No Changes ... and ending with Blog Moms Unite?

So, the doctor appointment yesterday brought no news to due date. In fact, I only "grew" from 32 to 32.5 and I LOST 3# (which was odd, because on Tuesday, I was up 7#). Let's just say this kid is eating everything I eat...I can barely keep up! Especially since my appetite after about 4pm is nothing. It's been hard to eat a "good" dinner and snacks...but it's my prime water drinking time (as during the week, especially, daytime water time is hard to find when walking circles at work).

Some overdue photos...it turns out I've barely picked up the camera to take photos the last few weeks! Julia had her birthday a few weeks ago...and was excited to dig into her cake!

Quinn's vocabulary, interest in books and words and spelling and phonics, and oh so much, is growing rapidly by the day. This morning she tried reading Mike's shirt to him and just ended up saying the letters...can't believe she tried to read it! She's been reading letters and signs much more frequently lately, but this was Mike's first experience with it. I think it's crazy that she's trying to read already! I guess our word hunt and letter games are fun for her!

She also has her new phrase, "Oh, I see" and then she repeats what you said.
"what's your name"
"twin"
"Quinn, your name is Quinn. Can you say Quinn"
"Quinn, oh I see" (as if it's a shock her name is Quinn not twin)
"so what's your name"
"twin"
"Quinn"
"Quinn, oh I see, my name Quinn". But she still says "twin" unless you have this banter with her first.

This is just one of the many instances where "oh I see" comes into play. Prior to this, if you asked her a question, the response was "yep"; now it's "oh I see".

Hmm...what else is new in her world...what's not new? She knows the bathroom is the potty room. Has started to do a potty dance before needing to go, and has almost made it in a time a few times. BUT not quite. We started giving stickers for attempts/farts/successes...but the making it in time isn't quite there yet. And she definitely has a fear of falling into the potty....but won't really use the potty chair (thank goodness for the attached potty seat!) She'll catch on soon enough; like everything else (breastfeeding, dressing herself, feeding, drinking water), she's got her learning pace and we'll go with the flow. I don't want to "push" especially since everything I read says don't train right when you find out your pregnant or a few weeks before the baby is born. Hmm...when did we try? Oh well. If we let her learn at her pace, I'm hoping the number of accidents does not increase when peanut here is born.

Peanut is more mobile than ever these days. Doc is pretty sure he's head down. He thought at first he was head on left, butt down, then feet...then pushed him around a little and decided he was head down...certainly explains the not-so-fun downward pressure that started about a week ago every time I stand up and walk around! Not to mention the fact that I can breathe better the last few weeks...except for the rib kicks and rolls and punches. My belly is definitely mostly baby...when he's active, it's tough to find a place that ISN'T a body part!

Well, thanks for reading today! I'll try to remember to take some photos this week...

Hey, and Blog Moms (or interested)....October gathering possible? This bambino should be ready to meet everyone and the family may be willing to give up some time come October...thoughts or suggestions? I'd be willing to host (says me now!). Maybe we could carve up some pumpkins or bake some autumn goodies!? We have the garage room/yard room/basement room for the kids (I think).... :) Let me know!

48 days?

Woah, there's a lot to be done in 48 days! According to my preggo ticker..."48 days" are left. Wow. A lot to be done.
Another MD appointment this week. My last one seems like yesterday, but apparently it was 12 days ago! 3 more of those and we could have a baby! Now, I know I'm not ready for that ... not at work, not at home, and wow not in the car! :)
Quinn seems to be really eager for her baby brother to arrive. Last night (as the sky turned orange and Quinn says "mama! raining on the window already!") Quinn and I read books on the couch (since she gets angry that there is officially no more Mama's lap). After books was time to sing songs to baby brother. And Q does that by playing her old glow worm (that also sings) to my belly. While holding it my belly, she's explaining how to make it sing "you press the moon and star, baby brother, and he sings! like this, la la la la. you do it now" ... and proceeds to be sad that she needs to keep pressing the button for him. Can't wait to see how she reacts when he can't do it for awhile once he's finally born!!
He still has no name. We've decided there are A LOT of names we don't like in this world. There has yet to be one that either of us really really really NEED to have. We'll see come birth day!

Pregnant Brain...

