31 weeks

Hey look a pregnancy update!

I actually feel like I have things to talk about this time.

I'm starting to feel pretty pregnant now.  I definitely have a bump, my hips and pelvis are sore, and I'm having weird shooting pains randomly throughout the day.  Yep. Pregnant.

My feet even swelled the other night after making dinner and doing dishes. Ugh!
With Leo the only time my feet were ever swollen was when we came to Florida at 36 weeks.  So I'm blaming it on the heat. Last night when I was cooking I thought "man I wish I had something cushiony to stand on" haha and then I was like oh duh wear shoes!  And it was way better and there was no swelling.

I'm still sleeping good. I feel like that's one of the biggest complaints from pregnant women but I have been sleeping just fine. I sometimes have trouble falling asleep because that's when baby decides to do his aerobics and my hips are most sore at the end of the day... but I'm usually tired enough to fall asleep fairly quickly.  I haven't really woken up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom either, but I have to go immediately first thing in the morning. lol

My belly I think is roughly the same size as it was with Leo, perhaps a little rounder this time as I think baby boy is lower.  I still have several pairs of non-maternity shorts and a couple pairs of jeans that I can still wear!  I have 3 pairs of shorts maternity shorts and I 100% prefer the ones with the small waist band that you wear under your belly rather than the full panel that goes over your entire belly.  I've mostly been wearing dresses and my stretchy jean shorts these days.  It works... but I am so looking forward to not "dressing the bump" I hear people all the time saying how they love to wear maternity clothes and look all cutesy pregnant but I don't. lol.
I have gained about 24 pounds, which is less than I'd gained with Leo at this point, but I feel less muscular and they say fat weighs less than muscle so... I'm looking forward to working out after the baby comes. I like a challenge.  I'll probably start with walking and then do the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred like I did after Leo and had really good results with!  We also have a gym at our complex that I've barely used and so I can definitely see some visits there in our future - they have AC and cable TV so I'll set Leo and brother up in the stroller every morning.  Sounds like a plan anyway. Once baby is older Lee and I have talked about joining a gym with childcare, maybe the YMCA or something with children's programs too.

Baby is definitely a mover.  I feel him all over the place.  As soon as I'm convinced he's down low I get a pop in the rib or I'll be telling Lee that he's up high and then I get kicked in the crotch. ouch.

Leo loves to talk to the baby and is getting more and more interested in "baby brother" every day.  He has a doll that he all by himself started referring to as baby brother.  First it was baby brother rocking in a chair and then baby brother was sleeping on the couch.  He also puts stickers on my belly for baby brother.  I cannot wait to see them together!

I passed my glucose test!  I was on the higher-end of normal with Leo so I was a little concerned but my blood sugar was only 109!  Bring on the cake. Just kidding.... but not really.  I do love cake this pregnancy - but mostly only like carrot cake or coffee cake... not white or yellow cake. And Dr. Pepper. Ugh I wish I could just drink an unlimited flow of Dr Pepper all day long. Stupid caffeine.

We are starting to get everything all prepared for baby's arrival.  I have the crib and changing table set up in our room for now, then baby and Leo will share a room later or we will move our bedroom into the spare room and give the boys each their own room.  Haven't decided yet.
We have a 3 bedroom, but 2 bedrooms are side by side and the master is across the house so I initially wanted the room right next to Leo so I could hear him in the night.  We made the master bedroom our spare room so guests would have their own space and bathroom.  It also functions as a storage room because it is such a big room and we have ZERO storage in this apartment. So if I were to make that room my room it wouldn't be that pretty... haha. Details.

I had to order a new base for our car seat because our old one got damaged on a flight (note make sure metal buckles are not hooked together because it gets really cold thousands of feet up in the air and metal contracts and expands and will not come back apart) I had to cut off the latch strap and then use the base with the seat belt for a couple weeks until we switched Leo to the convertible seat.  I know they say you can use the seat belt for installation but I just don't feel like it gets as tight so I felt much better about getting a new base.

