is that Oliver?

He doesn't even look the same anymore! (that's still his favorite giraffe though)

Praying?

It certainly looks like it. I hope he's praying that his brother comes out soon!!

Two more weeks!

I had a dr's appointment yesterday. The NST was fabulous, as usual. The dr I saw looked over my sugar readings and said she wants me to go on insulin for the rest of the time. Only once a day, right before bed. Of course, I'm not too happy about it so I asked if I could have until Monday to get my diet under control. NO MORE CHEATING! Super strict diet again. She said that's fine, a few days won't make too much of a difference. She said I need to test 4 times a day again. That sucks!

So anyway, I've been trying to figure out how to get this child OUT before Monday. I've walked almost 2 miles each of the past two days. (I walked until I couldn't walk anymore) I ate spicy chili for dinner last night. I'm going to try doing a little yoga today to see if that helps, maybe bounce on the birthing ball. I've been sitting with my legs uncrossed...that's really hard for me. Anyone have any other suggestions on how to get this kid out?!?!?!?!!?

Oh yeah, she also said they won't let me go past my due date. She said I should pick which doc I want to induce me if I get close to the date. Yippee! One more reason to get him out sooner rather than later!

chores?

When I was a kid we didn't really have assigned chores. We did the dishes sometimes or cleaned up our room or swept...a few things here and there. Bob and I were talking last night and decided it would be good for Oliver to have chores. Then we started discussing what he already does. The list was very long - I was pretty suprised!

Here it is:

Feed the dog (twice a day)
Put away shoes
Put dirty dishes on the kitchen counter or table
Put away his clean clothes
Pick up toys in the playroom
Clean up spills/messes - as long as they are small
sweep (although he doesn't actually clean anything this way he LOVES to sweep)
dust (he gets more cleaning done, and he loves the swiffer!)
Throw away junk mail...or any other scrap of paper he can find...or wrappers from food...or any trash, really.

I guess for a two year old that's a pretty good list. He's really helpful in other ways, too. He gets diapers when he needs them, picks out and (mostly) puts on his clothes, and washes himself in the bath. Hopefully all this helpfulness will continue when Roy is born and I NEEEEEED all the help.

He's a good boy!!

new tactic...

Oliver has had a fit lately when it comes to going potty. I don't know if it's because it cuts into his playtime or if he's just sick of sitting in one place or if the new wore off and now it's just a chore but he screams bloody murder any time I try to take him. I've tried everything! I tried more toys, less toys, books, flash cards, songs...everything!

Well, now I'm trying something new. Oliver loves stickers. I have a shoebox full of stickers that I don't use for anything. So now every time he goes potty he gets to pick a sticker out of the box. This has worked a few times, but still doesn't work every time. I guess it's better than nothing. Especially if I can get him to poop on the potty ...poo filled cloth diapers are no fun! I've only been doing this for two days so maybe he'll catch on to the "sticker for pee" soon and will do it every time.

some adorableness...

He's all EYES!!

the giantness of the belly!

20 days?!?! You're kidding, right?

I just glanced at my ticker and realized...3 weeks minus one day is 20 days...20 days! Of course, I might not make it that long but we'll see. Last night at about 1 I started feeling really crampy and got a little worried. I tried to go back to sleep but that just wasn't happening so I got up, went to the bathroom, then got some water and read a pregnancy book for about an hour. After that I felt better and the crampy feeling started to go away so I did end up getting back to sleep. The bad part was that I had to be up early to get to work by 8 so I'm pretty tired today.

Chris came into town this afternoon. He and Bob are going to see the new Batman movie tonight. I heard it was really good! Too bad I have to be the babysitter. Oh well, maybe Oliver and I will watch a movie, too. Of course, if we do it'll be a Baby Einstein one...woohoo. I'm supposed to figure out where we are having dinner tonight. I have no idea! Someone suggested a new place called Jennifer's in Friendly Center. If we go there I'll post a review.

Other than that everything is normal. I still haven't gotten emails back from Mom OR Dad in response to the stuff I sent them.

Mom - did you get the directions?!?!

Dad - did you get the suggestions?!?!?!

