Eleanor, Week 3

Week 3 began our alone time as a family - I had Luke around Friday through Sunday, and then bright and early Monday morning I was up bright and early functioning on my own. It ended up being a really really long week, especially when Eleanor decided to have her awake time during Avery's naptime, which meant not much of a nap for me. I'm learning to master the art of power napping. Thankfully, Luke walked in the door at 3:45 on Friday afternoon, asked what he could do to help, and I handed over Eleanor and took a long nap. Thankful for a sweet hubby!!

The girls and I did get out twice this week, once to the free breakfast at Chick-fil-a, and once to Sprouts for groceries. It's actually easier than I thought it would be - Eleanor goes in the sling first, then I get Avery out and settled in the cart, and off we go! Then Avery is the first back into the car for fear of her bolting or a stray car coming too close.

First tub bath - it took awhile to get to this milestone because of a stubborn little stump of umbilical cord that wouldn't fall off. I'm so glad it's gone now, because sponge baths are just annoying! She's happier sitting in a little puddle of warm water too. Avery sat up on the stool and watched and handed me things when she wasn't busy climbing up and down off the stool.

She is much more alert these days, which means she is also grumpier, unfortunately. She is realizing when someone isn't holding her and she starts to cry. Gone are the days of just crying for food!

This week she liked to cluster feed in the mornings, sleep mid-morning through lunchtime, and then have a couple hours of awake time before going back down mid-afternoon. She then slept much of the evening and started another cluster-feed session around 9 pm until around 11 pm. I put her down, went to sleep, and she'd be up an hour later (ugh!), before we settled into 3 hour stretches for the rest of the night.

The days were broken up by friends dropping meals off - we'd get to visit for a bit, and adult conversation is such a welcome relief!

Eleanor and I also had a girls' night with my sister Michelle and our friend Kelly, who was in town for a work convention. We sat and gabbed for a couple hours over pumpkin pancakes at Kerbey Lane. Eleanor slept til we finished our meal, and then woke up for a meal of her own. I forgot how easy this age can be!

I also got my first intentional smile from Eleanor, on Thursday! Kelly was holding her and talking to her, and E  gave her a couple small smiles, and when I sat down next to them and started talking, E looked over at me and gave the BIGGEST smile ever. Melt my heart!

We celebrated week 3 and started week 4 with a Sip 'n See in Eleanor's honor - almost everyone there had a nursing baby or a baby on the way. Thankful for sweet friends and family who celebrated with us!

MJ snuggling Eleanor

Crystal and a hidden Titus, Shana and Lyla, MJ with Eleanor

Michelle and sweet Sadie

Tomorrow is the start of another 5 days alone during the day, but I'm feeling better and able to get out more and I'm more confident in my ability to handle two, so it should be easier.

another visit from D-dad, who has been missing his girls terribly!

Hats

because 2 is better than 1

the Pope

The Things They Teach Her...

Apparently our two-year old learned how to plank at the grandparents' house the last time she was there. This was a text I received from them:

Eleanor, Week 2

2 weeks + 2 days

Our sweet tiny girl is 2 weeks old! We had a doctor appointment this morning - Eleanor had another newborn screen done, and Avery got a flu shot. Lots of needles and crying girls. Eleanor is quite strong and kicked the nurse when she was squeezing her little heel for the blood samples. Avery sobbed and said it "weally, weally hurt, Daddy!" but the gift of a Dora sticker made the tears magically disappear.


Eleanor is now weighing in at 8 lbs 3 oz (almost a pound more than birth weight, and an ounce heavier than Avery was at birth!), and they claim she's 21 3/4 inches, but I HIGHLY doubt that. Those length measurements are so inaccurate when trying to do them on a wiggly baby. Edit: I measured her at home and got 21".

We also ventured out to MOPS this morning after the appointment. Avery went to the children's museum with Luke, and Eleanor and I headed to the meeting. It was great to see old friends, and she slept the whole time. She also won me cupcakes because I was up the most the night before. Thanks, Eleanor!

She likes to cluster feed during the day, usually mid-morning. Our nights have started to trend towards feeding at midnight and every 3 hours after until 6:30 am or so. My favorite time is that last feed, because then I get to sleep in until 9ish, when she wakes up again, while Luke and Avery play and have breakfast.

She loves to be held. She prefers motion over laying still. She'll sleep for hours in your arms if you have the strength to let her. I try not to do that though - trying to find a happy medium between cuddling and letting her fall asleep on her own. Not worried about sleep training yet, but no sense in starting a bad habit now. I'm hoping she'll be a champion sleeper like Avery was.

She's still sweet-natured and quite the snugglebug. Still only cries for food or during a diaper change sometimes.

Luke's mom was here most of the week to help us with keeping up with the house, entertaining Avery, and to of course snuggle Eleanor. Luke's dad was also in the country (he's working in Africa right now) for a couple weeks, so he came down for 2 days to see the girls. We're so thankful for great family!

And, I forgot to take a pic today, so we'll do it tomorrow and pretend it was taken on time.

Pics of Eleanor

It was far easier to put pics from the first week in an online album than to post them all here, so go check them out. I'll put favorites on here as she grows, just as I do for Avery.

