I had to do a little photoshopping... you'll have to picture the white letters above the crib yourself. Just imagine them saying:
"T-O-O" ;)




Here's the closet that I'm hoping will get me out of having to buy a dresser at some point. (it's in b&w because I realized after I took it that the colors of the clothes showed up a little too well) Also, the Disney bear on the top shelf is Three's, not the other bear just migrating all over the nursery. ;)

I have been to Babies R Us twice already this week and have plans to go back on Friday. It's really NOT so much a good thing that they put one so near my house. Truly.

Anyway, today, I had to go exchange a maternity shirt because apparently I lost my head yesterday when I bought it and thought I could wear a small. HA! Um yeah, I have a large now. Eeps.

While I was there I bought the letters for Too's wall. I didn't realize until I got them home that they came with little pastel ribbons to hang them with... SO cute. I'll take pics when they are hung. :)

Babies R Us is a dangerous place. At least I forced myself to stay away from the outfits because I could REALLY lose control in that section. They are starting to put out summer stuff and it's all so tiny and cute. Ack. Send help!

So yay! My daily morning gagfest has stopped. (about five days ago, actually) However, it seems to have given way to just a general morning through lunchtime nausea, especially if I forget and eat/drink anything dairy. Gah. Yesterday I made myself a banana smoothie with some skim milk in it and spent four hours trying to keep it down. What the heck? I seriously can't catch a break...

Hopefully this is temporary and I will get my true respite from nausea for at least a few weeks before my "pregnancy bulemia" sets in. (the time from about 30some'ish weeks to the end where my stomach has no room because of baby feet lodged in it and can't actually HOLD anything)

**update** Yeeeeah... there really IS a blog curse because about 20 minutes after I wrote that, I found myself hugging the toilet bowl. However, on the bright side, I now feel MUCH better. In about 14 weeks, remind me to start blogging about how this baby is going to be overdue, okay? ;)

Benjamin's lovey is this adorable little roadkill-looking blankie called "Dottie Dots"


It was given to him by his Aunt Debbie and he has pretty much been attached to it since he was about four or five months old. We have two Dottie Dots in the rotation... you know... just in case. I have also entertained the idea of ordering a third and just keeping it in the closet.

Well, seeing as I am now totally sold on the lovey thing as far as bedtime routine goes...and because I am also totally anal, I decided that Too needed a Dottie Dots as well. Obviously, not Froggy, that would just get confusing. They make three other ones though. It took me awhile to make a decision on one, but I finally did and I ordered two.

There is Dottie Dots Duck


Dottie Dots Cat


and Dottie Dots Puppy


I really can't tell you which one I decided on... :) (so I guess you can surmise that it wasn't the duck) ;)

I really and truly am enteraining the idea of, at the very least, pumping for awhile when this baby is born. My reasons are varied...

1) I went through engorgement hell last time and I really think I could spare myself a good deal of pain if I just let the milk flow for awhile until it dried up little by little on its own.

2) It's less money I have to spend on formula...

3) Okay and yeah, it's better for the baby even if I only do it for a short time. But then again, maybe not because I am going to have a seriously hard time watching what I eat/drink (caffeine wise).

Please do not try to talk me into actually breast feeding because seriously, it's not going to happen. I just can't have my boobs all out there for everyone to see all the time. My friend Jen is REALLY really good at both bf'ing and the whole modesty thing and I always find it fascinating when we're out somewhere and suddenly she is clandestinely feeding Lily and you seriously would never even know there was a boob whipped out under that blanket. But I just know I couldn't handle having to do that and/or I'll have a baby who doesn't like blankets over its head.

Pumping, however, I think I could do for awhile.

So, my question to you all is this: Is it worth it for me to buy the big, pricey electric pump? Or could I just start with the manual Avent one and see how it goes? I'm not sure how seriously I am going to take this, so the idea of putting out $300+ for a breastpump isn't really jazzing me all that much. What is your experience with manual ones? Am I just going to get frustrated? Would it at least be helpful for easing the engorgement situation right after the milk comes in? I'm thinking $40 to ease THAT pain might be worth it...

Excuse the wet hair...
My belly never looks as huge in these pics as it feels to me when I'm dragging it around/trying to get up off of the floor. Why is that?

I'm working on collecting things for the walls in Too's room...

In Benjamin's room (his big boy room, not his nursery), I put his name on the wall in those big wooden letters. (from Company Kids if anyone's interested) I was thinking I might do the same thing in Too's nursery, but then I realized I'll be turning it into a big kid room in a couple of years and might rather do it then. And the colors would be totally different so I'd need all new letters. I know, lame problem, huh? But these are the things that pop into my head while I'm laying awake with aching hips at night.

So either I'm going to ditch the name on the wall idea altogether for the nursery, or, my other thought was to just do "B-A-B-Y" in white letters over the crib. Would that be cheesy?

The problem is that SOMETHING wide has to go over the crib because it's such a big space to fill and I learned my lesson putting shelves up over Benjamin's crib. (by the time he was 1-1/2 he had learned how to pull the things OFF the shelves)

I can breathe a sigh of relief as 24 weeks marks the official "age of viability". I certainly wouldn't want Too to come at this point, but it's comforting to know that should something happen, the baby would be small, but would have a good chance. And the odds get better with each passing week.

