Prayers for rain

Today I had a follow-up sonogram to check for any changes in the fluid levels surrounding the baby. Unfortunately, we did not receive good news. The fluid level has dropped by 50% in two weeks. They are considering this a "considerable" drop and sending me back to my perinatalogist. I guess it is somewhat serious. They tried to get me an appointment today, but Dr. Peters did not have anything open, so I will see him tomorrow. He will do another sonogram, check the fluid levels again, and (more importantly) assess the baby's condition inside.

She seems to be growing well despite her crowded living space. Her weight was estimated to be 3 lbs 1 oz. and she is actually measuring 6 days ahead of where she should be. So, her growth is adequate at this point. Let's just hope and pray everything else is OK.

For now I am on bed rest. I don't know how long they will keep me here, but I hope it isn't too long. It is nearly impossible with a mobile infant. I'm sure you can imagine.

What we still need for baby 3.

With 9 weeks to go I have decided to go ahead and start taking inventory. I also had an idea that I should start packing my bag. I did this early with E and it sat for months. But with J, I packed it 6 weeks early and wound up going into labor the week after. It was nice to be able to tell someone to just go in the baby's room and pick up the bag. No one had to go through my tings looking for stuff. So, I am feeling the need to start. I was hanging up clothes in E's closet this morning and started searching through boxes to see what we still lack for this new baby girl. People have asked what I needed and at those times I can only recall the large items. So, I decided to make a list of what we need, and now I am sharing it with you all.

1. A double stroller.
Every mother of two infants has told me that her lifeline during the first 3 years was her double stroller. If you think about it, you can't even really run into the post office without it. Especially until E is walking steadily. I found one that will allow me to attach our infant car seat: Graco Quatro Tour Duo in Milan.

2. Crib sheets
Remember folks...two babies in cribs....double the sheets. Plus I only have 2 sheets for E. I have to wash them all the time and one of them is completely worn out.

3. 1 Crib mattress pad
It wouldn't hurt to have a spare with two babies, but I am listing the bare minimum on this list.

4. A diaper bag built for two
I am a firm believer in having more than one diaper bag. I have two for E. One is nearly too small but in perfect condition. The other is not built as well and though large, it is falling apart. I need some large bags for two in diapers. I think I am registered for one at each place, but I am always looking for something chic and trendy. Let me know if you find one.

5. Newborn, 0-3 and 3-6 month footed pjs
B's sister-in-law, Candi, had a little girl almost 4 years ago. She sent Brooklynn's hand-me-downs when E was born. It was really sweet, but E lived in onesies for the first few months since it was so hot. She had so many of her own onesies we barely used what Candi sent us. However, I relied heavily on her pjs until E grew into the size of pjs she is in now (6-9 months). Since we didn't use too many of her things, and B's sister is having a little girl in May, we passed the boxes on to her. Now I am left pj-less for this new baby. Smart move eh?

6. Breast pump
Ok, I do realize that this is not an item most people would purchase for another person, but this list is for me too. I had a pump with E that I bought used. It is awful. Milk backs up into the pump and spews all over. Not pleasant. Plus, I have a feeling I will need to pump much more with this baby so I can spend quality time alone with E and J when needed. So, yes, I need a new pump.

7. Baby B's bedding
The bedding is Glenna Jean's Isabella. E has the same set except for the bumper. The set is a whopping $407 at the store, but I have seen it on Ebay for $289.

8. Newborn and size 1 diapers
Self explanatory. I prefer Pampers swaddlers (newborn) and Huggies Supreme for sizes 1-3.

This is what I have been able to come up with so far. It's not much, but necessary. I am also including links to the registries here. Yes there are other things on the list. Things I thought would be nice to have (like a second high chair...can you imagine having to feed them separately?). The basics are also on there.

