Monday, March 28, 2016

32 Weeks

The first week back to school after Spring Break was decent. Luckily, it was a short week due to the upcoming Easter holiday. We had 3.5 days of school, and then we were out for Good Friday and again Easter Monday. 32 weeks fell right after Good Friday. Since daycare was still open, I decided to take Karsen so I could get some things done around the house. I had quite the list of things I wanted to accomplish, and lucky for me, I got all of them done!

First thing on the list was to stain the tower that my brother helped me make. If you recall it looked like this when we he was done putting it together.

The wood looked too raw, in my opinion, but I knew I didnt want to paint it, as it is my hope to sell it or give it away to another family, when we are done using it. Staining was my best bet. Here is the completed staining project. Now I feel I am officially done with this tower. Karsen still loves it!


I also wanted to paint some stair railings that we took down years ago, when we repainted the basement. The railings were wood, and painted a terrible off white color. I knew Bruce wanted them to be painted gray, but we never got around to it. Since I wanted to wait in between coats of the stain, I decided to get the railings out and slap some paint on them. They turned out nicely and they are back on the wall where they should be. 

No Summers Easter holiday is complete without a visit to the Easter bunny. We like to go out to Bass Pro because they give a free 4x6 picture to us, and the bunny there isnt as scary as some of the others I have seen. Last year, Karsen did GREAT with the bunny and there were no tears. This year, was a different story. 


Above is the picture from last year. He was 11 months old. Below is the picture from this year, and as you can see, it's the same bunny...but a terrified Karsen...haha. 



I wanted to make sure Karsen's easter eggs were filled and ready for the hunt on Sunday, so I spent some time putting those together. Most people put candy or even healthy snacks in the plastic Easter eggs, but I knew this kid would get enough candy without the help of finding it in his eggs, so I filled his eggs with nickles, dimes, quarters, cars, puff balls and a wind up dinosaur thing. All of the toys I found at the dollar store, and then I put the coins in there to give him something to help put in his piggy bank. I put the eggs out while he was playing with Grandma and Grandpa, after mass, and about 15 minutes went by before he stood up and one plastic egg caught his eye. He ran right over to it, picked it up, then saw another! The hunt was officially on. It was so fun to watch him run around trying to find them all!


Looking through his Easter basket.


Look at all the eggs!



He kept walking around saying "Any more?"


Once he collected all of his eggs, it was time to open them. 

Im kind of doing this out of order, but oh well. On Holy Saturday, Ken and Betty came in town to have lunch with us and then spend some time at the casino. We had lunch at Yard House and it was tasty! It was great to spend time with them and Karsen always enjoys seeing them. 


Family picture before leaving Yard House.


Karsen and Papa. Karsen is getting TOO good at giving that side eye. Haha. 

Below is my picture at 32 weeks. I am getting to anxious and excited to meet this little man. The summer cannot come soon enough! 

I also forgot to mention that at my last baby appointment, we decided to schedule my C-Section for May 17th. I was hoping to schedule it for the 19th, but the doctor is out of town for his daughters graduation, and he did such a good job on my section the first time, that it is more important to me to have him do my repeat, versus a different doctor on my particular day. I was shooting for the 19th because that would at least get me through the 8th grade graduation festivities but it was clearly not meant to workout that way. I had thought about asking to schedule it even for the week before, in hopes I could be a week post surgery and well enough to at least sit at the graduation, but they wont take the baby out before 39 weeks unless medically necessary. The week before would have me at 38w6d and that is still too early. Only way that will happen for me is if the baby decides to come early on his own. May 17th it is!




How far along? 32 weeks. Size of a Jicama...whatever THAT is?!
Total weight gain: Im going to assume I am still wavering around the 20 pound mark. I will have a better idea after my appointment on Thursday. 
Maternity clothes: Anything with loose elastic. I just got a bag of maternity clothes from another mom at Karsens daycare and got some GREAT stuff! A few pairs of comfortable jeans, some capris, and a lot of tops. This stuff will get a lot of use these last few weeks!
Sleep: Sleep has been ok still. Still getting up to go to the bathroom, and still some pain in my hips. Oh well. Nothing I cant handle. 
Best moment this week: Seeing the joy in Karsens face on Easter!
Miss anything? Still wine. Always wine. I have put Bruce on the hunt for a small bottle of Kendall Jackson for me to enjoy in the hospital after I give birth. 
Movement: Still a lot of kicks lower in my belly. I feel like this kid is laying transverse more than up and down but who knows. I plan on asking the doc this week if he knows what position this kid might be facing. 
Food cravings: Still raspberry flavored iced tea. Yum! I gave up Diet Dr. Pepper for lent so I enjoyed a glass of that on Easter Sunday. 
Symptoms: Tight belly...and tired early in the evening.
Belly button in or out? In. 
Wedding rings on or off? On and comfortable.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Let's be honest, I am fairly moody. I am on countdown for a break from these bratty 7th graders. That cant come soon enough. 
Looking forward to: The end of April. Haha. We have a few full weeks right in a row, so I will be thrilled when the month of April has passed. 

