Chesterfield Berry Farm - Strawberry Picking!

Last year was so much fun, I couldn't wait for a repeat this year:
Chesterfield Berry Farm - Strawberry Picking!

This year we invited Charlie to go with us (and his mom and dad, Brian and Dawn) along with Lillian & Sullivan (with their mom and dad, Nikki & Carter... not to mention baby sister, Eleanor!). Believe it or not we all got out of our houses ON TIME and we all ended up arriving within a matter of minutes of one another. We were all parked in close proximity and got the show on the road... right away!

We decided to take our time to get to the strawberry fields (I learned from last year that waiting to get the berries at the end works well so you don't have to carry them around with you). We visited the "Bouncy Castle"... we saw bunnies, goats, chickens, and cows... some went for a tractor-pulled train ride... and one of us caught the pig races (that would be me!).

Eventually the clamor for strawberry picking took over and we lined up for the hay ride on over. Sullivan started to have a small meltdown as we got underway (Nikki and Eleanor had to stay behind and wait for us)... but he quickly rhythmically moaned himself into a state of calm and seemed to enjoy it!

I took no less then 300 photos of each and every single moment (of course!) while we managed to pick just over $31 worth of berries (my God, really??? I think it was just over 15lbs when it was weighed, gulp!).

The kids ate their weight in berries and everyone was very content... and yet still hungry for real food. We all stayed for a hot dog or BBQ sandwich. The kids had a giggly lunchtime together followed by some play time in a Corn Pit on the farm ( a hollowed silo filled with corn feed for the kids to romp in. It was hilarious.. Evie loved to thrust her arms deep into the corn or fell over trying to walk in it. She made "corn angels" and threw some up over her head. All. Great. Fun.

And in other stupid newsletters...

All About You

Your uterus is getting busy this week. You've probably been experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions as your body gets ready for labor. These contractions are usually painless or even pleasurable, similar to contractions you might feel after orgasm. Speaking of which, if you ramp up your sex life a bit now, the prostaglandins in your partner's semen will help ripen your cervix for labor. In fact, sex is one of the natural ways to help jumpstart labor. Sounds great... in theory. With your sore back, bloated feet, sluggish bowels, and general discomfort, getting your groove on might be the last thing on your mind.

http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy/week/article/38th-week-pregnancy

Baby Book... started.

Decided to get a leg-up while I have some time to spare. I started filling out what I could in Schwally's baby book. Its both helpful that I keep a blog (so I can go back and get dates/info to jot down in the book) and also silly that I have all this info archived in this blog (how can I print out all these entries and bind them for future reference? Why am I just re-writing all this into a baby book?).

I feel bad that the sections that talk about "How mommy and daddy prepared for my arrival!" really have nothing worth mentioning considering we didn't do any prep at all with him being baby #2. And the section about "Parties people held for mommy and daddy!" are blank with no gifts (Baby Showers are for first-time babies).... we have a lot of great hand-me-downs worth mentioning but will he feel slighted compared to Evie's plethera of gifts (?), boo. And lastly, the section about "What mom and dad did to celebrate when they found out about me!"... how does one say we didn't celebrate for months after having experienced a miscarriage just 4-5 months earlier.
Bah!
Thank goodness baby #2 is a boy cause... I really think I am over-thinking all this. Boys don't care about such silliness (do they?). And, even still, I'm an only child. I bet most seconds understand the laws of hand-me-downs and re-purposing baby stuff. Right? Right. Just as long as we draw the line on re-purposing Evie's pink frilly dresses. ;-)

37 Week Check-Up

I have no idea what I measured... I was too busy asking questions about the C-Section! I also never asked about my dialation and effacement... cause... again... I'm having a C-Section (who cares!).
I can say this, my Strep B test came back positive... which, means nothing cause I'm drum roll, please) having a C-Section!
(Wow, why am I even going to the doctor for check-ups if nothing matters?)
I managed to gaine 1.5 lbs in the last week, too. Weight gain is so odd... it took me 2 weeks to gain .5lbs but only 1 week to gain 1.5lbs. Go figure. So, I'm up about 26.5lbs overall with 2 weeks to go...

I asked about Rob being able to cut the cord. Can't... cause I'm having a C-Section (boo!)
I also asked about the circumcision. Not much to report there except that he'll be getting one (yes, yes... I feel terrible for him pain-wise but I honestly do believe in it overall so we'll all get through this OK).
So... one more check-up to go next Thursday...

First Chocolate Easter Bunny

I might have gotten Evie a very small bunny last year but I really can't recall. She would have been over 2.5 years and I was probably still trying to curb the candy addiction at that time. After having a year of pre-school under her belt... I've given that all up. We are bombarded with candy all the time. OK, maybe that's my fault... I am a candy addict, everyone knows this.
We must have at LEAST 2 lbs of candy in full rotation at all times. I keep a big bowl by the kitchen door and Evie is actually very good at not getting into it or going bonkers for candy throughout the day... granted she asks for a piece of candy every night after dinner, but it's always just one piece and then she's done.

This year's Easter Basket was... full.

I had, *ahem*... the Easter Bunny had, filled her basket with a large chocolate bunny, Nerds, Sweet Tart bunnies, Skittles, a few plastic eggs with more candy, a small Rapunzel doll, princess-themed socks, head bands, princess band-aids, princess toothbrushes, princess lip gloss, and a stuffed basket filled with play vegetables ('cause the bunny knows Evie's into playing house lately, and frankly, those are the kinds of foods a bunny likes).

So that was all Easter Sunday morning, April 24th (the morning after staying up all night vomiting... needless to say we took our time about diving into any treats that day).

A few days after Easter I goaded Evie to take a bite of her bunny. She eagerly ate off his ears... and then (even more enthusiastically) chomped off his candy eyes. She seemed to like the candy bits better than the chocolate. I remember liking chocolate as a kid but preferring candy, too. so this wasn't a total shock to me. The part that WAS a shock was that after I cut off some more for her to eat before packing it away... she handed a piece to me... a piece to her dad... and then she left behind a piece on the table because she was "done."
Who's child IS THIS?

Men's underwear

Yes, I am wearing my husband's boxers to bed... its come to this.

The Easter "Swallows"

Saturday night. About 12:29AM.
"Mommy!"
"What?"
"Turn my stars on!" Evie has a turtle night light that turns itself off after 30 minutes. We keep it up high on a shelf where only we can turn out when she goes to sleep. I reluctantly roll over.. walk on over and flip on the lights.