Fortunately, I think I tend toward going past the due date (I've always thought SURELY would have gone another week with Benjamin had I not been induced). It would be sort of nice if Too decided to make his or her debut on Mother's Day. (a couple weeks early) But I'm not counting on it. ;)

Too has done some drastic growing this week. My discomfort level has gone from around a 3 (1 being totally comfortable - 10 being decidedly uncomfortable) to about a 6-7 in just the last seven days.

There is SOMETHING lodged in the right side of my ribcage. At this point, I'm not entirely certain if it's a foot or an arm. But it's there and sometimes when I bend over, it actually "catches" and it HURTS. The rest of the time, it's just there and makes it hard to take a deep breath, lean over... etc. Not complaining, just observing. One of Benjamin's feet spent a significant part of the last two trimesters lodged in my LEFT ribcage, so this is not a new discomfort. I just forgot quite how "interesting" it feels...

Still haven't taken that belly pic. I guess it'll be a 24.5 week pic by the time I get it done. I am feeling enormous, though I'm sure I don't actually look all that huge yet. I can't believe how much more growing there is to do. Ee gads.

Fun new symptom... very strange bruised feeling "you know where". Never had it, not sure what it is, but I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that it's normal, I just can't remember where I read that. It comes and goes very suddenly and started three days ago. At first, it would take my breath away and I'd have to stop for a minute and just say "ow ow ow!" and then it was gone. Now I've either gotten used to it or it's happening less often. Would love to know what causes it though because it's WEIRD.

If you have any insights, I'll all ears.

Otherwise, all is well and normal. I'm pretty sure my stomach has grown since I have been on vacation. I owe you a belly pic tomorrow. I'll be 24 weeks!! I can no longer bend over to tie my shoes or shave my legs, my belly button is about to blow any minute now and I'm getting those hard kicks in the bladder that make me have to suddenly run and find a bathroom. I did get pretty tired wandering around the Disney parks yesterday and had to come back and take a nap. But for the most part, I have plenty of energy, I'm not starving, and I feel good.

The acid reflux IS pretty bad, but the Zantac has made it infinitely more manageable than when I was pregnant with Ben. I think the daily morning gag-fest is finally coming to an end. At the very least, it doesn't occur EVERY morning anymore.

Here's what I wrote at this point in my pregnancy with Ben. I think I am MUCH better off this time, frankly. This has just been an all around easier pregnancy I think. I could be speaking too soon... or maybe that it's just that I know what to expect and how quickly it comes to en end in the grand scheme of things. 16 more weeks? That's really not much at all. Once April comes to an end, I'll be in countdown mode for most of May... Time is flying and is going to continue to fly and I still feel like I have so much to do!

No news is good news on the Baby Too front...

No problems since we've been on vacation... except a nagging muscle cramp on my right side when I walk for any length of time. Even the Braxton Hicks have been at bay lately.

Too has been bouncing around like crazy in there so apparently life is good on the inside these days. :)

We bought some little mouse socks for the baby the other day because I am weak when it comes to tiny clothing and can't resist... and I'm on the lookout for some pj's or a cute Disney oufit. I found something I really liked yesterday, but purchasing said items clandestinely is difficult since we do a lot of traveling in a pack on our vacations. They don't really come in gender neutral options either. Grr... Tomorrow we're on our own though, so I can make my move... muahahahaha...

No news is good news on the Baby Too front...

No problems since we've been on vacation... except a nagging muscle cramp on my right side when I walk for any length of time. Even the Braxton Hicks have been at bay lately.

Too has been bouncing around like crazy in there so apparently life is good on the inside these days. :)

We bought some little mouse socks for the baby the other day because I am weak when it comes to tiny clothing and can't resist... and I'm on the lookout for some pj's or a cute Disney oufit. I found something I really liked yesterday, but purchasing said items clandestinely is difficult since we mostly travel in a pack on these trips. They don't really come in gender neutral options either. Grr... Tomorrow we're on our own though... muahahahaha...

So you know how I mentioned that keeping the sex of this baby under wraps is really hard? Well, my husband came up with a brilliant plan that frankly makes it 100 times easier. He has just been randomly dropping pronouns into conversation... he apparently started doing it at work last week when coworkers were harassing him about it. He told me about it last night and I thought it was a great idea, so I encouraged him to continue it. He has "slipped" twice today with the family... oh yes, we'll keep them all guessing if it kills us. Plus, it's even more brilliant because it makes it easier if we ACTUALLY do slip. (hasn't happened yet, but will, I'm sure... I already have to rehearse everything baby-related I say in my head to screen it for pronouns and gender clues)

I know a lot of people think they are pretty sure of themselves, and I don't want anyone to feel 100% sure they are right, so I'm all for anything that can be used to keep 'em all guessing. I seriously think there is a distinct possibility that my Target cashier friend who is in the know might be getting visits from friends and family. ;)

Today I went for a 3D Ultrasound at a place near my house. I wanted to get another look at the placenta situation before we left for the trip... I was hoping to see that it moved just a TINY bit. That would give me reassurance that it was headed in the right direction, at least.

So after we got a good, 10-minute look at Too, (who was just as adorable, active and healthy as ever, though shy, with hands up at its face the entire time), the sonographer turned off the DVD recorder and checked out my silly, directionally impaired placenta.

