Update - 32 Weeks!

There is just so much going on in our lives currently.  And being pregnant through it all, I can truly hardly handle it...mentally and sometimes emotionally.

Big news - I got a new job!  I was contacted a couple weeks ago about the elementary secretary leaving at Community R6, our local school district where Keane graduated from and where Farrah and the new baby will go.  I applied and had an interview the following week on Wednesday.  On Thursday, I was offered the position!  I put my two-week notice in yesterday at my current position and I am trying to shift from part-time Office Manager at a family-owned local furniture store, to full-time Elementary Secretary.

The daycare near our home doesn't have any openings until summer/fall, so for now Farrah will remain at her current daycare.  We have a friend who thankfully agreed to help us out and take Farrah to the daycare two of the four days, and Keane will take her along with the big kids the other two mornings.  I will be able to pick them up after work each day.

My body aches very badly.  I have a maternity belt to wear and it seems to help, but some days I still hurt.  And lightning crotch...that's real and it's happening.  Rolling from side to side in bed is when it's at it's worst.  But also getting up from my chair at work and walking.  I have self-diagnosed myself with SPD (symphysis pubis dysfunction).

At my last appointment (30 weeks, 5 days), I had gained a total of 21 lbs.  My blood pressure was 116/62 and the baby's heart rate was 138 bpm.  The C-section is set for 7:30 a.m. on May 14!  My doctor was going to be out for a week for spring break, so she scheduled me for 3 weeks out.  Then I had to reschedule for 4 days later since my new job has different availability, so I will be 34 weeks, 2 days at my next appointment!

 

 

The big kids painted a majority of the portion of the downstairs that we are painting grey this past weekend, and Keane and Kaden put in his bedroom ceiling fan!  Keane now will paint the trim work and install the outlets and switches.  Then we have to purchase the lights, vent covers, doors, knobs, and trim....then carpet...then we can get Kaden moved into his new room!  The rest of the to-do's will happen (and certainly happen by the end of this year), but we will postpone them accordingly - that includes tiling the mudroom floor, bathroom floor, and bathroom shower,  finishing the bathroom by installing a sink/counter, toilet, shower door, cabinet, putting wood floor in the office, and finally, purchasing furniture and a TV!

Less than 7 weeks until the new baby is here!  I woke Farrah up this morning and was holding her for a few minutes in the rocking chair.  Before she even opened her eyes, she asked, "Where's my new baby sister at?"  I told her that she's still safe in my belly.  Farrah then said, "Last time, she came out."  I think she had a dream about her new baby sister being born!  When we asked her about it a little later, Farrah said her sister was playing with her and her toys in her dream.

Farrah is growing and I love it all.  She is constantly asking if we want to play with her - play babies, Peppa Pig, play-dough, color, paint, etc.  Some of my favorite things she says are preety (pretty), tomollow (tomorrow), and exter (extra).

I was singing Picking Little White Flowers (Butterfly Kisses), to her before bed the other night and she will ad lib sometimes:

PINK = Farrah

Sweet sixteen today,

She's looking like her momma

A little more every day.  Me?

...

She asked me what I'm thinking,

And I said "I'm not sure,

I just feel like I'm losing my baby girl."  I'm right here.

...

"Walk me down the aisle, Daddy, 

It's just about time.

Does my wedding gown look pretty, Daddy?

Daddy, don't cry."  *giggle* You a grown up!

She has one of the strongest personalities.  I feel like her conversations are very mature.  When I buy something when she's not around, she picks right up on it and will ask, "Was I with you?" 

Kylie sang in her first talent show at a high school fundraiser!  She sang "Traveling Soldier" by The Dixie Chicks.  It's a pretty song, but was very wordy and a step higher on the challenge level I'd say, especially for her first competitive singing.  She sang while Grant Wright played the guitar and did a great job.  Toward the very end of the song, her voice went dry and she looked toward us with a look of dread in her face, and after that she couldn't regain her composure.  Her voice started quivering, her shoulders dropped, and she did everything she could to get through the rest of the song.  She still did wonderful, and was so brave, even though she didn't get first place, the only place they gave.

