of little things one way or the other and I think a solid argument could be made for c-section or vaginal.  I’m stressing myself over something that we can’t even make a decision about for another 10-15 weeks.

Basically, everything is progressing nicely.  Including my weight, only not so nicely.  It’s okay though, Christmas and New Year’s dinners were totally worth the extra pound or two.  The baby is 5-6″ long crown to rump and weighs 10 oz.  I won’t guess how long I am crown to rump or tell you how many ounces I weigh, but total pregnancy weight gain so far is 7 pounds.

Over the weekend, Theo went to his first birthday party and he had a blast and totally wore himself out.  It was funny – me and three of my friends were all pregnant this time last year and now there are all these little people crawling around, playing, laughing, eating etc.  It was remarkable to see them all together for the first time.  Mind-blowing how much can change in a year.

Time to start planning Theo’s birthday party, his special day is less than two months away now!

~C~

mixed feelings

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

I’ve been trying to find the words to post but I don’t know how to say what’s been on my mind.  I’ve been having mixed feelings lately about so many things, it’s like I cannot pinpoint what I want to do or how to feel about any one thing. 

I think we’ve decided to try and sell our house and move a little further south.  What I mean by that is 10 miles or so, not 350.  Just wanted to make that clear.  Ahem.  The thought of having a bigger house is exciting and we so need the space but so much is involved in moving.  We have outgrown this house, especially with the recent barrage of toys Theo received for Christmas. So with all of that, how do we keep our house show-ready?  If we can even get it show-ready, that is.

And if it doesn’t sell quickly, I can’t see keeping it on the market as my due date draws near.  The last thing I want is to be nine months pregnant running around with a swiffer and trying to keep things in a toy basket constantly.  Or worse, coming home from the hospital with a newborn and a 14 month old in tow while trying to get/keep the house show-ready.

I’m starting to get genuinely excited about this baby.  The fear is still there but I know what it is to give birth and sit in that hospital bed, staring down at this amazing creature that has been created out of love.  It took me longer to feel excited about this baby because of the overwhelming fear, but the excitement is brewing for sure.  I still have moments when Theo is all we can manage together and I ask myself what we’ll do with two of these, but all in all, I know that one day I will not be able to imagine having it any other way.

Tomorrow is the big day.  The 20 week ultrasound and doctor’s appointment.  It’s the day when most couples find out the gender of their baby.  It’s the halfway point in the pregnancy.  It’s definitely the point at which there is no returning to non-pregnant clothes.  I suspect people will be looking at me curiously when they see my belly … right next to my hip, which is carrying my almost 10 month old baby. 

We have decided not to find out the gender of our baby this time.  Unless the ultrasound tech slips or I am miraculously able to see something I’m not wishing to see on the ultrasound screen, we will be waiting until May.  I know that this is what I want to do, but I still have moments where I think that it would be easier to just know.  Sometimes I think this baby is a girl because the pregnancy has been so very different.  Sometimes I am certain it’s a boy, but for no particular reason.  It’s just something I can envision.  I have pictured myself lying on the operating table and in the labor and delivery room.  I have pictured the doctor saying “it’s a boy” or “it’s a girl,” and either way I’m smiling.  What makes me smile more though, is picturing my husband to be the one to tell me “it’s a boy” or “it’s a girl.”  I think we ought to work that into our “birth plan,” for what those are worth.

I hate winter.  Hate, hate, hate, hate winter.  But for once I am in no hurry for Spring to get here.  I want to take my time and enjoy what little 1:1 time I have left with my baby boy.  I want to resolve our house issues.  We just don’t have enough time to do everything.  I’d love to take a trip before we have another newborn.  I don’t see that happening at all.  Time is slipping away so fast.  I’m 30 now and every year goes by faster than the one before.  Maybe having kids younger would have been better because each year that passes wouldn’t be such a small part of my life.  But at the same time, I don’t think I had the maturity to handle all the challenges.  Not to say that I’m sailing through, but I definitely feel like motherhood is something I can manage.  I got this.

This year was the very first new year that I slept through the chiming of the clock and the dropping of the ball since I was a child too young to know what the New Year meant.  I’m not sure how to feel about that.  Old, I guess.  Something about chasing a baby all day will wear you out.  I made it til 11:45 then woke to a kiss on the forehead from my Boo at about 12:15.  Auld lang syne are the days of partying til the cows come home. 

It will be interesting to look back a year from now and see how 2011 has treated my family.

cheers –
~C~

little bits

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

Just wanted to jot down a few little bits of this and that before I forget them altogether.  Not too long ago, I posted that Theo got his top two teeth. It was about 6 weeks ago.  Well, about 3 or 4 weeks after that, he got two more!  So he’s got 4 on the top now and still 2 on the bottom.  But I think I saw those faint white lines next to his two bottom teeth so it may not be much longer before he’s got EIGHT.  Wow.  This is happening fast.  The 5th and 6th teeth were pretty much painless.  In fact, one of them was through the gums before I ever noticed that they were coming.  I guess I thought we’d have more of a break since it was 4 months between his bottoms and tops coming in. 

