A Night To Remember

I would love to be able to tell you that the title of this post comes from a wonderful date night that Barry put together for us, we had a candlelit dinner, followed by a show at the theater, we danced, and watched the sun rise over the ocean....

But no. 

That's not what happened. 

What follows is the play by play of my night last night. ;)

6:45 - Wow. The boys actually ate a pretty good portion of their dinner. With minimal screaming. That's odd. Hm. These colds must be really wearing them out. 

7:15 - I think Nathaniel is actually ready to go to bed. But it's too early. But he's falling asleep on the floor. All right, to bed with him. 

7:20 -Aaaand there goes William. I guess I'll put him to bed too. Poor babies, hopefully they'll get some good sleep and feel better in the morning. Maybe tonight I'll get my cleaning done and still have time to work on my cross stitch! Yay!

8:30 - Aaaah... The cleaning is done, Barry took Bear Bear to bed with him. The house is quiet and clean, I have control over the tv! I'll put Vampire Diaries on in the background and work on my cross stitch! Finally! Some free time for mommy!

Fourteen stitches later...

*William cries from the nursery*

8:50 - Poor William sounds like a pot of coffee percolating! Time for the snot sucker! *twenty minutes of crying and rocking him to sleep*

9:30 - Omg! Nathaniel! Why is he shrieking! He's so dramatic lol! 

9:45 - Ok, we've cuddled, rocked, swaddled, given him something to drink, walked around the house, and sang to him. Maybe he has a tooth coming in, I'll give him some Tylenol just in case he's hurting. 

10:13 - Nathaniel! Go the eff to sleep! This crying is nuts! 

10:20 - Oh thank god, the Tylenol is finally working. A little bit of rocking and he'll finally go to sleep. 

10:35 - Aaaah.... Finally. Quiet. Cross stitch. 

10:40 - WTF!!!! William! Why are you awake!!!

10:50 - So. Much. Snot. 

11:00 - "Mommy! Wat-eh! Wat-eh!"

11:05 - Nathaniel...if you wake your brother up so help me god...

11:07 - Damnit Nathaniel! 

11:10 - Ok! Maybe I'll put a movie on to distract them from themselves. Frozen it is!

12:00 - They're still awake. I wonder if I should put on a pot of coffee. 

12:45 - Finally. They must be so tired. Maybe they'll stay asleep. 

1:30 - Oh these sheet feel so goo- wet. Damnit bear bear! Fresh sheets it is. 

2:30 - "Mommy! Wat-eh! Wat-eh!" Bear Bear! You're not even awake!!

3:00 - All right William. You're just going to come to bed with me. 

Needless to say, last night was eventful. :) but we had some good cuddles and I did get some cross stitching done so there's that. 

The boys are in that stage of sickness where they're well enough to want to do stuff but too sick to actually do stuff. Barry is working (yay!) but I'm starting to get sick so my plan is to stick something in the crock pot and watch cartoons all day. That's about all my brain can handle right now. 

What do you guys do when the whole family is sick?

Must Haves for Baby's Second Month - Baby Edition

 
-->Fisher Price My Little Lamb Cradle n’ Swing with ACAdaptor: For the love of god get the ac adapter! If you remember nothing else REMEMBER THE AC ADAPTER!!!! Ok, on to my story. My boy had colic. I would never wish upon my enemy this affliction. My dear, sweet little boy would scream and cry for six hours straight every night. I felt terrible for him but this swing was a godsend. If you don't have the money to buy one new look on craigslist. They run about $70. I was lucky that the one I found was from a mom whose baby hated it. It had been used twice and I got it for $75. Mine does not have the ac adapter and we go through batteries like nothing you've ever seen before. Other than the ac adapter, most swings are pretty universal in their specs so I would just go with whatever color you like best. :)

-->Little Noses Sterile Saline Mist & The FirstYears Red Cross Nasal Aspirator :

  Our little one had the worst snotty little nose lol. I've seen the saline drops but I can't imagine using them. The saline mists are so easy to use and they work really well at loosening the snot enough so you can suck it out with the nasal aspirator. Also, if they give you one of the blue nasal bulbs at the hospital, don't throw it away! They are, hands down, the best aspirators. The Red Cross one is the best I've found on a store shelf but it still doesn't touch the blue  hospital ones. THIS ONE is available on amazon and it is sold by a medical supply company so it may be the same but I haven't tried it yet. 

