Adventures of Liam Clark

Well, alas, he has arrived. On November 12th, 2011 at 8:50 AM Liam Clark decided he was ready to join us Earth-side. He arrived at a pleasant 7lbs 5.6ounces, 20.5" long.

From the begining:

Friday night, our little family of 3 joined my parents and grandmother for dinner. Upon arriving home, I had this sudden urge to finalize my hospital bag. I removed my coming home outfit, replaced it with another, tossed in the books Ryan and I had been reading, put the camera near the bag and then settled in on the couch for the night. All week I had been making jokes about the full moon and how this had to be my weekend - but fully expected that nothing would happen and Tuesday I'd stroll in at my scheduled time of 5am for an induction.

Sitting on the couch, for the third time in this pregnancy I started to feel some contractions around 10:40PM on 11/11. I had contracted before, usually for about 20-30 minutes regularly and then things would just stop, so I didn't want to get my hopes up. I had just gone in for a visit earlier that morning and been told I was still only 4cm - thus making little progress over the course of the last week. But, I began timing them and they were registering about every 6-7 minutes and only mildly intense - basically just tightening of the uterus. Over the course of the next half an hour or so, they continued to gain intensity and got closer together in frequency. They weren't exactly show-stoppers as far as intensity was concerned, but they were getting stronger and more frequent. I timed them via text with Barbie until about midnight before deciding I should probably fill Ryan in on our plans for the rest of the evening (I had failed to mention it to him up to this point because my parents were sitting on the couch and I really didn't want to get their hopes up - I'm so not into the attention thing). I immediately called the doctor at this point and got the answering service. We waited around for a little bit for the call back, but eventually decided to just head out. At this point contractions were about every 4 minutes apart and I had been told repeatedly not to mess around with a second pregnancy. Intensity was mounting, but they still didn't seem like they were hard-labor intense. I was still able to stand and conversation wasn't impossible... but not really knowing what to look for, I figured I'd play it safe (after all, that's why I wanted to do this whole 'go into labor naturally' thing anyway - to know what to look for).

As I went upstairs to get ready to leave, grab our bags and kiss Jude goodbye (my parents were already up from NC, so they were there to stay with him), I was still apprehensive - mostly because I just felt like we'd get in the car, drive half way there and they'd just stop. But we headed out anyway - about half way there, getting a call from the docor on duty, confirming that yes, it sounds like now is a good time to go in. Arriving at the hospital, I felt totally out of sorts. With Jude, it was cut-and-dry, we were admitted, ushered upstairs and induced. This time there was a process.

They took down my information, got my vitals and took me to a triage room to be hooked to a monitor to chart contractions - which basically means they put a belt around my stomach to register the muscle contractions. We arrived around 1:30am and were easily on the machine in 15 minutes, after having my cervix checked - at which point I was told I was still only 4cm. Through the first half of the 30minutes or so that I was monitored, my contractions were strong, but still not unbearable I continued to feel the intensity rise, but could still manage them on my own. By the second half, they had advance significantly and it was to the point where I had to find a way to work through them (breathing, focusing on an area that wasn't in pain, squeezing the railing... whatever worked). It still wasn't horrific, but I thought for sure things were in full swing - at which point the nurse came in and announced that according to her monitor, it was non-conclusive whether I was infact in active labor and she recommended I walk for the next 2 hours to see if gravity would take it's toll on my body. I immediately wanted to cry. I looked at her like she was crazy and had her confirm my contractions were showing up on the screen - but she stuck to her guns. Just to be certain, she checked my cervix again and I hadn't progressed from 4cm. Since I seemed adament that something was going on though, she reduced my sentence from 2 hours to about an hour and a half - which would bring me back to her right at 4am. Now, I know there are tons of women who would welcome the idea of walking during labor, but it just seemed stupid to me - there was no part of me that wanted to get up and walk around.

I reluctantly got my clothes on and Ryan and I began our trek through the halls. As I said, contractions had already been growing, so getting dressed, Ryan just looked at me in pitty - he could see in my face how uncomfortable I was and he didn't know how to help. Part of the reason I had waited it out for 'so long' (it was nearly 3 hours after I started monitoring contractions that I actually got to the hospital) after contractions started at home is because I didn't want any false alarms. If we made the journey to the hospital, we wanted to come home with a baby. Period. Being told that there was a chance that I might be sent home was enough to crush my spirit - even though I knew that once 4am rolled around there was no way they'd send me home - things were in full swing. As walking began and contractions began to continue to grow in intensity, we both had our fears.

Ryan was concerned that he'd be delivering our child in the hallway - judging from the look on my face. I was concerned I wouldn't get my 4 hours of antibioic for being GBS positive (which meant it was possible they'd encourage an extended stay for Liam - depending on how things played out) and I was equally worried that if/when I decided I wanted an epidural it wouldn't be an option. It was almost immediately upon entering the hallway that we were told was the 'walking hallway' that contractions began practically bringing me to my knees. I had to lean against the wall for support, I felt like my whole body was shaking and I started to cry (looking back, this is what the nurse meant by "come back in two hours... or if things change"). I'm not sure how I would have handled this transition into hard contractions if I hadn't been so frustrated (There's no way I was going to run back to triage after only 5 minutes... she'd laugh at me!), but regardless, I was a mess. All I kept thinking was there was no way I could do this for an hour and a half... but that I didn't want to crawl back and beg for them to admit me - after all, I had been given the option for an induction, declined it and now was doing it the way I wanted. Suck it up Alicia.

Once I basically began to crumble, my super support-team (aka, Ryan) told me to wait as he went back to find the nurse. I'm not sure what he said to her, but after only 20ish minutes of walking, she had us back in the room and was processing our information to be admitted. She check my cervix again and I had progressed to 6cm. Shwoo.... all that for 2cm. At this point it was about 3am, I reminded her I was GBS positive (my doctor had told me to make sure the triage nurse knew this upon being admited so they could start the antibiotics immediately) and she started me on my antibiotic right away before taking me up to the Labor and Delivery floor.

