Friday, May 30, 2008

13 Weeks

Wow... the last week of the first trimester! Physically, I've been feeling very well -- no nausea for a few weeks, belly's growing, eating well, but tired (nothing surprising!). Over the past few weeks I've gained two and a half pounds (back from the seventeen I lost...) and 1.5 inches on my waist. It's amazing how much quicker you grow with subsequent pregnancies! Lauren was pooched out at 12 weeks, and this time it was around 10.5 weeks (or, that's when I measured anyway). Emotionally, I have my ups and downs. Sometimes the thought of having three kids, right now anyway, scares me to death. Other days, I long to hold a newborn baby and breastfeed again. It certainly helps to have so much support surrounding me!

Here's what's going on with baby: Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

And what's going on with Mommy: This is the last week of your first trimester, and your risk of miscarriage is now much lower than earlier in pregnancy. Next week marks the beginning of your second trimester, a time of relative comfort for many women who see early pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness and fatigue subside. More good news: Many couples also notice a distinct libido lift around this time. Birth is still months away, but your breasts may have already started making colostrum, the nutrient-rich fluid that feeds your baby for the first few days after birth, before your milk starts to flow.

So.... thoughts on the sex of the baby? I have my feelings, but I guess we'll see in another five or so weeks when I have that ultra-important ultrasound! I had been wanting to keep it a surprise -- it was a surprise pregnancy, so let's keep it all a surprise! But, curiosity has already gotten the best of me and I don't think I can hold out. Matt's wanted to know all along anyway. :)

Friday, May 23, 2008

12 Weeks

It seems like I just found out that I was pregnant, but here I am... 12 weeks along today! I've already started showing, gaining an inch around my waist in the past couple weeks. So now in addition to the little leftover from Lauren, I look super pregnant already! I'll probably start taking my weekly pics sometime soon like I did with Lauren.

I've been feeling pretty good. The nausea pretty much went away around 10 weeks. There's still a little every now and again, but much less intense. I'm always tired, and take many afternoon catnaps while Lauren sleeps. I've also been getting dizzy, which happened during my last pregnancy as well (nothing really to be concerned with). I'm very moody so I deeply apologize to those around me when the mood swings hit!

Here's what's going on with baby at this point: The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

And what's going on with Mommy: Your uterus has grown to the point where your healthcare provider can now feel the top of it (the fundus) low in your abdomen, just above your pubic bone. Though you probably won't need maternity clothes for several more weeks yet (haha), you've no doubt noticed that your waist is thickening and that you're more comfortable in loose, less restrictive clothing.

Okay, so I'm not really wearing maternity clothing, just some of the larger shirts I wore at the beginning of the last pregnancy. My bump isn't so big yet... I also haven't needed maternity pants, although thanks to losing almost 17 pounds my regular pants are big on me anyway. It also says I might experience heartburn, which I'm not -- at least not yet. I've learned to eat many small meals to help with nausea, indigestion, and heartburn!

I'm starting to get used to the idea of having three kids, but I freak out quite often. I find myself crying at the thought of it sometimes! It's going to be such a huge change... And when I have those rough days where Carter doesn't want to listen and Lauren's grumpy it makes me think how in the world will I handle three of them?!? I guess that's why God gives you nine months... :)

Monday, May 19, 2008

Matt & Carter's Weekend Adventure (May 17-18)

On Saturday Carter and Matt went to Louisville to attend a picnic for a republican running for Congress and to the Ron Paul speech an hour later. On the way home they stopped at Falls of the Ohio State Park and took a few pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/iuwolf/FallsOfTheOhioStatePark

On Sunday Carter and Matt went to the speedway to watch the final day of qualifications. It was also armed forces day so Carter got a chance to see our tax dollars at work.
http://picasaweb.google.com/iuwolf/IndianapolisBumpDay

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Lauren at One Year

Lauren had her one-year checkup today. Still hard to believe that she's one year old!! Dr. Malone said she's doing fantastic, and everyone commented on how happy she is. She started conversations and giggled with everyone she saw! :) Looking back on past blogs, I haven't done a doctor appt update for Lauren since she was two months old, and no formal update since three months old! My, my, my... how slack I've been! So, here's her growth development since birth:

Birth: 8 lbs 3 oz; 20 in (left hospital at 7 lbs 13 oz)
5 Days: 7 lbs 15 oz
2 Weeks: 9 lbs 2 oz (95%); 20 in (25%, which I think was mismeasured)
2 months: 13 lbs 4 oz (95-97%); 24.5 in (>97%)
4 months: 14 lbs 8 oz (75%); 25.5 in (95%)
6 months: 17 lbs (75%); 27.5 in (90-95%)
9 months: 19 lbs 4 oz (60%); 29.75 in (97%) [she had an infection then, and weighed just over 20 lbs two days before this appt]
12 months: 22 lbs 8 oz (75%); 31 in (95%)

