Hmmm... I think I'm done...

With blogging, that is. 

It's been fun tracking this pregnancy and retelling my crazy birth story, but the idea of blogging about the baby and all of my upcoming, inevitable misadventures with three little boys is not currently piquing my interest.

Well, I hear a baby crying, so thanks for reading! I hope you found this blog a good way to kill some time. :)

More pictures!

One Week

Well, it's been a week now since Bruce was born, and things are going well.

Dominic and Clark are enjoying holding their new baby brother and giving him hugs and kisses, which is of course too cute for words. They are enjoying the baby gear even more - we are struggling to keep Clark from climbing in the pack and play and we can only have the swing out when they're upstairs playing. :) They also like to sit in the little co-sleeper and the bouncy seat we have upstairs in our room. Oh well... 

Bruce himself is also doing well. He's a champion eater and sleeper, which makes things a little easier. So far he's been sleeping for two to three hour stretches at night which really, really rocks. I'm actually getting a decent amount of sleep. He survived his first bath and his cord is almost ready to come off and his circumcision is almost healed, so yay for that, too. And the bruising on his face is all but gone.

I'm also doing pretty well. We've been getting out of the house at least once a day so I'm doing some walking, although it's not hard to feel like I've done too much. Hopefully in another week I'll be up for longer outings, because I do have a small case of cabin fever going at the moment. 

So yeah, so far so good! I imagine I might be feeling differently once Andy goes back to work, and once Bruce starts staying awake for longer stretches, so I'll enjoy this grace period for as long as I can!

Pictures!!

Here's the super-long version...

Okay, here's the long version.I just hammered it all out while it was still fresh in my mind so don't expect a fabulous piece of literature. lol Possible TMI moments included...

Monday morning I went in for a non-stress test, amniotic fluid check and 41 week OB appointment. That all went fine - I got to see the bottom half of Bruce's face on the ultrasound when they were checking my fluid levels and got the first clue that maybe this kid was going to be bigger than I thought. lol At my OB appointment, nothing had changed: I was still 3 cm and 75% effaced. The nurse practitioner said they'd see me on Wednesday and I was inclined to agree. For the rest of the day I was just sort of generally uncomfortable and was having the same kind of irregular contractions I'd been having for the past 5 weeks, so I was getting good at ignoring it all.

Right around 9:30, my discomfort turned into something more sharp and noticeable, so I decided to pay closer attention and start timing things. My hunch was right on and the contractions went from 7 to 2 minutes apart within 30 minutes. I called the hospital. This was the part I was not looking forward to, because basically you have to convince them that yes, you really are in labor and yes, it's time to come in. And inevitably, they tell you to wait. The nurse I was talking to just rambled on about how I should wait so that when I did come in I wouldn't be sent home. I was pretty sure I wouldn't be. Even when I told her about my previous short labor, it was as if she didn't even hear me. I finally got off the phone and told Andy I didn't care what she said, we were going. He had been getting the kids' stuff together and then got them loaded in the van. So we left the house around 10:30 to take them to our friend Maria's house. By 11:00 pm we were headed to the hospital. The contractions were coming quite steadily at 2 to 3 minutes apart. Since this last month of being pregnant had been so different from my previous pregnancies, I really wasn't sure about how fast I might be dilating. Mainly I was thinking I just wanted to be at least 4 by the time we got there so that nurse wouldn't be able to say anything to me.

We got to the hospital right around 11:30. It seemed pretty dead in there, which was good. I made my way to the bathroom and had 3 or 4 contractions just trying to get that accomplished. After that I went into a triage room to have the baby and my contractions monitored for about 20 minutes, and then to be checked for dilation, effacement and baby's position. I had to lie still the whole time in a semi-reclined position, and let me say, that was HARD! At first Andy was telling me about how high the numbers were going on the contraction monitor, but that wasn't helping. lol I asked him if he could just tell me after they peaked so I would know when they were going back down.  Towards the end of the monitoring, Andy also commented that he didn't think I was going to break my record since we were about 2 1/2 hours in already.  In came a doctor and nurse (I guess).  They both checked me. At first they said I was 6, but they quickly changed their minds and said I was 8. 8!!!! Take that, non-believing nurse! They quickly and rightfully said I needed to get back to a delivery room right away. So they left to give everyone a heads up after they took some medical history. Then in walked a med student who also checked me and took basically the same medical history. Sigh. Nice enough guy, though. Then I got sick - I was anticipating this and we had brought a little trash can (lined with an empty tissue box and plastic bag) so Andy was ready for that. At the same time, I was having a contraction (a transition contraction, mind you) and my water broke. Nice. He asked me if I felt like I had to push and I wasn't sure. Then yes, I started to feel like I needed to push and told him so. The other doctor and nurse came back in, the med student informed them that I wanted to push, and they got me out of there. The nurse joked that they didn't want me delivering in triage since that was a lot of paperwork. ha

While I was being wheeled to the delivery room, the urge to push was very quickly taking over. I started thinking of all the stories I've heard about women who were told to wait and just couldn't. I remembered I was supposed to pant to try and stave it off. So I started panting and wasn't sure how long I'd be able to keep it up. I'm normally calm and even-keeled, but I was starting to feel like that wasn't going to last much longer.

We get to the delivery room and people are sort of hustling. I got on the bed and said again that I needed to push. The doctor said I needed to wait so he could make sure I was dilated all the way. Oh come on! Laboring women don't say they need to push unless they NEED TO PUSH. So I'm still trying to be cooperative while he checks me and gives a quick cervical exam. There's a nurse trying to put in an IV and she fails miserably. Then they're trying to break the bed down and get the stirrups up, but they're just not going fast enough and quite honestly, I really started to feel like I had done everything I could. I started to feel like nobody cared at all that I had been putting off this INSANE urge to get this baby out for a while now and I just couldn't take it anymore. That's when I basically started screaming and crying (possibly even straight up wailing) that I had to push and couldn't wait. I turned into something else. I've never experienced that before. I'm pretty sure I don't want to again.

So I started to push. I'm practically flat on my back, my legs aren't really anywhere they should be. Everyone crowds around me (everyone = two doctors, two nurses and the med student; and of course Andy) once they realized I was going. I assumed they would grab my legs to help me but they told me to do it! I'm still in crazy lady mode and screaming/crying/wailing and I really had a hard time doing that. Then I could feel the head come out. That was definitely a good feeling and I thought that one or two more easy pushes and he would be all the way out. But no. Everyone was still yelling directions at me and probably 4 or 5 more pushes and then he was out. I know that doesn't sound like a big difference, but it kind of felt like it. It's one of those moments that feels like it's taking forever and also going really fast at the same time. Anyway, he was finally out and sane Emily returned, although I did cry a bit. It was such a huge relief to have that be done.

I caught a glimpse of Bruce - and he certainly looked bigger than 7 1/2 pounds. He was whisked away to get cleaned up and I didn't even care at the moment that they hadn't shown him to me. I really just wanted to be left alone.

No such luck.  Next it was time to deliver the placenta (by the med student). That didn't take too terribly long and after pushing out a baby, it's not really too uncomfortable. Then uterine "massage", which sucks. The doctor pushes really hard on your abdomen to push blood out and to start the process of shrinking the uterus back to normal. This is quite uncomfortable and always lasts longer than you think it will. Somewhere in here they announced Bruce's weight and length - Andy and I both were pretty shocked. Then everyone started saying I would have quite a story to tell - fast labor, fast delivery, big baby... After that, the med student got the honor of stitching me up. Sigh... You know what that means. It took FOREVER. And I'm starting to get antsy. I really wanted to be left alone, you know? I wanted to really be done. 