-->Wellements Organic Gripe Water

Oh. em. gee. This works awesome for colic. I swear to you we gave him this mixed with a little bit of breast milk, put him in the swing and he calmed right down! This stuff is amazing! We tried a couple different brands and this one worked best for us. I think it was the chamomile that did it, this is the only brand that uses it. Gripe Water doesn't work for every baby but it saved us!

Safety First Sleepy Baby Nail Clipper with Built-InLED Light

We didn't use this exact brand but I totally plan on getting one the next time we go to target!!! We have the regular Safety First nail clippers that came with our kit. He squirms. A Lot. Cutting his nails should be an olympic sport and I can only clip them when he is sleeping so that little light would make a world of a difference.

-->Safety First Interchangeable Tip Thermometer

Ok, this particular set didn't work for us but the idea is fantastic. I think this brand has a "pro-grade" version but the one I got was like four bucks on clearance so I got what I paid for. Ours doesn't really work too well but it is awesome knowing we have a thermometer that does it all - underarm, rectal, and oral. You should really have a thermometer before two months (like immediately) but we didn't need one till our boy had his first round of shots. Babies can run a little fever after their shots, ours didn't but we had the thermometer just in case. 

-->Child of Mine by Carters Newborn Mittens

I went round an' round with mittens. These are the most effective, cheapest set I could find. The boy scratches himself so bad sometimes it is heartbreaking and sometimes...when it stops him from scratching himself awake five minutes after I spent two hours trying to get him to go to sleep...they help keep me from having mental breakdowns. :) I went through about eight sets before I found these. The other cheap sets had the elastic visible and would rub against the boy's wrists. No good. And sometimes the elastic would just snap for no good reason. I always wanted to try guavamitts but I couldn't see spending $12 on mittens. I wish I had just done it because I ended up spending wayyy more on cheap mittens that didn't work.

Fisher Price My Penguin Pal Discover ‘n Grow 2-in-1Musical Mirror

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My boy LOVED this mirror! It really helped out with tummy time. 

Ergo Baby Carrier

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 We've been through two different carries before this one and I have to say this Ergo carrier is sooooooo worth the money. With Bear Bear we used the Infantino Flip Baby Carrier and the K'Tan He hated the K'Tan and I found the flip carrier to be painful although Barry could wear it for hours. HERE is a great article, written by a real mom, on carriers and their effect on infant hip development. And HERE is the fancy-smancy article by the Hip Dysplasia Insitute, and HERE is an article about the importance of ergonomics in baby wearing written by the peeps at ErgoBaby. You should definitely read it before you buy a carrier although the cliff notes version is to buy a carrier where your baby's leg are going out, and not where they are dangling from the crotch.

We paid $120 for our grey Ergo carrier because I was at my wits end. They are on Craigslist for about $70 a pop. I love Craigslist!

Fisher Price Discover ‘n Grow Chime - Giraffe

Best. Chime. EVER! All my boys loved this chime. I've run it through the washing machine twice (in a lingerie bag, air dry ). This has a lovely tinkling-deep-chime sound that is hard to explain but I sounds way better than your basic cheap bell. It is long enough to dangle from the car seat handle so your baby can still touch it and the bottom has some great toys to chew on. 

 DIFFERENT Bottles & Pacifiers!

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This. Is. Important! It sucks. I know. But the fact is that no matter how much research you do, you wont know what bottle to get until your child is old enough to take one. I did reasearch for MONTHS!!!! I'm not kidding - MONTHS!!!! We started with the Avent bottles but because Bear Bear had colic we switched to the Dr. Brown bottles. We loooooove the Doc B bottles, they are a pain to wash if you don't have a dishwasher but they are amazing. They also have different kinds of bottles (plastic, glass, tall, short, wide mouth). Looking back I would get the wide mouth (they weren't available when we purchased ours) because the tall skinny bottles are a bitch to fill up. 