Being that it was 3:15am and they ideally wanted 4 hours of antbiotics in me before delivery, I was informed that they wouldn't do anything to augment my labor until 7:15am (i.e. break my water -which would get things really moving), which I was fine with - but as I was already at my threshold for pain, I was ready for something to help. We were in our official LD room by 4am where I was asked if I'd be getting an epidural and I accepted. I had successfully gone into labor on my own and labored through my contractions (varying from nothing to 'holy shit' in intensity) from roughly 11pm (4cm) until 4:30am (7cm at the time I entered LD). After being taken upstairs, I was told by a couple people how 'well' I was handling the contractions. I think really they were just comparing me to the poor women in the triage room next to mine who kept screaming "Get her out! Get her out! Get her out!"

Considering my main reasons for wanting to go into labor naturally was to experience the natural on-set of contractions, avoid the complications that could flow from being induced (even though, I really didn't have many concerns about how my body would handle induction - things had gone extremely smoothly with Jude), etc, I was pleased with how far I'd gone. Part of me is curious how I would have responded if they had voluntered to break my water - since it would have without a doubt pushed labor along significantly faster, but considering it wasn't an option, I'll stick to it that I have zero regrets. I was shaking, exhausted and still (in their eyes) a minimum of 3 hours away from delivery. There is no way that I personally could have gone 3 more hours on my own. An hour? Sure. Three hours - maybe more? No way.

After being checked following the placement of my epidural (and before they were going to leave us alone to rest for a little while), I was told that unless my water broke on it's own, labor would not progress beyond the 7cm and 90% effacement. Basically the sack of water was weighing on my cervix not allowing the baby to 'push' things along any further - unless of course my water broke on it's own. At this point I was roughly 2+ hours away from my 7:15am mark where they would take the next step.

Even though I was tired, rest was a foreign concept. My nerves had mostly subsided as far as my shaking was concerned, but let's face it, I was getting ready to birth a child, sleep wouldn't be happening. Ryan on the other hand had at his point been awake for over 24 hours (I was lucky to have taken a nice 3 hour nap that afternoon with Jude!). I encouraged him to get some sleep, knowing the day would not allow for much relaxing after 7am - so he slept.

Time seemed to simultaniously fly by and coast slowly for the next two hours. Right on cue the doctor on call for my practice (Dr. Smith) entered the room moments before 7am. She checked my cervix - which had progressed to 8cm and she broke my water. She had started to say that chances were she'd be gone by the time Liam made an appearance (shift change happened somewhere between 7:30 and 8:00am) but she corrected herself and said that since things had come this far, it was possible I wouldn't make it to 8:00.

However, I did - which in hindsight was awesome! I had no problems with Dr. Smith, but the next on-call doctor - Dr. McCrackin was someone I'd met prior and was super personable. I basically advanced through the last 2cm from 7:00am-8:15am. I could feel the pressure mounting (and possibly the epidural beginning to wear off a little?) and informed the nurse. Upon checking my cervix, she had the doctor enter the room immediately, they got their stuff together and I began pushing just after 8:30am.

With Jude, I remember pushing was a breeze. I felt like I went through it effortlessly (an exaggeration - obviously) and aside from just feeling like I needed to push, not really 'feeling' much of the delivery. I didn't have to be told to push for him and I felt totally in tune with what was happening, but it all seemed to just happen... if that makes sense?

Liam's delivery was different. Perhaps it's because I was running on no sleep? Perhaps because I don't think the epidural was as 'high' (as far as how much was being administered)? Perhaps it's because it's just fresh in my mind? But regardless, I seemed to feel more of what was happening. I wouldn't call it pain, but it was intense pressure - that at times I wasn't sure I could work through. I can't say I wasn't able to push, but I feel like each push took more and more out of me. As I pushed, the encouragement from the doctor (Dr. McCrackin) and the nurse and of course, my devouted husband, was just what I needed to keep going. In addition, knowing that if I didn't push through each contraction to my fullest, it would only make me more exhausted and draw out the process kept me focused.

With Jude, there was a point where I was asked if I wanted a mirror to watch the delivery and I declined. No part of me cared to see what would be happening to my body. However, with Liam, the doctor was wearing glasses and with the reflection from the light I pretty much saw the whole birth - basically right up until he slid right out - at which point I just couldn't look any more (and instead needed to focus on the pressure, not this little head bobbing out). I was oddly drawn to watch it happen.

After just 17 minutes of pushing, Liam entered the world at 8:50am.

Right before I began pushing I had one last gush of amniotic fluid, which the nurse and doctor determined to have some very slight traces of meconum. As a result, a pediatrician was called to be on hand, and instead of being immediately placed on my chest, Liam had to be whisked off to the heating lamp to be checked. I had been told that as long as he cries right away, the odds were that I could get him right back - and of course he did just what he needed to do to be deemed healthy and safe. After about 5 minutes (just enough time to deliver the placenta and stitch me up - while Ryan admiringly looked over his newest son) Liam was placed cozily in my arms at a healthy 7lbs 6 ounces. Thus ending the stretch from 10:40pm to 8:50am (about 10 hours) of being in labor.

Everyone at the hospital was exceptional - even the nurse in the triage room wasn't as horrible as I thought she was at that moment - in fact she really helped push those few centimeters along.

In the days following the delivery, the care and support from the staff continued to be 'right on point' (as Ryan would say). We had to hang out in the L and D room after the delivery since the hospital was so full (and they wanted to clear out a few rooms before ushering anyone else down to the maternity floor), and the nurse who hung out in our room following delivery was so supportive. After the brief time of checking Liam for any poop-related problems, he was placed right back on my chest. I could hear the receptionists in the hall asking the nurse over and over again for Liam's measurements and she kept pipping back "just give mom some more time..." or "he's nursing, it'll be awhile" (have I mentioned that he latched on immediately and did an AWESOME job? and that he hasn't stopped since...lol). It wasn't until well after Jude was brought up to the room and we had our little time together as a family of four that she even attempted to take him over to be measured.

After we were taken down to our room a couple hours later, the support and care continued to impress us - just as it had with Jude. Initially upon entering our room, the nurse (Cathy) was waiting and ready to assist in any way. We really didn't want any care, but she was there in case we needed it. At one point she came in to gather all the information she needed to help us through our stay. When I said I was nursing - she beamed. When I said we weren't circumsizing - she nearly jumped out of her chair from sheer excitement. At one point I hinted to the fact that we co-slept with Jude (most people frown upon that) - and she said she did too. Basically, she 'got' me.

