Belly pics - 37w

There must be something about being 37 weeks pregnant that makes me want to see myself from all angles. Weird, I know. I was curious so I took pics all around just now and then checked back to see when I did the same thing last pregnancy and it was right at the same time!  I'd say I look different from the back (wider than when not pregnant) but not bad.  Front...well, I look big.  Side? Yeah. Definitely preggers. I feel big.  And less comfortable than my last pregnancy when I took THESE. The baby must be sitting right on my sciatic nerve or something cause man oh man, I've had to wonder if my hip is still in joint countless times since last July. But hey...I am super pumped to be carrying baby #2 and very very thankful that the pregnancy has been basically free of complications.  Praise the Lord!  Neither of these things is something I take for granted!  Now we're just praying for a safe delivery and healthy baby...countdown is on!

January 27's past...

Every once in a while I like to open my journal or blog and find entries that were written on this day in previous years.  Because it would be difficult to copy all the pictures from previous posts into this one, I'll just have to give you the links and let you read them from their original locations.  I can assure you, they really are a fun trip down memory lane!  Let's start at the beginning:

January 27, 2009 (the year we moved to Cali...knowing this will make the post much funnier.  I don't think we knew that we were moving yet at this point though...)

January 27, 2010 (pictures from our trip to San Francisco with my sister and her visit in Cali)

January 27, 2011 (picture post from Levi's fourth month)

Apparently I've only written on January 27 three times since I started blogging (or four if you count this post).  Huh.  Has anyone been reading from the beginning?  Anyone remember those first posts when I was back at Thoughts From Second Street? Now THAT was a while ago!  A lifetime ago, it feels like...

ENJOY!

last few weeks

I'm going to be honest today (not that I'm usually dishonest) and say that today was a hard day.  I'm finding that I have quite a bit less energy than usual and, when dealing with my energetic, cabin-feverish 2 year old, less patience.  Levi really is quite a joy and an easy-going kid as far as 2 year olds go.  But boy-oh-boy this mama is tired!  On days like today, just one more "mama, come PLAY?" makes me want to crawl into a hole (preferrably a hole under the covers on my bed) and nap the rest of this pregnancy away.  I love being pregnant.  I really do.  The first two trimesters went by swimmingly and I'm convinced they flew by so fast because half the time I felt so good that I forgot that I was even pregnant.  The third trimester has had pain and soreness to make up for the first 6 months, though, and has left me quite ready to be done.  And I love my boy.  But wowzers...how far can a mama push herself? :)

So first off, I'm asking that if/when you think of us and the coming addition to our family, please pray for energy and patience for me in these last few weeks.  And secondly, if anyone has any ideas for relieving cabin-fever and burning a boy's energy while saving mama's sanity, throw them my way.  I'm all ears! I want to enjoy as much time as I can with just Levi at home with me before there are TWO kids to split my attention between. (so excited!) There isn't too much longer before baby's arrival and not all days are as tiring as today, but it was day #4 of Levi not being out of the house (such a cold week and so much work to bundle us up with a basketball strapped to my tummy!) and I think it has been taking its toll...add hormones into the mix and that was my day.  haha.  Nice.

Forgetfulness

When I had Levi, I felt like I would never forget the details of life.  The details of having a newborn.  And here I am, two years later, and I've forgotten.  Or I'm realizing things that I never knew but am curious about.  So if you want to share your thoughts/experiences, please do!  I'm all ears!  Sorry, this post will be completely irrelevant for some, but I didn't want to put this on fb for whatever reason so here it is.

- Lack of sleep aside, does energy generally come back shortly after birth or will I be just exhausted for the next few months yet?  What was your experience? 

- What did you wear during your stay in the hospital.  Any suggestions, recommendations, or warnings?

- What did your baby wear in the hospital?  Did you use hospital-issued baby gowns and blankets (or towels as the case may be at my hospital)?  Or did you bring your own?  Pros/cons of each?

- What did you do with your hair while in the hospital before they let you shower?  Last time I felt like quite the greasy un-human when I wasn't allowed to shower from Thursday morning until Sunday morning...

- Any suggestions for having the older sibling come to visit in the hospital?

- Did you splurge for the private room, go with semi-private, or stay with 3-4 other women in a shared room?  Thoughts?

- Any other thoughts surrounding birth, the stay in the hospital, or the following few weeks?  I'd love to hear your experiences or what jumps to mind when you think of your birth experience(s)!

Details...

I just thought I'd share some details that might make guessing easier for some of you...

- baby's heartrate has been very much the same as Levi's was in utero...maybe a bit lower
- Despite thinking I was smaller this time, I compared size by week counting from conception and I've actually been almost exactly the same size, just weighing a bit less this time
- morning sickness has been comparable, a bit better this time (neither bad at all)
- Levi was 8lbs 2oz
- Levi was 9 days late and induced
- feel like I'm carrying about the same but pictures may show otherwise (??)
- Nathan and I were both in the 6lb range at birth
- I was 18 days overdue, not sure if Nathan was overdue or on time or early...