I hope you guys find this helpful! Leave your questions in the comments!!!

-Ri

Sending a Mommy Care Package for a Sick Toddler

Let me just start by saying I love snail mail. And by love, I mean I 

Loooooooooooooove it. 

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you've probably seen that I am participating in a snail mail revolution. I'm sending out cards for birthdays, graduations, Father's Day, Mother's Day, new babies, and just about any other reason you can think of. So, when a friend posted on Facebook that her little toddler had a cold and a double ear infection I knew what I had to do. I put together a little care package for her and sent it out the door! Now I haven't talked with this girl in about ten years but we have had babies at the same time, we are always commenting on each other's posts and she cracks. me. up. And honestly, who doesn't like getting mail? ESPECIALLY when you're cooped up in your home with a sick toddler. 

Here is what I put together for her:

1. Coloring Books and Crayons: Babies get super cranky when they're sick. Sometimes you can avert crankiness for alittle while if you have a new toy. But I definitely wouldn't get anything too crazy, it's going to get covered in snot and germs so it would be best if it's something that can get thrown away with little guilt. 

2. Disinfecting Wipes: I like these better than sprays strictly for their convenience. It's way easier to wipe a door handle or a little spill with this than to pull out a spray, get a paper towel, and then walk to the kitchen to throw it away. I just keep a couple of these around the house. 

3. Infant Tylenol

4. BABY Rub: There is a difference between regular Vicks rub and their baby rub, I don't know what it is but it's important to only use the baby rub on babies. The Mister is a big believer in Vicks. I could take it or leave it, although apparently it works best if you rub it on the sole of your feet and then cover them up. Pinterest it. 

5. Kleenex: when toddlers are sick, snotty noses run rampant. Seriously, the snot cannot be contained. I bought the cooling kind but a baby might not appreciate the menthol sensation so depending on the age you might want to get the lotion kind. I would splurge and spend the two dollars for the brand-name Kleenex versus the scratchy general brand.

6. Boogie Wipes: These things are amazing. They are great for cleaning crusty noses but they are so gentle.

7. Saline Nose Spray: We use this all the time with our boys. These nose sprays spray a fine mist that is perfect for little babies and the saline gently dries up their noses. We will sometimes spray them, wait 30 seconds and then suction. The spray works great at loosening up the gunk. They still hate it. :)

General Guidlines:

-Keep in mind the toddler's age. Some things are appropriate for two year olds but not for one year olds. 

-Google and Pinterest are your friends. Look up what kind of symptoms a sick baby might be having and work from there. Sore throat? You could get some pedialyte Popsicles. Headaches? Some tylenol would help. 

-Try to follow the Guidlines of how she raises her children and her basic philosophy. While this is a gift, and she wouldn't complain, she will be blown away by your thoughtfulness. If she buys organic get organic chicken soup. If she is hesitant about giving her kids medication maybe buy some chamomile tea to soothe her children's sore throat. 

-Don't forget mom. Unfortunately you can't send alcohol in the mail...I asked. But you could send some rag mags or a gift certificate to her favorite take out or delivery restaurant. You know your friend, get her something that would make her feel special. 

Extras:

-Pedialyte Pops/ Zip Pops  - Great for sore throats and getting kids their electrolytes up. Dehydration is a big issue.

-Receiving Blankets: for wiping up all manner of bodily fluids. I think these are the best but they are kind of pricey. You could go for the cheaper ones since they are probably going to get thrown away.

-Nasal Aspirator (or Snot Sucker to everyone not a medical practitioner) : Honestly, you can't find a better one than the blue ones that come from the hospital, but here is one that is sold by a medical supply company so hopefully it is the same kind.

-Vapor Bath Soap: I haven't used this, but it seems like it would work in theory.

-Humidifier: If she doesn't have one get the one that was on her registry. I really want this one.  It has a night light.

