24 weeks pregnant

How Far Along: 24 weeks (112 more days to go!)


What "They" Say About Our Baby's Development: Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long, she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.



Weekly Food Comparison: An ear of corn

The Good: Very strong kicks from our little girl. She's in there having a dance party - usually she starts right when I lay down to go to bed. Let's hope that she doesn't continue this when she's on the outside and is sleeping at night and dancing during the day!

The Bad: Braxton Hicks contractions - yesterday I was actually cramping a little bit after an active few days and I was told to put my feet up, drink water, and stop lifting heavy things (over 20lbs.) which, unfortunately means Santi (can I just take a moment to say that my BABY boy is now 30 lbs!) I can lift him in and out of his crib, highchair etc if I need to (when I'm home alone with him) but I can't carry him around. So he's doing a lot more walking down the stairs, etc. and he actually likes it!
The Weird: Nothing odd this week

Currently Craving/Avoiding:

Avoiding: Not much
Craving: Sugar, sugar and more sugar!

Doctor Updates: I have an appointment on Tuesday. We'll be talking about c-section dates, and we'll be talking about my gestational diabetes test which I should have soon. Ugh, I'm not looking forward to drinking that super sweet drink, although since I'm craving sweets this time maybe it'll be more bearable?


The Weekly Belly Bump: Here's the 24 week belly! 

I feel like I'm carrying so differently than I did with Santi. I'm just gaining weight (I've gained 5lbs so far this pregnancy!) in my belly. Maternity pants, aside from one pair are all falling off of me. My maternity shirts I'm wearing are majorly size XS and S. While this is nice, it's making it hard to get dressed since I have so few options.

I'm also feeling a bit of nesting. I went through my closet this morning and pulled out things that I hadn't worn in forever and knew I wouldn't wear even after the baby is here and I'm back in normal clothes again. We're shopping this weekend for paint for the baby's room (pink!), and furniture next month. I've managed to get some clothes for her and am starting to put things away. Just a few more months and this little girl will be joining us and turning our world upside down!

And...

So today we went in for our gender ultrasound. I'm just about 20 weeks along, so I knew we'd be able to get a good look as long as the baby cooperated. For a bit I wasn't sure as the baby was moving quite a bit. But after awhile, the baby settled down, and the ultrasound tech was able to get the measurements she needed and then swooped underneath and was able to see that we are having....A GIRL!

I looked right at Tito and said "I told you!" I've felt it was a girl since the beginning of this pregnancy. Just so many things were so different than my pregnancy with Santi. Craving sweets now while when I was pregnant with Santi I couldn't stand the sight of them, being so sick the first trimester, how I'm carrying, that I'm not even in maternity clothes yet (with Santi I was in them at 11 weeks!) etc., etc., etc.

So now we're both excited, and looking at all things pink! Here's a couple of photos from today:

That baby profile looks so much like Santi! So cute! At one point she was in there sucking her thumb which was something we never saw Santi do (and consequently Santi never used a pacifier outside of the hospital NICU.) The bottom one is her right foot - she was stamping on my uterus, which she does quite frequently!

So she'll be here in February, and we're glad to add a girl to our little family, but also to our extended families. In my family, on my mom's side, out of 11 cousins, there are only four girls. And when I was growing up, I was the only girl until I was 10, and then the next girl didn't come until I was 20, and then my cousin had a girl. But all the rest are boys. And on my dad's side, there are only myself and one other girl, with the other 6 cousins who are boys. And with Tito, he's one of three boys, has one cousin on his dad's side who is a girl and one cousin on his mom's side who is a girl. So the families are in need of some pink!

To Cloth Diaper or not to Cloth Diaper?

So baby #2 will be joining us in just about 4 months. I'm going back and forth on cloth diapering. We didn't do cloth with Santi because basically we were first time parents and it was intimidating. Disposable just seemed so much easier. It was what was "popular" and seemed to be what I knew. When I thought of cloth diapering, I thought of messy (especially with those little newborn messy poops), I thought of old school diaper pins and diaper covers. I thought it would be hard.

And then I saw some of the "new" cloth diapers. The pre-folds, the all in ones. The snaps which adjust to growing babies. It seemed easier. But by the time I discovered them, I'd also discovered the price. And despite the overall savings, selling diapers at $15 each to my husband when I just had stopped working, wasn't possible. For some reason, he convinced me that disposable diapers would be easier and somehow cost less in the long run. I think he was mostly afraid of the mess and having to wash them in the washer. What he didn't realize was that I was the one who was going to be doing that laundry since I'm home all day with the kids.

