Into the 4th quarter we go!

30 weeks down, 10 to go, give or take.  Time to sing the War Hymn, saw the horns off, and head into the 4th quarter of this pregnancy.

This little one has been quite active for some time and the past few weeks have been no exception.  I never bothered to keep a "kick count" with Daniel because he was so active I felt tons of kicking and I haven't done one for Honey Badger either.  At least 10 kicks an hour?  We've usually got that within 5 minutes!

Now that I'm in the 3rd trimester I've graduated from monthly prenatal checkups to biweekly (then weekly for the final month).  I had my most recent checkup this morning.  This appointment was quick, routine one-heard the heartbeat via Doppler (131 bpm) and the midwife and her trainee measured fundus height (31cm) and felt my belly to determine fetal position.  The bad news is kiddo is still breech, but the good news is s/he has plenty of room to turn and time to do it.  Maybe s/he is just bored with nothing else to do in there and wants to save that to give something to look forward to.  If there's any doubt about whether we're in head-down position by 36 weeks another sonogram will be done at that point to get a better look, but hopefully this will resolve itself by then.  Cecily suggested I try crawling around on hands and knees to try to encourage the little one to turn so I'll start doing that (maybe turn it into a game with Daniel).

While I definitely want this kiddo to turn I have to admit that the breech position does seem to create less discomfort for me than Daniel did in head-down position.  I'm certainly visiting the restroom more than usual but less than I recall with Daniel.  I'm also not experiencing the pain of having a baby's back wedged up against my ribs and haven't had much in the way of back pain.  So, provided Honey Badger ultimately does end up turning, I'd have to say the breech chapter in this pregnancy may end up being a blessing in disguise.

While I'm still feeling pretty good for this far along heartburn has reared its ugly head and is making nightly appearances.  I didn't imagine I'd be lucky enough to escape it altogether this time but I'm glad to have avoided it as long as I did.  I'm also still sleeping pretty well, most nights only waking up once the whole night.  I don't wake up sore (thanks Tempurpedic!) but I am to the point in the pregnancy where no matter how long I sleep I don't really feel fully rested when I wake up.  And, I get fairly easily winded (that will happen when your lungs are compressed).  But all things considered it's not bad.

However, just like with Daniel, there's nothing like traveling in your 3rd trimester to make you realize that yep, I'm definitely pregnant.  Wednesday we had a long drive to Austin, thanks to holiday traffic.  That night for the first time in the pregnancy I felt my ankles swell...I guess sitting in the car all day will do that.  On the return drive home I put my feet up on the dash a lot and that seemed to help.  I've also found good use for the compression socks that I wear the day after a long run to help with recovery.  Turns out they are also good at reducing swelling.  What with it being boot weather now anyway, I'll try to wear those a few times a week to help prevent swelling.

It's been awhile since my last picture, so here are a few current ones.  The bump is definitely getting bigger!

 

 

28 weeks: 2/3 of the way there!

Shortly after I found out I was pregnant with Daniel I went out and bought the What to Expect When You're Expecting book.  I remember looking ahead to the chapters on the later months of pregnancy that described how big and developed the baby would be.  That seemed so far away just days after seeing that positive pregnancy test and hard to imagine that that little poppyseed was going to be the size of a squash in 7 months.  And now 3 years later, our second child is that big and less than 3 months from making his or her debut into the world.

 

Since my last baby update we've had a few developments.  At my prenatal appointment last week I learned that 1) a new sonogram shows that the placenta previa issue that was noted at 20 weeks has largely resolved, 2) I passed my glucose screening test with flying colors, and 3) baby is looking good, albeit in a frank breech position (booty down, head and limbs up).  My midwife feels confident that the baby will turn (breech position this early isn't uncommon) and that the placenta position will continue to improve, so barring later developments that suggest otherwise we're on track for another natural birth.  We won't do the full birth classes again but it is time to start reading over the Bradley materials and getting back up to speed on everything to remind ourselves what to expect.