-Be Koool Soft Gel Sheets : These are great for headaches. I use them on me :)

-Cozy Plush Toy with Lavender Scent (Microwaveable)  : Or you can make one! This is great if the child is over 1 and can sleep with soft toys.

-DVD/Stuffed Animal/Toy

-Chicken Soup: Buy it or make it!

-Food Pouch: These. Are. Awesome. A lot of times when kids get sick they just wont eat but these little pouches are like smoothies. Bear Bear gets one or two of these a day and I can feel better knowing he has had some kind of fruits and veggies. You can make your own using a blender or Nutribullet but when you're sick, these are super convenient. This is for a pack of 12 but you can find non-organic at Target or Walmart for about a $1 per pouch.

-Chamomile Tea and Honey: infants under 1 should not eat honey

Must Haves for the First Month - Baby Edition

While I was pregnant I searched high and low for a list of things that I would need when

I brought baby home. I found lots of lists that were fairly generic: You need a pack n play,

diapers, breast pump, receiving blankets, etc. What I really wanted was a list of things that

real moms used. Here is my list of things I couldn't live without during the first month.

Let's face it. Bringing a baby home is freaking hard. 

All of a sudden it is just you, your man and the google. 

Thank god for the google!

This list doesn't include diapers because frankly the man and I don't agree on which

diapers are better so I thought I would leave that up to each parent. These items are

my favorite things, some of them we didn't get until month two but I sooo wish I had

had them during month one!!!

1. Pack n Play : Some people think you don't need these. I happen to think I would have killed myself without one. I don't think brand really matters, all that matters is that is has a changing station. We keep ours in our bedroom and it is a lifesaver for night time changes. We keep a small, low light lamp next to it so we can see what we are doing without turning on the room light and waking up both the baby and your partner. Also, just go ahead and lay down a changing pad. Even if your pack n play has a changing pad that comes off the changing station just use a removable changing pad.

2. Luna Premium Waterproof Mattress Protector : If you are breastfeeding you seriously need a mattress protector. The first couple of weeks I leaked all over our bed. I'd wake up sticky in a cold, wet spot on our sheets. We bought a cheapo RE protector from Target and I hate it. I haven't used this particular brand protector but it has awesome reviews. Seriously, just spend the money, otherwise you are going to have a stinky bed to replace when you could have saved it with a $30 mattress protector.

3. Petroleum Jelly : No need to get the crazy expensive kind, and no need to get diaper rash cream. They do the same thing. Petroleum jelly is an amazing product that we use on the butt and in the creases of our little rolly polly. The boy's neck got a crazy shade of red (like a lobster!) because the creases would never dry. We slathered on some jelly and within hours that horrid red was gone! Now we just put it on after every bath!

4. Johnson's Pink Baby Lotion & Johnson's Head to Toe Baby Wash : I love this set! Everyone has their favorite baby scents and this one is mine. The baby wash is super gentle. Not that I would recommend it but I have accidentally gotten it in the boy's eyes and he doesn't squawk. The pink lotion works well and it smells like you think a baby should. This is completely my opinion but that pink lotion is what makes the boy smell nice lol

5. Carter's Wrap Me Up Receiving Blanket - Duck (Set of 4) : These are BY FAR the BEST receiving blankets I have used. I have about twenty receiving blankets that I never use because I just keep using these four over and over. They are thick, large, and sturdy. Beware - Carter's does different items for different price ranges. These blankets are of the "Wrap Me Up" line. If it doesn't say "Wrap Me Up" then you are probably getting regular, tiny, flimsy receiving blankets.

6. Boppy Bare Naked Pillow : I am a little hesitant to recommend the Boppy brand specifically. It tends to slip away from your body a bit if you don't hold it to you. That is the only problem I have with it! The My Breast Friend looks awfully amazing but you can't use it as many ways as you can the Boppy. With the Boppy you can use it for nursing, tummy time and sitting up. With the My Breast Friend you can pretty much just use it for nursing. If the Boppy would just put a tie on the ends I would be soooo happy. If you are going to get the Boppy you will also need to get the Boppy Protective Cover and some sort of outside cover (some Boppies come with a cover). I use the Heirloom Slipcovers just because they are a little more soft than the regular covers. Do spend the extra ten bucks for the protective cover. My little man has spit up on the Boppy more times than I care to remember and it is so nice not having to worry about the pillow getting icky.

