Jesse: 32 weeks

Well, a night ago we had another rough night of contractions.  They started at about 10:30 and lasted till 1am.  Chris was great and got me water and our medicine, thankfully taking 2 pills seems to slow the contractions down and hopefully the water helped.  Though I don't know how it is good to drink that much water because I then have to pee every 20 minutes and can't lay down.  I swear when I have to pee the contractions are worse.

32 weeks per babycenter:

By now, your baby weighs 3 3/4 pounds (about the size of a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

How far along: 32 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: Still hanging around 27 pounds, with Owen I was 8 pounds heaver!  This GD diet works! 

Maternity clothes: def. I had to buy one more large short sleeved top to cover this big belly, my favorite thing to wear is a long maxi dress! Wish I had more of them that fit! 

Stretch marks: I think some old marks have gotten bigger and turned purple again :/ oh well it's worth it for this little boy!

Sleep:  I think it's crazy I can take a 3 hour nap and not move once, but then at night I turn over every hour or pee every hour. So sleep isnt that great and I worry every time I walk to the bathroom that he is ok.  I seem to worry more at night. 

Best moments this week:  I loved having some friends gush over my belly and tell me I look great too!  I think this diet is hopefully going to keep me from gaining that extra 15-20 pounds I did with Owen!!

Belly button in or out?: I was looking at Owens 32 week post and apparently my belly button hadn't popped, but this time we are full on outie!  It shows through shirts....ugh! 

Craving: not really craving much at this point, partly bc I am so focused on my diet! 

What I am looking forward to: possibly 7 weeks till he is HERE!! 

Sorry no pic this week!  Life has been busy!  Jesse you are still loved I promise!

Gestation Diabetes update

For a week I researched other blogs, websites and googled different recipes and ideas for snacks.  I am still learning and having to get really creative.  FINALLY, it was the day of the class.  I was going to get my glucose monitor and get rolling.  I think what I have been doing the past week has been helpful.  Each day I would remove a carb from my diet that used to be a staple.  For example, my breakfast: cereal, milk, coffee with creamer.  I dropped the cereal and milk to every other day and then all together, then a couple days ago the creamer (full of sugar).  I had already given up my last night cookie/carb snack.

The class was very informative.  I am very impressed with the paperwork they give out.  There are three sheets I find myself looking at frequently.

1. Sample Menu Ideas: it is heavy on skim milk as the protein as an example (I had thought I would have to give this up)
2. Nutrient Content and Serving Size of the Six Food Groups: IE: carb quantity examples-this one also give great ideas for snacks and meal options
3. Food Label Sample:  
1. Total Carbs: needs to be about 15 per serving for me to be willing to eat it
2. FIber: higher the better
3. Sugar: SINGLE DIGITS lower the better
4. serving size

So, at the class we received our monitor and initicially I had some issues with the test strips having error readings and then got my first reading!  119!  I had just eaten during the class earlier (apple and cheese), so this was a good reading!  I was kinda excited to get going the next morning.

Well that was yesterday.  I woke up and did my first fasting reading which was 89!  Supposed to be 90 and below so just squeaked by!  Yippee.  I ate my breakfast cassorole (eggs, bacon, sausage, spinach and zuchinni).  Drank my coffee with the littlest amount of creamer ever! Then 2 hours later went to prick my finger again.  Tiniest amount of blood.  Not enough for a reading and THEN the lance broke (the thing that pokes you).  Talk about annoying.  

Long story short.  Spent the day on the phone with local wal.mart pharmacy and insurance company and figured out it is WAY cheaper to just buy the stuff over the counter.  My test strips were going to be $120 a month, I was able to buy almost 2 months supply of everything and a new monitor and lance for about $100.  Have I mentioned that my insurance sucks!

So, here I am today.  Finally got my stuff and just took another reading: 83!  They wanted 120 and less!  Yippee, I am doing this!  I can do this for Jesse and my health!

Here is the snack I enjoyed after my blood draw!

1/4 cup pumkin seeds, 1/4 cup blueberries, celery and natural no sugar added peanut butter!  Treating myself to a coke at the end, chased with good old water!

And b/c Walmart always distracts me and gets me to buy random stuff:  Today is brought to you by matching pumpkin outfits!

Jesse: 31 weeks

Well, after a couple of low days we needed a good one!  Had a GREAT OB appointment this morning and we are 31 weeks.  If we do a c/s at 39 weeks then. BOOM!  8 week count down is ON!!

We got up early and packed Owen in the car with his breakfast and headed to the OB.  We had a great u/s.  Jesse had his hands in his face so we didn't get a great face picture, but Owen loved seeing his face, toes and listening to his heartbeat (made the lady do it again!).  Thankfully, he was SO GOOD and very sweet to everyone.  Next we headed to the 2nd waiting room where he played the IPAD quietly till we met with the DR.  Dr. L gave me a glowing report.  Highlights:  I haven't gained any weight in 2 weeks, since I was on track to gain too much this is good news.  Jesse weighs about 4 pounds putting him a week and a half ahead and 95%.  This is good and bad.  Good that even tho I didn't gain weight, he is growing just fine. Semi bad b/c of the gestation diabetes this usually leads to big babies and means repeat c/s.  Though at this point I am not sure I could make it to 42 weeks and an induction because I am already so uncomfortable.