 

While the news at the appointment was definitely reassuring, HB has been giving me frequent feedback every day (and night) that s/he is growing and strengthening those muscles.  Daniel was quite the squirmy one and his sibling seems to be just as active.  But while they were both active, HB's movements feel different.  With Daniel I remember feeling like he had wedged himself up under my ribcage.  I haven't had that sensation this time (maybe because of the breech position) but it seems like I am getting elbowed more and earlier with HB.

 

Fortunately getting elbowed is still my biggest pregnancy discomfort at this stage of pregnancy.  I'm still sleeping pretty well, but as I did with Daniel, I find that having an extra pillow up against my back is helpful so I can lay on my back but still be partly on my side.  I'll generally wake up at least once a night to use the bathroom but seldom more than twice.  I've had a little lower back pain last week but otherwise still feeling pretty good.  I'm sure the coming months will bring more discomfort but I'm thankful to be feeling as good as I do so far along.

 

We didn't make a baby registry this time because we realized that we already had just about everything we needed already.  We're reusing Daniel's old crib and dresser/changing table so I just got some sheets and a changing pad cover in a Finding Nemo pattern to go with the under the sea theme we had planned.  Last week we had the room painted, and the color turned out great.  It's a soft aqua color that should work well for a girl or boy.  Now all that's left to do is put up aquatic-themed decals on the walls, rearrange the furniture, and get old stuff out of the closet and baby stuff in.  I'll need to get some of Daniel's old newborn clothes out of storage.  If HB's a boy, we'll be all set.  If it's a girl, well, I don't think wearing boy's newborn clothes for a few weeks will cause her any gender identity issues ;)

 

 

Hopefully by my next baby update we'll have the room done and can include more pictures.  Right now the room is in a state of transition.  It was previously our guest room and had my old college bedroom furniture.  We've decided to keep the guest bed in the room but we moved the dresser into Daniel's room for his temporary use while moving the crib and changing table/dresser combo to HB's room.  The major pieces are in place now but we have a bureau, bookshelf, and rocking chair whose fate we haven't yet determined. 

 

The grand plan is to get Daniel a full new bedroom suite in the next year or two but in the meantime, we figured we might as well move the old dresser we already had into his room.  The guest bed will stay in HB's room probably till s/he is ready to move out of the crib, at which point we'll either have bunk beds/trundle in one or both kids' rooms or graduate Daniel to a full/queen bed so we have a guest bed when company comes (kids can double bunk in the other room those nights).  We'll just have to see what seems like the best plan at that point, but the current furniture swap lets us put those logistical considerations on the back burner for a few years.

 

Getting the room ready isn't the only change we've made in anticipation of HB's arrival.  Last month I bid a fond farewell to my VW Jetta I'd driven for 7+ years and moved up to the bigger VW Passat.  The Jetta was the best car I'd ever owned and no doubt had several more good years left in it but that backseat was not made to comfortably hold 2 carseats.  But the Passat has much more rear legroom so Daniel can easily rear-face behind the driver's seat with room to spare and the infant seat will fit behind the passenger seat.  The extra space will serve us well and between that and the terrific fuel economy of the turbodiesel engine (regularly averaging around 40mpg) it will probably supplant Kevin's SUV as our main road trip car.  I expected some adjustment in getting used to a bigger car but have been impressed how it really doesn't handle any bigger than the Jetta did.  Daniel likes Mommy's new car and is obsessed with playing with the keys and pushing the "lock" button on the key fob to honk the horn (sorry, neighbors).  At this rate he'll wear out the battery in no time!

 

Danielisms

I keep meaning to blog about some of the cute things Daniel says and does but never seem to get around to it.  I know though that before long some of them will disappear and I don't want to forget them.  So, a few favorites:

- He sees me eating granola bars in the morning and will ask for "mommy giyaga" or "mommy binoma."  Once Kevin tried to feed him a granola bar and Daniel refused to take it from him, saying "Mommy take it."  Once I held it he was happy to eat it from my hand.