Conversations with Avery

Avery talks nonstop. All day long. She will repeat her statement over and over again until we repeat it exactly back to her, and she often says what she wants us to ask her. For example, "Did you bring it to Mommy?", in which Luke would have to ask that exact question, so that she can answer yes or no in response.

Grayputer = computer

Eleanor was at first Helenor, then Eleanor until Titus came to visit, in which Baby Eleanor became Baby Titus for a few days. We've finally convinced her that our baby is Eleanor, and Titus is Mrs. Crystal's baby.

If Eleanor cries, Avery will run into our bedroom and say, "Baby, what happened?" She also waves frantically at her and yells, "Hi, Baby Eleanor!" I'm thinking Eleanor will be able to sleep through anything after a few weeks of Avery.

She also has such an active imagination, and a lot of times our conversations are centered around something she saw on Dora or Caillou or VeggieTales.

She negotiates. Usually for chocolate.

We're working on not whining. My parents started this seriously with her last time she went to visit, and now we can tell her, "Ask nicely" and she'll repeat that phrase back to us verbatim. Too funny! We're working on her responding with what she wants instead, with no whining and a "please" at the end.

She compliments us a lot, telling us we've done a great job or that something was a good idea.

Her bedtime routine is to let her turn her light off, then she'll climb her stool up onto her bed, super slowly of course, and then she'll slowly work her way towards her pillow. She then lies down, but her legs usually pop up in the air and slowly lower to the bed, where we then ask her if she wants this blanket, for all of her blankets (there are 3 large ones and 2 small ones), and she responds with "okay" after each question. However, she's started making weird noises in response to each blanket question, like blowing air, or grunting, or making a roaring sound. It varies. Sometimes she asks us to pray, sometimes we suggest it, and she'll hold out her little hand to hold. She then asks us to "close that door" and we tell each other "Night night. Sleep tight. Sweet dreams."

You never know what will come out of that girl's mouth! She is intrigued by the breast pump, and if I cover up, she'll lift up the shirt or blanket, demanding to see it. She then will tap on the pump and say, "It's stuck! It's stuck in the cup!" She also calls my boobs "bellies". At least she won't embarrass me in public, since people won't automatically associate belly with boob.

Or mostly cordless - there's a tiny little stump left in there, but at least we can get cuter clothes on her now! She's been living in t-shirts and socks, swaddled, so it doesn't rub against the cord.

This is also her first cloth diaper! We made the switch today, now that I'm feeling a bit better and can start to think about diaper laundry.

We also need to figure out a better way to do these photo shoots. I snapped this in a hurry since I knew she'd be cold.

Eleanor, Week 1

This tiny girl is just the most precious thing. She is sweet-natured. She cries only when hungry, and sometimes during diaper changes. Otherwise, she sleeps, she eats, she snuggles. She loves to be held. She smiles all the time. Some say they're just gas smiles, but I beg to differ. I don't know about you, but gas tends to make me do anything but smile - wouldn't it be the same for a baby? Her smiles usually come after a feeding; she's drowsy, her eyes are closed, and this little grin blips across her face ever so briefly. It's like she's dreaming of good, sweet things. 

A recap of our past week:

friday

It was a wild ride! Thrown out into the bright lights of a delivery room, into the arms of the person she listened to and moved within for nine months. She cried for a good 10 minutes. She nursed within 30 minutes of her birth. And then she slept and slept and slept. It was so hard to get her to wake up for feedings. Nonnie and D-dad, Aunt Shell and Uncle Nick, and of course Avery came to welcome baby Eleanor. Uncle Dane and Aunt Brittany arrived later in the evening as well as Luke's mom. Avery's first impression was priceless: Avery climbed up on the bed, looked at Eleanor, and whispered, "Oh wow!" She then saw my tube of chapstick on the table and exclaimed, "Oh look! Orange one! Ooh chapstick!" So much for her new baby sister. Diaper changes were an ordeal - Luke did the first one, and she managed to poop 3 more times during the change. He was scrambling for wipes for a good 10 minutes. Longest diaper change ever, while I laughed and laughed watching them. I was on an adrenaline rush; Luke slept most of the day.

saturday

More sleeping, more eating, a pooping machine. The nurses make you feel like a bad mother if you aren't feeding every 2-3 hours, but she was still so sleepy and hard to wake up. I did my best, but feeds would be 5 minutes long before she'd conk out again. Nonnie and D-dad returned with Aunt Shell and Uncle Nick. Luke's mom returned with Avery, and we got some more time with Aunt Brittany and Uncle Dane. Aunt Haley, Uncle David and Aunt Julie, and our friends Judy, Shana, and Crystal all came to visit. We also had a hearing test done, and while they usually take 30 minutes to an hour to perform, Eleanor passed it in ten minutes, and passed both ears simultaneously, which indicated that her brain was multi-tasking (a big feat for a newborn). The gal conducting the test said that she's tested over 300 babies, and only 8 had ever done that before Eleanor. Way to go, Smart Girl!!

sunday

Quiet, peaceful day. Sara came to officially greet Eleanor in a more civilized setting than the L&D room. After that, it was just the 3 of us at the hospital the rest of the day, waiting to be discharged. Discharge took an EXTREMELY long time because our pediatrician was held up, our nurse went on a lunch break, they only had one nurse who was taking patients down after being discharged, and then ultimately it was our own nurse who did it because the other one was too busy. Home at last, welcomed by a roast in the crock pot and Nonnie and Aunt Shell and Avery. 

