Baby bump - 33 weeks / Boyd update

We made it another week, folks - hallelujah! My belly is huge and just getting bigger. I had a guy ask me in the elevator if I was having twins. I said NO and resisted the urge to kick him in the shins. Why do people think that commenting on a pregnant woman's condition is fair game?

On Tuesday I had my first 20-minute fetal monitoring session in which the nurse hooked me up to two belly straps (see below). One monitors the baby's heartbeat while the other checks to see if I have any contractions. I also had to click a little button every time I felt the baby move, which was quite a bit towards the end of the session! There's a little TV set up in the room so I didn't get too bored. My doc says everything looked normal and that she'd see me on Friday for the ultrasound.

1st session!

The fetal monitor machine. 

Today was the 33 week appointment at my OB's office. During the first 5 minutes of the fetal monitoring, baby girl was moving like CRAZY! Her heart rate sped way up to almost 190 and I thought she was going to burst out of my stomach. Turns out she turned from the breech position to head down - which is great because that's where she needs to be for delivery, but with all this extra amniotic fluid she has lots of room to move right back into breech.

• 148 baby's average heart rate
• 126/67 my blood pressure
• 132 glucose level (this was elevated - the high threshold for blood glucose is 130 but I had sugary cereal for breakfast so I need to cut back on sugar)
• 35 cm fundal (belly) measurement - measuring 2 weeks ahead due to the extra amnio fluid
• 30 pounds weight gain (if it wasn't for the extra fluid I'd weigh less - ugh)
• 24.2 AFI (amniotic fluid index) went up 2.2 cm in the last few weeks

The nurse practitioner I saw today says that the fluid will probably increase until about week 36 (argh!) and then hopefully plateau. She mentioned that she also had polyhydramnios with her son and was extremely uncomfortable in the last few weeks of pregnancy - everything was stretched to the limit!

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Boyd update:

The kid is loving school! As long as we are not rushed in the morning and stick to the routine, getting into the car and off to school has been fairly painless. In class the kids are learning about the human body and the other day Boyd said, "mama, you have drums in your ears!" I was like,  yes, I do have eardrums! He says we have a skeleton under our skin and a skull in our head - I love hearing about the new facts that his little brain is absorbing.

On Tuesday the school called me to say that Boyd had tripped in class, hit his chin on a table and almost bit through his bottom lip! They cleaned up the blood and it looked like just a bad cut to the inside of his mouth. We checked it out that night and it wasn't something we thought warranted a trip to the ER or the doc office. Right now his lip is a bit swollen with some white skin on the inside, but he says it doesn't hurt so we're going to monitor the situation. His teacher says that after 5 minutes of crying he was fine and went right back to playing!

Boyd got his flu vaccine (the nose mist) on Monday and was the perfect patient, according to the nurse. He likes to play doctor at home and pretend that he is giving us shots when he is sick, so I think that helped at this appointment. We took a trip to ToysRUs to pick up some things for the baby and I bought him a little toy for being so awesome at the doctor's office.

Also on Monday, D took Boyd for his first professional haircut (usually either my mom or sister does his hair). D reports that Boyd was a little unsure of the whole thing at first but relaxed and didn't fuss a bit during the haircut.

Sporting a new 'do at ToysRUs. 

Before the haircut - we pulled out some baby items from my mom's basement and plopped Boyd down in this swing. He's huge!

Baby bump - 29 weeks / Boyd update

It's been a rough third trimester, friends. D whisked me off to the Emergency Room 2 weeks ago after a horrible weekend of severe vertigo, breathlessness, and 24 hours with no sleep. After an EKG, ultrasounds on my legs, blood tests and fetal monitoring, the staff was able to rule out any heart issues, blood clots, or baby issues. Basically our little girl is pressing up against my diaphragm and lungs, which means I am struggling for breath. It was horrible - I've never felt so anxious and manic in my whole life. By that point I was at 36 hours without rest (if I did sleep, it was only for a few minutes and then I'd wake up gasping for breath). I probably would have had a breakdown if D hadn't driven me around for HOURS, helping me to fall asleep in his truck. As it is, I sleep upright on the couch, fully propped up by pillows, for about 4-5 hours a night. Not ideal but better than nothing!

I had a short appointment last Thursday with my OB. From here on out my appointments are scheduled for every two weeks, and then every week after I reach 9 months (36 weeks). My next appointment with the specialist is next Friday, where he'll do an ultrasound to check on growth progress.

116/62 blood pressure for me

25 lb weight gain so far, which is on track with my first pregnancy 

154 bpm fetal heartbeat

30 cm belly measurement

Received Tdap whooping cough vaccination and my flu shot, so I'm up to date!