Its now just after 1AM and I am awoken by noises. I hear verbal sounds that Evie's making, but I can't make it out. "Evie!" I yell, "What are you doing?"
"I'm swallowing!" she yells back.
Now, back-story time, Evie sucked down a Hersey's strawberry milk box & container of goldfish right after we got in the car en route for Ohio last July. I brought these treats to snack on within the next 2 hours (right before she was to fall asleep for our night-time drive) but she saw them and insisted on having them. She had just eaten a very filling dinner. Twenty minutes into the drive she upchucked all over herself. Fortunately, the car seat caught all of it... like a bucket. Unfortunately she was now sitting in it... absorbing it all and completely freaked-out. We cleaned up at the nearest truck stop and decided to end the road trip... we went back home for the night (the smell was unbearable just 5 minutes later... there's no way any of us would have survived a 9hr car ride). Evie referred to all of this as "swallowing" since that's what she was doing before, well, she threw-up! I tried to explain it all to her but the term "swallowing" has stuck ever since.

I jump out of bed and yell at Rob to follow me.
I grab Evie just under her arms (she is sitting prone and throwing up atop her comforter). I carry/walk her to the bathroom and she promptly pukes in the toilet (holding the handles of her little potty seat which is still in position on the toilet. Its both cute and horribly sad at the same time).
"I'm done." she says standing up. I coax her to sit down on her step stool. I fix up a warm wash cloth and wipe of her face. I teach her how to rinse out her mouth with some water and we walk together back to bed. I thought I had caught her in time but the site of Rob standing amongst soiled bed linens reveals how wrong I am. Evie and I sit on the edge of the bed... she is ghastly pale... I pull her into my and she doesn't resist. Poor thing.

We only had to whisk away a bed pad (for night-time potty training) and the comforter so, the clean-up wasn't too bad. We laid Evie back down and covered her up while Rob explained why he was putting her trash can on the floor next to her. Evie was as calm and collected as can be (frankly, it was both awesome she was handling this all so well and slightly unnerving that a kid just under 4 years old remained so collected about such a yucky hing to experience!).
I tell Evie that I don't think she'll need the bucket (I don't want her to panic about it being there and work herself up over nothing) and she nodded OK... and smiled.

We go to bed. Rob starts to drift off... I have my mom ears on. I wake up when I hear scuffling about 30 minutes later. I race into her room and Rob's close on my heels. I find Evie hunched over the edge of the bed with her face over the trash can. Poor thing is vomiting so forcibly that she's straining and coughing. Whatever was in her stomach is really getting the boot at this point. Rob hits the lights and Evie stops... tears down her face. I tell Rob to get a washcloth and I wipe her up. We go to the bathroom and rinse out her mouth... we go back to bed. I stroke her hair and she looks up at me proud as can be, "I didn't get any on my nightgown!" Man, this girl is brave.
I turn out the light and tell Evie I think she's done for the night and I really do believe this... but I still take ashort while to fall back to sleep.

Another 30 minutes later and I was in a light doze when I hear Evie scuffle again.
Rob's out cold.
I jump out of bed again and yell at Rob to follow me. I find Evie is laying flat-out on her belly with her hands on the edge of the trash can... face completely down in the can. I hold her hair back ( a little too late... but it was clean-up-able). Its not very much at all and this has got to be the final sicktime tonight. Evie sits up and asks for water. She rinses and spits in the can before taking a small sip. She lays back and again is very proud of herself for doing a good job (as well as she should be!) I mop up her hair with the cloth and pin her hair back just in case we have a 4th event.
I shower Evie with accolades - seriously, what a brave & big girl to be handling this all like a champ - and we say good night.

8AM and Evie wakes up. She slept in for an extra hour (thank goodness, we all needed that extra time).
"Mommy! There's something on the table!"
The Easter Bunny left a huge basket of treats: princess socks, princess tooth brushes, head bands, skittles, gummy bunnies, nerds candies, a small Rapunzel doll, a big chocolate bunny and a few candy-filled plastic eggs. SCORE.

Easter day is spent running errands with mom (she was a GEM at the grocery store playing with her new doll)... I am amazed what a trooper this kid is. I take Evie's temp mid-day and she is running around 100.4 but is keeping up with everything just fine.... so we all 3 go to DSW (I had free money for a birthday gift that expired today!), World Market ($10 birthday coupon that expires today!) and Tom Leonards (dinner supplies!) before heading home around 3:30PM. We read 2 stories with popsicles in hand and we ALL crash out for about an hour long nap.

Too bad the night leading up to today was rough ...but today... was great.

Easter Brunch

I decided to host an Easter Brunch at our house. It was excuse to have an egg hunt... to dye eggs... to see friends before baby #2 gets here... and to relish n the joys of what Easter is (candy!). *wink*

I served up coffee, muffins and an egg/sausage casserole (that for some reason took Way-y-y longer than it should have to cook). Davis & Catherine made "fairy cakes" (angel food with strawberries and whipped cream!), Kelly & Eric made crepes! and Dany & Greg brought fresh fruit. Some hard-boiled eggs were also brought to accompany the 18 or so I boiled the night before. Catherine also brought over even more eggs for the egg hunt (I *think* we ended up with some 36 eggs or more just for Duncan and Evie... sheesh!).

The morning began with egg dying during brunch. We found that if we abandoned this activity and left the eggs (more like forgot about), the colors were amazing. Ha!




After some breakfast we tore up the front lawn in a matter of seconds... hiding that many eggs in that small a space was rather silly. Evie and Duncan were like guided missiles all over the yard. It was cute and hilarious to watch.




Candy eggs were torn open and the bounty was calculated.


All and all, a great kick-off to the Easter Weekend!

Evie's First Dream: The Blue Baby

"Mommy!"
Its 1:44AM.
"Yes!" I shout back just as clear as day since she startled me into complete alertness.
"There's a baby in my bed," she yells.
"OK, well, ...I dunno Evie," I begin to zone out realizing I've been awoken for a stupid reason.
"Mo-o-om (like a teenager would exasperate). There's a BABY in my BED!"
"OK, well, ...what do you want me to do about it?" I look over to see Rob now sitting up. I tell him that she went to bed with no toys in her bed so I have no idea what she's talking about. He trudges into her room as she yells back.
"There's a blue baby in my bed!"
Um, OK, a BLUE baby... now I'm kinda freaked-out. "Well," I reply, "Play with him or tell him to go away."
Evie,"Get this baby out of my bed!"