monday

We survived our first night at home! Nonnie here all week during the day. I slept and rested and fed Eleanor. Avery was intrigued by her baby sister, but usually only when Eleanor was crying. Then it was immediate concern and statements like, "Want to go see her! Baby Eleanor is crying! Baby, what happened?!" Not too much jealousy on Avery's part. 

tuesday

Same as Monday, but with a very rough night preceding. Eleanor is a fan of the cluster feed and partying at night. 

wednesday

Our first outing! Nonnie, Avery, and I took Eleanor to her first doctor's appointment. She weighed in at 7 lbs 10 oz, which is four ounces above her birth weight. Astonishing! The doctor laughed and said they like to see babies back to their birth weight by two weeks post-delivery. Eleanor apparently never lost (the doc said she had gained 0.1% in the hospital), and that I must have some Blue Bell, top quality, should donate it to third world countries kind of milk. This coupled with her amazing results on the hearing test are giving us big egos, making us think our daughter is a genius or something since she is so "advanced". Hehe.

thursday

Newborn photos done by my talented friend Erin. When we did these with Avery, she managed to poop or pee on every.single.item we placed her on. Eleanor was much much kinder to Erin's photography props. Avery got to run around Erin's fabulous backyard wonderland of toys during the photoshoot. Much appreciated! Lots of naps for me and Eleanor, and then we had our best night yet. 

friday

Eleanor and I got to sleep in until 9:45 (after being up a couple times in the night, of course). A good, lazy day, where both kids were happy. Eleanor had two periods of alertness for about an hour each today - her longest yet. We made it through the first week!

Eleanor's Birth Story, Part 2

Now, a more personal reflection:


After the birth of Avery, I had a lot of emotional baggage. It went so differently than I thought and hoped it would go, ending in a c-section under general anesthesia. I felt like a failure, honestly. It took a good year and a half to process everything, and then again fears cropped up throughout this pregnancy. Some people won't understand this at all. That's okay. I don't even know that it was the fact that I had a c-section, but in the way it came about, and how I didn't even get to see her being born, or hold her for the first 2 hours of her life. Surgery is one thing. Having a healthy baby is the goal. But I missed out on some aspects of birth that I had longed for.

I decided long before getting pregnant this time that I would research VBACs, to see if I was comfortable with the idea of them, with the safety of them. I became sold on the idea, and I spent a year or so researching and praying (and 2/3rds of that trying to get pregnant). God blessed us with pregnancy at the end of 2010, finding out on New Year's. It was such a good sign - a new year, a new life, an answer to prayer and a promise of good things to come.

I switched doctors, moving over to a very VBAC friendly midwife/doctor collaborative practice. I signed up for a prenatal yoga class. We started Bradley classes halfway through the pregnancy. I went on a low-sugar diet from the suggestion of my doctor in hopes of having a smaller baby, since my previous doctor said I'd only have large babies and c-sections. I was gently reminded by a friend that no matter what I did to control this, God was in control and this baby would come however it came; essentially - don't make this birth an idol. Good reminder.

And more reminders came that I wasn't in control. I won't linger - this isn't a sob story. Gestational diabetes. A placental bleed and a weekend in the hospital. A month of bedrest. All of these happened within 3 weeks of each other, and the stress of it was really starting to shake my confidence.

Each week passed, and we made it well past the full-term marker...this baby hung on so tightly that I was convinced I'd be seeing the doctor at 42 weeks. I was thankful for the early labor symptoms, which I never experienced with Avery. The last two weeks of pregnancy presented quite a few contraction episodes, though nothing to write home about. At least my body was doing something!

When you're faced with the possibility of having a preemie and a long NICU stay, it becomes even harder to wait for the baby to show up when things start looking up. We were emotionally prepared for a baby weeks before Eleanor actually arrived, and we were so anxious - the waiting was harder this time. Yet, the waiting was worth it, because it meant a healthy baby, a full-term baby, and the chance to labor. Had she come at 33 weeks, I would have had a c-section because she wouldn't have been able to handle the stress of labor when combined with the placental problems.

When I woke up last Thursday, something about the day just felt different to me. When the contractions spread out, I was disappointed. When they picked up again, I was anxious and nervous and excited, because here it was! Everything I had worked towards and prayed for was happening, yet I still didn't know the final outcome.

I know VBACs are scary to a lot of people; it's a liability that a lot of doctors don't want to take, despite the great amount of research and evidence supporting the safety of them, as well as the decreased risks as opposed to a repeat cesarean. I have to say, though, that those risks that do come with VBACs never once crossed my mind once I was in labor. My body was doing what it was designed to do, so I just kept going with the flow. I knew that we would react accordingly if a complication arose, but I honestly forgot about it even being a VBAC. I was simply in labor.

When we got to the hospital, I was reprimanded for not showing up sooner or telling the doctor that this was a VBAC case. Silly me, thinking they check charts on the people who call in. And, it was the same doctor who treated me during our emergency trip to the hospital 2 months ago. I had always been told to labor at home for awhile, and then when it became serious, to head to the hospital. It wasn't serious enough until my water broke, and then labor went into hyperdrive. None of us predicted that I would speed through that quickly at the end, even though we knew labor would be shorter with the second baby. Apparently I transitioned much faster than normal.

