Active Baby S.

midwife visit on 10-28-11 - week 28

First of all, I almost passed out when I saw the scale! I gained 10 pounds in 5 weeks. That's not good!

I decided to stop eating the junk food (there is always something yummy at work!!). Pregnancy is really no excuse to eat everything in sight, especially when it's off my blood type (I really hurt myself when that happens). I also need to get back to my exercise routine which is a proven element of my blood type weight management success.

It is a vicious cycle of being "too tired."
I don't get up in the morning & go to Y.
When I eat something unhealthy day after day, I feel more sluggish.
Then I also am going to bed late.
I'm already sleeping in spots - frequent bathroom visits.
That equals weight gain. 
Bad combination of events!

The good thing is I can do it; already I can tell I feel better & lost a few pounds. I've gained 25 pounds & I really don't want to pass 35. I want to keep it similar to last time.

I signed the release form about the gestational diabetes glucose test - midwife (Linda) was cool about it, no pressure. She wasn't as concerned as me about the weight gain either - "it's not so bad." My blood pressure is 110/70 - usually good like that. I measured 29 weeks she said, not 28 weeks & 2 days. Again not much concern, maybe this baby will be bigger than Julia was, probably because I've gained more weight! : )

OK- topic related to post title!
Linda mentioned now I need to be counting the baby's movements, making sure it's frequent. I assured her that there is no problem in that area! This baby is much more active than Julia was ... or so I thought. Linda said something about having an anterior placenta last pregnancy & I said yes. The placenta then acts like a pillow & muffles the baby's movements. So I thought Julia was this mellow, relaxed fetus which didn't match her postpartum personality. That's kind of a relief.

Yet I wonder if that also means it decreased the intensity of the labor contractions I felt.  This also delayed going to hospital plus my ignorance that I needed to wait for water to break despite the frequency & duration of the contractions! I'm slightly nervous that the contractions this time will be much more intense - already I'm having lots of something like Braxton-Hicks, pressure that seems different from the baby moving/kicking. It also makes me feel like I have to go to the bathroom much more often. Don't need that - it's already too much!

Hopefully I'll be able to manage the real labor contractions. After the heinous heartburn since month 6, I feel like I can handle it, but I still wonder! Regardless this baby's nickname is Kicky McS. : )

Fall Break 2011

week 27 - 3rd trimester - nesting insanity!
You should see the list I've made of stuff to complete in next 3 months. Crazy!

Some of it is necesssary as we'll use it immediately once baby is born.

1. clean the infant car seat & crib
2. make sure we have the other infant stuff pulled out of storage
3. contact Smile Mommy! to set up cloth diaper service again

Some of it doesn't have to be done, it's more of a goal.

• green couch cleaned (it is SO nasty!)
• house cleaned by professionals (it really needs a thorough cleaning that won't happen again for another 3-4 years!)
• cook meals to store in freezer

I got a ton done - play date with friends with similar age kids, personal & medical appointments, visited a college friend in Memphis with Julia (Jai stayed home with a cold with Johnders who has heartworms so cannot be boarded), submitted my expired passport for renewal, paid property taxes (due in February 2012). However, I was exhausted!

I remember this crazed feeling of wanting to get so much done 3 years ago. I also was way too busy outside of work/home with church activities, socializing with friends, volunteering. I don't do as much as I used to, but I still have a full calendar most weeks. I decided not to do more than 1 activity each week. The only exception is if it's an exercise date with a friend at the Y during time when child care is available. I have to manage my weight gain - it's already more than last time & I have WEEKS to go!

I told Jai to help me do less. Sometimes that means he has to do more. : )

Baby # 2

We're having another baby due in January 2012. 

We were slow to tell people again (14-15 weeks), this time we haven't even sent a mass email, just word of mouth. We're excited & happy, but tired usually, so don't think about it.  Once again the gender is unknown as we like the surprise. We're working with same midwifery center affiliated with Vanderbilt Hospital; actually our primary midwife is Soheyl again which is super cool as she was the person on duty when we went into labor with Julia. We're planning on attempting a VBAC with high hopes for a successful delivery & not a repeat C-section.