Kaden has joined a traveling competitive baseball team this year, the Rookies.  They won their first tournament by winning four games last weekend.  It will be neat watching him on a good, talented team.  He played left field, which is different from him playing first base exclusively.  Our summer schedule if filling up with away tournaments, and we have yet to get Kylie's local league schedule to add to it all. 

 

As far as the new baby's name...drumroll, please...

 

Augusta Joy.  

Keane's grandfather was August and we both like that name for a boy, and we both also like the feminine version of it for our daughter.  The middle name is my mother's middle name.  A close second for a middle name is Violet - which is my mom's favorite color.  Farrah has named her baby dolls Augusta lately...I think she approves!

28 Weeks and a Date Set

Wow, wow, wow.  This pregnancy began as a shock that required some mental preparations, then it all soaked in, and now it's becoming very real.  I had my 28-week doctor's appointment yesterday and was informed I start going every 2 weeks now.  That means I have 5 more doctor's appointments before "New Baby" gets here!

I had my glucose test yesterday.  This is how my morning went: I reread the paperwork that said to drink the sugary drink quickly, within 10 minutes, and make note of the time when I completed it.  I needed my blood drawn in exactly 1 hour from that time.  I drank the drink on the way to drop the big kids off at school, and finished at 8:03 a.m.  On the way to Columbia, Farrah started coughing and it was a really bad cough.  All I had for her to drink was milk which was probably making it even worse.  I had been taking my time knowing I had about 20 extra minutes, but decided I would stop by Walmart to get her some cough medicine before proceeding to the doctor's office.

We grabbed the medicine off the shelf and was rushing to the check-out line when Farrah coughed so hard she threw up all over herself, the cart, and the floor.  The greeter lady was very kind and brought us over paper towels just as Farrah was throwing up a second time.  When I wiped off her hands and removed her coat, we went to quickly buy her a new outfit and water, and checked out.  By the time we walked into the office to get my blood drawn, it was 9:00 a.m.  I told the lady I lost all my spare time and they got me right in to get my blood drawn!

I then went to my doctor's visit.  I have gained 17.8 lbs and my blood pressure was pretty low for being so worked up from my hectic morning at 110/64.  I discussed with my doctor I have been feeling extremely exhausted and worn out.  My heart has been racing recently and I find myself out of breath even when I'm not doing anything.  We decided to increase my water intake and stop sleeping on my back which was putting too much pressure on my vena cava.  I also expressed to her aches and pains I've been having in my lower pelvic region.  She suggested I get a maternity belt so I ordered one on Amazon!

The baby's heart sounded strong at 154 bpm!  I asked if we could go ahead and get a C-section scheduled so we have it set for Monday, May 14 (5 days before my due date and one month exactly before Farrah's birthday)!  The time was not set yet before I left, but the nurse said they typically try to schedule it for 7:30 a.m. and sometimes they have a baby already by 8:00 a.m.!  I signed papers to have my tubes tied as well.  She wanted to make sure I was certain I didn't want any more babies and I reassured her we didn't want more than 4 kiddos!

After stopping at Lowe's and getting primer and paint for our downstairs, HyVee for some groceries, and Sonic for a quick lunch, we headed home and then to the farm to bottle feed some lambs.  I missed a call from the doctor's office and so I returned it to find out that my blood results were already back.  My glucose levels were good, but I found out I'm anemic and needed to start on iron supplements right away.  That explains all of my symptoms as of lately!  I picked up the prescription after picking up the big kids from school shortly after, and got started on them right away.

We may have a name...at least a new top choice.  I'm nervous to share it with too many people though.  It's different.  It's beautiful though, and it has meaning.  I'll share soon.