Despite being a little upset about my late arrival, the doctor was very calm and hands off. She was in the room the whole time, but she would just glance over occasionally, seeing that I was in the capable hands of my husband and our doula. I just kept going with the flow. Once I reached pushing, she stepped in and worked me through it calmly, while complimenting me and encouraging me. It was great to see everyone grinning and telling me how close I was and how they could see progress with each push. The look on Luke's face as the baby came was priceless. Pride, awe, excitement.

A funny moment - during my last few contractions before pushing stage, Luke panicked that we didn't have the birth plan to give the doctor, so he was going to run out to the car to grab it. She just looked at him and said, "I think we'll just wing it from this point! She's so close to pushing, I don't want you to miss it."

I also apparently had an amazing hip wiggle through the intense contractions, so into them that everything else seemed to fade away. Yet I had moments of complete clarity right around the peak of one contraction, where I was able to groan out my correct birthday because Luke was off by a few days. :)

Early on in labor, I felt so empowered. Towards the end, not so much. I felt crazy for choosing the natural route. Who voluntarily chooses that much pain?! When it was all done, though, everything shifted back to a feeling of joy. When I gave that final push, when they pulled her out and announced, "It's a girl!", when Luke and I both went "What?!" because we were convinced this baby was a boy, when they laid her on my chest, all of these moments will forever be embedded in my mind. I cried and laughed and grinned like a crazy woman on happy drugs, and I spent the next day on this adrenaline rush that just wouldn't fade. I have been unable to stop praising God for this amazing experience, for allowing me the opportunity, for giving our family the blessing of this precious daughter. I am thankful for each and every answered prayer, and there are so many right at this moment. He is who He is, no matter how the situation might have turned out, yet I am so very grateful for this gift.

Eleanor's Birth Story, Part 1

This is the story I wanted, for Avery, for Eleanor, for myself. Avery's birth story was nothing like this. I feel like I was given a second chance this time around, for which I am eternally grateful.

I also don't want to freak out people who have yet to go through labor, or who are made squeamish by labor and birth, so this is the abridged version. The full-length version is written elsewhere for me to remember.

First, the timeline. I remember most of this, but some of the smaller details and times were filled in from the birth notes made by our doula.

6:00 am, Thursday, September 8 - I woke up with semi-painful contractions, which made me take notice simply because I tended to have contractions in the afternoon only. I asked Luke to be extra attentive to his phone. I hopped in the shower, determined not to look like death-warmed-over this time. I wanted to be pretty and smiley at the end of labor.

I spent the next hour praying and reading and resting, trying to relax, not get too excited, and push away the anxiety.

The morning wore on, Avery and I played and ate breakfast, and the contractions spread out so much that I gave up thinking today was the day. Avery and I went on a 45 minute walk after lunch, hoping to bring the contractions back around. We pushed her doll stroller all over, stopped to talk to a couple doggies, and I ended up wearing her out so much that she made me carry her doll stroller home.

1:30 pm - we both went down for a nap. She slept on; I woke up 3 times with painful contractions.

4:30 pm - gave my sister a call, asking her to be on alert, since contractions were picking up again. I also texted Sara, our doula, just to let her know what was going on. She promised to call every couple of hours to check on me.

5:15 pm - Luke came home so he could be in charge of Avery and dinner, since I was having to stop for each contraction. I'm starting to think that these won't go away at this point, that this could actually be labor. Still tried not to get too excited.

9:08 pm - I asked Sara to head over, as well as my sister. Michelle planned to spend the night with Avery while we were at the hospital.

9:45 pm - Sara arrives, and Michelle shortly after. I'm rocking and breathing through contractions, but we switched this up and got me walking between them and swaying through them. I'm feeling confident and powerful at this point.

10:20 - 11:15 pm - timed contractions; they made it to 4 minutes apart, lasting a minute each

11:20 pm - called the midwife, who suggested a warm bath, a nap, and then head to the hospital in an hour. We pushed this timing a little longer since I was still feeling good. I was working hard, but I wasn't feeling like delivery was imminent anytime soon.

A little after midnight - we timed the contractions for another 30 minutes, where they increased in frequency to about 3 minutes apart and the moaning begins. Serious work now. Luke loads the car up.

12:40ish pm - my water broke during a contraction. I noticed a pop at the peak of the contraction; such an odd feeling! This was exciting for me, because they had to break my water with Avery.

12:55 or so - we head to the car, where I had to stop and hug Sara through a contraction while Luke locked up and got the car started. I also hit transition in the car on the way to the hospital, where it continued all the way up to the check-in desk in L&D. I probably startled a few people on the way in with my crazy moaning and hip waggling. The urge to push hit the second I stepped out of the car and got worse and worse all the way to our room.

We are ushered quickly to our room, where everyone is flying about trying to get me out of my clothes, into a gown, into the bed, paperwork signed between contractions, and a saline lock inserted into my arm in case I needed an IV. I kept having to wave people away from me so I could contract.

