WE'VE MOVED

I got sick of fighting Blogger to upload pictures every month. Today it crashed my computer for the last time! (Hopefully, right?) You can now find us over at joshandlynnell.wordpress.com! Come by for the latest family updates.

Cole's birth story in all its gory glory

I'd been having early labor warning signs for over a week. After a cervix check on my due date (3cm), I saw bloody show the next day. I was having "real" contractions (different from BHicks) daily on a sporadic basis. My weight plateaued and I actually started to lose some. My digestive system started to clear itself out. But as the week progressed and I still wasn't officially "in labor" yet, I started to consider induction.

Dr Weary and I had already discussed induction at my due date appointment. I was hesitant to commit, but as we watched the second week of Josh's three weeks of leave dwindle away, it became harder to think about just waiting for what was starting to seem unlikely to come on its own. I talked with Tiffany and prayed for wisdom as my 41 wk appt neared. Josh and I discussed pros and cons. I expressed my distaste for an induction of convenience and my fears around being induced. Josh was supportive of whatever I chose, but said "if he doesn't come this weekend, I should go back to work Monday because I'm just burning leave at this point." Thursday morning God encouraged me and gave me peace with a well-timed devotional in my inbox about making decisions. That afternoon at my appointment we talked details with Dr Weary, asked all my questions, and agreed to induce the next day. We were put on a wait list since they were already booked up for Friday and told they'd call us. I also agreed to have Dr Weary strip my membranes as a last ditch attempt to get things moving. That made me crampy and contractions came a little more regularly, but still no pattern to indicate moving into active labor. 

I woke around 2:30 to the familiar gush of my water breaking. I sent a text to Tiffany and started tracking some serious and regular contractions. Excited to finally have something that looked like active labor, I breathed and praised God through each contraction in the quiet of my recliner. As the night wore on, though, I dozed off and the contractions dissipated again. I woke up feeling physically refreshed from the extra sleep, but extremely discouraged and impatient. I received a call from the hospital that they had a room for us, and to come at our leisure for induction. I contacted Melissa who came at 8:45 for Ash. Then Josh and I took a brisk walk, our last attempt to get labor jump started without pitocin. No luck, so after a shower I was ready to head to the hospital.

By the time we got into the hospital to check in it was 10:40. They were booked up and getting ready to give away our room; apparently they'd been trying to get ahold of us to make sure we were still coming and couldn't reach us. I'm glad we showed up when we did! :) They sent us down to our room where we were met by Nancy, my L&D nurse. She was awesome. I said more than one prayer of gratitude for her. She's been an L&D nurse for 40 years. The younger nurses come to her for advice on everything, she knows her stuff AND has a great personality to boot! When we put on some Firefly to watch (which ended up not getting watched after all), she was enthusiastic; she said "I love this show" and has also seen Dr Horrible's Sing-along Blog. Haha! But I digress....

When we got settled in our room, hooked up to the IV, etc, she checked me and said I was 4cm and about 50% effaced. But when my water had broken, some of it got caught in the lower part of the amniotic sac, so I had what they call a forebag below Cole's head. When Dr. Weary came around 11:45, he said I was already at 5-6cm and he broke the forebag so that Cole's head could fully engage my cervix. We decided to wait an hour and see how much I progressed on my own without Pitocin. By 12:30, Tiffany had shown up. I had some broth and a Popsicle for "lunch". My contractions were starting to come a little more regularly and build in intensity too, but things were still laid back enough for me to suggest putting Firefly on to watch. Josh said it was only maybe 15-20 minutes later that I stopped communicating in more than one word sentences. It all seemed fast to me. I don't know how quickly the contractions were coming or how many of them I had; I didn't have the presence of mind to be tracking any of that. I do know that I took a trip to the bathroom and returned to the bed, and just past the one hour mark (around 1pm) Nancy checked me again. This time she said I was about 7-8cm, and since things were progressing naturally at a good pace, Pitocin wasn't mentioned again.

After this, things get even hazier. Tiffany's notes for this time say "She is sitting upright in the bed, and just beginning to vocalize a little. Contractions are a good 60-90 seconds long at this point." The contractions were strong and it took all I had to just relax through them. I reached for Josh's hand each time; he was such an emotional comfort to me, and he'd been drinking soda so his hands were cool. I remember being hot with each contraction and then freezing in between them; I just couldn't get comfortable. Nancy left to do something, and said she'd check me again when she got back and give Dr. Weary an update. She even teased, "unless you start grunting, then we'll just tell him to come over here." Around 1:30 Tiffany suggested I take another trip to the bathroom; an empty bladder can ease some of the discomfort of contractions and gives baby a little more room to get into place. She sent Josh in with me and I spent a few contractions in the bathroom. By this time they were coming so fast on top of each other that sometimes I felt like I didn't get a chance to recover before the next one came. This was when things started to feel foreign; I didn't experience this intensity with Ash. Between contractions I was only able to take a couple steps, so it took a while (about 2pm) to get back to the vicinity of my bed. When I got close, I leaned on the cabinet that had all the monitors on it trying to make the last couple steps to get into the bed; it was a comfortable height to put my head in my arms and rest. Tiffany was applying pressure to my lower back while Josh held my hand and stroked my hair and helped apply a cold wash cloth to my neck. I was sweating and feeling intense pain and pressure in my pelvis. The gravity was working with my contractions to bring Cole's head low and I heard myself grunting. It wasn't a voluntary thing; it just happened. I was pushing without meaning to. Nancy came in and said "we need to get her in the bed to check her". Tiffany explained they were trying to get me there and that I was getting push-y. When Nancy heard me on the next contraction, she rushed the getting me into bed. I remember the primal grunt-cry that came out of me, and the force of my body trying to push. Once I was in the bed (about 2:15), she reached down to check me and barely touched me before she was on the phone calling Dr. Weary over. He said they pulled him out of an exam to come quick.

