40 Weeks...and Counting?!?

Our due date was last Friday, September 21st, and that has come and past. Tomorrow will be 5 days out, and this has been the longest feeling/shortest period of time I have ever experienced. I haven't been too uncomfortable, so if it wasn't for my maternity leave starting, it wouldn't be that big of a deal. But...like many of my friends, I am a full-time working mother, and I would like to use my leave with my daughter in my arms. Not sitting around waiting for her!

 

That's me at 39 weeks, Gracie is peeking from behind!

 

Labor Signs?: For about 3 weeks now! I've been dilated to 3 and effaced at 80% since 2 weeks ago. The doctor said it could be any day...they were not expecting me to go past my due date. Perhaps up to it, but not after.

I've also had lots of lower back pain, contractions, and an overall sick feeling that seems to suggest that labor is on its way.

 

Here's me at 40 weeks. I am praying that I don't have a 41 week shot, but only two more days, and I could.

 

So What Have You Tried?:

Everything!

Foods: eggplant for lunch and dinner on Saturday, and it's taken me four days, but I ate an entire pineapple by myself.

 

Movement: walking, duh I walk all of the time. Not to mention I worked up until my due date, and I was constantly walking, standing, and squatting. We walked around Meijer yesterday, and Menards today...I've been walking, trust me. 

 

Joy Riding: yup several different joy rides down some old dirt roads by my parent's house. We were convinced that I was going to go into labor Sunday night.

 

Pressure Points: the fleshy part between your thumb and forefinger, and four inches above the heal. Done and done.

 

 

Tomorrow I am going to ask the doctor to strip my membranes. I have heard that it helps to speed up the process. What I have come to realize is that my little Faith is giving our family a good lesson in patience and faith. I have been praying to God every night for a safe delivery of a happy and healthy baby. If that means she needs more time before she comes out into the world, then so be it! My doctor informed me that they do eventually come out, so she can't be in there forever!

 

35 Weeks and Counting

How far along? 35 weeks as of yesterday, so only 34 days until my due date!
Maternity clothes? Most of the time, but I still mix it up with my regular old t-shirts :0)
Stretch Marks? Keep knocking on wood, no new ones as of today!
Miss Anything? A frozen Margarita has been calling my name...and not to whine, but it would be nice to not have to use the restroom every hour! Oh, and not having heartburn every day would be nice.
Movement: A lot still, she moves a few times an hour it seems. Following after her big sister as active one!
Food cravings: Cheese, milk, fruit
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Gender: Girl :)
Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions, and I found out at my last doctor appointment that she's head down!
Symptoms: varicose veins, heartburn, moving slower than before.
Belly Button in or out? In, it is getting a tad bit flatter.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Mood: Much better since the cool down we've had in the weather! I had no idea how much the heat was effecting my mood, ambition, and I had a lot more contractions when it was hot.
Looking forward to: Enjoying the rest of summer break with my family and friends. Oh, and seeing the rest of our family/3 year old/ maternity photos!

Mommy Times

Reader Beware! I couldn't help but share my daughter's skills, I am not trying to brag, I really am super proud of her.

Grace has loved puzzles since she got one for her first birthday (thanks Aunt Jessica!) Well, almost 2 years later, our little puzzle lover has advanced to the 60 piece puzzle range. Tonight she finished a 60 piece puzzle mainly by herself. (I guided her a tiny bit to help ease frustration, but she put all of the pieces in herself!) Here is our little logic-lover-glorified-goof-ball, with her beloved puzzle.

By the way--thanks to our neighbors for giving her the puzzle!

Here is also a picture of me...33 weeks pregnant with baby girl #2

I give my compliments to Mike's t-shirt.

Night y'all!

Adventures in Camping

Last weekend we ventured on our first camping trip, in a tent, as a family. We went to Claybanks to join Mike's familys' annual camping weekend. We ended up buying a new tent, which we love! It is very spacious and the kiddos camping with us had fun using it as a "bounce house." The best part was having Mike's cousins come over to help us set it up, since we weren't quite sure what we were doing. I skirted out of there and got to watch the set up from a distance, while munching on yummy corn salad :) Needless to say, we were on our own for taking it down, but we did well!

