Baby #2

The need to blog overcomes the need to sleep. Incredibly.

May 26, 2010     

Take 2

As soon as I got out of work, I ran to Hannafords to get avocados (Noah’s staple) and some lunch foods for Bryan. Also, pregnancy tests.

Pink line pregnancy tests. Not blue lines, PINK. Apparently, the blue lined tests are considered less reliable. See, I had taken 3 Clear Blue Easy tests the past two days and, they came back negative but with this weird very very very light shadow where the positive would be.

I already just knew that I was pregnant, BUT, only a strong positive line would really. Convince. Me. and solidify that this WAS happening.

I had had two vivid pregnancy dreams (which I’ve only had when pregnant), strong headaches, nausea, forgetfulness, sharp cramps around implantation time, food aversions and heightened sense of smell.

This morning, I couldn’t drink my coffee and the cramps have been unbearable.

Uh oh.

Sure enough, two positives.! 12 days past ovulation and I haven’t even missed my period yet.

I don’t know what it is about the 26^th of months, but I found out that I was pregnant with Noah on the 26^th of March 2008. Now, 26^th of May 2010… there’s another little one growing away.  

I’m scared. Our ducks are so NOT in a row. BUT I am so excited and happy. I’m worried mostly that I might miscarry. I don’t have any reason to believe I will, but I’m already in love with this sweet pea and it’s only been a day of knowing for sure that he/she is in there.

Time for sleep, time to dream…..

May 27^th

No period. I was scared to go to the bathroom all day because I thought that maybe AF would show and I’d be dealing with a loss instead of a monthly annoyance.

Feeling better today after a full night of sleep. I don’t think I can handle the night shift. I felt HORRIBLE before, and now that I’ve had a chance to sleep, I’m feeling much better.

How to make money without working?! We can survive on Bryan’s income but we won’t be paying our student loans. I may be able to get them deferred if I go back to school for lactation but it’s really not in our best interest financially.

So many issues. I’m thinking about trying my hand at making sewing slings. Wouldn’t bring in a lot of income but might be enough to float us. Lots of ideas….we’ll see how long I last working nights.

Baby’s heart might be starting to beat any day now. Wish I could get an early ultrasound to see!  <3

June 8, 2010

We had our first baby appt yesterday morning. We just went into to talk to the midwives that I’m interested in seeing and it went really well.  I’m hoping for a home birth this time. I’ll go into it more later.

I am completely and utterly exhausted right now. I’ve been barely able to keep my eyes open all night. I told my supervisor when I came in for my shift and thankfully she was understanding about it.  Literally, I’m falling asleep writing this………..I pray that I’m able to get some sleep today. I’m hoping to get into bed by 4 pm and sleep till 10 pm. That way I’ll get a solid 6 hours straight….oh man, that sounds glorious right noww.

I’m nervous about leaving my job because of the financial strain of it. We have a month till I am done here. One month to budget, save  a little and try to figure out how we’re going to make ends meet for the next two years or more of course.

I’m just now into my 6^th week. The exhaustion and food aversions are in full swing.

June 10^th, 2010

This is my last night of working 4 nights a week. I only have to work three from now on until July 7^th which is my last day working nights. I’m SO thankful that my supervisor was understanding and flexible with me. I just can’t do it. I am 10x more tired than normal which is… um… horrible.

I can barely make it through the day with Noah and then barely drive to work at night. I’m falling asleep as I type beause any mundane activity makes me nod off.

Starting to feel a little swollen in the belly area….not my post-Noah belly but by my hips where the uterus starts to rise up into. It’s a crazy feeling. I wish I could have an ultrasound just so I knew that everything was okay with the baby..I’ll probably schedule it sometime near my first prenatal appt on july 9. I’ll be almost 10 weeks at that point.

June 14^th, 2010

Morning sickness/ all day sickness….pregnancy sickness.

AGH. I feel horrible. I feel like I have the worst flu of my life. This is miserable. I can barely stand to look in the refrigerator…..or go near the dishes. dear Lord, help me.

At work… dying and its only 12:30. Aufkjshfuihekjbuhj

Need to eat because I am so hungry but afraid to walk into the kitchen.

Being nauseated is probably the worst feeling ever. AGH I forgot how miserable this was with Noah…. Really… after this….I might be done having children.

I don’t feel 100% sure about the gender at all..I want to say it’s a girl but I don’t have a true gut feeling I don’t think.

Makes me worry about twins. Does that even happen in people with no genetic predisposal to twins? I would be so shocked and scared if that happened to me..I can’t even imagine TWO babies with a 2 yr old….yikes! I don’t know why I keep thinking about the twins thing…probably because I’m petrified of it!

