This My Friends...

is a full-term, 37 week, baby bump!  We did it, we made it full term this time around, huge relief.  Now if he just hangs out for a few more days until Marc is on shutdown (and isn't over an hour away in Santa Clara when my water breaks) for 2 weeks I will be one happy Momma!  I'm now officially working at home as I was almost 2 cm dilated as of Friday.  We go for our last ultrasound at 10AM today to get one last look at his weight so stay tuned!

Update: Jacob currently weighs 5lbs 14oz so he's a full pound bigger than Riley was.  So we are very pleased, he's a little small for his gestational age (21st percentile) but the Dr was not concerned at all.  She said we just have small babies and all looked good around him, the amniotic fluid was right where it should be and he's head down, facing back (so no pictures of his cute mug) so he's ready to go.  She didn't seem to think I would make it to 40 weeks since I was almost 2 cm last week but we'll see if I've progressed when I go back on Friday for my weekly check-up. 

Nesting

We're in full nesting mode here, T-34 days until the little man's due date.  Marc finished painting the baby's room, we hung his letters with care, we rearranged the the living room, we washed pacifiers, bottles, blankets, and baby clothes (we even bought a few more NB outfits in case he's small), the infant seat has been installed, and we packed our hospital bag.  Riley arrived in 1 short week so we are prepared for an early arrival even though I am still on the progesterone until 36 weeks (T-6 days on that one!).  So here's some of the final products, including an almost 35 week baby belly!  My clothes are definitely getting snug.  I had a check-up last Tuesday and my Dr gave me the green light to complain (got to love that) since I've never been this big before.   I'm feeling pretty good, I just get very tired but I've been sleeping pretty well, still waking up every 2 hours to go to the bathroom but I am able to fall back to sleep so I will take that over the sleepless nights any day!

Riley testing out Baby Brother's car seat

Our new living room arrangement, we love all of the extra room in the middle of the living room, it makes our house feel so much bigger

The bar/dining area

Riley even got her own little play nook out of the deal

At long last, his nursery is done and his name is revealed. :)

Changing area, poor 2nd kid gets no new furniture and the bed is for my sleeping comfort.  We still need to find something to hang above his changing table

Almost 35 week baby belly

Adorable

My co-worker made me this adorable "diaper cake" as a thank you for a bunch of Riley's hand-me downs.  I had never gotten a diaper cake before and thought it was adorable! 

Karma?

What's my karma for having a 4lb 14oz baby the first time around?  A big boy that at 30 weeks already weighs in at 3lbs 13oz, just a pound less than Riley was when she was born at 36 weeks!  BIG FAT OY!  We had our 30 week ultrasound today and all looks good.  The ultrasound tech kept saying "Oh, you have a good sized baby in there."  He was seriously freaking me out.  We finally asked what that means, he said "Above average."  Above average indeed, this kid is 62nd percentile and is measuring over a week bigger than his gestational age!   We asked and "average" is 6.5-7.5 lbs, they're thinking like 8 lbs for him!  Can I order my epidural now? 

But in all seriousness, it all looks good in there, I was getting worried because I wasn't feeling as much movement, just twists and twitches in the last week but my OB said that was probably because he was running out of room and sure enough, he's doing just great in there, amniotic fluids are good around him, he's growing quite nicely, and mommy only gained a pound this month.  And yes, he's still a boy, 100% confirmation on that front! :)  Oh and he's cute as a button, he had both hands in front of his face for most of the ultrasound but we got a few cute shots of the little, er, big guy! 

A Sprinkle of Love

My wonderful friend Lori threw us a sprinkle to help us bring some blue into our lives today.  It was a fantastic day with yummy food (with lots of leftovers so Marc was happy), great friends, and lots of fun!  She held it at a Chinese restaurant, yum, my favorite and had lots of fun games!  Riley even came at the end to help me open her brother's presents.  Riley was really excited to finally wear one of her new " Big Sister" shirts (I've been crazy superstitious and haven't let her wear one yet but I figured it would be fun for the shower).  She was so excited to help me open presents and every time she opened one she would hold it up and show everyone and say "This is for my baby brother!"  (A step in the right direction since she called him her baby brother and not baby sister!).  She also did a great job of knowing that the gifts were for him and not her and did not try to take any of them, though she did have her eye on the awesome owl blanket from Lori (picture below).  I was very proud of her, I think she's going to be a great big sister and I can't wait to see her in action.  Friday she told me that her baby brother was her "fwiend!"  Got to love that girl!