Gracie really enjoyed getting to play in the "Big Lake" (Lake Michigan :) and had a blast playing with her cousins.

Needless to say, we enjoyed ourselves so much, that we are thinking about going camping more in the summers to come. Mike has already started looking up different cooking tools he could buy to be a successful griller outdoors!

I wish we would have remembered to get a family shot :( But Mike and I were there too!)



 

31 Weeks :)

How far along? 31 Weeks today, I will be 8 months next week.

Maternity clothes? Yes, and I just bought some new maternity shorts from Old Navy on-line and I love them! (I had only one other pair before, and they were second hand when I had Grace...so it was time for something new!)
Stretch Marks? Keep crossing your fingers and toes! My old ones are still there, but no new ones!! I have a slow weight gain to thank for this, Pure Romance's Stretch Mark oil, and I just purchased a Shey Butter lotion that is also supposed to prevent stretch marks, so we'll see!
Miss Anything? I miss being as active with Grace as I was. It's harder for me to squat down on her level, so I'm usually sitting or standing, and sitting on the floor with her hurts my stomach sometimes too. I'm not sure what the beginning of the school year will look like, since I'm always on the floor working with my students!
Movement: All...of...the...time. The doctor gave me a chart to track her movement a few times a day, and I asked, "how much movement are you looking for?" She explained around 10 movements a day. I laughed because she moves about 10 times every hour!
Grace was a mover too, and she is still a very active little girl (she rolled over at 1 month!) SO...I'm wondering if this new little pearl will follow in her big sissy's footsteps.
Food cravings: Anything that DOESN'T give me heartburn. And actually, a BLT sounded wonderful the other day, so my talented husband whipped us up some this afternoon, and they were delightful :).
Anything making you queasy or sick: Smoke
Gender: Girl :)
Labor Signs: I've had mild cramping, but my doctor said that it's common right now because of the heat. By the way, today's rain and cool down was AWESOME! Being pregnant during a heat wave/drought sucks, one thing that I'm looking forward to when we get back to work is the air conditioning!
Symptoms: More varicose veins :( , heartburn, and cramping, but my doctor says that I have no problems with my overall health, and that it's not very common in their practice, so I'm considering myself lucky!
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Mood: Anxious, I'd like to have the girl's rooms done, and a bunch of other projects done around the house...but I am moving slower: the heat, my classwork, my work work...the rooms will get done, and I will look for motivation to finish the other house projects once my class is over.
Looking forward to: My grad class ending. However, that means I need to get to work on my projects...but after this class I have one more, and then I can apply for my professional certificate!

Triez. House Update

This is the first pregnancy photo of me with Baby Girl #2. I am 27 weeks and just transitioning into the 3rd trimester. I have been slightly more uncomfortabe recently, but nothing out of the ordinary. We are really looking forward to getting the guest bedroom set up for Gracie's "big girl" room, and then I will be able to organize Baby Girl's room for her. This switching of rooms is going to really make me realize that I have another kid coming shortly!

In other news, this little guy has been a life saver! Grace started potty training last week (we had a rough start), but has really gotten into it in the last few days. She's already going by herself, without any help! I am thanking this frog potty from Meijer $12.99 that she picked out herself. (She also really liked it because one of her best buddies also has this potty!) Needless to say, I never knew how proud I would be over my almost 3 year old independently using the potty chair. Our next adventure in going potty is going to be using the toilet when we're not at home, and staying dry through the night!

My life outside of motherhood (yes, I know this isn't really possible once you have children...but this section is just for me!) has really calmed down since summer started. I finished my spring grad class (4.0 baby, yeah!), and I start my summer sememster class on Monday (boo!). Mike and I will be celebrating our 4th anniversary on the 28th, and we are looking forward to using some free movie passes, going out to dinner (without a toddler), and maybe doing a little shopping...yes we have a nice little Thursday planned :). I have also been blessed by getting to spend some quality time with some of my favorite girls, Bethanie and I went to see What to Expect When You're Expecting (it's a must see! HIlarious!) and tomorrow Erin, Bethanie, and I are going out to Shot's to celebrate another great friend of ours birthday.

