30 weeks!

I'm in the big leagues now. Last pregnancy, I never made it out of the 30s (thank goodness!), so this is the last stretch. I'm feeling pretty uncomfortable and crampy lately, so that hasn't been too fun. I imagine the fact that he's so cramped up in there is a pretty big reason for that. He has a leg that is constantly pushing itself out right at the top of my uterus, which is severely uncomfortable. Plus, it freaks me out to be able to fully distinguish a body part, especially so "early" in the pregnancy! Apparently, my anterior placenta is causing him to farther inside me than would probably be normal which is accounting for why I'm not super big (although I wasn't huge with Jeffrey, either) and why I'm so uncomfortable. I also have what seems to be an internal hemorrhoid, which is great fun.

I am, however, fully enjoying his movement (except at night when he loses his head with excitement and bounds off of the bed for about 30 minutes, causing me to wait until he calms down before I can go to sleep). Much like his brother, he is super active. Constant. We had our 30 week appointment yesterday, and he was being as stubborn as he could be. She had a ton of trouble finding the heartbeat due to his ridiculous movements and my placenta. He kept kicking the doppler away! Then, when she was trying to measure me, he kept moving all about and made that about impossible. She put two check marks next to fetal movement, lol! All is well, and he's head down. So, at least there's that. As much as his arms/hands irritate my cervix, I'm so thankful that it's not his ridiculous strong legs.

We actually started the process of preparing for this little one's arrival this weekend! We got down the tubs of Jeffrey's old clothes and went through them, sorting out what we didn't like and what won't work seasonally with Gavin. All of that will be put up for consignment in a few weeks. I'm not going to wash and put anything away until we finish up his room, though. We do have plans set to paint the wall in two weekends! Finishing up the nursery should be way easier than Jeffrey's new room. I'm getting so excited about how soon this little boy will be in the outside world; I absolutely cannot wait to meet him and introduce him to his big brother (who tends to tell him to "get out" every day, which I hope Gavin's not listening to. Although, I'm sure that this little one is just as stubborn as the rest of his family and doesn't follow directions well, anyways ;))

Project Big Boy Room: Update 7

The desk is finished! We don't have a chair, but he's tall enough to use it while standing. Since we used the bottom/legs of an old IKEA desk that we don't use anymore, it'll be able to grow with him until he's off to college. We'd just need to adjust the height every so often. We'll probably take some time this weekend to get to IKEA again and buy him a chair, as well as all of the other fun stuff we'll be adding to his desk. After that, it's just decorating it! My mom is finishing up his new curtains, which will certainly add an aspect of finished-ness to the room. I'm really happy with how it's turned out, and I'm ready to nail those last few things into the walls and move on to the next room.

Biggest news about that? Jeffrey has fully accepted that to be Gavin's room now. Such a great big brother.

Wordless Wednesday

I'm so lucky.

I had one of those moments today where you just get swallowed up in how amazing life is right now. I wasn't feeling very good today (blame the girl scouts and my lack of self control; thank goodness I only ordered 5 boxes), so I was laying down. My sweet little boy came and just cuddled with me while we watched a few of his favorite shows. He was so sweet; he told me he loved me and loved to give me hugs. That, along with my newest little boy dancing away with excitement that his brother was so close to him and waiting for a husband that brings home little surprises and loves to help out at home, just pushed it all over the edge. If that won't help me feel better, what will? The only bad thing was that my legs got cramped because our cuddly little dog wouldn't move. I love my little family.

29 weeks!

The end of an era- the last week in the twenties! We basically just have two months before needing to be ready for this little guy, and that's going to go by so quickly. Exciting and terrifying all at the same time!

We spent the weekend at my parents' farm, and it was so nice to just be able to relax and let the family entertain/watch the little guy for a bit. I'm experiencing some major back pain/issues (which I think is mainly from the bed we were sleeping in up there, hopefully), so I wasn't really capable of doing too much on my own. It basically seems like whatever position I'd sleep in would end up badly in some capacity- back pain (with the snoogle), hip pain (without the snoogle) or not breathing (on my back). I figured back pain was the most manageable since I can avoid bending over too much; being able to breathe while sleeping and walking are pretty unavoidable.

