New Glasses

We picked up Olivia's new glasses this morning. They are really really cute and she likes them a lot. We've been without a back up pair for months, so I'm grateful we have her old ones to use again. These are her third pair of frames since getting glasses at 1 1/2 years old. Her face is so narrow that we don't have quite the selection to choose from yet, but they still have some cute ones. We are looking at a second strabismus surgery next spring or summer, which I'm not at all looking forward to. But, it's necessary and I'd like it done before kindergarten.

Cutie Mama

Olivia has been extremely loving and affectionate lately. I get numerous hugs and I love you's daily. And this is from a girl we had to teach how to hug. ( When she was younger, she would push you away when you tried to hug her.) I've really enjoyed these last few one on one weeks with my girl before Abigail comes. Olivia regularly tells me that I'm the best mom ever which is so comforting to hear. Tonight I was feeling brave and asked her why I was the best mom ever. I was expecting some profound answer that would put to rest any insecurity I had about being a mother. And Olivia says," Because you're such a cutie mama!" Huh? LOL! Um, ok. Hopefully it has more to do with my unconditional love and devotion to her.

I had another biophysical today and Abigail scored another 8/8. She was more reluctant to move and her hand was covering her face the entire time. She definitely didn't want to be bothered. I can't believe how much our world will change in just a month's time. Hopefully someday our sleeping arrangements will get back to normal. Ryan has been sleeping in the other room for weeks because my snoring is so awful. So, then Olivia has moved into bed with me. She gets a little annoyed by my snoring, but as long as she goes to sleep first, it doesn't bother her. We went 5 years without Olivia EVER sleeping in our bed and now it's become a nightly occurrence. Not really proud of this development, but it is what it is. Olivia gets so lonely in her room at night and I fully sympathize with her because I remember feeling that same way as a child. It's an emotional subject for me. I slept with my mom for many years. Olivia has turned into me. When Abigail is older, we've considered putting them in the same room if that's what they would both want. I would have loved a sister to share a room with. . .well, until the teen years at least. Anyhow, adding a baby into the mix is really going to throw everyone off. But, hopefully my snoring will go away and everyone ( including this cutie mama) will sleep well in their proper places.

Which One Is Real?

Olivia loves her kitty Kelsey!

34 Weeks

Current size of baby: 5 lbs

How far along? 34 weeks

Total weight gain 38-40 lbs. Thank you, pregnancy weight gain calculator, for informing me that I’m 12 lbs over the high end of my target weight gain.

Maternity clothes? Yes. I’ve even outgrown some of my short sleeve maternity shirts. L

Sleep: Not good, but who sleeps well in the third trimester anyway?

How I'm feeling: A lot of pressure. She is head down and really really low. I still have a lingering cold.

Best moment this week: Enjoying the last few weeks of spending a lot of one on one time with Olivia.

Movement: Yes

Food cravings: Anything and everything, unfortunately, as you can tell from my weight gain.

Food aversions: None

Gender: Girl named Abigail

Labor Signs: NO

Belly Button in or out? out

What I miss: Sleep.

What I am looking forward to: December 10^th, the day we not only celebrate Olivia’s 5^th homecoming anniversary, but the day we get to meet our Abigail.

Unexpected Moments

Don't you love those unexpected lovely mother/child moments? Yesterday I was craving Sonic's mozzarella sticks ( what's new?) so Olivia and I headed to Sonic. I ordered her some tater tots and we sat in the van and ate them. It was gorgeous outside, she climbed into the front seat and we opened the sun roof. And we just sat in the car for the longest time and talked and ate. She did not want to leave and neither did I. Who would have thought a trip to Sonic would be so special? I promised her we'd do it again soon!

A Time To Brag

Well, I thought I’d brag on my two girls a bit (I like the sound of that. . .my two girls.)

First, here are some excerpts from Olivia’s preschool progress report. 

My little former 1 lb 1.5 oz 23 weeker is thriving!  Her teacher has even said that had she not known about her extremely premature birth, she would not have been able to tell any difference between her and the other kids.  We had to have another IEP meeting a few weeks ago because the goals that we set forth last spring were already being met.  These were her goals until next spring and they were met by October.  She still has some gross motor skills to work on with her PT, but her OT was moved to consult only.  She will  meet with Olivia’s teacher once a month to make sure a concern doesn’t come up.  My biggest concerns, honestly, are Olivia’s sensory issues that seem to be intensifying lately.  But, they aren’t interfering with her learning so it’s not really something they will work on her with.  I mean, I bought her seamless socks (because socks are a HUGE problem) and she even finds bumps in them!  And, I wish she’d eat a bit better and gain a few more pounds.  She’s still barely 31 lbs at 5 years old.  But, she is thriving and doing so very well and I just feel beyond blessed to be her mother.

