Belly Update

I can't believe it I am now 33 weeks pregnant, the little guy will soon be bigger than his sister was when she came home. I continue to feel great; I won't deny I have most of the aches, pains and discomforts of a third trimester Mom but I will not complain. I no longer have to have the invasive ultrasounds to measure cervical length which is lovely but it is unnerving as I have no idea what my cervix is doing and seeing that I am at a teaching hospital I have not offered myself for a peek with residents or the OB that was covering for my normal one. I have one more week of the Progesterone.

I have increased my activity a bit now and will go for a short walk and will venture out for more than my previous 1/2hr. It is so nice to walk around; to get fresh air and to move my aching hips. Elizabeth loves taking Mamma and 'little dude' for a walk and we make a great pair with me waddling and her odd gait but we take out time.

Another funny thing is I am now having braxton hicks contractions which are different from the ones that I normally have. I also have to check my blood sugars four times a day as I was dumping my sugars in the morning and failed that nasty glucose test. So far they are normal and the only I needed to change in my diet is to increase my protein consumption which will help stabilize my blood sugar. I am hoping that this will help my 3am snacking habit which really wreaks havoc with getting enough sleep.

I am packed and ready and most of the nursery is done. We just have to agree on a name which is not going too well; Elizabeth and I have our favourite name but Daddy is not on board.

Happy Halloween

Of course another great Halloween. Elizabeth went out with a new friend who lives close by. She continues to have a fierce love for candy (just like her Father). She reminded me of myself when she got home as she sorted, bagged and hid her candy (from Daddy).

Getting to know Elizabeth

Elizabeth really is enjoying being in grade 1 this year, I think last year she was a bit bored and now she is being challenged cognitively which she needed. This year there are no complaints about her not paying attention and urges for me to look into pharmaceutical help for her poor attention, instead she comes home telling me about science, religion and is reading chapter books. I cannot even begin to say how blessed we are to have the teachers and support staff she has this year, they have made this year so positive for her. She does have 1:1 assistance during the day to ensure her safety which is great as she has had some very off days and tons of falls lately.
Her teacher this year listened to my respetitive mantra 'if she is unhappy, naughty or edgy something is wrong' and will look into why she is not her normal happy self. Elizabeth has had some very off days and has done some very atypical things (spitting, being disrespectful and wanting to be on her own). Each time her teacher has problem solved why this is happening and calls me to discuss her concerns. She picked up on the edgy behavior and called me to bring pain medication as Elizabeth's legs were hurting, she has Elizabeth sitting on a chair instead of the floor at carpet time and the spitting stopped and Elizabeth announced 'I can now see Mrs. M.' and at recess she now has Elizabeth paired with classmates as when questioned Elizabeth stated 'that she cannot run with her friends so she plays alone'.
Instead of being told how miserable, distracted and defiant my child is her teacher is looking into why and we have a much more adjusted little girl which we are so pleased about.
We are having Elizabeth be accountable for her actions as well and with a written pact she knows that certain behaviors will cause her to lose her beloved Rexy for a couple of days and after his last vacation away she knows I do mean business.

Thankful

We just finished our whirlwind Thanksgiving long weekend. The weather was amazing for Daddy to garden and for Elizabeth to spend lots of time outside. Myself I waddled around everyone reading and trying to not do too much. We had our dinner at my brother's house and actually got to eat outside in the sun which has never happened before. Elizabeth loved all the activities they planned for her and her cousin's; from bobbing for apples, pumpkin bowling, relay races and a prize booth. The kids and adults had a ball.
This year we have so many things to be thankful for;
- for our health (despite Elizabeth's early arrival she is a very healthy kid)
- for me now being in my third trimester
- for a Daddy who is tolerating my increasing need to nest
- for family and friends who are helping me to run errands
- for Uncle Philly who stops by to cut our lawn to free up some of Daddy's time
- for friends who will come out with Elizabeth and I knowing that they will be chasing after a kid who knows no limits while I sit on my butt
- for Elizabeth's school who are working hard to ensure her success and safety
- for Elizabeth inheriting her Daddy's ability to draw (the turkey above is a prime example)
We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend.

She's Practicing / Third Trimester

Elizabeth has been busy getting ready for her new role as a big sister. I think she would much rather have a baby dino for a brother (or even name him Dino) but I think she will be happy with who's hiding in my expanding tummy. Her dino Rexy has became her official baby; she changes his diaper, tucks him in his crib, feeds him, takes him for walks and now he is often given the privilege of wearing her baby brother's outfits (which are mostly dinosaur print). She is really trying to help out at home and states 'don't worry Momma I know you can't bend down I 'll get that for you' quite frequently.

As for how things are going for me I feel great usual, I am definitely bigger than I was with Elizabeth but so far if is mostly belly, I still have never ending contractions and am happy to report no cervical changes. I still am hanging out at home most of the time but am allowed to be on my feet for 1/2hr at a time so I do allow myself a quick errand or will take Elizabeth to a nearby appointment, that 1/2 hr really flies so I must plan my adventure perfectly. A major milestone is now I am in my third trimester which is super cool.

