Namaste

I had my ob appointment this morning.  Usual stuff, measure the fundal height, check the heart beat with the doppler, and ask if I have any questions.  Of course, I rarely have an appointment when I don't have a question (or two or three or ten).  Today one of my concerns was my lower back.

I am not kidding when I tell you that I am in pain morning to night and if I happen to wake up in the middle of the night and need to go to the bathroom, I wince with almost every step I take.  When I have to lean over to get Superman out of his crib, it feels as if my whole lower back spasms.  When I am sitting on the floor playing with Superman and he decides to toddle off to another part of the house, there is a part of me that wants to plead with him to stay in one spot because getting up and down can be so painful. 

I have tried Tylenol and that did absolutely nothing.  I tried stretching and that helps a little, but I am not entirely sure I am doing the right stretches.  I tried heat and that feels good at the time, but doesn't provide any longer term changes.  I need help and I thought that physical therapy was going to be the route I would go. 

Imagine my surprise when my doctor looked right at me and said that I must find time for yoga.  She said that she has had patients completely transformed during their pregnancies because of it.

I have to admit, I did yoga for most of my pregnancy with Superman and it was amazing.  I looked forward to it every week, even when I was exhausted from teaching all day.  The problem is that it is in the afternoon and I don't have childcare.  The idea of paying an extra $25-35 every week so that I could go to yoga seemed silly (cost of class plus childcare).  So I had bought a DVD, but the only time I can really do it is when Superman is sleeping and frankly all I want to do when he is sleeping is rest.

But, the doctor said do yoga (and some other stretches she gave me) for 2 weeks and if I still didn't feel better, she would refer me to a physical therapist.   I want to feel better.  I want this pain to go away so I can enjoy my son, my pregnancy, and get back to normal a little bit.  So I tried it today.

I am so mad at myself for not doing it sooner.  My back isn't feeling better right now, in fact, it kind of hurts a little more.  But while I was doing the stretches I could feel the muscles in my back and abdomen engaging, working hard to keep my core strong.  This is exactly what I needed.  It may take the full two weeks, but I am hopeful that this may be the end of my back pain.  Fingers crossed!

Baby #2: Week 21

February 25, 2011 

How far along: 21 weeks 

Baby's size: (the length of a ) Banana 

Symptoms: Lower back pain still an issue, heart burn was MUCH better this week, having to pee A LOT!

Sleep: Still sleeping pretty well, although every so often I end up on my back and not on the pillows on an incline.  I end up waking up and have to adjust so that I can breath normally.  Also, can someone explain to S that sleeping till 7:30 would be great?  He has been waking up at 6:30 and I am exhausted!

Total Weight Gain: This week ?? I haven't weighed myself recently and I don't feel like running upstairs to weight myself so let's just say I didn't gain any this week. :)  Total gain= +3

Maternity clothes:  Yes

Best moment this week: Finding out that we were having a boy.

Movement: On Wednesday I started really feeling the baby.  I was laying down during S's afternoon nap and was feeling a ton of kicks.  It continued that evening.  Unfortunately, every time I put my hands on my belly, the baby wouldn't kick. 

Food cravings:  I tried a Shamrock Shake and it was okay, but nothing I am craving any more.  I really haven't craved anything this week. 

Gender:  BOY!!!

Labor signs: none

What I miss:  Being pain free and my word retrieval skills.  I can't believe how bad it has gotten.  I struggle to come up with the right word at least once in almost every conversation.

What I'm looking forward to:  My husband being able to feel the baby kick.

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week):  I am sure I have said this before, but the second time around is so different for me in terms of anxiousness and anticipation.  Last time I could barely wait to find out the gender that we paid to have an extra ultrasound done early.  This time around, I was fine to wait and then when it was time for the ultrasound, I was more interested in seeing a healthy baby and was going to be okay if we didn't learn the sex. 

Milestones:Feeling some great kicks and learning the gender.

