26w update

The picture is already 10 days ago, and yes, my belly is already bigger still, but…there you have it.

How far along: 26w today

Total weight gain: Still down 3 lbs from pg starting weight.  That said, I’m up 10 lbs. from where I was a 6 weeks ago, so I guess we are going in the right direction.  I am craving mostly sweet things now (a total 180 from the first trimester) and my trademark-during-pregnancy red sauce.

General disposition:  Not too bad.  I’ll admit, weeks 23 and 24 were not good at all.  I actually had my first appointment with my Ohio Maternal Fetal specialist on the exact gestational age milestone that we learned of Duncan’s death, which was not fun.  Same drive to the same hospital, and then an ultrasound…..yeah.  It was no wonder my blood pressure was out of control that morning.  I went ahead and had Dr. G write me a script for Prozac; I’ve been off it for over a year, but…it’s time to get back on it.

Sleep:  My sleep is improving a bit, in conjunction with the nights that Erin sleeps well.  I’m still not ever really comfortable, and I get up at least once to pee, but….you just deal.  I’ve been hitting a fatigue wall about 3 pm each day, and it is all I can do to parent for that hour.  We have developed a routine of some classic Nick Jr. cartoons on DVR during momma’s afternoon date with the couch. 

Best moment this week: Hmm….pregnancy related?  Knowing my ob really knows me, and my case, and misses me when I accidentally forget to show up for my regular appointment. 

Movement:  OMG, this child.  Doesn’t like loud noises….or does, and wants to join in the fun and games.  Either way…..shhhhh, people!  S/he is a MOVER and, miraculous though it may be, I don’t love it. 

Labor Signs/Body Changes of Note:  Of course, no big surprise given the point I’m at….my blood pressure.  It’s not good.  At all.  I’ve had a 24-hr urine collection, and I’m recording my BP at home 3 times a day.  Dr. S  (the MFM) thinks we can buy several weeks on BP meds; Dr. G (my ob) agrees.  I’m not on any yet…..we shall see where things go.  Also, I took my glucose tolerance test this morning (yuck!), and have no reason to think I won’t pass, but, again, we shall see!

What I miss:  Eating without getting heartburn.  Pretty much anything, even bland things, give me heartburn now.  No fun. 

What I am looking forward to:  Finding a photographer and scheduling a maternity photo shoot. =)

InstaFriday

I’m still getting used to having a smartphone, and have really been trying to be more present and snap photos of everyday moments….

Here are some glimpses into the past week:

Sleepy girl on the way to Bellevue.  McD’s heaven (new chicken snackers and a mocha frappe).  Modeling new (and long sought after) rain boots for Nonna.  OMG, not possible that we are ready for this!  Mmm….mac n cheese.  Times two.  Story time with our new friend Aaron.  More library fun.  Just like brother.  Latest TSArt request = Grandpa.

 

 

I'm linking up with Jeannett at LifeRearranged for InstaFriday.

General update on my littles: Seth

I have tried numerous times in the past weeks to make time to blog.  Why is it that the times we strive to be intentional get run over in the hurriness of life? Grr.  Well, better late than never.  We spent the morning at the library, and so naptime is my friend today, and I have a couple spare minutes to crank out a post (and by “crank out,” I mean, please ignore typos.  I’m writing quickly!)

All four of my little ones have been heavy on my mind and heart these past weeks, so rather than try to cram a general update into one post, I’m gonna give them each a day.  Here goes nothing.

Seth.  Well, he’s something else, that kid.  Which, duh, we’ve always known.  But lately, he’s kind of a split personality.  One moment, as sweet and gentle and polite and funny as all get out.  And then other days, like yesterday, he is the devil.  Seriously.  By the time Jim got home from work, I was hoarse from having raised my voice constantly at my child – which I hated, but…..it is just the reality of how the day went.

I think boredom has a lot to do with his attitude shifting.  He misses school tremendously, and there is part of me that is considering finding something for him yet this spring.  I don’t know.  We have Bible study each week, and MOPS every other week, and various playdates and gatherings, but, the consistency of interaction with peers is definitely missing.

He has taken to telling “why did the chicken cross the road” jokes, and the punch line is ever changing.  “To get to Greema’s house,” “to get to Chick-Fil-A,” “because he wanted to,” are all reasonings to come from his brain this past week.

He is getting increasingly aware of Ukraine and the presence that this someday home of Gramp-e’s has in our family.  Just the other day, I heard him telling Erin, “here is the map.  Let me show you where Nadya and Yliana’s house is.”  He is already so excited for our trip overseas later this year.  I hope it lives up to his high expectations.

Seth misses his White House buddies so very much.

 

Every day I pray that we will eventually meet families with little guys that fill the void in my baby’s heart.  I’m not looking to replace Gage, Hayden, Gavin, and Daniel.  But…it’s breaking my heart a little each time Seth comes up to me to say, “Mom, I’m playing Candyland with my guys,” only to see him at the table by himself, but with all four pieces rounding the board; he waits for each of his invisible/missing buddies to take their turn.  Just the other day, Jim’s aunt sent a whole envelope of Valentines….and Seth, though I told him they were from Aunt Joyce, clutched each one to his chest as he “read” "”To Seth, from Gage….hope you are having fun at Gramp-e’s;” “To Seth, from Daniel….I miss you.  Come home soon.”  Seriously, kid, you’re killing me.

