Two trimesters down, one to go!

So apparently my pregnancy posts this time around are/will be:
1) We're Pregnant!
2) Almost Done Being Pregnant!
3) Not Pregnant Any More!

Versus the every-four-weeks updates I wrote when I was pregnant with Connor. #secondchild

McBaby Number Two showing off his muscles

For the most part, the main difference between this pregnancy and my first at this same point is that I'm bigger.  That's normal for the belly with subsequent pregnancies, but I also started off heavier and have gained more weight.  Ugh.  Contrary to what Hollywood would have you believe, chasing a toddler isn't equal to six days of high intensity cardio at the gym every week, especially when there is a desk job involved for the majority of your waking hours.

I have my glucose test next week so hopefully I pass that with flying colors and don't have to worry about watching my carb intake with an eagle eye during the remaining three months.  It's bad enough giving up wine, but to give up chips, chocolate, and crackers, too?  Oh the sacrifice!

I'm still taking my boot camp and PHX (Power Hour Extreme) classes two to three times a week depending on the McHusband's schedule.  I even ran on the indoor track a couple Saturdays ago.  I'm modifying where I need to (no more crunches, less jumping) but trying to keep it up as long as I can.  I also get in at least two to three walks a week with Monte, which he desperately needs every day and meets the minimum daily requirement for me in general.  There are so many benefits of an active pregnancy for both me and the baby and I try to remind myself of that on nights when I really don't feel like doing anything more than plopping down on the couch.  But if I can just make myself put my tennis shoes on and grab Monte's leash, we both feel much better 20 minutes later.  

A related-to-the-baby aside: Connor transitioned to a twin bed back in December and he did so without any trouble at all.  He was happy as a clam to give up his crib and let us move it across the hall to the baby's room.

An unrelated aside: Connor is potty-trained and has been for several months now.  He only wears a diaper at night and has woken up once dry and several times not very wet.  The McHusband and I are both fine with him staying in diapers overnight for a while, but I think we're both just hoping he'll start having more and more dry diapers and we can go cold turkey on the diapers even if it means doing a sheet change once in a while.

You are lucky I cropped this photo...

Okay, back to McBaby Number Two and his room.  It has a crib in it so technically it's ready for him?  I have plans for the walls - a combo of green paint and white shiplap (Thanks, Joanna!) - and I've bought the paint, I just haven't actually moved forward on any of those plans yet.  Maybe this weekend...  The day I had Connor, I was up and down the ladder putting some finishing touches on his room so if McBaby Number Two's room takes me until his due date or beyond, that's just par for the course.

McBaby Number Two is a wiggle worm and apparently I'm feeling him more than Connor because my placenta is behind him.  With Connor, I felt his hiccups all the time but didn't feel such specific movement like I do with this little guy.  It's cool but also kind of annoying especially when he's just starting to party at 9:30 and I'm trying my best to be fast asleep.

Oh, speaking of sleep!  Luckily I don't wake up to pee all night long, but I do wake up often and almost always between 2 and 3.  Most of the time, I can fall back to sleep fairly easily, but it's no wonder I'm so tired every night; I can't seem to get a long stretch of zzz's to save my life.

To answer some of the questions that were on my posts before:
1) My rings still fit.
2) My belly button is still an innie although it's definitely not as deep as before.
3) Connor and I bought some short-sleeved onesies this weekend since this baby will come in warm weather compared to Connor's February arrival.  Otherwise, I hope to reuse most of Connor's wardrobe.

I know some of you are thinking, "All of this is very interesting and all, but what does Chinese astrology say about McBaby Number Two?!"  You weren't?  Oh.  Well, I bet you're curious now, aren't you? :)  Here's what I found on Mom.me:

"According to Chinese folklore, every animal and element combination has specific traits. Fire rooster babies, for example, will be hardworking and trustworthy, with a strong sense of responsibility. They usually find success in numerous career paths.

"You can expect your child to be better in the field of business, and that's how he will express his creativity," said astrologer Joey Yap. "And that's why people in the olden days predicted that those born in the year of the fire rooster would be wealthy, because they're hardworking and knowledgeable in business. In terms of weaknesses, however, they tend to be blunt and sharp when they speak."

So I guess you could say McBaby Number Two is my retirement plan.

All in all, I'm feeling pretty good and I am grateful for a healthy pregnancy (especially at my advanced maternal age of 37 and 3/4 years old) and a seemingly healthy baby who is a little wiggle worm.  And now, if you'll excuse me, it's closing in on 9:00 and that's my bedtime most nights. #partyanimal

PS  Don't mark your calendars or anything, but I hope to write an update on Connor around his birthday in a couple weeks.  Two posts in one month, what has gotten into me?!

