Only 17 days!

That's right! If all goes according to plan we will be holding our baby girl by February 17th. Here's the story....sorry its a little long.

I've been having major anxiety about when #2 will make her appearance. There are a lot of factors involved...Jonathan works Monday-Friday all day, and is a new employee so he can't just up and leave if his wife goes into labor. They need advance notice if he is to take time off. I didn't want to be in the hospital alone. I had all these worries: "Who will drive me to the hospital?" "What will I do with Talmage?" "If I go into labor in the middle of the night, who would come over and be with our son?" I have friends in the area but asking someone to come stay at our apartment for 2 days and nights is a lot, and I wouldn't want to ask anyone to do that. The anxiety just kept building...my due date was smack dab in the middle of the week, not that I expected to have her THAT day but you just never know. And since I've never labored naturally, I very well could have a few "false alarms"- something that we just can NOT afford. I am not a calm and patient person, never have been. It's something I'm working on...but this stress was really getting the best of me! I have been losing sleep over it night after night.

So two nights ago Jonathan gave me a blessing to have a calm heart. (I've also been really sick, so that was the main reason for the blessing). When he finished, I knew I needed to consider an early induction. I REALLY didn't want to be induced again- but with everything else involved it sure would solve a lot of problems. The next morning I pulled out the calendar and we looked at days that would work. Since the weekend before is close to President's Day, it only seemed right that we do it then so Jonathan's mother and sister could come down and take care of Talmage while we had the baby, then be able to stay until Monday. They live 6 hours away, so giving them advance notice to come is the only way they could be here in time. Jonathan could take that Friday off (since they don't induce on Saturdays) and be with me the entire weekend. It seemed like the perfect plan!

I was nervous about asking the nurse midwives to induce me 5 days before my due date, since one of them told me at the beginning that they only induce two weeks post EDD. Well...the midwife I spoke to on the phone I had actually never met, her name is Rachel. I have heard that she is the most down-to-earth one there, and a little less "stingy". She seemed so cool about the whole thing and was like, "Since you've had a baby before, inductions usually go really smooth and fast the second time around. We would totally be happy to induce you at 39 weeks if you're at least 3 cm and 80% effaced." I told her I was already 80% and 1 cm since last week, so chances were I would be VERY ready :) She called the hospital and set the induction for 7:30 am on Friday, February 17th! I am soooo thrilled! It does make me a little sad that I couldn't go about this the way I originally planned but I know that this will work best for our family. I want Talmage to be looked after by family members that he is familiar with and loves being around, and I certainly want Jonathan there with me every step of the way :)

So now I am officially counting down the days. The positives about this situation are that I really didn't mind being induced with our son- it went so fast and it was fairly painless after the epidural. I loved checking into the hospital and knowing that it would be THE DAY. Having a plan is so comforting. I guess I am just one of those people... I envy those who can just lie back and say, "The baby will come when he/she decides to! C'est la vie!" I am way too paranoid, unfortunately :(


This will be the BEST Valentine's Day present ever. We can't wait to meet our little lovebug! It's surreal to think that our family of three is soon to be a family of FOUR. :D

Week 36, blah

I stole this from Kelly's blog. It seemed like a fun way to update :]

 

 