There's a long pause while Rob handles the situation. He returns with very little to report and we quickly fade back into a deep sleep. The next morning I ask for some details.

"So, what's this about a blue baby? In your bed?" I'll admit, the thought of the kid from The Sixth Sense comes to mind.
"Yeah, he was behind my headboard."
I ask more,"What was he doing back there?"
"He was sneaking around the room like this and then he went like this behind my bed!" Evie freeze-frames in a position as if she were running and someone yelled out "red light!" She has her tongue sticking out and eyes wide... her fingers spread apart... its completely silly like a pose a Disney cartoon would take if a spotlight suddenly shone on them.

We all kinda laugh.
I'll admit I was a little freaked-out at the thought of a blue baby making his appearance just two weeks before a real baby is to make his appearance in this house... but I guess at least she wasn't having night terrors or mad at the baby for doing something awful to her stuff I her room.
One thing's for sure, this is the first real dream Evie has ever shared with us... and it sure was interesting.

The mixed-up language & musings of a near 4-year-old

Translating what Evie says into what she means can be a hilarious ride.

Latest highlights include:
"Mommy (exasperated) I very want to go to the park!"

"Mommy, these commercials don't know I'm trying to watch my show!"

"Mommy, is that a bat?" I ask what she is talking about. She continues with her hand to her ear, "Do you hear it? Listen. Its a squeaking sound...."
*silence*
Evie starts making a squeaking sound. I listen harder imagining how awful its going to be when we have to go get rabies shots. Then I hear it... its a crow in the distance outside... and I tell her such. I then ask, "How do you know about bats?" Answer, "From Scooby Doo." Ah, yes. the intro song to Scooby Doo... such an educational theme.

Evie, "Mommy, sit with me."
Me, "Baby, I have to get ready for work."
Look of shear genius on her face, "I know! You can work at home!"
Me, "No, I have to sit in front of a computer all day ....and you'll want to do things with me."
Evie, "Why do you do that?"
Me, "For money. So I can buy you things."
Evie, questioning, "Buy me things?"
Me, "Yeah."
*pause*
Evie, "I want a purse."

"That tickles my foots."

Photo: 36 Weeks today

Only 3 more weeks for me! Ah, the confidence and convenience of having a C-Section. I feel like a cheater and yet I also don't feel like a cheater when someone goes over their due date by a week (or more!)... that's just cruel Mother Nature!

I am 36 weeks today and just went in for my 1st of the final 4 visits (although, I'll just have a final 3 visits).
I am only .5lbs more than 2 weeks ago! I have absolutely no idea how that has happened considering yesterday's lunch was peanut-butter on toast with a fruit juice & ice cream. All crap/garbage food. I eat candy like a teenager on Halloween night and I scarf convenience foods cause they're... well... convenient. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining... just amazed that you can physically see my stomach expanding and yet the numbers on the scale do not move... make zero sense to me.
So, in conclusion, by my estimates... I have gained 25lbs so far with this pregnancy. That's roughly where I was at this point with Evie. Interesting!

I am measuring at 37 weeks (means nothing, really, for all you soon-to-be moms who think that just means you'll have the kid sooner... you won't necessarily!).

I am .3cm dialated and 30% effaced.... again, means nothing unless you are actually in labor!

OK, this post is making me hungry. I'm off to get a burrito. Hmmm....

What's in a Name?

Decisions, Decisions.

With Evie we listed about 8 names and after finding out most were VERY popular, we landed on Eve after I played on Baby Name Voyager.
After I picked her name from the list... I discovered my mom's list that she had for me & put them both in Evie's keepsake baby book.
Cue the heartfelt Hallmark muzak.

With Schwally... the decision is just so different.
Rob and I loved, I mean LOVED the name "Jack" after I overheard a mother call after her son while at the eye doctor... back when we were dating. But now, here we are a decade later, and the name is so very popular (and even used by close friends) that we just can't do it. Boo.
Back to the drawing board.
Rob threw out the name "Owen" pretty quickly as a counter to my "Henry." I considered it... I liked it and we hadn't really discussed anything else for a long time. We shared "Owen" with many and somehow it became a done deal.
But...
I'm not 100% sold. Ugh, the agony over this is getting so ridiculous.
I love the name "Owen", but I am left wondering how it sounds as a complete name. When you spend your life having to say your first & last name together over the phone... you get sensitive to "mouthful" names.

Evie's sold on Owen. Somewhere along the way (after over hearing us sharing this name with many people who ask) she has come to understand that we "call him Schwally... but his real name is Owen."
Evie is borderline distraught at my attempts to unravel what we've done.
I told her this past week, "Evie, what if we don't name your baby brother Owen? What if we named him... Max?"
She laughed at this... Evie only knows the TV Show 'Max and Ruby' and cannot conceive of anyone sharing a name... she thinks I am joking.
I then suggest, "What about Henry?"
Now Evie gets mad, "Henry's in my class!" She, again, thinks I am teasing her and isn't liking that I'm changing something she thought we were firmly settled on.
Evie changes the subject... so much for that.

Rob calls to tell me that he overheard Evie tell someone, "His name is Owen... but mommy likes Max."
Interesting... maybe I can still keep my options open (or Evie can)...

Only 3 more weeks till a final decision must be made.
Daunting.

Conversation with Natalie

I call Natalie who had, in November, described a pain she had in her 9th month. A pain that sounded awful.
Me: "Hey."
Natalie: "What's up?"
Me: "You remember telling me about that pain you had? In your pelvis? The one where you couldn't walk?"
Natalie: "Yeah. The one that felt like an ice-pick jabbing into your bones?"
Me: (gulping, 'cause YES, that is the feeling. And, although I have found someone who shares in my pain,... it's someone who experienced this pain off/on for an entire month until the baby was born) "Yeah, that's the feeling. Its like someone sticking an ice-pick into your bone... right where my right leg hinges into my pelvis. And its just on the right side... where the baby sits. If I'm up on my feet for only 2-3 hours and then I sit for awhile... its like I lock-up and can't walk! If I lift my leg to take a step, it takes my breathe away until I put it back down again... if I can even lift it. Rob's helped me to the bedroom twice when this has happened... its horrible!"
Natalie: "Yeah, that's it. Remember when I told you about trying to shop... realizing I couldn't walk and leaving the store?"
Me: "Yeah?"
Natalie: "That was it."