I ordered a Happy Heiny diaper for Oliver because he kept asking for a red diaper and the BumGenius only comes in white, blue, green, yellow and pink. I like the wide velcro tabs but the liner seemed to bunch up more than the BG did. The second time I tried it was a little better so maybe I had it in the wrong the first time. I really like those wide velcro tabs - maybe I can figure it out and get some assortment of colors too. If anyone else is looking to get me something I'd like an orange one, a royal blue one, a lime one, a peach one - any of the bright colors, really. The other good thing about the HH diaper was that it came with two inserts. One for the smallest size and another that fits all the other sizes. Of course, the new BG 3.0 comes with two inserts as well...and they are about the same price. Anyway, if anyone's still looking for a gift we really NEED this is it!! With both boys in diapers I'm going to need a lot more than the 13 I have. (although hopefully Oliver will be out of diapers soon!!)

How adorable is this boy?!?!?!

Sometimes I just can't get over this FACE!

playing in the new pool...

Bob picked up a little plastic pool at Home Depot yesterday. It fills up pretty quickly and Oliver just loved it. He had lots of fun pouring water on his head! He also played with his watering can. There was a toy boat with a little pirate in it (thanks Aunt Rachael adn Uncle Dave) but he mostly used the boat to ...you guessed it! ...pour water on his head.

all about the appt

We got in pretty quick for the ultrasound. Bob and Oliver came with me. We got to see Roy standing on his head. Oliver got restless toward the end so Bob took him back out into the waiting area while we finished up. She said everything looks good, everything is normal...the amount of fluid, the heartbeat, all the organs, she even confirmed (again) that he's a boy.

After the ultrasound we went in to see the dr. We waited a good long time, but remember how much I didn't like the last dr? Well this guy was fantastic! He came in and introduced himself to all of us (even Oliver) first, then he showed Oliver a book about babies in bellies. Then it was down to business - my strep b test was negative, as were the other tests they did for STD's. He said the ultrasound looked great, as did my blood pressure and my labwork. He looked at my sugar readings and said I was doing a great job (he looked at this week AND last week - the same ones the other lady looked at and said weren't so good). I gave him my birth plan and he said everything on there was totally fine, but did have a few suggestions (such as starting an IV but not putting anything in it just in case they need one for an emergency situation...i don't really want one, but I see why it is a good idea) We went over everything...he told us WHY things were done a certain way instead of just telling us that's the way it was. Oh yeah! He also said I can start testing 2 times a day instead of 3!!! Once in the morning before eating and once 2 hours after dinner. Hooray!!

I had a few questions which he answered and made me feel better about things in general. I really really liked this guy!! Anyway, everything's good and Roy is in position for launch! I scheduled my two appointments for next week but we'll see if I end up needing them...hehehehe!

Hooray!

Roy is standing on his head!! More info about the appt later, for now I'm off to celebrate with Mexican food!!!

sick of it!!

I'm tired of being pregnant. Tired of waddling around with this huge belly. I'm sick of dr's appointments and getting poked and prodded.

I'm so ready for Roy to get here, but not really ready because there's still so much to do. I need to get the house cleaned up for guests. I need to make a place to put the bassinet. I need MORE DIAPERS! I need to wash the stuff from the attic. I need to install the car seat. I want to find time to cook some meals and put them in the freezer but that probably won't happen. I want to do so many things but it seems like I'm always so tired. I don't sleep well at night anymore because of the frequent pee breaks.

Speaking of which - Last night I had a dream that I was eating cake with strawberries and cherries on it. All things I'm not supposed to have. GRRR! Then I was trying to get frogs off my (younger) sister while she was in the shower...weird.

Anyway, tomorrow is the ultrasound to see if Roy is standing on his head yet. Let's all pray that he is!!!

Things for Roy

If anyone is still thinking about getting something for Roy here's what he needs:

Diapers!! - We still have a good many that we use for Oliver but with two kids in diapers I'm going to need at least 12 more!!

Bottles - BPA free plastic or glass bottles only, please!

I'm sure I'll think of more as we get closer to the actual date so check back!

Boppy Pillow - we still have the one from Oliver but Bob has bent it in half so many times that it doesn't hold any weight anymore. So we need a new one...with a pretty cover

The good part about having another ultrasound...

Look how cute he is!! I think he looks a lot like Oliver. We also confirmed again that he is definately a boy!!

It just keeps getting better and better...

