36 Weeks!

How far along? 36 weeks 2 days, baby has started to measure the same way Henry did, with everything about a week behind and legs a couple of weeks ahead.

Total weight gain/loss: 6 lbs total since first OB app. Eating out a lot since we are in half-move limbo.

Maternity clothes? Maternity tanks no longer cover the belly. If I want full coverage it's got to be Greg's T-shirts.

Sleep: Rough. Getting up to pee an average of four times a night, and hips are out of joint so sleeping on my back even for a short time is out of the question. Luckily I pass out immediately after I get up!

Best moment this week: Folding up little ducky onesies in the baby's new nursery :) AND Dr. said uterine wall is plenty thick to try for a VBAC. I can still get an epidural and they can give me low doses of pitocin during labor to augment, they just can't fully induce before I go into labor by myself.

Movement: Head down so feeling everything high up near my ribs.

Food cravings: Can't eat very much because there's not much room. Actually craving something healthy because of all the take-out.

Gender: No clue. Guy on the street guessed boy.

Labor Signs: Some contractions every day but never regular or painful. Dr. said at Monday's app. that baby's head was very low.

Belly Button in or out? Actually looks less stretched out than before ???

What I miss: Energy. Moving while 8 months pregnant is rough.

What I am looking forward to: I'm dying to know how labor will go this time. I'm really looking forward to trying a vaginal birth.

Weekly Wisdom: Eventually, feeling like a beached whale outweighs all fear of labor pain!

Milestones: Just one week from being full-term!

What's happening

I'm too tired to write very much. We've been working day and night on our house to have it ready in time to be inspected on Wednesday. I've been scraping windows, caulking holes and painting trim for days. Greg's Dad and sister Rachel are coming to visit, probably getting here late tonight. We are still hoping to move this weekend! A week from tomorrow I see the doctor again, and he should be looking at my scar site (via ultrasound) to see if everything healed well enough for me to do a trial of labor (instead of a repeat C-section). I'm not really thinking about the fact that we are about to become a family of four, I'm just trying to survive this move. I swear the next time we move we are hiring movers. My computer was on the brink of not functioning anymore, and then Henry dropped it off of a table. While I was working at the house Greg took Henry out and came home with a Macbook Air! Normally I'd be stressed about spending so much, but honestly, I'm about to push out a baby and feel just the tiniest bit entitled. :)

Pregnancy Insanity

Call it nesting, pregnancy anxiety, or just plain maniacal behavior. For the past few weeks I've been obsessively cleaning, packing, doing projects for the new apartment, and driving everyone nuts with my OCD. I have to fold all the laundry a certain way, pre-wash all the dishes, re-do everything the cleaning lady did after she leaves, and vacuum like three times a day. Normally I'm just mildly panicked about the grossness of my house, but recently the constant toy explosion is really driving me up the wall. I packed all but Henry's very favorite toys and books because I couldn't keep up with all the cleaning and sorting and bending over to put stuff away.

At the same time I'm starting to get tired again, so I'll often go crazy organizing or cleaning for a few hours and then completely pass out on the couch while Henry watches Cinderella for the 500th time. It would be nice if we had a definite date for moving so I could plan ahead, but I'm not sure exactly which weekend it's going to be so I'm sort of stuck. As soon as I get my camera functioning I'll post pictures of the art I made for Henry/baby's room, Mercy's room, and the curtains I made for our new dining room!

30 Weeks!

How far along? 30 Weeks and baby is measuring right on target.

Total weight gain/loss: Gained more weight in the last two weeks, bringing me back to the weight I was at the first appointment. I'm a little nervous because I've got 10 weeks to go and now that I'm gaining I think it's going to pile on quick!

Maternity clothes? I can still wear most of the same stuff, but some of my tank tops are getting tight. My T-shirts don't really fit anymore so I borrow Greg's when I need to.

Sleep: Rough. Greg falls asleep in bed and then usually moves to the couch to give me some space at some point during the night.

Best moment this week: Adorable 3-D ultrasound pictures! Baby looks like Henry. Henry was at the appointment and when we asked who was in the picture he said "That's my little sister!" Wonder if he knows something we don't?

Movement: Kicking up a storm, except when someone else tries to feel :)

Food cravings: Ice cream, chocolate.

Gender: Starting to hope for a girl now. Up until a few weeks ago I really just wanted another boy. I guess my niece and I are getting closer and I'm starting to think a daughter wouldn't be so bad. At least for the first couple of years anyway :)

Labor Signs: Nothing.

Belly Button in or out? Just shallow.

What I miss: My grace. Haha, I've really been super graceful but I have definitely reached the point where I feel like a beached whale most of the time, and bending over or squatting down is getting a lot harder.

What I am looking forward to: Finding out if I have a son or a daughter!

Weekly Wisdom: You don't need to know what you're having to bond.

Milestones: 7 Month mark!

28 Weeks

How far along? Let's say 28 weeks, despite the previous confusion. Baby is measuring a little less, about 28th percentile.

Total weight gain/loss: Gained FIVE LBS this time! Crazy. So I'm still down 4 since the first app.

Maternity clothes? Same stuff, my T-shirts are tight so I'm conscripting Greg's.