"What Brothers do Best," the other side says "What sisters do best"

Riley hanging with Bella's mommy

Owl toy!  Thanks Auntie Amber! :)

And an owl blanket compliments of Lori - this is the one gift that Riley coveted

Me and the hostess.  Thanks for the wonderful afternoon Lori!

Me and my girl

My little helper!

Group shot!

Riley and "Auntie" Lori

The soon-to-be Big Sister arrives just in time for cake and presents, her favorite!

My almost 30 week baby bump and my side-kick

Getting my belly measured for our first game, "Guess how big Allie's belly is."  Marc's answer - HUGE!

Searching for safety pins in a bowl of rice, it's surprisingly hard!

When Average Is Good

Today we went for our monthly ultrasound to check the little guy's growth and everything is going perfect!  He is measuring average, at the 52nd percentile (average) which puts him in at 1lb 14oz and still has him measuring a day ahead of his due date.  Everything else looks great too, the fluid around him looks good, he's still super active, he's now head down and he did not like the ultrasound wand pushing against him.  We also saw him open and close his eyes which the tech doing the ultrasound said that you normally don't see at 25 weeks so that was pretty cool!

Here are some pictures of our little man, I think he's looking less like Riley and Marc in these than in the previous ultrasounds.  Yes!  My genetics may actually stand a chance!

His profile with his feet up at his mouth, quite impressive!

Face with hand up by his eye

He sure does like his hand up at his eye

24 Weeks And Growing

Last Tuesday I hit the 24 week mark.  Marc commented on how huge I looked that day, he meant it in the nicest possible way and I have to admit, my stomach is it a bit out of control this pregnancy.  I honestly think I am bigger at 24 weeks than I was at 36 weeks when I delivered Riley.   After he commented on how big my stomach was I remembered I was 24 weeks so I had him take some belly pictures.  We go at 25 weeks for another look at the little guy so I'm curious to see how he's measuring up!

My 24 week bump

Up close and personal with my belly

Riley's her baby brother, when she's not calling it her baby sister!

Our 24 week bumps

 

Where Does Time Go?

Seriously, how is it September already?  And better how is it that Baby Boy's due date is less than 4 months away!?!  I feel like I have so much to do.  Even though it feels like the pregnancy has hit a lull the past few weeks, I know that before I know it, it will be Thanksgiving and then the holidays and somewhere between there and the New Year, I have a feeling the Little Guy will make his debut.  (Marc thinks we'll be in the delivery room on New Year's Eve, I say, hey, at least I will be up!)  Things are going well with the pregnancy, I'm 23 weeks tomorrow and just had a check-up Friday.  Everything looked great, no ultrasound (we go again on September 20th), just measurements and weigh-in and the usual.  I gained 7lbs this month!  Holy cow!  That's an entire baby!  My Dr was shocked since I didn't gain much with Riley the whole pregnancy but didn't tell me to be cautious of my food intake as I told her I was hell bent on NOT having another sub-5lb baby!  Since I go weekly for my shots, I've gotten to know her office quite well!  I did decide to try to exercise a little more so I've been hitting the treadmill and walking at a medium pace the last few days.  Let's face it, it's good for both baby and I so I should keep it up until I physically can't.  It also seems to help my varicose veins which are out of control and killing me so it's a triple positive.  I've also decided to eat better, really, when you charge a $1.50 cookie because you have no cash, that's a sign you probably don't need the cookie!  But it sure was good!  I've also been enjoying the Nutter Butter Blizzard at Dairy Queen. 

