We’re Ready! (Finally)

I’ve blogged before that we haven’t been as prepared as early as we were with Brody.  By 36-37 weeks we had everything ready to go and I sat around impatiently waiting for Brody to make his arrival.  With Aedan, I figured we had time, so why rush it?

A couple weeks ago, I got to the point where if I went in labor, I knew we’d be fine.  Jason would have to go home to do a few things while I was in the hospital, I wouldn’t have had a hospital bag packed…but we had all the necessities, so we’d be fine.

Now?  I can actually say, we’re officially ready!  About 8 days before Aedan’s anticipated due date, I finally feel like we’re ready.

Car seats – installed. 
Hospital bags – packed. 
Pack n play – mostly set-up. 
Nursery – stocked (with teeny tiny diapers!). 
Maternity leave plans put together at work.
Baptism date – tenatively planned. 
Eliminate dairy from diet – 1 week in.
Toddler potty-trained??  – Close.  We’re getting there.  Just keeping my fingers crossed that when his world is turned upside-down, he doesn’t regress.

Now, are we mentally prepared for this baby?  The jury is still out on that one.  But I don’t think I’m ever going to be prepared for the challenges of two little boys.  I’m just praying that Aedan takes after his brother and is an awesome go-with-the-flow baby.  A girl can wish, right??

18 Weeks

How far along? 18 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: ~2lbs I actually haven’t weighed myself yet this week though…
Maternity clothes? Great sale online this week, anxiously waiting for my clothes to arrive and heading to shop for more this weekend.  Also hoping it will warm up soon!
Sleep: Noticing sciatic pain at night, but luckily not enough to keep me from sleeping.  I’m still constantly exhausted.
Best moment this week: Sharing the big news with the world…and sharing it will one of my besties last weekend.  (Yes, I use the word bestie)
Food cravings: Nothing major.  Though the Toppersstix I had this week were amazing.
Gender: Another baby boy!!  I couldn’t be more thrilled.  Brody has so much to teach his little brother and I know he’s going to love having another boy around to play with.  And clearly, we make amazing little boys, so I can’t wait to have a second one. 
Labor Signs: Surprisingly I’ve noticed braxton hicks contractions already.  Though, I never knew what they felt like last time, so I probably had them, but now that I know what it is, I’ve definitely noticed them. 
What I miss: My energy.  Could somebody send some extra energy my way?  Please?
What I am looking forward to: Nursery decorating, plus digging out all Brody’s baby clothes.  He had so many adorable outfits that he barely wore.  I can’t wait to use them again!  Then once I do that, I can see how much more I can buy without Jason yelling at me. 
Milestones: Since I didn’t put it last week, the biggest milestone over the last two weeks was definitely the “It’s a BOY!” moment. 
Differences between 1 & 2: Now that we know it’s a boy and pretty much have settled on a name (to be shared shortly…), it’s been so much fun talking to Brody about the baby.  He routinely gives his little brother hugs and kisses and talks to me about him.  It’s obviously a very abstract concept for him, and he knows that his brother is “very little” and is going to be “sleeping” a little while longer before he can see him.  But I hope talking about him over and over will help Brody prepare more once the baby is here.

When to expand

We get this question all the time. Are you ready for #2?? When are you having another baby!?!

I keep saying, we just had one – leave us alone! Then as 15 months is coming up, I am reminded that I was born when my sister was only 15 months old. 2 babies right now? I don’t know how my parents did it. They’re amazing.

But I’m more practical about my limitations. I was useless the first three months of my pregnancy falling asleep almost immediately after getting home from work. I know I won’t have that luxury next time. Then I imagine myself 9 months pregnant trying to carry a toddler, or waking up in the middle of the night with a newborn, but still getting up early with a toddler. I am quickly reminded that I am just not ready yet.

But then, Jason and I will be watching a tv show with an adorable little baby and how quickly I forget about everything else. Babies are just so cute! How easily a cute little smile from a tiny baby can melt your heart…

But…no, we’re not ready to expand yet. And no I don’t know when we will be (or I should say, when I will be…Jason is probably already there). But we do know that there will be another one, someday.

Reflecting back on pregnancy

Since all I can do these days is think about how I can’t wait for my little guy to get here, I thought I would write down some of my thoughts about pregnancy and what I will or won’t miss. Honestly, I don’t think I will miss being pregnant. Many women tell me I will, but it’s hard to imagine wanting Brody to be inside instead of outside in my arms.

What I think I might miss:
-Being warm. I have never had “hot flashes” or times where I’m sweating when everyone else is fine, but I believe this is because pre-pregnant Kellie is ALWAYS cold. In the last few months, I’ve noticed that I’m never cold. Even when Jason is cold, I am comfortable. It’s nice.