Great.
Only 3 weeks to go and 37 things to do between now and then.
Pregnancy the second-time 'round is hard!
http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/ask-heidi/pelvic-pain.aspx

A Day at Maymont

Alycia came in town for an overnight with baby Ryan. It was the first time for a visit in a l-o-n-g time (well, them coming outto our neck-in-the-woods at least). After a ridiculously long traffic jam en route here, the ladies arrived in the rainy evening and stayed overnight to enjoy a beautiful today.
Alycia, Evie and I enjoy a coffee shop breakfast this morning (with guest star Tim Kaine! He lives 'round these parts) before grabbing a freshly nap-rested Ryan and heading off to Maymont Park. We toured some petting zoo goats and chickens. We walked down the very steep hillside (read: 35.5 weeks pregnant!) to where the foxes, owls and eagles are all rescued. Evie and I shared a cherry snowcone, we all watched the bears and picked many flowers before walking back uphill and heading out ...homeward bound.

W-O-W. I caught a profile of myself in the restrooms moments before this picture was taken so, yes, I am aware of my enormity. I still can't tell if its the shirt that makes me look huge or if I truly AM this huge.

Evie and I kept giggling that Ryan looks like she's excited to nibble on a piece of poo she found (to be fair I think its one of those "gumballs" from the trees).

Ah, the goats! They come running for outstretched hands and then quickly leave if you don't have a hand-out for them...

Dear Schwally,

One month.
Just one more month till we meet face-to-face.
I tore open the doctor's letter eagerly knowing that inside would be the official date & time that you would enter this world. It's funny to think this decision is made for you... and done so to accommodate all people involved (not at all including you). Your sister suffered this same pre-determined fate. This "having no input" on when she'd be born. But hers was much more unsettling when it was scheduled. She had to arrive here via C-Section... yours is more a matter of convenience.
I have a feeling much of your life will be a little more at your expense than your sister's life has been... let me go ahead and apologize for that now. You will probably be dragged around when you'd rather be sitting. You will have someone whining while you are trying to nap. Your space on my lap will be split with your sister who isn't sure about letting you have all the limelight. And, you may be left to cry a little longer than your sister cause, let's be honest, there's a lot going on in this house and a lot less patience all around.
But its not all bad. You've been eavesdropping these last few months - you should be pretty well prepared for what to expect (minus the visuals).
You get your own bedroom. Yes, much of it is hand-me-downs but I assure you that you will neither notice nor care much. Once we know what it is that you like (your sister LOVES pink and anything having to do with princesses) we'll be sure to have stuff for you to have as your very own (cars? trains? dinosaurs? Maybe even super heroes... oh your daddy would be so excited!).
The weather should be beautiful when you are forced to leave your climate-controlled environment. Spring is great for sunshine, small breezes and being snuggled in a blanket. Your sister never had that - she was here in the peak of hot season... snuggling was at a minimum and did not include fluffy blankets.
You already have your first trip planned. You'll be going back to the very location where your existence even began... the beach! We'll take a family trip to the Outer Banks and we are all very hopeful that you love it as much as we all do. You've already got a little sun tent and new clothes for this special vacation... I can't wait to have you see the ocean for the very first time! Well, ok, to be fair your vision might not be the best for long-distance sight-seeing but you'll look back at photos from this trip and see it, wink!
I've been spending time with Evie getting prepared for your arrival. She is very good with babies, but, be prepared... she's going to be very jealous of the time you spend with, well, everyone. I do hope you don't take it personally. Frankly, you won't know any different (sorry about never having the experience of having mommy and daddy all to yourself like Evie's had for nearly 4 years). I'm not worried that you won't take it in stride... so far you've been pretty easy while in my belly (albeit strong!). I just want you to know that we all have a lot to learn and that you remain understanding. Mom and dad will be much more relaxed with you after having a baby in the house once before so this will be an advantage never felt by your big sister. But mom and dad never had to juggle two personalities seeking help so there may be some rough times ahead. We'll get through it.
Dad has been sharing videos with your big sister from when she was little. Its amazing to think about how much she has accomplished in 4 short years... and how long ago many of these feats seem when we watch them on screen. Your daddy and I are excited to see how you'll tackle big moments like crawling, giggling, walking, hiding, eating big people food and saying "mommy" or "daddy!" We are also going to try our best to let you do things your way, too. We pushed Evie... oh you will get pushed, too! But I am going to try and let you be your own person with no comparison to your bigger sister. Nothing makes your mommy more upset then one kid being in the shadow of another. So, let me just say for the record, I will try and let you be your own little person. I might point out how you two are different but I will let you explore your world in the fashion you like just as how your sister has decided to explore her world through music, being silly, coloring and close observations.
Your sister and I just went through her "Baby's First Month" photo album (you'll have one, too!) and I tried to explain to her that she, too, was once in my belly. She often eagerly holds my belly and yells to you, "Kick my hand, Schwally!" so she knows all about you. She didn't know that she once had the same beginning. Incidentally, she's the one who named you Schwally.
I wonder who you'll look like. Looking in that photo album of Evie when she was first born brought back a lot of memories... mostly ones filled with anxiety. I remember everyone saying she looked like your daddy and, boy, did she ever. She's really changed a lot since then so its hard for me to see Evie in that newborn face. I really wonder if you'll look like daddy... or me... or Evie! And then wonder how you'll change as you grow up. I wonder if you'll be a redhead like Evie and me... or if you and daddy will both be the brunettes in the family. I wonder if you'll have my long oval shaped head. I wonder if you'll have your dad's wide shoulders. I already know you have your daddy's feet! We actually had two more ultrasounds with you (one very recently)... and we saw your toes on the last one! So there's one mystery solved! Daddy apologizes for this... he doesn't have the best feet. :-)
I hope you hold my hand. I could just cry at how badly I want you to squeeze my fingers. Me and Evie weren't very snuggly with each other when she was little... she snuggles up now when we read books or watch shows. But, I really hope you are snuggly with me when you get here. I want you to be independent, adventurous and courageous... just not all in the first weeks, please!
I want you to know that you will be very loved. Its hard to imagine just how much but I know, after all the time we've waited for you to be here,... its going to be big.
See you in 4 weeks,
Love, mom.

...and a date is set...