The day after I had Liam (sunday) she even made an honest effort to get us discharged early. The hospital likes to keep you for two nights after you deliver (which I totally support, no part of me wants to be rushed into a car after my vagina gets turned inside out). Being that I delivered in the morning (as opposed to the evening like I did with Jude), this meant some extra time... and by Sunday afternoon, we were itching for home. She informed me that my OB had given me the greenlight to be home bound, but when Liam's pediatrician came in, she seemed hesitant to send us away. She wanted to keep an eye on his jaundice levels (which at 12 hours were climbing - but at 24 hours were in safe territory) and wanted to look for any GBS-related complications. She didn't out-right decline our request, but just informed us of what benefit there was in keeping him under their care... so we stayed and were discharged first thing the next morning.

Bringing Jude home a little brother was an awesome moment. He did everything but squeal with joy when we walked in the door. He would pet Liam and smile at him and kiss him... and is just head over heals about him.

In the end, I am once again thrilled with my delivery and the final outcome. We have an amazing, healthy little end-cap to our family. We had a friendly and supportive hospital staff and no real complaints. I'm so excited to watch Liam grow into as wonderful of a child as his big brother!

38 Weeks

I'll get back to the photos... I promise... but here's the update from my 38 week appointment on Friday.

I weighed in at 170 (with an original start at 148, that's 22lbs total) - that means I either lost a little weight or didn't gain anything.

Blood pressure was right on. For the first time (since movement really began), Liam was 'resting' at the doctor's office, so his heartbeat was significantly lower (around 135 - still normal, just not it's typically active 150) than usual. Usually, he's kicking at the doctor while she's poking and prodding at my stomach. I was measuring for 37 weeks, but she said I could have dropped - and that it's normal to be off by as much as 2 weeks.

Since I declined the internal exam last week, it was pretty much expected that I get it this past week. Over the course of 2 weeks (since the last check) I had gone from "about 2cm" to "about 3cm". She told me before I was about 75% effaced and this time she said it was hard to tell, but I was more than 50% for sure - so, in the grand scheme of things, not much progress.

I may have mentioned before, but I'm really hoping to get through October 31st (Halloween) before this baby presents himself to the world. Obviously earlier and we'd be thrilled to finally have him, but I feel like this week/weekend is the last busy time for our family before Thanksgiving and Christmas are upon us, so it'd be nice to pull through - for Jude's sake. Thursday he has a Halloween party with his friends... Saturday is his music class and there's a neighborhood costume pizza party/parade... Monday is trick or treating... Sunday is his soccer game and trick or treating on the local 'Main Street'. So, tons of things to do... (and take pictures of - that hopefully will end up here).

Not to mention, we get to finally pick up Liam's furniture tomorrow and that means getting things put away in the nursery and really feeling prepared up there. In addition to my last day of work on Wednesday...

So, if you're listening at all Liam... just give us ONE MORE week! lol

Let's start from the beginning...

So, it's an understatement to say that I haven't posted any pictures of Jude or shared any of the fun things we've been doing... for the most part, it's because I'm lazy. Not to mention my love-affair with blogging has subsided and I kind of just do it for the sake of keeping some sort of log of what's happening in our lives.

But alas... I'm going to try and update you on October, because, we've been doing tons of fun things. To start with, Ryan's company had their annual company picnic at the beginning of the month. We went and had a good time. They had tons of stuff for the kids and Jude loved it.

Jude got his first 'face painting' which actually ended up being a hand painting... he went back for seconds because he loved it so much. He got a soccer ball on one hand and a baseball on the other.

Of course, balls+Jude=love.

They've had something similar to this every year. It's a giant obstacle course/moonbounce thing. I'm pretty sure Ryan liked it as much as Jude.

Taking Out the Dog...

It's safe to say that Jude loves our dog. There are times when he's had it up to his ears with Buddy being in his face. There are times when he whines and cries until we get Buddy off the couch so he can 'jump!' But for the most part, he loves Buddy. He thinks it's hilarious when Buddy clonks down the steps behind us. He loves when Buddy comes up to his room with us at bedtime (and sleeps in his bed all through the night). He likes to run around and torture the dog - because in his eyes, he's just playing with Buddy, and he doesn't understand that Buddy's older and doesn't like to be played with.

Perhaps the coolest part about Jude's fascination with the dog is that he's starting to try to take responsibility for him. First, he loved to comb Buddy. About a month ago, he went through an intense period of shedding and so, we were brushing him more often than Jude had ever seen. Randomly I'd catch Jude with the comb in his hand, chasing the dog around the house, trying to get him to sit still long enough to get a few wads of hair out.

Then the interest grew into feeding the dog. He knows where Buddy's food is, and he knows that he gets to eat twice a day. He'll call the 'woof' for 'num nums' as he helps Ryan scoop the food out of the container into Buddy's metal bowls.

More recently, Jude decided that Buddy likes to brush his teeth. When I brush Jude's teeth, he insists I share the tooth brush with Buddy. I pretend to brush the dog's teeth and then continue on with Jude's. Well, during one of these cleanings, Buddy tried to lick the tooth brush... now, Jude is convinced that he too should lick the tooth brush during brushing... sigh... it only makes this part of our morning routine even longer... he thinks it's hilarious and giggles through the whole thing.

Finally, the most recent thing Jude discovered about Buddy is that he goes outside to pee - and that he needs to do it frequently through out the day. So, Jude insists that he gets to carry the leash and take Buddy out on his own. Obviously, if I let Jude do this, Buddy would pull Jude through the door, down the steps, across the yard and down the street in a matter of seconds, so it's a struggle to find a balance of power with my 2 year old when letting the dog out. But once we find that balance, we're good. Then, as we're walking Buddy across the front yard, Jude's hollering after him 'pssssss' (because if Jude's having a hard time getting the flow going, that's what we say to him).

It's safe to say, it's adorable. Not to mention, it's just another indication to me of how loving Jude is going to be with his little brother (hopefully).

Flying to the Moon

Recently, Jude has become fascinated with the moon. Once the sun goes down and he sees it for the first time, it's all he seems to want to talk about. He has on more than one occasion in the past week had us take him outside so he can search for it in the sky... and then stare at it in wonder.

Being that I love to feed into the things that seem to be enchanting to him at any given time, I found one of the few books in our personal library that had much of anything to really do with the moon. It's called "The Way Back Home". Basically the story is about a little boy who stumbles upon an airplane and decides to go out flying. he flies higher and higher until he runs out of gas and is 'forced' to land on the moon. Once on the moon he meets a Martian - who seems to also be having some trouble with his space ship... and they both help each other get home.

