She Is Here!

Kate Elizabeth arrived at 3:47 AM on 10/26/2013.

On Friday afternoon, I was outside watching Wyatt play and mentally preparing myself for one more week or so of pregnancy and then POOF (or drip if we wanna get technical)...it was time to go to the hospital!

We had some heart rate tricks during this labor, and the nurses started preparing C Section paperwork, but we pulled through for a successful VBAC.  I am so very blessed to have had an easy labor and delivery and a healthy baby girl. 

I have quickly learned how often I refer to Wyatt with masculine nicknames.  I keep calling Kate "buddy".   I am working on using Mrs. Buddy or finding a better way to talk to my lil girl.  She resembles Aunt Jemima (in the cutest way possible)...ha ha! We are home from the hospital and working on resting while the families keep my buddy Wyatt.

Big brother isn't quite sure what to think of Mrs. Buddy/Aunt Jemima/Kate yet.  At the hospital, he had a few funny statements.   "What's that one?" while pointing at Kate and "He has no teeth".  Big cousin said "she doesn't have arms yet?" since they swaddle them up so tight.  Something to giggle about.

I am off to relax and await the next feeding.  Moo-Hoo!  Can't wait to take some more pictures...and some naps.

Third Trimester

I am going to bore you with some pregnancy trivia today.

How far along? 27 weeks

How big is baby? Around 2 pounds. She is a cauliflower this week.

Total weight gain/loss:  23 pounds. 

Maternity clothes? I have one pair of shorts that I wear almost every day.  Sometimes I alternate with a dress or a backup pair of shorts. I am able to sleep in a few non-maternity tanks but I can only wear Hunter's t-shirts or my own maternity shirts.

Sleep: I alternate between pregnancy insomnia and sleeping wonderfully for 9 hours straight.

Best moment this week: Aside from ice cream with chocolate syrup, sprinkles, and caramel, we bought a $30 double stroller on Craig's List that I can use to walk around the hood and make it to a dr appointment or two.  This means we can buy that super expensive double jogging stroller when I am ready. 

Movement: She moves when I relax.  We fall asleep to each other's tossing and turning. We wake up to each other's tossing and turning.  She keeps me bumping through my 2 hour straight work stretch in the afternoons.

Food cravings:  I don't really have cravings. I just like food..alot, but that is nothing new.  There was a week or two where all I could think about was meat but that is about it.

Food Aversions: None.  First pregnancy I couldn't stand bell peppers. Nothing on this one.

Gender: It's a girl!!

Labor Signs:  Apparently being with a 2 year old all day is more physically demanding than sitting at a desk.  I have the good ol braxton hicks almost every evening after the dinner, bath, and bedtime bustle.

Pregnancy Symptoms:  Aside from my huge belly, I seem to be not as mentally sharp and I have had a few crying outbursts over silly things. I mean really silly.  So silly I won't even type what they are. I am nawt a crier people.

Belly Button in or out? I have an outie on top and an innie on bottom right now.

What I miss:  Running. My old clothes. Beer.

What I am looking forward to: Is there really any other answer?   Meeting this little girl!

Upcoming appointments/events:  I have to do the 4 hour glucose test this week.  Boo hoo.  I missed passing the 1 hour glucose test by something silly like 3 points.  The lab tech lectured me for not eating enough before the test.  They told me to eat a light lunch so I ate a cheese string and some cashews an hour before.  She told me this is probably why I failed, but I must continue on.  Thursday I will be fasting for about 12 hours and sitting in a dr office for 4 of those.

Milestones:  We picked out a name. We are in the third trimester. I am building to do lists and checking them off. I will sleep better at night once everything is done.


Here are a few maternity photos.  These are hard to share...but here goes.  These are all pinterest copy attempts.

The progress

The silhouette

When Your Belly Weighs More Than Your Dumbbells

I am just finishing up month 2 of 3 of my trial gym membership.  So far so good.  I got one of my friends (IT woman turned personal trainer) to create a pre natal workout plan for me because I would go to the gym and look at all the things I couldn't do instead of find things I could do. 

She set me up with 4 different workouts.

1. An in gym full body workout.  I do 2 sets of 8 - 12 reps at about 1/3 of my usual weight and always wear my heart rate monitor.  Sometimes I laugh because I am holding my 5 lb dumbbells and it doesn't even counter balance the weight in my belly. 

2. An at home full body workout.  I continue with the 2 sets of 8 - 12 reps.  I already have adjustable dumbbells, but I purchased this resistance band set for $30 and I love it.  It has a door hook and a ankle wrap connector and all comes in a nice little bag you can carry around.  This plan has a lot of variety so I am not stuck doing the same exercises every time.  I am fitting this workout in at nap time or after bed time. 

