Baby #2: 37 Weeks

~ 37 Week Belly Bump ~

 

 

 

How far along? 37 weeks. The countdown is on as of this morning!
Total weight gain: 21 pounds by my scale (-1 from last week)
Maternity clothes? Scrubs on my half days of work and still trying to get by with a combo of my pre-pregnancy pants. Almost exclusively wearing maternity tops.
Stretch marks? Embracing them.
Sleep: More uncomfortable this week and having to get up 2-4 times a night now.
Best moment this week: Enjoying a relaxing Friday night with the girlfriends at Toast for our monthly RAK club, another night out for Jeff and Liz's wedding reception Saturday, and a couple's shower for Adam and Shannon Walla on Sunday. It was a busy weekend, but I enjoyed seeing friends with what could very well be my last social experience for awhile :)

Miss anything? Walking without pain, sleeping on my belly, and not having heartburn.
Baby is the size of a: Winter melon.
Movement: Possibly a little less - I'm thinking there isn't a whole lot of extra room these days.
Food cravings: Ice water. And somewhat frosted sugar cookies from The Cookie Company.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Mexican food
Gender: We the aunts decided we needed to do the baking soda gender prediction test a week or two ago, so we tried it and it fizzed which means boy. And we had Kilah also do it as a control, and hers didn't fizz at all. So that got me thinking there was a chance it was a boy. But overall I would still say girl, although I would be less surprised if it really was a boy now :)
Name: Both are ready to go!
Labor Signs: Lots of Braxton-hicks. Also woke up at exactly 37 weeks with a little bit of bleeding and mucous around 7:00 am. Called my doctor and after discussing it for awhile he said he wasn't going to make us rush into Labor & Delivery since we had an appointment at 10:30 that morning anyway and no real strong contractions other than Braxton Hicks. Also felt a burning in my thighs, which was new. I panicked because we don't have any bags packed, and I still have lots on my to-do list to get done this week!
Symptoms: Heartburn, lots of swelling of my lower legs/ankles/hands, fatigue and pain down low. Tooth pain is better, thankfully.
Things People Say: People have definitely commented that I look like I've dropped this week. Which was funny because I had just started to feel like my belly looked a little smaller from my angle. People are still guessing girl.

Belly Button in or out? Flat, but looks like it is more on the verge of out through tight shirts.
Wedding rings on or off? Just wearing the one band and it's pretty snug.Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy...and heavy.
Looking forward to: Getting the bags packed for real this week (especially since the little scare this morning), and things washed and ready to go. Also have a hair appointment and pedicure appointments scheduled with the aunts for Friday so here's hoping I can get those fit in this week before babe arrives. It's all about the important things, ya know :)

At our 37 week appointment, I was 2 centimeters dilated and 60% effaced (he checked me this week as opposed to the APRN who checked me last week so who knows if it's even different than last week) and he said the head is at -2 position and fully engaged down low with a soft anterior cervix. My Bishop score was 7, which means the higher the score the more favorable the cervix which helps to judge the odds of spontaneous delivery.

Blood pressure was 114/76. Babe's heart rate was 131 and the PA student measured me at 37 weeks (again). Not sure if my urine showed anything, but assume not since they didn't mention it. He said he would see me in a week if I was still pregnant, so of course I had to ask what the chances were that we would go before that...and he said "greater than 50." So I'm thinking it is time to get the bags packed and maybe make a few tea diapers just in case! I am almost in denial that we could be meeting our newest little love any day now.

Many, many prayers as we go into this week and get that much closer to D-Day. We sure are excited to meet you, Baby Matthes. I cannot wait to meet you and see your tiny little face and kiss your little feet that have been keeping my ribs nice and tender these past few months. Will you be a sister or a little mister? Cannot wait to find out!

Love and Prayers in Week 38!!

Grandpa and Grandma Come to Visit

Grandpa and Grandma Deaver came for a quick over night visit last weekend and they generously brought us a double jogging stroller that they had picked out for us. I am SO excited to have one, and I'm thinking we are going to LOVE it! I am already envisioning many trips to the zoo or for walks this summer with both babes in tow!