But in the middle of getting stitched up, I had another little gush of blood, so the OB took a closer look and thought there was a piece of the amniotic sac still inside. So he tried to get it. And kept trying. And kept trying. So he's pressing on my abdomen and has his hand shoved up my uterus, over and over again. He decides after a while his hands are too big and they find a female doctor to come in and help. Sigh... So she comes in and can't get it either. I'm really starting to get upset again because it hurts and it's not stopping! Everyone keeps apologizing and I'm squeezing the hell out of Andy's hand. They gave me some pills to try and take the edge off, but I don't know that they really did much. So they finally get some tools out to get a better look and they conclude that it wasn't the sac, but rather just my cervix. At this point I'm just so relieved that they've stopped messing with me I don't care that I had to go through all that for nothing. 

I finally get to rest! And see the baby! The poor thing is all bruised and purple on his face from being squeezed out so fast, but overall, I think he's still pretty cute. :) Andy and I are both amazed at his size and the amount of hair - he has more than Dominic did! The nurse asks me if I want to try nursing, so we give a go and he's a total natural! He nursed for 40 minutes! Finally around 4am I get taken to my postpartum room for the rest of my hospital stay, which was brief but hectic. It seemed there was an endless parade of people in and out of there the whole time - nurses, doctors, pediatricians, various assistants, medics who took my vitals, people bringing the food, a chaplain, the birth certificate lady, the circumcision people, the hospital picture people... We were discharged 36 hours after Bruce was born and I am so glad to be home!!

I hope this doesn't all sound too negative - I wouldn't say that I had a bad experience, although there were definitely negative parts! It was certainly another amazing learning experience. I've always thought a quick, drug-free labor would be the best kind. And I still think that, but not in a hospital setting. If you don't fit their standard laboring woman profile, you're kind of out of luck. But of course I'm mainly thrilled that our new baby is here! And when it comes down to it, the fact that he's here and healthy is really all that matters, so I'm over the moon. :)

I'll post pictures soon...

Bruce Angel deFiesta is here!

Short story:

After three hours of active labor and what seemed like less than five minutes of pushing, Bruce Angel deFiesta was born at 12:41 am on August 26th. He weighed 9 pounds, 2.3 ounces and was 21 inches long. And if possible, he was born with hair darker, thicker and more plentiful than Dominic's! His entire little face was bruised because of the super quick delivery, but otherwise was just fine. 

Here's a picture taken shortly after delivery:

I'll post the long, TMI version in a separate post. :)

I think this is it!

No, I didn't go into labor.

But Andy finally made a decision about this child's name - yeah! The name he's finally decided on is Bruce Angel deFiesta. For those of you that don't know, Andy's father's first name is Angel. I think it's a good choice.

So now, in all seriousness, all that's left to do is actually have the baby! 

The end is in sight!

So I had my appointment this afternoon and it was a good one. Yeah! I am between 3 and 4 cm dilated and 75% effaced - which is what I was expecting since I've been up the past two nights with contractions. I also got an induction scheduled for next Wednesday, the 27th. Naturally I would prefer to go on my own, but it is such a huge weight lifted from my mind to know I only have 6 days at most left. 

In other less exciting news, the baby's heartbeat is still in the 160's (good grief!) and my blood pressure was actually a little high. I also have to go in on Monday for a non-stress test since I'll be 41 weeks at that point.  They'll hook me up to a fetal monitor and check for heartbeat, fetal movements and also to see if I'm contracting at all. They'll do that for 20-30 minutes.

So, all in all I am feeling so much better. The past few days have been frustrating, but now I know I'm progressing and I know I will get to meet this baby for sure in less than a week!!!! That's the most exciting part, for sure. :)

Correction

I just looked at my appointment sheet and I'm actually not scheduled to go back today - it won't be until tomorrow. Not that it matters all that much at this point. The appointment next Monday (and it IS on Monday) is the one where I'd get scheduled to be induced if need be. We'll see...

My appointment...

...is not until 2:15 HST, so for all you east coasters (which I am fairly certain is everyone reading this) I won't be able to post anything until about 9pm EST.

I know, I know

I said I wasn't going to post anymore until the baby was born, but... it's the middle of the night and I can't sleep. Again. I'm totally obsessed. I keep trying to tell myself that I need to stop and the baby will be born when he's ready, but it's all. I. can. think. about. Even though I'm only two hours into my actual due date, I'm trying to just mentally plan on being induced some time next week. Anything to make me stop wondering every flipping minute if something is going to happen soon. My next appointment is Wednesday, then another one the following Monday. At that point I'll be put on a schedule for induction. 

Physically, I'm definitely tired of being pregnant, but mentally and emotionally, it's worse. I'm out of things to do to distract myself from the waiting and I just really, really want to get on with it.

I suppose an important lesson to be learned is to assume NOTHING from pregnancy to pregnancy. 

Well, I'm going to stop right here, before this turns into a big whine-a-thon. I'll probably go ahead and post after my Wednesday appointment, and then again next Monday - hopefully with a date and time!

39 Weeks, 6 days

Still pregnant...

39 Week Appointment

Sigh...

No change. No change whatsoever from last week to this week. She stripped my membranes again but it hasn't had any impact so far and I don't think I'm expecting it to. So, we'll see how everything eventually plays out and what actually happens. Not that it means anything, but this is exactly how it was with Dominic. 

My mom thinks that since I had a bigger baby last time, and now I'm expecting a smaller one, my body will hang onto this baby longer since my capacity inside is greater. That (unfortunately) makes a lot of sense.

My grandmother thinks I'll have the baby with the full moon this Saturday. My nurse practitioner also seems to think that does have some influence on when babies are born. We'll see...

Over it

I know I haven't reached my due date yet, but I'm already starting to feel like I'm going to be pregnant forever and the baby will never come out. I've had two nights now of waking up to contractions that happen just long enough to make me wonder if this might actually be it, and then they stop. 

I have my 39 week appointment in about three hours, so I'll report back on that later, but unless something really interesting happens before the baby is born, I think that will be it until the big event. I don't want this to turn into the place where I come to whine, since I know in my head I don't actually have anything legitimate to be so upset about. 

Name update

Okay, so it's definitely Bruce A-something, but it looks like Alexander will be nixed. (sigh) Andy's mom pointed out to him that his nephew, Nate, has the same middle name. Which we knew, but of course now Andy's thinking of changing it. The main possibility right now is Andrew. It will definitely be an A name so that his initials will be B. A. D. If you know Andy at all, this should not surprise you in the least. 

New background

I was reading my friend Sarah's blog this morning and saw she found a website to get cuter backgrounds, so naturally I had to check it out. No offense to Blogger, but the template choices are fairly dull. But I've already tried out about five different ones, and I'm still just not sure if I like what I've got. Expect things to keep changing until this baby shows up. This is one thing I can do to help me pass the time, as meaningless and trivial as it is. haha

No Baby Yet

Now that it's seriously getting down to the wire, I know people are starting to wonder. So am I! lol Anyway, nothing's happened yet. I woke up yesterday morning at 4am and had some contractions for about an hour, but obviously nothing came of them. 

My family got into town yesterday and today and we still have our big dinner plans tonight, so after that, I will absolutely be in sit-around-and-wait mode. I think I'm about as ready as a person can be for this, so I hope the little guy doesn't take too much longer to make his appearance.

I'll be certain to get Andy to post something once I've had him, or if I happen to be at home when I go into labor, I'll post that too. Well...as long as things aren't going too super fast. :)

How irritating

So Andy's birthday is tomorrow and I still haven't gotten all the stuff I wanted. Make that MOST of the stuff I wanted to get. My plan was to do it all today, but he had the morning off. We ended up going to the mall and also had lunch out. Since we got home, I have felt just exhuasted and nauseous. Not a good combination for taking two little kids out to buy decorations, cake and presents! Plus, Dominic and Clark discovered toys I had hidden in the storage room (we rotate them in and out - it's ridiculous how many they have. And yet, I can't seem to just get rid of them). Anyway, I will have to drag them out of the house kicking and screaming. 