And now on to my chunky monkey. . .she already weighs 5 lbs at not even 34 weeks!  That’s how much Olivia weighed when I took her home from the hospital!  And, Abigail scored another 8/8 on her biophysical profile. . .that makes 3 weeks in a row!  Looks like I have another overachiever.  Look at those chubby cheeks!  After worrying about Olivia’s weight for the past 5 years, it would be so nice to have a chubby baby who likes to eat.  And, my doctor is making arrangements for my c-section on December 10th, Olivia’s homecoming day! Wow, that is just a little over a month away!  Can’t wait to meet my sweet Abigail!!!

If you can’t tell, I’m one proud mama!

Still Here!

Sorry I haven't posted for awhile. I'm now 33 weeks and doing well. I just haven't been on my laptop in days. Olivia missed school Friday and Monday. She has a cold/allergies that developed into an ear infection. She's doing fine and didn't complain of pain, only an annoying swishy sound. Sure enough, her ear was filled with fluid. Olivia has been sleeping with me every night for the past few nights since she hasn't felt good and Ryan sleeps on the couch every night due to my snoring. I feel so bad about my snoring. At 33 weeks, I feel super attractive with my snoring and my almost 40 lb weight gain. Yikes! Well, I'm posting from my phone while Olivia tries to fall asleep beside me. As long as she falls asleep before me, my snoring doesn't bother her. LOL! I also thought I'd share some pictures of Abigail's room. It's almost ready!! Goodnight everyone!

Thursday, November 1, 2012

My weekly ultrasound showed that Abigail is doing great and scored another 8/8. She has really chubby cheeks and even has hair!  I won’t know what to do with a chubby cheeked baby who has hair! LOL!  Olivia didn’t really have much hair until she was 2.  Here is a picture of her showing off her chubby cheeks.

Star Of The Week

LOL! Can’t believe she couldn’t tell her teacher the names of her parents as she sometimes calls us by our name.  Crazy girl.  Other than that, nothing too surprising. . .she loves my Special K Protein Plus cereal and has wanted to be a butterfly for some time. 

Love this girl!!

32 Weeks

Current size of baby: 3 3/4 lbs

How far along? 32 weeks

Total weight gain 34 lbs

Inches Gained: Still not sure. We are in the middle of moving our office downstairs in order to turn what used to be the office into Abigail’s room. My measuring tape was in my office desk and I have no idea where it is right now.

Maternity clothes? Yes.

Sleep: Not that good.

How I'm feeling: My cold is still lingering on, but I’m feeling much better.

Best moment this week: Taking Olivia to Veggie Tales Live and to Pumpkins At The Park. We had a great, event filled weekend.

Movement: Yes

Food cravings: Anything and everything, unfortunately.

Food aversions: None

Gender: Girl named Abigail

Labor Signs: NO

Belly Button in or out? out

What I miss: Sleep.

What I am looking forward to: Trick or treating with Olivia tomorrow. A few months ago, I never would have dreamed that I would still be pregnant on Halloween and not on bed rest. So, it’ll be quite a blessing.

Weekend With Mouse

In the world of preschool, taking home the class mascot (a church mouse in her class) is a pretty big deal.  Olivia got that honor this weekend and she has been on cloud nine.  I can’t even begin to tell you how much it has meant to her.  We take pictures and write a story about our weekend with Mouse and Olivia gets to share it at circle time.  And. . .she’ll be star student of the week all week. 

We started our weekend by going to Veggie Tales Live.  Olivia really enjoyed it!

This afternoon we took Mouse to Olivia’s favorite restaurant, Genghis Grill. 

And, of course, we had to stop by the pet store so that Mouse could visit some of his own kind.

And tonight, we went to Pumpkins At The Park at Tanganyika Wildlife Park.  Olivia had such a good time!  I thought it was hilarious that her costume is an elephant and she carried around a stuffed mouse.

All in all, a great weekend!!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

This morning I had a biophysical profile test done and I will continue to have them done weekly until I deliver.  This is an ultrasound that measures your baby’s heart rate, muscle tone, movement, breathing and the amount of amniotic fluid around your baby.  Basically, it measures how well your baby is doing in the womb.  The highest score that you can receive is an 8/8, which is exactly what my little Abigail received.  She is doing perfect.  And my cervical length hasn’t changed in 10+ weeks and is looking great.  I am on my way to having a full term baby!  I can’t go past 38 weeks because my previous classical/vertical c-section puts me at risk of uterine rupture if I were to go into labor.  So, I will have a scheduled c-section at 38 weeks, which is around December 10th.  That’s the tentative date of my c-section, which is also Olivia’s Homecoming Day. . .the day we brought her home after 105 days in the NICU.  Doesn’t that just give you chills. . .that God would plan something like that?  December 10th has been such a special date in our family for the past 5 years and for that to be Abigail’s birthday is just truly amazing.  I just feel overwhelmingly blessed. 