Emotions:  I am crying over everything.  I cried when I read other people's blogs (like when I read that Alysha from The Tarr Pit had her baby!) or watching The Biggest Loser.  My sappiness has reached a new level!

Exercise: This wasn't a great exercise week.  I only went to Boot Camp on Wendesday (for 60 minutes) and didn't swim at all.  Next week I will get back on track!

Tandem Nursing:  
Officially over. 

Till next week!

It's a....

BOY!!!

    Today was our anatomy scan and it went great!!  We got to see him drinking amniotic fluid, sucking on his hands, and moving his arms and legs.  Everything looked great and was measuring right on.  In fact, he was measuring 21 weeks and 1 day, 2 days further than where we actually are.  

      When it was time to look for "the parts" the technician moved the wand over my belly and as it passed over that area of his body, I saw "it".  I asked if I saw what I thought I saw and she said she thought so.  Sure enough after a little bit of maneuvering, there were his boy parts loud and clear.   

    I am so thrilled to know that I am going to be a mom of two boys.  I feel  like this was absolutely the way it was supposed to be and although my husband was convinced he was going to be a girl, he is over the moon happy too.  

     Knowing that I have a healthy baby boy growing inside of me is just making me grin from ear to ear.  I really might be the happiest woman in the world right now. 

He has my piggy nose!

Not a girl...

I have to be honest, I was worried that it was going to be a girl.  Girls are great.  They are cute and you can dress them up in pretty dresses, but there are too many variables that worry me.  What if she was just like me?  Would we butt heads day after day?  Would she hate me?  I realize that all of this could still happen with my boys, but I feel like there is an increased risk with a girl.  Also, I am an outdoorsy person and would be very disappointed if I had a little girl that didn't like to get outside and get dirty.  Again, could this happen with one of my boys? Absolutely and we would figure it out.  I just think there is a great risk of it happening with a girl. 

Boy or Girl?

We are (hopefully) finding out if Baby #2 is a boy or a girl on Friday!!!!

I thought it might be fun to create a poll and see what all of you thought.  So take a minute and cast your vote!

Will Baby #2 be a boy or a girl?

• Boy
• Girl

View Results
Create a Blog Poll

Baby #2: Week 20

February 18, 2011 

How far along: 20 weeks -- HALF WAY THERE!!!

Baby's size: Cantaloupe

Symptoms:  Lower back pain is still a problem, but I haven't really done much to fix it so don't feel bad for me.  I am also having some issues with heart burn...this baby better have a lot of hair!

Sleep: I am sleeping pretty well now that I have my collection of pillows I sleep with. 

Total Weight Gain: No gain this week!! Total gain= +3

Maternity clothes:  Yes, and apparently? I look pregnant!  Love it!

Best moment this week: I posted a picture of me on my personal Facebook page of me with my belly and people said the nicest things!!  All the commenters were moms so the low self-esteem part of me wonders if they just were being nice, knowing that this part of pregnancy is tough because you start getting really big, but people aren't 100% sure you are really pregnant so they don't say anything. I am going to try and not think that way though and just take all the nice comments in. 

Movement: I am starting to feel rolls and little kicks here and there, but they are really infrequent.  I know he or she is moving because I was listening to the heart beat with the doppler at one point this week and the baby was kicking at it with all he or she had...it was really quite funny.

Food cravings:  A friend mentioned "Shamrock Shakes" on Facebook and I had no idea what they were.  Now that I know...I really want one!! Unfortunately, the McDonalds around here won't have them for another week.  Oh and Girl Scouts are out selling cookies now and I am looking forward to indulging myself with some Thin Mints.

Gender:  My husband thinks it is a girl and I think that his family has so many boys in it that I am likely to have another boy. Only one more week till we find out!

Labor signs: none

What I miss: Being able to run.  It has become obvious that my running days are really, truly over till I deliver this baby.  My heart rate shoots up too fast and is taking longer to recover so even alternating jogging and walking isn't really working anymore.  I am so disappointed!  

What I'm looking forward to: The anatomy scan on February 25th!