Once I was lying on my back again, gravity released it's pull and the pressure/pain and urge to push subsided some. Also, the fear came rolling in. Scarred by four hours of pushing & the intense pain of crowning last time, I was terrified to start the intentional pushing this time. But Dr Weary was there and everyone was waiting and encouraging me to go ahead, so I did. I can't describe how different this kind of pushing is from the primal urge to push. This time, when I'd have a contraction they'd tell me to push and I'd consciously focus my effort into pushing deep. Standing, I think the mechanics of what my body was doing might have been the same, but it was happening despite me, not because of me. Anyway, so at about 2:20, I started pushing for a few contractions. When Cole started crowning, I could feel the pulling and remember crying out "it hurts". I did scream my throat raw again; I didn't mean to, but when I plugged Cole's head circumference into the chart and it said 97th%, I guess it makes sense. :) From start of pushing to his birth was 10 minutes. He came into our world at 2:30pm, less than four hours after our arrival at the hospital and with no chemical intervention. Blessed with the fast and natural labor I'd prayed for. 

As requested, he was put immediately up on my chest while a nurse rubbed him vigorously with a towel trying to get him to let out a big cry. He wasn't responding like he needed to, so after a couple quick minutes they took him over to the warmer to work on him. Josh went to stand by the warmer while Tiffany & Nancy stayed near me. The postpartum hormone shift gave me extreme shivers so Nancy brought me warm blankets and talked me through some breathing/relaxing exercises to calm the trembling in my body. I remember Josh looking over from across the room and asking if I was ok b/c I was shaking so violently. The warm blankets and some hot tea gradually did their job and my shivers stopped. Cole's vitals continually improved, so around 3pm they wrapped him up and gave him to Josh to carry to the NICU for monitoring. They gave a couple minutes for me to kiss him and take a pic or two before they left. 

I spent some more time in the L&D room. We hand-expressed some colostrum to take to the NICU, I ordered some food to be delivered to my momma-baby room, they monitored my vitals, etc. Finally at 4:30,Tiffany headed out (to her 3rd birth of the day!) and Nancy wheeled me to the NICU to see my little angel. They'd just finished with him and the pediatrician was checking him out. She said he looked great and they'd start working on getting him released to my room. He was sound asleep after all the trauma of his day, so sleepy I couldn't get him to nurse, so I just held him for a while. Then it was time to head to my room and my stomach agreed it was time for me to eat some real food. I wanted to cry that I couldn't take Cole with me. 

I got to my room, met my awesome day nurse Susan and finally ate. Melissa came by to visit for a little while. Finally at about 6:30 they brought Cole to me. Before I could even get situated in the "right" position for nursing, he had latched himself and started feeding. A few minutes later Josh showed up with Ash, so Melissa left to give us a little family time. They stayed a short time and then Josh took Ash home for bed. Ash hadn't realized I was going to have to stay in the hospital till they were leaving, his cries for mommy to come home were heartbreaking. Cole & I spent the night nursing and napping between vitals checks. 

The next day Lindsey came to visit us for a while which was nice. Between her visit, calling my parents, and the visits from pediatrician/OBGYN/hearing test and my nurse, plus my Firefly episodes, the day went pretty quickly for me. Cole's output (diapers) was WAY better than the minimum required, I was recovering extremely well, everything looked good, so they let us go home that day. We ended up getting out of there just in time to grab some fast food and head home for dinner. I had some days in the first few weeks where I kinda missed the hospital, having someone who is paid to cater to your needs, room service to bring plates full of food when you're hungry, no responsibilities or messy house to stress you out. But what a blessing to be home together as a family. I'm so grateful to have had amazing nurses to care for me, to have the natural birth I desired, to have a healthy and strong baby from the experience, for nursing to be going so smoothly this time, to have such a sweet husband and parents to get me through the first month postpartum. God has blessed me richly! Thanks to each of you who prayed me through this one; you are loved and appreciated.

Cole - 1 month

Minutes old

Hi! My name is Cole and I'm the newest addition to the family. Sorry this blog post is getting out a little late. As you can imagine, mommy's got her hands full with a newborn and a toddler, so she's been working on this one for a while, but finally got it done.

Proud daddy

Going home with mommy

Size: I was born on Aug 22 at 2:30pm. I weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and I was 20" long. I had lost 10% of my body weight by my first appointment at 3 days old, but by 12 days I was back up to my birth weight. And at my appointment at 4 wks old I already weighed 9lbs (12th%) and measured 22.25" (50th%). I am getting too long for some of my shorter NB sleepers. I also graduated early into size 1 diapers b/c I'm a great nurser and can saturate those little NB diapers in less than 2 hours!

2 days old

Hanging out with mommy at the hospital

Physical development: I'm already getting strong enough to hold my head up for brief periods of time and don't fling it around quite so violently. I'm also just starting to show little smiles of contentment, even though daddy says they don't count. Just give me a week or two and I'll be doing full smiles! But mostly I spend my time nursing and sleeping to grow bigger and stronger and smarter than I already am.