- Speaking of granola bars, he likes to eat them in the wrapper.  Break a piece off to hand it to him and he might eat it, but more likely than not he'll put it back in the wrapper and eat it from that.  He's the same way about eating bananas, they have to be in the peel.
- We make smoothies on weekend mornings but he calls them "foamies." (which is actually kind of logical, on accident!).  Even though the one we pour in his little cup is the exact same thing as what's in my cup, he wants Mommy's foamy instead.  Likewise, pancakes on Mommy's plate are also more appealing than the ones on his plate.

- When I'm giving him food he'll ask "more, Mommy."  Sometimes it comes out as "more mommies."  I've told him he just gets the one.  He'll also ask for "more daddies" if Kevin's feeding him.

- He loves to wash his hands and use wipes.  Do I have the only 2 year old clean freak?  This child will run to the bathroom, drag a stool or chair over to the sink and climb on up.  If you leave him to his own devices he'll stay there turning the water on and off for 10 minutes.  And whenever he catches sight of the tub of diaper wipes he'll try to climb up to get it too and if I try to distract him from that pursuit he'll wail "I need wipes!"  In fact, a wipe to play with is his "prize" when he successfully uses the potty.  (Needless to say, I handle the functional wiping details)  Speaking of wiping, he also likes to clean the table top after he eats, and of course likes to wipe his hands if he gets food on them.

- He wore sandals every day during the summer and, as you might imagine, they got a little sweaty.  One night I was sitting at the table feeding him and thought, yuck, what is that awful smell?  I realized it was my little boy's feet!  I said "P-U, stinky feet!"  He enthusiastically repeated it that day and now says it whenever I take off his shoes.
- The other day when I took off my shoes he said, "I wipe Mommy's feet," ran to the bathroom, and returned with some toilet paper and wiped at my feet.  Um, thanks...

- He knows his colors and can correctly name them most of the time, but if you give him a "pop quiz" and ask him what color something is, it's either blue or yellow.  I blame myself a little-I talk to him about how Daniel has yellow hair and blue eyes so I guess those are the colors that come to mind.
- Just in the last week he's started saying "I need to sit up" if he's lying down or slouched.  Guessing he must hear that at school!
 

 

Daniel's 26 month update

School

A few weeks ago Daniel had his first day of "real" school.  This was somewhat anticlimactic given that he's already been there since July for their summer session, but one significant difference is that he's now required to be in dress code, which includes blue pants or shorts and a white or red polo shirt.  Other than that, not much change for him.  His class is really small right now, just him and 3 other kids, 2 of whom also have at least one parent who works at Microsoft.  He adores his teacher and the teachers who do afternoon extended care and talks about them a lot, and he also really likes his classmates.  He's obviously quite happy there, given how much he talks about everyone, and while he's always happy to see me in the evening when I pick him up, he's sometimes sad to leave the school.  The decision to start him in school and leave him in the care of non-family members was not one we made lightly, so it's gratifying to see that he is so happy and thriving there.

 

They must sing a lot at school, because now Daniel loves to sing at home.  So far we've heard "Twinkle, Twinkle," "Jesus Loves Me," "Alphabet song," "Row, Row Row Your Boat," and a few others.  He sings to himself a lot and is happy when we join in.

 

The school also offers age-appropriate gymnastics classes every week.  I expected Daniel to enjoy those and he definitely is.  Here he is showing off his somersault technique.

 

 He also recently started a basketball skills program at school too, so it'll be fun to see what he learns in that. I'm sure he'll enjoy it.

Potty training update
For the past 2 weeks we've been sending him to school in underwear rather than diapers.  The first week he had several accidents a day but this week he made it most days with 1 or no accidents.  The past 2 weekends we mainly kept him at home and just in undies, but now he has gotten pretty good at getting his clothes and undies off and on, so this weekend we kept him clothed around the house.  We also took him to run errands, to dinner at a restaurant, and to the church nursery and he stayed dry everywhere.  While I'm sure we have a few more weeks or months before he stays dry all day every day, he's consistent enough at this point that I consider him largely daytime potty-trained.  He's still got room for improvement but I'm quite pleased with his progress so far.