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

31 weeks

I got a call earlier in the week that I passed my 3 hour glucose test! Whew! I barely failed the 1 hour test (like what happened with Karsen) but then of course she said I passed without any issue the second time around. Oh well, better safe than sorry I guess.

This past week was Spring Break and it was a FANTASTIC week off of school. My stomach was totally relaxed all week and I didn't think about school one time. I really enjoyed the week off.

The week started off with me sending Karsen over to my mom's house so I could get some things done around the house. I had an eye appointment to get contact lenses Monday morning and then my brother came over Monday afternoon to help me build an activity tower for Karsen. Here is a "during" pic and then the finished product!




It took him some time to figure out how to get in and out but now he is a pro!

Later in the week, we attended the St. Patrick's day parade. This is one of my favorite days of the year and it was such beautiful weather that day!! Below are some pics. 


Doing an Irish jig!



He had a hard time looking at the camera. There was too much other stuff to focus on!


Pic with Grandma.


Watching the parade go by with Grandpa.


Grandpa, mom and Karsen!

I hit the 31 week mark on Saturday. We have had most items prepared and ready to go for quite a few weeks now, but I am adding some smaller things here and there to liven up the room. We have his "coming home from the hospital" outfit ready to go and his crib is made. We even cut Karsen from the paci over Spring Break so I have all the paci's out and ready to sterilize for #2. It is our hope that he will have forgotten about them over the next couple of months so we wont have to fight him on the issue. I did catch him sucking his thumb a few times but I made sure to pull his thumb out and address it, so hopefully we wont see any of that! Here are a few pics of K being cute! :)



K attended his first Easter Egg hunt this past weekend and while he wasnt quite sure what to do initially, he got the hang of it really quick!






Here is the 31 week bump pic.




How far along? 31 weeks. Size of a coconut.
Total weight gain: At my last appointment on Tuesday, I was up 18 pounds. YIKES! 
Maternity clothes: Anything with loose elastic. It's getting harder to maneuver in general (with a bigger belly to come) so I just want to make sure I can move as freely as possible.
Sleep: Sleep has been ok. I have been getting up 2-3 times per night and then having a hard time falling back asleep. I have also spent more time rotating back and forth as my hips have hurt more this pregnancy.  
Best moment this week: Spring break!!
Miss anything? Still wine. Always wine.
Movement: Still a lot of kicks lower in my belly. I feel like this kid is laying transverse more than up and down but who knows.
Food cravings: Still raspberry flavored iced tea. Yum!
Symptoms: Tight belly...and tired early in the evening.
Belly button in or out? In. 
Wedding rings on or off? On and comfortable.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Let's be honest, I am fairly moody. I think I am just ready to meet this kid and enjoy summer with him and Karsen. 
Looking forward to: Easter break this weekend. We have a few short days at school and then another nice long weekend. Yesssss!

Sunday, March 13, 2016

30 weeks

We hit the 30 week mark yesterday (Saturday)!!! One more week and we will be into single digits. I have said it before and Ill say it again...this pregnancy seems to have flown by. The closer we get to the due date, the more excited I get!! Excited to meet this little man (who is constantly moving around in my belly); excited to see what Karsen thinks; excited to see how Karsen interacts with him; and excited to finally give this kid a name! Haha. Bruce and I have talked about names but dont seem particularly stricken by any of them. We've got 9-10 weeks to figure it out!

This last week at school was as crazy as ever, and this happens to be my busy time of year.With graduation right around the corner (and a new 8th grade teaching partner), my plate is QUITE full. Luckily, I have done it for the last 3 years, so I like to think that I can handle it with no issue.