7. Evenflo Simply Go Single Electric Breast Pump : This breast pump is like the little train that could. We needed the pump because I was having a spaz attack about breastfeeding (more on that in a later post) and we had very little money. This cost us around $40 and it has worked beautifully for us. I would definitely recommend using this is you have a forceful let down. If you're having trouble with your baby getting enough milk this product probably isn't for you. The product information sheet says it is good for only occasional (maybe twice a week) pumping but we use it nearly every day and it works great for  me. In general, having a breast pump is a good idea and it is a good idea to start pumping and storing early. I wish I had started storing breast milk early rather than waiting till the boy was two months old.

8. Carter's Hooded Frog Towel : I love this freaking towel. I have the frog one and the blue dog one. They were gifts to us and I am so grateful for them. We could not have afforded spending the money on towels and these are the best, most absorbent, thickest towels that I've been able to find. A lot of baby towels are made of thin, slick sort of material that isn't very absorbent. These towels are large and soft and I adore them. As I said before, Carter's makes items for every budget so these may be better to buy in the store rather than take a chance online.

9. Summer Infant Mother's Touch Comfort Bath Support : This is shown as being used in a bath tub but we have found it fits quite nicely in our sink. It allows the boy to sit up and it does exactly what it is supposed to. Nothing fancy, it just works. I really like the ability to wash him in the sink and I like that it is cushy so he doesn't bang his head on anything. The boy really likes to squirm.

10. Sleep n Plays : We brought Baby Bear home in this outfit! :D This particular sleep n play is from Target. I really love the Target sleep n plays because they seem a little sturdier and thicker. They are like little one piece pajamas and I just adore them! I like the zip up ones but some people prefer the button ups. As I said before, the boy likes to squirm so trying to button a million little buttons never goes well for us.

11. BATTERIES! Everything baby requires batteries. If you're buying a gift for a parent throw in a set of batteries. We use everything from AAA to Ds and we can never have too many!

12. Fisher Price Newborn Rock n' Play Sleeper : This is the BEST and MOST USED item we received from our baby showers. When we brought the boy home we realized that we had missed a very crucial item in our baby registry: a place for the boy lay down during the day. We keep our pack n play in our bedroom, the crib is in the nursery, we can't just lay him on a couch. Then I remembered a friend had bought us this sleeper and we began using it immediately. Also, it is the ONLY thing the boy will sleep in. We tried everything and this is what he wants and he still sleeps in it at two months old. He loves that he is snuggled into it, he loves that he is sitting up (he has acid reflux) and he loves that he can be rocked in it. It sits just high enough so that I can slip an arm out of the bed and rock it with my finger without having to sit up or get out of bed. I also love that it is made for newborns to sleep in. Every parent worries about SIDS and knowing that my boy is in a rocker made for sleeping newborns just makes me feel a whole lot better. 

13. HALO SleepSack Swaddle Wearable Blanket : I love these things! You may think that you are up to the challenge of swaddling your baby but I swear to you that when your baby has come loose of the swaddle for the fourth time at three in the morning you are going to want this wonder of modern technology. I like this brand in particular because you can swaddle your child with its arms at its sides or out. Barry didn't like his arms being bound so it was perfect for us. Also, when you unzip you unzip from the bottom so you can easily check for a wet diaper without having to disturb the swaddle. 

So that was a TON of information but I hope it will help you with your decisions on

what to buy or at least give you some ideas to think about. 

:)

-Ri

My Birth Story

I know this has been a loooong time coming, but hey!

Better late than never!! 

:)

My Birth Story.

Well...not my birth story, hehe, its the story of my little Baby Bear's birthday. 

His birth day story actually starts almost three days before he was actually born.

I went in for one of my weekly 9th month check ups. There was a bit of trepidation

on my part since the boy hadn't been moving around a whole lot and lets face it...