Well, it's safe to say that this story has completely taken over Jude's mind. He has a wooden airplane that he got from my parents that's large enough for him to ride - it's one of the only toys we keep in his bedroom and it's there specifically because he has an airplane theme room. Well, the past two mornings, he's woken up with no other purpose than to fix his airplane for his journey to the moon. Currently he has it parked in Liam's room, piled up with wrenches and screws and paint brushes (?) for the fixin'. We've talked about the propellers and the tail and the wings and how his plane has to be in ship-shop shape before heading off to the moon, because not every little boy is lucky enough to run into a martian if he breaks down.

I'm not sure when he plans to take off, but I'm sure it's going to be a grand event.

37ish Weeks

Another baby-making update: Today I had my mid-36/almost 37 week check up.

I got to the appointment RIGHT on time and Jude was asleep in my arms, so it started out mildly hectic. Juggling a sleeping child... and trying to pee in a cup quickly and efficiently (so they don't call my name while I'm in the bathroom) was almost laughable. But we made it happen.

They did the normal stuff - Blood pressure (normal), weight (up another pound or two, for a grand total of 23ish lbs), baby's heart rate was somewhere in the 150's, measured at about 35 cm, but she wasn't concerned as measuring 2 weeks in either direction is 'normal' and different people could get different measurements.

When I got weighed, I took my shoes off. I guess I did it the first time I got weighed for this pregnancy, so I just always do it for consistency (different shoes can get super heavy... I also try to avoid any super heavy or super light clothes... again for consistency... but I'm getting off track). I took my shoes off to get weighed. I went to put them back on and before I did I asked if they'd be checking how things were progressing (there was no way I was going to put my shoes back on just to take them right back off, bending is getting way too difficult for that). With Jude, I never asked, I just followed instructions, so I got checked at every visit from one month before my due date until I was induced.

Well, because I asked, the nurse said that the doctors typically only really 'push' for you to get checked every other week, so this week was pretty much optional. If I felt any intense pressure over the last week, felt any strong contractions, or had any leaking, they really encourage the internal check, but really, it's up to me. Knowing that those checks mean little to nothing in the grand scheme of things... and knowing that with Jude I was told for over a month that I was dilated and going to pop at any minute, I thought I'd avoid the added temptation and just skip it. The minute the doctor walked out of the office, I almost kicked myself for it - not because it would be any sort of tell-tale sign, but just because I'm curious. But oh well.

Today I also met ANOTHER doctor in the practice that I hadn't met before. She was nice, but didn't seem nearly as personable as the others I'd met - that's not saying I dis-liked her, but she is probably at the bottom of the list as far as who I hope is on call when I go into labor. She was pleasant and seemed on top of her game, but she didn't really seem to take much time for the appointment or anything.

All in all, it was a very quick appointment - all they did was confirm what I already surmised: things are moving along splendidly. It's intimidating, but each appointment is ending with the same chatter about timing contractions, when I should get to the hospital, things I need to tell the nurses when I check in, etc. It's sad, but no matter how much they prattle off these instructions, I can't help but be concerned that I have no idea what to look for in terms of signs that I'm in labor. With Jude I was induced... I know what contractions felt like when I was in the hospital, but it's hard for me to look back and know at which point of the whole induction process they would have wanted me to leave the comfort of my house and take the trip to the hospital. Also, I don't know how quickly this labor will go. They keep implying it will be QUICK and I shouldn't wait it out... again, I don't want to show up hours too early... but also don't want to be twisting my legs in a knot to keep the baby inside until I get there. I've expressed these fears, but think that I won't REALLY know until it happens.

Until next week...

35 and 5

Last week I had my (almost) 36 week appointment and I'm due in less than a month.

The appointment started the same. I peed in a cup. I got my blood pressure taken (105/something). I got weighed (169 - so up like... 1lb from 2 weeks ago).

Then we went into the office to wait for the doctor. They took some 'samples' and did a little check on how things were progressing. According to the doctor I'm 2cm and about 70% effaced. Really that could mean nothing... or it could mean things are progressing... who really knows?!? But either way, I'm doing well.

Perhaps the most significant piece of information I came away from the appointment with, is that I was told that starting that day, if I start to go into labor, they won't try to stop it.

I'm really hoping he stays put until November 1st, but really, who can control that? This week we have a plan to wrap up the loose ends in the nursery and then I'll feel much more prepared.

Celebrating Life

For awhile now I've been part of a less formal mom's group. It's not so much one of those groups that have a group leader and mapped out events for any given month, it's more or less a group of women who all know each other through different avenues who get together with their kids - let other know what they're up to and try to get others to meet up with them when they're doing things. In the words of my husband, we're a cult and we're lame... but any time you do something that's centered around kids, to some extent, it's going to be pretty lame.

Well, this particular group celebrated Liam - and my pregnancy and pending birth - the other day in the form of a Blessingway. We had done this in the past for a few of the women who were all expecting around the same time, and so we decided it'd be a tradition of some sort as we all continue to grow our families. This time, it was my turn!

The whole event was just perfect in my opinion. It started with some yummy appetizers (that I could hardly eat because I was so full from a picnic we had earlier in the day) and chit chat. It was followed by a 'tradition' we started of all the others to tie on a ribbon that they'd wear until after Liam is born and then they all presented me with a bead or charm that made them think of me in one way or another that would be put into a necklace or bracelet that I could wear during labor... or just wear for fun. Afterwards, they topped it off in the most amazing way possible: with an ice cream buffet complete a whole variety of toppings.

The whole event was lovely and relaxing and was just another reminder of how close we are to the end of this pregnancy - and the beginning of a whole-new-life.

My life is becoming a series of preparations...

Yesterday, the long awaited happened. We finally got paint on the walls in Liam's room! In addition to paint in Liam's room, we officially have ALL NEW DOORS through our upstairs hallways! To say that our home is coming along is an understatement. The past couple weekends have been so productive, that I'm bursting at the seams from excitement.

But back to Liam's room...