Riley's doing great, she's been in underwear during the day for the past 4 weeks and is doing pretty well.  They say the accidents are normal for her age but she gets lazy and it's frustrating.  Her favorite thing to tell us when we ask her to go is: "I tell you when I have to go ok?  I promise!"  Then 2 minutes later she's wet herself.  She also likes to say "I went already!"  Well yeah, Riley, I've gone 8 times before Noon too but I still need to go again!  She can seem to hold it an hour and a half to 2 hours so it's looking promising.  And today she told me for the first time that she had to go poopy and we made it to the potty in time!  Fingers crossed this is it!  She's had a ton of birthday parties this month so she's constantly talking about them, that girl certainly loves a party!  A lot of her friends are leaving her day care and moving to different pre-schools so I hope that she continues to do well.  I must say that I am pretty glad the class is smaller and seems less chaotic but I know that she misses her friends.  I'm really looking forward to her moving to pre-school A because I love the teachers over there and they love her, I think it will be good for her to not be with a passive aggressive teacher.  She keps telling us that she wants to go into pre-school and she has to be potty trained so I think that's her motivation right now for staying dry, whatever works!  One of her teachers is ok (and Riley likes her), but the other one is just so negative and passive aggressive and I am not a fan!!!  I can't wait to get her into the pre-school class!

Well here are some pictures from her friend Eli's birthday party!

Riley with her bestie Bella!  We love her parents too and just went out on a double date (a first in who knows how long) with them while Riley and Bella stayed with a babysitter. 

This is the "I went already!" face and gesture. 

On a Roll!

We had our 20 week ultrasound today (woohoo, halfway there!  Well probably more than halfway there since RiRi was early) and we are on a roll!  Baby boy is looking pretty darn perfect!  We confirmed that there is NO clubfeet  (not that we don't love Dr H but I am not going to miss weekly casting sessions this time).  His heart, brain, stomach, kidneys, bladder, diaphragm and everything else look absolutely perfect.  And there is no doubt that he is in fact our baby boy!  The doctor even said that it would be a medical miracle worthy of the front cover of People magazine if he was not a boy when he was born!  So it seems we are on a roll with this little guy!  And he continues to measure right at his due date (well actually a day ahead of his due date), right now they estimate him weighing 13 oz.  The doctor said she was trying really hard to find something wrong with him and just couldn't find anything! 

I'm continuing to feel great and am loving being pregnant this time around.  I'm doing my weekly progesterone shots which is a pain in the butt (literally, that's where they give them!) but they are worth it if it means a healthy little guy.  I still have insomnia but my Doctor at my last shot said my hemoglobin levels were low and that could be causing the insomnia so I've started taking iron in addition to my prenatal so fingers are crossed for sleep!  I don't want to be plum out of energy before he arrives!  But other than that I feel really great, I feel him moving way more than I ever felt Riley and I have energy (despite not sleeping) and am really loving my baby bump and being pregnant.  What a difference a pregnancy makes, though being miserable for 9 months was surely worth my Riley and I wouldn't have changed a thing because I could never imagine anyone else as my sweet girl but it is very nice to be enjoying this time, especially since he's our last baby!

My baby bump at 20 weeks 3 days!

Check out his right dog!

And  the left one!  They may already be bigger than Riley's feet!

Marc gave me permission to post the baby's goods, in fact he wanted me to post them last month!

Profile of our little guy, sadly for my genetics, I think he's going to look like Marc again!

It's all good in here mom!

How cute is this guy!?!  I am totally in love with him and his cuteness!

So that's it!  We go back in a month for a growth check!  In the meantime, I'm going to continue to consume mass quantities of food because it seems to be working out well for the Little Guy!

So Sweet

Riley FINALLY accepted that she's having a baby brother instead of a baby sister.  Tonight at dinner I let her eat on the couch since she hasn't been feeling great and I honestly didn't want to battle her at the dinner table.  I was sitting next to her and she decided that her brother wanted some of her dinner so she lifted up my shirt and started shoving green beans into my belly button, I tried to explain the whole concept of an umbilical cord and that what I eat, the baby eats.  It went right over her head and she insisted on putting more green beans in my belly button and then of course he needed some milk so her sippy cup ended up in my belly button too.  After baby brother was done eating she says "Oh I just love my baby brother!" leaned over, gave my belly and "big" hug and a kiss.  So incredibly sweet and I nearly cried (which could be the hormones!).  I think someone is going to be a great big sister after all!