As for night-time training, we're still at the starting point.  The other night he had a dry diaper in the morning for the first time ever, and as soon as he woke up he told Kevin he had to go.  He not only held it through the night but knew once he woke up to wait for the potty.  We'll wait for him to do that a few more times to know he has the ability, then start putting him to bed in undies.  That may happen next week or not for another month or two, we'll see how he does.

Big boy bed!
In the meantime, in anticipation of that transition, we moved him out of the crib last week.  We started out by placing his crib mattress on the floor to see how he'd do outside the crib rails.  He was excited by the change and slept quite well for several nights.  So, Saturday morning we bought him a twin bed and some new sheets and moved the crib out.

He is quite proud of his new big boy bed and excited about it.  And yesterday he napped for 2+ hours on it-a big deal given that he doesn't nap much these days.  Last night, perhaps because of the nap, he took awhile to get to sleep but otherwise did pretty well.  Today hasn't gone as well though-a restless nap time (not so unusual) but then a hard time getting to bed tonight.  Might be a one-off, but I think once we get back to his school week routine he'll do fine.  He almost always falls asleep right away after a day at school.  He has proven to be a child who handles change quite well and has always been a good self-soother, but still, it is a big transition, so I don't expect it to go flawlessly.  His enthusiasm is encouraging so I'm confident we'll get there.

Bye-bye high chair
Last week we also transitioned Daniel from his high chair to a booster seat.  He had been wanting to sit in a regular chair so this was an easy transition for him.  He likes being able to climb up into his seat on his own and buckle himself in, which is also handy for us.

Speaking of high chairs, while he may be ready to say goodbye to his dining chair he now enjoys climbing up onto our barstools.  This means the counter is no longer a safe place to put things we want to keep out of his reach.  Funny to think how when he was a newborn everything in the house was safe, then as he's graduated from rolling to crawling to walking to climbing, less and less of the house is now out of reach for him.  He keeps us on our toes!

Haircut
The other day I took Daniel to get his second haircut.  It went well, but he got ticklish when the stylist tried to use the trimmers!

 

 

 

20 weeks already?

Halftime

Wow, how did we get here so quickly?  Somehow we're already halfway through this pregnancy.  It has definitely gone much faster than the first time.  For one thing, we've got a toddler now, and he does a pretty good job of keeping us busy between school, potty training, and amusing antics.  Also, last time around we were busily getting up to speed researching birth plan options and baby gear and putting together a registry, so a lot of time was spent thinking about and planning for Daniel.  This time around, we aren't doing a registry and we already know the birth plan we want, having done this before.  So while we certainly think and talk about Honey Badger baby a lot, we aren't really focused on preparing for him/her.  So, after the queasiness and fatigue of the first trimester faded away it was easy to just get on autopilot and let the weeks pass.

 

Another reason the past month has gone by quickly on the pregnancy front is that my allergies have been doing such a good job of taking my attention   This past week they developed into sinusitis, which is even less fun than it sounds.  Fortunately it seems to be running its course but the ragweed season can't end soon enough for me.

 

Last week we had our 2nd trimester anatomy scan sonogram and got to see HB up close.  S/he is developing beautifully, measuring just a few days behind my due date (but right on track with the later due date I've got in my head), but no areas of concern.  The sonographer looked at the below-waist area to make sure all was in order there, but I looked away when she did.  Actually, I didn't trust Kevin not to peek so I looked back at him to make sure he wasn't looking ;)  We asked her not to tell us what she saw but she said she felt pretty confident she could tell the gender.