I pulled out all of Leo's baby clothes under 6 months and washed them.  It was fun to go through all his stuff and be like awww remember when he wore this?! or ummm why did I keep this ugly thing? I've also been buying way too many baby clothes at thrift stores here and there so baby brother is SET for clothes and shoes apart for something to wear home from the hospital and for newborn pictures. My friend Rachel gave me a bag full of newborn sized clothes too because that's the only season we were lacking since Leo was born in February in Detroit - aka lots of thermal fleecy materials not a ton of lightweight onesies and outfits. The boys' closet is STUFFED. But I don't know what you expect when Salvation Army has sales like all kids clothes 5/$1 or Goodwill puts everything in the store 50% off. How can I resist!

We needed a new rocking chair or glider and found one with a matching stool in perfect condition in the trash last week!!! It's a Dutailer - which I googled and is apparently worth like $4-500! What?! So we need a new cover, which I'm going to attempt to make because Lee put a ton of confidence in me by saying "you could make one. You watch all those shows where they do that kind of stuff." Right.

Lee encouraged me to make a list the other day of all the things we need to do before baby comes and it's LONG.

Get Leo a twin bed
Move crib back to highest setting 
Get/make cover for glider 
Get double stroller - this technically can wait until after baby because I plan on wearing him a lot and can push Leo in our old one or his bike.  And I still don't know what stroller I want but I'm REALLY leaning towards the double Bob... if only it wasn't $600.
Diapers 
Pack bags - Me, Lee, Leo, and Baby
Type schedule and info about Leo - in case someone from church will be watching him rather than my mom
Install car seat 
Breast pump - find out info from insurance company etc.
Clean carpets - I'm gonna rent one of those steam clean/shampoo things from Home Depot at some point before baby is born.  Maybe around 38 weeks and hope it puts me in labor. lol. Kidding.... sorta.

I'm actually ahead on some things.... I've already stocked up on the stuff I'll need for after baby - some breast pads and regular pads, and vasaline and gauze for baby's circumcision. I've started packing a bag.  I have my nursing tanks, bras, a nightgown, chap stick, travel sized toiletries, socks, flip flops, baby gowns and onesies, swaddle, blanket, wipes, etc.

I'm one of those big weirdos that is looking forward to my labor and delivery this time.  Not looking forward to the pain part - but I am sort of excited to see how it will differ from my labor for Leo and to try some new tricks kinda thing.  I'm definitely going to be going for another unmedicated birth, as long as everything goes smoothly.  But this time around I will know that the contractions made me nauseous and will ask for something to stop the vomiting a little earlier. Throwing up during contractions when you've had nothing to eat or drink - not good.  I will also not get in bed until near the end.  Last time I laid down in bed due to the nausea and even though I didn't have an epidural I stayed in bed for the rest of my labor. Not what I wanted to do.  So I'm going into it thinking - if I lay down I'm not getting back up until after baby is born.  I will walk more, use the birthing ball more, etc.  Get that baby moving along with gravity!  My only wish is that the pushing goes faster this time around.  They say it does with #2... and I have a much better perspective about the whole pushing thing this time around... I know what it takes to actually push a human being out of your body (a whole lotta muscle) and I will not rush the pushing... I will wait until I really feel the need to rather than being anxious to get it going like I was with Leo.

The last detail we don't really know how to handle is when my mom will come.  Being in Florida is slightly more difficult than Michigan when your mom is in Ohio.  I called her when my water broke and she hopped in the car.  Now we need plane tickets!
I have several people from our church on call to watch Leo in case she's not here yet, or even if she is here but I just want her there during delivery.  It's so hard to know though because I was 10 days early with Leo!! And my niece is graduating high school at the end of the May and the whole family is going and I don't want my mom to miss out on that... and then Memorial Day is a big day in our hometown so I don't want mom to miss that if she doesn't have to.  The problem with having a second baby - care for the first baby!

Shew this was long.  I highly doubt any of you read this. But as I've been going through this pregnancy I've been re-reading a lot of my posts about being pregnant with Leo and the posts from when Leo was a newborn so I definitely want to stay up and be as detailed as I can - even if just for my own benefit!