Rob handed my yesterday's mail this morning. I received my letter confirming my 10AM C-section appointment for May 11. Suddenly this whole thing I have been experiencing is real... and I spend the rest of the morning cleaning the shower grout with a toothbrush.
Ack!
A small private freak-out about what time remains... and I am feeling ok again.

It turns out that I'll now have the C-section on a Wednesday morning. And C-sections now involve some hospital bloodwork/testing done 24hrs beforehand. (Funny how much has changed in just 4 years). This leaves me questioning if I should just leave my workplace on Friday the week before (cause, ... why would I work on just a Monday right before a 12 week leave?). My calendar suddenly needs slight re-working.
I feel so unprepared for what I have been preparing for for months. Funny, I really must have prego-brain to be surprised at this point...

34 Week Check-Up

OK, again, I'm technically seeing my doctor 1 day before so I'm really 33weeks 6 days... but whatever... at this point he just gets fatter, its not like 1 day makes that pivotal of a difference!
The doctor got a new digital scale! Yeah, 21st century! It read 164.6 and I think I was about 140lbs when I got pregnant (but they wrote down 142lbs at my 9 week check-up... I swear I packed that on in carbs o keep from puking so I like to say I was really 140lbs). So, I have put on about 25.5lbs so far. That's not too bad given the amazing amount of pure candy/dessert crap I have managed to consume in this pregnancy verses when I was carrying Evie...
So, again, I'm at 34weeks but measuring at 35.5weeks. That's rather consistent with this pregnancy... I seem to always be off by about a week.
The doctor said he is still head down and has his butt curled up against the same side of my belly that Evie favored. I'm super curious why my babies like to hang out on my right side... there's got to be some hidden meaning to this, right?
I told the doctor I wanted a morning timeslot for my C-section above all else. I even told him I didn't care if it was, gasp!, Friday the 13th! I just want a morning slot, period. They scheduled me for 3PM with Evie and by the time they gave her to me that night... it was 9PM... and that all counted as 1 of 3 days in the hospitol. F that S. If I am paying some $700 a night for such fancy accomodations... I demand an early check-in. Harumphf!
Fortunately, my doctor finds my hysterical and not at all a pain-in-the-ass so I think he'll make my request happen. So, stay tuned, I go back in 2 weeks (April 21) and we should have a date set by then!

Dry Nights = Big-Girl Panties to Bed

Evie's worn pull-ups to bed since completing her potty-training this time last year. I haven't been in a rush at all to "hurry her along" to giving up the training pull-ups considering I was a bed-wetter after her age. Why rush such things? Might as well wait until her bladder was ready.
We've had many dry pull-ups in the last 6 months but the past 2 months we've been really seeing many dry nights. We told her we needed 5 nights in a row. So... this past week she did it!
Yesterday we made up a fresh bed with a special pee-pee guard atop the sheets. Evie got to pick out any panties and nightgown she wanted. We then went to bed after not drinking anything for the hour leading up to bedtime.

This morning - yeah! She not only slept in until 8 AM (therefore, we ALL slept in until 8AM, A-W-E-S-O-M-E!).... but she was nice and dry!

We're prepared for slip-ups and steps backward.... but night 1 resulting in a dry night... is a big step in this BIG girl's life!

Eve-ism: Commercials

Evie's generation doesn't understand having to wait for shows to come on TV. Or understand that if you don't watch an episode when its on... you don't know when you'll ever catch it playing again. And, even know what commercials are!
Thanks to DVR... we've cut out all the stuff we don't like about TV and Evie has no appreciation for it at all.
Tonight, while watching yet ANOTHER EPISODE of Max and Ruby we have archived on the DVR, I hear her yelling from the couch, "Another Max and Ruby!" This is Evie's way of saying, "What is this crap on TV cutting into my program... and better yet... resolve this!"
I yell back, "Evie. Its a commercial. Just wait a a minute. Your show will be back on."
She relents.
I walk back in to skip ahead the last 2 commercials for her.
Evie pouts a little and puts her hands out in front of her in a reasoning motion, "These commercials don't understand that I'm watching my show!"

Indeed, Evie, Indeed.

Repurposed

Thanks to my mother who not only taught me how to paint and do things for myself... but who also never had the balls to pull-off painting something this bold a color to make my little girl dreams come true.

Evie nearly pee'd her pants with joy last night when I just showed her the swatch of color. Tonight I might need to put down towels for when I reveal the finished product.;-)

Bought this very beat-up dresser (and oddly too-tall nightstand) on Craigslist the other night.... both for $55. The dresser will stay in Schwally's room since it's way too tall for Evie's room as originally planned. It will hopefully serve me well when I need a place to put a drink when I rock him back to sleep...

**UPDATE**
I walked Evie into Schwally's (what she named her future little brother) room to see the pink dresser. At first she was silent and then she looked amazed, "Wow!" she whispered to herself. Then, a frown.
"What's wrong?"
"I wanted a pink dresser....." she grumbled.
She thought it was Schwally's, hilarious!

3D is Both Educational... And Creepy

I thought I wanted to see & know this... on second thought, I don't.

PHOTO: 32weeks

Went to the doctor for a check-up yesterday. This appointment was just 2 weeks later than my last one (the one where I found out I gained 6lbs in just 3 weeks, mmm-yeah, that one). The appointment was not only a routine check-up but also... an ultrasound! Yes, due to some results from my blood work taken around 12 weeks... the doctor wanted to ensure Jr was growing OK (the blood work basically revealed that I could experience a slowdown in the end).
I'll post some updated ultrasound photos in another post... but everything looked good. The lab tech guessed he's at 4.5lbs right now (he's on track to be about the same size as his sister who has 7lbs5oz when born at 39 weeks). She also confirmed, again, that Jr is a boy... God did this woman love the term and sight of a "scrotum." And he is currently head down pulling on his toes.
:-)
I gained 1lb in 2 weeks, thank goodness. If I continued on a 2lb-a-week path then I'd be a heifer by the time this kid got here. Overall, I think I'm at 22-23lbs for this pregnancy... I'm OK with that.
In other slightly related news - everyone - and I do mean EVERYONE (complete strangers, even!) guesses that I'm carrying a boy. Do I look that different than I did with Evie? You be the judge...

Too popular of an excuse...