How far along? 36 weeks 2 days

Total weight gain: 23 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Yes, almost everything. I have one pair of maternity jeans that I wear everywhere we go! They are soooo comfy.
Stretch marks? Yup, they finally started creeping their way onto my tummy.
Sleep:  I cling to my body pillow, which helps a lot, but my hips get very sore. Its a constant battle every night switching from left side to right side and back again.
Best moment this week: When I tested positive for yeast. Let me explain :] Since 4 months, I have had extreme pain and discomfort in that area...and finally my midwife realized that it could be from a yeast infection. So I've had one for 5 months- not fun. But now we know to treat it and this makes me SO HAPPY! so happy.
Miss Anything? Lots...tummy sleeping, bending over, shaving my legs, and comfortable sleep to name just a few :]
Movement: Constantly, though now that she's head down the movements aren't as jerky.
Food cravings: Pickles, chocolate, yogurt, noodles...I don't crave a whole lot with this one.
Anything making you queasy or sick: I feel nauseous if I have an empty stomach.
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs:  No BH or contractions, but I am 1 cm and 80% effaced.
Symptoms: Hip and lower back pain- that's the bulk of it really. When I get up to pee at night I am so stiff that I have to hold onto the walls or I crumple to my knees.
Belly Button in or out? Out!
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: I would say happy, but my husband probably wouldn't...
Looking forward to: this week being over. I cannot wait until February is finally here! And of course I mostly look forward to holding my daughter, seeing how much she really weighs, and squeezing her cheeks :D

homemade mobile

I saw a few homemade mobiles on Pinterest the other night, and I decided that I wanted to make one right that second. As most of you know I am not a patient person and when I get a project in my head I have a hard time pushing it out...it's kind of bad. Anyway, turns out I had most of the materials I needed on hand! (I had to buy ribbon later but that was it)

Since baby girl's corner has a sort of "things with wings" feel to it I decided to do a mobile of butterflies.

 The online Silhouette shop had some super cute 3D butterfly cutouts for 99 cents each, so I bought all four :) I used scrap paper left over from the owl frames and it took me about 15 minutes to get the butterflies cut. I also happened to have an embroidery hoop, so I painted it pink and wallah!

I tried to make the light pink, blue, and brown show from the top and the brighter colors show from the bottom for baby. Of course it didn't really work out...haha...the butterflies did their own thing, but it still turned out.
The view from the bottom (baby's view)

I started this project at 10 pm and finished at midnight...needless to say Jonathan thought I was NUTS for jumping on it so quickly and he only slightly muttered under his breath as I made him tie the butterflies together with fishing line. What a great husband to put up with all my crafty habits! :D

I was pleasantly surprised at the sweet little butterfly shadows on the wall when we turned off the light. I hope our daughter likes them too!

and the countdown begins!

35 weeks today :) Just for fun, here is a pic of when I was preggo with our son at about the same time. Can you tell a difference? It's not that obvious, but Talmage (left) stuck out more and was higher. Sorry the first pic is so pixelated, I had to zoom in :]

Pregnancy stats: baby girl is very low, lots of hip and lower back pain, weight gain is at 27 lbs. and carrying extra water weight in my legs and thighs, bladder feels like its gonna burst, craving pickles & cheesecake & oriental food , now taking sleep aid at night, hernia quite small still and shouldn't be a problem, diagnosed with "skin splits" (believe me, you don't want me to go into detail. let's just say they are very painful), seeing the midwives weekly, still no stretch marks, tummy is measuring on track but baby is supposedly smallish. That's it in a nutshell!

I told Jonathan about a month ago that I don't want to feel fat and gross after the baby is born, I just want to be me again. He has been such a sweetheart about this... so for Christmas he bought me WEN hair care and a haircut, and recently let me buy new Mary Kay makeup and soft nursing nighties! No other man knows how to make me feel as pretty as he does :) ...maybe after the baby is born I'll shave my legs to show my appreciation....haha....


And here's the update on the boys of the family :]

Jonathan: is loving his new job. He gets 40 hours a week and usually doesn't go in until 9:30 or 10, so we get to have breakfast together everyday. I love it! He also has turned in all his internship applications, plus a few job applications as well. Now we are just waiting to hear back from somewhere. Fingers crossed on that one...it really could be anywhere in the country, and I just pray that we will manage the move with a young baby, a toddler, and supporting a life for all of us with little to no income for 4 months (most internships in his field don't pay). It's truthfully very scary, but I have faith that it will work out.