Last, but not least I will be spoiling myself for the first time in a while tomorrow...I have my first pregancy massage scheduled, and I can't wait! 

It's a Girl!

Many of you already know that we found out that Baby T #2 is a girl! We are very excited to have another sugar and spice and everything nice little one. I have not shared much about my pregnancy in a while, so here it goes...enjoy!

How far along? 26 weeks on Thursday, I will be in the third trimester very soon!
Maternity clothes? Mainly, they are generally more comfortable, but I still have a few non-maternity tops that I wear sometimes.
Stretch Marks? Knock on wood for me, but no new ones yet!
Miss Anything? My legs. I have developed varicose veins...I was hoping that I had skated by this dreaded part of pregnancy since I didn't have any with Grace, but I have one large one on my left leg, and two smaller ones there as well. The large one hurts at times, but I am doing my best to keep them elevated, and my doctor recommended vitamin E.
Movement: Lots! She is kicking me as I type this. It has been fun to have Mike, Erin, and Bethanie be able to feel her, Grace has not actually felt it yet...but she thinks she has!
Food cravings: Not really any cravings, I guess anything that won't give me heartburn.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No
Gender: Girl :)
Labor Signs: Too early.
Symptoms: Rounding ligaments, varicose veins, heartburn, and just moving a little slower than before.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Mood: Much better since our summer break started!
Looking forward to: Getting Gracie's big girl room ready for her to move in, so we can organize the nursery for Baby T #2. We are also going to the Trufant flea market on Thursday, so I am looking forward to finding some great steals!

Summer is Here!

Up North

Yesterday, we headed "up north" to my parents cabin at Higgin's Lake. Here is a picture of this gorgeous lake:




I have been going to Higgin's since before I can remember, and I am so excited to start making memories there with my own family!

Some highlights from our overnight stay include:
an exceptionally fast drive time on the way there, Grace singing a song that she "wrote" herself. It goes a little something like this: I can do it! I can do it! I can do it! With each verse she would venture further into the water. Grace making friends with some distant cousins. Finding all kinds of gorgeous rocks, fossils, shells, and some yucky bugs! Having a date night with Mike while Grace stayed at the cabin with Grammy and Poppa. (By the way Coyle's is the bomb!)


A late night walk down the "two track" streets of the inland cabins with the family. Grace sleeping in until 9 AM, and my first night of more than 7 hours of sleep since the school year started! Drinking yummy coffee with the family with the sound of the waves in the background. Going on a morning walk with Mike and Grace, skipping stones, and watching Mike skip stones as good as Erin. Yes Erin, he skipped several 5 or 6 times! Watching Grace get to know her grammy and poppa better, and the feeling of overall relaxation that can only come from a day at the beach  and being "up north."

Baby Girl or Baby Boy T?

Tomorrow is the big day! Our family is super excited to find our the gender of our new baby T. We chose to not find out with Grace, our lovely first born. However, we thought we'd try a new way, and find out with our second born. We had fun keeping it a surprise with Grace, and I'm sure it will be just as fun finding out earlier with baby number 2. I found the chart below from another friend's blog, and I thought it would be fun to see which gender came up the most.

                                                  1. Chinese gender chart says: Girl

2. Are you eating more(boy) or sick/nauseated (girl)?: Boy

3. Lots of morning sickness (girl), or not too sick (boy)?: Boy

4. Do you crave sweet foods (girl) or salty (boy)?: Boy

5. Is your skin clear (boy) or do you have breakouts (girl)?: Girl

6. Is the heartbeat high (girl) or low (boy)?: Girl

7. Have you been more clumsy (boy) or graceful (girl)?: Boy (I don't know if this is fair, since I'm generally clumsy!)

8. Has your husband put on sympathy weight (girl) or not (boy): Boy

9. Consider your age at conception and the year of conception. If both are even or both are odd (girl). If one is even and one is odd (boy): Boy

10. My "mother's intuition" says: Boy

11. The husband's "father's intuition" says: Girl

12. Best friends say: Boy, Boy, Girl

13. My 1st born says: Girl (Again, I don't know how fair this is since she changes her mind every day...today she stated "I don't like that baby!" In repsonse to me reminding her about the ultra sound tomorrow...ahh sibling rivalry.