I'm trying to figure out this whole being pregnant with a baby that's up high thing; it's affecting my eating/breathing much earlier than I remember with Jeffrey. It's not terrible, but I do need to pay attention to whatever position I'm in at all times. Movement is also pretty crazy, although I still love it. He loves when I'm all warm and really bounds around then. He's not a big fan of hot showers, though, and tends to sink down super low. It makes taking showers twice as awesome. He's getting substantially larger, and I'm loving interacting with him and protecting him as he grows.

Project Big Boy Room: Update 6

I've been lazy at taking pictures since the work in there is so minimal, but things are happening! His nightstand is completely finished, and his desk is 3/4 of the way there. One more coat of paint and then attaching the legs, and it'll be set to go! We may end up getting some sort of top for it, though. You'd have to ask Jony about that; I try to stay out of that aspect of things as much as possible. We've also hung up his picture wire, which he loves. He is so proud of all the little things he makes at home, story time, and MOPS and is excited to have some on display in his room. We may actually put another one up underneath it since he's been so into crafting lately. Plus, that wall is big and blank!

Once the desk is secured in, we'll be focusing on decorating it and buying the little knick-knacks for his desk organization. Then, it will be completely finished! His old room has been completely abandoned (although his diapers and stuff are still in there), and he's relinquished it to Gavin. I'm so happy about how easy this entire transition was and am really loving his new room. It's been hard adjusting to walking in to check on him before I go to sleep and seeing him look so tiny in his big 'ol bed, but I love it. It's much easier than seeing him look huge in the crib that he was getting too long for!

We're set to start Gavin's nursery in March! Exciting!

Mommy Guilt

That crap is real, and it sucks.

I've always been one to aim towards as minimal TV as possible. Jeffrey has loads of awesome toys that encourage creativity, problem solving and fun times. We're not into electronic toys, although we do have a couple. Jeffrey loves his toys and can entertain himself for hours with that stuff. However, when the pregnancy exhaustion swooped in, the TV stayed on to catch any stray moments of boredom that I just didn't have the energy to deal with. Thinking it would only be a short while, I was okay with this. I didn't really have a choice, anyways, seeing as how I'd fall asleep sitting up. It's been over 6 months, though, and that freaking exhaustion is still in play. Frustrating when I know I'm getting enough rest. Most days, we're out and about all morning, so that's not an issue. I can thrive off the energy of other people. Days like today when we have no plans? Those days make me feel bad. I can't help but pass out on the couch with the TV on (thank goodness for Nick Jr) while Jeffrey does his thing. There's no way this pregnancy would be successful if he wasn't so independent, so I'm super thankful for that. I know that he still needs that interaction with me, though. I've been pretty good lately at having a craft to do each day so that he has at least 30 minutes of quality time with me where he's growing and learning through something he doesn't get to do all the time. That's been helping me feel a lot better about it all; that boy LOVES his crafts and gets so proud of himself.

I just wish I was able to be the kind of mom that I used to be, especially since these are our last few months of just the two of us. Not that he'd let me play with him anyways, but at least I could be doing stuff around the house! At least I'm trying, I suppose!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Snuggle everyone you love! I'll for sure be enjoying my time with my boys tonight :)

PS- If you think that bow-tie is too freaking adorable (and you do), check out Alligator Lane

28 Weeks

There's not much change since last week. I'm officially in the third trimester, so that's exciting! Movements are getting bigger and more pronounced; you can see quite a bit of those little kicks and jabs through my clothes now. As much as I love that, it also brings along the movements that hurt a bit. He's taken a good liking to sticking his butt out on my right side, which I find pretty entertaining. Since he's hanging out higher than Jeffrey did, I'm starting to feel some effects on my breathing. It's nothing horrible right now, but it is forcing me to have better posture. Not that that's a bad thing. The biggest issue that I am dealing with is dreaming. I have been having THE strangest dreams, and I'm having one very night. I don't get as much rest as I do when I don't dream, so it's a bit frustrating. I've reintroduced the snoogle to my life, though, and the reunion has been far greater than it was a few weeks ago. So, at least I am semi-comfortable.

We're getting close to finishing Jeffrey's new room which is super reassuring to me. I'm starting to get that nesting itch to get everything ready for this new baby. By this time with Jeffrey, we were almost completely ready. Now, I realize that we're already ready since I now know that we don't need any of that stuff, but I want to do it. As super irrational as it is, I need that stuff ready! Gavin's nursery is currently a workroom since it's so cold/rainy here- not exactly a warm welcome for a sweet snuggly newborn :)

What is Jeffrey up to?