And you know, I just *had* to google "nausea before labor". And naturally 18 million links popped up of women on message  boards asking if this meant anything. And of course there were loads of women responding back, "Oh yeah, I felt sick one day and had my baby that night" along with loads of women with the opposite experience. 

By the way, if the baby were born today or tomorrow, I'd be taking part in quite a deFiesta family tradition - Andy was born on his mother's birthday. If the baby were born today, he'd be born on his mother's birthday and if tomorrow, then on his father's and grandmother's birthday. And Andy is also the third child! That would be quite a family fun fact! 

Okay, enough procrastinating. Time to drag the children out of the house!

38 Week Appointment

My appointment this morning went well. I've dilated another centimeter, which puts me at 2, and I'm 50% effaced. So - progress. Nothing crazy, but things are moving in the right direction. Baby's heartbeat is still in the 150's, my blood pressure is fine, and I lost 3 pounds! My nurse practitioner was quite interested to know how I managed that. I really have no idea. 

Also, I went ahead and let her strip my membranes. And let me say, it's no big deal. It was mildly uncomfortable while she was doing it, but certainly no worse than a regular pelvic exam. I don't have any great hopes that it will actually do anything, but you never know. Right now I'm feeling mildly crampy, but I'm not having any contractions. We'll see.

Lastly, she doesn't think I'll be having another big baby like Clark (nor do I). She's guessing somewhere between 6 1/2 and 7 1/2 which is what I've been thinking, too. So we'll see!

Insomnia

So here in Hawaii it's 4:49am. Ugh. I've been awake for the past two hours. What woke me was Clark - and then I just couldn't turn my brain off after I got him back to sleep. Having to make a couple of trips to the bathroom hasn't helped, either. So I've been puttering on the computer for a while and I think I'm starting to get sleepy again, so wish me luck. I have to get back up in about two hours - yuck. At least I have my OB appointment to look forward to today, so I'll be posting more on that later. :)

38 Weeks

I hit 38 weeks today. My 38 week appointment isn't until Wednesday morning. I'm curious to see if there's been any change. I haven't really experienced any more pre-labor, so I won't be expecting much. I think the baby may have dropped even lower since whenever I walk for any distance, I feel increased pressure both in the front and the back. I've also lost a couple of pounds, which is often a sign that you're close to the end. But, as with all the other signs, "close" is a very relative term.

My mom, step dad and brother will be visiting this weekend and next week, and we've made plans to have dinner out in Waikiki on Saturday night. So I'm hoping to hold off giving birth until after that. Andy's hoping I make it all the way to the 18th, since that will mean he will be off work through basically the end of the month. lol I guess that would be okay - I'm still not totally uncomfortable, but it does get harder to be patient as time goes on. :)

The rest of the story

Well.

Heath and Michele got to our house last night around 5:30 and hung out for about half an hour before heading off to get something to eat and pick up a movie at Blockbuster. When they got home, Michele was feeling a bit nauseous so she went to lie down. Then she took a shower. When she got out of the shower, her water broke! So we got a call around 7:45 and headed back down to the hospital to pick up Kaylee. By the time we got there, Michele had started having contractions that were 5-7 minutes apart. So yay! No waiting around for an induction!

Matthew Heath Faison was born at 12:53 am this morning, weighing in at a whopping 10 pounds, 10 ounces!! And he's 23 inches long! And no c-section! All hail Michele, birthing goddess!

No go

So I just got a text from Heath - they will not be having their baby today. They will be leaving the hospital soon to go back home. They've been kicked out right as rush hour is about to get really nasty. I would be soooo pissed right now.

Yikes

So my friend Michele, who was due to have a baby five days ago got a call from the hospital this morning bright and early at 4am. They told her to be there at 7am and they would induce her. It's now 3:30 pm and she is still waiting for a bed to open up! When I went over there this morning to pick up her little girl, Kaylee, the place was a freaking zoo. There was nowhere to park and there were swarms of cars circling the lot trying in vain to find a spot. There are a good 20 or 30 "stork" parking spots for women who are 34 weeks or more pregnant and every single one was taken. Michele's husband, Heath, told me that they've run out of room in the postpartum unit for ladies who have delivered and are being sent to other areas of the hospital for the remainder of their stay.

How the hospital could not have anticipated and planned for this baby boom is absolutely beyond me. Every woman delivering at Tripler has also been going there (or Schofield, which is part of Tripler) for her prenatal care. Don't they track how many people are due at any given time? And doesn't everyone know that there's always an uptick in expected babies after a brigade gets home from a deployment? There are seven ladies alone in Andy's company who are having babies around this time.

Anyway, I certainly hope I don't have to be induced! I'll definitely be keeping my expectations of my hospital experience significantly lower, too. I now have visions of giving birth in a hallway somewhere, or maybe outside by a dumpster. lol

37 Week Appointment

Well, I had my 37 week appointment this morning. And there's nothing all that terribly exciting to report. I'm only 1 cm dilated and 25% effaced. Since the baby has settled down in my pelvis, his heart rate has dropped into the 150's. And he's still all lined up, ready to come out. Apparently my body isn't in too much of a rush, though. Which I suppose is fine. I know my body and the baby will know when it's time to make everything happen, but I can't help comparing everything to when I was at this point with Clark. At 37 weeks, I was a good 2 1/2 cm dilated and 50% effaced, and I could feel that my body was out of room.

I feel okay with not going early, but I am still hoping that when the time comes, I'll be more dilated. Ah, but who knows what will actually happen? I should just give up trying to figure it out, but when you're here at the end and you're basically all ready to go, it's hard not to obsess, at least a little bit.

My nurse practitioner offered to strip my membranes next week if I wanted. I'm not sure at the moment. I guess if I haven't made much more progress and I'm really uncomfortable, I might give it a go. As far as interventions go, that one's pretty minor I think. But generally speaking, I much prefer just letting things happen on their own. Now, if it looks like I would go overdue and the possibility of having to be induced comes up, I think I'd definitely go the stripping membranes route to attempt to avoid that. Pitocin doesn't sound like much fun. Last time I had an induction scheduled at 39 weeks, but there was no pitocin in that plan. Since I was already 4cm, my doctor was just going to break my water and have me walk laps around the hospital. She felt pretty confident that would work. Of course, that's not how things turned out. lol

Anyway, my next appointment is in a week. If there's anything of significance to report between now and then, I certainly will.

Yessss!

Well, I finally got childcare lined up for when I go into labor. My friend Maria Figueroa has graciously agreed to take care of Dominic and Clark when the time comes and that is definitely a load off my mind. 

No other real changes, other than yesterday was another day of crazy mood swings. Today I feel normal again, which is nice. 

I guess I'm pretty much all set at this point. I finished up the final baby shopping, and got all of that stuff washed and put away. I suppose there's nothing left to do at this point but actually go into labor. 

I'm looking forward to my Wednesday OB appointment to see how much, if any, I've dilated and effaced. It's really hard not to hope for the same sort of progress as last time - 4 cm before I actually went into labor! That's 4 cm of pain-free dilation! It took 6 hours of labor to get to 4 cm with Dominic. That's the point at which I decided to go ahead and go for that epidural. lol

Nerves!

Last night I had my first case of feeling like maybe I don't want to do this whole labor and delivery thing and gosh, what's it going to be like having a THIRD baby in the house? The hormones were all over the place and I'm sure if someone had just looked at me the wrong way I would have been a sobbing mess. Not that I am against crying - I think I cry my fair share - but I just didn't feel like it, you know?