And then I discovered this link, to Hugga Buns on Maine Cloth Diaper. I actually own one Hugga Buns diaper and used it on Santi once when he was napping and it was a colossal fail as he peed through the whole thing. But I loved the idea of the diaper and they were cheaper than the FuzziBuns and other diapers I'd seen out there at about $10 a pop. Well on this site, they are currently listed for $5.50 each!  So I'm toying with the idea of getting some. Someone told me that you should really have about 20 diapers to start with and then add more over time. It's a little investment (if I got them at the sale price it'd be about  $110 but that's a lot better than the $300 I'd be spending on FuzziBuns or the other $15 each diapers.) But I'm still wavering.

So I made a list of pros and cons for cloth vs. disposable:

Cloth Cons:
1. Cost - Initial cost up front, but over time they pay for themselves.
2. Mess - Having to clean up something that I can't just throw away is a little icky, especially the early, breastfed baby poops
3. Skin reaction? - I've read some blogs and articles where some kids have interactions with the fabrics and it gives them rashes and other issues so they have to go to disposables anyway.
4. Will they really work? If not, am I stuck with a bunch of diapers I can't use and have to resell somewhere?
5. More laundry?

Cloth Pros:
1. Good for the environment - not having diapers in a landfill is a nice feeling
2. Cost less in the long run - enough said
3. Cute - yes, I'm a sucker for the colors!
4. Ease of use with the new diapers - just as easy as disposable, aside from having an extra "part" (the insert) to wash
5. No need for a Diaper Genie (i.e. stinky poopy diapers) in the room, although we'll need to get a diaper pail. But nothing stinks up Santi's room more than his Diaper Genie, even after bleaching it it still smells after awhile.
6. Being fiscally and environmentally responsible

Disposable Cons:
1. Diapers in a landfill = not good
2. Cost - we pay about $17 a pack for regular diapers and $20 a pack for overnights right now about once a month. When the baby is little it's almost twice a month because they use so many more
3. Smelly diapers in the Diaper Genie

Disposable Pros:
1. Ease of use and you can get them anywhere - we travel a lot, so we'd probably still use disposables for the travel portion of our trips, and then switch to cloth if we have access to clean them (like if we're staying with family and can do laundry while visiting.)
2. Ease of disposal - toss them into a little bag and then into the trash...no need to carry a stinky, poopy diaper with you in the diaper bag when you're out and about.

So I think we're going to bite the bullet and buy some and see how it goes. Once we find out what we're having for a baby (next Tuesday!) it will make it easier to buy the diapers since some of the colors are truly more "girly" than others, and I don't want to put a little boy in a lavender diaper! I think, just like anything with parenthood, once we get used to it, we will be wondering why we hadn't used them with Santi all along.  We'll be sticking with disposable for Santi though as my hope is to have him potty trained by the time he's 2. (More on this later, but this photo should illustrate what we've just started here in our household):

So what about you? Do you cloth diaper or not? What are your reasons for going one way or another? Have you switched with one child to the next?

19 week update

I can't believe I'm at 19 weeks! Halfway through this pregnancy (I am 99% sure I won't go to term since I was 3 weeks early with Santi, and we'll schedule a c-section with this one as well.)

How Far Along: 19 weeks (147 more days to go!)

What "They" Say About Our Baby's Development: Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Its brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that it may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to it, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you. Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom. Its arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of its body now. Its kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on its scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on its skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.



Weekly Food Comparison: An heirloom tomato...

The Good: The baby is kicking a lot, and I can feel it from the inside and the outside.

The Bad: Getting winded easily.


The Weird: Nothing too strange.

Currently Craving/Avoiding:

Avoiding: Not much!
Craving: Sugar, sugar and more sugar!

Doctor Updates: I have an appointment on Tuesday to find out if a little girl or a little boy will be joining our family. I'm thinking it's a girl still and Tito has been wavering back and forth but is now back to boy. I'm hoping I'm right, although I'm obviously happy with a boy as well. But having one of each would be nice too!


The Weekly Belly Bump: Here's the 19 week belly!

This is me last week in NC - hence the sunshine, bathing suit and smile on my face!

Welcome to our house!

So we're moved in and basically done. There are few things that are needed, and oh, the baby's room doesn't have anything other than random baby swings, rocker, and jumperoo, and some boxes in the closet. We won't be buying furniture until we know what we're having.

But come on in - here's the tour!

As you enter, to your right is the half bathroom. We didn't paint it this color, but for now we're keeping it. There's crown molding on the ceiling which is nice. I'd like to do a frame around the mirror, and we need to replace the seal on the toilet because they tried to take it with them and broke the seal. Der. Eventually, we'll also get rid of the linoleum, and replace it with tile.



