Houston's first 2 weeks

Houston is already over 2 weeks old! In some ways I feel like this was the fastest 2 weeks of all time, but then I also feel like he has always been here.  He has just fit into our little family so perfectly. I am so happy with how the transition has gone.

We have been so blessed with this little baby boy.

He is the sweetest, most laid back baby - at least so far! I'm writing this down in case I need reminding later how precious he is :)  The first few days of his life he barely ever opened his eyes, but he did eat!  Thankfully I was fully prepared for those first couple of days at home this time.  Before my milk fully came in Houston nursed pretty much constantly throughout the night on nights 2 and 3 of life.  I "slept" on the couch sitting up topless and just let him go back and forth... haha. but that's how we survived. On day 3 my milk came in and there was a noticeable difference and Houston slept well that night! 

 He's starting to have more periods of wakefulness now, but thankfully has been sleeping really well at night.  He'll usually do at least one 3.5-4 hour stretch in the night - which feels incredible!  I've been going to bed when I put him down at night because that is usually his longest stretch. It's pretty weird for me to go to bed at like 8-9oclock because I would typically prefer to be up until like midnight, but you gotta sleep when you can!  After his long stretch he'll do about 2.5-3 hour stretches until around 7am when we all get up for the day.  Leo has been waking about 7 also and trust me the rest of us aren't getting any sleep once he's up. 

Houston's crib is in our room, which I think is going to be really great because whenever we do move his crib to his own room or into Leo's room we won't have to transition him to a different bed.  Leo slept in the packnplay in our room for a couple months and then we put him in the crib, but I figured why not just go straight to the crib.  I swaddle him in a halo swaddle/sleep sack thing and he does so well!  My only complaint about the middle of the night is changing diapers. ugh.  If I didn't have to do that then night time would be much easier / I could do it like half asleep haha.  Sleep, nurse, swaddle, repeat. but no, babies have to poop 18 times an hour and little boys like to pee everywhere if you're not careful.

What I have been doing is feeding him on one side, changing his diaper to get him to wake up a little, and then feeding him a bit more on the other side before putting him back down.  So far it's a pretty good system I think.

Another reason I think Houston is doing well with sleeping is because we are so active during the day and keep the room dark and quiet at night.  Lee brought this up the other day - he said when Leo was a baby our house was pretty quiet and dark since it was winter in Michigan.  Little Houston doesn't have a chance for the house to be quiet or dark with Leo running around and the Florida sun streaming in - which is a good thing!! I don't feel like he has the day/night reversal a lot of people complain about.

Breastfeeding this time around feels like an absolute breeze.  With Leo I was in excruciating pain for months. Literally. I would cry when he'd latch and dreaded the thought of feeding him.  It was miserable.  However with Houston, after the first 3-4 days and initial uncomfortableness, I haven't even really felt him latch on or nurse.  I'm able to just feed him and go about my business. haha. He was probably about 4 days old and I was walking around the house nursing him and doing something else to help Leo and when I realized what I was doing I was so happy and relieved that breastfeeding isn't going to be torture for me this time.  It's amazing how you just remember what to do.
Also - interesting tidbit - I had Houston 1 year exactly after Leo weaned. haha.  I had a 1 year break!

As I posted in his birth story, Houston was born 9lbs and 21.5 inches long.

At his appointment at 4 days old he weighed 8lbs 11oz and then at his 2 weeks appointment he weighed 10lbs 1oz!  So he's definitely getting plenty to eat! I have always heard that bigger babies sleep better.  This could be a total old wives tale, but so far it seems like he sleeps just a tad bit better than Leo did... although I really can't complain about Leo, he was an ok sleeper.

Speaking of Leo... Leo has been the best big brother.  He loves his baby brother so much!  He talks to him with an adorable high pitched voice and says "he's soooo tiny!" "he's sooooo cute!"

It melts my heart.
As much as I want Houston to stay tiny and cuddly forever, I can't wait to see him and Leo interact and become best friends.

Another brag on Leo - he's almost totally potty trained!  He still usually wears a diaper at nap time and always to bed, but other than that he's in underwear all day and I barely have to remind him to use the potty!  It's such a relief to not have to worry about getting him to go to the bathroom or changing his diaper during the day.  Houston has enough diapers to keep up with!