And of course as I'm feeling all these things and I know they're perfectly normal, a little voice inside of me was noting the irony of it all. I've been dying to get to this point and wanting the pregnancy to be done with and now I'm balking. Figures. I know I'll be fine when the time comes, but as the reality and inevitability of it all sets in - I'll be full-term as of tomorrow! - it all feels a little intimidating at the moment.

Name du jour

Another name change. This is starting to get old...

36 Week Appointment

I was so excited for my appointment this morning, aside from having to stand on the scale. That part is always stressful. Just as I predicted, my weight is headed right where it was for the other two. Which is fine. I guess. :)

Anyway, my excitement turned to disappointment when my nurse practitioner informed me they don't start cervical checks until 37 weeks. Argh. So I have to wait another week to find out if/how much I've dilated. I suppose it doesn't really matter, but I'm still very curious. She was, however, able to tell me that yes, the baby has dropped, and he is head down and all lined up to come out. So that's all good news. I suppose knowing he's head down is more important than knowing if I've had any cervical changes at this point.

What else? This kid's heartbeat is STILL in the 160's! Dominic's was always in the 120's and Clark's ranged from the 130's to 140's.  

Well, back to sitting around and waiting for something to happen!

Things are happening...

Last night I had my first real pre/false labor experience with this pregnancy. Over the past week I've had some crampiness off and on, but last night was definitely more significant. The whole thing only lasted an hour or two, but there were a good 3 contractions that I actually had to think about breathing through. I'm fairly certain the result of that episode was that the baby dropped. I have more pressure in my back and pelvis and my stomach pushes on my legs now when I sit down. lol I'll find out for sure at my appointment on Wednesday.

And so the frustration begins! Things happen, but none of them are any kind of reliable indicator as to when labor will start. It's all such a tease! Oh well - I will continue to post updates as things continue to happen...

2nd Draft

Well, we've already had a slight name update. Thanks to my mother's outrage (okay, I'm definitely exaggerating here) at having this child's first name be a "nickname", Andy relented and says we can name him Benjamin. He'll just call him Benny. So we'll see if that sticks!

I'm officially eight months pregnant now and tomorrow will be exactly 36 weeks, so I guess we're in the home stretch. I am definitely looking forward to my appointment this Wednesday to see if I've started dilating yet. I hope I'm not too disappointed if things haven't started progressing yet. :)

Beautiful

I read this poem on my friend Sarah's baby blog and I just love it. I so believe it's true and I just had to post it here.

from Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet

"Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love, but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies, 
so He also loves the bow that is stable."

Ah! Every time I read it I get a little misty-eyed. :)

Off-topic: My first baby is 4!

Four years ago I became a mommy, and what an amazing experience it has been. 

After 10 hours of labor, Dominic Gabriel was born on Sunday, July 18, 2004 just after 6pm. I can't exactly say it was love at first sight. Among my first thoughts, upon holding this brand new person were, "Hey, he's not ugly!" "I don't feel different yet - you know, like a parent." "Huh - he doesn't look totally like Andy." "What the hell just happened?" "Seriously - what the hell? - I'm a parent now?" 

By the time we left the hospital, though, I was definitely smitten and have been ever since. 

I know I'm the parent, but when it's your first child, it definitely feels like you're developing and learning just as much as they are. I'm often amazed when we reach the big milestones that require parental assistance, i.e. potty training. I find I'm just as proud of myself as of him.

I try to always remind myself to enjoy this journey of learning who he is right along with him. I think Andy and I both made plenty of assumptions about what he would be like when he was first born, and don't you know most of those have been wrong. :) This kid is definitely on his own path, and I'm happy to help him follow it.

Getting ready

Yesterday I did some chipping away at the baby to-do list. I went ahead and picked up the right laundry detergent, along with the Tylenol, Mylicon and saline at the commissary and got all the baby clothes washed, dried, folded and put away. I also then finished up packing for the hospital since I had baby clothes finally ready to go.  Well...actually that won't be finished until I pick up some nursing pads. I probably won't need them while I'm in the hospital, but you never know.

I also packed up two diaper bags - one that will go around with me and one that will stay in the van so when I inevitably forget to stock the other one, I won't be without the essentials. Of course, dividing up my stash of clothes, blankets and burp cloths made me instantly feel like I don't have enough. sigh... If I were to do laundry every day, I'd be okay, I guess, but I don't think I want to do that. So - darn it! - I guess I'll be out shopping to pad my supply of baby basics.

I also realized that in packing for the hospital that I need to pack a bag for the boys, too. I keep a bag for each of them in the car with a change of clothes and diapers and wipes for Clark, so I guess I'll just make sure they're stocked and add a few things (a cup, a few toys). This is awful to admit, but we still don't have childcare lined up for when it's time to have the baby. The neighbor who I was going to ask just upped and left for an undetermined amount of time - marriage issues. My other friends for the most part are also pregnant and will all have brand new babies of their own by the time it's my turn. The two other girls I'm friendly with that aren't pregnant work, so I'm not really sure what we'll be doing. There is ONE person I know who neither works nor is about to pop out a baby, so I'm thinking she'll be first on the list to ask. We're also looking into the possibility of my brother coming out the end of this month to stay with us, since he, my mom and stepdad are visiting the week leading up to my due date. But being able to change his plane ticket at minimal additional cost is a long shot at this point, I think.

For some reason, I am feeling way more urgency about buying more burp cloths than lining up childcare - how weird is that?? I guess it will all work itself out...

35 Weeks

So the new picture I posted today will be the last one. I don't think I need to record myself any larger than I already am! I am sincerely hoping this baby comes early like Clark did. That would be wonderful. And I'd love it if my water broke like it did last time, too. Then there's no question that it's time and the hospital won't argue with you about whether or not you're ready to come in. Of course, the odds of that happening aren't that great, but here's hoping! I think it's pretty exciting that in two short weeks I'll be full-term. I've got plenty to keep me busy between now and then, so I know the time will pass before I know it. 

He says it's a "first draft"

Why, what is that over there on the right??? Is that an actual name??

Yesterday in the car, out of the blue, Andy says, "How about Benny Alexander?" I then asked if his full name could be Benjamin. He didn't want to do that, and truly at this point, I don't care, so I said that was fine. Then he said, "We'll call it a first draft." Geez...

You know, I was certain back in June when I told him he could choose the name he was going to immediately say at least one of those two names. I don't know what's taken him so long. Anyway, I told him he had until the moment I go into labor to change his mind. I absolutely refuse to go to the hospital without a name chosen.

If anything changes, I'll be sure to make updates. 

Destined for boys?

I often wonder if there is any rhyme or reason why people have the particular combination of kids they have. Is there a grand, cosmic reason why I am having all boys, or is it total chance? I know science says it's a 50/50 shot each time, but I still wonder. 

When I look back on my life, there seem to be little clues pointing the way to this life.

My one sibling is my younger brother, Ben, so I've been in the know regarding boys for a good 29 years. I of course felt all those responsible big sister feelings for him, certainly past the time he ever felt the need to have a second mother. One of his favorite things to say to me when I tried to tell him what to do was, "You're not the boss of me." Ah, memories.

My first best friend was a little boy - Danny Boy Allen. We went to the same babysitter and I always preferred his company to anyone else's. I also figured I would marry him. I was 4. 

I have three girl cousins - sisters - and every summer we all spent a week sharing the "bunk room" at our grandparents' beach house in the Outer Banks when we were young. And there was, well, a lot of bickering among them. lol I remember thinking to myself once that if I had to have three of one kind of children, I'd want it to be boys. Sorry, girls, and Aunt Laura, if you're reading this! 