USA Baby
http://www.usababy.com/reg2/reg_registrydisplay.cfm?seq=2595741

Babies R Us
http://www.toysrus.com/ControllerServlet?target=viewDetails&operation=authenticate_user®istryNumber=36950378&from=registrySearch

Sono tomorrow

Don't have much to say today...just one of those days.

Just a reminder that I have a sonogram tomorrow to check fluids. Too bad they don't make a dip stick for these things and we can just check at home when we need to.

We are praying for a lot of watery cushion so this sweet baby girl can grow strong and healthy in the next 9 weeks! I will give an update when I have it.

What's in a name???

When I was pregnant with my son, J, I knew it was a boy. I dreamed in blue, bought little sun suits with sailboats and cars, and picked a name all before we even had the sonogram. I craved grilled meats and cheesecake constantly. When they placed the transducer on my belly the Perinatalogist said "oops, hope you wanted to know what the sex was". There was no doubt. It was quite clear we were having a boy. After 2 weeks the amnio results confirmed the diagnosis, but it didn't matter. That baby was Jacob Alan. Family started inscribing teddy bears and building toy boxes with initials on them. We talked about him like he was a person already here. People would call..."How's Jacob?" or comment on my belly "Wow, Jacob sure is getting big!".

With our daughter, things we much different. First of all, I could have sworn I was having a boy. I nearly fell off the table when she said "It's a girl!". B actually thought I was upset. No honey, that was just shock. We had lists of names we started compiling back when we had started trying to conceive (1 1/2 years earlier). The girl names were all pretty. They all had similar traits: feminine and sophisticated, yet fun at the same time. Emily, Elizabeth, Emma, Madeline, Caroline...and the list went on. I guess in hind sight we always knew it would be Emma, but we couldn't commit (or let's just say I couldn't commit). I wanted to see her face and hold her, get to know her before I put such a permanent label on her. That was my plan.

Unfortunately, plans are made to be broken. After the birth I was mostly out of it. I had been given Benadryl for some reaction I was having, phenergan for nausea, and was completely paralyzed from the neck down. During that beautiful moment I got to hold my baby for the first time I had nurses yelling at me to nurse her now because her blood sugar was too low. I couldn't do it. She wouldn't latch. Several people were shoving my boobs in her face and it was just making her mad. Finally everyone left us alone for a brief moment and my husband muttered "She needs a name....how about Emma Elizabeth?". I said "fine, it's good". I just wanted to study her face and hold her. A few hours later when someone addressed her as Emma, I was a little shocked at first, but it finally settled. I think the comment was "Emma is so beautiful!".

Yes, she is quite lovely. And her name fits her beautifully. Her movements in my belly were always sweet but noticeable and pretty constant. I craved orange juice, fruit and milkshakes....all very sweet. She is feminine and charming, pretty and sweet all at the same time. Emma is the perfect name for her.

Even though this knee-jerk reaction name turned out so wonderfully, I can't say that I am prepared to go through another delivery in the same manner. Yes, I want to see her first in a way. But I also do not want any pressure to name her until after my C-section drugs have worn off and I have had some alone time with the new baby. This girl is very different from Emma. She is a little more obscure. I feel her movements only a few times a day. She is very quiet. I sometimes have to jar her to hear from her like she is in her own little world. She does respond to E's voice (which I find completely amazing and wonderful). I have frequent cravings for sushi, Chinese food and random candies I have never cared for before like circus peanuts and root beer barrels. This one might be hard to name.

We still tend towards the feminine, girly traditional. You won't see a Cameryn or Riley from us. But still we can't settle on just one name. I have my favorites, but every time I mention one B just rolls his eyes or changes the subject. Why do men think they have as much say in the naming rights of children? Don't the realize who is doing all the hard work??? During the times he rolls his eyes at me I kindly remind him that he named E, and now it's my turn.

Oops, I did it again

I recall mentioning in a previous post that one should never take to heart the emotional ponderings of a pregnant woman with an infant in tow. If you missed that one, write it down, don't forget it. I am 40 months pregnant, sleep-deprived, and extremely hormonal. My post about whether to shower or not was simply a thought process going on in my head.