The conversation went something like this...

"Soooo they told you it was a complete previa?"
"Yes, though more to one side of the uterus than the other... still covering the cervix completely."
"How long ago was this?"
"About 3-1/2 weeks..?"
"Hrm... well, see, here's your cervix is down here..." (points to smudgy thing on screen that looks like all the other smudgy things on the screen) ... and here's the very edge of your placenta up here... (points to slightly less smudgy thing that is sort of sticking out a bit..." They are not touching at all... in fact, not even close. I do medical OB ultrasounds during the day as my full-time job, and IF I were looking at this for medical purposes, I'd say there is no sign of a previa at all."

Once I got a little more oriented with what I was looking at, I could clearly see what she was showing me. I could see the bottom end of the placenta... I could see the cervix... they were two completely separate things, one on the top of the screen and one on the bottom. It did NOT look that way three weeks ago! So it MOVED!! It moved! It moved! Wahoo!

At this point, the owner of the place, who had been in the room watching my ultrasound jumped in and said, "That was NOT a diagnosis she just gave you." (while smiling) She was covering herself because really they aren't supposed to tell you ANYTHING medical at ALL... the ultrasounds are just for "entertainment". But the sonographer (and then the owner again later as I was leaving) assured me several more times that there was NO PLACENTA PREVIA to be seen.

I left with a promise to only use the information ONLY to reassure myself and not wave it in my doctor's face. And of course, I'll get the actual medical ultrasound at 28 weeks, which I have full faith will show the same thing.

I left SO relieved. Seriously. I'm sure I was the only person they have ever had come in there more interested in seeing the placenta than the baby. (hey, I just saw Too three weeks ago AND I got better pictures then). But it was worth it... I'm still going to take it easy until I get the all-clear from my doctor and the perinatal center. But at least I can go away next week and not be worried the whole time.

I asked for a picture, but they weren't allowed to give me one because of the whole "no medical diagnosis" thing. Oh well..

YAY YAY YAY! :D

Too remains the same sex it started out, btw. I now have not one, not two, but THREE fairly clear between the legs shots for the baby book. I really think that's more than enough, thanks. The poor thing is going to be traumatized when it gets older and looks through the book. "And here's your blah blah at 18 weeks, and here it is at 19 weeks... 23 weeks..." ;)

Also to be noted, Too is breech. I have now been told this THREE times. My question is WHY do they bother telling you that this early? Ben was breech at his ultrasound too. Babies this little do gymnastics all day, every day. I'm sure at some point during every day, Too is breech. I'm also sure it lays sideways, upside down, backwards and swimging from my ribcage. And I'm sure, just as big brother did eventually, Too will behave and settle with its head toward the exit. Really, they just shouldn't tell you these things so early.

No, I'm not canceling our trip, though I am a bit concerned because the doctor seemed wary of me traveling so far away. And if something were to happen today? We wouldn't hesitate to stay home.

This time around, our folder of travel papers includes Mapquest directions from our hotel to Orlando Regional Medical Center, my doctor's phone number, and all of our insurance information.

I'm sure everything will be fine... hoping the ultrasound today gives us even more reassurance of that. But I'll still worry all week. I'm already making plans to walk as little as possible. Tom and I are planning curbside dropoffs for most places we go... and we will probably only do the one (very low-key) park day instead of the two we originally had planned.

Like I said to my mom this morning, I figure if all the dry heaving I do every day hasn't caused any bleeding yet (straining of any kind down there can trigger it), I'm probably okay for the time being. ;)

Sheesh. I sure never bargained for THIS when I got pregnant again. :\

So as you know, the whole Baby Too secret thing is killing me. However, it IS getting easier... :)
But, I'll be away next week and pretty busy for the next two days before we leave. I probably won't be writing a whole lot, if at all, on this blog. SOooooo... I thought I'd leave you with a little teaser about Too's name.

I was going to make you do a big scavenger hunt through the Tale of a Baby Human archives, because actually, there is a post buried in there that contains one of our potential girl FULL names, though not put together into one.

But then I thought, you know what? I'll just throw you all a bone and tell you the middle names we have chosen:


Boy Baby Too's name: ___________________ Davis Graff.
Davis is a family name on my husband's side (his grandmother's last name and his mother's maiden name) and is actually one of Tom's middle names. (yes, he is one of those people with more than one... it's very annoying when it comes to applying for things like credit cards). At any rate, we try to use at least one family name in our childrens' names, and this one won out this time. I had pretty much ZIPPO selection from the male names on my side. This name was new to the list with this particular round of baby names. But if Too isn't a boy, we'll use it if Three is boy, I think. Our entire current boy name is pretty much set in stone. Btw, among the other available family name options? Kermit. No, I am not kidding. (no, it was never a possibility for us)

Girl Baby Too's name: _________________ Elizabeth Graff.
Elizabeth is one of my favorite girl names, a family name on both sides, and for those of you who have been with me since I was pregnant the first time, it was actually our middle name for Madeline (if Ben had been a girl) as well. We have since ditched Madeline, but have kept Elizabeth. Truthfully? I would LOVE to have used it as a first name, but it's my cousin's name AND every middle name I thought of for it started with "G", which would leave my child with the initials E.G.G. Seemed a bit cruel. Other names have come and gone, but this one has been on all of our baby name lists. And if Too isn't a girl, we'll be holding onto it to use if Three is a girl! Our first name could definitely change though...