5 days old

Routines: I haven't really settled into a routine yet. I've got some digestive issues that often interrupt my night sleep. I do tend to get grumpy every evening, and even though I act like I want to nurse, I pull away and fuss a lot. I haven't gotten much practice at sleeping naps laying down yet; I spend most of my naps being held or in the carrier or in the swing. But I'm still so tiny that I don't spend much awake time anyway. I'll start to pick up rhythms in the next month or so.

1 week old

Special events: For the first week of my life, daddy was home with us. Then Nanoo & PopPop came to visit. Nanoo had to fly back after a week because of work, and PopPop was going to stay another week but ended up extending his visit to cover an entire month instead because mommy needed a little more help getting settled.

Nanoo kisses at 2 weeks old

My favorites: Mostly so far I just like nursing a lot and sleeping on people. I enjoy watching PopPop talk to me and sometimes get a kick out of watching my brother play around me. He makes a lot of noise and is very active!

Starting to spend more time awake at 3 weeks

Sleeping on daddy at 1 week old

Daddy's favorites: Ash never slept on anyone's chest when he was a baby unless he had a fever. Daddy's been enjoying being able to bond and snuggle with me since he didn't get that last time. 

Sleeping on daddy at 3 weeks old

Mommy's favorites: Mommy loves all the snuggles and is glad I took to nursing right away. And she loves the nights I give her a 4 hr stretch of sleep.

3 weeks old

Upcoming: At 6 weeks old, I'll be old enough to be in childcare at church and the gym, so that will be exciting. To prepare me, mommy plans to have daddy start giving me bottles every few nights if she can find the time to pump enough, just in case I need to eat while I'm in childcare. I'll also probably start sleeping at least some of my sleep in my crib in the next month. And hopefully while I'm at it, I'll start to grow out of the awkward phase I'm in right now with my hair receding and my face breaking out constantly. You just wait; I'm gonna be IRRESISTIBLE by next time you see me here :)

One month old

Ash - 2 yrs 8 mos

Size: I decided that when mommy was busy having a baby would be a good time to have a growth spurt. She hasn't had time to measure me, but a couple months ago I moved to size 4 after almost a year in size 3. Now I'm ready to move to 5's. also my 18 mo pj's are hilariously small on me now, barely covering my belly or reaching my ankles.

Daddy helped me build an AT-AT like the one he built with his legos

Physical development: I'm still enjoying building things, but lately I've been having a blast playing outside in the back yard (especially since PopPop came to visit and keeps me company out there). We also went to a place called Little Monkey Bizness this week and I climbed on just about everything there. I'll probably never be a star athlete, but I'm surefooted enough to have lots of fun. Also I've decided since Cole was born to start being a big boy. This includes wanting to cut my own (soft) food with a (butter) knife and going potty in the toilet. I haven't learned to hold it for the potty, and mom's not ready to focus on training right now, but at diaper changes and before/after sleep I run and go. I even sat on a grown up toilet without a training seat at a restaurant and peed while mommy kept me from falling in. I haven't figured out pooping on the toilet yet, but it's just a matter of time!

Writing with sidewalk chalk

Verbal development: This is where I've been really busy over the past couple months. I've learned all my letters (upper case at least) and all their sounds and I can sound out words. Daddy will spell a 3-4 letter word for me to sound out and I get most of them right on the first try. I've also fallen in love with numbers. I can count to 100 if my attention span lasts that long. I can also count by 2's to 10, by 10's to 100 and by 50's to 1000. I love to use my foam bath letters and numbers to make words and numbers, and I'm crazy for reading the digital clock. Some days I'll run back to the kitchen every minute to see the next one.

Playing mechanic with the broken wagon at mommy's dr's office

Routines: Our routines have been a little off for the past couple months. In August daddy was home for three weeks, so I got to spend a lot of time with him. In September, PopPop has been here to help mommy take care of things while she was busy recovering and taking care of the baby. Mommy is slowly trying to get us back into the swing of things like going to the gym and MOPS, but it'll take some time to really get into a real routine, especially as Cole gets older and more predictable.

A new baby brother; what an adjustment!

Special events: Obviously the biggest even in my life over the past couple months has been the birth of my little brother. So far he doesn't really play into my life much except that mommy is often busy nursing him or tending to his needs. But this hasn't really been too bad so far b/c PopPop is here till the end of the month. October is going to be a rough adjustment period, learning to live without all the attention I'm used to.

Playing at the park with PopPop

My favorites: I love to play outside all morning or afternoon while PopPop works in the yard. I'm also CRAZY about numbers, and even asked mommy to get me number books at the library.

Tired & slouchy, watching a show on )TV

Daddy's favorites: Since we've been off our usual schedule and evenings are especially chaotic with dinner and shower and a fussy baby to deal with, daddy has been letting me watch a show every night. We finished all the Chuck & Friends episodes, and one day I decided I wanted to watch a Dinosaur Train and fell in love with it. I love all the singing in it, and daddy loves dinosaurs, so everyone is happy.

Block shoes and a sweet smile

Mommy's favorites: Although she's often busy with Cole, I've been taking advantage of the moments when she's not holding him to give her lots of hugs and kisses and affection. I've been especially sweet to her the past month.