All is well with the pregnancy, I'm just so tired, more than I remember last time, but that's because I have a little person to hang out with when I come home from work. Little time to rest as I did often while pregnant with Julia. : ) We're not doing any of the interventions/tests - only did the ultrasound at 20 weeks which was cool, made everything seem more real.  Even though I'm 41 I'm a healthy person & don't feel like it's necessary to spend time & money on tests. Once again I got an interesting response from the midwife when I went for my last appointment & we discussed my next visit at 28 weeks (Oct. 26) for the glucose test. I said I wasn't going to do it. I know I wrote a post in 2008 about a similar conversation with them about refusing the test. Most people must do it even those women who have a midwife as their medical provider.

Anyway, this baby is definitely different in utero, much more active & busy, especially when I'm trying to rest or sleep. Julia was way more mellow inside, compared to outside now! : ) I am really curious to meet this individual, male or female; I know they will be different babies & children. Hopefully I won't compare them too much which I know is difficult. I also am trying to be more excited, but it is second time & I'm not really into being pregnant. I hate the constant bathroom visits & heartburn discomfort, both of which started WAY earlier this time! : ( I'm sure this baby will have lots of hair too which I don't need heartburn to tell me! However, I'm excited & curious about breastfeeding despite that constant work of feeding a baby & of course sleep deprivation. I'm hopeful that this time we'll have more success earlier with breastfeeding, with fewer complications & issues. At least one of us will have some experience & lots of support from La Leche League & other friends. : )

Congratulations as Julia likes to say when she uses the toilet. So funny!

Potty Training Success

Finally it happened! For the past 2 1/2 months Julia has been honing her skills on the toilet. Gradually she started wearing underwear during the day instead of the potty pants or even the commando look which she LOVES almost as much as underwear! About 6 weeks ago she started to wear underwear all the time & improved on her ability to get to the toilet & pull down pants & underwear with fewer & fewer accidents.  The past 2 weeks there have been hardly any accidents. The cutest part is how excited Julia is to pee & poop in the toilet on her own. Sometimes she still needs assistance & she occasionally gets busy & forgets to get to the toilet on time. However, Julia is definitely becoming more independent & grown up, as she soon approaches her 3rd birthday which she knows is Dec. 9. AMAZING!

As her parents, we're excited to have a few months' reprieve from diapers (she still wears 1 at nap & bedtime, but often it is dry when she wakes up, even at night) before the next kid arrives in January. Our budget will enjoy the break too! : )

Do(e), is Missy Outside?!?

Dorice Josephine Glascoe Wright, E.D. 

Dorice fought it but ultimately, cancer won. I saw Dorice less frequently than almost all of my cousins. She and her brother are longtime Northeasterners, Dorice in the Boston area and her brother, Lewis, in New York which are places very far away from me. Not until I started going to family reunions as an adult did I have any significant contact with either of them and at that point it was only every two years until Dorice and I exchanged email addresses. At that point we started to write quite a bit.

My most recent memories are that Dorice was my family's most diligent but disorganized family historian. She knew the people and places of family long gone but her document archives were scatter-shot at best - it really is a family trait. This info was to be included in her perpetually under-construction and unpublished memoir. We talked about family and genealogy and we talked lots about jazz. She was clued into parts of the Boston music scene I never was familiar with but she spoke with intimacy and enthusiasm.

The memory that stands out the most is a story passed down to me from my own personal history. A story that sounds probable but one that took place when I was so young that I don't remember it. Dorice came to Nashville to visit my mother and me and at some point while staying with us I exclaimed - in a voice I have learned from Julia that only two or three year olds can muster - Do, is Missy outside? Why such a simple phrase stuck like it did I couldn't understand until Julia started blurting out these very mature sounding statements and questions and so now, I get it. Missy was our dog and because I have heard Julia ask something very similar I can easily see myself asking Dorice (Do) if Missy was outside. Something like Julia asking "Suse, is Johnders outside?"

Dorice, we will miss you. I know 'Trane, Althea, Marvin and as well as Lena (Bell Wright), Eatonton (Wright) and all the ancestors are waiting for you, while we will forever tell your stories.