So there you have it. 2/3 of Too's potential names... you'll NEVER get the first names though. (well except for one smartipants who emailed me months ago and remembered me saying I liked something a LONG time ago) So there's still plenty of surprise left. ;) Feel free to guess your little hearts out though. ;)

Well, CRAP.

So yeah, doctor's appointment recap...

1) Hello COMPLETE Placenta Previa! Not partial, not marginal... oh yes, ENTIRELY covering the cervix. It gets better... definite likelihood of bleeding, though not as likely as it could be since I haven't had bleeding yet. Oh, and it gets even BETTER. Traveling? She REALLY would rather me not, but said she's not going to stop me. So I get to be paranoid the entire time I'm in Florida. It's not a matter of the walking, the flight, etc... she just would rather me not be away from her and the hospital. And if I have bleeding while I'm there? Hospital. CAH-rap. This blog does a better (and funnier) job of explaining it than I could.

She is very optimistic, as the technician was, that it will move. I have another u/s at 28 weeks and if it hasn't moved, yet another one at 32 weeks... all the way up to 36 weeks, at which point, if it STILL hasn't moved, we schedule a c-section. Can I tell you how much I do not want that? (sigh) Oh, and if I were to go into labor with placenta previa? MAJOR problem. But we won't even discuss that right now.

2) There is NOTHING stronger I can take for the the stupid acid reflux. NOTHING that she will let me take. So back to making due with my Zantac/Tums cocktail. I'm thankful I at least have the Zantac. It's mroe than I had last time and it really does make a huge difference...

3) Oh, here's something that's actually good. I showed her my 3D ultrasound pics that I was weirded out by and she assured me that Too is perfectly normal. (she also sorta laughed at me.) ;)

4) She DID sign my consent form for a 3D ultrasound. Yay! :)

5) I only gained a pound... How that happened when I was eating ice cream sundaes for a week straight, I'm not sure. However, my belly is measuring 24 weeks... a week and a half large! But, actually, I think Ben measured big at this point too, so I'm not worried about that yet. ;) Too busy freaking about my placenta, thanks.

6) I also mentioned that i was drinking nonstop. She told me it's the progesterone that is making me so thirsty. Weird. Never had this with Ben. At any rate, the glucose challenge is at 28 weeks... so we'll see.

Too and I have a checkup today, which I normally would be mildly excited about, or at least not mind. But, thanks to the incompetence of one Doctor Lubman at my initial 6-week OB visit, today's visit will be a "pants-off" one.

Apparently, Dr. Incompetent forgot? neglected to? just didn't feel like? doing a necessary lab test... the one that checks for two STD's (that I don't have, but I get why they need to check) and strep-B. Dr. A pointed this out when I was in last month after flipping through the records I had brought from Dr. Incompetent's office and said she'd need to do it this time. (sigh) I really dread pants-off visits when I'm pregnant. They are generally fairly uncomfortable (at least for me they are), especially further along...I was hoping to avoid them alteogether until 30-some-weeks.

But, on the bright side, I get get some answers to my barrage of questions...
Updates later. Can't wait to see how many pounds I've packed on THIS month! ;)

The bedding doesn't show up very well in pictures... but here's a pic I found.
The crib sheet is a green gingham, the bumper is blue on the outside and green gingham, yellow stripes and white on the inside with the words "sweet" "dream" "baby" "love" embroidered in blue around it. the blanket is white with very light blue stars, edged with the green and yellow. There are two dust ruffles, one is the chenille and in the same colors as the bumper and then there is a white tulle overlay type thing with stars (all kind of hard to see, even in the good pictures!)

If you want to look at the whole line, it's here. (they sell it at BRU though and there are usually coupons, so it is a little cheaper) :)

I am almost 23 weeks pregnant and can still sleep on my stomach. That's strange, is it not?

I don't purposely do it... I actually start out on my left side, like a good preg. But I wake up night after night and there I am, on my stomach. I don't even understand how it's possible or even remotely comfortable. It wasn't possible with Ben by just about 10 weeks! I woke up this morning that way and spent the next five minutes poking at my stomach trying to get Too to move just to make sure I hadn't squished the poor thing to death.

Current view from the door. Decided to keep the changing table and not get the dresser. This works!


The valance in the nursery is hung AND (are you ready for this?!) I installed the closet system. Granted, the closet is only three feet wide (hence the need for a "system"), so it wasn't a huge challenge. But it is DONE. And now with the extra storage space? I'm actually thinking we'll be able to get by without buying a dresser. That would be nice... and $400 cheaper! ;) I'm going to try out the changing table in there later to see how it looks with the rest of the room... if it does work, then I'll get a floor lamp, a small bookshelf, hang some things on the wall and call it FINISHED!

THESE do absolutely nothing to help me. They do taste yummy though. ;)

I was talking with Jenn Saturday night about all the "pregnancy rules". Her doctor is much stricter than mine is... or at least, than my old OB was. Actually, come to think of it, I never really asked my doctors much about things I could and couldn't do. I read it all in "What to Expect" and on the internet. The only thing I ever ask my OB with regard to "the rules" is about medication. That's one thing I'm pretty paranoid about. I took Pepto Bismol (category c) before I knew I was pregnant with Ben and didn't stop worrying about it until he came out!