Friday Fitness Report

I worked out!  For the first time in six weeks and two days (because the last time I worked out was the Tuesday before Connor was born thanks to the inclement weather we had that week), I went to the Y and got in a great workout.  I warmed up with 10 minutes on the elliptical doing my usual program, which was a touch more difficult than normal.  Then I took my Thursday night muscle conditioning class that was being taught by one of my favorite instructors.

I wasn’t surprised that some moves were harder than they used to be, but a welcome change was the return of my balance.  Toward the end of my pregnancy, I could hardly do lunges because I was in danger of toppling over.  So it was nice to do them again and only feel as uncoordinated as usual.  This teacher likes to do ab work and I was a little worried about how I was going to get through all her moves, but I think I did pretty good.  I could actually hold a plank for the required amount of time and I didn’t have to rest too much during the other moves.

I have a feeling that I am going to be super sore today and tomorrow.  I rarely got sore (in a good way – my back often hurt) toward the end of my pregnancy so while I’ll be wishing I’d eased back into things a little better, I’ll also be happy to have my muscles talking to me again.

Just for comparison’s sake:  Roughly 38 1/2 weeks pregnant and also taken just before muscle conditioning vs. almost 6 weeks postpartum.  I still have a ways to go in the tighten-and-tone department, but I can’t complain too much.

TGIF!  Hope you all have great weekends!

P.S.  I have to thank the McHusband really quick for coming home early from work so that I could go to this class. Connor and I actually had a really great day and both of us took long afternoon naps so getting to the Y was the icing on that cake.  Thanks, McHusband, I really appreciate it!

P.P.S.  Happy early birthday to Jennifer!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I was going to share some treats with you today, but I think I’m going to have to go with something a little cuter and a heckuva lot sweeter.

I’ve told you before that Morgan’s not much for cuddling while Monte never lets an opportunity to snuggle go by.  Well, Morgan must’ve been really tired last night from all the laying around in front of the fire she did all day because she didn’t get up from her bed in a huff when Monte had the audacity to let his head touch hers.

Actually, they are more than just touching.  Monte’s got his head ON Morgan’s.

I’m sure Monte was in seventh heaven with Morgan letting him do this.

Right, Monte?  “Shh, don’t wake her up, she never lets me do this.”

Anyone notice that the wall behind the dogs looks a little bare?  Well, they were playing Wednesday morning and somehow tugged on one of the curtains so that the thing in the wall, the thing that holds the rod, broke.

See how only a very small portion of the bottom of the thingamajig on the left is still up there?

So now I have to see if I can buy a new set of these things and if I can’t, hopefully my oh-so-handy McHusband can glue the two pieces back together and make it good as new.

It would appear that I have made it to my due date!  While I had (Who am I kidding – while I STILL have) relatively selfish reasons for wanting to make it through the weekend, can I just tell you how happy I was to get home on Wednesday after more than four hours on snowy, icy roads (a drive that normally takes maybe 30 minutes) and to STAY home on Thursday?  We are very thankful that the McBaby didn’t decide to up the ante a little bit and make this snowstorm that much more interesting by forcing us to drive in the ice to the hospital.  He’s totally getting a car on his 16th birthday.

(Oh, by the way: Monday is President’s Day (Happy Birthday, George!) and it’s also a company holiday so I’d normally not post anything that day.  So don’t think no post = a baby unless you see something in the Instagram pictures to indicate that coincidence.)

TGIF!

39 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, about the size of a mini-watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

How mom is changing: At each of your now-weekly visits, your caregiver will do an abdominal exam to check your baby's growth and position. She might also do an internal exam to see whether your cervix has started ripening: softening, effacing (thinning out), and dilating (opening). But even armed with this information, there's still no way for your caregiver to predict exactly when your baby is coming. If you go past your due date, your caregiver will schedule you for fetal testing (usually a sonogram) after 40 weeks to ensure that it's safe to continue the pregnancy. If you don't go into labor on your own, most practitioners will induce labor when you're between one and two weeks overdue — or sooner if there's an indication that the risk of waiting is greater than the risks of delivering your baby without further delay.

Most recent doctor’s appointment: Once again, nothing exciting to report. The doctor measured my belly but I didn’t ask its size, and she listened to the heartbeat and said it was 148. I’m dilated to 1.5 cm, which is great considering this week’s weather. I didn’t want to hear that I was 3 cm and she thought I could go into labor at any moment. Also once again, my weight went up by one pound, which was a pleasant surprise. I’ve been indulging since last week and using the end of my pregnancy as a bit of an excuse to not pay as much attention to my food choices. They’re obviously still showing up on the scale, just not quite as bad as I thought they would.