Tomorrow we are taking Olivia to Veggie Tales Live and she is sooo excited.  We have been wanting to do something special with her before Abigail got here and this should be perfect.  And, I somehow managed to pay only $10 for $20 tickets, so another blessing for the day. 

We did get some ultrasound pictures of Abigail, but they aren’t very good and extremely blurry.  But, here’s a picture of Abigail in my tummy.  I’m so grateful that she’s still there!!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Olivia dressed herself today and I thought she did pretty well other than the glove on her foot. LOL!  Most of the time if I let her pick out her own clothes, she chooses a short sleeve shirt/ pajama shorts combo.  So, this was a definite improvement.

But then we decided to get out some dress up clothes that were her Aunt Kim’s.  She had a lot of fun with that.

All smiles! Then, we headed to the park for an afternoon of fun and playing in the sand. 

31 Weeks

Current size of baby: Over 3 lbs

How far along? 31 weeks

Total weight gain 32 lbs

Inches Gained: I’m not sure. We are in the middle of moving our office downstairs in order to turn what used to be the office into Abigail’s room. My measuring tape was in my office desk and I have no idea where it is right now.

Maternity clothes? Yes. I actually had to buy more maternity clothes this past week. My current jeans were becoming way too tight in the thighs. I’m all about comfort in these last weeks.

Sleep: If there is something that can prevent me from getting a good night’s sleep, I’ll probably experience it. I’ve been sick the last few days and what started as a scratchy throat turned into a downright painful sore throat. It kept me up all night last night along with my restless legs. And, when I do manage to sleep, I guess I snore very loudly which prevents Ryan from sleeping.  Now that’s attractive! So, one of us is always suffering from lack of sleep. A simple baby crying is going to be nothing compared to this. LOL!  However, my hips no longer feel like I’m sleeping on a rock, so yay for my foam mattress topper.

How I'm feeling: Other than my sore throat, severe fatigue and restless legs, I’m doing pretty good.

Best moment this week: Watching Olivia perform her first dance at Halloween Jazzerkamp. She dances to the beat of her own drum with such exuberance and joy.

Movement: Yes

Food cravings: Anything and everything, unfortunately.

Food aversions: None

Gender: Girl named Abigail

Labor Signs: NO

Belly Button in or out? out

What I miss: Sleep.

What I am looking forward to: My weekly biophysical profiles of Abigail that start on Thursday. It will be so nice to see her every week and know that she is doing okay. Olivia is so excited for Abigail to come out.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

The other night, I was just overcome with emotion at the thought that Abigail will be here in less than 2 months.  Olivia has just been a rockstar this year as she prepares for her big sister role.  Lately, I’ve been a bit grumpy dealing with my sleep issues and I know Olivia gets the brunt of that.  And, I worry about how she’ll react in the first few weeks of Abigail being home.  Olivia is incredibly spoiled and used to having my undivided attention.  She’s been the focal point of our world for 5 years! Even though the thought of being a big sister is very appealing to her, how will she really handle it?  Will she feel left out?  Unloved? It just breaks my heart.  So, the other night I went into her room (as she was half asleep) and just wanted to hug her and tell her that I loved her.  When I started to cry, she told me to stop or she would start crying.  Sure enough, she started crying too and we were both a blubbering mess.  (Poor Ryan. . .he’s going to have to put up with three of us soon!) Then, we decided to stay up late, watch a movie and I let her sleep with me.  I just hope she knows how much I love her and I hope Abigail will know how much I love her as well.  I’ve always heard that with each additional child, your love is not divided, but multiplied. 

And good news. . .my restless legs are getting better with the iron supplements.  The first night I slept without my legs bothering me, I was up with horrible hip pain!  I woke up every 30 minutes to switch sides.  Seriously, it felt like I was sleeping on a rock and I could barely walk for a few hours the next morning!  So, I went out and bought a foam mattress topper.  My hips haven’t been near as sore since.  Oh, the things you get to experience when you make it to 30 weeks! LOL! 

Lots more to talk about, but it’s been hard updating my blog lately.  I used to get on my laptop in bed every night, but it’s just too uncomfortable to sit in bed with my laptop anymore.  I need to update you soon with how Abigail’s room is progressing and how Olivia is outperforming her peers in preschool!  (She’s doing so awesome!) But, that will be for another day. 

Here’s one of Olivia with her bat.  You’ll rarely find her without a stuffed animal in her arms. 

30 Weeks!!

Current size of baby: Almost 3 lbs

How far along? 30 weeks! Can you believe it?