So anyway, here are my confessions and excuses. (I'll be looking forward to yours so I don't feel like such a bad pregnant woman!) ;)

* I drink caffeine. Never stopped. (with either pregnancy) Though I would say I naturally had to drastically cut back because coffee just does not have the same appeal to me that it does when I am not pregnant. Plus, things that contain caffeine tend to give me heartburn. If I feel like risking the heartburn though, I don't think twice about having a coke, or even the occasional Starbucks/Panera mocha, when I can keep it down. I've always read it's fine in moderation, 1-2 cups of coffee a day. And I don't get anywhere close to that.

* I eat lunchmeat. (Ben was practically built out of Subway subs... this baby, not so much, but I have had a few turkey sandwiches, including the one Val mentioned in the comments from Panera) I'm SO paranoid about meat anyway. At home, even NOT pregnant, I'll only eat it the day we buy it or the day after. We also generally buy the store-roasted turkey that is sliced right off the breast when you order it, which I think is different than deli meat anyway. I did recently see a "Baby Story" though about a woman who lost a baby at 18 weeks to listeria, which freaked me out enough that I actually microwaved the deli turkey I had for lunch today. (gag) SO not worth it when it's been nuked.

* I carry stuff. My life doesn't stop for me to be pregnant. I will say I was pretty careful the first eight weeks or so... but now? Hello? I have a 32-pound-two-year-old. I make him walk most of the time now, but there are times he needs to be picked up. I also have to use the vacuum cleaner and do laundry and bring in groceries, none of which are going to carry themselves up the stairs. I try to lift with the knees and all that blah blah... and so far, so good. I'm hoping I find out soon that this placenta thing has cleared up because if it persists, by 30 weeks I won't be able to anything like that and I will GO INSANE.

* I eat the "banned' cheese... well, feta anyway. I gave up feta (my favoritist cheese in the whole world) the ENTIRE time I was pregnant with Ben, only to find out that feta cheese bought in the U.S. have to be pasteurized and are generally safe. Europe is a different story, or so I hear. I'm not attached enough to any other soft cheese to really care one way or the other, so I just don't eat them.

* I paint. I know, shoot me. But if I don't do it, it's not going to get done, at least not the way I want it. My husband holds a paintbrush like Ben does. It's not pretty. I use latex, I open windows, I turn on fans, and I only work in short increments. I certainly wouldn't paint in the first trimester, because the worry is about birth defects. Once fingers and toes have been counted though, I just don't see the problem. Apparently, it's controversial... I choose to agree with what this site says.

*I use the home doppler. I do NOT believe it fries my baby's cells. (?!?!) Once again, I hold Ben up as evidence that even using a doppler every day from 10 weeks - 20'something weeks, he turned out fine. A little energetic, but otherwise fine. ;) I will also get an elective 3D ultrasound again! (some people are all freaked out by those too)

I DO follow the "no emptying the cat box" rule because HA! Who wants to do that anyway? I started following that rule with Ben and have never emptied the litter box since. ;) I'd do it if I had to though, since I've had cats for years and am likely immune. But shh... don't tell Tom.

I DON'T eat sushi (the raw fish version) or lox because that just seems like common sense. But I don't like those anyway, so I don't feel like I'm missing anything. I always eat California rolls anyway, and those are still safe.

I try to only eat tuna once a week... but MAN I could eat that every. single. day.

I don't drink, not even a single drop. But then again, I'm not a drinker anyway... I hear you can safely have a glass of wine once you hit your second trimester! (just learned that one... who knew?!) Strangely, since I have been pregnant, I have been craving a beer. (I have never had more than two sips of beer in my ENTIRE LIFE and normally find it revolting) What's THAT about?!

Edited to Add:
Bree's comment reminded me of another one... the prenatals. OY. I REALLY got lax with Ben. This time, I was determined to do better and was taking the vanilla flavored gag-ariffic prescription horse pills until about a month ago. I ran out though and lost the prescription my dr. wrote me at the last appoitnemnt. So I've been taking my Target brand ones... and somewhat sporatically lately. I was WAY more sporatic with Ben though and again... please note that he is fine. ;) I take some solace in the fact that I eat TONS and TONS of fruit and veggies since that seems to be what I crave. I eat creamed spinach for dinner at least twice a week these days... spinach salads, giant bowls of mixed veggies... bring 'em on!

Okay, your turn. Come on, make me feel better!

Stay tuned for the next installment: "New Baby Rules I Break" ;)

Yowza.

Painted. Crib put together. (though it may not be staying where it is)


Still have to hang the valance, order the dresser and hang some things on the wall... but it's coming together!

If you look carefully, you can see Ben's Cabbage Patch Doll, Molly, formerly known as Reggie. (he renamed him (yes him) "Molly" because he looks like the baby sister from Toy Story. When we told him the baby was going to sleep in the crib, he went and got his baby (Molly) and put him where he belonged. ;)

Belly pic coming later... it has grown. :\

Why is it, when I'm AT my monthly OB appointment, I suddenly can't remember ANY of the questions I had. And then as soon as I get out to the parking lot, I remember all 40 of them? I have SO many questions this month, including:

* (panic) Placenta! What's it doing? Will it move? Tell me it will move! Did it already move? Can we check?!