My dad came over yesterday and got paint on the walls. We're doing stripes along where chair rail would go, so once this paint has had some time to dry all the way through, he'll be back to do the stripes. In the mean time, we got the go-ahead to start with the rest of our preparations. We can hang the blinds, the curtain rods and any wall decorations. We can fill the closet, hang the ceiling fan (when we find one we agree on), put the wall vent covers back up, replace the floor vent covers, put the outlet covers on and build the shelves. It might sound like a lot, but compared to what came before this, it's pretty much nothing. Aside from building the shelves, the bits that we have left to do are all relatively quick and simple things. In fact, it should be the perfect amount of work to keep me occupied for the next week or two while we wait for the furniture to arrive.

On Wednesday I have my next appointment. At this time, I will have my first internal exam - and my appointments will be weekly. In addition, Halloween and a number of events with friends and family will begin to fill our weeks as we approach the holidays. Quite simply the month is sure to fly by and before we know it, Liam will be here. It's intimidating to think that "no later than the middle of next month, we will be parents to two children". Wow.

On Kicking the Ball

Warming up

Getting Set

Jude recently started playing soccer! Getting him involved in sports and other activities has been something I've been yearning for since I first found out I was having a kid. I'm not sure if I always knew I'd be a kind of soccer mom (in the sense that I craved all the involvement and running around that kids can bring), but since having Jude it's become apparent that I just love doing stuff with him (of course days at home have their place in my heart too).

Over the past year or so, Jude had played in a little program at one soccer club called "Itty Bitty Sports". I was cute, but not quite what I'd hoped for. I wanted structure, learning and games. This was more of a free-for-all, open-gym kind of experience. So, when I saw that Jude qualified for a local soccer program that actually played games, had practices and wore uniforms, I about swooned.

Jude and Trent doing their own thing.

Two Sunday's ago was his first game and it was just what I had expected! Little kids running around the field with barely any idea what to do... other kids running around going right for the goal... other kids having zero interest in the game and paying more attention to their parents. Jude appeared to be one of those in-between-kids. He wanted to play with the ball, but after two and a half years of telling him to share and not take things from other kids, who can blame him for not going after the ball when someone else had it?!?

Good Sportsmanship

His second game he had a pretty good first half, but by half time, the fact that he hadn't napped got the best of him. He 'played' a few minutes with a bag of fruit in hand and then was out for the count.

Go J-man!

Collecting Twigs

In the analogy of building a nest, we are collecting twigs over here.

This weekend has been one of the biggest pushes we've had towards getting ready for this little munchkin to arrive. Over the coarse of the last 2 weeks Ryan's dad has been in and out of our house putting on layers of spackle, sanding, etc. Finally last week we got word from him that Liam's room is 100% done and so we could go ahead with the painting. So, Ryan took this weekend to finish up the loose ends with the electric. We now officially have our entire upstairs switched over to the new wiring system and much of the old wiring removed and patched up, which is HUGE! It's AMAZING how much getting that complete has opened up a whole new list of things we can do! As this week marks our 3 year anniversary in this home, it's so exciting to see so much progress.

Once getting word that Liam's room in particular was ready, I called my dad who plans to do the painting and he told me he should have the job done by the end of this week! YEA! Once painting is done, we can obviously start placing things in the room, hanging up all the itty bitty clothes and getting things organized.

Knowing that once paint is on the walls things will move MUCH more quickly, we began gathering the rest of the supplies for the room. We bought new doors for most of our upstairs, curtain rods, blinds, etc. We're still waiting to hear word on the furniture, but tomorrow I plan to call the company we ordered from to find out if they have an estimated ship date so we can plan accordingly.

Ryan has the day off tomorrow, so we should be able to have one final push before falling into the routine of the week!

33.5+ Weeks

The time is ticking by - and already I'm here to relish you with more stories from the OB GYN office.

Yesterday we went in for our 33 week and 4 day appointment. Ryan is working nights again, so he was actually able to make this appointment! When I was pregnant with Jude he went to quite a few of my check ups along the way. With this pregnancy, his work location and my appointment times didn't really allow for that, so it was a bit of a big deal for him to be there yesterday.

I was able to meet yet another person in the practice and - as is becoming the norm - was absolutely thrilled with her. Her name was Dina, she's one of the Nurse Practitioners and she was just as sweet as pie. While I went in expecting this visit to be the same as all the others (blood pressure, weight, heart beat, measure, home), I was pleasantly surprised to be in the office a little longer than usual. Not for anything bad, but because she was just extremely through. It was a little intimidating, but she really seemed to hone in on this baby's pending delivery and started to ask a ton of questions.

We talked about Jude's delivery (induction, relatively quick labor, minimal pushing) and ways that this pregnancy may (or may not) differ. Since I was induced with Jude, we talked a lot about contractions, what they would consider worthy of a trip to the hospital and that since things did move quickly with Jude that hanging out at home for TOO long after strong/consistent contractions begin is not encouraged (but in the same breath, spending time laboring at home is something that my doctor may encourage so I'm not sitting in a hospital room for hours upon hours). In short, the conversation really seemed to get Ryan and I on our toes... this is going to happen soon! While things like the nursery are not absolutely necessary to bring a baby home to, it's something we'd like to have crossed off the list, so the pressure is on.

Aside from all the chit-chat with Dina, we of course did the vitals. Liam was wiggling like a worm, his heart beat was strong, my uterus measured on track, my blood pressure was perfect and I weighed in at 168lbs (that's up a total of 20lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight and 1.5lbs from my appointment 2 weeks ago). All in all, everything looked great.

My next appointment is October 5th. It also marks the beginning of weekly appointments - and I'll be starting internal exams. The time is really beginning to slip away...

The night he woke up and told me he needed to poop...

We started potty training Jude in the middle of June. It is now, the middle of September and it sometimes still feels like we're at the very beginning of potty training.

We can go weeks without a wet pair of pants. When we're hanging around the house bare bottomed, he'll run into the bathroom, pee in his frog potty and proudly walk out with a huge grin on his face making a 'pssss' sound telling me " look mom! I peeded! I didn't even need you in there!". If we're out at a store, when he feels the urge he'll get a panicked look on his face (maybe because he let a little tinkle in his underoos) make his 'psss' sound and I know we need to find a place to go.

Then one day, out of no where he'll decide this whole potty training business just isn't for him. He'll run off to a corner of the house, pee on the hardwood floors and come running in to tell me what he's done. He'll fight me when I tell him it's time to try to tinkle if it's been a long time since he last went (usually because I'm pulling him away from something much more fun than the bathroom). Through out the course of one day he might pee in his pants 3 times - and anyone who's potty trained a kid knows that cleaning up a kid whom you otherwise thought was well on his way to be totally toilet trained 3+ times in one day is quite frustrating.