Kicks and Giggles

This week has been very exciting, since the baby has really started moving around! He or she has made his or her presence known, and I'm excited to share this sensation with my family. I can't wait for G to be sitting on my lap, and then realize that something kicked her from my stomach! Grace was also very cute tonight. I told her that we had to pray for a dear friend of mine's father, and she got on her knees (we were in the bathroom, so she kneeled over the toilet...but cute nonetheless!) She then said "God is great, God is good..." She couldn't remember the rest of the prayer, so she just mumbled to the tune, how adorable! Below I have included a little bit of information about my pregnancy so far. I found this on someone else's blog, but I thought it was a cute idea. Enjoy!

How far along? 19 weeks, I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy is going!
Maternity clothes? For the most part. Pants are a must, but I can still wear some of my non-pregnancy shirts.
Stretch Marks? I already had plenty from the the past (gotta love babies!) But no new ones as to date. I have been slathering on my stretch mark oil from Pure Romance (thanks Bethanie!) Only time will tell if I can refrain from getting any more stretch marks.
Miss Anything? Well sure, I miss having a glass of wine, going in hot tubs, eating sushi, and my energy. But if I could have anything right now, it would be the wine.
Movement: all of a sudden a lot more! I started noticing it around 16 weeks, but this week the movement has really kicked in. It has been every few hours throughout the day, I am excited for when Grace and Mike can feel the baby kick!
Food cravings: Still cheese and crackers, and cottage cheese.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope. It's funny, I am a lot tougher this time around. With Grace I couldn't even stand to look at (let alone smell) raw, and sometimes cooked meat. This time, nothing has really bothered me at all.
Gender: We will hopefully find out in 11 days :)
Labor Signs: Not yet.
Symptoms: Just rounding ligaments, and more tired than usual.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Mood: Pretty good. I am still worried about what the balance of my life will look like after I return back to work from having my little one, but it will be an adjustment for all of us.
Looking forward to: Getting to see our little guy or gal at the ultrasound, I haven't had one yet!

Welcome to Our Home Nature...

A month ago or so Grace and I found a fuzzy wuzzy (that's what we called it anyway...) on the ground, it looked like this:

My oh so sweet, animal (and I guess bug lover?) kissed this catepillar, then gave it a special seat on the deck. (In my chair.) She then carried it around the yard, and taught it how to play in the sand box. (I'm guessing a job working with bugs someday?)

Well, a month or so later, on this gorgeous night, we were building sandcastles in the sandbox when lo and behold our old friend graced us with his presence. This time, he looked like this:

Alright, alright, he didn't look exactly like this, and I don't even think that it was the butterfly/moth that fuzzy wuzzy's even become... but it was fun nonetheless. Grace enjoyed saying hello to her old friend, and trying to catch him. Her attempts were unsucessful, to the point where she asked him to leave, but a memorable moment to say the least. (A bonus lesson in science!)



Along with this, we also have some ducks that enjoy sunbathing on our pool tarp. You would think that living in the city would save you from the wildlife. Nope, it's here full force, and tends to wave it's err...feathers (or fur!) at us from time to time. My young animal lover was not pleased with this one. We were all ready to head out to the park with our popsicles when we spotted him. I yelled and waved, he didn't seem to mind, so we went out the front door instead. (I didn't really feel like being attacked by a duck. Do they even really attack? I know that swans do...) Going around the backyard, we look over, and he was still there! "Dumb duck!" G hollers....yup, you know who said that out loud five minutes prior. The joys of motherhood :)