-Feeling Brody kick. This is one thing that I don’t really think I’ll miss when I’m holding him in my arms. However, I do think I’ll miss it a lot when I go back to work. It is nice that I can be sitting in a meeting and all of a sudden Brody decides to have a dance party. It makes me smile. When I’m at work after he’s born, I know I will miss him greatly.

-Sending Jason out for ice cream. I know Jason will agree that I have been very tolerable in the sense that I haven’t sent him out for cravings very often. But there have been those few occasions where I am craving custard & he’s willingly run out & got some for me. He’s always been a very attentive husband, but I can’t justify sending him out for my every whim once the baby is here.

-Feeling confident. Today I know how to be a good wife, I know how to be a good doggie-mommy, I know how to take care of our house. I am good at my job and know how to be a financial analyst. I know I will be a good mom, but there is a lot that I will have to learn. Whenever I start something new (new job at work, move to a new city etc) I always go through an adjustment phase. I know there will be days where I cry & say I have no idea what I’m doing! But I’m up for the challenge.

What I think I won’t miss:
-Pregnancy pains: Backaches, hip pain, pelvic pain, naseau, sleeplessness.

-Answering 20 questions: When are you due? How are you feeling? Boy or girl? Are you ready for him yet? Have you picked a name?

-Restricting what I eat. Since I plan to breastfeed, I still may have to limit certain food items. But I am pretty sure deli meat won’t be one of them & I can finally have subs again!

-Having a huge stomach. However, I think this will also be something I miss. When you’re pregnant, it’s cute to have a belly. After pregnancy, I’m going to have some weight to work off and I’ll probably just feel fat.

My theory on "nesting"

Nesting — It occurs to many pregnant women and is said to start around 5 months. When the urge increases around 40 weeks, it is seen as an impending sign of labor. I have another theory…

Nesting is a survival instinct when it occurs after 36 weeks. Sitting around waiting for your baby to make his/her appearance will in fact drive you crazy. So what else is there to do but clean the house? Then as you continue to clean, you’ll find all those things that you can ignore on a daily basis but all of a sudden organizing them will become more appealing than sitting around over-analyzing every small pain.

Last night after 12 hours at work, I got home & started cleaning the house. Since this isn’t my usual behavior, Jason automatically said, “you must be getting ready to go into labor!” Honestly, it’s uncomfortable to sit on the couch, laying in bed is worse & doing nothing causes me to think too much about how much I want to go into labor! So the alternative: clean the house. Maybe tonight I’ll organize the tupperware…

Time Flies! Then it stops!

I couldn’t believe how quickly the first 36 weeks of pregnancy seemed to fly by. Then even week 36 went by pretty fast with the holidays. Now that I’m 37 weeks…time has stopped.

We’ve accomplished everything I needed to do before the baby is born. Our nursery is stocked, the hospital bag is ready, the carseat is installed…we’re ready. Apparently Brody is not.

Babies full-term babies are born anywhere from 37-42 weeks. That is a long window of opportunity. And if Brody decides to hold out for 42 weeks, I’m going to be one impatient mommy!

Now I just sit back and remind myself that his health is the most important thing to me and if he needs more time in there, he should have it.

33 Weeks/34 Weeks

Month 8: Weeks 33-36
“Baby’s senses are continuing to improve — when light peeks in through your (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies! Growth (at least inside your womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month. ” -Thebump.com

“Pregnancy Week 33-36: The next time you look into your17-inch computer screen, know that your baby is now that long.” -hisboyscanswim.com

Weekly Checklist

How far along? 34 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 30 lbs

Maternity Clothes: I think it would be hilarious to try on something non-maternity right now…

Sleep: Still sleeping pretty good, but turning over in the middle of the night takes considerable more effort than before.

Food Cravings: I’m still waiting for that random pickle craving in the middle of the night or something!

What I miss: Where to start? Heels, belts, buttoning my winter jacket, squeezing into small spaces…

What I am looking forward to: Finishing all those last minute details so I can stop stressing. (Like what if I go into labor tomorrow & we still don’t have a car seat?!?)

Weekly wisdom: I thought being 8 months pregnant in December would be a good thing because it’s not in the dead heat of summer. What I forgot about is all the choas of the holidays. Buying baby gear during peak shopping season plus worrying about buying christmas gifts (we’re almost done with that at least!), plus holiday parties and family celebrations makes for a very busy time. All of this going on when my body decides it needs more rest and I can’t stay up past 9:30 anymore!! Lesson learned, February or March babies seem like the right answer. 🙂

Milestones: I’ve gone from “oh this is what heartburn feels like” to “hmm, I can’t remember what it feels like to not have heartburn all day long”

Special Nurse

The hospital I am delivering at has a program where you can connect with a nurse during your pregnancy and she/he will be there with you through your birth and even after going home. Ideally she would be your labor & delivery nurse as well, however, since babies come on their own schedule, nothing is a guarantee.