Three years ago, not two. And Mike didn't leave until August, so I really don't know where my brain was on that last post!

ANYWAY, yesterday brought us to Kato/Eagle Lake for Granny's birthday! We met up at Grizzly's with most of the "Mexico gang" and Quinn ran right up to Granny and gave her a big hug! It was the greatest present ever. I'm so excited she's finally warming up to family members and people she talks about all the time (instead of crying, whining, and hiding). Yay! I must admit, it brought a little tear to my eye see her interact with the family.

No real baby news/development this weekend. He's getting sick of being cramped up, I think. I feel LOTS of stretching movements. And he gets the hiccups after I wait awhile to eat and then eat too fast. It's a craziest feeling...

So, instead of getting house ready for baby, we got Quinn more family time. Even trade. It also meant I skipped another day of getting work accomplished, but it was next to the most gorgeous day ever in a long time (LOW humidity) and gave me a reason to kick back and enjoy others watching the kiddo while I did nothing. :) It does mean we got home late and Quinn had yet another late night to bed, BUT I should go wake her up now and get us to Farmington!

Two Years Ago . . .

Can't believe how much less I can do at a time. I just have less energy. I'm starting to remember my last few weeks with Quinn now...as they were my first few weeks as a New Yorker. Lots of walking, unpacking, and SITTING! And we only had one couch and 2 chairs for the first few weeks. Wow...remembering couch shopping now...that was a chore! Get up, sit down, get up, sit down, get up, sit down. And of course, each store was a few blocks in order to park anywhere. What a difference 2 years makes. I can hardly believe we were MOVING 2 years ago this month. Heck, Mike was in New York living there already at this time! I was (attempting to) pack a house alone and preggo (but 2 months less preggo than now).

And I just had less energy.

Oddly enough, we are at some same stages than we were 2 years ago too. We're unpacking (yes, still unpacking!) and getting office space & nursery space settled for an enjoyable few weeks prior to our lives changing forever for the better.

We were 2 people ready to have a third. We had our routines, expectations, personal time. It all changed on November 20th-22nd (when she was finally born!).

Now we are 3 people ready to have a fourth. We have our routines, expectations and personal time. We are not planning for inducement, c-sections, or a 5 day stay in the hospital.

We are expecting life around here to get a little crazier.

And for some reason I JUST CAN'T WAIT! I am, however, enjoying each moment Quinn is adorable and sweet and smart...because that could change in an instant!

We finally moved our guest bed downstairs today (by we, I mean mostly Mike...I took the sheets off the bed and guided it around a corner. We brought a dresser upstairs (by we, I mean Mike). I'm slowly unpacking TINY outfits gifted to us from the shelves and into the dresser. This babino will be SOOO tiny! This week, my goals are to assemble a crib, changing table, hang curtains, and bring up all clothes that will fit the tiny one. The room is looking more like a baby room every day; and it of course, brings tears to my eyes.

Quinn was playing with a frog we have living in our backyard this morning. This was the first time she's seen him/her and "want to play with the froggie!!". She chased him, petted him, but wouldn't hold him. I have a video I'll try to post later. She's getting so grow-ed up. :)

I just can't believe how tired I get so quickly and so early...hopefully I'll get some siesta time once bambino is here too! Q is pretty good about letting me close my eyes for 5-10 minutes after work. She even hops up on the couch next to me some days and goes "ohuhmp, long day, mama". It's awesome! :)

Lost a Week

So time flies, but during my last monthly OB appointment, we decided to move up the due date a week. HOWEVER, if it comes to be Sept 17th, inducement will arrive the following week (seeing as that's the weekend and weekends in hospitals aren't so exciting for me if I can choose!). SO, we're back to Sept 8th-ish as the due date. SO, we lost a week! Not to mention my doc appointment was actually LAST week, I wrote it down wrong and noone ever called me. OH WELL! Glucose test was ok (day before Mexico) and nothing else came back from the lab results so YAY!

Luckily enough, my congestion may be allergy related (seeing as we've been spending more time in lakes) and medication can be taken! And luckily enough, the medication makes me drowsy, so sleep has been easier the past few days! YAY!

ALSO, it's 3:00 already? What the heck?

