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8.25.2011

Comparisons

This week I'm gearing up for my next prenatal visit. On Friday I go in again for a routine check up - which will kick off a series of every-two-week visits leading up to the very end of my pregnancy where it becomes a once-a-week ordeal. To say that I've been feeling ESPECIALLY pregnant lately is a bit of an understatement.

Things are still going extremely well. I still FEEL great, but pregnancy is also getting to the point where it once again leaves the comforts of the second trimester and starts draining you of all the energy you once had. The obtuse object that has taken up residency where my once semi-flat stomach was is making bending over practically impossible. Picking up Jude and sitting him on my hip is a game of trying to fit him comfortably above or below where my waistline once was. Just walking up the steps leaves me gasping for air. I'm managing to sleep fairly well without those all-to-frequent late night trips to the bathroom, but getting to sleep requires a little tossing and turning from one side to the other trying to find comfort around my stomach. While I can honestly say no part of me hates being pregnant (ok - maybe the intimate side of me hates being pregnant) I'm ready for this phase of my life - the phase of actually birthing children to be over.

As I get closer to the end, I find myself wondering a little about how this pregnancy compares to my pregnancy with Jude. I recently went back and read some of my older posts about check ups and such along the way the first time around and I found some really interesting information (interesting to me anyway):

At 25 weeks with Jude I had gained 14lbs. At 26.5 weeks I had gained exactly 14lbs with this pregnancy. Similar to my 9lb jump a couple months ago in the early-mid part of my second trimester, I had an 8lb jump in the early part of my second trimester with Jude.

According to a post I read, at my 30 week appointment last time around I had gone from 14lbs to 22lbs (so, another 8lb jump). With my next appointment quickly approaching at the end of this week, I'm curious to see how this visit also compares! I will again be 30 weeks and while I don't feel like I've grown much over the past couple of weeks, it's entirely possible!


Other Comparisons:
Last time around the nurses who administered my rhogam shot voluntarily injected it into my arm. This time around I was told it will (without a doubt) be in my butt - I go soon, I'm not looking forward to it - in fact, it's safe to say I'm dreading it.

This time around, Ryan seems much more 'interested' in the belly. I think with the first pregnancy he was very unsure of what to expect. I (and he) knew he'd be a great father, but I think he held back a little with the belly rubbing and tummy talking for fear he'd look like a goon. Now? He embraces it. He puts his mouth right up to my stomach making bizarre noises - almost like a fog horn - and laughs because he wonders what the kid's thinking in there. He rubs it. He occasionally comes up and shakes it and thinks he's hilarious.

Compared to our preparing with Jude, it's safe to say that this time around we are WAY behind. We Just got the furniture out of Liam's room. We haven't done much in the way of setting up the room, but I'm sure it'll all come together (and if not, he'll sleep in our room the first couple of weeks/months anyway, right? - lol). Ryan started to hone in on the electric work the other day which is step one on the path to getting the room ready. I contacted my dad recently who plans to paint the room - and feel like I have a pretty good grasp on what I want to do to prepare, so everything should go smoothly once the ball gets rolling.

I feel like the weeks are just ticking by at this point. The next couple of months will blow by before I'll have time to realize what's going on. In the next week or two Jude begins a number of different programs in our area which will pretty much occupy about 1/2 of our week - which I'm sure will only aid in the whizzing by of time. Before I know it, I'll be a mom of two - EEK!

4 comments:

barbie said...

is Liam's furniture in yet? do you have everything ordered for his room?

Is there anything I can do to help? Do you still need/want burp clothes? How about diapers?

Alicia Kennedy said...

1. Liam's furniture is not in yet. We were lucky to order it when we did, because they gave a very long lead time - so in theory we should get it like RIGHT before he arrives (unless they were way over estimating).

2. Everything is ordered - everything being crib and dresser. We were just looking at area rugs today (he'll need a big one - that's the one room where our hardwoods are a little jacked up). Depending on which one we go with (and if we buy from lowes), we may need to special order because they usually only carry the 8x5's (we need like 8x10 or something)

3. Once we get down to it and I make some decisions about colors, patterns, etc - I might need your help. I think I'm going to make the curtains... I was really unhappy with the way Jude's layed (I think it had a lot to do with the material I used and that I lined them with that thermal stuff, which only made them thicker... so I'm pretty sure I'll be trying again. I want to see Claire's in person and get a feel for the fabric.

4. I do need burp cloths. I could ALWAYS just buy some of the birdseye ones I used with Jude, but if you're willing to serge some for me (and the cost of fabric and whatever you'd charge is comparable to what those would be) then yes, I'd like you to make them :)

5. Ryan and I have no talked much yet about what we plan to do with diapers the first couple of weeks. Part of me would love to borrow yours, but part of me would also be nervous to borrow something so pricey. We plan to buy prefolds to use as inserts for our current diapers - so it could really end up being just as easy to buy a few small covers and selling them off after we're done with them.

other things: we have plenty of crib sheets and stuff from Jude. I recently bought a few glass bottles - and tossed a few of the plastic ones we had for Jude that were looking dingy (but not all of them, I'm not opposed to using the plastic since this is our last and I don't want to re-buy everything)

Alicia Kennedy said...

OH! and I've already talked to my dad and Ryan's dad about coming up to do the work they volunteered for (they both get excited to help in their manly 'sure i can do that for you' kind of ways). Ryan's dad should be up next week to patch holes from the electric work and my dad should be up some time in mid-september to paint and stuff.

We're also considering skipping replacing the windows immediately (it's something I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to do before he arrives, but I'd also like to REALLY do the whole house all at once - so it's a tough call - and a ton of money). Perk to skipping the windows is that we'd be able to finish up more of the various projects that are already opened up. Like When Ryan's working this weekend on the room we plan to finish the electric for the hallway upstairs and the bathroom and the office (since they're all like 1/2 done). Assuming that happens, Ryan's dad can patch all those rooms and my dad can paint all those rooms all at once... which means TONS of stuff done on the house in a short period of time.

We'll see how time and money play out - but clearly I'm excited and getting ahead of myself a little (as usual).

barbie said...

claire's fabric is quite simply just quilting fabric. woven cotton. no lining, nothing. we do, however, have black-put shades behind the curtaisn, so there was no need for a liner (we did the shades before we did the curtains).

If you want awesome burp clothes, i'd love to make them! If you want plain white u might as well buy 'em. I absolutely won't charge u for labor, jsut materials. i'll keep my eye out for the right sales! I dont know what size you want but we can get 1yard of fabric for $3.50 - and id assume we can get a least a few out of one yard.

we'll talk about diapers in person

want cloth wipes???

want mama cloth?