* Placenta again! Would you quality it as Marginal? Partial? or Complete? This will help me in my obsessive google searches. Thanks.

* Because of said placenta, am I going to have bleeding as I get further along? I keep reading (yeah, google again) this is a possibility as it pulls away from the bottom of the uterus. If so, I'd like to know! Yes, I realize it's supposedly harmless but if I'm going to wake up to a pool of blood one morning, I'd like to be forewarned.

* Also because of said placenta, do I need to take it easy in Disney next week? We're only going to the park one or two days... but still... ????

* Why do some of Too's 3D ultrasound pictures make it look like my baby has a HUGE foreheard and very low, weird ears? Please tell me that is just a strange angle thing and a result of them doing a 3D at only 20 weeks, because I have gone google insane with terms like "low set ears" and "big forehead". The one picture looks normal (in my banner), but the other ones are just kind of scary. I do know this child, like it's brother has a giant head. That part is in evitable. Yes, I know the ultrasound technician told me the baby is perfect, but seriously, do you SEE this forehead?!

* Prevacid! Prescription! Can I have some? Please? Pretty please?

* Still puking. No questions here. I'd just like to whine about it. I guess I'll be doing this for the next 18 weeks.

* Stomach pain after eating. What's THAT about?!

* Will you sign this consent form for me to go have my 3D u/s outside of the hospital, pretty please?

* Why am I thirsty ALL the time? I drink HUGE glasses of water all day and all night long and I'm STILL thirsty. Is this a sign I'm going to/already have gestational diabetes? Please say no. I love me some carbs.

At this point, I'm sure I'll get the "stay off of google" lecture... but hopefully, she'll have some answers...

I wouldn't want Too to read through my two blogs sometime in the future and feel slighted, so here is a list of my second child's accomplishments thusfar...

* Cell division - I mean WOW! Went from two cells to like a hundred bajillion in only five months!

* Successfully growing all four limbs, ten fingers and ten toes! And you can't even count yet!

* Using said limbs to play soccer/Dance Dance Revolution on my internal organs! Big brother will appreciate it if you are able to play with him sooner than later. So keep up the good work!

* Gaining a whole pound! Up from nothing? I mean, that's 100%! Good nutrient absorption, kid!

* Urinating! Yay for plumbing!

* Creating a sleep/wake schedule for yourself. Now, let's just work on the timing of it okay? The 10p.m. -3a.m. awake thing is cute NOW, but won't be when you can cry and be heard. I'm not criticizing, I'm just sayin'.

and lastly,

* You are already a pro at hide and seek. How do you ALWAYS know when daddy is trying to feel you move? Perhaps a future member of the c.i.a.? Hrm...

I think Too has the hiccups this morning... hee hee! :)

Yep. Hi. Up at 4:30... actually, I've been awake longer than that, I finally just now gave in and got out of bed. Don't feel well... tummy troubles,
pregnancy-related, I'm sure... but UGH. This is going to throw me off for the rest of the day. Just waves of nausea, no action. Still. Annoying.

18 more weeks.

I go from scaring the crap out of Tom two days ago by trying to discuss the timing of Baby Three, (WHILE TOO IS STILL IN UTERO!! That's hormones, for you. I even have a blog title all lined up. I know, how sad is that?) to thinking, ya know? Do I REALLY want to do this again?

I was chatting with one of my Gymboree mommy friends this morning about labor... we were swapping pushing stories and she was telling me about c-sections since she ended up with two of them.

Another mom, who is always there but who I haven't really talked to much up until today happened to be there and jumped in with a quip about the infamous mesh panties. (mention mesh panties to anyone who has given birth and it's like it's code for "It's cool! I'm one of you! I've been there too!" Instantly, the three of us were laughing and talking about being scared of pooping during labor like we had known each other for years.

We were also talking about all the things we know better about now... like to steal all the icepack maxi pads from the bathroom so the nurses will keep replenishing them.

Tom already has instructions to pilfer the freebie bag in the bathroom the minute we arrive in the postpartum room and then claim it was never there. ;) I swear, those icepacks are like GOLD. Though, frankly, I could do without multiple crotch squirt bottles... I finally just got rid of the ones from LAST time.

I can't believe I'm far enough along for this already...

So the Braxton Hicks have started. They started at this exact point last time too! So weird. I'm just going about life and all of a sudden my stomach tightens for a minute.

Anyway... so I was pushing around on my stomach, fascinated by how hard it had gotten all of a sudden. Then it was over... but wait, one side of my stomach was still solid as a rock. The other side? Squish. Right side? Rock. Left side? Squish. More exploration revealed that the rock was roundish... Tom felt it and exclaimed, "I remember feeling that before! That's a HEAD!!"

Sure enough, after we pushed on it a few more times, and then it disappeared... er.. swam away. Yup. It was SO a head.

AHHHHH! The physical reminders that there is an actual HUMAN in there always sort of throw me for a loop...

Logically, it makes sense. My uterus is above my belly button, so the rest of the organs had to go SOMEWHERE. But the full reality of the repositioning hit me the other night when my stomach was bothering me.... it was making horrible sounds and they were coming from.... RIGHT UNDER MY RIBCAGE. Yeah yeah, I've been through this before, but that is seriously freaky deaky when you think about it.