3. A pool workout which I have not yet had the courage to try but want to.

4. A late in the pregnancy workout which I haven't needed yet but ask me in a few months!

I try to balance 2 or 3 workouts a week with some walking or biking around the hood and I make use of the treadmills and old lady bikes at the gym when I go.   Mom, I know you use those bikes and you are not an old lady, but that is what I will always call them.  P.S. I was really sore from using one of those old lady bikes last week for 20 minutes.  Work it, work it!

Anybody know when I won't be able to ride a bike anymore?  I guess my belly will tell me. 

It's a ...

GIRL!

Pink, bows, tutus, cute ruffly outfits!  I am excited but also so scared.  I can't even wear a bow or do pig tails in my own hair.  I told my SIL my nursery colors are going to be neon and black...and I am kidding..mostly.  Actually I don't even know if this baby girl will get her own room.  She might be hanging in the pack n play in our room because we will do something silly like move a few months after she is born.  Do I really want to clean out the office / guest bedroom / junk storage room? I am pretty sure some form of panic will set in, and I will HAVE to give her a room and a bed and some decor but for now I am fiddy fiddy.

So the morning of the ultrasound, I was sitting on the floor trying to fold some clothes.  Wyatt pulled out one of my shirts and said "pink"  "wear it" and held it up to me.  He knows the color pink from watching Dumbo 354 times since he has been sick. He never picks out my shirts although he has started to pick out his own.  I took this as a sign that I was having a girl and that he wanted a baby sister so all was right in the world when we got the results and it was indeedy a girl. 

2nd Trimester

I feel almost like a normal person again! I am 17 weeks along now.  I am gaining 2 lbs a week although I think I am only allowed to gain 1 a week?? I don't mind cooking dinner.  I look at recipes and cookbooks again.  I don't feel like I need to nap to survive. The smell of the dishwasher running, rubber on the oven mitts, tap water, our bathroom does not gross me out anymore.  To everyone who gets sick while pregnant, I am sorry that I complained about my minimal problems.  Please forgive me.

I was not happy living here until a few weeks ago.  "I am too tired to clean or organize. Our tap water is smelly. I have no good memories here.  I have no friends here. Why can't I stop being lazy?" Now I know it was all some kind of emotional pregnancy blip and we are starting to make our happy memories here and get our routine down. I was worried for a bit.  Whew!

And now for some pregnancy facts.  Don't worry, I won't blog about this stuff too often. 

• I can feel the bebe moving this week. Exciting!  :)
• People with due dates after mine already know if they are having a boy / girl and that kills me.
• I think I am having a girl but I kinda want a boy so I don't have to buy/borrow new stuff and play dollies and trucks at the same time. 
• Bebe is the size of an avocado.
• Bebe has toenails!
• I hated how large my face got while I was pregnant with Wyatt.  I would look in the mirror and see a stranger.  I keep waiting for that day to happen, but I know it is more of a sneak up on you kinda thing. 
• I am starting to feel a bit uncomfortable while sitting, bending over, and sleeping and it seems like I have way too much time left to feel like that already
• My pregnancy insomnia is baaa-acccck.  Wake up to go the bathroom, lay back in bad and try to keep brain from having any thoughts, lay there wide awake for a long time, lay there so long I get hungry, drift off to sleep right about the time Hunter or Wyatt wakes up.
• I will never buy Target maternity shorts / pants again.  I have purchased 3 items (comfy shorts, some longer shorts for around town, and some pants that were super on sale).  I want to burn them all.  I guess you really do get what you pay for some times.  I would rather repeat wear my Old Navy or Destination Maternity bottoms 100 times. Dresses and tops from Target...we can still be friends.

A Fitness Post

So since I got pregnant, I pretty much quit jogging.  See high heart rate.   Oh, and excessive tiredness that causes me to sit on the couch and go to bed as early as possible.  I am still doing some stroller walks, but mostly Wyatt and I just go on a bike ride every day.  Soon my belly will get too big and we won't know what to dooooo. 

But anyways, a mama in my mama group was selling a fundraiser pass I just couldn't pass up.  $30 for a 3 month gym membership with child care. Oh, and the child care is at least acceptable because my mamas group takes their kids there. 

I am hoping to go 2 to 3 times a week.  I am allowed 2 hours of child care a day, which I would probably never use all of, but you can't find a babysitter that cheap! It comes out to less than $1 / hour.  I could just go there to take an enjoyable shower or watch tv. ;)

I tried to find a pregnancy friendly workout plan on the usual websites with workout plans, and they were all super lame-o.   I know the basics.  No lunges, no squats, no exercises where you lay on your stomach or back.  Keep your heart rate lower than 140.  Don't lift heavy.  I would still like something with a little guidance.  Surely someone has created a decent workout plan.  I will post one if I find it. If you have one, please send it to me!