I'll try to do a post about Leo soon.  He's growing up so fast.  I can't believe all the stuff he can do these days.

What else to say about Houston?

His umbilical cord fell off really early... on his Aunt Michelle actually. haha.  She was changing him and picked him up in just a diaper and the cord stuck to her shirt! I think he worked it off a little bit doing tummy time.  He's just as squirmy as Leo was!  I think Houston's cord fell off on about day 6 and Leo's was on day 9.  Houston's looks to be healing just fine though!

He loves his swing - which is awesome when I need a few minutes to clean up or eat!
He is awesome with tummy time and has been lifting his head up and turning it from side to side since about a week old.
He likes the Baby K'tan wrap!  We've been going on a walk almost every morning and sometimes evenings too and he fits all snug in the carrier. We have a double stroller, but I didn't want to break down and pay an extra $100 for the infant seat attachment so we're just going to wear him until he grows into the stroller.
His favorite place to be though is laying on mommy or daddy's chest. He's so cuddly!

He really is just such a happy baby.  He goes days without ever crying.. as long as you feed him right away! He used to hate getting his diaper changed but he now does it without complaint, haha.
I just love this beautiful boy.  Makes me want to have about 6 more ;)

Houston's Birth Story

Houston Charles Coghill made his grand entrance to the world on Sunday, May 29th at 4:43 in the afternoon at 9 pounds and 21 1/2 inches.

Houston's birth was not what I was expecting and definitely didn't go as I had planned, but if there is one thing you are told about childbirth is that it very rarely does. Houston came to us exactly when he and I were ready. I was able to labor without pain medication or an epidural, which after have a healthy baby and no csection, was my goal and it was actually a somewhat gentle experience.

To tell the full story I have to go back a couple of weeks.

At 35 weeks my fundal height was measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule and my doctor sent me for an ultrasound to estimate how big our baby boy was going to be. I had the ultrasound at 36 weeks and they guessed baby to be about 7lbs 10oz.  On average babies gain half a pound per week so our baby boy was on track to be around 9lbs 10oz, which they consider big and the doctor I saw that day (not my doctor because I was in a different office for the ultrasound) recommended an induction at 39 weeks.
The next week I saw my doctor and we discussed the options and she also recommended the induction at 39 weeks because apparently there is a window between 39 and 40 weeks where an induction is safe for baby and does not increase the likelihood of a c-section, but left the decision up to me.  I just felt very uneasy about the idea of an induction and so we decided to just play it by ear and see how things went and then discuss an induction as I got closer to 40 weeks rather than 39. Also my doctor was going to be out of town for the Memorial Day weekend so also I didn't really want to be induced without her. 
At the time I had already been dilated 1cm and was 50-70% effaced (depending on which provider I saw) so I felt pretty confident that baby boy would be making his entrance before 40 weeks and even if he didn't I personally felt capable of giving birth to a 9lb + baby as I'm not that small of a person and he wasn't my first baby.

Flash forward to about 38weeks and 3-4 days I began having some contractions.  Very mild and irregular.  I went to my doctor at 38 weeks and 5 days and was dilated to 3cm and about 70% effaced. *Note I saw our family doctor for this pregnancy but also saw a group of midwives who would be on call as back up in the event that my doctor was out of town (which she was!).  Well at this particular appointment my doctor was there as well as the midwife of the group who was known for her ability to strip membranes (nice talent to have, huh? haha) and so I decided that I'd like her to go ahead and do the strip and see how things progressed from there... again definitely wanting to avoid the medicated induction.  She said I was very thinned out and that the strip had been successful. She guessed that I'd be having the baby within the next 48 hours. I left the appointment both excited and crazy nervous!