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week):  I have a horrible memory and I don't really remember the feelings I had when I was pregnant with Superman.  People keep asking me if the pregnancies are similar and I really don't know!  How odd is that?

Milestones: nothing really this week.

Emotions:  Doing well! 

Exercise: Doing okay with the exercise.  I have a yoga DVD and really need to find some time to use it.  My problem is that I don't want to take Superman's nap time to exercise because I am currently using it to rest.  I think it will help my back though, so I think I need to just get over it and do the DVD during his nap. 

Thursday- pregnancy water aerobics (60 minutes)
Wednesday and Friday- Baby boot camp (60 minutes each)

Tandem Nursing:  
Officially over. 

Till next week!

Please Make The Crying Stop

Okay friends, I need some help.  I am really struggling with Superman's crying/screaming fits lately. I know how to handle his tantrums when he isn't getting his way, so I want to be clear that this is not my issue.

My issue is around when he wakes up.  Most of the time it is after his second nap, but it has happened first thing in the morning and after the first nap a couple times.  It was happening just a couple times a week, but the frequency has increased to an almost daily occurrence and today it happened twice (morning and afternoon nap).

He will be okay when I walk into the room, but then when I pick him up or sit with him in the rocking chair, he freaks out.  I thought it began because he knew that a diaper change was next and he hates diaper changes.  But after changing up the routine and waiting to change the diaper, he still is freaking out. 

I tried making the wake up routine slow and comforting.  I didn't turn the light on right away, tried rocking and cuddling with him, but he still freaks out. 

He doesn't seem to be in pain, but will arch his back and kick his legs.  He doesn't want me to hold him and pushes me away, but if I put him down he freaks out more. 

I have found two things that will end the screaming.  Sesame Street and putting him in the stroller and going for a walk.  If it is raining or I am exhausted (or I have a tear stained face like today), I opt for Sesame Street even though I hate that he is watching T.V.  It isn't an instant cure, we have to cuddle for awhile (which I love) and then he eventually will crawl out of my lap and play while watching.  We usually watch for about 10 minutes and then all is good.  I know 10 minutes isn't a huge deal, but I hate the idea of creating a pattern that television fixes our problems.

If I opt for the walk, he calms down pretty quick.  I thought it was just a change of scenery, but if I just walk outside with him he won't stop crying.  It is a fine solution to our problem and most of the time don't mind using it to get him to stop.

I just want to stop them from happening at all.  I read a post over at Mommy Shorts yesterday about "Taking Down the Tantrum" and I was grateful for the advice that was given.  However, the advice doesn't really apply to this situation....or does it? Am I somehow giving in to what he wants therefore things are getting worse?

I am not kidding when I say that I am pleading for your help.  I really want you to leave me a comment and give me advice on what might be causing the tantrum when I go to get him from a nap and what I might do to extinguish it.  Please.

Just wait till he is...

I am going to go on a bit of a rant here, just to warn you.

Lately I have had several friends on Facebook post about their struggles with their kids.  Some are having tantrums, other kids are being mean to other kids, and other kids are just being playing icky.  I am going to make an assumption that they posted this information because they wanted to hear that it is going to be okay, that they are good parents, and that they will in fact survive this tough time.  Or? Maybe they just wanted someone to say, "wow that sucks, I'm sorry". 

What I am pretty sure no one wants to hear, but everyone seems to post, is, "Oh, just wait till Johnny is 4 (or 7 or 12), it is much worse".  Really people?  Really?  Do you think that is helpful? 

I finally had enough yesterday and posted this comment on my friend's status after 4 people posted that the next year would be even worse for her. 

"Some how I have a feeling that whatever stage you are at is the worst stage. You think x is bad, but then you get used to it, adjust your ways and such, but then you move on to x+1 and then all of a sudden there are new challenges and you have amnesia about when your kid was at x and how hard that was. Hope he isn't sick and that things improve tomorrow!"