You can see she's growing very well, pretty much staying in the 75% for weight and 95% for height. She's a great eater, which I know contributes to her excellent growth. Lauren hasn't eaten baby food in probably almost two months -- she just didn't want it anymore! She's had eight teeth since the end of February so has been able to eat solid foods for a bit (by solid, I mean our food). It's been nice basically feeding her our meals, with the exception of the no-no foods for babies! She's also made the transition to whole milk instead of formula (she nursed until 10.5 months, when she weaned herself much to my surprise; it was about five days later I found out that I was pregnant!). Now, she gets milk at every meal (in a cup... no bottles after one year!) and one diluted juice cup a day. Since her birthday she's also eaten eggs and is fine with them. :)

Developmentally, Lauren measured about 16 months. There were some questions I could've answered after we got our three no's on the questionnaire though. I'll take you through some developmental milestones since three months, since we haven't updated since then! She put herself to sleep at three months and was pretty much sleeping through the night. She started eating solids (cereal) just after four months, added veggies three weeks later, and fruit another two and a half weeks later. The first tooth sprouted on Oct 3, a week before she was five months old, with the second one coming five days later (both bottom front). The third one (bottom second left) was Dec 22, fourth (top right) was Jan 3, fifth (top left) on Jan 8, sixth (top second right) on Jan 15, seventh (top second left) on Jan 22), and eighth (bottom second right) on Feb 26.

Continuing on with milestones... Lauren sat alone at five and half month. At six months she drank from a cup, says mama (her first word!), waves bye-bye, ate our food (Thanksgiving dinner, yum!), says dada, says nigh-night, and crawled. At seven months she pulled herself up to kneeling and then standing, started sitting herself up from crawling, gives kisses. At eight months Lauren started cruising along furniture, claps hands, stood alone for a few seconds, signed "all done", blew kisses. At nine months she said Carter and stood alone for longer. At ten months she took her first steps! Since then she's just been improving on everything -- standing for longer, taking more steps, saying more words... As for her words, she understands much more than she can say. Words she can say include mama, dada, baby, Carter, nigh-night, bye-bye, hi, bath, uh-oh (her fave), no, uh-uh, dog, grandpa (ba-pa), this, that... She isn't walking all of the time yet, but has taken as many as twelve steps by herself and will walk with us holding one hand (and walking with her). She just knows she can get there much quicker if she crawls! I'm sure it won't be long though. :)

Lauren loves to give hugs and kisses and is such a sweetie! But when Carter's picking on her, she's learning to pick back! She plays very well independently and loves to just have her freedom to roam. She loves being outside and playing at the park, and I'm looking forward to seeing how she likes the pool this summer. She absolutely loves her baths!

What else can I say about Lauren... She's just pure joy to have around. She's such a happy little girl, almost always has a smile on her face! Watching her grow up is amazing -- it's just been way to fast!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

An Update on Carter

Okay, I figure I'll be writing an update for Lauren tomorrow after her one-year checkup so I'd try and catch you up on Carter. Carter really keeps me busy -- with all his energy, craziness, and activites -- but I love it. He finished his second basketball league at the end of March and had so much fun. He was happy to have both sets of grandparents at his end-of-the-season banquet, where he got to walk across the stage and get a trophy. Now he's started t-ball and is having fun. I think it tests his patience a lot more -- he gets bored in the infield and just wants his turn to bat! He's got a tee and bat here at home so he practices quite a bit in the backyard. His new friend, Bode, is on his team as well. He liked having Grandpa Norm as a "coach" at his first game!







I don't think I've posted any updates about potty training. I can now say that Carter is completely trained. He did so well after the initial time -- he just had to want to do it! While we were up in Ft Wayne for Grandpa Goodspeed's funeral, my Aunt Roi watched the kids. While there, Carter suddenly decided that he wanted to poop in the potty! This was the beginning on February -- since then, he's done it about every time! While we were in Ft Wayne a few weeks ago, I forgot to pack pull-ups for overnight. Now, Carter's dry many mornings when he wakes up anyway, but I was definitely nervous with him sleeping away from home. I didn't want him to have an accident in Grandma's pull-out! But, I'm happy to report that since then he's been wearing underwear 24/7 and is accident-free. :)

We've been looking for preschools for Carter for a while now. We had it narrowed down to our top two choices, we just needed to finish making visits and decide. All this was right when Matt had his surgery, then we just got busy. We decided last year to wait until he was four to send him to preschool for only a year. We finally visited one of our top choices -- St Charles Catholic -- and loved it! Carter got right in with the kids, playing and joining circle time. The teacher was really nice and we agreed with (and practice) many of her philosophies. She's been there since the preschool opened eighteen years ago as well. We were so happy to hear that there is one morning spot available this late in the year too! We'll be sending in the application and hope that he gets that one spot left!