The best part about this week...Spring break has officially started! Thursday was our last day so Friday got Spring Break started. I spent the entire morning on Friday at the doctors office taking part in the 3 hour glucose test. Boo. That first hour of this test is always the worst. I had to fast prior to the test, and then chug a VERY sugary drink. I felt like I could have gotten sick right in the middle of the office. I remember feeling that same way when I took this test with Karsen. With Karsen, when my results came back the nurse said "You passed with flying colors" so I am hopeful I hear the same thing this time around too. We have also started doctors appointments every two weeks so I have another appointment coming up on Tuesday afternoon. I still feel like a lot of the baby kicks are in the lower part of my belly so I am wondering if this kid is still breech. I am hopeful the doctor can confirm or deny that for me at the appointment. With a c section, I guess it doesnt really matter what direction he is facing, but I would prefer head down when it come time to evict!


Rocking on his chair. He loves it!


That face!


Enjoying breakfast.


He was kicking the ball down the hill, going to get it, then running it back up.


Time for the slide.


A Sporting family.


Playing with his balloon animal puppy.


And the 30 week bump picture!



How far along? 30 weeks. Size of a head of cabbage.
Total weight gain: Ill stick with 13 pounds for now. I will confirm total weight gain when I go into my appointment Tuesday. 
Maternity clothes: Anything with loose elastic. It's getting harder to maneuver in general (with a bigger belly to come) so I just want to make sure I can move as freely as possible.
Sleep: Sleep has been good. Getting up just once per night to use the bathroom. 
Best moment this week: Spring break started!
Miss anything? Still wine. Always wine.
Movement: Still a lot of kicks and still waiting to feel kicks higher in my belly.
Food cravings: Still raspberry flavored iced tea. Yum!
Symptoms: Tight belly...and tired early in the evening.
Belly button in or out? In. 
Wedding rings on or off? On and comfortable.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Let's be honest, I am fairly moody. I think I am just ready to meet this kid and enjoy summer with he and Karsen. 
Looking forward to: Didnt pass the first 1 hour glucose test so I guess I am now looking forward to the results from my 3 hour test. I hope and pray I pass but if not, I will make it work. I am also looking forward to the week at home with my little buddy! 

Saturday, March 5, 2016

29 weeks

29 weeks!! One more week and we start the 30's. That is crazy to me! Thursday I took the day off because I had my glucose tolerance test. Sure, the test was only a 1 hour wait, but I figured I deserved the WHOLE day off. It sure was nice! I got out and did some shopping, met mom for lunch, and got a project done for baby #2. More importantly, my stomach wasn't tight at all that day because I WASN'T stressed from the crazy happening at school. Normally when I am not at school, I will text one of the other teachers just to see how the day went, but it didn't even cross my mind one time. Such a nice feeling.

Here are some pics of Karsen. We have gotten out a lot this week and he is overall in a better mood. He just loves being outside!


Off the slide and back to the ladder for another round!


He is ready to climb the big kids ladder.


Helping mom and dad turn the light on and off.


Headed down the stairs to hang with puppy in the yard.


Swing!


The balloon is stuck. Thats hilarious.


All smiles while outside on the playground.


The big wind up!


Jumping off of the step.




How far along? 29 weeks. Size of a butternut squash.
Total weight gain: According to the scale at my appointment, I am up 13 pounds. Of course I am getting to the point of my pregnancy where the pounds start packing on fast and heavy. Good thing the weather is getting nicer so as I have said before, walking a few times per week should help keep that number under control.
Maternity clothes: Maternity jeans, tops, elastic pants...whatever is comfortable. I hope to be wearing more skirts soon too. With the elastic in those things, I should be good for the remainder of the pregnancy!
Sleep: Sleep has been good. Getting up just once per night to use the bathroom. 
Best moment this week: The condo is officially SOLD!!!! I woke up Thursday morning with less weight on my shoulders. It was always crossing my mind "what will happen with the condo next" so it is so nice to know I wont have to think that anymore!
Miss anything? Still wine. Always wine.
Movement: Still a lot of kicks. I am still feeling the kicks low, so I am just waiting to start feeling them up in my belly...which means he has flipped! Nothing yet though. 
Food cravings: Still raspberry flavored iced tea. Yum!
Symptoms: Tight belly...and tired early in the evening.
Belly button in or out? In. 
Wedding rings on or off? On and comfortable.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Let's be honest, I am fairly moody. I think I am just ready to meet this kid and enjoy summer with he and Karsen. 
Looking forward to: Getting the results of my glucose test. I feel good about it but you just never know with those things. Like I said, if I dont pass this first time, I will just enjoy another day off school for the 3 hour test. This is the last week of school before Spring Break so I am really looking forward to a week off!