1:40 am - The doctor checked my cervix and found me at 9 cm and the baby at zero station (victory in and of itself, because Avery never made it past a -1 station)! One contraction got me through to just a lip of the cervix, and the next one found me at 10 cm and ready to push. The contractions were so intense at this point that I felt like I would claw the ceiling tiles - Sara had to keep physically pushing me back on the bed while Luke tried to calm me on the other side. Finally, the contractions spread out a tiny bit as I reached the pushing stage, and this felt like such a huge relief. It took roughly 25 minutes, and then...

2:14 am - Eleanor Hope Presley was born, one hour after arriving at the hospital. 7 lbs, 6 oz, 20.5 inches long. I was able to have an hour of skin-to-skin time, I nursed her within the first 30 minutes, and we had a quiet time just marveling over the birth of our second child.

40 Weeks

Well, this week brought a huge change for us in the pregnancy! Arriving one day early, we'd like to introduce you to Eleanor Hope Presley. She weighed 7 lbs 6 oz, 20.5 inches, and is cute as can be. We'll update more when we get home and settled, but we're all doing well and are enjoying our first couple of days with our new sweet girl!

39 Weeks

• One more week (or more, or less). I can't believe we're almost there! I spend so much of my time picturing labor and life after with two children, and it's all so exciting and scary.
• I'm increasingly uncomfortable. The baby is sitting lower and lower and presses on all kinds of nerves still. But, I'm also struggling to breathe thanks to being so short - those little feet just press right up into the diaphragm.
• While thrifting yesterday, one tactless Salvation Army employee saw my belly and exclaimed, "Whoa! Whoa. Whoa. You're really out there! How much longer do you have?" Polite conversation, smile, I move on. He is still staring at me and shaking his head and going "Whoa. Whoa. Whoa." And then, "My wife is due on the 22nd." More polite smiling on my part. And THEN, oh what comes next, "Is that one baby or two?!" after I had already tried to walk away from him twice. I turned, stared at him, my jaw almost dropping, and could only sputter, "Thank you, thank you so much sir. That just makes me feel...." and I just had to walk away. I get it, the belly is large, many people are just polite when they say I'm tiny, and of course comments will come, but really, he made me feel like a whale and how could I possibly still walk? :)
• We spent Friday evening walking around the Domain just for some exercise, with a small detour through Anthropologie just for browsing. Tomorrow's agenda is a movie and lots more walking. 
• Avery is at my parents' house for the weekend. They called asking if they could take her, since Dave would be near Austin for work and could meet me, and it would give Luke and I a few days alone before this baby comes. We are so blessed to have such awesome family!
• Since Avery is gone, this is the perfect time to go into labor without worrying about having someone come fetch her so I can labor and not scare her. I'm praying that things kick into gear this weekend, and then Avery and my parents can head this way when it gets close to baby time. 
• I'm frustrated that the storm activity went to Louisiana instead of Texas. I was hoping for rain and a really good low pressure system. 
• Avery said she wants a baby girl today. That's her usual answer. I wonder if she'll get what she wants.
• Luke is still holding on to the "right" to name the middle name. I love the girl name he picked. The boy name - I'm having to warm to it. At least it's just a middle name. 
• I can just taste the dessert that will be mine soon.
• I also still have to be mindful of the diabetic diet for 6 weeks after delivery. However, don't hesitate to bring brownies. I don't have to be perfect.
• I've gained half the amount of weight this pregnancy as I did with Avery. Even though I complain about not getting sweets or as many carbs, I'm loving this way of eating and will probably continue with a modified form of it after the baby is born. 
• I can still wear my wedding rings. Last time I had to buy a bigger fake ring so I wouldn't look like an unwed mother. 
• I'm totally stealing EMU's format for pregnancy posts. Not everyone will know what I'm talking about, but she will!
• My brain is functioning at about 20% capacity most days. It's a wonder I make it anywhere on time or alive sometimes. 
• I cleaned like a madwoman today. Dusting. Scrubbing the kitchen counters. Dishes. Standing on chairs and vacuuming the cobwebs. Regular vacuuming. Loads of random laundry, like new diapers and all of the throw blankets and bedding. Rearranging furniture (well, supervising). I'm hoping this means labor is imminent.
• Avery and I had an awful week. Not all of it, but it was definitely on the rougher end. It's been a hard summer with my bedrest and the extreme temperature, and she knows something is changing soon. 
• However, despite our hard week, I am loving age 2. The precious meter goes through the roof sometimes. She is just too much fun these days, and so curious about everything!

Stay tuned for more baby news! Here's hoping he or she makes an appearance soon.

Thrifting and Such

I had the afternoon to myself so I took advantage of the free time and ended up with a handful of amazing deals. Honestly, best afternoon bargain-hunting ever. I stopped into Marshall's and walked out with a Serena and Lily sling for pennies, which was fantastic, but the real prize came from the Salvation Army. The point of the trip there was to find a large picture frame to go around a dry erase board for this project found on Pinterest. I've been hunting for a couple weeks, and found plenty of nice dark wood frames at the craft store for $50 - ridiculous. I found a white one for 2.99 at the SA. Here's my budget-friendly makeover:

 I also managed to snag a popover pan to make Luke those Four Seasons popovers for 1.99.