It's been awhile since I updated on my big kid, as he calls himself. He's ridiculously fun, amazingly hilarious and so loving. I tell him every day how lucky I am to have gotten him as my son, and he agrees. See, he also thinks quite highly of himself. Clearly, we practice positive discipline in this house- HA!

1. majorly obsessed with cars and trains, making him that stereotypical boy. No worries, though, he still saves some time for his shopping cart and is super amazing at his vacuum cleaner. 
2. He is constantly eating or asking for food. It's amazing how that empty leg syndrome starts so dang early. I fear being broke by food consumption with two of these boys in the house in a few years.
3. I suppose we're in the shadows of potty training. He sometimes requests to be naked and will use the potty on his own during those times. We're taking it really slow and following his lead. He gets so proud of himself whenever he goes, and he just LOVES to flush the toilet.So far, that's the only reward he's ever needed. 
4. He loves his new room/bed and tells everyone he sees about it
5. He's super social. He likes to tell strangers "hello!" and will answer most questions that people throw his way. I think he just loves the attention (which he did not get from either of his parents!)
6. His favorite book is currently "Mickey and the Beanstalk." We read it at least once a day, and he pretty much has it memorized.
7. As far as verbal skills go, he's got them. He talks in full sentences and has full on conversations. The only issue he has now is that he sometimes tries to talk faster than he can process the words in his head, so he stumbled and stutters a bit until his mind catches up. I love talking to him, especially when we're in the car. He'll point out everything that he sees.
8. Being the good mom that I am, I think he's a genius. He recognizes most of the letters of the alphabet, can identify most shapes (including the difference between hexagon and octagon- he's faster than I am!), and can count to ten. His logical and reasoning skills are amazing, and I love watching him work out problems and figure out solutions. 
9. He loves talking about Baby Gavin and melts my heart with every single conversation we have about him having a baby brother. He told another baby the other day that he was going to have a baby brother, and I almost died.
10. He's just getting so, so big. He keeps shooting up in height, and it's ridiculous how tall he is now. He's slowly looking more and more like a preschooler than a toddler :(

Wordless Wednesday

27 Weeks!

Third Trimester is sneaking up on me this week- yikes! I'm slowly starting to accept that it's already February and that we don't actually have the month of May to count on before he arrives, even though I'm due in May. We very well could have an April baby, although I hope not. May is so much cooler. I had an appointment with my midwife yesterday, and now we start the bimonthly appointments! Crazy stuff. All is well with baby Gavin. I obviously had a big growth spurt in the last month, though. I went from measuring 22cm (a little small) to right on track at 27cm. I also gained a whopping 5lbs in the last month, putting me 10lbs up total. I'm not gaining weight anywhere else besides my belly, so I'm wondering if this is going to be a bigger baby. I only gained 15 with Jeffrey. We shall see! He was a sneaky little baby when she was using the doppler and hid behind my placenta, but she managed to get the heart rate from the cord. Luckily, Gavin was playfully kicking the doppler around, so we know that all is well in there. He's definitely taking after his brother in that department; fool moves all the dang time. It's even more impressive with my anterior placenta. Both my midwife and the u/s technician were both surprised that I had felt movement so early, but I'm not shocked after seeing how crazy my firstborn is. Two active little boys means two tired and worn out boys at the end of the day!

Sleep is getting interesting, so that sucks. I'm trying different things to figure out what will work, but I'm thinking I"ll be sleeping upright at the end of this pregnancy as well. A big factor in all of it is that Gavin gets way too excited about me laying down. It's hard to lay on your side when the bed then becomes an awesome new trampoline. I'm trying to stay as rested as possible so that we can get a lot of work done during the day- every step towards getting Jeffrey's new room set up is a day closer to actually starting on the nursery again!

Project Big Boy Room: Update 5

The bed is finished! We'll be doing a clean up of the room tonight (aka- clearing out all of the tools and such) and getting it all set up. Jeffrey is so ridiculously excited, it's adorable. I'm fairly certain he'll accept nothing else but to sleep in his new room tonight. I never dreamed that the hardest part of the transition to a new room would be making him wait for it, lol! For the most part, we're taking the weekend off from room stuff. We may order a few decorations and such, but we want to get our house cleaned up and spend some good family time together. Starting next week, he'll be tackling the nightstand and desk. After that, it's pretty much finished! We're way ahead of schedule, and it feels awesome.

Wordless Wednesday