Well, something went terribly wrong and I now have several wonderful people asking me for dates and names for showers. Woah Nellie! This isn't my first rodeo. As I said, I don't need the bells and whistles of a first shower. And C...I DEFINITELY do NOT need my belly measured this time around. :) We all know how it goes.

What really got me was that there are several women who love me and my family enough to do this one last time. It's sweet, it's heartfelt and appreciated. Now who do you invite to a third shower. I mean, I already have enough frequent delivery miles at my OB office to claim a free tummy tuck with this delivery. (Not really, but wouldn't THAT be awesome???) Anyone receiving an invite this time around is sure to roll their eyes right???

Here's an idea. Just like each anniversary has a certain gift (silver, tea, gold, etc etc)....each subsequent baby shower should have it's theme in advance. By the third child all shower attendees should be required to bring Xanax, Slim Fast, eye concealer or a gift cert for a boob lift.

To shower, or not to shower...

That is the question!

No silly, I am not talking about personal hygiene. I am talking about a baby shower. I went with a friend, C, to register for their new baby girl they adopted from China. Her baby shower is tomorrow. I am hosting along with two other friends. I mentioned we need the famous stork (I will post a picture of the sad stork after the shower tomorrow) one more time and it happened to be at C's house. She quickly corrected me and said "no we need it two more times". It didn't take long to realize what she was saying. But do I really need another baby shower? And if not (as she kindly pointed out) why in the world was I registering in the first place?

I feel like a second baby shower in such a short time is a little snobbish. I mean, I tend to run around with the same group of friends and they already showered me with gifts last year in June. Isn't it wrong to ask them to get together this June, for me, AGAIN? I am having another little girl and we have the majority of the things we need for this baby. So would people frown on receiving an invitation again?

On the other hand a shower is the celebration of a new life. We are not celebrating me, rather the life inside. My mom told me about a co-worker having a baby boy for the 4th time who had a shower at work. She had everything she needed so they all brought diapers. The reason was clear. The baby deserved a party no matter what his birth order was. When you put it THAT way, I completely agree. This baby girl didn't choose to be last, and she is just as special as her siblings. Besides, any excuse to have a party right???

I guess my biggest fear is having the same friends do so much for my baby again. I know the old saying "That's what friends are for", but C is going to have her hands full with a new little one. While I appreciate the kindness, I can't help but feel guilty. I am so blessed to have such great friends. All of them. They hold your hand (or baby) through sonograms, help you paint your house, take you for sushi when you are having a craving, tell you when your butt DOES look fat in those jeans, and occasionally remind you that boys really are stupid and the fact that your husband forgot flowers on Valentine's Day does not mean he's not desperately in love with you. What more could a girl want?

Welcome Baby Boy Haner!!!

I just wanted to take the time to formally congratulate my dear friend Tara and her hubby, Scott, on their new family member.

WYATT SCOTT HANER arrived at 1:16 AM on April 1, 2007 weighing 8 lbs 14 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long. She did all of this WITHOUT DRUGS! Amazing.

T has joined the ranks of moms with 2 in diapers. I think any woman in that category deserves a badge of courage! (It's hard to believe I will join that group soon enough. Yikes! ) T was one of my best friends in high school. We did everything together. Lunch, choir, Physics, etc. We managed to be bridesmaids in each others weddings and now we get to go through having babies together (even though we live so far apart). It is strange to me that we are trying to be grown-ups now. Seems like just yesterday...

2/3 of the way there!!!

So this week I entered the most trying time of a pregnancy...the 3rd trimester. I know some of you pg experts are looking at my ticker up there on the page thinking "she's not in the 3rd tm yet". Well, I am. My email from babycenter said so. Plus, if you consider I will deliver 10 days earlier than my due date, the last week doesn't even count for me. So, last trimester...here I come.