I wanted that baby OUT! Every. Single. Tactic was used to 

coerce him to eject himself and it just wasn't working.

Dr. Espana took a look via ultrasound and was concerned the the boy

wasn't really moving. His heartbeat was fine, but he wasn't moving. 

I think my heart stopped at that point, I had wanted to be told that I was in labor

 (did I mention that I wanted the baby out?) but I hadn't counted on there

actually being something wrong that would cause us to induce. 

Ok, so I was freakin' huge. No judging lol

We were admitted to the hospital Tuesday night.  We decided that we had time to

 show the nurses our birth plan later so the nurses tried a gel

that was supposed to open my cervix. After a slightly uncomfortable

night of trying to sleep and instead talking of how excited we were, 

Barry and I woke up to find that I hadn't dilated AT ALL!

The doctor decided to wait the day to see if a little pitocin would help.

Round Two!

I finally got to eat wednesday night. Best. Sandwich. Ever.

Wednesday night the doctor inserted a Cervical Ripening Balloon. 

It works JUST like you think it would. There is this balloon, that 

goes...ahem. They fill the balloon with saline, leaving you incredibly 

uncomfortable, say good luck and expect you to just go to sleep. 

There was no sleeping. 

Thursday morning (super early) it seemed that I had done well overnight and 

they upped my pitocin. I was dilated 4 cm. so technically I was in active labor.

Finally.

At 4am my labor (in my eyes) started. The contractions were getting

harder to where I was actually noticing them but I wasn't noticing them in

the front but rather in my back. After four hours of this I realized I was having

back labor and that was when the shit really hit the fan.

I swear to you, I only felt a single contraction in my uterus. Every single other

contraction was a knife in my back. Thursday day and Thursday night seemed to 

fly by in a flurry of contractions and downtime. I'm kidding. It only seems like it 

flew by because I can't really remember what happened lol.

Friday morning it was announced that I was a whole five freaking centimeters 

dilated. Dr. Espana decided to go ahead and break my water. In the beginning, I was completely

against any sort of induction, breaking of water, epidurals, etc. At this point I had

been in labor a full day and I began to see that if I didn't get this show on the road I'd 

end up getting a C Section. I consented to the breaking of the waters.

Holy. Freaking. Cow.

My labor started in earnest and it was still freaking BACK LABOR!!! Dr. Espana

asked me to get an epidural after five hours of that nonsense. I needed to rest so that

when it came to the pushing part I would have the strength to actually push. 

Best thing ever, I tell ya! For a minute.

My epidural wore off within three hours of received it. During that time I dilated

from five cm to seven. Then...poof! It just went away. Unfortunately, during that

time the anesthesiologist was in the middle of a surgery and couldn't help me. 

I felt every single minute of seven cm to ten cm. 

Finally the anesthesiologist came by and gave me a double dose of 

God-Only-Knows-What and it was amazing! Just as the epidural started working

again the doctor was like "Oh, you can start pushing now." ;) Silly doctors.

I think I only pushed for around twenty minutes before I got to meet little Barry.

Seriously, that alien head threw me off lol

I'd like to get all teary eyed and tell you how beautiful of a moment it was but

in the spirit of full disclosure, I was vomiting in a tiny blue bag when I saw him. 

I was stitched up and Barry's family literally flew into the room to oh and ah over the baby.

Barry's dad with the boy.

I was still throwing up. Not fun. 

With my mommy, shortly after my vomiting fit.

The next thing I really remember clearly is seeing my son for the first time (not vomiting)

and the first thing I said was "He's PINK!" See, the first first time I saw him he

was covered in slime and blood and I swear to God he was purple. The next time

I saw him he was a cute little pink baby! lol 

It was finally quiet in our room and I got to hold my son (finally) and we were whisked

away to our recovery room where the boy was given a bath and I slept like a log!

Things I Learned:

1. Show your nurses the birth plan, otherwise family will burst into the delivery room

while you're still vomiting and bleeding and you have no one to blame but yourself.