 

After the sonogram we met with an OB, per the practice's requirement that midwife patients see an OB at least once during the pregnancy.  At this point we learned that our trend of "everything looks good but" midway point sonograms continues.  With Daniel, the concern was "bright spots" on the heart and brain, which ultimately turned out to be normal variances.  With this pregnancy, the baby him/herself is fine, but the concern is that the placenta is a little low on the uterine wall.  It's not really a concern at this point but ultimately if it failed to move up it would block baby's exit thus requiring a C-section. 

We'll have another sonogram early in the 3rd trimester to check, but it almost certainly will resolve by then, as over 95% of cases do.  The good news of course is that the odds are overwhelmingly in our favor.  The bad news is that there's nothing to do but wait and hope.  It helps though to remember that last time we were in this situation the issue ended up resolving, and it almost certainly will this time.

 

Aside from the sonogram, we had another big pregnancy milestone this week.  I was sitting on the couch and could feel HB squirming around and kicking.  I could feel it so much I thought maybe Kevin would be able to feel it too, so he put his hand on my belly and sure enough, he could!  It was around 23 weeks before we could feel Daniel's kicks so it's fun to get to feel HB sooner.

 

Haven't really had much in the way of pregnancy symptoms lately, though I've noticed that coughing triggers heartburn for me (which means this last week has been extra fun).  I'm mostly, but not exclusively, wearing maternity tops at this point, but maternity pants are still too big.  My regular pants still fit so I'm in those and can still button them and wear a belt.  I'm surprised to still be in regular pants this far in, but I'll take it.  I'll credit a combination of higher carry position and lower pre-pregnancy weight...thanks running!

 

Here are a few 20 week pictures.  Ignore the cheesy expression.

 

The shirt says "Future Aggie" pointing to the belly. We were dressed to watch the game!

 

For comparison, here's a current shot alongside my 20 week picture with Daniel.  Comparing the two, I look smaller this time and am still in regular pants with belt, whereas at this point with Daniel I had just moved into maternity pants (but had had to use a Bella band with my regular pants for several weeks prior).

 

16 week update

I'm now 16 weeks along and the last week has seen several interesting developments.  The exciting one is that I've been able to feel Honey Badger moving.  So far it's just fluttering, and nothing I could feel externally with my hand, but I now know from experience it's baby movement.  Looking back at my blog entries from my pregnancy with Daniel, I was starting to feel something around 18 weeks but wasn't sure that it was baby movement.  I had expected to feel movement sooner this time around so I wasn't surprised to feel it this past week.

 

Alas, I had also expected to begin feeling bladder pressure by this point and that has also come to fruition.  I suspect that carrying a little higher this time delayed it for a few weeks, but it was bound to happen eventually.  Never was this more evident than this past Saturday when I participated in (note that I did not say "ran") a 10k race.  I expected to be slow, but it turned out that the limiting factor was not my legs or my lungs, but how fast I could go without jostling my bladder and having to pee.  I ended up walking for stretches and even so, had to make 4 bathroom stops over 6.2 miles, when I can generally run an entire half marathon without having to stop.  So, it looks like I'll be investing in a support belt soon to try to alleviate this issue.

 

As for clothes, I'm still largely in regular clothes, but a few maternity tops no longer look baggy on me.  I suspect the coming weeks will see me wearing more maternity tops and then, within a month or so, it'll probably be time to pull out the maternity pants too.

 

Last week I had another checkup too.  It was short, mostly just a chance to hear the little one's heartbeat (133 bpm, around where Daniel's was at this time) and chat briefly with Cecily.  We've also got our anatomy scan ultrasound scheduled in a few weeks, when we'll get to see the little one in more detail and make sure everything is developing well.  With Daniel, this was when we found out we were having a boy, but this time, since we're going for a surprise, we'll have to turn away while the sonogram technician checks out Honey Badger's nether region, and remind her not to spoil the surprise for us.  While it won't be the big reveal it was with Daniel, we're looking forward to the chance to see the little one up close and confirm that everything is on track.