Later that day I began having some cramping and spotting and then more contractions.  I went to bed convinced that we'd be having a baby the next day.  The timing was working out perfectly. Lee had just finished up a very busy 2 week rotation in the Peds ER and had the long weekend off before returning to work on Tuesday. As we fell asleep Thursday night Lee said - what do you want to do tomorrow? And I was like uhhh I'm having a baby tomorrow.
Well I slept straight through the night without and discomfort and woke up Friday morning again feeling a little nauseous and having mild contractions.  We did a few last minute tasks, I walked up and down the stairs, and then sat around and waited... sitting on a giant yoga ball. By Friday night I was so bored so we went to Chickfila for dinner and sat and watched Leo play... all while having more very mild and irregular contractions.

Saturday morning I woke up (with contractions) determined that I'd be having a baby that day.  I asked Lee if he wanted to go on a walk and he asked where, so I said - well where is a place that will guarantee I'll go into labor?  As you may know, Florida is pretty flat. There aren't many strenuous walks available, so Lee suggested we go down by the beach and walk over the bridge (that giant boats pass under). It was also about a billion degrees out.  Seemed like the perfect scenario to walk out a baby. haha.

On the way to the beach I mentioned that I wish I had done a tour of the hospital where we'd be giving birth before hand and so Lee made a quick turn (we only live about 5 minutes from the hospital) and said he'd give me a tour :) perk of being married to doctor I guess!
We went in and saw where OB triage was located, went up stairs to the birthing suites, and then up and saw the regular rooms where they moved mom and baby to.  Then since I was feeling good, we headed over to the beach.
We had a really fun morning.  The walk was in fact a bit strenuous.  We walked over the bridge, through downtown, out on the pier to watch the fishermen and birds, had lunch in the little downtown area, and then walked back over the bridge to head home for Leo's nap.

All throughout the morning I had been having small contractions.  On the way back across the bridge they began to pick up and according to Lee's timing they were coming about every 3-5 minutes.  Lee began to get a little more serious about the situation and when we got back to the car he had me call our friends who'd be watching Leo to let them know to be ready for our call!  We got home completely drenched in sweat and all took quick showers, called the sitters to come get Leo, and headed to the hospital around 1:30pm.

We walked into OB triage smiling and relaxed and announced that I was in labor.  I think if they had been able to the nurses would have laughed or rolled their eyes.  I don't think any of them believed me. haha.  They asked me what my pain level was on a scale of 1-10 and I think I answered a 2. However, when they checked me I was dilated 4cm and still about 70% effaced.  The look on the nurse's face was pretty funny she was like wow I definitely wouldn't have guessed that!  Even though I told her on Thursday before having my membranes stripped I was a 3!

They asked me walk around the hospital for about an hour and come back for another check before they determined whether to admit me or not. Well there was no way I was going back home without having a baby.  We walked and we walked and we climbed stairs and I was having contractions the entire time. An hour later I was dilated to 5 and we decided this baby was coming!
We went upstairs and I was given an IV (saline lock - not hooked up, but there just in case) and they told me I could walk around freely, but to come back every 30 minutes to monitor the baby.
They asked me what my plans were for pain meds and asked if I wanted to go ahead and watch the required video and sign the paperwork so I wouldn't have to later when I was in pain and I said no thanks, I want it to be difficult to get if I cave later.

Healthpark Hospital is set up with a huge atrium in the lobby with a grand piano and plants and a cafe and art work.  It's beautiful. The 3 floors above have an open walkway around the atrium. On the 3rd floor we walked the loop around the atrium over and over and over and over.  Every 30 minutes we'd go back to be checked for about a minute and every 2 hours I'd go back to be hooked up to a monitor for a consistent 15-20 minute period.  Every time I'd lay down in bed my contractions would drop off dramatically. I'd watch the monitor and it'd barely have blips on it.  It was the longest day ever.

Our preacher and his wife came over to say hi and we walked some laps with them.  We sat in the rocking chairs looking out the giant windows... and as long as I was moving I'd have contractions, but as soon as I'd stop, so would they.