After we got home and had some lunch Owen and Mommy took great naps!  Then we had a good dinner together and Daddy left for his meeting.  Mommy whipped up this little changing table cover!  I used the scraps and some ops quilting blocks we couldn't use in his quilt.  I thought the blue will be good for the "bottom" area of the changing table!  Haha!

haha! I am wearing the same outfit as my last belly pic at 29 weeks.

Per baby center dot com: "This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3 1/3 pounds (about the size of a coconut) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy."

Weeeelllll, we are a bit off!  Haha!  4 lbs vs 3.3!  oh well.  Dr wasn't worried I am not too worried!  

organizing 2 boys sets of clothes

I feel like I have learned a lot after the first go round.  This time I am doing Jesse's closet a bit differently.

OWEN:
For Owen's I washed and hung EVERY.SINGLE.HAND-ME-DOWN that didn't have a stain.  I had bought so many hangers that they wouldn't even fit in his closet!  (at least this time I didn't have to buy many!)  I tried to hang all his clothes by size: newborn, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months etc.  If the size just said 3 months it went into the 0-3 month pile, better to see it when it was too big than after it was too small.  I even hung a lot of his pants until I realized I didn't have the space for both, now if it is a set I hang the pants over the bottom of the hanger and the shirt on top.  The miscellaneous pants I group by size and put a rubber band around them with a slip of paper saying the size (pic below of Jesse's) Lastly, I have a chest of drawers that we keep the clothes he currently fits in and wears daily.  This means I can fold laundry anywhere in the house, pile it in a basket and go right to the drawers put it away in less than a minute!  I have found that laundry happens during naptime and I never would have any hangers or I couldn't put them away bc he was sleeping.

If you aren't bored yet here is how Owen's 5 drawers are organized:

1. underwear (for when we get there), bathing suits/swim diapers, pjs and his beloved MeMe's
2. short sleeved t-shirts (b/c it is summer)  I fold them into little square piles, usually putting his "play" clothes in one pile, collared shirts in another and his nice tees in several more stacks.
3. shorts (b/c it is summer) and a few pairs of jeans and long pants
4. long sleeved tops and light weight jackets 
5. bed linens: sheets, pillowcases and blankets

In the top of his closet I keep big bins full of too big items sorted by: swim, hats, shoes/socks, and keepsake items.  I love having the keepsake bin in his room where if something gets too small or a toy that is special that he out grows I can just pop it in there!

Lastly, I have some fun teal baskets near his changing table and now big boy bed that hold: shoes, socks, belts and hats.  Owen likes to be able to access these things and is really good at helping me put them away!

JESSE:
The biggest thing this time is I sorted clothes before I washed them.  If it had a stain I tried to get it out or put it in the donate pile.  We are blessed that stained clothes don't have to be worn.  I didn't really concern myself too much with seasons and you never know how what size they will be when anyway.  But I did get rid of a lot of clothes that I didn't really like or love and kept a nice round selection of clothes.  I have realized the way I do laundry I only need about 7-10 top & pants or outfits in each size.  This time I did the same thing with Jesse's clothes, newborn, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, etc.  I, also, went an extra step and sorted the clothes by short sleeved, then long sleeved,outfits, jackets and finally pjs.  I use the hanging closet space just for clothes that are too big; therefore newborn and 0-3 month stuff is already in the drawers.  Here are Jesse's drawers starting at the top:

1. hats, socks, swaddle sacks, bobby covers, nursing covers
2. newborn clothes stacked by: pants, short sleeved onsies, long sleeved onsies, outfits, pj's and sleep sacks
3. 0-3 months sorted the same
4. blankets
5. crib sheets, crib protector sheets, breathable bumper for later

On the shelves beneath the changing table we have bins holding his cloth diapers and wipes, some disposable diapers and wipe, burp cloths and more blankets.  Of course, all the little things are there too on the side in a hanging rack: bulbs, q-tips, diaper rash cream, alcohol swabs, box of tissues, lotion etc.  (this stuff isnt actually in place yet....as I was typing it I realized I should add this to my list of things to do/organize!)

Here is where I am really changing up my system.  I will still use the closet for future sizes, but once the size hits 12 months I have found it is easier to sort by season.  Jesse's bottom row of clothes are sorted by summer and winter.  12-24 months are all lumped together.  Different brands run different sizes so even if the tag said 2T and Owen wore it with the rest of the 18 month clothes I kept them together. When kids hit these sizes they stay there for a while longer.  Sometimes all that grows is arm and leg lengths. I kept the smaller sizes towards the left and larger on the right, but it also helps that I have 2 boys and now Owen's clothes are handed down straight from his closet to Jesse's.  NO MORE SIZE SORTING!!