Sleep: Greg spent the last 3 nights on the couch and it was wonderful!!! Never thought we'd resort to this but with me thrashing around trying to get comfortable and not having enough room and then getting up to pee every two hours both of us were starting to lose it from the sleep deprivation. Not sure if we'll keep it up or just take breaks to catch up on sleep.

Best moment this week: When I realized I made it the whole week without throwing up! Still nauseous sometimes but now I can eat regularly and I'm not expecting it every day. I didn't even throw up after the glucose screening!

Movement: Very active, and now I can usually tell what position the baby's in.

Food cravings: Chicken, Honey Bunches of Oats, Mexican food as always.

Gender: I'm thinking girl now. Just because I can't think of one name I like and I have like five perfectly good boy names.

Labor Signs: Contractions when I walk around a lot, but not serious.

Belly Button in or out? Still in.

What I miss: My energy. The ability to lift heavy objects (guilt free).

What I am looking forward to: This is not a baby thing necessarily, but I really can't wait for us to move. I want to nest big time!

Weekly Wisdom: While babies don't technically need lampshade covers on their ceiling lights that coordinate with original wall art, this is how mine will know it's loved :)

Milestones: Viability.

Sticking With It

It's been almost a month under our strict new budget, and things are going well. At first it seemed like we'd never be able to stick to our tiny, shiny new budget. Our car demanded (loudly) an oil change, Henry's feet demanded bigger shoes, and my family took us on vacation for the weekend, which meant traveling and food costs we didn't anticipate. We also found the double stroller we wanted on a clearance shelf, and figured getting it now would be useful since we can take Henry and my niece for walks (disaster, by the way).

On the plus side, Greg and Henry finally went on Medicaid, saving us about 1200 dollars a month. It feels crazy just to type that. Especially since, even with winter colds and ear infections, their actual health costs are probably around 2oo a month at the most. We're still paying for my insanely expensive insurance because we don't want to switch OBs this late in the game.

About half way through the month, I thought to myself, "this is never going to happen, we are going to have credit cards for years and not be able to save anything for our business, let alone a house someday." But then God is good. He provided the business and the money, and Greg made enough to cover our bills, our cash needs like groceries, and still have enough to pay down some debt. I still can't believe it. It's the first month that we've been able to do this since Greg started working for himself.

If this sounds worrisome, it's not. When we talked to others who have started their own practices we found out that it often takes a year or more to just break even. So making enough profit in month four to support us is just amazing. I'm not sure if things will continue this way, and I'm sure we will have ups and downs, it's just the nature of having your own business. But I know that whatever happens God will provide and I am just blown away by his faithfulness this month.

One awesome thing about making that long term plan: It's so much easier to stick with a budget and say no to small stuff when you have a plan. When I consider whether or not to eat out, the choice is no longer between something great and something lame. When I'm making food at home I'm picturing us four years from now, with a 6 year old and a 4 year old and who knows what else. We own an office building and a law practice, and we've just starting house hunting! It just makes the restaurant food a little less appealing I guess.

25/26 Weeks?

How far along? Sigh. I thought I knew. At my last OB app. (which should have been 24 weeks), the nurse said I was 25. I asked the doctor who looked back at the earliest measurements they had, and he said my due date was somewhere between April 23 and 30! I'm starting to wonder about the 500+ I shell out each month so I can go to a "good" doctor.

Total weight gain/loss: Down another lb., so -9 total.

(The doctor has me worried because baby's abdomen is measuring ten days behind the rest of him/her. I don't think it's a big deal to lose weight when you start out overweight, and from what I can gather online a small abdomen could just mean we have a genetically skinny kid (read: like Henry). Everything else was normal on the ultrasound so I'm hoping that's just it.)

Maternity clothes? We went on vacation this last weekend and I tried to go outlet shopping. Ugh. pregnant people should never see the light of day! I don't know, I think other pregnant people look adorable but I carry so low that maternity jeans either feel uncomfortable or just fall right off me. I ended up buying a couple of jumbo sweaters from Kmart...

Sleep: Terrible! I get up once or twice a night.

Best moment this week: Eating! We went to Lancaster for the weekend. It was my sister and brother-in-law's Christmas present to our family. I pigged out, and only threw up once on the trip. Hopefully this kid is getting some calories now.

Movement: Baby is very active, and I feel movement everywhere.

Food cravings: Rice with soy sauce, mmm... Also pineapple.

Gender: It was sad being at the outlets this weekend and staring at all the adorable pink and blue clothes on clearance racks. But the bottom line is I saved a ton by not knowing, and when the baby is born we'll have everything we need. Greg and I talked names during the car ride there, and we agree easily on boy names but neither of us really like any girl name.

Labor Signs: Contractions when I get dehydrated or cold or too active. Also sometimes randomly in the middle of the night. Dr. says cervix is fine so nothing to worry about :)

Belly Button in or out? In, my tummy is starting to look like a pillow with a button in the middle :)

What I miss: My waist.

What I am looking forward to: What I have been this whole time, a sleepy little face squished up under a pastel hat.

Weekly Wisdom: God will provide!

Milestones: Viability.