What is really bad is that even though at least one person agreed with me and the original poster even thanked me, 2 more people went on to tell her that it gets worse, to try and enjoy the tantrums, and that they are just preparing her for the future and someday she will look back at these days and wish for them again.  While all this might be true, it really doesn't help her now, does it?

Why is it so hard for some people to stand in someone else's shoes for a minute and think about how their comment might be received?   If we are truly friends, don't we want to support each other and help each other through the times times? 

Am I the only one that thinks this way?  

Momma's A Mess

So the yesterday I wrote about Superman being a mess...well today is my turn. 

I like to cook and bake when the mood strikes me.  Lately the mood has struck.  I made cookies for Valentine's Day and have been patiently waiting for my bananas to ripen so I could make banana bread. 

I am a messy baker and unfortunately, it only gets worse when I am pregnant.  I forget that my belly is sticking out farther than normal and by the end of my baking expedition I am a mess!

I just finished getting the banana bread ready to bake and I honestly don't know how I do it to myself every.single.time. I have flour down the front (and to be honest I have it on my sleeves and on my pants and probably in my hair too) and then I was doing the dishes and my belly was doing it's sticking out thing and it got all soaked.

It makes me think of those Rice Crispy commercials that used to run where the mom would throw flour on herself before bringing out the Rice Crispy treats so everyone thought she slaved over them...yeah that is me, but I didn't intentionally put the flour on me.  I tried to be clean about it.  This darn belly just gets in the way.

Are you messier when you are pregnant?  Do you blame it on the belly size or just the fact that pregnancy makes you less coordinated?

A (funny) Bad Mommy Moment

Superman has taken to walking all over the downstairs during his play time.   No longer can I plop myself down in the living room and play with him...no, playtime includes following him around making sure he doesn't get into anything he isn't suppose to while allowing him to explore independently. 

If you have (or had) a toddler, I imagine this sounds familiar. 

But rather than jumping into the end of the story, here is what happened first:

It was a normal day, he was toddling around pushing the kitchen chairs, pulling dishtowels out of the drawer, playing with the boxes I had put into the recycling container, running down the hall, taking almost every.single.shoe out of the storage bench that we have near the front door, and then returning back to the kitchen to explore the dog dish.

Oh dog dish...how I hate thee.  Superman LOVES water and wants to take any opportunity to play in it.  That has made the dog dish very appealing. I think that he sort of understands that he isn't supposed to play in it, but the time-outs we tried just never seemed to stick with him and he would just try and play with it the next day.  (Side note: I think he is just showing us that he is too young for time-outs. Anyone have any thoughts on this?)

So to avoid him getting opportunities to play in the water, but not going crazy anytime he goes near it, I watch him closely and the moment he goes for the water is when I intervene. 

So here I was watching him near the dog dish, there is a chair in my direct line of sight but I was just waiting for him to bend over to say, "no" and I could see his head easily.  It doesn't take long and I say, "no water".  Miraculously he turns and decides to walk back to me. 

Then I notice it...water on his shoe.  I think he must have put his foot into the water so I pick him up to take off the shoe when I realize that his shoe was not the only thing that ended up in the water. 

When I was sitting there waiting for him to bend over to touch the water?  Yeah, he was already in the water with one foot!  When he bent down, he actually SAT in the water!  So now I am holding one drenched toddler and despite my desire to be mad at him for getting into the water (and for me for not seeing it), I just had to laugh...

This may be the first time he has ended up a mess from one of his explorations, but it certainly won't be his last.  I think keeping a sense of humor about it all will help me be a better (sane) parent. 

Please leave me a comment, I want to hear your (funny) bad mommy moments!  

Baby #2: Week 19

February 12, 2011 

How far along: 19 weeks 

Baby's size: mango

Symptoms: I continue to have some lower back pain, which got a little bit worse with my fall yesterday (if you don't know what I am talking about you can read about it here).  I have some other discomforts in the lower abdomen area which are now worse due to the fall as well, but laying low yesterday evening really helped with that.  Indigestion has joined me once again and strangely, seems to be made worse by drinking cranberry juice.

