How far along? 38 weeks! Oh my goodness! Abe will be here anywhere in the next 1-4 weeks! It is a "super moon" tonight. Stay in there Abe! My midwife says 38-39 weeks your brain will double in size. ;)
I had my appointment on Tuesday. Everything went well. I hadn't gained any weight from the previous week. My blood pressure was on the lower side-87/61. I had lots of what I thought were contractions the day before so I begged Jenny to check me. Much to my surprise nothing had changed. Still 1cm. (not complaining- I really think it is better for Abe to stay in there as long as possible) I am going to try to be patient and not get checked the rest of the pregnancy. We later found out I had moderate ketones in my urine which causes cramping, so they weren't contractions after all. The solution to this problem-eat more protein. Jenny didn't seem too concerned.
Baby Size: The average baby is about 7 lbs at this time. If I had to guess Abe is bigger. ;)
Total weight gain/loss: 34 lbs total...Looks like I might surpass the 35... I gained like 50 with Owen, so I am still proud of myself.
Maternity clothes? All
maternity clothes now!
Stretch marks? Still none....I am hoping it stays that way. I got lucky with Owen. Maybe Abe will be nice too.
Sleep: Is all I want to do, but is slightly complicated. I am only comfortable using the "Bradley Method" of laying in the bed. It involves lots of bulky pillows and an awkward position....
Best Moment this week? Abe has been moving like crazy. It has been fun to watch him roll about.
Miss Anything? Being comfortable!
Movement: A lot!
Food cravings: Ice, Greek Yogurt, and fruit.
Anything making you queasy or sick:I get waves of nausea.
Labor Signs: Contractions here and there preparing for Abe!
Have you started to show yet: Yes! According to Owen my belly is REALLY fat!
Belly Button in or out? Flat
Wedding rings on or off? On
Symptoms: Sciatic nerve pain, exhaustion, heartburn, and a little nausea.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Mmm a little of both!
Looking forward to: NURSING and cuddling a little baby again.
Not much difference from two weeks ago. Maybe he has dropped a little?!?
Abe is coming soon, and I know it will never be "just Owen and I" again. It is bittersweet. I can't wait to hold my new precious angel, but I know I will miss these days as "just us two", and as a "family of three".
With that being said, I apologize for the randomness of this blog. I wanted to capture our
daily lives as we go through the last few weeks as a family of three.
Owen and I are getting out of the house as much as possible lately. :) I am tired, but I don't regret it for a second. Join us on our fun adventures with friends, playgroups, and learning....
Owen loves helping me with chores around the house. I let him fold his towels and put them away, help me put away dishes etc.... I really LOVE the Montessori method of teaching (too bad it costs an arm and a leg). One of the things they teach the children from an early age is "Practical Living". Owen feels really special and thrives when I give him something to do. I love when I am cleaning and he asks "Mommy is there something I can help you with?"
Drying dishes...
Sweeping...
I was the best Mommy ever for letting him mop....
Baseboards!
Owen and I are in two Moms groups in Pensacola. Between the two there really is something we can do with friends every day. I try to take pictures at every play group, but I forget my camera sometimes.
I wish I had brought my camera for the "Build a Fort" playgroup we had a few weeks ago. The kids had a blast!!! The big kids built the fort and even included a "play area" for the little tots. Owen LOVES playing with the big kids. :)
We had a few really cold days in Pensacola when a Polar Vortex came through. Can you believe it got to 19 degrees here???!?!
It was the coldest day in Pensacola in years...but Owen and I bundled up anyways to go play with friends.
This was the perfect way to spend a COLD day. Jumping in a bounce house INSIDE!!! Ms. Maria is so cool!
Owen also enjoyed riding the horse!
We had a fun play date at Owen's best buddy, Nickolis's house! These two are hilarious together. They are a few months apart, and Nickolis's Mommy and I are 4 days apart in our pregnancy.
Matt was off for MLK Day, so he and Owen went to Kidsnasium's open gym to play together. I went to the MOMS Club Anniversary Brunch. Owen wasn't there, but I had to share this awesome story/picture. The Mommies couldn't find the donut holes anywhere....turns out the children had taken them in the playroom and were quickly sampling as many of them as they could. They were so sweet to put the unwanted/half eaten ones back in the box. So funny! There is never a dull moment. :)
We recently had a Little Tots/Big Tots play date at Ms. Toni's house. The children went through an obstacle course. Owen loved it. For the first time ever, he went out in the backyard and told me he was a big boy and could play by himself and that Mommy needed to go inside. :( I respected his growing independence, while nervously watching from the window. I think I did pretty good. Owen LOVES Zane (Toni's son). He is four and so sweet with Owen! I think they played for a good hour after everyone left.