My contractions have also proved no advancement and dilation so MORE YAY! He just told me to stay hydrated, take it easy, and get Quinn and Mike ready for another addition to the house. :) And 2wks from now I'll see him again...and then in another 2wks (unless other things are progressing) and then WEEKLY as it's only 3 more weeks until my due date!! ahhh!!! Need to get some things settled at work!

"can we watch a NEW muppet movie"
"sure"

while watching it, Q narrates (?this apparently happens in the middle of the muppets take manhattan). "the pig and the bear are not his mother. the frog and dog are not his mother. the duckie and the cow and snort are not his mother. and noone is his mother. MOVIE OFF and WE READ MOTHER BOOK AGAIN mama can we please?"

"The movie is almost over, I don't know how it ends and you asked to watch it"

"you press this red button and the screen goes black and the movie is all done the end, mama"

I had no response other than, sure, let's put on jammies, read books, and then go to bed.

l m a o. Is this funny because I'm sleep deprived, or is this funny? Sleep deprived. I almost called the doctor today, but figured it could wait until my appointment Friday. I sleep for about 2-5 hours each night. Lying down is tough. If I forget to put on the fan, and somehow get covered up with blankets, breathing is VERY DIFFICULT. Additionally, work has been stressful and stupidly enough keeping me awake at night.

And well, as tired as I am tonight, Q's spiked a fever just as Mike happened to get home for awhile. He asked if she's been stuffy and warm since we got home (I left work early for fear of sleeping on the drive home seeing as I was awake at 2:30 this morning and couldn't fall back asleep--so, also, it seems as if I missed some exciting Lakeville weather!). Regardless, I said, nope. Well, took her temperature and she's at 99/100 which is really high for her on the ear digital thermometer (her base is around 95 on that thermometer). So, to add to my exciting life, I'm now hoping it's just a fluke fever. But part of me wants a "sick" day tomorrow and a day away from the commute to Farmington!!!! HOWEVER, sick Q isn't a lot of fun all the time. We'll see where the night and morning take us with her condition.

Also, we have our annual (I guess) summer neighborhood picnic tomorrow night! I need to come up with a good "dish to pass" to go with dogs and burgers. Suggestions on stuff I can get done quick tonight or quick tomorrow night seeing as I'm planning to go to work tomorrow....???

Baby Boy is SOOOO active today. I think he's really mad I couldn't fall back asleep again. And he's STRETCHING out all day--even while walking around which is odd. He HATES it now when there's ANY additional pressure (which is also making sleeping difficult as I can't sleep on back comfortably and either side is NOT working...even with pillows, etc). I can't even lean forward to pick up Q today without him kicking me! I was leaning on the table at morning meeting today at work and he PUNCHED my lungs! I swear I felt knuckles. It's odd feeing his feet, head, butt and arms all in different places across my belly everywhere BUT where the placenta is attached. I love it. Makes me anxious to watch him play and move outside of my body, but want him to grow and get stronger for many more weeks to go!!!!!!

So tired

I am so tired.
So swollen.
So wanting to have my baby and wanting my baby to wait until the last possible minute.

I don't quite remember being this tired all the time with Quinn! I sleep about 2-3 hour stretches and my body wants to be awake between 5 and 6am. SO, I wake up, eat breakfast, take a shower, warcraft a little, eat some more breakfast, wake up Quinn, drive to work. And want to nap. But I can't--it's now time to work an 8 hour day, followed by a 45 minute drive home, followed by making dinner and playing/reading/bathing Quinn.
Why exactly do I think it's odd that I want to go to bed at 9pm.

Today we had our "fine dining" at work. It's a lot of extra work for very little reward (seemingly). I'm not quite convinced it's worth doing so frequently, but the residents continue to love it, volunteers love it, staff like to "spoil" residents every now and then. So...I don't know. I think I'm just overly pregnant, tired, and trying to prepare a home for a new baby!

I'm wa-ay more into having "clean"er things now, too. The whole "nesting" never occurred with Quinn. My nature of "I don't want to do it, Mike doesn't want to do it, so it won't get done" is wrestling with my current nature of "baby is coming and I'm going to be MORE tired in a few weeks so get it done now". Oh well, whatever.