With this new step comes a whole new world of fatigue, pains and anxiety. The fatigue hit me right between the eyes this weekend. All of a sudden there is the overwhelming urge to lie down. And if I give it 2 minutes, I'm out...just like that. It is getting really hard to get down on the floor with E to play and a simple thing, like climbing stairs, has become a chore I am just not willing to do at times. This third time around I have a new scary sensation. Maybe it is just too many babies in such a little time? I have this feeling that my pubic bone is cracking. I know it sounds crazy, but I can't explain it any other way. So walking has become waddling and I have to sit often. When I do sit for awhile the sensation travels to the tailbone.

I was content to sit around and let this baby slowly make a presence into the world, but now I am anxious to get to the end so I can have my body back. It has been possessed for nearly 1 1/2 years straight by a tiny being of some kind. I don't feel or look like myself anymore. I want my wedding ring to fit again and my skinny jeans. Maternity clothes have become old and tiresome. For anyone who honestly wants to have their kids back to back like this (and I know several of them) I would have to recommend a stork delivery system. It's just too hard on a girl's body.

(5 minutes later)

I just had to run in a retrieve a paci for my sleeping beauty and I saw a picture on her dresser of me holding her on her first day of life. The memory of that wonderful feeling of seeing your newborn for the first time is enough to dull the aches and pains for the moment and get through another day. Only 11 weeks to go. I can do anything for 11 weeks...right?

Sonogram update

Just thought I would post an update on my last few visits to the Dr. I am 26 weeks and 6 days pregnant today. Amazing how fast time goes by. And can you believe Emma is 8 months old today?

First of all my glucose test turned out fine this time. No problems. No sticking my finger 4 times a day.
Praise God!

The sonogram went ok. The baby is measuring right on target for a July 14th due date. She measures in the 55th percentile compared to other babies at this gestation, which is right where we want her. Not too big, not too small. He gave the weight in grams so I have no idea what we are talking about here. The heart rate was perfect.

We did find a reason for my teeny belly. I am considered at the “low end of normal” for my fluid levels. The largest pocket of fluid around baby girl was 3.9 cm (which isn’t very much at all). All the other pockets were 1 cm or less. Normal fluid is considered between 5 and 25 cm. So you can see how close to the low end I am. She is crammed in there so tight and is in the same exact position she was in 6 weeks ago (basically folded in half with her knees on her forehead and frank breech). Maybe we have a gymnast on our hands?? He said he still has to call this a “normal” sonogram, but it is definitely something we are going to watch closely. I have another sonogram scheduled in 2 weeks, so pray for lots of watery cushion for her.

All registered and ready to go

Here we are, week 26, and we have only 12 to go (remember I have C/s and Dr. G does them 10 days before the due date). Anyway, I went with a friend to register the other day at Babies R Us. It is amazing how many new things they have for babies since E was born. And that was not too long ago! Carters now makes this super soft line of sheets and bedding accessories and (you won't believe this) they have ORGANIC crib sheets. Yes, you read that correctly.

I admit one of the things I need desperately is more crib sheets (mothers of one infant: double what you use and add two so I can skip a laundry day if needed). Point made? So I admit I registered for a few (6) crib sheets. LOL. I had to go back for formula yesterday and found it necessary to buy one of these sheets for E now. I bought a sage green one and it is beautiful. So soft and luxurious.

The other place we are registered is USA Baby. I had a hard time with this one. Mostly because the nearest one for the Flower Mound/Lewisville crowd is Frisco (a traffic-laden 20 minute drive). However, they are the only store that carries my stroller and the matching bedding (to E' crib) for the new baby. I will need a double stroller (a lifeline for parents with two babies I hear) and I was looking for one that would fit my current infant car seat. Presto! Found it all at USA Baby. The good thing about them is it can be purchased online and shipped. The bad thing is you can't see what you're buying.