Driving the car at CFA

Upcoming: In October we'll get back into the swing of things. Mommy won't have PopPop around to help with me & Cole and around the house. She'll be figuring out how to keep everyone fed all day, and maybe even get out to the gym a couple times a week and MOPS a couple times a month. :) Then when we start to get ourselves sorted out, we'll start having Jack with us again. I miss my buddy, and it'll probably be nice to have a playmate after losing PopPop. Otherwise it's just life as usual. I'll keep working on my math and reading skills, and check back in with you in November for my last update as a 2 yr old! :-D

41 weeks - Cole

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along : 41 weeks

Size of Baby : Actually 20" long & 7 lb 9 oz

Total Weight Gain : ~24 lbs. I started losing weight after 40 wks. 

Maternity Clothes :  Can't wait to have so many more options that fit comfortably. Even tho I'll be in maternity clothes for a while, I won't be nearly as limited. 

Best Moment This Week : Finally meeting Cole! God's answers to prayer that got us here. 

Gender : It's a boy! Really and truly!! :)

Movement : He squirmed and moved all the way to the end. Feet pushing in my side & ribs and head crushing my bladder make me wish he wasn't quite such a mover ;)

Food Craving : I've been trying to eat lots of fruit and veggies. 

What I Miss Most : I missed being able to lie on my back. I missed being able to walk without my pelvis hurting and back aching. 

Sleep : It's been rough. And every morning when I wake around 3-4am, I've been sad that labor hasn't started yet. Some times I just can't turn off my brain and fall back to sleep. I spent a lot of the last week, all 100% of my last 2 nights, in the recliner. 

What I Am Looking Forward To : Settling into life as a family of four and getting over the worst of the postpartum. 

Belly Button : Outtie with stretch marks all around it. :-/

Symptoms : Is grumpiness a symptom? ;-) I have struggled to have patience waiting for this one to come. 

All the usual symptoms, plus pre-labor symptoms - loose pelvis plus pain, weight loss, bloody show, etc. 

Compared to last time : Last time my parents were visiting and we were waiting anxious for Ash to come before the end of their trip. This time we've been facing Josh's leave ticking down and feeling the same need for Cole to come soon.  

40 weeks - Cole

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along : 40 weeks. Due date. Any day now, Cole; any day now. Doctor offered to strip my membranes, but I'm not ready for that. Thursday we'll check vitals and fluids, and possibly induce at 41 wks on Friday. Hoping and praying Cole comes on his own before all that mess.

Size of Baby :  ~20" long & ~7.5 lb. Of course we'll find out exact measurements soon :)

Total Weight Gain : ~24.5-25.5 lbs, depending on the day and my fiber intake. ;)

Maternity Clothes :  Wearing the same few outfits over and over. Absolutely nothing is comfortable. I barely have anything that's bearable and covering. 

Best Moment This Week : It's a tie between Josh cleaning the house and Josh taking care of the yard. It's so nice to be caught up on stuff I couldn't do for the last month or two, between my energy and aches and carpal tunnel. 

Gender : It's a boy!

Movement : He's really running out of room in there. But I never worry about when I last felt him move b/c he squirms off and on all day! (and night :-O)

Food Craving : I've been eating fruit like it's going out of style, partly for craving, partly for fiber. Cantaloupe, watermelon, peaches, apples, berries...whatever's on sale. 

What I Miss Most : Comfort. Being comfortable really is a foreign concept these days, except in the pool on a nice day. I love the pool. <3

Sleep : One night I only peed once; probably hadn't hydrated enough that day. Another night I was up 3-4 times to pee. I've been experimenting with a variety of pillow combinations; none of them are perfect but they all have their merits. Lately my hips haven't been surviving the night, so the last few nights I've been going downstairs to the recliner to finish that last couple hours of sleep. 

What I Am Looking Forward To : I can't wait till I'm not in waiting mode. I hate not knowing when. I hate hoping every day that "today's the day". I hate ending every day thinking "maybe tomorrow". I really just can't wait to start getting settled. 

Belly Button : I'm so angry at this stupid kid. Just this week I've developed horizontal stretch marks above my belly button. 80 wks of pregnancies w/o a mark. I told him it's a sign that he should come out now. There's REALLY no more room. 

Symptoms : Same old, plus...

My hips/pelvis continue to loosen; they hurt more than ever, both when I move (esp the transition from sitting to walking) and when I sleep. 

BHicks pick up in frequency and intensity in the evenings just like they did with Ash (but are gone by morning). A sign that the end is coming. 

I've had some back pain that wasn't just the usual ache. I'm hoping it's also a sign of the beginning of the end. 

Compared to last time : Pretty much the same. This pregnancy has been a little harder - morning sickness lasted longer, reflux a little worse, carpal tunnel obviously worse, I've felt and looked bigger, etc - but overall they've been pretty parallel.

40 weeks. Ready to pop! :)

39 weeks - Cole

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along : 39 weeks. We're finally down to the home stretch. I told Josh last night, even if he waited till the latest possible to come, we're still down to the end now.

Size of Baby :  ~20" long & ~7 lb. Of course we'll find out exact measurements soon :)

Total Weight Gain : ~24.5 lbs. Perfect. Exactly where I wanted to be.

Maternity Clothes :  Wearing the same few outfits over and over. At home I can often be found without pants! :-D Comfort is key. 