Talmage: is so much fun these days :D He runs and talks and plays and hugs and learns and grows every day! He is getting so very smart, too. He likes to count and say his ABC's, and is obsessed with Elmo & Winnie the Pooh. He can brush his own teeth and loves helping me with chores. His hair is growing way too long for me to keep up with, and I guess we're due for another haircut. He is in size 5 diapers- the biggest size!- and went pee in the potty for the first time! He's getting attached to his cousins Ethan & Ryleigh via pictures on Facebook. He calls them "Ithan and Ry-ree".

The other night my friend brought her newborn baby over and put him in our swing, and Talmage got super excited to put all his favorite stuffed animals and blankets over him. It was cuteness beyond words...I just know he will be such a good big brother! When we ask him where the baby is, he sticks his tummy out and points to it. Haha! Sometimes he'll just be sweet and kiss my belly. I love him sooo much...he will always be my baby boy :)



(He has this plastic headband that he likes to wear on his forehead...our future trekkie!)

a series of Talmage events

My sweet little boy can be really cranky when he wakes up from his nap. He just whines and squirms around on the floor, so we've taught him "smile therapy". You can pretty much guess what this means, and we never knew it would turn out to be so funny...

Something else that helps him "keep his cool" is counting. He is still learning the right order...he gets so excited to say NINE, TEN! that he skips everything after 3...

A few moments after that little video, Talmage pointed to the TV and said, "Pooh?" then grabbed the dvd out of the entertainment center and proceeded to say "POOH!" while handing me Winnie The Pooh in much anticipation...he really loves his movies.

What is a mother to do?


(and here goes my rant..)
Not trying to preach here- what a mother decides to do is totally HER CHOICE. Every parent has a different parenting style based on the personality and temperament of their child. The issue of television is one that Jonathan and I have analyzed & altered over and over again... We used to let him watch lots of cartoons in the morning, and then whatever he wanted after his nap. BAD HABIT. He soon became a zombie to the TV! It's so hard to pull him away when he's so mesmerized!

One morning, as soon as he got out of bed, he went right to the remote and turned on the TV, like it was routine. I guess that was my "Uh-oh" moment. I believe in moderation in all things....So now, I let him watch Super Why and Sesame Street in the morning, then a movie (if he asks for it) in the evening. It still might be too much but we've lessened it week by week. I read in Parenting magazine that 3-4 hours of tv a day is perfectly fine, as long as it is educational and not "white noise". Any normal program for adults is considered white noise. So when he's around I don't watch anything for myself, and Jonathan and I wait until he's in bed before popping in a movie. I try to incorporate more time with puzzles, blocks, and anything constructive with his hands. And we have tried to be more dilligent with books...letting him go through as many books as he wants until he is bored with them (which usually takes at least an hour). I don't know how other mommas do it, but this is what works for us and the tantrums have definitely lessened.

I would love to hear what other moms are doing about this! I think its different when they are little babies, cause they're not really watching the TV--just being stimulated by its colors and sounds. Plus, when you breastfeed 10 hours of the day on the couch, television becomes very entertaining and a great time filler :) I hope that when baby girl arrives I can find some other way to fill the time, though...I'm sure that having a toddler around will change things, too.

In other news, Talmage is a real DADDY'S BOY these days. He loves to snuggle with his dad, anytime anywhere. And he doesn't come crying to me anymore...when I discipline him, he goes right to his dad. When Jonathan disciplines him, he still goes to his dad! I guess its a good thing...since a lot of my attention will be on the new baby after she's born.

Our funny little guy also has a newfound interest in the potty. He likes to sit on it and just think. Nothing ever comes out, of course, but he must feel so grown up on that great white throne :D

Goodness, could we love him any more??!!

applique onesies

For the past 4 or 5 days, Jonathan and I have been sick. I'm not sure with what exactly...we've both had sore throats for a few weeks, a sure sign of the evil to come! Finally we were hit with a horrible headcold and it has truly exhausted us...thankfully, Talmage is mostly better from his sickness so his uppity attitude and energy keeps us entertained :]

While being sick, I've had a lot of time to well...be completely unproductive. So yesterday I decided I needed SOME project to keep my hands busy. I was inspired by this applique onesie that my super talented sister-in-law made for the baby.