We're definitely looking forward to summer. The nice weather already had Carter playing outside and many trips to the park. He's waiting for the pool to open already! Matt's planned a hiking/camping trip with him and they're both looking forward to that. They're also going to the last day of Indy 500 qualifications this Sunday, thanks to tickets that Matt won.

Carter's a handful, but he keeps me going. It's so hard to believe that he will be four this year! He's so independent and definitely has a mind of his own! I'll try to post updates more often. :)

Monday, May 12, 2008

Baby Appointment

I had my 10-week checkup this afternoon. It was such a fun appointment... We met with the nurse to discuss health histories, past pregnancies, copay prepayment -- you know, the fun stuff. Then I waited for the doctor and got to have my full annual examination (yay...). Everything looked good! Then we listened to the heartbeat with the doppler. Everytime this 10-week appt comes up, I get so nervous waiting to find that heartbeat. With both term pregnancies, I couldn't hear the heartbeat through the doppler because of my tilted uterus, so we always got an ultrasound out of it. This time, though, we heard a very strong heartbeat. :D Dr. Stowell said it sounds great, and seems like things are going well. I had my blood drawn for all the first round prenatal lab tests as well. The kids were so patient during all this (and Matt too!). I go back in four weeks for another basic checkup.

On a very positive note, my nauseousness started to decrease last week. It still rears its ugly head now and again, but disappears much quicker and is a lot less intense. I think this just means that the weight will start coming on soon. ;)

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Lauren Turned One!


My, how the time flies... I can't believe my baby is one already! We celebrated with a big party on her birthday yesterday with lots of friends and family. It seems that she had lots of fun... especially when she caught on that she could actually eat her cake and make a mess! :) Thank you to everyone who made it such a special day!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Today

Today is a highly emotional day for me. Two years ago, I went into the doctor's office for my first prenatal checkup (at 10 wks) to find out that I had miscarried three weeks prior. With no indication that this had happened, it was quite a shock. A year ago, I went for my 38-week checkup to have them tell me they wanted to induce. Talk about emotional roller coaster on the same date...

Friday, May 2, 2008

9 Weeks and counting...

I'm 9 weeks pregnant today. Should be a little further (9 days to be exact), but the little peanut was a tad smaller at the ultrasound a couple weeks ago. That's okay... will (maybe) give me a bit more time to get used to the idea of having three kids! I've pretty much gotten over the shock of this huge surprise and am happy. Do you know the guilt I felt the first couple weeks because I wasn't truly happy? I'm a very plan-oriented person, and this just wasn't in the plans just yet. I think because Lauren is such a happy, content baby it's made it much easier on me. Knowing that, and that Carter and Lauren can keep each other company when the baby comes, makes having this one so close to Lauren a little less stressful.

So here's what's going on with baby: "Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain." (In other words, baby looks more like a baby than the "blob" we saw in the first ultrasound.)

And here's what's going on with me: "You still may not look pregnant even if your waist is thickening a bit. You probably feel pregnant, though. Not only are morning sickness and other physical symptoms out in full force for most women, but you may feel like an emotional pinball as well. Mood swings are common now — it's perfectly normal to feel alternately elated and terrified about becoming a parent. Try to cut yourself some slack. Most women find that moodiness flares up at around six to ten weeks, eases up in the second trimester, and then reappears as pregnancy winds to a close."

Boy, did they get that right! I'm super tired, nauseous, and grumpy most the time these days. I apologize to Matt for being grumpy, and I think Carter's starting to get used to his crazy Mama! I try to catch a little nap in the afternoons (Carter and I have quiet time on the couch), but sometimes that doesn't even help. Eating hasn't been easy, despite being quite hungry. :) I know things will get better, so hang in there with me guys!

I'll try to post little updates weekly like this, just for those interested in what's going on. I'll also post updates after doctor appointments, the next of which is on May 12th. Once I start showing (more than just the leftover Lauren-baby-belly) I'll post pics with the weekly updates. Something to look forward to! :)

My New Sign

My friend, Christan, had this on her blog. I had seen it before and actually thought about putting it in our house. I'll just post it here in my blog instead... :)

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:
  • They live here. You don't.
  • If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That's why they call it 'fur'niture.)
  • I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
  • To you, it's an animal. To me, they are adopted children who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.