Best Moment This Week : Grocery shopping, a lady came around the corner and looked at me and said "you are so adorable pregnant!!" The lady up the aisle said "I was gonna say the same thing!" Never fails to make you feel good, even if it is just nice genes. :)

And we had a great play-date/mommy-date today at the park with Corrina & Nathan. I didn't get any pictures, but the boys had SO much fun playing at America the Beautiful park, and we had good fellowship.

I've missed Jack a ton, but Ash and I have had some good bonding time this week. I'm feeling a little bit emotional that we're at the end of our just-the-two-of-us phase. Tomorrow begins Josh's 3 wks home, and before he goes back to work we'll have added Cole to the mix, and it'll never REALLY be just the two of us again. Sure, special dates together and such, but not the easy day-to-day undivided way it's been. But then again, Ash interrupted the thing Josh & I had and we wouldn't have it any other way, so I know it'll be okay in the end.

Gender : It's a boy! Although I keep having these dreams that we find out at delivery he's actually a girl. LOL

Movement : He puts pressure all over the place squirming around in there, but he just doesn't have enough room for the kicks and jabs he used to do. I made Josh watch my belly last night to see the "alien" belly moving itself.

Food Craving : I've fluctuated between junk cravings and healthy ones. I'm trying hard to keep them in check so I can keep my weight where I want it, and also his. I don't need to deliver a 10lb baby! :-D

What I Miss Most : Moving like a normal human being. Fingers that don't tingle. Lying on my back. 

Sleep : Waking up all night long. Peeing even more often. Reflux or hip pain also causing disruptions. Or Ash. Usually I can go back to sleep, but sometimes I end up staring at the ceiling for a while. 

What I Am Looking Forward To : Meeting him. Nursing again. Seeing Ash be a big brother. Seeing Josh fall in love again.

Belly Button : same, little outtie.

Symptoms : The reflux is pretty bad, tho I haven't been avoiding trigger foods either! Last night at book club was quiche with tomatoes in it and cookies with chocolate chips in them... did that stop me?? NO WAY! :) I'm definitely at the max for Zantac, and probably overdosing Tums (I can't remember sometimes if I took them or not).

The cortisone shots ended up making the carpal tunnel bearable. My fingers still tingle all day, and I have to be careful not to tweak my hands. I'm still wearing my braces to sleep, and sometimes during the day (ie for driving), but at least I can go chunks of the day without them. I'm not crying at the end of the day anymore. 

Otherwise, typical 39 wk back aches, hip pains, CONSTANT peeing....

Compared to last time : Pretty much the same, just a little more eager to be done. I think a big part of that is the carpal tunnel. I've got a LOT more functionality back after the injections, but it still affects my every day, and I'm eager to be done with it. And the other big part is trying to keep up with a toddler - who knows things are changing soon and is acting out in weird ways and being more needy than ever before - which leaves me completely exhausted some days. Especially if I worked out or had to run errands that particular day... which is almost every day. Yep, I'm ready to be done. Ready to be lighter. Ready to be able to take ibuprofen. Ready to hold that precious boy in my arms and start getting to know and love him too.

39 weeks!!

38 weeks - Cole

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along : 38 weeks

Size of Baby :  ~19.5" long & ~7 lb

Total Weight Gain : ~24 lbs. My appetite seems to be slowing down a little. 

Maternity Clothes :  I actually bought a new maternity shirt this week b/c my short sleeved options for keeping my belly covered are so scant. (See pic below)

Best Moment This Week : When the pain of my cortisone injection started to fade and mobility started to return. And Eve's baby shower; what a blessing that was. And brunch with my sister today was pretty awesome. We don't get together often enough.

Gender : It's a boy! I can't wait to hold him.

Movement : He's making the most of his cramped quarters. Every once in a while he moves so strong it hurts, but usually he just squirms b/c it's getting tight.

Food Craving :  The cooler rainy weather we got this week made me crave a mocha. Not willing to pay the reflux remorse though! :) I've been wanting pizza and finally got some this week. It hit the spot!

What I Miss Most : Feeling like I can physically manage. Between my belly, my back aches, and my carpal tunnel, I'm having to ask total strangers for help with things. :-P  Sometimes reasonable things like lifting heavy objects; sometimes ridiculous things like opening containers for me.

Sleep : Some nights I'm staring at the ceiling in the wee hours. Some nights I'm only waking twice. I've kept the maternity pillow all the way to the end this time. But I miss my hubs and look forward to a time when snuggling is more comfortable and less hassle. 

What I Am Looking Forward To : I'm sad that Jack's last day is Monday, but a little glad I'll have one less person to be responsible for since I can hardly keep up with them these days. I'm super excited that Josh's leave starts a week from Monday (unless Cole decides to come more than a week early). If Cole holds off till around his due date, I've got a honey-do or honey-help list a mile long to keep Josh busy anyway. It'll be so nice to have an extra pair of hands around to keep up the house. 

Also, movie date tonight :) Maybe the last for a while. 

Belly Button : same; outtie. 

Symptoms : carpal tunnel is the bane of my existence. Mornings are almost ok, but by the end of the day my hands make me wanna cry. Hoping the second cortisone shot this morning helps. Icing them a couple times a day gives at least temporary relief, so I'll probably be doing that till Cole comes.

Otherwise, it's mostly reflux, back aches, hip pains, and the notable waddle. 