But we push through. While Jude went from wearing diapers all day to just NOT wearing diapers at all over the course of about 2-3 days, I knew that the entire process from start to finish would be much more challenging than that. I knew it was best not to get frustrated. I knew it was best to encourage him. I knew it was best to be patient, so I have been.

But then there's poop.

From the beginning, poop has been our challenge. When we were putting diapers on him at night, he'd wait until night time to poop. When we stopped putting diapers on him to avoid him holding it until the night time, he just held it. When he couldn't hold it any more, he'd wait until we had him bare bottomed at home and just poop on the floor. If I didn't give him the freedom to run naked.... well, he just shit in his pants. As I said above, having a kid whom you otherwise think if totally toilet trained pooping in his pants regularly can get rather frustrating.

But we pushed through. We didn't give in and put diapers on him. We didn't bribe him with treats and snacks (well, not all the time... but there was once or twice he got something yummy as a reward). We didn't yell and get angry. We were patient - knowing that one day, it would click.

Over the course of the last month - particularly the last couple of weeks - he's made mountains of progress. We still struggle from time to time, but as of right now, he's pooping on the toilet more than he's not - and considering where we were this time last month, that's something to write home about! Usually, he won't tell me, it's more of less something that happens to happen when he's peeing - but we take what we can get. And then came last week.

I was downstairs when I heard him saying 'no mommy'. Not sure what this groggy rambling was about I run upstairs to find a half awake/half asleep Jude with his butt in the air and wet britches. I scooped him up, took off his wet pants, cleaned up the area/him and tried to get him back to sleep. But he wouldn't. He'd doze off and then wake up suddenly saying 'no mommy' or just whimpering in a daze. My immediate thought was that he was having a bad dream. Something appeared to be bothering him, which of course bothered me in turn so I tried to comfort him. Then finally, as I'm laying there holding him he flashed his pleading eyes up to me, points to his little bum and says 'no, mommy'. Still confused by his words, I took the pointing to his butt the only way I knew and asked him if he needed to go potty. His response was much the same saying 'no mommy', but I asked him again (because, let's face it, sometimes this kid has been known to confuse a 'yes' with a 'no'). This time he looked at me, shook his head yes and said 'Yes'.

So, we go in the bathroom, he takes care of business and seconds later he's back asleep. Being that he rarely tells me he needs to poop, I considered it progress!

We've had poop in his underwear since that night... we've had poop on the potty since that night... but every little bit of progress is good. Considering what we came from with the whole pooping routine, I'd say we're on the right track.

Filling the Albert Hall

Awhile ago, we began the task of rewiring our home. We have aluminum wire in our house and while it's stood the test of time and has been fine, Ryan insisted that he wanted to replace all the wire with copper - a pricey and time consuming job (they realized AFTER they wired thousands of houses with aluminum wire that it's a lot more likely to expand and contract causing loose wires which could cause potential electrical fires). So, we began the process over a year ago starting with the top floor of our home - running all the wires to a sub panel in what was once our 'spare room'.

This involved fishing wires down walls, which in some cases meant cutting holes in the walls to wiggle wires to where they needed to be. In addition, most of the outlets on our exterior walls were under windows - which you can't access from the attic, so those receptacles needed to be moved to new locations. Finally, as we're replacing all the wiring, we're installing new hard-wired fixtures (ceiling fans, vanity lights, etc) through the house, which (you guessed it) typically means more holes. Basically I told Ryan to cut all the holes he needed to now, because once we began patching and painting, I didn't want another hole in our house! Period.

So now, here we are over a year later... with a little Liam on the way and what was once a guest room is now going to be a nursery. Thus, putting the project on a dead line! A week or so ago, Ryan finally put most of the finishing touches on the electrical work on our second floor - and now that all of that cutting and fishing and wiring is done, it's time to clean up the mess. We've had Ryan's dad here on and off for the past week or so covering holes, spackling and in general repairing the face of our home.

Perhaps the most exciting part of this whole project is that once this part is done, the fun part comes. We can finally start painting, decorating and organizing the nursery for this little bundle in my belly. It's safe to say that I'm getting the itch. The itch that tells me that our baby is due way too soon and I feel as though we have nothing ready for him. Our crib is not in, the walls are not painted, the clothes aren't hung up neatly in the closet. But I know that once the paint gets on the walls, it's only a short amount of time before everything else falls into place... so I'm breathing a sigh of relief. By the beginning of next month I imagine things will look a whole lot better!

A Return to Fall

I think it's a bit of an understatement to say that I'm very excited for the up coming season. Aside from that minor detail of birthing another child, this season brings some exciting things for Jude. As the months tick by, Jude gets older, opening up a whole new world of early childhood programs that he can now participate in - along with him being more capable of really appreciating programs and activities that we've been doing for quite some time.

It's almost intimidating to think about all the stuff that's out there. There are science and nature programs. Music and Art. Sports and Fitness. Reading - and much more. Knowing others with kids Jude's age, I feel like I'm especially in touch with these programs as we all seem to share various things with each other making the pool of options ever more vast than it would be if I were looking for these things on my own.

After sifting through the various avenues of information and considering the things that I really want to instill in Jude, we decided on a pretty good range of activities. Starting in the next week or two he will begin each of the following:

1. Soccer - He is just old enough to participate in the youngest tier! He'll be playing games, going to practices, wearing shin guards and going crazy on the field... I can see it now and can't wait!

3. Storytime - we signed up for a storytime at a local library. I've been looking for a storytime that actually focuses on reading stories (instead of skipping through a short book to get to the fun activity scheduled for the end). After talking to another mother, this particular class sounds promising. This week will be our first actual experience with it, so I'm hopeful that it doesn't let me down.

4. Music - Jude has been a participating in music classes for a few semesters now. He will continue the same classes that he has been taking through age 4, at which point he will begin (if he wants to) private lessons. He has grown so much over the summer that I can't wait to see how he takes to class this year and how much of what he learned in the past he brings to class with him. He'll have a new teacher this year, so that's also something I'm curious to see how he responds to

In addition, we have a number of other options, like his Monday morning nature program we've been doing for awhile now, Toddler Skating at a local skating rink and state and city promoted programs (none of which we currently intend to do, but will re-evaluate once these other programs start to wrap up).

