35 Weeks & a birth announcement!!

I am having to re-type this all over since the website was messing up yesterday and when I selected everything to copy it, it unfortunately only copied just one picture and no text grr...so anyway, here we go again!!


How far along?  35 Weeks TODAY!!  According to the countdown app on my phone, that is 34 days from my due date!!  Getting super close!!

Weight gain:  According to the scale the other day, I am up 31.2lbs. I think at this point with Adrian, I was only 2 lbs lighter.  Not too bad considering that I started 5-6lbs heavier this pregnancy than with him :)

Maternity clothes?  YES!  But I am even avoiding those these days because PJs are just so much more comfortable.  Getting dressed up is just such a chore these days since its much harder to reach my feet, so if I can get away with staying in PJs all day, I do!  LOL  I am looking forward to being able to wear my normal clothes again :)

Stretch marks?  Yeah, I think I've seen new ones above my belly button...hopefully the damage isn't too much worse than when I started this pregnancy since I thought Adrian gave me enough :P

Sleep: I am having bouts of insomnia each night which I guess is good preparation for the sleeplessness I will experience in the fast approaching months ahead of me.  It would be nice to be able to sleep through the night though without waking for 2 hours at ramdom times.

Best moment this week: Christmas was just wonderful and I am so thankful for the family that we have here to celebrate it with!  I am also thankful for technology (even though its the reason I'm typing this for a second time haha) because we were able to Skype with my dad and stepmom on Christmas morning and open our presents with them!  Its great that Adrian can interact with them and see their faces instead of just trying to get a busy toddler to talk on the phone :)

Also, my wonderful friend Stephanie and her husband Tallas welcomed their beautiful baby girl, Veronica Giovanna into the world on the 29th!  Stephanie was exactly a month ahead of me in her pregnancy (due Jan 4th) and it was so fun being able to experience things along with her.  I have no doubts that they are and are going to be wonderful parents and that God has big plans for their precious blessing!  I only wish that I could meet her in person (they currently live in Italy).  Happy BirthDay Veronica!  Lots of love to you and your family!!!

Movement?  Everyday!  He seems to be busiest early morning, and when we go to bed at night...he's currently moving a bit as I type :)

Cravings?  Just sweets, but in order to avoid swelling, I've been keeping my intake to a minimum.  With the holidays, it certainly been harder to resist in eating sweets, but I think I've been doing well and have had little to no problems with swelling :)  I am definitely looking forward to indulging in sweets once he's here though for sure! (I've always had a sweet tooth)  I found a cookie recipe on Pintrest that supposedly helps you maintain your milk supply, so I will definitely be making those for snacking :)

Labor Signs:  Just braxton hicks...they usually happen around the times that he starts getting more active (early morning and before bed)...I have a couple throughout the day as well.  Nothing consistent and very sporadic, but at least 4 times throughout the day.

Belly Button in or out?  I suppose that you could call it out, but it's not that impressive haha...I am thankful it doesn't stick out more than it does, and I'm pretty sure where it's at is the extent of "out" it's going to get.

Rings on or off?  On!  I have a feeling that I will continue the rest of the time with them on as well. :)

What I miss:  I am not missing too much these days because I seem to have gotten my energy back which was weighing me down heavily for at least the last 6 months!  I feel like I am able to do things without getting exhausted or dizzy within 20 mins of doing something.  Nesting is setting in I think, so I feel like I am getting more accomplished these days!   But with a toddler and all the new Christmas stuff, my house still seems to remain a mess LOL

What I am looking forward to:  Meeting our newest son of course!!  Only 5 weeks to go!   I finally hung up things on the walls of his room, so now it's not so bare in there...I still am working on completing his quilt, a wall hanging and a couple other things.  I am quickly running out of time!!  Plus our birth kit came in the other day, so we are all set in that department, minus a few minor things I need to pick up at the store.
Also, at Christmas I was informed that a baby shower will be thrown for our little one on Jan 12th, so I am looking forward to that!  Other than the date, everything else has been kept a secret from me, so am anxious to see the fun they have planned :)

Weekly Wisdom:  I am amazed how quickly the time passed and it truly seems like I should have like 3 more months of being pregnant, not a couple weeks!  I'm not sure if it is the fact that most of my day is preoccupied with Adrian that I don't have much time to think about things, but I feel much less anxiety about bringing our second baby boy into the world.  I know that with Adrian, everything was new and uncharted territory for us, so of course it can be a little scary.  And I suppose that we are going into uncharted territory again with balancing life with two children, but I have learned that there is no use in stressing about things before they happen. 
I feel like since we're only 2 years past Adrian's birth that things are still pretty fresh in my mind and that gives me encouragement that I know what I'm doing.  I know that each child has a personality of their own and I can't expect him to be like Adrian, but I just have a feeling that he'll be a little easier than Adrian was.  And even if he is just as fussy as Adrian was, I think that I have handled my fair share of screaming baby at this point, that it won't be as traumatic to me when he may cry for bouts at a time haha 
In addition, I feel like we have kind of gone with the flow and followed the cues of our child and really listened to what he needed from us as he's grown as opposed to setting expectations for him because of things that others have done or because he has reached a certain age, etc.  I think that going into having a second child without expectation has really helped keep stress out of my mind becuause honestly, you just never know how things are going to be and worrying about "what if" will only cause you grief.