I found babysitting little boys to be much easier - I discovered I hated playing house and with baby dolls and Barbies. Refereeing boys' rambunctious play with each other or just playing games with them was definitely preferable. 

One summer while in college, I worked at a daycare center with 5 year-olds who would be starting kindergarten that fall. I found myself completely smitten with a little boy named Sam. I thought he was the cutest thing ever.

My favorite colors are brown and blue. 

The first time I met my nephew, Nate, in his little blue hat and blue gown, all I could think was cutest. baby. ever. I want one. lol And almost exactly two years later, I did. :)

The final shopping list

I'm such a minimalist this time! I think I've actually got an appropriate amount of things for this child for a change. lol Dominic and Clark both had way too much. So many things went to waste.

Anyway, it's getting close to crunch time and I have a pretty short list of things I still need to purchase. The items can be divided into three categories: Things I Will Be Definitely Be Using Right Away; Things I Must Have But Really, Really Hope I Don't Have To Use; Fun Stuff.

Here they are:

• trial-size toiletries for the hospital
• 2 boxes of nursing bra pads - that should last at least a month
• Vaseline and gauze - for post-circumcision care
• side-snap shirts - they make life a little easier when baby first comes home
• wipes - I have four packs set aside already, but I'm fairly confident they won't last through the first month
• All Free and Clear laundry detergent - and that's what I normally buy, but Andy got detergent last time and you can smell that stuff from a mile away :)
• Infant Tylenol
• Mylicon
• saline
• baby book - I already bought one, but when I look at how pitifully small it is next to Dominic and Clark's, I get major guilt pangs. So I'll be out looking for one comparable to theirs.
• fleece blanket - Both Dominic and Clark have one that's just theirs, so I feel the tradition needs to continue

Besides the shopping, all that's left to do is wash the baby's clothes and linens, finish packing for the hospital and getting out all the gear. I'm not sure how soon to put out the pack and play, swing, bouncy seat, etc. I'm 99.9% certain Dominic and Clark will be trying to sit and climb on it all. Perhaps I'll just let Andy handle that while I'm at the hospital.

Is it August yet?

I am so bored with being pregnant and am so hoping this baby decides to come early. If I could have him now safely, I would totally do it. Well, I guess I would actually want to wait until after Dominic's birthday in two weeks - wouldn't want to mess up plans for his party. :) But right after that, I will be sooo ready to get this done.

I am regretting more and more each day giving Andy the privilege of naming this kid. I told him he had until week 36 to come up with something. He said he'd come up with something on the way to the hospital. I'm pretty sure I didn't laugh at that comment.

So I haven't posted anything new in a little over a week now. And that's because there hasn't been anything interesting to report. 

Sadly, the only new development is that my fingers are more swollen now and so the wedding band had to come off. I am waiting for the new, fake one I got on eBay to get here. It feels so weird not to have anything on my left hand! Also, I managed to gain 4 pounds in two weeks. Go me!

For the first time, I had someone inform me yesterday that they did not think I looked like I would make it to my due date. I agreed with them, but not for the reason I presume they had. I can't help it if I carry babies waaaay out in front. I'm sure I look like I'm already about to pop, but this kid better stay where he is for another four weeks, at least!

I have had one or two astute mothers (who also have multiple boys) guess exactly how pregnant I am and what I am having and that was pretty impressive.  Unfortunately, though, most people who feel the need to comment/make guesses about your impending motherhood don't know what the heck they're talking about. I have been the recipient of many inappropriate and uninformed comments. The worst, however, has to have been by an employee at the Brookstone at Stony Point in Richmond. I was four weeks postpartum with Dominic and this IDIOT says to me, "Oh, you're expecting!" Um, no. I told him, no, I wasn't and pointed out that Dominic was only four weeks old. Refusing to back down, he proceeds to say, "Well, you could be pregnant." So I told him that was currently impossible. After that, he didn't really say anything else; he also didn't apologize. 

Well, that's it for now. I expect things to be pretty slow on the blog front for the next several weeks. It's still too soon to be totally uncomfortable (and therefore whiny about it) and my next appointment is still a little over three weeks away. If anything interesting happens, though, I'll be sure to write about it.

Name...update?

Okay, so I'm totally over this whole name thing. I told Andy on Father's Day his gift from me was that he got to choose the baby's name. I really, really thought he would already have something in mind and immediately say, "Okay, his name will be..." and then it would be done. I was wrong. CLEARLY joking, he said, "Okay. Rex. Rex Kwon Do." Sighhhhh..... 

If you are not familiar with Rex Kwon Do, here he is, in all his glory.

So anyway, still no name and two months or less to go.

32 Week Appointment

Yesterday I had my 32 week appointment. The only exciting thing about this appointment was knowing every time I go in after this we'll be checking to see how dilated I am. And the guessing game of how big the baby is and when I might actually go into labor begins. Fun stuff. :) 

I'm still measuring just about the right size for how many weeks I am - 31 weeks, 3 days / 33cm. The baby's heartbeat continues to be in the 150's (you'd think I was having a girl - even the nurse practitioner said "she" a couple of times) and my weight gain was actually what it is supposed to be this month. Typically I've been gaining at a steady click of 1.25 to 1.5 pounds a week. Looks like I'll be ending this pregnancy at just about the same weight as the last two - kind of interesting, since my starting weight for all three has been quite different. I can't help but wonder if my body just wants/needs to be a certain size when I'm pregnant.

I also got my Stork Pass for the hospital. There are eight spots right out front of Tripler reserved for very pregnant women. So hopefully when I go into labor, one of those spots will be open so Andy won't have to park in Siberia. Regardless, I'll be dropped off at the front. 

When I went back to the appointment office, there was another couple in front of me. The woman was telling Sandra, the appointment lady, that she thought she was in labor, but was having a hard time convincing anyone else of that. Sandra looked down at her info and said, "And you're 26 weeks?" lol Her husband said, "She's not having a baby. She's having the Discovery Channel." ha Apparently she's been watching every show on cable about babies and giving birth and all the weird and crazy and unfortunate things that can happen. Now she thinks all of them are happening to her. The husband went on to say that she's even been banned from calling the nurses' station. That's funny stuff.

Labor and Delivery Tour

Yesterday Andy, the boys and I went over to Tripler to take a tour of the Labor & Delivery unit, as well as the Mother/Baby unit. Overall, it's pretty much like anywhere else.

One thing that differs is instead of calls back and forth to your doctor after you think you've gone into labor, you call the triage area of labor and delivery and talk to a nurse. Then you go to the hospital and they will check things out there first before admitting you. I actually like that quite a bit, since in the past I've had to call an answering service to page the doctor, wait for the doctor to call me back and then convince them that I really needed to come in. I think this way is more efficient.

So we started our tour in the triage area, with our tour guide noting that we could either walk up, or go to the ER to be taken up in a wheelchair. I turned to Andy and said we were going to the ER, and in typical Andy fashion, he scoffed and said, "It's not that far of a walk." Whatever. While it's true that I did walk all the way to labor & delivery the past two times, it SUCKED. Especially last time, when my water had broken and I had amniotic fluid leaking all over me (I know - nice) and all the people I saw just gawked at me like I was a freak. Not to mention having to stop every minute or so to get through a killer contraction. Being wheeled up would just be so much nicer. 