Putting Evie to bed last night.
It was my turn to brush teeth and read stories since dad gave her a bath.
Lately, its been getting to be a real challenge curling up into bed with Evie to read a book.... what with me getting big and her bed being squishy & low to the floor. I must use this excuse a lot cause it ended up as a potential reason for yet another thing mommy does/does not do:

Me: "Here, let's read these books."
Evie: "I want to read 'Summer Vacation'."
Me: "I'm not reading that one again, I just read it."
Evie:"Why? *pause* Why don't you want to read it?"
Me: "I told you."
Evie: "Why, mommy?"
Me: "'Cause its late. We're going to read these books."
Evie continues with her non-sensical question asking... cause that's what she does lately.
Me: "'Cause I'm lazy, that's why."
Evie: "Um, mommy? Are you lazy cause you're pregnant?"

I bust out laughing. I laughed so hard that Evie immediately clapped both hands against her face as if she were hiding from the punchline she just delivered. She wasn't immediately sure if I was happy or mad but figured it out soon thereafter... and began to laugh along.

nose picker

As I am walking up my parents staircase... hand on handrail...
I look at one of the white banisters and see what looks like a dried glob... a booger.
Disgusting.

Me, "Um, ...mom? I think Evie might have wiped a nasty boogie on your staircase here. I'll clean it up."
My mother, "Yes, she told me she did that."
We both exchange looks of disgust and no surprise.

Rob had recently told me Evie wiped an amazing masterpiece on the couch after she announced she had one on her finger. He mistakingly told her to "get rid of it," thinking his implication to 'lean forward and grab a kleenex' was a concept she was familiar with. It wasn't. Wiping it on the seat next to her, sadly, was a more obvious solution.

Fast forward to our car ride home from my mom/dad's house.
From the backseat, "Mom."
"Yeah?" (not looking).
"I got a boogie."
I turn around. Evie has a one-finger solute.
"Ugh, Evie!"
"I need a tissue. I need a tissue to put this boogie."
Well, at least she is solving half the problem... the final destination is the most part of this nose picking problem. Gross!

And then people wonder "why?"....

While visiting my parents this weekend (a trip that took a damned miracle to pull-off considering the 41-hour-work-week I put in the week leading up to it... a 41-hour-work-week and counting at the end of Thursday. We drove out Thursday night after working a full day and I was to work remotely the following Friday).
This is my last trip till baby. With 7-8 weeks to go... no more travel plans for me!
So here we are on Sunday morning and my mother hands me a sob story entitle "Jeanna Dies One Day After Giving Birth."
Are you eff'ing serious?
And then you people all wonder why my relationship with my mother is what it is.
Who DOES this???

30 weeks

Well, today I am technically 29 weeks and 6 days... but lemme round up, ok people?
I was weighed in (can you believe they didn't need to use a system up pullies and straps to accomplish this???) at 6 pounds more than last time. Jesus. That's 6 lbs in 3 weeks. REALLY? Easy there, killer... at this rate (if I keep up at 2lbs per week) that'll put me at 40lbs total by the end, YIPE! I only gained 28lbs with Evie... this is ridiculous.
So, again, so far... I have gained about 21-22lbs overall in this pregnancy.

The good news is baby is measuring at 32 weeks. So, maybe some of my weight gain is his fault (let's blame the BABY, yeah!). Then again, I was measuring 28 weeks at 27 weeks... so who knows. My excuse is becoming just an excuse again.

Turns out the Doc wants me back in 2 weeks. Already with the 2 week visits, who-hoo! Final stretch, baby!
And, get this, he ordered an ultrasound! My bloodwork earlier on in this pregnancy revealed potential pitfalls with growth at the end. The baby could be at risk for growth restrictions... clearly NOT a problem so far... but I s'pose he's going to double-check. So, free pictures again! ... that is if he even fits within the viewing window. ;-)

Well, alright. I can survive the next 10-11 weeks afterall...

"Boys born to light drinkers had 40% fewer conduct problems, were 30% less likely to suffer hyperactivity, and received higher scores on tests of vocabulary and of ability to identify colors, shapes, letters and numbers than did those born to abstainers."

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/FetalAlcoholSyndrome.html

PHOTO: 28wks2days

This photo doesn't look much different from the one posted at 24 weeks. Hmmm, I don't know how I feel about this. Yes, its the same shirt (and same colored pants) but my belly really doesn't loo any bigger to me. Maybe this is the part where it doesn't poke out so much as it starts to get more "solid" cause bending over, lately, has become more of an advanced skill than say a basic-level movement anyone can do. I have begun to utilize Evie's eagerness to pick-up things off the ground and even sent her to get things for mommy.

Yesterday morning I watched shows with Evie while Rob showered before taking her to school. I work from home on Fridays (which is particularly awesome given the recent phenomenon of getting a tightened stomach struggling in/out of my building with my two laptops... braxton hicks?).
I blew my nose and could tell... I have a bloody nose... again.
Ugh.
I ask Evie to grab the kleenex box on the coffee table and to please hand to mommy (not wanting to lean forward). It was quickly evident... this was more than I could keep up with. I sent her to Rob's office for the little trash can and to go get daddy out of the shower. Can you believe she picked-up the wads of tissue on the table with her thumb and index finger... gently... looked at me, "I don't want to get the blood," and then tossed them in the waste can before running off for Rob? This kid's gonna be an excellent helper with poopie diapers. Love. Her.
Drip-drip-drip... I leaned over the waste basket... am I going to need a transfusion?
I hear Evie explain, "Daddy, there's a problem. Mommy, um, mommy's nose has blood!"
Rob appears with a towel and is genuinely worried that I may be light headed. If anything this blood loss is making my body temperature return to normal... I have lots to spare.
One wet wash cloth and a total of 10 minutes later... all is right with the world.
Man, pregnancy is not a sexy state.

President's Day 3-Day Weekend: Off to Grandmother's House We Go!

Working in the financial industry has its perks... like getting President's Day off.
I took Evie with me to Lala and Pop-pop's house in North Carolina while leaving Rob with a rather lengthy (ambitious!) "honey-do" list.

We left on Saturday morning (3.5hr drive, typically) and rolled in around 1PM. We spent the day around the house... Evie did her best to wear out my mother. Thankfully, my mother was prepared and lapped it all up while I sought solice in the back bedroom.

On Sunday we used our Children's Museum Membership to visit the Greensboro Children's Museum. We took Lala with us. After 2 hrs (and then some) both Lala and mommy's brain's were completely over-stimulated and we dragged Evie home. Thankfully, Evie actually got a little tuckered out there so her leaving only involved me carrying her to the door while she whimpered. No tears. Phew!