My belly isn’t showing yet or anything but I am definitely more bloated. My pants are starting to get uncomfortable to button and at the end of the day I can feel a bit of bump veryy low. Its crazy……I can’t believe that we are actually having another baby.

Into the 7^th week…..hoping the morning sickness goes away!!!!

I have to laugh at myself a little bit though….I remember during my pregnancy with Noah, I was miserable as well….there are so many aches and pains that come with being pregnant. It’s a lot more than having a cute baby bump. I can’t wait until the good part comes….the kicking baby, the ultrasound, the one fleeting day where pregnancy makes you feel like this beautiful goddess.

Excuse me while I try not to throw up………what are the benefits of only having two children?

July 1^st, 2010

The past couple of weeks have been brutal. Its starting to get a little better but I hate even typing that because I’m so scared that it will get worse. My smell aversions are through the roof.

Need someone to figure out where you have mold in your house? I’m your girl. Literally, if there is ANY mold anywhere, I can smell it a mile away. EWww…

Bryan is being wonderful and has done the dishes for me the past 4 weeks and also completely cleaned out the refrigerator because I couldn’t even be in our kitchen at all without throwing up. I lived upstairs and at my moms.

Ugh….tired. Next week is my last week of nights. Thank goodness. I feel much better when I’m sleeping normally. Also, if I’m eating like every hour, I feel okay. Once my stomach gets empty, its all over.

Today at 10 am, we have our first ultrasound. I’m excited. Hoping the baby is doing well despite my lack of nutrition.

My lack of blogging is beoming pathetic right now. I feel terrible for not keeping up with it. I’m just … brainless….. I can’t think. I’m too sick to even muster a product review or post pictures of Noah. It’s just. Sad.

Hoping things get back to normal soon.
 

Must watch for Every Woman

The Business of Being Born trailer from mickinfc on Vimeo.


I just re-watched "The Business of Being Born" recently and was just struck again with how important this film is in creating awareness in the United States about the abnormality of our system of birth. "System" and "Birth" shouldn't even be in the same sentence...but they are.

This is a must watch film for anyone interested in childbirth, pregnancy, mothering or the state of women's rights in the United States (and beyond).

You can rent the full length film online at 
http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/

A love affair with babywearing....

I love wearing my baby...er...toddler. My hotsling served me well for the first 12 months (still does at times) and my Ergo is beyond a blessing. I LOVE LOVE them both. I have only ever taken the stroller out in town ONCE. Literally...I just never needed it. It was always a burden to think about dragging around a stroller when I can just pop him into my carrier and he's happy, I'm happy and we both look cute to boot. (Yes, thats something my mom says).

I've been thinking about the other types of slings, carriers that I want to try when #2 comes along (whenever that may be) and there are two types. A wrap and a ring sling. I bought a used Moby a while ago but Noah really hates it now that he is so big so no dice there. The ring sling I wanted originally was a Maya but I just couldn't justify the expense when I already owned a cute pouch carrier and an Ergo.

I just realized however, you can sew your own sling very easily. This is definitely going to become a project of mine once I get threading the bobbin down...heh. Check it out...
Bliss Tree: How to Sew Your Own Sling
The Baby Wear site also has a huge list of patterns.

Not the crafty type? Check out these beautiful slings on Etsy and support a WAHM!

For more info on "babywearing" and all the benefits check out Thebabywearer.com and Dr. Sears on Baby Wearing

Also, know that infants who are carried 3 extra hours a day cry and fuss 43% LESS than those who aren't worn. It makes sense, babies need and want to be held.  They also spend more time in a state of quiet alertness which is when babies learn the most. 

Carry your baby for a happier, smarter little pumpkin and enjoy every minute because before you know it, they are going to be 18 months old and running away from you!

Herbs and Their Healing Properties

This is a great post on traditional kitchen herbs and their healing properties..I'm just starting a little herb garden and I'm loving it so far!

Nourished Kitchen - Healing Herbs

 

This is my little garden hehe..

 

Menu Plan Monday

Last week was sort of a success, sort of not. Because of my weird work schedule, things just get crazy. We did eat two of the six meals. haha..........okay...more of a failure.

This week should be a little more normal however, I'm not counting on it.

Breakfasts: Noah and I are the only ones who really eat breakfast but we go through a lot! Eggs, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, english muffins, milk, orange juice
Lunches: We do mostly sandwiches because its portable since Noah is always on the go! Whole wheat bread, turkey, american cheese, egg salad, tuna, applesauce, raisins, cherry tomatoes, etc.

Monday: Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes
Tuesday: Italian chicken/Potato wedges/grilled peppers and a green veggie
Wednesday: Tacos (for Bry) Rice & Beans (for Noah)
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Dinner at a friends - bringing salad to share
Saturday: Butternut Squash/Tomato Soup/Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Sunday: Homemade Pizza

That's all for now folks!