Perhaps even better than getting Jude involved is getting back into some sort of a routine. During the summer, our lives are a bit of a free for all. Some days are spent lazying the day away, other days are spent full to the brim with summer activities and play dates. In addition, Ryan's schedule has been a bit up and down over the past few months which only throws us off beat a little. I understand that life is like that - and that regardless of the season we will have our busy days and our slow days, but at least this way, we know what to expect for a good portion of the week. We won't be as able to wake up and spend half the morning just getting dressed (something that may be nice in theory, but sucks when you look at the clock, it's 12:00 in the afternoon and you've missed a gorgeous morning) and I'm ready for that... for that normalcy to return.

Not to mention crisp Fall air, anything 'spiced' and apple picking are all within our reach!

32 Week Check Up

Today was my 32 week check up. As is usual, things are progressing nicely. I weighed in at 166.5 (that's up about 4lbs since my last visit 2 weeks ago - not sure about overall weight gain). My blood pressure, etc is right on point. My stomach is measuring good for 32 weeks - I'm basically the perfect pregnant woman (joking).

The doctor mentioned that I should try to drink more water because of protein in my urine (eww). She also brought up the Flu Shot. I've never had a flu Shot before... and quite frankly never really plan to get one, but this particular doctor (one I hadn't seen before) really seemed to stress/encourage it. I really don't want one - and will probably just not get it, but I felt like a terrible soon-to-be-mom-of-two saying no as she's strongly suggesting I do. I remember I felt the same way the first time Jude's pediatrician asked if I wanted to give him the flu shot and I declined. Oh well.

On topics not doctor related, Ryan's dad is supposed to come over tomorrow to start filling holes in our upstairs. I've probably mentioned it before, but once the holes are filled, that means we can paint and really, that's when things start coming together. We are both really excited!

In other baby news, Jude seems to really be getting into the idea of this little brother thing that we all keep talking about. He gets excited when we're sitting in the exam room at the doctor's office because he'll get to hear the heartbeat (whether he realizes what a heartbeat is or not, I don't know, but he relates it to my stomach and the baby we talk about inside and it's adorable). Pretty much every day he's making some sort of reference to the baby. Whether it's when I'm folding clothes and he points out the little stuff that's for Liam, or when we're upstairs and he points to my stomach and Liam's bedroom and closes his eyes (indicating 'That's where Liam will sleep'), or when we're just sitting on the couch and he lays his hand on my stomach. No matter what it is, it makes me swoon.

Even better is that Jude has this fascination with taking care of his 'babies'. His babies are things like raggedy ann and andy dolls my aunt made for him, a stuffed pig, mickey mouse, pluto, 'juice', yoda and a few others we've randomly collected that Buddy hasn't chewed. We've never really showed him how to play with dolls/stuffed animals, but he just does it. He puts them down for naps, takes them for rides in his car, feeds them, helps them throw balls, holds them/pets them, etc. I can't help but think that he will make and EXCELLENT big brother.

As I said before, the next two months are sure to fly by. There's already a ton of stuff on the calendar and Ryan's working a bit of overtime... This kid will be here before we know it. It's all getting very exciting!

Little Fish

This is a post I started awhile ago and never posted... I'm going to miss the summer :(

My daring little child has REALLY discovered the water this year.

There was a time I considered putting Jude in swim lessons. Jude will be in water, I don't want him to drown - he should LEARN to swim. But then I started thinking about how I learned to swim... it was in my grandparents pool - with my parents - with my grandparents - with my siblings and cousins, etc. But like every other part of parenting, I mildly panicked. I of course know how to swim, but as with reading, writing, and everything else, I wasn't 100% positive it was something I could TEACH someone else to do. I've always just done it, without even thinking about the steps that it takes. But I stuck to it and decided that Jude (and our future child) would in fact learn to swim in my grandparents pool.

Last year we visited the pool a handful of times. He held on dearly and we supported him. We'd dunk him from time to time, we'd float him out from us and let him hold himself up on our fingers, we'd support his belly and encourage him to kick... and while he seemed not to be afraid of the water, he still needed us. But at that age, it was mostly about him getting familiar with the idea. Not being afraid and knowing that we were there for him.

This year, the first trip to the pool was very similar. He clung to me for support. He held on to my fingers as he floated in front of me and I encouraged him to kick (telling him over and over again that 'kicking is the most important part!'). By his second trip to the pool any hesitation was lost. He had no fear and was ready to take off. He longed for the deep end of the pool. He wanted to go off on his own, but he had yet to learn how to swim. So, we got him some floaties for his arms.

At first he clung to those floating noodles to keep his head above water in addition to having the arm floaties on. Then he grasped the concept of kicking and the noodles became optional - but he rarely strayed from my side. But now? Now that we've made more trips to the pool? He's a pro.

Today, for the first time, I put him in the pool 'by himself'. Meaning, I was not in my bathing suit. We stopped by my grandmother's to say hello and he thought it meant swimming time. There was no way I could leave without him getting in. So, I sat on the edge of the pool (fully prepared for the idea that I MIGHT have to sacrifice my dry clothes if he got stranded in the middle of the pool or took on too much water) and waited to see what he would do.

He eagerly climbed down the steps into the water and took off. With the floaties making up for his lack of upper body strength, he used his little legs to navigate the pool. He couldn't care less that no one was around him and he had no problem swimming out and then making his way back to the steps when he needed a break. Needless to say I was a proud mom. Once again, I proved to myself that I am capable of teaching - and Jude proved to me that he is a receptive learner.

I'd say by next year we'll be working on the breast stroke and flip turns... what do you think? (yes, that was sarcasm).

30 Week Check-up

I am officially 30+ weeks now - which means I'm less than 10 weeks away from my due date.

I went last Friday for my 30 week check up and as always, things were great. My stomach measured a little on the large side (I think it's supposed to be like 1 cm/week and I was at like 32 or 33 cm) - but my doctor was fine with that/didn't really mention it beyond stating what the measurement was.

Liam's little heart beat was in the upper 130's and we discussed that he moves constantly and how it's a good thing - as I never find myself having to do kick counts or anything.