The dining area. The entryway is to the right. The closet is a coat closet and we'll eventually get curtains. :) We'll also eventually get a new table and chairs...we're thinking rectangle with seating for at least 6 with maybe a leaf for extending to 8.



Living area - yes, curtains will be put in soon!



The kitchen - I love it. We'll eventually replace the linoleum with tile and hardwoods in the living area. And we'll also get a dishwasher that matches the stove and fridge. But for right now, two out of three isn't bad, right? :) And we need new barstools since those ones are too tall for the island.



Other side of the kitchen looking towards the pantry.



Pantry with our mini family command center.



Heading upstairs with our photo collage.



Top of the stairs is our office area.



Other side of the loft is the play area. We're going to get a little table and chairs to put up here eventually.



Looking back into the loft from the baby's room. On the left is our laundry closet.



The baby's room right now - needs paint, and furniture obviously.



Baby's room looking into the closet - just some random boxes in here right now.



Kid's bathroom. Yes, we need a shower curtain rod. And note the potty insert - we've started potty training as of yesterday! :)



Santi's room







Our room - needs curtains, needs some art.



Looking into the bathroom



Master Bathroom



Master closet - Tito's end



Master closet - my area



The other end of the closet which I'll be getting a built in desk for.



Back in our room - need some art over the bed and some curtains, cause in the right hand window, hello! That's the neighbors!  :)

So aside from the front yard, back yard and garage (which still need some shelving and a little organization), that's our house! We'll hopefully be doing some landscaping in the back yard and putting in a garden in the spring. And we'll be pulling out a dead plant (what I think was a rhododendron bush but has been cut down and there's just a stump) in the front and hopefully putting in something nice there in the spring too. And we're working on getting the grass from being more brown to being more green. And of course we'll get some patio furniture...right now all we have are two lawn chairs.

Thanks for stopping by!

Starting Over

So they say that your second child doesn't get as much attention as your first. While I was determined to not have this happen, it already is. Maybe because I've been so nauseous and sick for the first trimester? Maybe because I'm busy when I'm not sick moving and chasing a very active 17 month old around? Maybe because I'm lazy? Maybe all of the above?

But I'm determined from this point on to be better with updates on this baby, updates on the house, and updates on our lives.

We have officially moved out of our apartment to our house. All of the boxes are unpacked and the only things left to do are little things. Like hang some photos and shelves. And the baby's room. But we've decided to not deal with the baby's room until we know what we're having - no sense in buying furniture and painting until we know what we're having. And we have another month until we find out - the date for the gender ultrasound is September 20th!

This pregnancy is SO different from Santi's. From the things I'm eating, to how I'm carrying.  I'm 18 weeks now and still in regular clothes. I have three pairs of size 6 shorts I'm wearing and can still button and are comfortable. And one pair of capri pants that are a size 5/6 that I wear, and two pairs of jeans. I can button those jeans but they're more comfortable unbuttoned so I zip them up and button them with an elastic band. And all of my tops are non-maternity tops. I'm SWIMMING in maternity clothes. I have one XS maternity top and it's SO big on me. And all of the rest of the stuff is way too big. While the pants are comfy, they are too big and when I've put them on I spend 99% of my day hiking them up. So I've avoided buying any maternity clothes to this point.

With Santi, I was in maternity clothes at 11 weeks. And I gained weight in the first trimester (about 5lbs) and it went to my legs/hips and my arms. With this pregnancy, I've lost 11lbs, and now that I'm in the 2nd trimester, I'm STILL maintaining that weight. I told my OB I was concerned and asked if I should be drinking weight gain shakes and he said no. He said his only concern was me gaining too much weight (which for my frame I'm only supposed to gain 30lbs at the most.) 

So he told me to indulge, and I'm taking his advice and enjoying some milkshakes, and ice cream, more than I normally would. But I'm still exercising. If I'm not going to Stroller Strides, I'm going for walks with Santi (we did 4.5 miles the other day.) But we have a new neighborhood to explore, so we go walking a lot. And I've also been doing a lot of yard work. So I think this is all contributing. And I am hoping that I gain weight but that the slow gain helps me lose it after this baby arrives.

And my goal is to run a half marathon next June after this baby arrives. Tito asked me "why?" which, to tell you the truth, I would have asked myself a year ago. But the truth is, I want to do it so I can say I did it. It's a personal goal I've had in my head since joining Stroller Strides after Santi was born and the Running Club and training for two 10k's. And while training for the 10k, I said to myself - "If I can run 6.2 miles, why can't I run 13?" So that's my goal. And I'm hoping I can do it. Timeline will be tight as I won't be able to start training for it until the end of February or early March depending on when the baby arrives. So that's three months to train, but I'm hoping my body will remember running by that point and not be too upset with me.