2. Have all the paperwork signed and ready for the epidural even if you don't think you

want it. We did and not waiting that extra ten minutes while having contractions is a 

beautiful thing.

There will be more "What I Learned" but that will be a different post.

:)

I will say that it is hard for me to look back on Barry's birth with joy in my heart.
Every single thing we planned went wrong. I was in labor 41 hours and I had
people barging into my room before I was ready. I can easily say I was in complete
shock over what happened and short of my mother...no one noticed. I was in the middle
of a break down and everyone was too busy oohing and aahing over the baby to notice
that I was in shock. I had to get nine stitches, the doctors were worried that I was bleeding
too much and I was vomiting all over my mother and no one noticed.

No one tells you what happens when it all goes wrong.
No one tells you that it is perfectly normal to have a mental break down
when your baby is born.

I think it is important to tell women that sometimes birth doesn't go well and it is important
to not feel guilty if you look back on your baby's birth and you feel violated. It is ok,
there is nothing wrong with you and feeling this way does not mean you love your baby
ANY LESS!

Sometimes it is just hard and there is nothing you can do about it but accept it and
move on. Love your baby, do the best you can and just ignore all the posts you
see on Facebook about everyone and their perfect lives.

All in all, I can't wait to have another baby and give natural birth another go.
I truly feel that if we had not induced I would not have had back labor and
I would not have been in labor for so long. We shall see.

This was not the perfect birth and this has not been the perfect adventure

that I thought it would be but I am happy. I love my family and I can't wait
to see what kind of trouble we can get in to.

:D

Love,

Maria

Preggers: Week 28-31

-How far along are you: 28-31 Weeks, Third Trimester (I made it!!!!)

-Total Weigh Gain:  20 lbs. 

-Fruit/Veggie of the week: Eggplant, Acorn Squash, Cucumber, PINEAPPLE!

-How are you sleeping: Sleep is out of the question. Not only can I not GET to sleep, I can't STAY asleep. There are at least two potty breaks a night combined with not being able to sleep on my back, and I feel like I have sleep apnea. It's weird because if I lay a certain way I feel like I can't breath. Plus, like I've said before, rolling over on a soft mattress while hugely pregnant is an Olympic Sport. AND I've just recently started having really bad indigestion in the middle of the night. Just one more reason to wake up. 

-Weird Dreams of the week:

     -Weird fish dreams are persisting. 

-Stretch Marks: Oddly enough, I think the stretch marks on my butt are gone. Not sure how this happened but I'm not going to complain about it! And I've been using Bio Oil religiously and there are still no stretch marks on my tummy so I am suuuuper happy about that. 

-Symptoms: The list is endless lol. 

-Fetal Movement: I'm still having a TON of movement. He still doesn't like to have anything rest on my stomach. I've also figured out that he hates the belly bands that come on maternity jeans so he kicks me when I have the bands up.  The ultrasound tech told me that he has lots of hiccups which is supposed to be good because he is working his diaphragm. 

-Food Cravings: None! It is really aggravating.

-Anything making you queasy:  Nope

-Innie or Outie: Still 100% Innie, although I think it is getting shallower.

-Emotions: The mood swings are getting serious. :) One minute I'm happy, the next, Barry has made some benign, non-threatening comment and I. am. FURIOUS. I try to reign it in and just walk into another room before I say something mean but the first few times he followed me and I had to explain to him what was happening. :)

-Missing anything: Energy, alcohol, a flat tummy. :(

-Best Moment of the Week: Getting another ultrasound done! I didn't really want to do the 3D Ultrasound...I kind of wanted to wait to see my baby when he got here but Barry wanted to see him so there ya go. :) Baby Bear had his hands in front of his face for the most part but we were able to trick him for a second, just long enough to get a picture.

-Milestones: Starting the third trimester. Thank god! I'm ready for this nonsense to be over! :) I know I should be enjoying the glow of pregnancy but I'm just not feeling that "glow". I has a fussy and that is all there is to it. :) But I know that when I'm done being pregnant...I'm going to miss it.

-Ri