We had a birthday party for Julia last Saturday, that was fun. We also went to the beach on Friday which was super fun. And we plan to go to the beach again on Friday, which I'm looking forward to. Each day I go to work I want to not go back again and want to go back; just not pregnant. At this point, I plan to return to work this fall after my FMLA baby leave (only 3 months??). I figure if I can make it on 4-6 hours of sleep and crazy tired now; shouldn't it be easier not preggo anymore?? We'll see how thoughts and feelings change as the time gets closer. I'd like to give an actual notice at work and not leave the residents, staff, and coworkers in a crazy mess. We'll see how that goes.

Q also had her last day of her sucker on Sunday night. Monday morning she woke up and they went bye bye. I told her on Friday that if she wasn't interested going potty this weekend, her suckers would go bye bye. She had NO interest in the potty or potty chair, so her suckers went bye bye. She was very concerned last night that her baby brother was going to steal her suckers (so we'll have to make sure they're very different for him if he is a sucker kiddo) and she didn't want a baby brother anymore. This morning was about 15 minutes of "no baby brother" yelling/tantrum and I have not heard the word sucker since. I'm hoping that after a few days she'll be over it. She still has 3 kiki's but man, the sucker was just starting to drive me insane (one more thing that I felt I needed to clean too frequently with my newly increasing concern for clean). Not to mention she's coming up on 3 and not potty trained...so I'm going to take control of one thing at a time! :)

I'm sooo tired. Hopefully Q will just go to sleep tonight after some books and I can crash soon. Mike's got his summer league Ultimate tonight, so no help from him tonight. Wish me luck!!

Also, please sent thoughts and prayers to Marcy and Trent going through some rough times with their newborn! It makes me sad and increasingly anxious and aware that God works in mysterious ways. I've had many contractions daily, really, since before Mexico, even, and just pray this baby holds on inside as long as he needs to for optimal health for us both! Contractions are definitely correlated to how long it's been since I hydrate at all, so at least my body is keeping up/alerting me to HYDRATE!!!!! Anyway, my next doctor appointment is Friday, so we'll see if my due date moves at all this week. I'm barely gaining 1#/week now, but Peanut is definitely growing! I NEED TO GO SHOPPING AGAIN!!!! :(

Our June and July Not Mexico

Well, June/July brought me
* Only +3.7#, but a new clothes size (which means hopefully summer clothes are clearanced now because I need clothes!)
*The 3rd trimester waddle (and in a big way! My sandals and shoes are getting worn out)
*Brought me close to having a Mexican baby (too close)!
*Nightly/Daily contractions--at least for an hour each day and several weeks (months) earlier than with Quinn (started before my scare in Mexico which is why I wasn't terribly worried the first hour of contractions in Mexico).
*Being able to distinguish baby boy body parts---no, not all of them! :p
*A crazy toddler who knows something new is coming soon and isn't so sure if she'll like it or not (as she wants her carting shop=shopping cart). She's still trying to find all her toys as her cousin and uncle visited this weekend and did not put her toys away to Q's specifications (or any specifications really...I'm glad to have a toddler who will help pick up well on her own and with assist).
*One month closer to deciding what to do once baby boy comes (work or not?!) and where to put said baby boy for day care.
*Time with friends--at least it seems like a lot of time. We've seen friends more the past few weeks than since we've moved (or so it seems).
*5 successful trips to the potty for Quinn (it's just too much fun to pee, take off a diaper, sit on the potty, get on a diaper and pee right away.) . I swear I've officially gone through more diapers since starting potty training...ugh. And to think I thought I was so close to no more diapers 2 months ago. And diapers will double in as few as 8 more weeks! (wow, we need to get some nursery stuff started and finished!!) I'm debating cloth, but hate to have that expense straight off the bat.....suggestions/donations???
*An already growing pile of boy clothes for the little one! I may have enough for a day if he poops through diapers as much as Quinn did.
*Quinn's first sparkler experience! And only one burn for Mommy and one for Quinn (minor barely noticeable.



Hailey, Uncle GoGo, Quinn and I went to the zoo! We were going to go to the beach, but the zoo got voted in first.

(ha ha, and this was a good shot of the 2 of them)





We spent a day at Teddy's pool at Dad's apartment. Dinner was also part of the evening and Ted decided he needed to eat his sandwich in the corner. No worries, this was our table right next to him so it's not like he wandered away. It was awesome to see this, though. That little guy (but growing!!!) is such a ham!