Sleep: The end of the week was MUCH better than the beginning of the week.  At the beginning of the week, Superman decided to struggle with sleeping and I spent a night on his floor (probably wasn't great for my back), but he is back to normal and I am sleeping well.

Total Weight Gain: +3  Yes, I gained 2 pounds this week.  I am so not happy about this given the amount of exercise I did.

Maternity clothes:  Yes. 

Best moment this week:  I scheduled my anatomy scan for February 25th!

Movement: none really this week...can't wait till it is a regular occurrence

Food cravings: Milk and cake...the cake craving just started today.  I made some fat free, sugar free pudding in hopes to satisfy this craving. Fingers crossed that it works.

Gender:  My husband thinks it is a girl and I think that his family has so many boys in it that I am likely to have another boy.

Labor signs: none

What I miss: being slightly less clumsy  

What I'm looking forward to: The anatomy scan on February 25th!

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week):  I have lost all my physical grace this week and just feel pregnant and clumsy.

Milestones: nothing really this week.

Emotions:  Doing well!  I was impressed with how little I freaked out about the fall.  

Exercise: I am back at it!
Tuesday and Thursday- pregnancy water aerobics (60 minutes each)
Wednesday and Friday- Baby boot camp (55 minutes each)

Tandem Nursing:  
Officially over. 

Till next week!

Clumsy

Who thought it was a good idea to make  pregnant women, despite being more "delicate", more clumsy?  I am already so clumsy when I am not pregnant!

Today? I fell at boot camp!   We were side stepping around in a circle and my feet got all tangled.  Next thing I knew I was hurdling towards the ground.  Fortunately, my knee and hip hit and not my abdomen.  Unfortunately, I am in some pain.  Initially it was just my ego that was hurt, but over the last couple hours my lower abdomen has been a crampy (not contractions).

I think I am okay.  I found the heart beat with my doppler and I don't have any bleeding.  But since I am all sore, I gave the doctor a call.   Not surprisingly, they want to be cautious, so I will head to the doctor's later today. I am also to stay off my feet for the next 24 hours.  Thankfully my husband can work from home so that he can help me with Superman and so I can go to the appointment without having to get a sitter or drag S along. 

Not surprisingly, I fell when I was pregnant with Superman.  Although that time wasn't my fault, I was guest teaching in classroom and went to sit on a broken stool....only I didn't know it was broken.  Fun times!

At any rate, I went into the doctor that time as well.  They check things out, made sure everything was good, and everyone felt better about the situation.  So I am glad that I am going in this time around too. 
I will update this post later today/tonight with how I am doing.

UPDATE: 

All is well!  Of course, we knew it would be, but it was nice to be sure.  We listened to the baby and she checked my cervix.  She said based on the pain I had, it was mostly muscular and I needed to rest.  She asked if lying down made me feel better and I sheepishly admitted that although I had been resting and sitting down, I had not really been laying down. So she told me to go home, lay down, and take it easy this weekend.  I thought it would be easy since my husband is home, but it is hard to just lay here. I am using the time to research double strollers and mini-vans. :) 

Hope you have a great evening!

Hamster dust at the playground? A rant.

Just a quick rant for the day...

What the heck were the people thinking that put hamster dust underneath all the park equipment at several of the parks around town?  You know what I am talking about, the stuff you put in the cages of hamsters, gerbals, rats, or guinea pigs.  It sticks to everything and since it absorbs water (or pee) so well, it stays wet days after the last rain. 

I can't be the only one that hates this stuff.  Can anyone justify why they use it? 

Baby #2: Week 18

February 5, 2011 

How far along: 18 weeks 

Baby's size: sweet potato

Symptoms:  Back pain and tired 

Sleep: I started using the pregnancy pillow (the c shaped one) and that seems to be helping me.  I have had to nap at the same time as Superman a couple times this week because I was so tired.  I think tired is just going to be my state of being for a while.