Compared to last time : except carpal tunnel, it's the same. I feel like I might be carrying a little lower than last time? Maybe. A little. 

No makeup, braces on my hands... real life this week.

37 weeks - Cole

pardon my grammar/typing. one handed carpal tunnel typing. sorry, no pic; hands hurt too much for selfies.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along : 37 weeks

Size of Baby :  >19" long & >6 lb

Total Weight Gain : ~24 lbs

Maternity Clothes : just a few things to wear that are comfy and cover my whole belly. that's ok, the end is in sight

Best Moment This Week : hanging out w/ Mark & Melissa last weekend. getting in to the specialist Friday (7/25) for a same day appt to get a cortisone injection for my carpal tunnel.

Gender : It's a boy! 

Movement : he's strong. one night this week he (and my pregnant brain) kept me up almost 3 hrs (2-5am); every time i got tired enough to doze he'd start dancing again. stinker. also, he's settling into my pelvis; sometimes when he moves/stretches it hurts way down deep. and occasionally he's still getting into my lungs and making it hard to breathe.

Food Craving :  junk, and then as a reaction, anything light & healthy. cold watermelon. iced anything. what i really want is a java chip frap, but that would make my reflux miserable. i've also been craving japanese; we may go for sushi one saturday before my due date.

What I Miss Most : right now, this week, use of my hands. overall, my non-preg body

Sleep : i'm happy that josh has adjusted; he doesn't even know i'm getting up twice a night to pee and occasionally heaving myself over to the other side. nursing in the night shouldn't phase him either. tiffany (doula) suggested 2nd pillow between my knees to alleviate some hip pain. it helps!

What I Am Looking Forward To : the cortisone kicking in. favorite gym instructor's baby shower this weekend. having this baby.

Belly Button : you can see it on FB on my bare belly pic.

Symptoms : carpal tunnel got out of control this week. both hands tingly numb & painful; couldn't hardly function. got desperate; can't wait 3+ weeks and couldn't imagine trying to care for newborn with this kind of pain. had 3 dr appts fri - OB, GP, and hand specialist. injection in left hand, right scheduled for a week later. sometimes one shot helps both hands, so we'll see if i need the 2nd one. still in pain, waiting for the injection to kick in.

otherwise, reflux, exhaustion, aches, the usual. i'm trying NOT to count the days, but i have been pretty miserable this week and can't wait to be done.

Compared to last time : i think he's a little lower; breathing was a bigger issue last time. carpal tunnel worse this time, obviously. otherwise, pretty similar.

36 weeks - Cole

So I had this post written. Finished. Just had to add the picture. Then somehow, through the evil that blogger.com has been to me lately, I lost the whole thing. I'm on my third go AND my carpal tunnel is killing me, so forgive me if I'm brief. (Some of you are breathing a sigh of relief) :)

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along : 36 weeks. It's getting real. Less than a month!

Size of Baby : ~6lbs & ~19"

Total Weight Gain : ~22.5 lbs. This is 2.5 lbs less than my goal, with four weeks left to gain it. I may end up a lb or two over, but I'm ok w/that.

Maternity Clothes : I've actually gone to my yoga capris and maxi-skirt most days b/c they've got the most comfy waistbands.

Best Moment This Week :  My baby shower was top! My shopping spree at Target to get the things I still wanted/needed off my registry was a close second.

Gender : Boy! I can't wait to meet this little kid and start getting to know him.

Movement : Things are getting cramped. His movements are smaller and stronger at the same time.

Food Craving : Watermelon. Iced tea. Iced anything. It's been so hot lately I've been sticking ice in my water just to keep it cool through the whole 24 oz of sipping.

What I Miss Most : Being able to move like a normal person. Walking, not waddling. At a normal pace, not a snail's pace. Rolling over in bed w/o so much effort. Getting up off the couch. Being able to exercise at full capacity; I have to modify even in the water!

Sleep :  Nope. HAHA. I'm waking up every few hours, on a newborn nursing schedule already :-þ I'm peeing 2-3 times a night, and my hips have been hurting so I sometimes I just have to roll over too. I had a particularly bad night sleep this week; hoping that's not the norm.

What I Am Looking Forward To : Getting to hold my baby. Nursing him and snuggling him. Introducing him to Ash and seeing Ash become a big brother. Also looking forward to having Josh home with us for the first couple weeks.

Belly Button : Shallow and out on the right side, though my belly's lopsided from Cole hanging out constantly on the left, so it doesn't even look off center through my clothes, LOL.

Symptoms : Carpal tunnel has been atrocious. Reflux is about as bad as it can be, though I'm treating the acid with max doses of Zantac & Tums; a loose esophagus still lets food up :-þ My hips are extremely loose and hurt a lot, especially if I move too quickly. Some days my back hurts, especially if I do anything mildly strenuous. I'm about ready to be done, honestly.

Compared to last time : For all my complaining this time, I still think things are pretty much on par with last time.

Too lazy/comfy to get up and take a 36 wk pic for you ;)

Ash 2 1/2 years - picture post

Me & Superbear at 2.5 yrs old, watching a show with my trucks

Cow Appreciation Day 2014

Helping Mommy cook macaroni & cheese

In hog heaven!

 

 An ice cream date & a breakfast date

As OCD as my parents - I ate all the purple O's, now I'm working on the orange ones

A family shot from our morning at Garden of the Gods taken by Aunt Melissa

A posed shot at GotG

Handsome little toddler - but I'll argue and say I'm a big rig!