Monday morning was a little boring for a preschooler while I packed and got ready to go. We stopped off for some Elizabeth's Pizza lunch before hitting the road home. A few movies in the car and one 45 minute nap later (her, not me), we were home by evening time.

Rob had completed all but 2 items on his list! The list was divided into sections. The top portion included items that needed to get done (relocating his office from what will be the baby's room to where it used to be a year ago in the front of the house). If he completed this top section of the list... I would speak to him. The middle portion of the list, if completed, would make me happy and meet my expectations. The bottom part of the list ( a bonus round, if you will...) would make me so elated that I'll deliver whatever he wanted. *wink* Ah, motivation is a wonderful thing...

I must do this...

Handprint canvas art set

Of course, I'll make my own. Would be so sweet to have one featuring Evie and baby brother's hands on the same canvas. Now, what color do I do (given the fact that harvest gold and avocado green were big colors when I was a baby... they didn't hold up very well through-out the years!)

Ginormous Bras and Big Girl Bloomers

Today was my 27 week (ok, technically 26wk 6days) check-up.
Today was my glucose tolerance test (test results by the week's end) and typical measurements were taken. I have gained about 15lbs so far, that's for my entire pregnancy... not just since my last check-up! I am measuring at 28 weeks.

So. I decided I should go out and *celebrate* my check-up with new bras and panties. Translation - BIGGER bras and panties.

I've begun retaining water in just the last week and have noticed rings around my legs where my socks were (ugh!). I also wake-up in the middle of the night with my underwear digging into my hips (ouch!). So, this trip was a necessary evil. I want to "support" everything (like the girls) so I can rebound from this pregnancy later on in the year ...with minimal lasting impact. I know the boobs will be less perky after a second pregnancy/nursing babe. I know my belly and ass will no longer bounce quarters (ok, they never did). But I do want to keep the nips from pointing southward when I'm 40, if at all possible.

So, on to... Target!
I grabbed a variety bra sizes (both cups and bust inches) and marched into the dressing room. Is it possible to leave a store with both a 26" and a 38"? Let's be clear - I wore a 36" before baby... but should technically be a 34" (I've been professionally measured). I buy a size too large to minimize that back fat appearance. Does it work, I have no idea. I also minimize the back fat appearance by having no double mirrors available anywhere in my house. What I can't see doesn't bother me.

But damned, standing in fluorescent, overhead lighting in a big-box retailer... bare boobs and belly exposed... thick elastic-waist band on pants wrapped around your girth... a girl just wants to die. I wasn't even "upset-sad" as I was "upset-mad". Ugh, its so hard to reach this point and to continue on. Pregnancy is this miracle that looks great on others (or in your own mind) but when its spotlighted like this... it really does a huge number on a girl's psyche. It actually motivates me to just go full-tilt and intentionally let myself go. Since I can't slow down this downhill decline... I might as well dress like shit and eat ice cream for breakfast, too, right? I mean, pregnancy IS when one can get away with such slovenes and label such behavior as being part of the baby-making process. Women "glow" at this time, right? I embody womanhood at this very point in time, right? I should take my womanhood and deep fry it, drizzle it with honey and cinnamon and get a big glass of chocolate milk to wash it down.
Where was I going with all this again?

OK, enough of that side-tacked tantrum.
Back to the big bras.
WTF? Why do bras, that are cup-size D, look like something I'd see on a "Playtex 18 hr bra" commercial? OK, I know I just talked about support and comfort up above, but Goddamn. Does everything have to go out the window? Can't a girl get something that doesn't have 3 hinges in the back (seriously? I feel like I'm holding down a Macy's Day Parade Float with this much hardware), shoulder straps that are not only 3/4" wide but PADDED, and extra fabric in between the cups which essentially looks like a cropped tank top. Geez, why not just wear a sports bra at this point? Yes, OK, these fuglies were all comfortable and, yes, probably look great under a white tshirt in a cold office (sidenote: who the hell buys a crisp white bra? That doesn't work under anything for any ethnicity... I'm just saying). BUT, I am still mentally stuck in college with lacy materials wrapped around my rib cage, dainty shoulder straps and a tiny bow holding the cups together in the middle. I KNOW they aren't practical but, they look cute and look great when you take off your workday shirt. I feel like I'm wearing some sort of medical support with those other bras. And I already have rings around my calves from my knee-high socks, dimples in my ass that weren't there 3 months ago and flabbier arms than... oh hell,,, they flap when I reach for things! Can't I at least have a hot bra to cradle my nice, round boobs? Its really the only perk to being pregnant - swollen, round boobs. Let me celebrate just that little victory...

Speaking of big bras... ok, this is my last rant... why are all the big-girl bras on the bottom rack? And by bottom rack, I mean they hang 2" off the floor. I was losing my breath trying to bend over rummaging for my size. I nearly toppled over when I squatted for too long. I gave up and sat on the floor to finish digging and untangling the mess hidden deep within the racks. It was while I sat splayed out on the floor that I gazed up at the A's hanging freely on the top rack... practically blowing in the air conditioned breeze. They weren't in knots, they weren't tangled in a heap and they were easy to skim through... once again, tiny girls get everything. I think skinny girls with tiny boobs should be bending and the bigger gals (pregnant gals, older women... ) should get the top rack. Why make grandma bend... or fat preggos, like me, scoop to the floor*?
*This is the part of the blog where we all rise up and burn our bras in unity... but then again, it was hell finding these 2 bras so let's all just furrow our brows and chant "yes yes!" in unison.

So, panties. I bought Hanes string bikinis when I was pregnant with Evie. I then later went back and got one size larger... and bikini briefs. I actually saved these and busted them out a few months ago. Sad to say, I went to the store and bought (dear God, am I going to admit this for all to read???), *gulp*, XL bikini briefs. There. I said it. I actually bought the largest damned size they make. Well, the largest size that comes in a 6-pack and isn't hanging on a hanger, independently.
It was only after I got home that I realized these panties had a huge sticker boosting "100% Wedgie-Free Guaranteed" on the front. Sigh, eye roll. Thanks to my husband for pulling that sticker off and putting it on my pillow for a giggle. Last laugh is on him, no nookie for him as long as I feel like a sea-cow. ;-)

Well, that was my day. A day filled with reality and hopelessness in ever looking sexy again.
Ok, I do exaggerate. I know I'll bounce back, yada-yada. But I do also know I will never again be.. look... the same after baby #2 gets here. I will be OK with that. Its still hard to suck-it-up when you look back on pictures/mental images and think, "Geez, and WHY did I think I looked like hell back then? If I could look like that again... I'd wear skinny jeans!"
Ah, the mental roller-coaster that is inside every woman.
At least I have a husband who thinks I look fabulous at every stage in life... and sees me with a mind that ages along with me.
Then again, he might just want the nookie and is willing to say or do anything to get it.