Milestone: 35 weeks!!  Just 2 more weeks and I'll feel most comfortable about delivering at home (if he decides to come early) without him being too premature!  I have a feeling that he will be born much closer to his due date though, and have not worried about passing this next "milestone."

Here I am at 34 weeks...I need to take a picture today still:

Here are a couple fun pictures from our snow fun yesterday

 

 

 

I am very much looking forward to spending times like these in the future as a family of four!!

 

Love you all!  Thanks for reading!!

 

 

Reflections on our Big, Little man Adrian

I wrote this on facebook on Dec 7, 2012, and wanted to memorialize it here since it's a big step in our little man's life:  "*tear* *tear* my baby boy is growing up. He slept the ENTIRE night in his own bed last night. Went to sleep around 10:45pm & woke up at 8am this morning! When he woke, he grabbed his pillow and blanket and came to snuggle with me in bed. Now he keeps saying "I slept in my bed mommy" I tell him good job and he says "thank you." He's so pleased with himself and I'm so proud! I'd have to admit that at 4:30, I woke and couldn't sleep for over an hour...I missed my cuddle buddy, but I have to keep in mind that he'll sleep better there when we have a baby crying at night in +/-58 days :)"

Adrian is such an amazing kid and I can't help but always be amazed at him every day and how incredibly smart and loving our little boy is.  He is such a character and quite the conversationalist.  For instance, just today we were heading to my prenatal appt and I was singing along with the Christmas music.  All of a sudden Adrian starts shouting "enough, enough mommy!!" from the back seat haha  I couldn't help but laugh because a few days prior to this I was driving and singing and when the song was done, he said "good job mommy, woo hoo" and was clapping for me LOL  You never know what you're going to get with him, and I love it!  My most favorite times are when he climbs up on my lap and gives me a kiss and hug and says "I love you, mommy" just because.  I think I should start a book of Adrian-isms and write down all of the funny things he says and does, but it may be harder to do that once little brother comes along :) 

He is certainly exploring his independence and wants to do as much as he can by himself.  The biggest struggle we have these days is that he wants to buckle himself in his carseat, which is fine if I want to wait 10 mins before leaving, but if we're in a hurry or we've been in and out of the car several times already, I just don't have the patience any more.  He gets infuriated when I am the one to buckle him up, but what's a mom to do? (I'm just so mean lol) I am able to distract him sometimes and buckle him before he realizes that I've done it.  He also will not let me let Teddy outside or back in, and he always tells Manny to sit with him at his little table to eat dinner (or breakfast and lunch if it's the weekend).

It has been 12 days since Adrian started sleeping in his own bed (he spent the last 2 nights in bed with us only because he's been running a fever and I felt better about him being with us so I could monitor him more closely), and he has been doing great.  He doesn't wake up crying at all!  Most days he wakes up around 4:30 or so and will grab his blanket and pillow and come climb in bed with us.  A couple times he's slept until 7:30-8:00am.  Each time he comes back into the room with us, he exclaims, "slept in Thomas bed mommy, slept in Thomas bed dadda!"  and we tell him good job and he says "thank you!"  He's actually feeling a sense of accomplishment by sleeping by himself, and that makes me feel 100% justified in our co-sleeping choice from the beginning because I truly feel that it's what he needed.  I am also a little relieved at the same time with little brother coming that he's staying for long periods of time in his bed now without complaint, and I think that'll give me a good amount of time with a newborn getting up every couple of hours. :)  Next is potty training, but I don't think he's quite ready yet, but he's getting closer!

With all this growing up that Adrian has been doing, it's made me so thankful that I get to stay home with him everyday.  It's true that they grow up too fast but it's wonderful to observe all the new things he learns and picks up every day...I am always shocked when he says or does something that I have never seen him do before.  It's quite miraculous how quickly they pick up on things!  It also makes me a bit sad at times because I feel like these 2 years have flown by, so the 3 years he has until he starts school will surly go just as fast.  I often think about the day when I have to let him go off into the world on his own (especially those days when we've been at the park, and a kid is less than kind to him) and I can't be there to protect him anymore.  It will be such a hard day on me I'm sure. 

I already was having these feelings, but now even more-so after the tragic events that occurred this past Friday (Dec 14th) when 20 little kids lost their lives.  That, along with the shooting in the movie theatre in Colorado, and the shooting in the mall in Oregon, it just feels like there is no safe place to be or to send your kids today.  I wish that I could just keep my kids little and not have to let them go into the big world that is full of danger.  That is not realistic though, so it just makes me even more determined to continue telling my babies everyday that I love them and make sure that they know how much they are loved.  Even if Manny just takes Adrian on a quick little ride to the store, I always give him a hug and kiss...you just never know when you may never see them again (and I pray that we are all very old when that day comes).  I hope they (Adrian and his brother) grow up knowing that there is not a problem too big or too small that they cannot come to me with and that they are my everything.  I pray they come to us when they need encouragement and know that they are special and beautiful and worthy of everything that is great in this world.   I cannot imagine the extreme pain it must cause to have to send your baby off to heaven much too soon, and my heart and prayers go out to those families that lost their children in Connecticut.