The program is obviously optional, but I figured it would be great to have a familiar face around the hospital when I am in labor. So a few weeks ago I talked with my special nurse and set up time to meet with her and get a private tour of the birthing area of the hospital.

I didn’t coordinate very well with Jason, so I ended up going solo, which was no problem since he’ll get to see the hospital during our baby classes anyway. The meeting and tour went great! Nurse “K” was very friendly, informative and reassuring. The best part was that everything she told me would be very specific to the place I’ll be giving birth. I can talk to other women who have been there before, but she has worked with my doctor before and could give me a really good feel for the philosophy of the hospital.

Here’s what I liked:
The rooms! They are very spacious and everything is done in the same room (labor, delivery, recovery). The baby will sleep in the room with us (Jason will be on the pull-out couch) during our stay. There is a refrigerator in the room (and a stocked fridge down the hall as well with plenty of popcicles) and I read online that they have WIFI in the room (in case I’m bored and want to blog!).

The atmosphere: I may have a slight misconception of this since I was there on a very quiet day, however, it had a small hospital feel on the floor. The nurses seemed very friendly and it didn’t feel like you were just a “number.”

Their philosophy: Nurse K made it very clear that the mother’s wishes are important. They actually give you a “birth plan” to fill out so that they can try to meet your expectations as much as possible. No birth can be planned and she was also very open about that. She wanted to make it clear that they do what they can to allow every mom to have the birth she wants but there is always risk of c-section etc. She really just tried to promote that having a healthy baby is what is important. That may not work for everyone, but it works for me. I don’t have high expectations of my birth for that reason. If a C-Section is the right thing to do for my baby, then by all means, do it. I trust my doctor and know he’ll do what’s best. The nurse even mentioned that my doctor is really good at making quick decisions during labor and had positive things to say about him.

Along with making sure the mother’s wishes are upheld from a labor standpoint, she also reiterated how important my plans are for visitors as well. She basically made it clear that she would kick anyone out for me at anypoint if I needed her to. That just made me laugh & glad to have someone on my side. We haven’t finalized our “friends & family” plan yet, but we know it’s important that we spend time bonding with the baby before the parade of visitors start, which she highly suggested as well.

It was a good experience for me to meet her and see the rooms early on. It helped relieve some of my fears of the unknown now that I can visualize where I will be giving birth. It’s also just nice to know that I’ve met a couple of the nurses on staff and hopefully will have a familiar face around on his birth-day.

"Your lives are going to change"

After telling people we were having a baby, we’ve been hearing this a lot. Our first reaction was, well yeah, of course it’s going to change, that was the point right? Then this comment became a little more annoying when people acted like our lives were going to end when the baby gets here. I’d say we’re not your typical mid-twenty year-olds. We’re already very family oriented and couldn’t tell you the last time we were out past midnight. So I believe all the changes we have coming are only for the better and our lives as we know it are not over.

However, I’ve come to the realization in the last month that there is one really big part of my life that will need to change drastically. That’s my work-life. Luckily I work in a company that supports working mothers (on-site daycare) and I have a very supportive management structure. So it’s not like I’m going to be giving up my career when the baby comes.
What will need to change is how I approach my job. Today, I take advantage of the weeknights where Jason is bowling or playing volleyball by working late. On those nights and many other nights, I end up at work until 7pm without thinking twice. When the dogs are taken care of and Jason isn’t home, there’s no reason to worry about how many hours I work. Obviously working mothers don’t have that luxury.

We are very lucky that Jason has a job where he leaves between 3:30 & 4:30 everyday. This will allow him to pick up Brody from daycare at a reasonable hour each night. While this will allow me to stay at work late on most nights, I know myself well enough to know I won’t be okay with missing time with my baby. I love my job, but I also love my family and I know there will be days I will struggle with giving the right amount of attention to both. It will be an interesting ride…

What’s in a name?

So Jason & I pretty much decided on a name awhile ago. Before we found out if it was a boy we had two girl names picked out and no real solid boy names. Once we found out it was a boy, there has only been one name that we agreed on. At this point, we both really like it, so why keep looking for other names?

Our son will be named: Brody Daniel.

My parents gave us middle names after family members. We wanted to do the same thing for our children. My brother’s name is Daniel and as one of my favorite and most loved people in the world, I’m very excited to be naming our son after him.