I forgot to mention this in my last post, but during my most recent ultrasound all three of the people who saw the images (ultrasound tech, nurse and doctor) all went out of their way to tell me how beautiful our girl was. I wonder if they say that to everyone?! It was just funny to me because I'm like, yeah, she looks like a wrinkly little baby. :-)

D was gone a few weeks ago for 10 days on a fly-out Dall sheep hunt with a friend. No shots fired but they had a good time and came back in one piece, so that's always good news. I was pretty exhausted while he was gone - Boyd is a very active preschooler and wanted me to chase him all of the time. I'm sure it was pretty comical to see my lumbering pregnancy shuffle as I ran after my 3.5 year old! Boyd also caught a cold twice (thanks preschool!) so we had a few yucky nights with very little sleep for both of us.

I can't thank my mom enough for totally stepping in and helping out with Boyd while I've been down for the count with this breathing issue. She has been taking the kiddo to preschool in the morning for me and then keeping him on Mondays so I can rest. It's such a luxury to have family around to help - it really does take a village to raise kids!

Baby bump - 25 weeks / Boyd update

Our little baby girl is definitely growing - we're at 25 weeks now and in a few more weeks I'll hit my 3rd and final trimester. YAY!

My last appointment with the specialist consisted of an ultrasound and it looks like she is weighing around 1 pound, 4 ounces (as of last Friday). At my regular OB appointment yesterday, her fetal heartbeat was 154 beats per minute. My blood pressure was good at 118/68 and belly is measuring right at 24 weeks (24 cm), but my iron levels are slightly below normal and the nurse suggested I take an additional supplement. The glucose screening showed no signs of gestational diabetes so we are in the clear!

• Feeling lots of kicks and movement throughout the day, and we can even see my belly moving slightly. D has been able to feel the little one kicking from time to time. 
• My sleep hasn't been very restful as of late - it's difficult to get comfortable so I've been sleeping with a body pillow. My hands/arms get tingly and my hips ache in the morning. Both D and I have become unhappy with our current mattress so we tested a few and pulled the trigger on a memory foam model, which has arrived! I really like it so far - D says it's too early to tell for him. 
• It was pretty hot here in the AK during these summer months, so when I'm not at work I have a pretty steady wardrobe of leggings and tank tops! Otherwise I have stretchy tops, cardigans and maternity pants to wear at work. 
• Posterior pelvic pain - which is just a fancy way of saying aches and pains in my bottom and down my legs. Doc says my ligaments and muscles are loosening up and getting ready to birth a baby in a couple of months.
• Shortness of breath
• Sour taste in mouth - didn't experience this during my last pregnancy!
• Pressure on bladder = many trips to the restroom (2-3x during the night)
• I was pretty sick until about 16.5 weeks into this pregnancy, so the last 7 weeks haven't actually been so bad in comparison!

Boyd update: have you heard the term "three-nager"? It's like having a teenager but they're THREE so it's obviously much, much worse, right?. Well we have one in our house! Oh the tantrums about NOTHING. Or it will start out about something (no more TV, time for bed, come in the house, yes you must wear underwear, etc.) and then I really believe he forgets what he was so upset about - which means crying or whining because of a residual feeling. We usually tell him to go in his room when he's having a fit and when he's ready to calm down he can come out. It's funny because all of a sudden he'll be fine and will let us know that he's not upset any more. Poor kid - so many emotions and changes going on in his life. We're just trying to deal with this development the best we can.

First day of preschool, August 19, 2015, at 3.5 years old!

His first day of school was this past Wednesday. We were prepping him for it for at least a week, with little talks and reminders about how fun school was last year. Boyd woke up in a good mood (hallelujah!) and I made sure to give him plenty of time for breakfast and playtime in the morning before we left. He was pretty happy leaving the house and then got a little quiet when he realized we were at school. We held hands and walked to his new classroom to see his new teachers (Miss Connie and Miss Lisabeth). After finding his cubby I gave him a big hug and kiss, and told him I'd come pick him up from the playground right after school. Oh I felt so bad after seeing the look on his little face, with the lower lip quivering like the tears were going to come! He held it together though and pretty much stood just inside the doorway of his classroom, looking inside and taking it all in. He looked so small and fragile to me!

When I picked him up from the playground later on, I saw no trace of tears and he was happy to see me. I know he'll be totally fine with going to school again once he has time to adjust but it's these first days that are difficult. What's funny is that as I was driving to my mom's house, he freaked out about going there instead of to "his house." Like maybe he had a delayed upset reaction to school? Or seeing me for a short period in the middle of the day was off-putting. The rest of the week has gone well during drop-off. The lead teacher gives him a hug to welcome him in class and says that he is slowly warming up, playing with other kids and participating. I do drop off in the morning and then my mom picks him up at 11:15. Wish us luck for next week!

Freshly bathed and ready for storytime. 

We went to dinner downtown at Simon & Seafort's (one of my favorites!) since I had some dining credit. Boyd ate like a champ, which is always nice. Next door is a cute little B&B with a bridge over a water feature. 