With Ben, it got to the point where I was basically a temporary gastric bypass patient because he compressed my stomach so much... no more than two tablespoons of food at a time or it was coming right back.

While I haven't reached that point yet with Too, I do have an interesting new symptom that I can't quite figure out. When I eat a big meal, I get horrible pain in my "rib stomach" ... like doubled over, shooting pain. Yeah yeah, I should mention it to my doctor, probably. My appointment is a week from now. In the meantime, I'm trying to keep my meals small... anyone have any idea what it could be? Google doesn't even know. Though I did find this which was pretty cool!

I suspect it's just one of those things I'll have to live with until this baby comes out...

So remember what I said about Too being my quiet, calm baby? I think I may have jinxed it. B-Too's awake times now are QUITE action packed.

Also to be noted, I'm just guessing there will be NO quiet time/napping for anyone in this house between the hours of 12p.m.-2p.m after May 19th or so.... also, if Too's utero action patterns continue after birth, there will also be no sleep all night long. Every single time I wake up at night now, I'm treated to Cirque de Soleil in my stomach. Last night, I asked in the direction of my ever-growing belly, "Do you like, sleep... ever?"

I haven't even had coffee in three days!

Crap. That's all I have to say. I think I just might be in trouble. I may need to grow another set of arms.

I'm sitting here on the couch watching Toy Story with Ben. (I kid you not when I say we have been watching it all day... first, so I could put another coat of paint in Too's room, second, so I could clean the kitchen and now, because he wanted to and I'm too tired to argue)...

Anyway, Too is kicking the living daylights out of my stomach and I keep seeing my stomach jump and twitch out of the corner of my eye... but of course, every time I look down to actually WATCH for a kick, the kicking stops. It resumes again as soon as I move my eyes back up to the tv or the computer screen.

How does a fetus already know how to push its mother's buttons?

This thread on my expecting club message board got me all riled up this morning... like the person who started it, I too have found myself wanting to shake the people who keep posting about finding out their baby is one sex and not the other and being "DEVASTATED!!" "DISAPPOINTED!!" One woman even posted that she was AFRAID to go to her 20-week ultrasound because she was scared they'd tell her it was a second boy.

You know, I GET the wanting one over the other. With Ben, I thought I wanted a girl. And at his ultrasound, as excited as we were to see a beautiful, healthy baby, there was a moment or two of disappointment.. not for the perfect little boy we were getting, but for the little girl that would not be that I had had pictured in my mind for as long as I can remember.

But I feel SO guilty about ever feeling any of that now... so many people go through so much pain, disappointment and struggle just trying to conceive, people miscarry, people go to these ultrasounds and are told the pregnancy is ectopic and has to be ended, or they go and find out their baby has some horrible genetic defect.

Or, like me, they are just told the preganncy isn't viable and to just go home and wait out a miscarriage. What I wouldn't have given to have just seen a BABY with heartbeat that day...

And this time? I went in scared out of my mind they were going to tell me something was wrong... which is why I can truly say that I left there, not disappointed that I didn't get what I expected, or over the moon that I DID get what I expected (sorry, still not telling), but just thanking God over and over that everything was fine when there are so many things that can go wrong.

I think it's normal to get it in your head that you'd prefer one sex over the other... but to find out you are having a healthy child and be actually UPSET about it? Seriously... people need to get a grip. I'm sorry if your family didn't turn out the way YOU planned, but it did turn out the way God planned it. And in the end? Who knows better?

I bought Baby Too's coming home outfit today. Incidentally, The Children's Place is having an awesome sale. I got Benjamin a TON of stuff for next year, and two pairs of pajamas for $3.49 a piece!!!

Anyway, so I stood in the store with Tom for at least 20 minutes trying to decide whether to buy the gender appropriate color of this outfit. (it comes in pink, blue, and yellow) In the end, I decided to go with yellow... because I like yellow, but mostly to continue driving you all crazy. ;)

I bought the preemie size (up to 7 pounds). Ben was only 6 pounds something or other and SHORT, so preemie/newborn stuff was all that fit him for at least a month. He was absolutely swimming in his 0-3 month coming home outfit.

Just in case you've never looked, this preemie/newborn sizse is HARD TO FIND, which is why I scarfed it up! But just in case I give birth to an 8-pounder out of nowhere (God help me, seriously), I actually DID buy the gender appropriate color in a 0-3 months pajama version of this same outfit. Muahahaha...

... and let me tell you that there is NO WAY I am wearing that gingham otrocity in public. Either I'm going to have to give the horrid black tankini another chance, or I'm just going to have to NOT swim in Florida. Ew!

THESE are just SO so so cute. I'm using an incredible amount of self-control to NOT pull my credit card out right now.

Pukey, acid refluxy. I ate two oranges after dinner last night, which are probably to blame. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Which reminds me, I'm back to craving fruit. TONS and tons of fruit. (and sometimes veggies) Last night, for dinner, I had a carrot with peanut butter, a bowl of whole grain rice with some peas mixed in, a smoothie made with banana, skim milk and some V-8 Splash and the two aforementioned oranges. Geez. You think I needed some vitamins? Tom had a steak and it didn't look the least bit appetizing. Blehh...