Speaking of the "big kids" we met Jake, Ashlyn, Zane, and Baby Ben for some fun at the Art Museum and a lunch date.
This is the only picture I got at the art museum. I don't think Owen realized this was a gun. He kept walking around with it like a cane. :)
We ate at the Highway 98 Cafe. I let Owen sit next to the big boys. He
thought he was hot stuff. He stayed out of mischief for the most part,
and thought Zane and Jake were hilarious.
We have worked on our letters a little bit. Owen is more into numbers right now, so we are doing more of that. I will do more letters as he is interested. I tend to teach Owen what he is interested in at the time, and I think he learns better that way. :)
We used sandpaper letters and started with 3 letters: F, A, and B.
Owen LOVES to sort! We do this daily with different objects.
He also loves to count! I love the different ways he chose to count his bears on this particular day.
Here is a video of Owen counting. He counts so fast that I couldn't get my camera going until he was already at 7.
Owen has mastered the skill of AB patterns. I am so proud of him! He is very into patterns right now. (Thank you Team Umizoomi!)
Sweet boy! I love this video..."I got a new one...."
We love doing puzzles together! Although most of the time, Owen wants to do them by himself. :)
We had a day at home due to some bad sciatic nerve pain. :( I don't wish that on my worst enemy!
We hung out in our pajamas, and I tried to keep Owen entertained as much as possible. Gone are the days of just singing songs and reading books! This little boy wants to do projects and experiments.
Here are some sweet pics from our day at home...
We did some science experiments. Who knew the little balloon, baking soda, and vinegar trick could bring a little boy so much joy! He now thinks he is "magic".
Making bubbles with the baking soda and vinegar...
Blue + Yellow = Green
More letter fun with "Fluffy Fs"
Practicing pouring skills...
Paint with water...
Owen had SO much fun this past weekend at Hunter and Bree's birthday party. It was at his favorite place in the world....KIDSNASIUM! Thanks for inviting us, Hunter and Bree!!! Your mommy did such a good job with the party!!!
This was the first time Owen has ever walked on the balance beam by himself. I was so proud of him!!!!
Big beam with Daddy!
Who doesn't love a bounce house and bubbles??!?
Owen and Daddy call this "foam wars"....
My little Mickey was ready for cake!
Cake Time!!!
He ate every last bite. :)
Owen and the birthday boy!
The birthday girl after double fisting her cake. ;)
I will end with this precious video of Owen "folding". He has worked so hard on this task!
Matt and I had to make a really tough decision this week. The flu is going around like crazy. It was like God had spoken to both of us, because at dinner we started talking about how we were scared to put Owen in the nursery at church at the exact same time. We later both told each other it had been on our hearts all week. I want to bring Owen out every day so badly, and enjoy this time. But...my family's health is of utmost importance to me!
I honestly don't worry about Owen. He is such a healthy child. Rarely sick, and when he does get sick he gets over it. He had RSV and nothing ever went to his chest. I wish every child could have his immune system! The thing I worry about the most is Owen getting sick and us being stuck with the decision on what to do about him meeting Abe. Abe catching the flu....etc.
I am taking EVERY pre-caution possible. We wash our hands constantly. Keep hand sanitizer in our bags. I clean carts like a mad women and turn heads at the grocery store. I run away from people who start talking to us in stores with snotty noses (seriously did this the other day). We eat TONS of oranges for Vitamin C, and I even went hippie dippy and made some elderberry syrup that we have been taking. I don't know if it works...but it can't hurt!
I have strict hand washing/sick rules set for family when Abe comes. We love y'all so much, and we are going to make you wash your hands until your skin peels once Abe comes. My mom has an in-home daycare, mother-in-law is a nurse, sister-in-law a respiratory therapist....I have a feeling everyone will agree! haha!
We have decided to not go to church and do our bible studies at home. We have also decided to limit "indoor" play dates with a bunch of children to his gymnastics class once a week. We still have plenty of fun lined up! He gets to tour Publix next week, and I have been on Pinterest like crazy trying to come up with some fun ideas. Maybe it will be good for us to get some one on one bonding time!
There is also snow in the forecast for Tuesday. I really don't like snow, but I am kind of hoping it comes because that would be a dream come true for Owen!
Please pray that Matt and I are making the right decisions for Owen. It is really hard being a parent sometimes and trying to do the *right* thing...when honestly is there a *right* thing to do? All we know to do is follow our hearts, so that is what we are doing.
I am so nervous about Abe's arrival and depriving Owen of what he deserves. I love Owen so much, and the last thing I want to do is be the one to break his heart. Please pray that we are able to make him feel special too!
Stay tuned for part two of this blog as Mommy and Owen spend time at home together rather than going out every day. Abe is due in two weeks! I hope I can make this time special for my oldest, first, precious son! :)