 

Peanut LOVED her new stroller!

Grandpa was also set on teaching Little Missy how to walk, so he went to Menards and got supplies to make a walking apparatus for her. She also loved that idea!

 

 

We have quite the set up for her to walk around in the living room and she is doing better with it by the day. She could literally walk around that and back and forth between us all.day.long. She even gets a little irritated when we tell her it's time for bed.

 

Also, while Peanut was at daycare on March 19th, I got a text with this video. SO stinking adorable, and made me such a proud Mama!

 

 

 

Baby #2: 36 Weeks & Appt

~ 36 Week Baby Bump ~    

 

 

How far along? 36 weeks!!
Total weight gain: 22 pounds by my scale (25.4 according to my OB office)
Maternity clothes? Scrubs on my half days of work and still trying to get by with a combo of my pre-pregnancy pants. Almost exclusively wearing maternity tops.
Stretch marks? A whole crop of them on both sides of my lower abdomen, and some along my back. I figured they would be inevitable, and I was right.
Sleep: Definitely falling asleep easier from exhaustion, but difficulty staying asleep some nights. Trying to only take a 1/2 Unisom a couple nights a week. Having to get up to go to the bathroom usually about 2 times a night, which I won't complain about.
Best moment this week: Grandpa and Grandma Deaver came for a quick over night trip this weekend, and of course our 36 week appointment to check progress.

Miss anything? Vino.
Baby is the size of a: Honeydew melon
Movement: Still quite a bit, but more waves and jabs than kicks like before. My right ribcage is also chronically sore at this point from all of the action and jabs. I also enjoy baby hiccups usually at least a few times a day, which never get old!
Food cravings: Ice water (drinking over 100 oz a day!) but otherwise nothing really in particular. Haven't been as into sweets lately but that is probably because I'm too tired to hunt them down or make anything. Or maybe because it gives me such bad heartburn that it has turned me off. That's probably most of it. Definitely not able to eat as much these days and not having much of an appetite.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Mexican food
Gender: I'm still thinking girl, but sometimes I call it a he in my mind.
Name: Girl and boy are now set! Have been for about a month now.
Labor Signs: Lots of Braxton-hicks and maybe a couple sporadic true contractions. I don't remember contracting constantly like this last time.
Symptoms: Heartburn (1 Zantac and 2-3 tums a day aren't cutting it most days. And most days it's from something like water), LOTS of swelling of my lower legs/ankles/hands, and new this past week is lots of discomfort down low. One of the girls at work described it as feeling like I rode a bike for 30 miles and then got racked really hard. She was dead on! That has been constant. I have also had a constant dull headache this past week...which I am thinking is either due to my 1 wisdom tooth coming in or something with a tooth in the back of my mouth. Couldn't really be worse timing for something like that to be popping up. Also having quite a bit of mid-back pain (got a prenatal massage this weekend which basically did nothing). And also can't forget to mention fatigue. It's partly from being so swollen in the legs, but I am just overall very, very tired this time around. Like when I go downstairs to change the laundry I have to sit down on the couch for awhile to get the energy to go do the laundry. Dan agrees that this has been night and day difference from last time. Most days I'm not real sure how I'm going to make it 4 more weeks!
Things People Say: A patient today who is an OB nurse thinks I have 2 weeks left...said I still need to drop.

Belly Button in or out? Has not popped out yet, but it is neither in nor out.
Wedding rings on or off? Just wearing the one band and it's pretty snug.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy...but pretty dang uncomfortable.
Looking forward to: Getting our hospital bags packed and continuing to get things done around the house. Daddy worked on getting cupboards baby-proofed in case Big Sister decides to become mobile. We also got the storage room more organized and things are closer to being set up and decorated in the nursery than they were last time. I think it will turn out pretty cute! I ordered the letters for Babe's name off of etsy, and the lady was graciously willing to make both names and then when Babe is born we will tell her which ones to ship so we can have them sooner.