Interesting to note: I found my pregnancy journal from when I was pregnant with Ben. I have gained EXACTLY the same amount of weight as I had at this point last time. Weird, huh? I have always heard that you follow similar patterns with subsequent pregnancies and that generally, you will gain the same amount of weight (or close to it) no matter what you do or how you eat. (unless you are eating icing from a can every night or something, obviously) That appears to be true in my case, anyway! I don't mind telling you that I was 143.5 at this point last time. This time, I'm 132. Up exactly 20 pounds both times. Even if I gain a pound a week for the rest of the pregnancy, I'm still only up 40 total and that's not too shabby! :) I'm starting to pine for my regular clothes and my hipbones which have disappeared somewhere among the baby padding, so hopefully, it comes off like it did last time. (crossing everything, fingers, toes, fallopian tubes...)

Baby Name Test Drive

Some of the phrases are just too funny... ;)

...which means, when people ask how far along I am and I tell them, I get the "OOOOOOooooo!! You're halfway there!!!" comment. It IS nice to know I'm halfway finished. But frankly, the hard/slow part tends to be the second half for me. Other than the nausea and crazy tiredness, the first 12-15 weeks or so are pretty much a piece of cake... I mean, as far as mobility and discomfort and whatnot anyway.

I know I am not huge. (though I have gained 20 pounds) But I feel so heavy. Going up the stairs is a chore. Getting up from the couch is hard. And don't even get me started about sitting on the floor. I've also reached the point where rolling over in bed at night takes major advance planning. It really only gets harder from here... I should be reminding myself of that.

Baby Too moves all the time now. I'm almost ready to send back the doppler, but not quite. I still like to check in before I go to bed at night and hear the little heartbeat.

Baby has a definite sleep/active routine, moving around pretty much at the same times every day. I'm a little worried because one of those times happens to be after I'm settled into bed for the night. I know from experience, this does not bode well for when the baby is out. ;) (do you have ANY idea how many pronouns I accidentally typed and then deleted while I typed that paragraph?! Ooops!)

Tom finally felt the baby move from the outside for the first time last night. Every night we've been playing the, "Did you feel that? How about that? That one? Ohhh but that was GOOD one, how did you not feel that?!" game. It's hard to believe that as hard as I'm getting punched and kicked from inside, that it can hardly be felt outside by someone who is NOT me. On the rare occasion, I have seen the little kicks and rolls too, but Tom ALWAYS misses those. That's okay, soon enough, we'll move on to the "what's that body part sticking out?" game. Also a rolicking good time.

The nausea has come back in full force. I spend most the morning sick sick sick now. I don't know why I seem to get the pukey thing more severely and for a longer time than most other people. I'm sure, as with Ben, I will once again puke right up to the minute this child comes out of me. Yeah, it kinda sucks. But seriously, I'm so used to hurling now that it's second nature. It really freaks people out when I announce I'll be right back and they realize what is going on.

Still worried about my silly low-lying placenta. It's so hard to be patient because if it were up to me, I'd be getting an ultrasound every week to see if it has moved even a millimeter. Everyone keeps telling me c-sections are nothing... but seriously... it's major surgery. I'd rather deal with a little "down there" carnage and swelling than stomach staples and an incision. At any rate, I have to just sit back and wait until 28 weeks (or was it 32?) to find out my fate.

We are so excited for this baby! I feel like with two kids, we COULD potentially be finished. I really do want three, but of course, we'll see how two goes first and decide in a couple of years. I guess what I feel is more a sense of relief that I'll have two and it would be fine if it worked out for whatever reason that's all we were to end up with. I really wanted Ben to have at least one sibling, and I'm glad things have worked out that we could give him one... and one close in age, at that.

And that, my friends, is what is on my mind at 21 weeks...

Hoping to work on painting the room a little bit today. :)

According to this, the phrase "we're pregnant" has been banned for all of 2007. Hooray! Nothing peeves me more than a man uttering those words. PUH-lease... what did YOU do?! The women are the ones throwing up, getting fat, and pushing watermelons out of buttonholes. And you say, "WE'RE pregnant?" Hardly.
My husband and I are still married, at least in part, because he has never once uttered those words... he knows better.

Yeah, it's a beauty, isn't it? I just ordered it for our trip to Florida we're taking in a couple weeks.

I bought a maternity swimsuit from Old Navy before our LAST trip, but it was a tankini and didn't work out so well. Everytime I'd go into water deeper than 4 feet, the top would fly up and float all around me, revealing my lily white bloated pregnant belly. SO not cute.

Thankfully, by the time it is actually swimsuit season in Baltimore again, I should be (almsot) back into my normal clothes and thus, my normal swimsuit. Because seriously... do they just make this stuff as ugly as possible for fun?!

Notice how the model is pasty white. That's because she won't go outside in that suit.

I have an empty room upstairs!!! :D Woohoo! I honestly don't know how, but I do!

The basement, on the other hand, is a tad bit full... but I am Ebaying, Craigslisting and Freecycling like a mad woman! There was one point last night where I was literally trapped down there by furniture, with no way out. I was stuck until Tom wandered down and moved a shelf for me!

We did manage to get the old office set up rather nicely in the basement, and my project for today (until we have to leave for my grandmother's house) is to slowly put away all the office/file cabinet stuff that is in bins downstairs. It's killing me because all I really want to do is work on the nursery!!