Ash - 2 1/2 years old!

Mom note: I've tried multiple times to add pictures to this post. It's almost a week later and it's still not working. I don't know why Blogger hates me lately. Sorry! :) I'll work on getting a picture update together as time and carpal tunnel and Blogger allow. In the meantime, here's the words.


Size: Mom finally hung my growth chart this week and marked my height. I am 2' 10.5" tall and weigh about 26 lbs (on the home scales it's just an estimate). I'm wearing 18-24mo & 2T shirts & (footless) pj's. I'm wearing anything from 12mo to 2T shorts (where length doesn't matter so much), and 24mo/2T pants (cinched as tight at they'll go). I'm wearing mostly size 6 shoes.

Physical development: I've gotten pretty competent at all the things at the playgrounds - climbing, sliding, etc. I still love to dig & dump. My newest physical interest has been building. I have lots of pieces from Wendy's kid's meals that I use to build vehicles of all sorts. Mom also got me a bunch of big legos to build with, and daddy & I have had a lot of fun building things (mainly "towers" and garages for my vehicles).

Verbal development: I am learning different inflections and voice my opinion about which "voice" mommy uses when she talks to me. Sometimes she uses a sweet high voice, and sometimes she uses a stern low voice; I like the high "mommy" voice better. I'm also practicing vocalizing my preferences in a polite way and without fussing. I'm pretty good at switching when I'm reminded. Mommy & daddy are extremely helpful and willing when I ask nicely, but I hardly get what I want if I fuss about it, so I'm getting the hang of it. I've also been working on my letter sounds, and love to sing the song : "The B says 'b', the B says 'b', every letter makes a sound, the B says 'b'." I sing it all the time about whatever letter something starts with. I'm able to identify almost all the letter sounds and am usually right about what letter starts a word.

Routines: This summer, Jack has only been with us till noon. We try to fit most of our fun and errands into the mornings with him. Mommy still puts me down for a nap every day, but lately I've only been sleeping about once or twice a week. Mommy & daddy have taken all the toys and books out of my room, and have tried lots of things to encourage me to sleep (or at least be quiet) during nap-time. This week I've been getting to watch a show when I'm quiet and sometimes that's enough motivation to keep me quiet. I also have some special stickers, so if I'm quiet and stay in my bed I can pick a sticker to put on a paper.

Special events:We've been working on getting the nursery ready for Cole, and I even got to help with some of the artwork! We've also spent time at the pool at our gym, gone on special dates for breakfast or lunch, and had a couple play dates. We have been getting together with Uncle Mark & Aunt Melissa & their kids once a month too. We had a special day where we went to Garden of the Gods and took pictures with them. That was fun. We also dressed up as cows to get free meals at Chick-fil-A for Cow Appreciation Day.

My favorites: I still love anything with wheels, all kinds of vehicles. There's been a lot of construction in town this spring & summer, and I love checking out all the vehicles. And everything I do, I take a couple trucks with me - sitting on the couch, eating at the table, riding in the car, and even park a couple on my shelf at bedtime.

Daddy's favorites: Daddy loves that I'm into building lately b/c it's something he can do together with me. We've had a lot of fun playing in the evenings and on weekends.

Mommy's favorites: Mommy is enjoying the time we get together this summer. She's savoring the last few weeks with just me before Cole comes.

Upcoming: The next couple months are going to be a little bit crazy around here. My little brother Cole is coming sometime in August. We're not sure exactly when, but we've been working at getting ready for him. Jack will stop coming to our house after the first week of August so we can rest and prepare. I can't wait to meet him and see him and hold him. Daddy will get to stay home with us for a couple weeks after Cole is born. Then for the beginning of September we'll have Nanoo & PopPop visiting. It's going to be a lot of change and busyness, but I'm excited to finally meet this kid. So far he's just been a big belly on mommy and a couple ultrasound pictures, so it'll be nice to finally have a face to put with the name.

35 weeks - Cole

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along : 35 weeks. Tuesday will be one month till D-day. We'll see if this one comes by then or decides to hang in there a little longer like Ash did.

Size of Baby :  >18+ long & >5+ lb. Almost too big for the space he's got :)

Total Weight Gain : ~ 22-23 lbs. My weight jumped a pound overnight; don't know if it's real weight or just a fluke.

Maternity Clothes :  100%. Though I am loving my (non-maternity) maxi skirt. I don't like the dresses as much as I thought I would b/c as a pear with a basketball for a belly, I feel ENORMOUS from my bra band down in loose flowing clothes. I figure that my clothes making me feel unattractive is unforgivable at this point. The waddle, the dark circles under my sleepy eyes, the other changes pregnancy has wreaked on my body - these are unavoidable. The clothes I have a choice about :) In a skirt, there's definition above and below my bump so I don't feel like one huge lump. So skirts and shorts it is in this heat.

Best Moment This Week : Having Josh home for a long 4 day weekend was awesome. He did so much around the house! We never did tackle the nursery, but he cleaned the whole house except the nursery and basement. And he helped fold the laundry too. And let me take a nap one afternoon. Yeah, I love my hubs :)

It was also an extremely special week b/c it was my birthday. Stephanie & Jack showed up at my door three mornings in a row with gifts for me. It was so much fun! I'm IN LOVE with my little mini-rose bush. I set it outside the door, so when I'm pulling in the driveway or opening my front door to greet someone or get the milk, it makes me SMILE! I love flowers :) It was also fun to get a slew of Facebook greetings on my birthday.