Sometimes I wish we had a crystal ball and knew when Babe was going to arrive, but then I also love the thrill of having absolutely no idea what and how it will happen. I am trying to enjoy every minute of the suspense despite being very uncomfortable. It's fun to talk about and imagine both ways. As much as it is killing me right now not knowing if Baby is a he or a she, I know I will look back and absolutely love that we saved the surprise! I keep imagining baby coming out and hearing from Daddy if it is a boy or girl. I'm thinking it might be a top 5 moment in life, and I can't even wait!

At our 36 week appointment, unfortunately I wasn't able to see my OB so I got to see his APRN instead. My Group B strep was negative so no antibiotics at delivery. I think my weight was only up 0.7 pounds since last week, with a total of 25.4 total (22 by my scale at home). Blood pressure was 120/74 with trace protein in my urine (which is normal). I was curious was those were going to be with all of the swelling and vague headaches I have been having. So thankfully all of that looked good still. My belly measured 37 weeks so growing right along. As far as babe, heart rate was 135-140 and it definitely sounded like he/she was sleeping.

 

I was dilated 2 cm and 50% effaced and she said she could feel the head very easily...which explains all of the discomfort I have been having down low. (Looking back, at 36 weeks with LA I was dilated 2 cm and 30% effaced, and heart rate was 136...so almost identical!).

 

Love and Prayers in Week 37, Baby Matthes!

A Great Daddy

One thing is for sure - my kiddos have a very special Daddy. I knew it even before marrying him, and I see it more and more every day. He works 40+ hours a week (usually a lot more than that), and then comes home and does so much around the house for us. He has been giving LA a bath nightly for the past several months since I am not as bendy as I used to be, and is so good about helping with dinner, picking up, cleaning, running to the grocery store (sometimes multiple times an evening because his wife is crazy), etc. These are just a few of the many things that he does that we appreciate so very much.

 

Anyway, I had been craving PF Changs for awhile now, and we finally decided to make the trip to Omaha to fulfill that craving before Babe arrives. So we left around 3 on Saturday afternoon and he took me to get a pop for the way (all the way across town out of our way, because he knows how to make a wife happy), stopped at Cabela's, and then he took LA to PF Changs to put our name on the wait list and told me to run to Pottery Barn Kids to get a few things that I was wanting to get for the littles.

 

While I was gone I had received a text picture of Daddy's glass of beer and Peanut's sippy cup side by side with the caption "Best drinking buddy a guy could ask for :)" Melted my heart.

 

When I got there they had just gotten a table. We were getting ready to order and a lady walked up to the table and looked at me and said "I just have to tell you what a great Daddy your little girl has. I saw those 2 sitting at the bar and had been watching him reading and playing with her, and it was just the sweetest thing. I just wanted to tell you that. She is a really lucky little girl." We had been joking about what people thought of him having a beer with a baby on his lap, and guessing that people were probably judging the situation and his parenting.

 

She was having an absolutely ball with her Daddy, and I think he enjoyed it too. She did such a good job during dinner, despite being up past her bedtime.

 

As we were finishing eating, Dan looked at me and told me to take a good look around. I looked at him and wondered where he was going with it, and he reminded me that it was probably the last time we were going to get to be in a nice restaurant surrounded by so many people for a long time and that we had better enjoy it. He is so right. And enjoy it we did. A great Saturday in the books as a family of 3.

 

Couldn't be more proud to call that man my Husband and Daddy to my kids. What a great guy... so very thankful for him!

Baby #2: 35 Week Appt & Belly Bump

~ 35 Week Belly Bump ~

We had our 35 week appointment at exactly 35 weeks and everything looked great! My weight had increased 6.2 pounds from a month prior. (According to our scale, +17.5 at 34 weeks, +19.5 at 35 weeks) Hemoglobin was 13.2 which was excellent, and blood pressure was 114/72. My belly measured 35.5 weeks and Babe's heart rate was a steady 162. We also did the Group B strep test and will have the results of that at our appointment next week. He said he would check me next week if we were curious if anything was happening, so we are already looking forward to that! :)

 

Love and Prayers in Week 36, Baby Matthes!