I went to the dr yesterday and they did the NST then they told me that instead of an NST they were going to do a biophysical profile ultrasound. Nice...I already spent 20 or 30 minutes sitting around doing the NST (which looked GREAT they said) then I spent another 20 or 30 minutes waiting to see the doctor before they told me that I was getting an ultrasound. Bob was at home because Oliver was napping so I texted him to get there quick if he wanted to see it. Luckily we live about 5 or 10 minutes from the dr so he got there just at the end. Why didn't they wait? Well, because I wasn't actually scheduled for an ultrasound. They made someone who had an actual appointment WAIT so they could check me out. Anyway, Roy weighs about 6 pounds and 1 ounce. The part that sucks is that he's in a transverse position - which means he's laying sideways with his head to my left and his butt to my right. Why is that bad!? Well, they say by now he should have turned head down and if he doesn't hurry up and turn they'll have to try a manual version and if they can't turn him, or if they rupture membranes or rip the placenta off the wall then they'll have to do an emergency c-section right then and there. She also said that since the placenta is sitting so low that it might not work anyway, in which case he'll have to be delivered by C-section anyway. I asked if I could do anything to help him decide to turn and she said no...well...thanks a lot for your LACK of INFORMATION yet again. I looked online and there are plenty of "old wives tales" and things that say they'll help turn the baby. I'd rather try something that may or may not work than have a section, that's for sure! None of them are "medical" things...just positions or playing music low on your belly or shining a light or something but seriously she kind of made it sound like I might as well go ahead and get the section. I'm very opposed to having a section and want roy to be born as naturally as possible but it just seems like things keep going wrong this time. First the low placenta, then the diabetes, now this (1 in 25,000 babies lays sideways). I also read that most of the time the baby will turn by itself, even if it's when you go into labor. Babies know what to do, right? I certainly hope Roy can figure it out!!

Oliver's birthday wish list

I guess it's not too early to post this since his birthday is 2 months away. Here are a few things that Oliver wants or needs.

24 months fall/winter clothes
wooden puzzles with big pieces
books with bright pictures, preferably learning ones...colors numbers letters
Savings bonds or cash (cash will go in his savings account)


Things we'd prefer he NOT get:

stuffed animals (he only plays with a few)
toy tools (he has so many!)
anything large (we have a small house, and it just seems to get smaller all the time!)
cars (he has a whole bucket full)
anything LOUD (with a new baby this is BAD BAD BAD)

I guess that's it...hope this helps those of you who will get him a present.

Testing testing and more testing...

I went to CVS to refill my test strips a few days ago and they said my insurance would not pay for it yet! I told them I had only 2 days worth left and they said I could go ahead and get them...for $65!! I said ummmm, no thanks! and called my dr. The dr got everything straightened out so I have to go pick it up today but seriously, how do people without insurance do it?!

When I called my doctor she asked me why I hadn't been in for the non-stress tests once a week. Well, had I KNOWN I was supposed to be getting a test every week I would have scheduled and been there but since no one told me then how was I supposed to know?! She said it was ok but I need to come in ASAP...so another last minute appointment at the doc's today. She also said I will need another ultrasound to make sure Roy isn't too huge. Hooray for another ultrasound but now I'm worried that Roy will be 10 pounds. It'd be super nice if my doctor would have told me all this 2 weeks ago when I was there. Then I could have made plans and not freak out like I am now.

Cool Dude and his new bike

Here is the cool dude on his new bike. We got this at Toys R Us. It is a rocking bike for inside and the rocking part converts into a handle so outside he can ride it himself or I can push him. He LOVES this thing! All day long all I hear now is "bike! bike! bike!"

Been busy...busy...oh so busy!

We've been keeping the house consistently clean! The laundry was caught up but I need to do a load of diapers and a load of clothes tomorrow. The playroom is pretty straight, all the dirty dishes are in the dishwasher waiting to be washed, the toilets and shower are clean. I do need to vacuum and sweep but maybe I can do that tomorrow.

We joined a gym on a 30 day free pass. It's the Rush, but we haven't been back since that first day because we can't use the child care facility because we aren't paying members. I'm thinking maybe we could just join the YMCA. It's pretty close to the house and it's about $50 cheaper than the gym! They also have a pool that Oliver can go it, which the gym doesn't. We're going to check it out tomorrow or Wednesday.

I ate a huge dinner (salmon, beans, steamed veggies) and even cheated with a sip or two of Bob's coke, a sip or two of Oliver's chocolate milk and a Ghiradelli carmel filled chocolate and STILL got a good reading this evening!!

Bob borrowed a saw on a pole and chopped up the trees while Oliver and I were out visiting a friend. I can really tell the difference in the amount of light that comes in the front window! He has a bit more to trim but it's looking good already. Great job, Honey!