Who knew I would need anything for a baby I am having so soon after E? Especially another girl baby. My head is swimming in thoughts of how this is all going to work out anyway. Frazzled was never a big word in my vocabulary but I might start trying it on for size...

Nope...not there yet. Ask me in a few weeks.

Still no call...

Ok, as of tomorrow morning it will be a week since the dreaded glucose test and I still have not heard from Dr. G's people. I think it is safe to assume that I passed the test. YAY! In fact, I just polished off a Cadbury egg for dessert. Yum.

I still have to go in and have the baby checked for growth. I am praying all is well and it is just an extra chance for me to see my baby girl. It may be awhile before I see her again. Since I had diabetes with E, I got to have weekly sonograms and NSTs (non-stress tests) but not this time. This very well may be my last sono. Sad when you think of it that way. July seems so far away.

Could it be???

Normally my Dr's office calls early in the morning to tell me if I have failed a blood test. When I was pregnant with E, they called at 8:30 the next day to tell me I had to go in for the 3 hour test. Well I took my test Thursday and it is now Monday night and no call from their office.

This could mean one of two things. 1. I passed the test (YAY) or 2. Dr. G has been out of the office and has not had time to read my results and inform the nurses of the next step.

I really think that they would have had another Dr. look at it if the tests had been out of range and Dr. G was out, but I don't want to get my hopes up. I guess I will know for sure on Friday.

Cold Good Friday

I have not been able to post much this week. J had the computer in his room until yesterday. Now, I am happy to say, the computer is in it's new room and I can actually use the computer after 8pm. YAY!

We had this freak cold front blow through this week and it's supposed to get even colder this weekend. We are going to Brad's parent's today and they are predicting snow up there tomorrow. Brrrr. Here in Big D they even have a chance of snow reported for Sunday morning. What a fun Easter Egg hunt that will be. Everyone bring out your gloves and find some eggs in the freezing temps. Poor girls who already had their beautiful sundresses ready to go. I need to find E a sweater at least.

So, I had the glucose test yesterday. It wasn't too horrible. I felt like I had eaten a pound of jelly beans. Yuck! I will have results by Monday. I also have to go back for a sonogram next week to check this size of the baby and make sure she is growing well. Apparently the top of my uterus is measuring small. Nothing too alarming, just another thing to worry about for another week.

So...off we go to Oklahoma...where the wind (and snow) comes sweeping down the plain....

The room!!!

Here it is. We are missing two things (well three if you want to get technical). I can't decide what to do about the valance. I love the fact that E has a nice view from the rocking chair of the trees and the sky. She loves to look out while she takes a bottle. However, the valance is just beautiful and my favorite part of the bedding. It is pink toile and gingham check.

The other two things that are missing are the other crib (still in E's old room) and the bedding for the new baby (Ebay here we come)...I guess we are missing the new baby too. LOL! E seems to love her room. She has a lot of space to crawl around and explore. Here are some pics. They don't do the room justice. It is absolutely beautiful!!!!

B is home!!!!!

B finally got home from San Miguel last night. His flight arrived at DFW around 10:30 pm, then we had to wait over an hour because they lost his bags. Grrrr!!! So, it was a late night.

I finished the baby's room just in the nick of time as I was running out the door. (I was literally hammering nails in the wall at 9:45pm). I could not have finished it without my mom and dad. Dad helped paint the tall parts I can't reach and hung the blinds; and my mom put up the wallpaper border and convinced me the room needed the wood blinds instead of pull down shades. I am so much happier with the choice. So, thanks guys!

B loved his surprise. It was nothing compared to the present he bought me in Mexico. It is a gorgeous garnet (my birth stone) necklace with lots of silver and sparkly things. I don't really have any maternity things that match it, but it gives me a great excuse to shop.

It is so good having him home. The old saying is really true. You never realize what a good thing you have until it's gone. Welcome home B!!!