How I’m feeling: I really can’t complain much. I’m not THAT uncomfortable, but I won’t say that I love being SO pregnant. I’ve definitely been having Braxton Hicks contractions, and those show up as both a general tightening of the belly as well as period-like cramps. Fun stuff.

For comparison’s sake: The first picture is from November when I was about 26 weeks pregnant; the second is from Tuesday when I was 39 weeks (And 1 day, but who’s counting?).

Workouts: Pretty good until the weather shut down the city. I went to the Y on Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday and we’ll see if I can motivate myself to do some weightlifting at home tonight in place of my usual muscle conditioning class.

Food cravings/aversions: Keep the protein; I want carbs, and the simpler the better. Chocolate, ice cream, chips, crackers, cereal, I can’t get enough. I wonder if it’s related to being tired and my body looking for a quick energy source.

Sleep: Pretty much the same: I fall asleep fast and hard and generally sleep well except for getting up once to go to the bathroom. If I go to bed before the McHusband, he typically follows me less than an hour later and I don’t know that I’ve woken up once when he crawls in next to me.

Movement: Still a fair amount of movement and considering how cramped the McBaby must be in there, it can’t be all that easy for him to wiggle around.

Belly button in or out: Out and proud!

Rings on or off: On and fitting fine, even almost slipping off when I’m cold.

Recent fun or interesting things: Well, the McHusband got the car seat bases installed in our cars, and I’ve been driving around with the car seat in my backseat. Strange to have it back there. For those wondering: I opted to have the car seat either behind me or in the middle. I chose that placement for convenience as far as me getting in and out of the car, but also because when I pull into the garage, I’m to the left of the McHusband’s car, which means there’s not a whole lot of room to get the car seat out on the passenger side. Sure, I could back in, but let’s save that desperate measure for if the current position doesn’t work. As for reaching the baby, I still couldn’t reach him very well if he were behind the passenger seat and I feel like it might be dangerous for me to try to do so while driving. With the baby behind me, I know I won’t even try and that’s safer for everyone (me, the baby, and my fellow road warriors).

Miss anything?: My normal winter wardrobe. I have a fair amount to choose from and it’s cute stuff! Now I feel like I’m just wearing the same stuff week in and week out. Yesterday’s outfit involved a tank top and short-sleeved cardigan. Not exactly appropriate for the weather we had, but I just had to mix things up a little. At least I wore a scarf.  Also, you have no idea how badly I wanted some wine when I got home after my four-hour-and-fifteen-minute drive home in the snow yesterday.

{The McHusband and I are enjoying a snow day at home today.  At least, let’s hope that’s what we’re doing rather than braving terrible road conditions thanks to an impatient McBaby.}

Ready

The house is clean.

The baby’s room is all set.

My bags are as packed.

(Well, as packed as they’re going to be until the last minute when I add toiletries, my hair dryer, and my straightener.  What, you think I’m going to leave the hospital looking like a new mom?  Heck no!  That might be my last chance to get ready in relative peace.)

And the car seat has been installed.

I’m assuming it’s going to be pretty chilly for the first few weeks after the McBaby is born so we have a car seat cover to help keep him warm.  I can just imagine his sweet little face peeking up at us.

But let’s hope we don’t see that sweet face until Sunday or Monday.  This mom-to-be would like at least one last weekend day to sleep in.

{Recipe Recap} Browned Butter Cinnamon Sugar Cookie Bars

Another productive weekend thanks to the McBaby’s imminent arrival.  We went out to dinner with friends Friday night and I got my cheeseburger-and-fry fix.  On Saturday, the McHusband and I went to the Carolina Theatre and saw Defending the Caveman, which was a one-man “show.”  I say “show” because he was kinda like a stand-up comic, but his routine was presented a little like a play.  He was pretty entertaining.  Before we headed to Durham that afternoon, we set up the tripod on the patio and snapped a few photos.

Sunday was my day for chores and baking and making what may be our last pre-baby homemade (by me) Sunday-night dinner.

We had Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf, steamed cauliflower, and edamame.  I made the meatloaf once before and I think the cook time was wrong so it was a little dry.  This time, I used my meat thermometer and pulled the meatloaf out at 40 minutes and it was great.

So I have a coworker whose birthday is the 17th.  Between the baby and the fact that the 17th is a company holiday, I wanted to bring his birthday treat a little early.

I chose these bars because Jamie likes cinnamon.  And, well, so do I.

At first, I thought maybe these bars were going to lose points for being too cakey, but they proved me wrong.  They weren’t overly gooey, they weren’t too dry, they were just right.

I threw some white chocolate chips in along with the cinnamon chips.  I’m not sure they were necessary, but I like the way they look.

The cinnamon-sugar mixture on top made the bars a little crackly and of course amped up the cinnamon flavor.