Anyway...back to the tour. After triage, we went to see a couple of labor and delivery rooms. Tripler has eight super huge, pimped out rooms and four or so more that are much smaller and don't have all the homey touches the others have (hardwood floors, rocking chairs, chair/bed for dad, jacuzzi in the bathroom, etc...). For me personally, I don't care where I get put. I feel pretty certain I'll be more focused on getting through everything rather than what the decor looks like. lol But the new, updated rooms are very nice. And it's nice to know that they have jacuzzis and birthing balls and birthing bars for you if you want. The cynical side of me wonders, though, if the nurses and doctors are really supportive of using that stuff. That particular group of people generally seem to be intervention-happy. Which is not to say that they aren't supportive and caring - I've had great nurses and doctors, but they like their machines and devices and deliveries that happen with the mom on her back. I've been lucky to have had no problems delivering that way, so it's fine for me. But I hope for others who want to have their births deviate from all of that are supported by the staff. Okay, off the soapbox!

After seeing the LDR rooms, it was off to the Mother/Baby unit. Here's another way Tripler is different - no well baby nursery! If all is well with your baby, then baby stays with you 24/7. I know there are a lot of people out there who prefer it that way, but I'm not actually one of them. It was sooo nice those two nights in the hospital to have someone else keep an eye on my little ones while I slept between feedings (or really, attempts at feedings). I find it really hard to sleep the first couple of nights when it's just you and the new baby. I'm totally obsessed with making sure he's okay - is he breathing? is he too warm? too cold? about to wake up? does he have a stuffy nose? I guess all that excessive worrying will just get to start about two days earlier this time. :)

As for the room situation, they are all private, but have varying sizes. Unlike the LDR rooms, I am hoping that I get a large postpartum room. That way, when Andy brings the boys in during the day, they'll have room to spread out and play and it won't be totally cramped.

I also learned that instead of someone coming to your room to have you fill out the paperwork for the baby's birth certificate and social security number, you have to go to a separate office/room for that. Um, yeah. I don't exactly see myself walking down to do that. I'm sure Andy will take care of that for me. And it's the same deal for the hospital pictures. You have to take the baby to the place instead of them coming to you. 

But here's the thing that really made me go, "What the hell?!?" The night before you leave the hospital, you are supposed to go sit in a room and take a "discharge class". I still don't know whether to laugh or get angry about this. Apparently the Army has decided that women who have given birth as early as 24 hours prior with swollen, um, areas, and stitches and hemorrhoids will be feeling well enough to sit in what I'm sure is an uncomfortable chair with their brand new babies (since there's no well baby nursery!) and take a class. WHAT?!  What if the baby needs to eat? And it's not like you can discreetly nurse a one day-old baby. Brand new babies don't get it yet, and if this is your first time, you don't really know what you're doing, either. And are we all just supposed to walk down there, or is someone going to wheel us down? The whole thing is just insane to me. Plus I have doubts that I will be acquiring any new knowledge from this since this will be baby #3. I sort of rhetorically asked Andy why they were going to make people do this. His response: "The Army thinks you're an idiot who is totally unprepared and thinks making you take a class is the answer to everything."

So, anyway, our little tour concluded with filling out all the pre-admittance paperwork, and then we were free to go. I'm certainly glad we went, and overall everything seems fine, but that whole class thing has still got me wondering who actually thought this would be the right way to educate brand-new moms. Perhaps I'll get my chance to find out when it's my turn!

Damn - Part 2

Sigh... In addition to the finger swelling, I am now officially running to the bathroom every hour. 

Also, I feel quite confident that I have gone from cute-pregnant to I-really-still-have-9-weeks-to-get-bigger-than-THIS?????? My mom just sent me two new really cute tops to wear last week and I'm pretty sure one of them will be too small sometime within the next two or three weeks. I suppose I shouldn't be all that shocked since that's about how the other two pregnancies went. But still....darn.

Damn

My fingers are officially swollen. My engagement ring has been put away and will be waiting for my postpartum self to shrink down enough to be put back on again. 

And get this, my right hand is more swollen than my left! Kinda weird...

Hopefully I'll be reporting on some name decisions soon!

30 Weeks!

Well, here we are! 3/4 of the way done. 10 weeks to go until my due date.  Funny how that both seems like an eternity away, and yet hardly any time at all.

Big thank-yous to my SIL Melinda for sending me the rest of the baby clothes I needed, and to my dad for the giant box of diapers! Yeah!

Andy is on leave for the next two weeks, so we'll be trying to cram in as much fun as we can, since we will be somewhat limited as to what we can actually do as a family for awhile soon enough. After his leave is over, we have Dominic's 4th birthday next month, and then yeah, we will officially just be waiting. :) I plan to have my bags packed and all the baby stuff out at 36 weeks, since Clark was a whole two weeks early. When I went into labor, I was actually at that very moment debating when I should pack for the hospital. 

We still haven't decided on a name, although Andy still keeps bringing up Benny. Right now I like the name Daniel. It's not a B name, but that hasn't really been a major consideration for me, anyway. That's sort of the last major thing we need to decide on, so hopefully we'll make a decision soon!

And lastly, congratulations to my cousin Susannah and her husband, Jason! They are expecting their first baby in January. Exciting, exciting stuff!!!!

Good News!

Well, we received confirmation a couple of days ago that Andy WILL able to be here for the birth of the baby (who still has no name, by the way). Yay!!!

His battalion is scheduled to go to California for the month of August for pre-deployment training, so we've been waiting for two months now to find out if he would be able to skip it or not.  God bless his new battalion commander! He stated at the last spouse/family meeting that if you are due to have a baby in August, then you won't be going. His quote was, "This is a training event. A birth is a one-time event." I love it.

So now the only logistical baby thing we need to figure out is who will watch Dominic and Clark when I actually go into labor. But that's nothing compared to what I might have had to otherwise arrange. 

Waiting

I think I'm officially in that place where being pregnant gets pretty boring. I have about 11 weeks to go and besides actually giving birth, there's nothing really left to look forward to. Unless you count swollen feet, swollen fingers, growing out of your maternity clothes, more weight gain, uncomfortable sleeping and going to the bathroom two and three times in the middle of the night. I don't. :)

And because nearly all the shopping has been done with time to spare, I know what's going to happen. To fill the boredness void, I'm going to want to buy more stuff. Stuff that I totally don't need. Like baby toys. Or baby blankets. Or even more clothes. Hopefully I will be able to resist temptation! Or at least hopefully I will keep it to a minimum...

28 Week Appointment

My 28 week appointment was last Thursday, although technically I was only 27 weeks and 3 days, but whatever. Nothing earth-shattering to report. The baby's heartbeat is in the 150's still, I'm measuring just right for how far along I am and my glucose test was normal. The only slight downer was that my iron is "a tad low" so I'm going to have to take a supplement. I have noticed my energy level has been lower than I thought it should, so that kind of make sense. Hopefully this will help.

It's kind of hard to believe I only have 12 weeks to go (hopefully less). I finally got a car seat, so all the big stuff has been acquired. And I'm still picking up a few clothing items here and there, so we're getting there! 

Glucose Test Adventures

So at 28 weeks or thereabout, you get to take a fun test to see if you have developed gestational diabetes. I've been fortunate to avoid that so far, so I'm not actually even sure what it all means in terms of what they do with you/to you. I do know that apparently as soon as the baby comes out, though, the diabetes go away. So that's good. But anyway...

Today I went to the lab here to take the test, which entails drinking a very sweet beverage, waiting an hour, then having blood drawn. People always talk about this test like it's the worst thing ever. I know in years past, the drink they made you drink was pretty nasty, but it's gotten considerably better in the recent past. The first time I did it, the drink they gave me tasted like a Fresca. Not too bad. Then the second time, I had one that was like carbonated fruit punch. This time it was like drinking orange soda. No big deal. And it's not even that much. 