This past weekend, Uncle Josh gave Seth his first buzz cut.  Too many days of really bad bed head had gotten to me, so I told Josh to just shave it off…
 

I’m not sure it accomplished anything but making his eyes look even larger, but he thinks it is cool, and it is easier to deal with in the morning….we’ll see if I keep it going through the spring and summer….

Seth is as invested as ever in his Thomas the Train sets.  He is currently saving up for Tidmouth Sheds, although “saving” is a relative term, as I keep catching him taking money from his piggy bank and putting it into the designated “working toward Tidmouth” jar.  Smart.  Sneaky, but smart. ;)

Overall, I can’t complain.  He is still my “easy” one, and he loves me, I think, still more than anyone.  Not that that is a measure of successful parenting, by any means.  It just warms my heart (even as it wears me out).

He’s hanging in there with me, as we navigate this season of change.  He still kisses my Lovenox injection site each night and tosses random “I love you, Mommy, you’re the best” comments at me throughout the day.  Even as I think I can’t stand another minute of him being right.at.my.heels….just when I think “if I don’t get to pee in private today”….right as I’m ready to post him for sale on Craig’s List….he does something or says something that grounds me.

Oh, Seth, you are, still, my forever sunshine.

Wordless Wednesday 2.8.12

Seven Links Challenge

Do y’all read ProBlogger?

Me, neither.

But one of the home decor bloggers I read does, and she mentioned something she’d  that I though sounded like fun.  Apparently, ProBlogger has random challenges, and one of them in the past has been the “Seven Links Challenge.”

Your first post

A post you enjoyed writing the most

A post which had a great discussion

A post on someone else’s blog that you wish you’d written

Your most helpful post

A post with a title that you are proud of

A post that you wish more people had read

Why not, I thought?  It’ll be an easy was to get some blog fodder.

So, here are my seven links:

My first post.  Who knew that starting this blog to keep well-meaning aunts informed of Seth’s pregnancy would turn into years worth of memories, and a place to meet so many wonderful people.  I may be published in actual print, but the work I’ve poured into this blog is some that I am most proud of.

I’m pretty sure I’ve tried to force traffic to this series of posts before, and the blog is so much more than my experience as Duncan’s mommy, but nothing I’ve ever written has been as powerful as his story, so, yes, while I’m not sure I’d say that I enjoyed writing these the most, these posts are my favorites.

A post that triggered a great discussion was a little harder to find.  There were some that had a lot more comments, and some that were more controversial, but this one is combination of comments and controversy, and more than that, just a topic that I feel I wrote about eloquently, and a post that I hope helped each person that read it, in one regard or another.

I’m not sure I even understand why one of the links would ever be linking to another person’s post that I wish I’d written, but it is, and I’m going to take the easy road and say that if I had to trade blog spaces and therefore writing skills and quite possibly, you know, lives with another blogger, it would be my friend Mandie, who writes at Bringing Up Bug and Bee.  I was going to try to narrow it down to a single post, but truly, this girl keeps me laughing with all her posts, so…just trust me, stick her in your reader.

My most helpful post is probably the one about the details of my (TN) master bedroom.  Who knew?  I guess when you have the Nester’s backing, you make some blogosphere ripples.

Ooh, a post with a killer title.  Ironically, for claiming to be a writer, there weren’t as many great titles to choose from as there should have been, but there were a couple that were hard to eliminate.  It came down to The Silence of the Slam and And We’ve Always Blamed the Dryer.  The former probably is the better title, but the latter is the better post.

And finally, the post I wish more people had read would probably have to be Erin’s birth day poem, For My Daughter.  I never set out to write that; I just couldn’t sleep, so I got up to surf the web, and instead, all these words just poured out.  I’m proud of this piece, and, vain as it may be, it would have been nice to know more people read it.

And there you have it!  My seven links.  And, I, in turn, get the last draft post out of my cache.  Go, me!  On to more current happenings next week…

Goin’ on vacation

After dinner Sunday night, while Dad was entertaining the kids in his room, and I was cleaning up the dinner dishes, Jim headed down to the family/play room to check on the status of the Pro Bowl game.
Breathless laughter floated back up the stairs, and I thought, “hmm, maybe new commercials are starting already.”  And then I hear, “Babe, you might want to come look at this….”
Uh oh.
The first thing  noticed was that my meticulously plotted train track layout had been disassembled, and only a few lone pieces remained on the play mat.

Then I noticed that all the toy drawers were out of their shelving.
  


And then Jim directed my attention to the bookshelf.


And when I finally put all the pieces together enough to ask, “so, where are the toys?!” Jim just pointed and laughed.

When questioned, Seth merely explained that he’d packed the car, “’cause we’re goin’ on vacation.”
Alrighty, then.

Wordless Wednesday 2.1.12