Check out more meal plan inspiration at www.orgjunkie.com

Enfamil "Breastfeeding Support" Kit

If you are an expecting mom planning on breastfeeding your baby, AVOID all "free" baby samples from formula companies.  They are not interested in your success, only your failure.


To be successful::

1. Know that your body is MADE to feed to your child PERFECT food that will sustain them completely and exclusively for the first 6 months of their life and after that, be very foundation of their health for as long as your breastfeed.

2.  Join a La Leche League group, even if your babe is a pro at nursing. The other moms there will be vital support resources in your breastfeeding relationship. Locate a group near you!

3. Find an IBCLC (lactation consultant) with good references just in case you need to ask questions or troubleshoot issues you may come across.

4. Avoid anyone who is negative about breastfeeding. Surround yourself with moms who have breastfed successfully and if you don't know any, join Kellymom.com's online forums for support.

18 Months

My baby boy is 18 months old today!

I can't believe it. He is soo big and happy and sweet and I'm incredibly proud of him!
This is us a year ago on his first boat ride!

And Noah being a charmer ...

He helped me in the garden today.....and picked me flowers from the scallions that were growing uncontrollably next to the fence. I pulled up a lot of weeds and discovered that my lettuce is close to cutting now.



My corn and beans *just* went in. hah. Very late... Also, my attempt at starting seeds only worked half well.... my cabbage and cauliflower look good but I should have transplanted them ages ago and my tomato plants should be much bigger by now. I think I am going to buy some tomato plant seedlings instead and put them in pots next to the house.

It's hard to keep up with the garden because Noah just wants to RUN when were outside and I'm constantly keeping him from going into the road (lots of trucks and tractors moving in and out). Next year, I am going to vote for moving the garden into the fenced part of the yard... we'll see if my parents veto that or not.

---sigh--- I can't believe how big Noah is. We have conversations together.....we play, we laugh. He says so many words now...I'm not even sure how many....

Mama, Dada, Bobo (the cat), Puppy, Grandma, "didi" (Rachie), Papa, wawa (water), down, no, yeah, WOW, tractor, moo (cow), horsey (kinda..), blueberries, eggs, milk, mimi's (nummies), night night, Hi, Bye, juice, banana, ball, vroom, car, train .... etc etc.... many, many more.

Wow, that reminds me, I haven't touched his baby book in months...better get to it! I still need to print out all his pictures ..I'm doing terribly in the mommy department in that sense. Oops.

Sometimes I worry that he isn't learning as much as I could teach him because I have so little time to sit with him and talk about numbers, letters, etc. We read a lot and play a lot and he is so bright that he catches on to things very quickly so I'm sure if I focused more on teaching him, he would know and do more. It's hard to keep up... at the same time, I think that learning at his own pace and self-discovery is maybe more beneficial to him in the end. Isn't that how people learned for thousands of years before Baby Einstein?! At least the only thing he watches on tv is the theme song on the Thomas the Train video and when it ends, he promptly turns it off.

I need to get this child into music classes!! He LOVES it and has a natural rhythm and ear for it just like his daddy.... There is a music class type thing that I found a while back called Music Together... the one near me is Green Mountain Music Together. Too bad its $20 a class...thats just a little steep for a playgroup....hmm..maybe I can figure it out...I think he would absolutely love it.!

There is also Little Yogis yoga classes in Vergennes that I think he would have fun at..(and mommy too!) Those are much less, like $8 a class. Maybe we'll do that instead.

I definitely would like to get him into some more playgroups... since I'll be going to LLL soon and maybe starting a group, that should help but thats only once or twice a month. He just loves people and I think it would be great for him...

Anywayyy.. 18 months is HUGE developmentally and I'm excited to see what Noah learns next! He is becoming independent and I can really see the attachment parenting paying off in his security with Bryan and I and how confident he is as well as trusting. I also notice that he barely cries..and when he throws a tantrum, he is either hungry or tired ...I can see that more easily I think because of how attached we are. "Attachment" is NOT a bad thing! It's also good to see that time outs and firm boundaries actually help with him (as much as they can at 18 months). Its amazing how when you lovingly explain to a child and get down on their level speaking to them slowly and clearly, they get it even at a young age. Nursing is also just invaluable right now, its gives him such a security...when he gets all out of sorts and restless, he calms right down to nurse and gives me a much needed break to rest and slow down from the craziness that is running after a toddler. Afterwards he is much more calm and focused.

<3 I love him ... I hope that he becomes a kind, loving, compassionate person. I will feel so blessed if he exhibits those things. Happy 18 months sweetie pie!!!!