I can see how this might not work for girls as dresses and such could get wrinkled in the drawers, but for a mostly cotton t-shirt boy wardrobe it is awesome!

Top of Jesse's Closet; bins I mentioned

2 rows of hanging clothes, the bottom is the summer/winter section

the shorts/pants sorted by size

Anything, I can do now to make life easier later is my goal!

Gestational Diabetes Tests

Yes, you read that title correctly.  Tests.  I failed the first and to my shock and disappointment; I failed the 3 hour one too.  To keep this blog real, I broke down in tears in the parking lot on the phone to Chris. I just feel I am making the tour of pg issues after finishing the IF tour.  I have to admit I was a whiny mess for a couple of days and anyone in earshot got an earful about poor me.

Now, I am trying my best to research new meal ideas and recipes to try.  Today I went to the local co-op store and bought a bunch of ingredients that I can use to make some special things for me to eat.  I didn't buy too much because I still have to attend the gestational diabetes class on Wednesday where they will tell me exactly what I need to do.  Thankfully, it seems pintrest and blogs are full of great ideas and I even tried one out tonight.  My other positive outlook is that I didn't want to gain the almost 50 pounds as I did with Owen.  Well, if I do this diet right I wont!  Goodbye oreos and milk.  My favorite cereal in the morning. Hello, having to plan my meals better, more cooking at home,weird grains, almond milk and tons more veggies and PROTEIN!!

Here is the first recipe I tried tonight:

Grain Free Rosemary Focaccia

Ok, so mine didn't look as awesome as the picture, but Chris tried it and we agreed it wasn't half bad.  I could get used to it.  I ate some of the focaccia and a large salad topped with real bacon bits, cheese, tomatoes, large helping of shredded chicken and ranch dressing (was weird not having the guilt of eating ranch for once!)  Chris had the same salad with a baked potato instead of eating my bread.  Maybe he will lose weight with me!

ordinary days

So, Wednesday night I had a fun night out with my mommy friends at a local restaurant where they do a trivia night.  We lost and gave up on the second round, but ended up having more fun gabbing the night away.  But during the evening I got the most awesome text.  My boys had been up to projects while I was gone!  Owen decided to move his crib to Jesse's nursery and they texted me this pic!  Please note the huge green ball in the crib.  I am sure you can guess who decided to help decorate that way!


Thursday was a fun day.  A little different than our normal days around here, but I want to remember it.  I wish I had blogged last night, because I am already forgetting details.

This morning Owen was playing and asking me to play with him.  I was texting my girlfriends and really was going to play with him, but then he ran up to me said "kiss mommy, come play! Owen help you up!" We played little people.  The prince rode in the back of the wagon with the princess riding the horse pulling him and the other princess drove a dump truck!  Love it!  Then we played with spiderman and trucks in the hall.

Later we needed to meet up with Daddy and so we had a fun lunch date!  Did a few errands and headed home.  Owen now understand how the days progress and when he finds out that we are headed home he will tell me "not night night time".  Haha.  Poor kid, yup it is nap time!  He was a bit fussy and this was the first day where the crib was not an option because it was no longer in his room.  I rocked my precious little boy to sleep and it was wonderful.

After naptime we had to hurry and get ready for our swimming class and playing at the pool with daddy!  Daddy was very impressed with how far he has come and I am a true believer of bathtime not worrying about getting water in their eyes, dumping it on their heads and swim lessons every 4-6 months.  Even though early on he didn't "learn" much we were just getting him used to the water.  He is now able to hold his breath under the water, kick and stand up without freaking out.  Last night he even held the noodle and kicked swimming on his own.  Not as comfortable as the swim vest, of course!  This this morning I threw him across the pool (harder than I meant to) and he LOVED it!  Again again!   (we had a fun pool play date)!

He is zonked out exhausted in his big boy bed and Neanna is headed our way this evening!  Fun summer goings ons!

Jesse Maternity Photos (sneak peak)

When a friend from college asked if I needed my maternity photos taken I couldn't help but jump at the opportunity!  Plus it was so much fun to see her again and chat about our 2 year old boys!

These are just the sneak peek, but WOW I am so impressed and THRILLED at how they came out!  I can't decide which one to frame for the nursery and I want to do something for our photo wall down the hall too!  I want to use them all!

the picture frames were a fun cute touch!

LOVE this one!  Lifestyle photo at its best!

awee i am going to have 2 boys!

is he eating my belly or kissing it!  haha!

one of my FAVORITES!

baby booties from Pa-Paw that Owen wore home from the hospital

sweet boys!

Jesse we are waiting for you!

had to have a toy!

love this one too!

had to try the block pics!

daddy is saying No touch there!  Someone was testing his limits!

another FAV!

silly boy!

can't say kissing is how this IVF baby got here, but he was brought here with LOVE!

another fun belly shot!