Progress

This may look like a pretty average picture of a child jumping in a pool but for us this is a huge milestone that Elizabeth met this summer. We have been working on jumping for years; she can now get both feet off the ground about 2 inches and now can jump ahead. The pool this year was a great way for Elizabeth to work on jumping forward, usually we would either pull or push her so she did not leave her legs behind which has led to some very bruised and painful shins. Elizabeth even was able to do a couple of cannonballs too. Our 'tacky' pool was the best purchase we have made for her as she lived in the pool this summer and got a great workout for both her her arms and legs.

Hanging out on the couch

Things have had to slow down here even more. I am now off work for at least this month and trying very hard to do as little as possible. My contractions were a getting a bit stronger and happening at rest as well so the High Risk OB thought it wise to stay at home during this precarious period. Last week we were quite concerned and I needed to go back to to see if Celstone was needed as there was some cervical change shortening but seeing how it is back to it's original length we are chalking it up to difference in technique. I do have say it is very unnerving to go each week and wonder if this will be the day they don't let me go home as I cannot even imagine what it would be like to be away from Elizabeth (and of course Daddy too) for so long.

Despite my husband and parents wish to have me on house arrest I do take Elizabeth to school and to nearby appointments and will go pick up a couple light groceries if needed which helps maintain my sanity. We have a housekeeper coming to do the heavy jobs for me and Daddy is now the chief grocery shopper which is a bit of a learning curve. I do have to keep reminding myself this is only temporary when I see that Elizabeth is not getting the exercise that she needs to maintain her strength and I do try to recruit as many people as I can to take her on a bike ride or out to the park.

The timing worked as well as it could as Elizabeth is now at school full days so I have the day to lie down and putter around in the house. I so far have not succumbed to daytime tv and am trying to limit my online shopping we are down to one income but an occasional package does arrive here which I sneak in.

On a great note I have now passed the date when I had Elizabeth as I am now 25.5 weeks where Elizabeth was born at 25.3 weeks which is an amazing milestone.

1st Grade

Our baby is officially in Grade 1. It is so bittersweet I cannot believe she will be gone from me for an entire day everyday. She of course was so excited and did not look back when I dropped her off. The school has some pretty impressive plans set up for her and are really aware of her safety, she has an assistant full days now which I think is a bit much, I hope they give her space to be on her own and be the independent girl she is. They had her classroom chairs (First Class and Ray L), FM unit, versa frame in a private BR ready for her to use and her PT will be in next week to check on her. I met with her teacher and highligthed her movements and her inability to keep her body still so I hope this teacher will be a bit more understanding.

Elizabeth chose her outfit and was happily decked out with an abundance of sparkles and Hello Kitty (the Hello Kitty shoes actually fit over her AFO's, how I love Target). When she came home she was so happy and got right to playing teacher with her Dino's which was so sweet. She even ate her lunch that I sent every scrap of it, I am thinking she may need 2 lunch boxes for the day.

Our hopes this year will be where her teachers can see her potential and be patient with her as she perseveres.

Happy Birthday Auntie Katy

My sister Katy recently had her 30th birthday and when asked what she wanted for her birthday her reply was GOMEZ. She loves Selena Gomez; she loves her music, the Wizards of Waverly Place and all the movies that she is in. Timing was great as I noticed Selena was coming to town so I was able to get some tickets to her show. Elizabeth lately has taken an interest in Selena as well so she was happy to come too. My friend and her daughter also happily came which gave me a bit of back up as I was not too sure how this big excursion would be for me and my limited activities. Of course my parents were outside the stadium waiting for us as they are a bit afraid I may go into labour at any time.

We secured a pretty good spot on the grass with our blanket so I was able to sit for most of the show and while my sister danced and sang her heart out. I don't think I have seen my sister this lively; the past couple of years she sadly for unknown reasons is declining in her speech and cognition. She is present with us but not the quick witted person she once was which is sad to see. Seeing how happy she was holding up her poster she had made and waving to Selena for the entire concert was so nice to see.

To pack or not to pack

As I am getting close to when I went into labour (2 weeks until I am at 25 weeks) with Elizabeth for awhile I have been wondering what I should do to prepare. As with Elizabeth I had no warning that I was going to go into labour and Daddy was left to bring me supplies in the midst of our turmoil, I cringe at the outfits I was left to wear that he had thoughtfully brought.



I am a huge planner I like to have everything ready for whatever we do so it has been on my mind what I should get ready if something was to happen. So after a bit of a scare with me ending up in L&D as I was having frequent contractions I now have a bag prepared that I hope will not be needed.



I am now being followed by my OB weekly which is very comforting and have had no cervical changes. I am still contracting a fair bit so am trying to stay pretty low key. After my last scare I am drinking tons of water and have omitted Red Velvet cupcakes (this bulgarian boy like his father and sister really enjoys sugar).



I do not have the above bag but own a couple of the Lug bags and they are my favourite Mommy purses. I am hoping this will be the next bag in my possession as it would make a lovely diaper bag (hint hint Dear).