And then...oh my...the jewel of the whole trip there:

This dresser and chest of drawers was marked as a set, for about the same price that I typically see one going for on craigslist. A bargain already, made even more so when the older gentleman working there came up and offered 45% off the original price, making this a 2-for-1 deal essentially. Luke had met me up there to discuss this, and when that offer came up, we could hardly say no (though Luke really made me work for it). I've been looking for at least one dresser like this for the past 3 years, and now I have two! I nearly did a crazy dance of excitement - you should have seen the cheesy face I was giving Luke and trying to hide from the salesman at the same time. I love the vintage style, I love the handles. We pick them up tomorrow evening which means I have to do some creative rearranging in the apartment so they fit.

All of this hunting makes me so eager for Round Top at the end of the month!

Sticker Fun

Nonnie gifted Avery some Dora and Thomas the Train stickers yesterday during an outing to Target, and she's had a blast playing with them. They are currently decorating our coffee table and carpet, but for awhile they went back and forth between the coffee table and my belly. We had just been talking about the baby, so I guess Avery wanted to share her stickers with him/her. She discovered that my belly makes a wonderful canvas.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Luke's birthday was last Saturday, and we celebrated a day early with cake, and more cake and pizza on the actual day. My brother and sis-in-law were in town for the day, so they came over for a little mini dinner party. Nothing fancy this year - saving that for the big 3-0 next year, but it was fun to catch up with family and eat cake and snap a pic of my sis-in-law pregnant at the same time before our baby comes.

Luke and his odd placement of candles

singing Happy Birthday

Avery was beyond excited for cake. And don't mind the wonky frosting job -  9 months pregnant means the frosting gets on it, even with sprinkles, but it isn't gonna look pretty. And it was boxed cake (the horror!) but homemade frosting.

stripped down to just a diaper and showing off the frosting on her fingers

 While baking the cake, she wanted to know what I was doing. When I told her we'd have cake with chocolate frosting for Daddy's birthday, she squinched her eyes shut, clapped her hands, and jumped up and down. And when she learned that she had to eat dinner first, she threw a fit. A girl after my own heart!

Interesting bit of trivia - 3 out of 4 girls in my family are pregnant at the same time. I'm due in a week, my sister Michelle (who wasn't able to make it over that night, so not pictured) is due in January, and our sis-in-law Julie is due in March. It's so fun to be celebrating all of these babies together!!!! I can't wait for next summer, when the number of grandchildren congregating for our big summer get-togethers has quadrupled from where it stands today.

showing off baby bumps and my hospital door decor handiwork - rag wreaths for a boy and a girl - just waiting to see which one I'll need!

38+ weeks

Still pregnant - don't want you all to think my silence means we've had a baby without telling you. I even had a pic to prove it, but when I told the computer to rotate the photo, it deleted it instead. Lame. And I'm super speedy with clearing them off my camera, so no back-up. Of course.

There's nothing new to report on the baby front. I have an appointment tomorrow, where once again I won't have them do an exam to tell me how far I'm (not) dilated. The baby does like to press on the nerves that shoot down between my pelvis and my thighs, usually at the same time, when I'm walking somewhere in public and look super awkward when I do this weird squat jerky reaction to the shooting pain.

I also had a bottle of water at church with me yesterday, and someone knocked it over, so it looks quite suspicious when the 9 month pregnant lady returns to her seat with a stack of paper towels to clean up the puddle under her chair.

I've thought this baby was a boy almost the entire pregnancy, and I'm still holding to that, but I had a dream last week where the baby was a girl. Maybe it's because that's all I'm familiar with. Everyone has switched over to girl, although Luke went back to boy last night. I'd say he's one undecided father on this front. I could be absolutely wrong and decidedly happy regardless.

I spent one night over the weekend thinking over new things to add to my once-completed to-do list, and I just had to get up and write them all down. I think I finished all of those, apart from a bit of grocery shopping for labor snacks.

I'm reaching the panicked nesting stage. I am highly irritable. I get irritated when people interrupt my nesting. I'd prefer to have a few hours to myself to get stuff done than to visit with people when I can. I'm hungrier, because I have to eat less, because there is less room for my stomach to expand. My energy is all over the place. It's too hot to walk this baby out of me in the regular outdoors (hello 109 degrees!), so we walk Target or the mall instead. Not as good for my budget.

So, no worries - you haven't missed the birth. Avery was late, so keep that in mind.

A Conversation

This morning, over breakfast.

Avery: "Mommy not sad. Mommy is happy!"
Me: "Yes, Mommy is happy. Is Avery happy?"
Avery: "Oh, yeeeeaaaahhhhh!"

Why was she so happy?

Chocolate. Toast. (toast with nutella)

So I Can Remember....

I just checked on Avery before heading to bed. She was wedged against her bed rail, so I adjusted her back to the center of her bed. She woke up, looked at me, and said, "Hi Mommy. I need (to) go back to bed. It's dark outside. Night night. Sleep tight. Sweet dreams." A small grin, and she was out like a light.

Austin Steam Train

Today marks 37 weeks, full-term baby, and the end of bed rest. What a glorious day! 