And of course the random compliments from strangers always make my day. Twice in the locker room on Monday, as I stood in my bra and underwear fixing my hair, ladies walking past on the other side of the locker room exclaimed how cute/beautiful I looked. How can you help but feel good when someone compliments you in nothing but your underthings!! :-D Too bad it's not the norm after the baby is born and everything is saggy and squishy! Hah.

Gender : It's a boy! I can't wait to meet him, to hold him in my arms, to nurse him, to get to know him!

Movement : This past week while I was trying to sleep, Cole decided he wanted to see how far he could stretch out, and he wedged himself from my pelvis to my lungs. I woke up with pain in my side/lungs, and I could hardly breathe. Unfortunately his feet were behind my ribs, so I couldn't just push them away from the area. I ended up getting up and walking around to get him to settle back to his usual position just so I could breathe "fully" again.

He's been doing a lot of pushing this week. He will be really active and moving for a couple days, then he'll take a couple days off. My theory is that these are growth-spurt days when he's just resting and growing. He moves enough not to worry me, but most of his movements on those days (besides hiccups, which occur at least once a day) are pushes. He'll wedge his feet up into the right side of my belly and shove. I had Josh feel the squishy left side of my womb (amniotic fluid provides little resistance) and then the rock-solid right side. It's crazy how hard he can push sometimes! I think he feels like he's running out of room in there :)

Food Craving :  Still iced tea. I also satisfied a long-standing craving for Waffle House waffles yesterday. I've craved it since Ash was born, but I was off dairy while I was nursing him, and I was never in that area during mealtime, and it just wasn't a priority. Then today we were a minute away at lunchtime, so I told Ash we were going to have a special lunch and we went. YUM :)

What I Miss Most : My body. Being able to move, breathe, eat.

Sleep : same. Waking every couple hours to pee and/or roll over. My poor little bladder is SO squished that I'm peeing every 1-2 hrs during the day (if I'm keeping up on my fluid intake) and at least 2-3 times a night. Getting in the sleep schedule of nursing a newborn, I guess.  Also, my poor joints are so loose and my carpal tunnel is so bad that I can't go more than a few hours on one side without the pain waking me. I took Tylenol twice last night - before bed and in the wee hours.

What I Am Looking Forward To :  Tonight we're having (free) dinner at Chick-fil-A for Cow Appreciation Day. I will post pictures on FB sometime soon. I'm in the process of getting a shirt ready for Josh and for me. He's come up with another hilarious idea this year; I wonder how many years he can come up with original ideas to be a cow without having to wear a single spot! And the shirt I painted years ago has no room for Cole in it, so I'm painting a new one that's bigger to fit over the bump.

My baby shower is tomorrow (Saturday), and I can't wait! From the rsvp's it looks to be a random combination of friends from all different parts of my life, but I love baby showers and we already know from Corrina's shower that Noemi can throw a killer party with a to-die-for spread. And this time I'm not in the middle of my Lent treats fast, so I can have whatever my heart desires that my tiny stomach will allow :)

Also, Tiffany is coming over for our doula home-visit Monday, which makes things start to seem even more real and imminent. It's one step closer to having all the ducks ready and waiting. Also I have my next OB on Friday morning. Then we move to weekly OB's. Yikes :)

Belly Button : Still extremely shallow and an outie. The scar at the inside of my belly looks like an upside-down F (right-side-up to me when I'm looking down at it) with all the poking out being done by the skin at the prongs of the F. So it's the right side that's sticking out, and the left side is mostly flat and purplish wrinkly scar.

Symptoms : I've been having carpal tunnel worse in the past couple weeks. Now my symptoms extend into the day. I hadn't started wearing my brace during the day till this week. I pulled it out a couple evenings, and yesterday during the afternoon. I had a few moments during the first half of the day where the angle I was doing something mundane like cutting my waffle sent shots of pain through my hand, so by naptime I was ready to brace it up and stop hurting at least. I randomly met someone who said that carpal tunnel exercises actually helped their problem, so I'm trying to do some of those every evening while we're watching TV too; we'll see if it helps at all.

My hips/pelvis have also been starting to REALLY loosen up. They hurt when I sleep. But more painful is when I move. If I've been sitting or lying in one position for a while and I try to adjust or get up, I have to move very slowly and carefully to avoid tweaking them. And of course I haven't gotten used to remembering to move slowly, so I tweak them multiple times a day. But, I am so glad I switched to the aqua classes! I still get a good workout (if I put the effort into it), and feel sore in new places using muscles in different ways, but the buoyancy takes all the pressure off my hips and back, and I'm surviving a lot better b/c of the switch.

I've also had a couple days this week where I felt EXTREMELY "pregnant". Lightheaded, nauseous, extra-acidic, weak & tired. I'm wondering if these are growth-spurt days, b/c they also seem to coincide with the days that Cole is quieter. But either way, I'm thinking I need to get serious about the iron again, b/c I've been so weak and tired.

Compared to last time : SO similar! Reading back through the post from 35 wks w/Ash, my complaints about feet in the ribs & lungs, hips loosening and hurting, etc sounds EXTREMELY familiar :)

35 wks with Ash

almost 35 wks with Cole