Setting up the Nursery

We finally got around to getting the nursery redecorated and rearranged to make room for another crib and another sweet babe to join shortly. I have been really wishing our house wasn't so tiny so the kiddos wouldn't have to share such a small room, but we will do what we can with what we have.

 

First things first, we needed to put something more functional in the closet for organization other than one hanging bar and one shelf. It just wasn't working and has never been organized. So Daddy went to Home Depot and got all of the supplies and got an organizer built, which I am very excited about. Then when Roo had a night free of studying she came over and helped me (us) organize all of the closet and put away all of the clothes LA has outgrown.

 

We also got both of the new crib beddings put in the cribs and sorted out the dresser and made room for baby to have half of it. It is a great feeling, and I didn't realize how much the disorganization had been stressing me out all along. A couple weeks prior I had ordered baby's name(s) from the same place that I purchased Landry's name and she was kind enough to actually make both names for us and will ship whichever one we need when Babe is here so that I don't have to wait 2 months to get the nursery decorated. I think it will turn out pretty cute, even though it has been difficult with everything new having to be gender neutral.

 

Here it is so far, more pictures to come!

 

Helping Roo sort and hang up clothes.

Trying out her new pink bedding!

 

LA: 15 Months Old!

At 15 MONTHS, you:

 

Weigh 18 pounds, 4 ounces (5th percentile)

Are 30" tall (30th percentile)

Head circumference is 18" (30th percentile)

Got 3 shots at your 15 month check

Said your 1st word, "Mama," on 2/12/14 during weekly PT

Babble "dada" lots but haven't attributed it to Daddy yet

Sign "more," "up"

Pee while standing against bathtub almost nightly

Think getting your face/hands cleaned after meals is hilarious

Love Runza

Still wear size 4 diapers

Wear 12 month jams

Wear 6-12 mo and some 12 month Gap clothes

Wear mostly 12 month Carter's clothing

 

One of your favorite things to do - tear apart your bookshelf. This is
usually where I find you and Daddy on Saturday mornings.

One of my very favorite pictures of you. Sweet girl, I love you.

Trying out the new stroller Mommy got
for shopping!

Such a mess!

Just walkin' with Uncle J.

Roo literally lets you hang and do whatever you want
as long as you want...even if it's hanging upside
down tearing things out of cupboards naked after a bath.

Baby #2: 32 Weeks

~ 32 Week Belly Bump ~

 

 

 

How far along? 32 weeks
Total weight gain: ??
Maternity clothes? Scrubs and combo of jeans. Mostly maternity tops.
Stretch marks? Just maybe a couple starting to show up
Sleep: Finally gave in and got some Unisom this week and have taken 1/2 tablet a couple nights. Helps a lot!
Best moment this week: Went to Rock of Ages at the Lied on Saturday for Valentine's Day with Daddy while LA stayed home with Grandpa and Grandma Matthes

Miss anything? Vino.
Baby is the size of a: Squash

Movement: Lots! And pretty much all night and all day long. Ribs are getting sorer by the day!
Food cravings: A few things always taste good: waffles (which we have had every single day we have not worked since I got the maker for Christmas), Runzas, and Jimmy Johns. And sweets.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Mexican food
Gender: Still feeling girl, but will be less surprised if it is a boy at this point
Name: Girl is for sure, boy may be closer. It's pretty much up to Daddy at this point.
Labor Signs: Lots of Braxton-hicks (basically since about 20 weeks).
Symptoms: Heartburn, some more shortness of breath, more and more swelling (hands are pretty swollen and painful in the mornings, legs are 2-3+ pitting edema pretty much morning and night, but not terrible in my feet yet)
Things People Say: Just more predictions about babe being a girl this week.
Belly Button in or out? Flat
Wedding rings on or off? If on they are very uncomfortable, so probably about to be off permanently.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy. And slightly uncomfortable :)
Looking forward to: Crossing more things off of the pre-baby to-do list. Anxious to get the kids' room put together and organized again. Everything is stashed and unorganized.

Love and Prayers in Week 33, Sweet Little One!