As of now, here are where things stand with Baby D #2:

How Far Along: 18 weeks (154 more days to go!)

What "They" Say About Our Baby's Development: Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long and it weighs almost 7 ounces. It's busy flexing its arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. Its blood vessels are visible through its thin skin, and its ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from its head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around its nerves, a process that will continue for a year after it's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.



Weekly Food Comparison: A bell pepper

The Good: Feeling the baby move occasionally. I still am not used to this feeling. Maybe because I know that there is a little person inside and I'm kind of anxious to get to the point of meeting that person? I'll let them stay in there and cook a little longer though!

The Bad: Headaches


The Weird: Random hiccups

Currently Craving/Avoiding:

Avoiding: Not much...

Craving: Sugary foods, carbs
 
Doctor Updates: Nothing this week. One month until our BIG ultrasound!


The Weekly Belly Bump: I need a different photo but this is the latest I've taken - this was at 16 weeks, although I'm not really looking any bigger at 18 weeks now!

In Defense of Teachers

When I first went to college I wanted to be a teacher. I would have been 4th generation on my dad's side of the family and 5th generation on my mom's side. Plus I have 4 aunts who are teachers, and a cousin who just graduated with a degree in education, and my older brother who will probably eventually teach.

The #1 reason I decided NOT to be a teacher, honestly, was the money. Followed closely by a horrible experience substituting for 7th graders where I realized there was no way I wanted to spend every week day watching other people's kids. I didn't have the patience to teach them things they didn't know. It's harder when it's other people's kids than your own!

However, my life was shaped by many great teachers, first and foremost, my parents who were both public school teachers. They were the people who, despite me not wanting to learn anything on family vacations, or in everyday lessons, taught me. And then my favorite teachers growing up: Miss Coughlin (for the 4th grade), Mrs. Cailler (7th grade English), Dr. Lyombe Eko at UMaine and Dr. Paul Grossweiler at UMaine (two Communications professors who shaped what would be my career after graduation.) Thank you Matt Damon for putting this out there...

http://www.newser.com/story/124954/matt-damon-defends-teachers-wins-internet-love-video.html

Yay!

We now have the most expensive keys we've ever owned in our possession! 

I'm headed over this afternoon to clean (they didn't leave it in the greatest condition) and measure. This weekend we're shampooing the carpets and picking out paint, appliances (new fridge and washer and dryer!), towel rods, shower curtain rod for the kid's bathroom, wall mounted baby gate for the top of the stairs (Santi's favorite thing to do now is climb the stairs - we'll have to teach him quickly how to slide down safely, as he already fell down one step to the landing on his nose (only one step, no crying, just shock from him!)

Weekly Update - Week 11

Before I get into week 12, better get this week's update out of the way!



How Far Along: 11 weeks

What "They" Say About Our Baby's Development: Your baby is now almost fully formed. Its hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under its gums, and some of its bones are beginning to harden. It's already busy kicking and stretching, and its tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as its body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that its diaphragm is forming.

Weekly Food Comparison: A fig.

The Good: Having some more energy in the mornings, but that usually goes downhill in the afternoons. On most weekends, I will nap, since Tito is around to watch Santi.

The Bad: Headaches and nausea. This past weekend I could barely get out of bed on Saturday.

The Weird: Nada this week.

Currently Craving/Avoiding:

Avoiding: Strawberries are making me feel more nauseous, so I stay away from eating them.Craving: Pizza, carbs, sweets, ice cream

The Weekly Belly Bump: About the same. Finally a photo!

Weekly Update - Week 10

This is a little late! Going to do two updates right in a row!


How Far Along: 10 weeks

What "They" Say About Our Baby's Development: "Though it's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of its development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in its body rapidly grow and mature. It's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy. If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin. In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. Its hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over its heart, and its feet may be long enough to meet in front of its body. The outline of its spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from its spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with its developing brain and sits very high on its head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, it's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

Weekly Food Comparison: A kumquat.

The Good: Feeling better in the morning. But only in the mornings!
The Bad: The nausea...it's so bad, on weekends I have a really hard time getting out of bed. I also can smell like a super hero, and it's usually all the bad things that I can smell!

The Weird: Crying at the drop of a hat. Or at commercials. Or at things I've seen before. Yesterday I cried over the last 15 minutes of the Sex and the City movie.


Currently Craving/Avoiding:

Avoiding: Not much.
Craving: Sweets, sweets and more sweets!

The Weekly Belly Bump: It's at the stage where in the morning it's small and in the evening it looks like I'm 5 months along.