Now usually, you take the test in your doctor's office and after it's all over, you have your appointment. It's a little different here, though, since you always go to the lab for bloodwork. It's basically up to you to go on your own time. So my plan was to go drink the drink, go do whatever for an hour and then come back. So the boys and I get there just after 8:00am and the place was pretty empty, so that was good. The receptionist checked me in and poured me the drink right there. She told me I had five minutes to drink it (why would anyone need that long?). I chugged it right down, tossed the cup and was about to roll the boys out when she said, "You have to stay here." WHAT? She gave me a very sympathetic look and said I could either change the channel on the TV for the kids or wait on the bench just outside. I chose the bench. We got outside at 8:11am and I wasn't due to have my blood drawn until 9:15am. Wonderful.

The diaper bag was in the car and I was also completely without toys or books. So this should be interesting. First move - I did have a pack of pop tarts, so they each got one. Dominic - thank goodness - is reaching an age where more often than not he stays close and isn't all over the place. So he sat nicely on the bench and ate his pop tart.  Not Clark.  He sat for about two minutes and then scooched himself off the bench and took off. Sigh. After about five rounds of him running away, inevitably losing a piece of his pop tart and me/Dominic chasing him down, I strapped him back in the stroller. I look at my phone - it's only 8:23. Man!

Next, I give Clark the little calendar I carry in my purse. He thinks it's a book and starts to flip through the pages. All is good until he finds a small slip of loose paper in it and tries to eat it. It's 8:28.

So I dig in my purse again and find one of those emergency hand crank flashlights.  Okay, that's not normally something I carry, but it had found its way out of the van and I put it in my purse to put back in. I'm glad I had sort of forgotten about it. So Clark plays with that for a while and then decides to repeatedly throw it on the ground. Dominic is a good big brother and keeps picking it up for him, but it gets old pretty quick. I finally give up on the flashlight at 8:42.

Next up is my cell phone. I lock it and hand it over to Clark. He pushes buttons and pretends to talk on it and then of course inevitably throws it on the ground around 8:50.

I'm still feeling pretty lucky because he hasn't started throwing a fit about being strapped into his seat and Dominic has been content to play with the Lego plane/boat creation he brought along with him. But I am starting to run out of stuff to entertain Clark with. The best thing I can find is an envelope, which he examines carefully. I put it on his head like a hat which amuses him, so that's good. After he tires of that, he decides to rip some pieces off of it and then throw it in the stroller basket behind him. 

Finally, at 8:55, I hand him a pen - the last thing in my purse I think he would enjoy. I'm poised to grab it away from him in case he decides to scribble all over himself, the stroller, his clothes, etc., but he just looks at it and clicks the top a bunch of times.

At 9:00 (almost there!) I decide to let him out of the seat again and run off some pent up energy. So he climbs on the bench, climbs off the bench, runs away, gets dragged back by Dominic, etc. for the next 10 minutes. 

At long last, I put them both back in the stroller and wheel back into the lab. Yes!! I made it.

Cribs

Soo....I don't do cribs. 

That was never the original plan, though. Before Dominic was born, we got a great crib handed down to us from his cousin, Nate. I bought a crib set, sheets, mattress covers, etc. etc. The plan was that when he was first born, we'd put him in the pack and play bassinett in our room and then move him to his room a little bit later. Well, he was sleeping in our room and then Andy decided we should move the pack and play into our little loft off of our bedroom. Immediately I was panic-stricken. Move him a whole 10 feet farther away from me?!?!?! WHAT!? I protested, but I didn't get my way. So then he was sleeping out in the loft. Andy would ask me from time about moving him to his room, but I kept balking. That extra 20 feet and couple of walls was just too far for me. Then I found myself on occasion falling asleep while holding/feeding Dominic at night. Andy would come home from teaching to find us both passed out in our bed. He would wake me up and teasingly say, "I thought you didn't want him to sleep with us." And I would earnestly reply that I didn't. 

And then one night, again while Andy was teaching late, I put Dominic to bed and then went to bed myself. The next thing I know, Andy is standing over me, looking a little miffed and confused. And I also happened to be holding Dominic. Huh? Andy told me he came in and I had the covers pulled up all the way over the baby. WHAT? I had absolutely zero recollection of getting up and getting Dominic, but obviously I did. At that point, we basically gave up all together with the pack and play (and consequently, the crib) for the time being and little Dominic just slept with us. 

Of course, then you start contemplating when you should transition them out. I think we made a few feeble attempts to put him in his crib, usually when he was already asleep, but he always woke up almost right away and was not having it. Then there was the time I gave crying it out a try. I promise I'm not exaggerating - he cried for two hours, and I just couldn't take it anymore. So we abandoned the crib all together. When he was about 18 months, we got a toddler bed and actually liked it! Talk about relief. I guess he felt really confined in the crib or something. Who knows? But even then, we weren't exactly strict about him only sleeping there. He does sleep in his own bed now, though, although once in a while in the early morning hours he'll crawl into our bed.

With Clark,  I bought a regular bassinet thinking I didn't want to go through all the sleeping with us and then having to move him out later again. And shocker! That didn't work, either. I think he slept in that thing for about a week before I gave up on that all together. We ended up getting this reclining baby seat and he actually slept in that quite a bit, and then also slept in our bed. After he grew out of the seat, it was full time in our bed. And in case you're wondering, right now we are in the process of moving him into the toddler bed. He still falls asleep in our bed, but then we move him into his. He inevitably wakes up a couple times at night, but he'll pretty much go right back to sleep once you go in to check on him. So far so good on that front. Obviously we have to push this process a little faster since baby #3 will be here in just three more months. But let me tell you, the first night he slept in his bed, I felt uneasy. lol

So what's my plan this time? I decided to just get real with myself. I definitely am uncomfortable with a little brand-new baby in the big bed with covers and pillows and two big people in there. That definitely makes me nervous. So I bought a co-sleeper that goes in the bed to protect him from all that stuff. Here's a picture:

So I'm hoping that this will appease my primal mommy instincts. He'll be right there, but I won't be panicked about him getting smothered. It's very interesting what you learn about yourself when you have kids....

And by the way, I'm certainly not opposed to cribs or babies sleeping away from their parents. There's just some weird thing inside me screaming, "Can't do it!"

Baby Bargains

The bargain hunting continues...

Yesterday I got a great little swing and baby seat from a lady selling them on Craig's List for just $40. What a deal! Purchased new I would have spent a little over $100. Pics below...

They're not the same items I posted in an earlier entry, but I'm definitely pleased with what I got. :)

Cravings

In general, I haven't experienced any particular cravings with any of my pregnancies, with one notable exception. When I hit the third trimester, I start craving dessert. More specifically, this and its many variations:

I just can't say no when presented with the opportunity to have a piece of warm chocolate cake/brownie with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge on top. Can't do it! Last week on Mother's Day, I very purposefully only ate half of my Quesadilla Explosion salad at Chili's so I would have room for their chocolate motlen cake. It was awesome...

Soap Box

Warning: Potentially preachy/whiny/ranty blog entry ahead...lol

In the world of having babies, there is so much information out there, there are so many choices, it's ridiculous! Then there's the infinite number of opinions on everything from what kind of birth to have, to feeding, diapering, sleeping. And of course there's choosing the "right" baby gear, clothes, toys, etc., etc. Ugh. It can be very overwhelming. 

We all want to be the best parents we can be, and want to choose all the "right" things, but inevitably we question our decisions from time to time, especially if we've made any choices that are deemed at all controversial. Am I a bad mother if I have an epidural? let the baby stay in the nursery while I'm at the hospital? if I use formula? let my child use a pacifier or bottle after a certain age? let my child sleep with me? use disposable diapers? send my child to daycare? watch TV? nurse my child after a certain age? stop nursing before a certain age? (the short answer to all these questions, is of course, no.)

I could make this list go on for days. 

And parenting magazines are THE WORST. I don't know what purpose they actually serve other than to thoroughly confuse people. Articles with their varying viewpoints, ads that often seem at odds with what the articles are preaching and the occasional opinion column that inevitably says you should just go with your gut and do what makes sense to you is enough to make your head explode. 