Fun news! & Boyd 3.5 year update

Hello friends!

I'm back with a big announcement - we are expecting baby #2! And...this time it's a sweet little girl. We're obviously pretty thrilled, especially since it took us 8 long months to get pregnant again. My due date is December 5, 2015 but who knows, she could end up coming early (around Thanksgiving) or late (around my dad's & grandpa's birthdays of December 13). I haven't taken any weekly belly photos yet (second baby syndrome!) but will start to do so this weekend. This baby will be 21 weeks along as of this Saturday.

I've been seeing two doctors throughout my pregnancy: my regular obstetrician and then a fetal/maternal specialist (due to my "advanced maternal age" of 37). So far I've been going every month to my OB and then every 2 months or so to the specialist. My ultrasounds are looking pretty good and she seems to be progressing well. Lots more tests this time around! That means more blood work, which I'm not a big fan of, but I haven't passed out once yet which is progress for me!

In terms of tests, we have a very low risk of any of the trisomies (like down syndrome) or genetic anomalies, which is great to know. My blood pressure readings are all normal, baby's heartbeat is right around 150-160 each time, my fundal (belly) measurement is currently at 20 cm (should match up the the # of weeks), and no extra protein detected in my urine - so all good! At my next OB appointment we will do the 1-hour glucose test to determine if I'm at risk for gestational diabetes.
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Boyd is doing super great, as usual. At almost 3 and a half years old, his is developing right on track and really entertaining us with his antics. He loves talking but is still takes a little while to warm up to people he doesn't know. It makes us laugh to hear what comes out of his mouth. Yesterday I gave him a little bit of mint chocolate ice cream and he said, "Mom, mmm, this is my new favorite treat!" And my mom gave him a juice smoothie and he told her, "This juice is delicious, Halma - thank you!"

Boyd is truly a very sweet, sensitive and caring little boy. He likes to be silly, especially with his dad (who he adores) and will follow D around like a puppy. Speaking of canines, he loves Gabe & Risha's dog Riggs - lots of hugging and snuggling when he over at their house. He also can't get enough of being on our boat. Whenever D has to work on it or when we are out on the water, Boyd is content to just play inside the cabin or on deck.

His favorite programs are currently Paw Patrol, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, as well as the movies Despicable Me and Toy Story. Plus Lego Movie - we hear a lot of movie quotes from that one. He is like a sponge...he'll bust out with lines from movies or tv shows, or start singing songs that he has heard a couple times.

He'll start up at the montessori school again in late August, this time going 5 days a week from 8:15 until 11:15 a.m. It's a wee bit more expensive since we're adding 2 more days but they don't have a 3 day option for the 3-6 year olds. Boyd will be in a new class with a new teacher this year, so I'm a little nervous for the first day of school to arrive! He came to love his last classroom so we're confident that it'll be the same for this one too.

Ok, I think that is all for now. Thanks for sticking with my blog!

Boyd - 3 years

Our tiny little baby has grown and blossomed into an awesome 3 year old. Boyd is overall still very sweet and good-natured. The only time we have major problems is during sickness - then all bets are off and our kiddo turns into a little demon!

• He is fully potty trained during the day. At night he wears pull ups because he sleeps too deeply for a visit to the bathroom. He has started to wake at night after a poop, so I go in and change him and we lay down in his bed until he falls asleep again. 
• In the mornings he will pop out of bed between 7 and 8 a.m., open his bedroom door and walk right out into the hallway! That just started a few weeks ago - prior to that he would wait in his room for one of us to get him. 
• Our nighttime routine usually consists of me giving him a bath around 7:30 or so, and then Darin reading books starting at 8 and bedtime at 8:30 p.m. 
• No more consistent naps during the day! If he is totally wiped we'll let him sleep for 30-45 minutes but otherwise the daytime sleep cuts into his evening bedtime. 
• We initiated a huge room makeover to celebrate his 3rd birthday. Gone are the crib, rocker and old changing table/long dresser. I found an Ikea convertible toddler/bunk bed on Craigslist for $80 (a total steal since retail is $250!) so we set that up and moved his bookcase around. Darin re-stained an antique dresser I also found on Craigslist for $40 to add to the room, plus a train table and toys. Boyd seems to enjoy the new setup. 
• One of his favorite activities is to have us chase him around. He says "I'm gonna get you Boyd!" and that is our cue to say it back to him and then commence the chasing. 
• He can sit for longer periods of time and watch movies - some of his favorites are Finding Nemo, Toy Story and the Lego Movie (thanks Grandma Mim and Papa Don for that one - the parents like it too!). 
• Much more talking and singing. 
• School ends on May 20th and we aren't doing the summer program so Boyd won't be back in school until the end of August. He'll still attend from 8:15 - 11:15 a.m. but we're bumping him up to 5 days a week, so a big change! The Montessori method has been a great introduction education-wise for our quieter, more introspective child. The instructors really embrace his temperament and personality, and I love how this school focuses on individual work and hands-on learning instead of the traditional classroom style of teacher at front and really structured learning.  
• My mom was in a car accident last December so Risha was Boyd's nanny for about 5 months. Thankfully Mom pretty much recovered and got her neck brace off in late April. 