Daniel's first few weeks of preschool and 24 month checkup

Daniel starts school
Almost a month ago we started Daniel at his preschool, Apostles Day School.  It's a Montessori school set in an Episcopal church in a nearby suburb.  It came highly recommended by our good friends Lisa and Richard, whose 2 older kids go there and love it.  We looked at several options but this was immediately my favorite, and after considering them all Kevin agreed this was the place for Daniel.  From the first time I set foot there I thought, "I can't wait for Daniel to start here, he's going to LOVE it."

So far, 3 weeks in, he does love it.  His first day Kevin and I both took him.  He stood nervously by us at first when we arrived, following me into the classroom but then right back out.  A minute later though, he walked back in on his own, and a few minutes later after we'd stopped by the director's office we peeked back in to check on him and he was sitting at a table with other kids studying one of the works (projects).  His teachers reported a great first day and every day since has been good too.  He seems to really enjoy the interaction with other kids, the predictable structure of the school day, and the stimulation of the classroom setting.  He's always happy to see me when I pick him up, but always happily playing when I get there.

This school requires parents to send a lunch for their child every day-a negative to some people but a plus to us as it means his lunches will be healthy foods we pick out for him.  We pack plenty for him every day-usually a sandwich or some chicken, yogurt, fresh fruit, and milk.  He doesn't always finish but nearly always eats most of it.  His teachers have commented to us on what a hearty appetite he has and said he's one of the best eaters in the class.  Especially when we sent my mom's homemade applesauce with him-they said he wolfed that right down!  We pack his lunch in the little red lunchbox we got for him designed like a fire truck-he's very proud of it and loves it!

Here he is when I picked him up after his first day.  He was having so much fun with all the toys he didn't want to leave!  His lunchbox is by his feet.

One of the things we were really looking forward to with Daniel starting school was the help they'd provide with potty training.  We're rookies at this but they're pros, so we knew that when Daniel was ready they'd help him really get the hang of it.  Their approach has been much like ours, offering the potty and giving him the chance to sit on it, but since they have him all day they offer it more than we can.  Also helping there is that Daniel has the positive peer influence of watching the other kids in his class using the bathroom.

[Disclaimer: If you're not the parent of a little one, you might want to skip this part.  You've been warned.]  Whatever they're doing, it's working!  Daniel used the potty at school once last week, then this past weekend at home, he did #2 in the potty.  It was the first time he had ever done that and he was quite proud.  Then today was another new milestone.  He peed in the potty this morning before Kevin took him to school, then used the potty at school, then tonight used it again once we got home.  His first day to use the potty more than once, and he did it 3 times, including a #2. Once he becomes more consistent in his toilet use, it may be time to take Daniel shopping for underwear!  My hope is that he'll at least be daytime toilet-trained by the time of Honey Badger's arrival.  If nighttime training takes longer, that's fine.  I'm surprised but pleased that at barely 2 years old he's already doing so well with this.  Thanks preschool!

24 month checkup
Last week Daniel had his latest checkup.  He weighed in a little over 25 pounds and stands 35 inches tall-holding par for the course, long and lean.  Our pediatrician was impressed with his development and particularly with his vocabulary and articulation and felt that he was on pace for all developmental targets for his age.

It was also a vaccination day for us.  At our request, the doctor agreed to delay the Hepatitis A and B series until Daniel was 2.  Long story short, these 2 are relatively unimportant at this age (the former is mild, the latter is spread via needles and sexual contact and thus, not  really a concern for any but the most rebellious toddlers) and have relatively higher risk of seizures than other vaccines, so we opted to postpone them and focus our attention in his earlier years on more important shots (e.g., DTAP, Hib, PCV).  So, this visit he got his first HepA and his second polio shot.  He cried during the actual shots but calmed fairly quickly afterwards and had no adverse effects.  We'll take him back in a month or two for his seasonal flu shot, then in February we'll bring him along for little bother or sister's first checkup and he'll get his first Hep B shot then.  It's a little surreal to think that before long I'll be taking 2 kids to the doctor!