 We celebrated by taking Avery on a train ride. She's been really into trains lately, thanks to the one Dora episode that we have to watch over and over, plus a train book, plus the train ride that Caillou (another cartoon) takes. So, we had the idea to check out the Austin Steam Train, but then decided that maybe the ride to Burnet was too far for me in case I went into labor, so our next option was the Metrorail. Ha, silly, I know, but Avery wouldn't have known the difference. However, the Metrorail, seeing as it's a commuter line for Austin Metro, only runs on weekdays. After doing a little research, we learned that today's steam train ride was the short one, out to Bertram (about an hour and 15 minutes by train), rather than the longer full day trip to Burnet. We also learned that during your birthday month, you get a free ticket. Since next weekend happens to be Luke's birthday, he got the free ticket, and Avery was considered a lap child, so she got to ride for free. I was told over the phone that they only had the lower class seats available, but still with A/C - we were totally fine with that since you can bring food on the train and wouldn't really need the snacks provided in the "luxury" car. With an hour to spare, we threw food in a bag, got dressed, and raced out to Cedar Park to purchase tickets, hoping they still had some by the time we got there.

Fortunate turn of events - they had a private compartment available in the luxury car, and they decided to go ahead and honor the free birthday ticket for the upgraded seats, meaning we snagged this train ride for a song. It's not something we'd be able to afford to do with a bunch of people or even on a non-birthday month very regularly. We raced to the train, probably the last ones to board, and settled into our quiet little room. Two seats with enough floor space for Avery to walk around...it was perfect!

 Luke and Avery found the snacks, and I treated myself with a complimentary diet coke. Avery came back with a mouthful of brownie, or "chocolate cake" as she described it, while Luke had a whole pile of sweets and a cup of coffee. Nice.


When the train stops in Bertram, you have 15 minutes to explore the restored train depot, though Luke decided to run across the street for a pulled pork sandwich. Unfortunately, they sounded the all-aboard whistle before he could order, so back he raced to meet us, no sandwich in hand.

our car

They lock the restroom apparently when the train is in the station and they wait about 10 minutes after pulling out before opening it back up; not sure why. But the attendant took pity on this 8.5 month pregnant woman and let me in a little early. Thank you thank you!

I think Avery was a little confused about the train, because she kept asking when we would see it, not realizing that we were actually ON it. During our stop in Bertram, we checked out the engine, only to have them blow the whistle at that exact second, which sent her into hysterical tears and begging to be picked up.

Other than that, she was so calm and happy the whole trip, enjoying the sights out the window and all of the vintage quirks in our car.

a sink for shaving, and a place to put your used razor blades

Labor Scripture

When a friend of mine gave birth last year, after a complicated pregnancy, she had decided to send out some verses for friends and family to pray over during the delivery. It was great to be able to pray specifically over verses that meant something to her during that day, and during her preparation for birth, knowing she was praying over them to at the same time as she brought her son into the world.

I love the idea so much that I've decided to do the same. I'll have them printed on cards to take into the labor room with me, but I'd love for you to pray over these, if you're interested. I'll just list where you can find them, rather than typing the full verse out, because there are a lot.

I've seen God's hand through this whole process - I don't yet know how this will all come out, but I am confident that He has ordained everything that has happened, starting with the time it took us to get pregnant through all of the drama that this pregnancy has gone through in the past two months, and whether I end up in a successful VBAC or not, He is there. Of course I still long for a natural childbirth this time around, and there is some anxiety building as the day quickly draws near, but I pray for peace over the situation, knowing that I am not in control, no matter what measures I have taken to help make this an outcome I desire.

So, some of these I have desperately clung to in the scary moments, some are old verses near and dear, and some are just plain applicable to the situation. And, they are in complete random order.

Psalm 34: 4-6

Philippians 4: 6-7

Philippians 4: 13

2 Corinthians 12: 9

Psalm 27:1

Isaiah 43: 1-3 (I can't read this one without singing the song...all you good PCA'ers will recognize it)

2 Timothy 1: 7

Nehemiah 8:10

Psalm 28: 7

Psalm 105:4

Isaiah 41:10

Romans 8:28

Romans 5: 3-4

Romans 13:12

Romans 12: 1-2

Psalm 139: 23-24

Hebrews 13:6

1 Corinthians 10:13

Ecclesiastes 3:11

Hebrews 12: 1-2

1 Corinthians 10:31

Maternity Pics

My good friend Erin came over to take some maternity pics close to home, only to get rained out after just a few minutes. But, she's fast and got some amazing family shots. We finished up the next night at the park, just the two of us (Avery stayed home with Daddy), and we had a perfect (though a little hot and windy) night to snag some more awesome photos. If you ever need a photographer, give her a call. She's fantastic, especially with the kids.

http://purewonderphotography.com/blog/round-rock-photographer/austin-maternity-photographer-2

I'm loving the preview so much, and after all the drama of this pregnancy, it's so nice to have it documented in a special way, to remember that this life growing inside of me is special and unique and something to be celebrated.

Avery Girl

I don't want to do the whole "princess" thing with Avery, been trying to avoid it, but when the dress-up box is dumped out and Daddy dresses her like this and tells her she's a princess, she's bound to repeat the phrase. I'll just tell her what my mother told us, "Well, if you're the princess, that makes me the queen!"

Apart from her play clothes, Avery really has no interest whatsoever in what she wears. She is drawn like a moth to a flame to anything girly and sparkly, but usually only if it's my stuff. As far as her own wardrobe goes, we've had no battles in getting her dressed in the morning. We pick it out, she lets us put it on her. She doesn't seem to have a favorite color, although sometimes she prefers the blue plate for meals.