Total weight gain 30 lbs

Inches Gained: 7 inches

Maternity clothes? Yes

Sleep: Still not very good. Iron deficiency is one of the major causes of restless legs syndrome. (So, if you suffer with this, make sure they check your iron in addition to a CBC.) I’m sure it will improve in time and I’m just being impatient. J

How I'm feeling: Pretty good. I’ve gotten a few good night sleeps and some restful naps in. My back has been sore making it difficult to sit. I just want to curl up with my pregnancy pillow! LOL!

Best moment this week: Getting started on Abigail’s room. Ryan got all of the office furniture moved out and he started painting her room today. So exciting!

Movement: Yes

Food cravings: Anything and everything, unfortunately

Food aversions: None

Gender: Girl named Abigail

Labor Signs: NO

Belly Button in or out? out

What I miss: Being able to help Ryan paint Abigail’s room.

What I am looking forward to: My weekly biophysical profiles of Abigail that start on October 25^th. It will be so nice to see her every week and know that she is doing okay. Olivia is so excited for Abigail to come out.

OB Appointment

Well, I had another OB appointment this morning.  He did some more extensive iron/blood tests to figure out exactly what we are dealing with and the best course of action.  As I mentioned before, they want my iron to be between 35-155 and mine was <5.  At least I know the cause of my extreme fatigue.  The other day, I was playing hide and seek with Olivia and I fell asleep while counting to 10!!  Next thing I know, Olivia is asking me why I didn’t come look for her.  Wow, I really felt like a mommy failure at that moment.   Right now I’m just on an oral iron supplement in addition to my prenatal vitamin.  In two weeks, I start weekly biophysical profile ultrasounds.  That will determine how well the baby is doing in the womb.  Hopefully, she’ll get high scores and can stay in until 38 weeks.  I worry about how she is doing, however, with my high blood sugars and low iron.  My endocrinologist keeps raising my insulin doses, but comparatively my dosage is still pretty low.  It seems once we get out of the extreme prematurity danger zone, a whole new set of concerns pop up.  But, I’m still trying to take it day by day.  At least my blood pressure has remained perfect.  I sure don’t feel very perfect these days. . .

Maternity Pictures

I thought you’d enjoy to see a few of my maternity pictures.  They turned out really good.  My friend, Julie, from high school took them and is starting her own photography business called Blue Eyed Photography.

Can you tell we were huddled for warmth?  It was 48 degrees, windy and rainy that day.  LOL!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Last Friday I became desperate and went to my family doctor for relief for my restless legs.  They have become so bad in pregnancy that I could not sleep.  And those that have suffered with this know that the more tired you get, the worse they become which prevents you from sleeping which causes you to get more tired, etc.  And the vicious cycle continues.  Anyway, so my doctor did a complete blood count and also checked my iron levels.  I found out today that I’m extremely iron deficient.  They want my levels to be at least 35 and mine were less than 5.  Iron deficiency is not only linked to fatigue, but to restless legs as well.  I started on an iron supplement, which hopefully will raise my levels.  The frustrating thing is that I’ve been on a prescription prenatal vitamin with iron (and have never gone a day without it.) So, I can’t figure out why my iron is so low!  But, hoping to find some relief soon!!

Olivia has been fighting some sort of virus the last few days.  Less than a week after her stomach bug, she started complaining of a sore throat and running a low grade fever.  Some days she is fine, other days she isn’t quite herself.  For instance, on Sunday she took a nap and when she woke up, she found me in the living room, crawled into my lap and fell back asleep.  Sooo not like Olivia! 

And Ryan is finally getting over his illness.  I’m just ready for everyone to start feeling better! It’s been a rough week!

29 Weeks

Current size of baby: 2.5 - 3 lbs

How far along? 29 Weeks

Total weight gain 28 lbs

Inches Gained: 7 inches

Maternity clothes? Yes

Sleep: Not good. I had to go to the doctor this past week because my restless legs were literally keeping me from getting ANY sleep. I slept from 6 am – 8 am one night because of it.  Also found out from my husband that when I am sleeping, I’m snoring. . .badly. Pregnancy is so glamorous. LOL!

How I'm feeling: At least I’ve stayed healthy. My daughter is on her second illness of the week (stomach flu and now congested, sore throat, fever) and my husband is just getting over his week long illness.

Best moment this week: Maternity/family pictures even though it was 48 degrees, windy and rainy. I’m excited to get them and share them with you!

Movement: Yes

Food cravings: Anything and everything, unfortunately.

Food aversions: None

Gender: Girl named Abigail

Labor Signs: NO

Belly Button in or out? out

What I miss: Being able to sit or lay in any position.  And being able to get up from those positions. 

What I am looking forward to: 30 weeks! That’s our first huge milestone. Next up, 34 weeks!