Anyway, I can say with some certainty that one of the advantages of going through all of this baby stuff for a third time is that the vast majority of those nagging questions have just *poof* disappeared.  It's a nice place to be. I know what works for me - it took two kids to figure it all out. That's not to say I have all the answers - not even close! But I definitely feel more comfortable in my mommy skin than I used to. I have also learned to just say no when offered free subscriptions to Parenting and American Baby magazine! HA!

Prenatal Care

So I'll be actually delivering at Tripler, but all of my prenatal care is right here on base at the OB clinic. I think it's a great set up. As long as you are not deemed high risk, you can be seen there. Otherwise, you have to go to Tripler for everything.

Anyway, the OB clinic is run by several nurse practitioners and they have doctors who come in on occasion. All of my appointments have been nice and quick, and on time even! Everyone who works there seems to be really friendly. Well, except the lady who schedules the appointments. She always seems perturbed about something, but whatever. 

My favorite part, though, is that I don't have to give urine samples at every appointment. lol Trivial, but as your pregnancy goes on, it gets increasingly more difficult to complete that task. That last month, too, when you go in every week, it becomes absolutely ridiculous.  

My next appointment is in a few weeks, for the oh-so fun glucose test. And I imagine I'll be moving up to bi-weekly appointments here within the next month, too.

Moving right along!!

Compare and Contrast

I always hated "compare and contrast" essay questions on tests in school. They always felt so contrived. I never really understood why we couldn't just make lists. lol

Anyway, people ask me a lot how this pregnancy compares to the others. It's definitely more like my second than my first. I'm guessing that's because the first time around, my body had never gone through all the changes you go through. Plus, I wasn't already chasing around any little ones.  That definitely makes a difference.  Mainly, my energy runs out a little faster, and my body feels creaky and worn out at the very end and very beginning of each day. And I still have three weeks before my third trimester officially starts! But other than that, I have no real complaints. Sure, I wish there was no swelling, no additional stretch marks and that I would only gain 25 pounds, but that's definitely not in the cards.  So no need to worry about it! :)

TAMC

So I will be having this baby at the military hospital here on the island - Tripler Army Medical Center. It's a big, pink building on the side of a big hill (I can't exactly call it a mountain) that you can see from many places all over the island. Here's a picture:

Parking is a nightmare, and the place is huge and it has a reputation for being inept and unfriendly. I'm really excited! Actually, the maternity ward has recently undergone a major renovation and they are now touting all private LDR rooms and postpartum rooms. And supposedly they now have birthing pools and birthing balls and all that good stuff so women have options when giving birth. Actually, that's another thing on my "I don't care about that" list. I was on my back strapped to who knows how many devices for both of my previous deliveries and it was fine. It didn't slow anything down, so birthing position/location is not a concern for me. 

Well, I actually would like to be located at the hospital when it's time. One of the things about Oahu is that practically everyone who lives in the state of Hawaii lives here. 898,000 people on an island that at its widest and longest is 30 by 40 miles.  On top of that, a big chunk of it is consumed by two mountain ranges. Needless to say, traffic can get pretty bad. Given the fact that when Clark was born it was only three hours from the time my water broke until he was out, I am a little bit nervous about getting there in time.

Slightly off topic here: Did you know that women are not allowed to have home births in Hawaii? You can have a midwife, but you have to have your baby in a hospital. Crazy, right? 

That's all for now - I would just like to say congratulations to my friend, Sarah Fischer, who just found out she is having a girl today! Sarah is also planning a home birth (she lives in Richmond, so she's not breaking any laws), so major props to her!  If I find out she'll also be using cloth diapers, I will be beyond impressed. :)

Baby Shopping

Shopping? Don't I have everything already?

Well...since there were no plans to have anymore babies anytime soon, there was no need to keep any of Clark's baby gear. So I got rid of it. All of it. The clothes, too. Figures, right?

Thank goodness for Craig's List and the base thrift store!

That's not to say this kid won't have anything that's new - I did go on one little spree to WalMart and bought a nice little pile of clothes. And whatever I can't find on my list second-hand, I'll get it new.

The gear, though, will definitely all be procured through Craig's List. I've already scored a couple of great bargains - a Boppy and extra cover for $10, a Baby Bjorn for only $20 and a co-sleeper also for $20. Sweet! I still have the big stuff to get - a swing, a bouncy seat, and of course a car seat. I did actually save our pack and play, so that's one less thing to worry about. I really like the Fisher-Price Rainforest collection, and apparently lots of Oahu Craig's List sellers do, too, so if I decide to go with that for the swing and bouncy seat (or maybe the travel swing, I keep changing my mind) I'll definitely be able to get a good deal.  Here are a few pictures:

Other than the gear and clothes, mainly I'll be stocking up on diapers and wipes, and other boring practical things like that. Actually it's not boring; it's still pretty fun to buy all that stuff. :)

Names

What the heck are we going to name this kid? 

Sure, there are plenty of names out there that I like, but so far, none of them have been deemed "right" for this new little one.

Many people have suggested that we give this child a B name, since then we would be Andy, B?, Clark, Dominic & Emily. Pretty cute, but so far the only name we haven't absolutely said no to is Benjamin (yes, my brother's name). Of course, Andy says he'd want to call him Benny (from Rent); I'm not exactly on board with that. Plus, it's hard to tell when Andy's joking (meaning "I'm not actually considering this as a viable option"). The only other name that we've discussed at all is Alexander. Again, Andy says he'd want to call him Lex. As in Luthor. So we'd have Clark (Kent) and Lex. He did name the first two after fictional characters, so who knows?

And in case you're wondering, once we pick it, the name will not be a secret this time around. Keeping Clark's name a secret was more of a headache than listening to the occasional unfavorable comment about Dominic's name.

And even though Andy chose the first names for Dominic and Clark, I still don't particularly care who picks this one's name, as long as I like it.  There's quite a bit this time around that I don't really care about/doesn't bother me, but I'll save all that for another post!

Here I go...

A blog! How original of me! 

I decided, though, since I live 4000 miles away from my family and the vast majority of my friends, this might be a good way to keep everyone updated on how things are going out here with this pregnancy and beyond. 

And if people aren't all that interested, then it will at least be a good record for my own memory-keeping. :)  I do have two other friends who are also currently pregnant and keeping a blog, and I've enjoyed reading theirs, so hopefully this one will be interesting/entertaining to a few folks.

Here's a quick recap of this pregnancy so far:

My due date is August 18th, and my "turnover" day is Monday. So each Monday, I am officially another week pregnant. Right now I'm 25 weeks along. And so far, this is another uneventful pregnancy. Thank goodness! This pregnancy was a total surprise, and it actually took me almost my entire first trimester to get with the program and be happy about it.  We weren't supposed to have any babies while living in Hawaii - between being so far away from family and Andy inevitably having to go to Iraq for another deployment, I didn't think this was quite the ideal time to add a third little one to our brood. But, what are you going to do? My adult life has been full of unexpected, um, adventures, so why should they stop now? Plus, I don't want to seem ungrateful - I'm very lucky to be blessed for a third time!

Anyway, I had no inkling one way or the other about what I was having this time, although there was definitely a part of me hoping for a little girl. It would be a fun change of pace to buy pink things for once. But, it is not to be. My baby-psychic of a stepmother (she is eerily accurate about guessing/knowing what you're going to have) told me when I was pregnant the first time that it didn't matter how many babies I had, they'd all be boys. Three babies in, and she's still right!

I guess this is enough to get started. I'll do separate posts about names (no, we haven't decided on anything), baby shopping, the hospital, etc., etc.

Until next time!