Planning for Baby

Let's think nursery/bedroom for our two littles.

I am keeping the walls grey because I am not going to undertake any big tasks, especially with our basement remodel going on.  I will also keep the curtains and most of the decor which is white, gold, and pink floral.

Farrah keeps saying she wants her keep her bed, although she hardly seems to want to sleep in it.  Otherwise, I thought about us (Keane) building her a bed like this.



If Farrah keeps her bed, I am going to borrow/use/have the crib my parents have and paint it gold - like this.



I will keep the current dresser and chest-of-drawers.  I will consider painting them like I did last time, but ultimately choose not to because that, again, is a big undertaking that isn't quite necessary.

By the time the baby arrives, we will have moved all of, or most of, the play things to the new playroom downstairs so that will clear out some space in order to make room for the new baby's belongings.

The things I currently want for the new baby are:

-a new baby monitor
-a hospital gown/homecoming outfit (purchased this one in the sage "vintage floral")
-sheets (either white or most likely customized from Carousel Designs whenever she gets named)
-considering a Moses basket
-Aden and Anais swaddle blankets (Farrah sleeps with one of hers every day)
-perhaps a rocker glider, something bigger since I will likely be holding both kiddos sometimes, and less noisy
-a sound machine
-animal wall prints in wooden frames

Here is some color and decor inspiration:

Our Wild One

She likes Daddy's rock music.  She has never complimented me on my music but as soon as we get in Keane's truck and he plays some of his style of music, she says, I like this song.  I wish I could spell the way she talks - she almost does so in a sing-song way.  The tone of her voice really fluctuates as she speaks.  She likes to ask Why?  She constantly is asking Hu? What you say?  She uses the word maybe like when we were at the Baskett's for the Superbowl, they brought out their big labradoodle and Farrah said, He maybe get me.  She says actually a lot.  When we were discussing the color of peas and she wanted them to be a different color, she said I like red actually.  I would say her favorite color currently is blue, and her favorite animal is a dog.  She calls us Mom and Dad a lot, but not exclusively.  She likes to chew gum.  She is very choosy with her pajamas at night and has to tell me which ones she wants to wear.  She says she doesn't like my boobies - that they are yucky.  The other night she whispered, Mommy, can you cover up your boobies so that I not have to touch them?  I had a shirt on but I had to cover them in enough covers that she couldn't notice them.  But last night she did tell me, I kind of like your boobies, Momma. But I not like them a lot.  She's learned some things from watching Peppa Pig a lot.  Some things like she wants to jump in muddy puddles and things like saying Ugck!  That's 'gusting!  She can also be so sweet.  She says, I love you soooo much in the whole world!

Keane says she's going to be our wild one.  There's no doubt about that.

She is pretty much completely potty trained.  I still put a diaper on her in long car rides and when she sleeps, but she has been pooping in the potty for about 3 weeks now.  I usually pick her up and dance and spin around the bathroom afterwards singing, "Farrah pooped in the potty!"  She loves the praise, and I love not dealing with poopy diapers -- for the time being of course.

We started a bad, bad thing. She started going through what I'm going to call a sleep regression.  I was spending far too much time trying to get her to go to sleep at night.  I would usually put her jammas on, she would brush her teeth, tell everyone good night, I would read her some books, and then rock her at her request, and she typically fell asleep fairly quickly, after a little chitchatting.  But when I would move her to her bed, she would awaken and ask that I not leave and that I pat her butt.  Then she just would not fall asleep.  She'd lay quietly and ever so often roll over, but when it was time for me to leave the bedroom, she would freak out.  Or she would cry and follow soon after.  And after all the time I just spent trying to do it all the right way, I didn't have a lot more time left in the evening.  No time to relax.  No time to spend with my husband - by this time he would usually be asleep or aggravated.  No time for a relaxing bath or hot shower.  No bedtime snack.