I thought it was so cute and wanted to learn how to do it, so I looked it up on Pinterest and found the tutorial. This was my first experience with Heat n Bond, and let me tell you- that stuff is amazing! It literally makes sewing on appliques a piece of cake. The project soon became addicting and I couldn't stop myself!

As you can see, my sewing is not perfect! I did a zig-zag stitch around each applique to prevent fraying, plus it looks really cute and hides sewing flaws.

The animals were free templates that I just printed, and they turned out great! the flower I cut by hand, so don't look too closely...these onesies all needed a little something extra, so Jonathan picked out buttons from my stash :] He likes to help with my little projects, hehe.

 I couldn't resist making one with the initial of a name we currently like. I know it could still change, and if it does then she just won't wear it :] But this one is probably my favorite!

Most of the fabric was just scraps I had lying around, but I did buy a few fat quarters from Walmart for really cheap. And my only other purchases were the pack  of white onesies (I would recommend Carter's brand, the Gerber ones were thinner material and harder to work with), some thread (I welcome any excuse to buy more thread... there are just so many colors..), and the sewable Heat n Bond ($3-4?)...so I guess it added up in the end but once you have the basics you can go hog wild!

I keep saying that I am DONE with baby projects, but we shall see...

Utah trip and baby stuff

December was really crazy...I'm glad we're home for good now, at least until we move in April or May. I will be happy not to travel for a while! It really is stressful with a toddler who has a set schedule and doesn't enjoy being taken away from the familiar. Oh, and also who has double ear infections and a sinus infection. sheesh, I'm surprised we all still have our sanity!


I'm always so surprised, though, that our son remains such a happy little boy even when he is sick...

We just got back from Utah, where we attended Jonathan's oldest brother getting sealed to his bride! It was lovely. We got to see some family members that we haven't seen in years (Megan, why didn't we take a picture?). Talmage got to meet his cousin Ryleigh and they LOVED playing together even though she is about 18 months older than him :]

He also got to see his cousin Ethan again! (whom he lovingly calls "Ithan")

On another note, remember how I was stuck with naming our girl Emmalynne? Well, we keep going back and forth when we hear a new name we like, and one in particular we really love. So I'm not so sure what her name will be anymore. I kinda think we should just wait and see what name seems right for her after she's born, but we shall see! I just want it to be the right one because she'll live with it for the rest of her life. That's kind of a big deal, right?

Everything else is wrapping up for baby "no-name" nicely though! We've got lots of clothes now and accessories. I don't know how she'll have time to wear them all but I hear girls can't have enough outfits...and people have been really thoughtful with making her things that I can't wait to use! I couldn't resist another lil project- this fabric was perfect for a car seat cover!

I've also added a few things to her "corner" of the bedroom. An owl pillow that matches the crib perfectly and this fur rug from Ikea. It is sooo soft. (ps- I'm not doing an "owl theme"..but I think they are so cute and can't resist putting some owl touches here & there)

some white baskets from Ikea for her clothes

 and we cleaned out one half of Talmage's closet just for her stuff. I am kind of obsessed with organizing, if you couldn't tell...

My last appointment with my midwife went great, too! I'm measuring slightly ahead and have gained 16 lbs. so far. I'm getting swollen all over, especially in my face, but haven't needed to take off my wedding ring yet. I also found out that the little bump behind my bellybutton is a HERNIA. Yes, a hernia! I kinda laughed at first...until she told me I might have to have it surgically removed after delivery. When I sneeze, cough, or laugh too hard it pushes out and hurts....I think its the weirdest thing ever.

And here's my 33 week bump in all its glory, hernia and all (though you won't be able to see it).

Only 7 weeks to go!