But - I'm still holding out that we can avoid the whole pink-sparkly-entitlement that comes with Disney these days.

She looks pretty cute, though.

Doc Update for Baby P

Or midwife, really, since I see the midwives more than the doctors. Fine by me, because I love them. Everything is looking good, had the Group Beta Strep test done this morning (please pray that it is negative), and the baby's heartbeat was high today because he/she kept wiggling away every time she tried to listen - we've got an active one in there!

This was a new-to-me midwife; she was a quick talker, which made me think she'd rush right out, but she was so bubbly and friendly and stayed as long as I needed and didn't rush through my questions. Loved her and would be happy if she were the one on-call during delivery.

Apparently I'm a rockstar at my GD diet, so now I get to go down to checking my blood sugar just twice a day. This is fantastic news because those supplies are expensive. And, I don't have to worry so much about what my numbers do during labor, which means I can just focus on labor and not stress over getting the right carb count for once, just eating and drinking as I need to.

I go back in two weeks again, but since they don't automatically do pelvic exams, it's mostly just to listen to the baby's heartbeat and check my vitals. I also learned that though my bedrest restrictions are lifted this weekend, at 37 weeks, a term baby is considered 37 completed weeks, meaning 38 weeks. Are you confused yet? So ideally I'd go another 2 weeks, though I'm not really worried about making that. However, I am noticing pre-labor symptoms that I never had with Avery (who they had to force out), so maybe this baby will show up by the due date instead of after. Not holding my breath on that though!

36 Weeks

I'm still pregnant! I won't be rejoicing at this news when I'm past 40 weeks, but today, this is a huge praise. We've got one more week til term, and then my bedrest restrictions are lifted and I can get out and about and have a little fun.

I must say, 3rd trimester pregnancy is the only time that my butt looks small. I'm liking this.

The past 3 weeks have been better than I thought, though I know it's been trying for Luke and our families - everyone has had to juggle schedules in order to help me out, and I am so utterly thankful for all of them.

My to-do list has dwindled down to just a couple items, including getting my hair cut and baking for the hospital (I like to "bribe" the nurses). For Avery, I baked cupcakes and spent my last afternoon before being induced frosting them. But, it's 105 degrees out, so I'm opting for simple brownies that won't melt in the heat.

I did come to the realization this past week that even if we have a girl, we still have to buy a whole new wardrobe for her, because our children will be born in opposite seasons. We're covered through the first 3 months, because the weather will be similar, but after that, we'll have to stock up for a girl. And if it's a boy, I hope our bank account can handle it. *grin*

And, here's what I've been up to the past 3 weeks:

This quilt, a gift for a friend's new baby, plus another 2 quilts are in the works.

So, I'm off to enjoy my last week of laziness before the hubby goes back to working in the office and I'm on my own again.

Weekly Report

• Tomorrow marks 35 weeks. We've made it 2 weeks since our hospital visit!
• I'm on modified bed rest for 2 more weeks. After that, I can do whatever I want, within the scope of normal pregnancy regulations of course. That glass of wine will have to wait. 
• I was originally told that they won't induce me at all for a VBAC, but the doctor informed me that even if I go to 42 weeks, it's not an automatic c-section. They will do a very gentle induction at that point. Praise God! They won't, however, induce me at 39 weeks just because I'm tired. I'm perfectly in agreement with them. 
• My mother-in-law was here this week, and we (she) got lots of cleaning done, plus we had time for some sewing. Thank you so much for coming to help us out!! We miss you already!
• Our neighbor, who is no longer our neighbor because she and her family moved last week, had her baby a week ago. Such a tiny, precious little girl! They stopped by tonight for a little visit and I got to snuggle the baby for a bit. I'm hoping she whispered to my baby and encouraged him/her to not take too much time getting here once full-term is reached. 
• We ask Avery if she wants a baby brother or a baby sister, and she usually repeats sister. I still think this is a boy. I could be very very wrong.
• Luke quizzes Avery on her middle name preference for a boy. She usually responds with his top choice over any of my choices. Stinker. His are weird. However, she also picked "Tickle" as a middle name at one point today, so I don't think her vote should count. 
• When Avery saw baby Lyla today, she just stared and stared at her, probably wondering how she came to exist outside of her momma's belly. We tried to explain that we'll have a tiny baby in a few weeks. And then Lyla started crying, and Avery responded with, "Baby cry! Baby sad!". I have a feeling we'll hear that a lot next month. 
• Dora is the new favorite at our house, and we had a long day of it yesterday because I was at the end of my patience and Avery was at the end of hers. She consistently cracks us up with her talking though, because she kept running into the room to tell me, "I see Swiper! I be right back!" and off she'd go to make sure Swiper didn't run off with whatever object he was trying to steal. 
• Baby P likes to stretch out diagonally in my belly, making it look quite oblong. I'm often lopsided. 
• My belly button popped out with this pregnancy. It never did with Avery. I wonder if it's because this baby is sitting much lower, and it stretches my skin out differently than Avery did. 
• I've been sewing like a madwoman. I have 3 quilts in various stages, plus a teething guard for the crib. 
• We have a quiet weekend ahead of us, lounging around the house and enjoying this restful time before the baby comes. 
• I feel good, the baby is healthy, and we're just hanging out, waiting! We are so eager to meet this child. And I'm SO curious to know the gender!