Today, I did 2 sets of 8 reps of whatever weights / machines were close to the tv where I could monitor the child care room.  Wyatt was happy the whole time and wandered around and explored and played new toys so I hit up the treadmill and walked for 20 minutes.  I forgot how much I enjoy jamming out to music while "working out".  The child care seems good 'nuff for me.  I know it's not the best, because the kid who is crying the most gets held and then they just kind of run around and referee all the other kids while holding the crier(s).  Let's just say I wouldn't want their job. 

I can't wait to go back.   Memories of corporate 'Merica where I went to the gym and worked out whenever I wanted!  My corporate 'Merica gym had clothes which was really nice while pregnant.  Guess I have to find some sorta workout maternity clothes here soonish. 

My Worstest Post Partum Moment

I went to the doctor today and heard baby # 2s heartbeat.  Yay!  I feel a little guilty for not obsessing about this baby and thinking about the baby's future constantly.  With Wyatt, I don't think I thought of anything else.  With this bebe, I almost forget I am pregnant when I am not feeling too tired.  Anyways, bebe # 2 seems a bit more real thanks to some lub-dubs on the doppler.

This did remind me of my worst post partum moment (at least the one I would type about on the interwebs).  There are probably a few that are worse that should not be shown to the world.

So the hospital we delivered at had this mandatory child care class you have to go to before they allow you to go home.  Well, Hunter and I went.  It was probably 30 minutes or an hour long, but felt like 4 hours.  I was fighting tears for most of the the class.  Mostly from pain...we had to sit on hard metal folding chairs and I could barely move.   A big part of the tear fighting came from all these moms that were showing me up. 

I showed up to the class in my sorta clean doubled up hospital gowns (one on the front and one on the back).  I wore my flip flops.  I probably brushed my hair?  Not really sure.  EVERY other mom there had on makeup and cute jammies and and and if they weren't in jammies they were dressed like they were going out to lunch with their girly friends.  I didn't know it was that kind of party.  I thought we were all just trying to survive this thing.  I told myself the whole time that they all had regular deliveries and I was the only c-section and that was the reason it was ok for me to be an absolute mess and them to be put together.  I don't really know if this is true, and I don't really know if delivering the normal way gives you that much of an advantage but I was grasping for straws here. 

Having a c-section means you lay in a bed for something horrible like 24 hours after delivery with a catheter and these things that compress your legs and make you feel hot and itchy and ANGRY.  It also means you only get to have chicken broth for your first few meals.  I have no clue how your body feels after pushing a baby out, but I was in major pain after having a baby scraped/cut/pulled out.  When I was finally allowed to stand up and walk to the bathroom by my big girl self it was all fun and games until the pain meds wore off.  I couldn't even lift Wyatt out of his plastic crib on wheels without help.  Getting dressed...ha.  Makeup..bwah!  I don't think I even packed cute jammies.  Give me more pain pills puh-lease....my pride hurts!  I am skipping this class with baby #2.  Shouldn't we be allowed to?

Anyways, within a few days, all was well and I was living a normal life and my Wyatt was here and healthy and happy and I was hormonal and working on finding my groove.  Not important note...it did take about 6 months before I could do a full sit up.  I know not why....others on the interwebs complained about the same thing.  I was queen of the abs pre-pregnancy so was muy frustrated-o.

Stuffity Stuff Stuff

I am thoroughly spoiled from the San Antonio trip. Lots of eating at my fave places. Lots of time away from Wyatt.  Lots of being cleaned up after.  Lots of happy Wyatt.  Bike rides in my old hood.  I had a great time...even with a radiator crack a lack on the way.

Sometimes I have to kiss matchbox cars and trucks. I giggle every time I do this. 

We had fajita bowls tonight and I am already thinking about leftovers tomorrow.  Sadly, I will be out of avocados.

Wyatt pee-peed in his potty twice today.  I guess I need to go read up on some potty training methods.  I am sure it is actually too early for real success, but I am a little shocked that this happened.  Tips please. 

I am also confused by all of this person if interest deportation talk.  The world is too big to do our own research so we have to rely on other people to report and now we have no clue what is twisted and what is real.

Wyatt doesn't let me rock him in the rocking chair. He has to sit beside me.  I get to cuddle with him but it's not the same. I get a little hug right before I lay him down and that is it.  He still reminds me to call him "my baby Wyatt" and then he says "bed".  OK, I get it.  Sniff sniff.

I suppose I will finally announce to the internet world that there may be a valid reason for my lack of postings....especially fitness and cooking related.  Boom boom pow!  I have a due date in October. I have the energy of a 98 year old.  I have a bloodhound sense of smell. I have a fear of having a girl but also want one at the same time.

Our Pinteresty attempt.  Belly growth in a 2nd pregnancy is shocking!