He’s eating like a champ.  He eats more people food than baby food.  I had the odd (yet frequent) craving for Mexican food the other night and usually I want “authentic” (or as authentic as it gets around here) Mexican cuisine, but for some reason I had a hankering for Don Pablo’s.  I hadn’t been there in, I don’t know, three years?  It was amaaaazing.  But anyway, Theo ate the cornmeal spoon bread, queso dip (no, I did NOT give him tortilla chips!), and refried beans.  He loved every bite.  On Christmas he ate green beans, homemade noodles, and mashed potatoes.  He also loves instant oatmeal out of the little packets.  Bananas and other small pieces of soft fruit…you name it.  I love watching him try new things and enjoy them so much.  He says baby food is for sissies.  By the way, my major cravings so far have been Mexican food (different from last time) and ice cold 1% milk (same as last time).

As a side note, I LOVE that he is so good in restaurants.  I’m embarrassed to admit this but it is probably not an exaggeration – I bet we’ve gone out to eat with him 100 times since he arrived in March and have only had to take him out of the restaurant twice for crying.  When does that change?  When do we stop going out to eat altogether?  I’m guessing that happens when he starts walking and doesn’t want to be confined to the high chair anymore.  Oh, speaking of high chairs, here’s something I’d add to my mommy must-haves:

 We got this on the spur of the moment, because my husband a.) thought it looked cool and b.) liked the penguins on the top.  It was $40 (after a 20% coupon at Babies R Us) well spent.  We take this to restaurants and hook it on to the table every time we go out to eat.  It collapses completely flat and comes with a mesh bag to carry it in so it’s perfectly portable to take to other people’s houses.  This thing is the perfect solution to limited space.  I don’t know if we would have even gotten a high chair if we’d known about this.  Okay, I take that back – I like our high chair at home because it reclines and that’s good for when baby is first learning to eat solids.  Anyway, here’s what I really love about it.  The younger/smaller baby is too little for regular high chairs at restaurants because their mouth/chin/neck is going to be level with the table.  Perfect for baby to suck on or lick that disgusting table and very inconvenient for self-feeding.  With the Chicco chair, baby is at the same level that you are and can easily pick up snacks, play with toys, etc. off of the table. 
Wow, I so did not mean to launch into a full-fledged review of that product (for free, mind you), but I just want moms out there to know what a lifesaver and wonderful product this thing really is.  To be fair, I will share a couple of gripes about it.  The part that you see underneath the table takes up so much room that, depending on the size of the booth, you are sometimes pinned in once you are seated.  I haven’t figured out how to wash the cloth seat in the washer, so it can get pretty nasty.  I just scrub the heck out of it with Wet Ones Anti-bacterial wipes and hope for the best.  The only other thing is that it feels a little big and awkward when you are assembling/disassembling it at the restaurant and people sometimes stare, I’m sure wondering what in the world kind of contraption you are putting together/taking apart.  But I can’t tell you how many compliments we have gotten from waitresses, other parents, etc. on our little chair.  It really is a wonderful product!  If you have this or buy this as a result of my post, leave me a comment and let me know what you think!  I don’t know anyone else with the Chicco TravelSeat and I’d be interested to hear someone else’s opinion.  I think the packaging says it’s good for up to 30 or 35 pounds.  *I just noticed on Amazon that it says you can remove the machine washable cloth cover so maybe I haven’t tried that hard.  Whatever.  
Well, back to my original idea for this blog…little updates. 
I’ll be 19 weeks pregnant tomorrow and over the last 2 weeks or so, my stomach has really started popping out.  It’s so weird and different this time around.  I was in maternity pants by 12 weeks with Theo.  I guess part of it was because I wanted to be in them and wanted to look pregnant SO bad.  This time, I’ve been in no rush to look the part and am still wearing a pair or two of my bigger sized jeans/cords.  I treated myself to a new pair of maternity jeans and two shirts last night.  Love them!  It’s always fun to do something to make yourself feel cute when you are feeling particularly un-cute.  Now that I’m starting to show, I expect to get stares and comments from nosy strangers when they see me with my infant son and obviously pregnant belly.  One other thing I was going to mention about the belly is that I started showing around the same time with this baby as I did with Theo, but it seems like I have gotten much bigger much quicker than I did with him.  Perhaps it is because the timing coincided with Christmas this year.  No further comment needed there.  *Ahem.* 
What do I love about having a pregnant belly?  Not feeling the need to suck in anymore.  Sometimes it’s just more comfortable to let your gut hang out.  And that is what I shall do for the next 5 months because you won’t know the difference.  It’s a little bit baby, a little bit Butterscotch Pie…you’ll never know which is which because it all looks the same…Hallelujah!
I’m feeling the baby move more and more and getting excited about seeing his or her little face in a few short months.  I go back to the doctor next week for the fetal anatomy ultrasound and 20 week check up. 
Not so excited about getting on the scale after all these delicious meals over the last few weeks…
~C~