So we started to let her lay in Mommy-Daddy's bed while we wind down for the evening.  That way we could watch our show (Shameless), and she started falling asleep rather quickly.  I was to the point of wanting or needing more rest and sleep and sanity and time with my husband, so this was the better of the two options.

I typically take her back to her bed once I wake up after falling asleep, but around 4:00 a.m. give or take an hour, we hear her bedroom door open and slam shut, and soon thereafter she appears by my bedside, holding Lambie, Piggy, and blanket, and she waits for me to pick her up and lay her again by my side, and maybe after a few whispers, we're all back to sleep again.

This is getting us nowhere.  It is making me uncomfortable, squished, and sometimes irritable, especially being pregnant.  But I don't know how to reverse it.  I don't know how to get her to fall asleep in her bed again.  Do I rearrange her room again?  Do I force her and let her cry herself to sleep which I am currently refusing to do?  Do I spend an hour each evening working to get her to sleep?  Will she decide to sleep in her own bed on her own one day?

25 Weeks - 105 days to go

I don't think my belly can get any bigger.  Keane asked how I still possibly have 16 weeks left.  He said I look like I could "calve" any day.  I totally agree.  I had my 24 week appointment yesterday (technically I was 24 weeks, 5 days) and my doctor said I'm measuring perfectly.  I weighed in at 134.2 lbs. (weight gain of 14.2 lbs).  I gained 6.8 since my previous appointment.  My blood pressure was 118/56 and the baby's heart rate was 138 and sounded healthy.  Nighttime leg cramps and heartburn are here and I'm trying to ignore the recent urges to move my legs...that RLS is no fun, and I'm still experiencing quite a few Braxton Hicks contractions.  In four weeks I go back and do my glucose test!

 (24 weeks)
 (25 weeks)



The messy belly syndrome has begun.  I didn't even realize this happened.  I think it's was my hot chocolate!

Farrah always wants to buy things for "new baby" and talks about her a lot.  She says she doesn't want me to hold the new baby, though -- wish me luck.  She had a confirmed case (without the actual test) of influenza last week.  Wednesday night she came down with a really high fever (103 on the forehead and 102 in the ear).  I was able to get her right in to see her pediatrician Thursday morning and was told she's the perfect poster child for influenza.  They are seeing it so much they aren't even testing for it at this point, so we don't know if it was the A or B strand.  They gave her the off-brand of Tamiflu and sent her on her way.  I kept giving her Ibuprofen and Tylenol every 3 hours until her fever left Friday evening.  I was exhausted and she was crabby, but we made it through.  And I have finally overcame my three-week long miserable cold as well - hallelujah!

We still do not have a name decided on.  My top favorites have been Nova, Birdie, and Scarlet.  Some others that have been moved to the rejected-by-Keane list are Indie, Georgia, Jorgie, Noelle, and Maisie.  The only name we both like currently is Ely (pronounced Ee-Lee).  It is Keane's maternal grandmother's maiden name.  A middle name is yet another thing.  Ely Kaye?  Ely Joy?  Ely Rae?  Ely something-entirely-different?

I don't know if I could love Farrah any more than I do right now.  If it just keeps getting better from here then I'm in for a real lucky treat.  She is such a talker right now.  She talks nonstop, has so much to say, so many ideas, and so many requests.  Last night she was laying next to me in bed (the new normal for our bedtime routine), and she whispers, "Momma, last time...I saw Santa Clause, at your work, and he gave me a wittle Santa Clause."  She loves playing with her Peppa Pig house and characters, in her kitchen preparing food for all of us and her babies (all named Baby Lunden or Baby Alexandah), with play-dough, and playing beeper aka store with her cash register -- but if you play, you have to be the mommy and you have to bring your baby in the stroller, and sometimes she'll ask to hold your baby while she's beeping your items.

Our basement...downstairs now has all the electric and lights ran and all of the drywall up and it is currently in the process of being taped and mudded!  It's pretty exciting (except the cost and spending, of course).