I still can't seem to remember what weight I started with exactly at the beginning of this pregnancy (so, what the scale read at my first visit - usually they tell me "you gained X amount this past month"), but it read 162 on Friday - and I forgot to ask how big of a jump it was since my last visit. According to my estimates though, I didn't have a big jump - if I had a jump at all. I'm really not surprised by this though, because I find myself less inclined to eat lately. I really TRY to eat, but I already feel like I'm running out of space. I fill up quickly - or just don't have an appetite at all. As a result, I'm avoiding as much junk-type food as possible and trying to focus on meals/snacks that give me more nutritional bang for my buck.

We talked about my rhogam shot... and how I haven't gotten it yet (eek). I had an appointment last week that I 'accidently' skipped (aka, I was doing something that was more fun, lost track of time and decided not to rush to make it there). I'm REALLY REALLY REALLY dreading it. The thought of pulling my ass out for them to poke is revolting. Not to mention in general I dislike shots.... and the memory of the burning sensation once they do the injection is terrifying. I know I sound like a really big baby right now, but as someone who doesn't complain about too much - give me this one. Basically if you don't have Rh- blood, you don't know anything about this shot. They give it to those who are Rh- once during pregnancy around 30 weeks and again a couple of hours after you give birth. My experience delivering Jude is all a bit hazy 2+ years later, I mean I remember the highlights, but the events of that first night in our room are a bit blurry. I however have not forgotten the shear terror (an exaggeration?) I had when they came in and told me it was time for that shot. I had to convince them to give it to me in my arm - pleading that I just went through childbirth... give me this one, please? But I'll move on...

We are really making some head-way with the room. We have the old furniture out. Ryan's made a lot of progress wrapping up the electric in that room. We're waiting to hear back from our contractors (aka - Liam's grandfathers) about when they'll be able to come down and do the work they volunteered for. I've picked out fabric for his quilt and curtains - which means I can now pick out paint. We've been juicing up his winter clothing stash....

If I felt totally unprepared a couple weeks ago, I feel moderately more prepared now... still no where near ready for my baby to be placed into my arms... but we're getting there.

"B!"

Jude seems to have this uncanny ability to over-generalize his vocabulary - fitting very obtuse categories into simple words that some how work in communicating to us. There are plenty of people we know who tell us constantly how 'smart!' he is! How well behaved he is! How well adjusted he is!

While all of this to us as parents seems to be so entirely true, the fact is that from time to time I get mildly concerned at his lack of vocabulary. I can prattle off instructions to him and he can follow them like a pro. He can point and make noises and use the fall-back words and hand motions like a champ to get his point across, but to get him to elaborate and say more takes a bit of effort. It just seems to me that he's entirely content with everything that's round being a 'ball', everything that's wet being 'juice', all of his friends being 'kyree' and anything with sharp teeth being a 'ROAR!'. I wasn't - and still am not frustrated or entirely concerned, but I keep wondering when sentences other than "I want that" will flow out of his mouth.

Then he discovered his letters.

A couple months ago I started to introduce him to letters. I'd always drawn words and labeled pictures when we colored or played with sidewalk chalk, but it's like one day it just grabbed him. When he started showing interest, I went with it. We started focusing on one letter at a time for a couple of days at a time until he seemed to be familiar with it and then we added another... and another... and another...about half way through the alphabet all hell broke loose and he seemed to be recognizing that the world around him had more letters than he'd ever noticed before! There were signs on buildings! Suddenly the ink in books were more than just shapes! The magnets on the fridge had meaning! He was hooked!

When we scribble with sidewalk chalk he asks me to draw letters. He makes shapes when he draws, that as a mother, I see as his attempt to ACTUALLY write letters - especially since he will tell me which letter he thinks he drew. He has on many occasions made VERY clear "A's" and "C's". When he see the letter "J" he says "me!" because he knows his name starts with a J. "M" is simply "mommy". "D" is simply "daddy". "S" is "ssss" like a snake. With all the practice with the letters I have him saying more and more. As we go through the alphabet we talk about words that begin with each letter and I have him repeat them. Often times he does - other times he doesn't, but it's like we're making progress (if only that progress would flow out of his little lessons and into his daily language...).

Every letter I draw he likes to come back at and draw over it. He likes to trace my letters - sometimes with precision... other times not so much. So, I bought some supplies. It's not something I would have thrown at him if he wasn't showing interest, but he was, so I'm capitalizing on it. I bought some sentence strips. I taped them to his easel and I drew a few letters - one letter for each strip. After drawing A-E in bold ink, I made a series of dotted letters following for Jude to trace - leaving space for me to add more - or for Jude to attempt it on his own.

Being thrilled that his easel had paper and fresh crayons again, he was eager to join me. He watched me fill out the letters. He watched me tape them to the easel and I showed him how to trace the letters like he does with the chalk. Having me help him, he seemed unsure and held his crayons less confidently than he typically does. But together we traced the letter "E" and then we traced the letter "D". He beamed with pride and I encouraged him to try again. He grabbed the crayon with more confidence than the first time and went at the series of "E's" on his own.

The first dotted E we did together... the last dotted E we did together - the lines through the middle are where he tried on his own.

I was slightly disappointed when the product was anything BUT tracing the letters, but told him how proud I was of him and told him to keep trying, showing him to take his time and go over each letter. Then, it was like a magic little light switch went off in his head and he tried again. This time seemingly more confident than the last, he went after the series of D's.

He did an awesome job! As you can see above, his D's were more like "O's" (the first dotted D is the one we did together) and as he got more excited towards the end his excitement got the best of him and he hardly finished each letter, but he did so well!




A little while later I made my way back into the toy room to find that after I had left he had tried his hand at the C's - doing a not to shabby job on one of them. Clearly I was beaming with pride. At just over 2, he's already beginning to master his letters (something some kids don't even know anything about until at least preschool) and tracing them. He's associating certain letters with certain people/objects and recognizing the letters in the world around him.

... but then again, when he wants to talk about his letters, he doesn't call them letters, he calls them "B!". When he wants a cup of milk or water, when he sees rain falling from the sky or he wants to go swimming, he still calls it "juice". We may be making progress, but clearly we still have a ways to go!

As someone who is associated with a number of other moms with kids Jude's age, I think it's amazing to see areas where some kids soar and others might lag behind. I think it's humbling to see that each child is talented in their own way. I think it's a lesson in positive thinking to not focus on how your child might not excel at one thing, but could kick butt at something else. It's reassuring to know that no kid is amazing at everything - that each child is unique, that my child? He kicks ass as drawing letters.

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!