July photos

Our summer sure seemed to fly by - here are a few photos from July!

Fun at the Sand Lake Elementary playground. The ground covering is a rubber mulch and Boyd pretended to swim through it.

Getting ready to "feed" his turtle pillow breakfast.

Fun times downtown at Music in the Park. I think "Fiddle-dee-dee" was playing on this day.

I had to come in to work for a few hours on a Monday (usually my "Momday" with Boyd) so as per usual he took over my desk and charmed everyone in the office. He still asks to go to mama's office every once in a while.

I bought these hearing protection earmuffs even before Boyd was born, just in case we would need them for the boat or an airshow - but we've yet to use them. Mostly he likes to put them on randomly - they do make his little cheeks look even rounder!

Measuring up a box in the garage. D put Boyd's green lawn chair in there - and ta-da: instant fort.

At the end of July, it was time for to try our hand at dipnetting from shore. D's parents had camped at Centennial in Soldotna, so we were able to stay with them and they watched Boyd for us as we fished.

Dipnetting from shore in Kenai was an interesting experience. We started around low tide and the photos below were from when the tide came in - we were VERY far out and the water was right around my chest area. 

Glassing for moose on the highway, from the truck. 

The Troopers stopped by while D and I were fishing - the officer gave Boyd some awesome goodies!

How to use a duck call

(photos from July 2014)

Calling in ducks is serious business. Here is our resident expert to demonstrate the correct technique.

1. Practice your duck-calling face.

2. Choose and familiarize yourself with the instrument.

3. Begin your calling.

4. Don't forget to blow from your diaphragm.

5. Go ahead, have fun with it.

6. Practice makes perfect.

7. Signal that you have finished. Have your mom get you applesauce and cookies after a job well done!

Randoms

Photos from the month of June...

A mama & Boyd day at the museum. Chomper the turtle in the background.

Playing at Hama's (grandma Ann's house).

A visit to the pet store.

I took Boyd to a playground next to a creek a few times in June. D was pretty sick so it helped if we were out of the house. 

Another playground visit, this time to a school a few miles away from our home. I hitched up the Chariot carrier to my bike and off we went!

Boyd and one of the little girls that Risha nanny's for. 

I laugh when I see this photo! Doesn't he look like a little gnome? 

Boyd - 2 years, 3 months

\ \Forgot to post this last month! I'll have his next update soon. \\

First of all, the weather around here has been out of this world AMAZING! Super sunny, bluebird skies and temperatures in the 60's and even low 70's. People, it's MAY and we're already getting this type of weather! I just hope we haven't used up our allowance of beautiful days.

• The arrival of summer means the end of classes: montessori school, gymnastics, and music. Boyd has come so far since that first day I dropped him off at school! 95% of the time he was excited to attend school. Since my mom's car has been in the shop for the last month (long story), my sister would pick him up on Fridays while my mom would get him on Wednesday-Thursday. We signed him up for school again in the fall, and we'll also do another class or two after summer ends. 
• We've got a picky eater on our hands. A couple of tricks we've come up to combat the pickiness is letting him dip things into ketchup or dressing, having him eat the toddler pouches made with organic vegetables and waiting until he's super hungry to eat dinner. Otherwise it's touch and go on whether he'll eat.
• Attended a huge garage sale in a neighborhood not far from our house. It's the one day a year that this subdivision is allowed to host a sale so almost all of the homeowners participate. We've gotten some awesome deals here and this year was no exception. I found a great wooden dollhouse plus furniture for Boyd, only $20. And a $115 iBert toddler bike seat for $30. My mom snagged a cool chair plus a lawnmower for free! I can't remember what Risha and Gabe made out with but they had some great finds too. D was hunting (he got a grizzly bear - it's so cool!) but Boyd came with us and was a very good boy that day. 
• Boyd loves Daniel Tiger, Thomas the Train and Bob the Builder on tv. 
• He's been singing funny little nonsense songs to himself and surprisingly can carry a tune! 
• Knows the alphabet and his numbers up to 10 by sight - will mostly get them correct if you ask him. Says "a b c b" and "1 2 3...8!"
• Was on a "happy day!" kick where he said that phrase over and over. 
• Definitely putting on his own shoes when he wants to go. 
• We're spending more time outside, which he loves. 
• Oh, he did the funnies little Elvis dance the other day! Just swinging his hips and swaying back and forth. 

I told him to put on socks. Should have specified where, I suppose?