Total Weight Gain: I think I am still up 1 pound, although my doctor told me on Monday that I had lost 2 pounds since the last time I was there.  Basically? I am about the same as before I got pregnant. 

Maternity clothes:  Yes. 

Best moment this week:  I scheduled my anatomy scan for February 25th!

Movement:I felt one kick this week (yesterday in fact).  I have a tilted uterus and I don't think it has corrected itself yet.  When I use my doppler, the heart beat is softer than it was when the baby was lower.  I spoke to the doctor about how I haven't been feeling the baby and asked if the tilted uterus could be to blame (or if it was all my chub in my belly).  Her answer, "it's possible".  She also said many moms don't feel the baby till much later.  She struggled to get the heart beat strong as well, but reassured me (not that I needed reassuring) that as long as they can find the heart beat, all is well.  So I am just going with the fact that this baby is tucked away safely.

Food cravings: I am not really craving anything.  In fact I am having a hard time eating because nothing sounds good. 

Gender:  My husband thinks it is a girl and I think that his family has so many boys in it that I am likely to have another boy.

Labor signs: none

What I miss: nothing this week  

What I'm looking forward to: The anatomy scan on February 25th!

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week):  I have come to accept my state of being tired.  I don't think it is going to get better any time soon so I am just going to keep plugging away, one day at a time.

Milestones:  Feeling a kick and scheduling the anatomy scan

Emotions:  Not bad this week.  I feel pretty solid, in fact.

Exercise:  Another bad week with exercise. 
Baby Boot camp-NONE-- I know, it is awful.  Here are my excuses: Monday- I had my OB appointment, Wednesday- Superman was sick/tired and too cranky to go, and Friday- he was still not perfect so I wanted him to have a great nap and that meant staying home.  
Walking with Superman about 30 minutes onTuesday
Pregnancy Water Aerobics: 60 minutes on Thursday  (SO glad to be back in the pool!)

Tandem Nursing:  
Officially over. 

Till next week!

The Line Between Walking and Not

So where exactly is the line between a walker and a non-walker?  Is there gray area?  What do you call it?  There needs to be a scale that accurately describes where our children are in the learning to walk process.  (Note: Yes, I realize that this is silly and a bit obsessive.  Hopefully you realize that this is my personality and just go with it.)

The last couple days he will be walking around and I think, "He is so a walker now."  But he still can't stand up with out pulling up on something and his limit is about 10-15ish steps (given no dogs are in his way).  

But his mentality has changed.  Rather than cruising along furniture to get from one place to another, he will walk there.  Rather than crawling to me, he will find a place to stand up and then walk to me.  When he is walking, he has learned how to change directions (left or right) pretty successfully so if he is heading straight down the hall and thinks he is going to fall, he will make a right or left turn so he can regain his balance along the wall.  He can also stop walking and just stand still....and then? He will start walking again! 

So at what point did you start telling people that your kid was walking?  Is it about the number of steps they can take, about their ability to stand up completely independently, or a both?  I would hate to preemptively state that he is walking when there is a general guideline for when this is okay. That would be awful!  heehee

(Note: I am only mildly serious here.  I am curious about when people declare that their child is walking and what that looks like.  I am not worried about my son nor am I really worried about what to call this thing he is doing.  Please take this post lightheartedly as it is intended.)

Sniff, Sniff, Snuggle

In the last month or so Superman has become so much more cuddly!! But his cuddles aren't just normal hugs and snuggles.  They involve sniffing me.  A lot.  Sometime, with his mouth wide open.  I end up with wet spots on my upper arm, on my boob, on my shoulder...you get the idea.  Is this normal?

He doesn't do this with my husband, so it makes me think it has something to do with him weening.  When I was nursing, the focus was always on him getting enough milk.  But is it possible that it was much more to him?  Is he trying to make up for the lack of closeness now that he isn't nursing?  

Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining.  He is totally cute when he does it and I love the extra cuddle time. It just seems like an interesting way to get cuddles.  

Please tell me that I am not alone in this!!