The recipe calls for browning the butter first rather than just melting it.  If you don’t feel like taking the time to do that, I think they would still be fabulous with non-browned butter.

One last picture, a behind-the-scenes look at my little photoshoot this afternoon.

Morgan is a professional napper, she doesn’t let anything get in the way of her snoozin’.

After my baking and picture-taking, I got busy around the house.  My toilets are scrubbed, my floors are vacuumed, swept, and mopped, animal beds are washed, and my laundry is done.  So if the McBaby comes this week, at least the house is clean.  And if he doesn’t, well, at least it won’t be that hard to clean the house again next weekend.

Hope your week’s off to a great start!

{Recipe here}

38 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby has really plumped up. He weighs about 6.8 pounds and is over 19 1/2 inches long (about the size of a leek). He has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold his hand for the first time! His organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If he's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If he's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time he's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after he's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

How mom is changing: Some swelling in your feet and ankles is normal during these last weeks (yes, I have noticed a little), but call your practitioner without delay if you notice excessive or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles, more than slight swelling of your hands, any swelling in your face or puffiness around your eyes, or have a sudden weight gain.

Most recent doctor’s appointment: Nothing exciting to report. My belly measured 34 centimeters, which is smaller than you’d normally expect because the number of centimeters normally corresponds, within 2, to the number of weeks pregnant you are. The doctor said my number was down because the baby is low and definitely on the move into the birth canal. My weight went up by one pound, which I’m okay with. If you had seen the amount of pizza, chips, ice cream (with caramel sauce!), and garlic-butter sauce I ate on Saturday, you’d be surprised that it was just one pound.  The doctor guesstimated that the baby will be about 7 1/2 pounds when he’s born.

How I’m feeling: Generally good. I vacuumed on Sunday and my back quickly reminded me that it doesn’t enjoy that activity. I’m more tired this week than I have been in a while, and I’ve been having what I guess are Braxton-Hicks contractions, but they aren’t regular nor very painful, just kinda annoying.

Workouts: Good this week. I made it to the Y on Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday when I went to a spin class, and last night for my muscle conditioning class.  I’d like to have the same schedule next week but we’ll just have to see what’s going on and how I’m feeling.

(I don’t normally even take my phone into the Y let alone take selfies in the locker room, but I thought last night might be my last chance to document my active pregnancy.)

Food cravings/aversions: I’m not necessarily craving it, but before I’m done being pregnant, I want to eat a cheeseburger and all the fries that come with it without the side of guilt that’d normally accompany a meal like that.

Sleep: Falling asleep quickly and sleeping better in general except that I can pretty much count on having to get up once to go to the bathroom. Luckily, once I get back in bed, I’m typically back in dreamland without much difficulty.

Movement: The McBaby’s still very active, and he gets the hiccups at least once a day. I told a coworker that it’s no wonder babies get so upset when they have the hiccups – those things are annoying.  I can tell he’s running out of room though because sometimes he literally moves my lowest right rib with his movements.

Belly button in or out: Pretty much all out.

Rings on or off: On and fitting fine.

Recent fun or interesting things: We finished the baby’s room!

Miss anything?: Easily tying my shoes. Not wondering if I’ll be at work the next day because it’s just a given that I will be.

The nursery (for now)

First a disclaimer: The room isn’t DONE done.  But it’s ready for a baby (even if I’m not).

The view from the doorway, which isn’t all that different from the sneak peek that I shared a couple weeks ago.

The dresser was the McHusband’s and started off like this:

The McHusband did a great job of repainting it.

And I did a great job of picking out its new knobs.

And to complete our 360 view of the room, here’s the twin bed that I really wanted to keep in the room and luckily it works to keep it up against the wall.

My mom made the curtains, but I  had the idea to use galvanized pipe as the curtain rods.

The bookshelf works for now.  I have a feeling it’ll be an evolving project.

From top to bottom:

I do have a little secret to share.  One of the reasons I’m so happy that the twin bed is staying in the room is that it provides a lot of convenient storage for baby items we’ll eventually need but that don’t need to be out right now.

A HUGE shout-out and thank-you to the McHusband who put up the board-and-batten treatment and the crown.  He did a fantastic job and I can’t express how much I appreciate him working so hard to make my vision happen.

I was really happy to find a small gray ceiling fan that worked perfectly in this room.

One thing that’s missing?  A rocker.  I waited until all the furniture was in place before ordering one because I wanted to make sure it would fit.  It’s going over there in the corner between the crib and the window where the kid-sized rocker is currently playing placeholder.  The baby may be here before the chair, but I think we’ll live for a couple of days.

I’ve got a few things for the walls, but I’m not quite ready to affix them yet so I’ll do a nursery update at some point to show you how the room ultimately looks. 

Maybe there’ll even be a baby in some of those photos.