24 Weeks 2 Days : Photo

I finally went back and posted the 20week photo (as previously promised). Holy schitt, what a difference a month made (ok, and that 4 lbs I gained during my 23 week check-up helped). I knew I was bigger... but I'm realizing now that I'm closer to the end than I thought just moments before comparing these! Ok, OK, ... yes, technically... I have a long way to go... but man, I'm really pregnant.
Sometimes you forget. :-/

For the Love of Shoes

Shopping at Old Navy this past Saturday AM (50% off all clearance + 25% off for card holders = WIN!)

Evie spied the jelly shoes again this year (she desperately wanted them last year and I never gave in.
I have agreed to give in IF we can find ones that are like sandals... these mary jane styles will just result in sweaty feet & possible falls.

"Look!" Evie feverishly points to the translucent purple shoes hanging.
"Yes, I know. Jelly shoes."
"Can we eat them?!."
*pause*
"No, Evie... not gummy shoes. Besides, that would be gross, dontcha think?"

Evie sat down next to display rack and proceeded to try on one of each color.
Ah, my little Imelda Marcos.

Evie goes to the dentist

Evie's first visit was in the summer when she turned 3. Rob took her in and it was more of a "meet your dentist" type of visit where she got familiarized with the lay-out, the chair, what the light looks like shining down on her smile. There was no real cleaning or anything going on at this visit. From what I heard from Rob's reports... she wouldn't open her mouth and was rather quiet with a little bit of "frigid" mixed in.
Fast forward to 6 months later.... check up at 3.5 years old.
Evie was prepped last night when I told her what to expect at the dentist. I told her they don't have a sink to spit in but rather a magic wand that sucks the spit out of your mouth. I told her they'd brush her teeth, make her smile and it would all be pretty much the same as at home.
Rob picked her up from school early... she apparently was cheering the fact that she was "going to the dentist! I'm going to the dentist!"
(Who is this kid?)
Evie apparently had no problems opening her mouth this time and they polished her teeth with the electric brush. (Evie cupped my cheek in her hand when she got home tonight and whispered, "I got the cherry [toothpaste].")
This kid cracks me up. She marched on into the house with her goodie bag, "Wanna see what I got?" She proudly displayed a mini toothpaste, sparkly purple Snow White toothbrush, a pink bracelet and an elephant sticker. What a haul! Its almost like Halloween.
Almost. ;-)

23 Weeks

OK, well, I will be tomorrow.
Went to the doctor for my check-up this morning.
I've gained 4lbs since last visit (ack, 4 lbs in 4 weeks?!.) and I am measuring at 25 weeks.
Damned.

I did take pictures of the belly just over 20 weeks (around Christmas) that I have yet to post. I may just wait till next week's "week 24" photo and post 'em together. Stay tuned....

Tonight we learned the word "short-cut."

Calling Evie to the bathroom to brush her teeth... I hear her scattering about calling back, "I'm coming!"
I sneak through the door in her bedroom which (ah, the fun design of an old house) leads to the pantry which then opens on the other side into the kitchen. She stops in the kitchen to ask me, "What? I was giving daddy a hug!"
I reply, "That's fine... just c'mon. Go through here and follow me to the bathroom."
Evie knows this path but doesn't use it often. She looks at me temporarily confused.
"C'mon," I coax,"Its a short-cute."
"What?"
"C'mon. Short-cut, let's go!"
"Now? A short-cut?" she asks.
"Yeah, now, we gotta brush your teeth."
I push Evie into the bathroom and slide over her step-stool. Instead of getting up on it under the sink, she sits down.
"C'mon Evie!" I think she is stalling or being silly,"We are brushing teeth, get up!"
"What? Oh. I thought you were doing a short-cut."
I pause.
I think.
"A haircut?!." I ask (she's only had me trim her hair twice and she only remembers the one recent time).
"Yeah!"

Too funny.

Well, the scare tactics worked

Evie puts up a FIGHT to wear a nightgown to bed (and a dress to school, and so on and so on with everything girly).
Its freezing ass cold outside in the middle of January in the South where most places (including our home) lack proper insulation... so we argue endlessly when we have enough fight in us. Lately, we've been stressing that she wear PJs to bed at night so she doesn't get cold if she kicks off the covers.
We tell her, "You'll get cold."
"Will I get sick?" (this is a panic button for Evie 'cause all she ever thinks about with the word 'sick' is the time she threw up in the bed).
"Well, no. [I can't lie to her] But you'll get cold and you can get sick if you are cold all the time.... it doesn't help."

So, tonight Evie wants to wear a nightgown after putting up a tear-filled 20 minute meltdown last night over having to wear PJs.
I let her have this one with no fight, "Go pick one out," I say.
Evie enthusiastically grabs an ankle-length Hello Kitty nightgown (the key here is the length... she thinks prettier/Princess dresses are ankle-length).
Fast forward to completing the bedtime routine and out goes the light.
Not 5 minutes later, a panicked cry, "Mommy... Mommy! ... MOMMY!"
I walk quickly into her room, "What is it????"
Evie sits up in full sobs, "I don't wanna wear a nightgown! I don't wanna get cold. I want pajamas!"

Hmmm, I don't know if this is a victory or a sign Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome.

Numerical coincidences (?)

Yes, these are the types of things I think about.

I found out I was pregnant on April 1, 2010 (and would be due at/around December 7th) but the pregnancy ended in miscarriage. My DNC was early May.
I then found out I was pregnant again on September 11th and would be due in May(will most likely have a C-Section which will be sceduled one week before my due date... ) around the 12th -or- early May.
I find it interesting that I'll be due with a baby around the same time I suffered the loss of a baby one year before....

Evie turned 3 1/2 years old the first week of January (January 2nd, really). I am in the middle of this pregnancy as of the first week of January (December 30th, really). Funny that both halfway markers are within the same week!

I was engaged in an even year but married in an odd year. I got pregnant in even years with the kids both due in odd years. Seems like we spend even years planning/working and odd years reaping the benefits. ;-)

20 Weeks 4 Days : Photo