It's beginning to look alot like baby...

I mentioned in my last post that we put up the crib the other day.  I thought I'd share some pictures from that because hey...what's more adorable than a boy helping his daddy?

It's especially adorable when it's YOUR boy and the daddy is YOUR husband :)

Also, don't forget to leave your baby guesses here on the blog (boy/girl, size, date)!  I've made a handy-dandy poll so it's easy to vote, but if you're SURE that you'll be right, leave your guess in the comments (I've made it so that anyone can vote, even without signing in) so you get due credit for your prediction :D

belly pic...8 months.

Only one month to go til due date!  So excited to meet this little rib-kicker.  We put up the crib in Levi's room yesterday.  Yes, we still have plenty of time but we wanted Levi to get used to seeing some baby stuff around the house before this little one just moves in and takes over all of his territory.  We talk about the baby alot with him and I think he understands about as much as a 2 year old can.  He could tell you that:
- there is a baby in mommy's tummy
- mommy's tummy is going to be owie after baby comes out
- baby is going to sleep in mommy and daddy's room and also in Levi's room
- mommy is going to feed baby (no hot dogs and noodles for the baby)
- Levi will get to sit on mommy's lap again when baby comes (when mommy's tummy isn't owie anymore)
- little brother or sister
 We've also done some shopping for things that we know we'll need like diapers (newborn size, for before cloth fit), wipes, infant Tylenol, etc.  It's made it all feel so much closer to see baby stuff re-entering the house.  Since Levi was potty trained back in summer, we really haven't had much evidence of a baby living here.  There is PLENTY of evidence of a toddler (toys, books, shoes, pots/pans all over the floor, potty seat in bathroom) but that is very different than a baby!  I'm starting to second-guess how much I actually remember about newborns.  I'm sure I know about as much as I knew when we had Levi and maybe even a little more this time around so we should be fine.

Since we're getting so close, anyone care to guess baby gender, birth date, and baby size?  Feel free to leave your comments!  I'm curious what people are expecting us to have! (I've also created a poll on the right hand side of the screen so you can easily log your guess, though it is anonymous so if you want credit for being right, leave your guess in comments too)

Excitement

I just have to share the latest excitement in our lives...perhaps it's not blog-worthy, but here it is:

Levi has slept through the past 5 nights!! 

He hasn't done that in...ever.  Ok, maybe he has, but I really doubt it.  And it certainly hasn't been since I started keeping track of his sleep habits in August (hoping to find some clue as to why he's not sleeping).  So we're celebrating here.  And I'm feeling SO much more rested than I have felt in a while.  That said, my 2.5 year run of not sleeping through the night myself is still going strong.  Just when Levi started having better nights at the beginning of December, I started needing to use the bathroom more thanks to a new little bundle of pressure on my bladder.  Lovely.  Oh well.  It is SO worth it.  And it is infinitely more restful to get up to use the bathroom, get a drink of water, blow my nose and go straight back to bed rather than to be up with a baby/toddler for who knows how long each night.  So I'll take what I can get for these last few weeks before baby #2 arrives.  And hopefully me posting this doesn't jinx what we have going here...!

Christmas...and life

Christmas was fun this year.  It usually is. :) We were able to spend time with both of our parents/siblings which was so nice.  After a few years of either not being able to go "home" for Christmas or else splitting a short visit between the two families (often driving on Christmas day), it is SO nice to be within easy driving distance of both parents.  We don't take that for granted!

Levi loved all his time with grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins.  He does so well when we're out.  Aside from a little grumpiness at supper one night (easily solved by some quiet family-of-3 time away from the chaos after supper), he was a happy boy the entire time.  We sometimes have to pay for visits and lack of sleep once we get home, but mostly we just have such a happy and easy going boy.  LOVE HIM!

Nathan was back to work today (worked from home yesterday).  It's a bit weird to have him gone for so many hours after a couple weeks basically off.  I'm doing pretty good.  This third trimester is SO different than the end with Levi.  With Levi, I was mostly comfortable except for some backaches and swollen feet and just feeling heavy.  This time around I have toothaches (apparently they're normal?), hip aches, belly aches, back aches, shortness of breath, low blood pressure (which is better than high).  I don't have every symptom in the book, but alot more than last time.  Yesterday I was wondering if I would actually need my mom to come for a bit before the baby arrives because just carrying Levi or walking across the room is sometimes a challenge.  BUT...this is so worth it!  To know that we'll be having a new little person joining our family in just a matter of weeks...aah.  I can take a little pain and discomfort!  That said, if anyone has any good remedies for intense pain from lower belly to upper thighs (and everywhere in between), feel free to share!  haha.  I'm open to suggestions :)

I'm not sure what else is new. (Do I write that in every post or just think it?)  Beside getting ready for the baby and having tons of fun with my two men, there's not much on the calendar for this month.  Just relax and enjoy the last few weeks of being a family of 3.

Happy new year to you all!  If anyone has post ideas or questions or whatever...any ideas for what I should write about, let me know!  I'm a little stuck!  :D