At one point Lee checked his phone and it said we had walked 8 miles that day. EIGHT! haha!  No wonder I was getting tired! I don't really remember when but we decided to take a break at some point and stayed in our room for the evening.  Around 9pm the midwife came in and  checked me and I was only dilated 5.5.  I sorta think she gave me the extra half just to make me feel like I'd made progress, but it didn't do much for my morale.  I was starting to get a little worried and Lee and my midwife started talking about breaking my water or giving me pitocin.  Two things I definitely waned to avoid for as long as I could. I was also getting nervous because I knew this particular midwife's shift was over at 7am and the new midwife coming on was one that neither Lee or I had ever met.  Not exactly what you want when you're having a baby.  When we asked a nurse about this midwife she said something like - oh she tells it like it is or she's pretty direct - something like that.  I was seriously dreading it.
We decided that we'd try a breast pump for a little bit.  Nipple stimulation causes your body to produce oxytocin and can cause contractions.  I used a breast pump for about an hour on and off and a big fat nothing.
It was now about 11pm and we decided to just call it quits for the day and go to sleep.
In the middle of the night I woke up twice with contractions.  I was for sure they were the real deal, but nope. Those too fizzled out.

In the morning the midwives had a shift change and I met the new midwife (remember my doctor was out of town for the Memorial Day weekend). All my fears about this midwife were quickly erased and I felt very at ease and confident in her ability to deliver my baby.  She came in and checked me again around 8:30am and I was only dilated to a 6.  Six. ugh. We discussed our options and she said that sometimes it's effective to do a second strip and so that's what we did.  It was very uncomfortable (as was the first time!) but I was ready to try anything to get this baby going.

We began our walking ritual again. Around and around and around.
Houston was moving all over in my belly and each time they tried to monitor him he was in a different spot so they were concerned that he was going to be flipped so they had me get on my hands and knees to encourage him to flip over and stay in place. I swayed and rocked on my hands and knees for about 30 minutes. 
I sat on the ball.
I took a bath in the tub with jets.
And nothing was happening.

About 10:45 the midwife came by again and we discussed our options (again!) and we decided at this point I'd like to have them break my water (I mean I didn't really want that... but seriously wanted this baby to come out!).  When she checked me this time I was dilated to 7cm and my water broke with just the push of her fingers!
I had made it to 7cm with almost 0 pain. How does that happen?! Lee and the nurses kept  saying - wow you must have a high pain tolerance... but really I don't think I was in that much "pain" I just felt uncomfortable.

With Leo my water had broken at home in the middle of the night and it was more like a long slow leak...with Houston when she broke it it was an instant gush and felt absolutely disgusting.  For the rest of the morning every time I'd stand up I'd have an huge rush of fluid... yuck yuck yuck.
Lee was making fun of me because I was more upset about the fluid than I was about contractions or the labor.  But really, it's disgusting.

After my water broke I pumped for another hour.  Did more hands and knees. Sat on the ball.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.

Finally after a little convincing I was ready to accept that I might need pitocin to get things going.
My midwife and the nurses assured me that I only needed a tiny bit. They kept saying - oh you just need a whiff.
At about 2:30 in the afternoon they started me at 2 units or whatever the dosage is... and I swear before it even got into my system I had a couple big contractions back to back. After 30 minutes they upped it to 4 units and then after another 30 minutes they put it up to 6 units and I asked them to not go any higher. Lee told me that women who are induced typically get up to 20 units, just for some perspective. By this time I was definitely having real contractions. I had been laboring in the rocking chair and on the yoga ball but the contractions quickly got very intense and I had to get in bed.  Laying on my back was totally miserable so they brought me something they called a peanut, which was like a rubber ball shaped like a peanut basically, to put between my knees while I laid on my side.

Very soon the contractions were so painful that I couldn't talk anymore and had breathe out with a low hum/groan sound to get through each one. I don't know how long they lasted but they seemed to be never ending.  I had Lee put his hand on my knee and so they weight of his arm could hold my knees together over the peanut.  I think I was focusing all my attention to the weight of his arm because anytime that he moved it was the absolute worst.

After about an hour of crazy contractions I felt the urge to push that they all told me I'd feel. Actually I told Lee - I think I just pushed!! And he hit the call button and the nurse and midwife were in the room within seconds. 

She checked me and said yep you're complete! And she gowned up and they put me in position. 

I was feeling serious anxiety at this point. I had pushed for 2 hours with Leo and I was dreading pushing this baby (who they thought would be considerably bigger than Leo) out. 

However after one push I could tell this baby was going to come out soon! There was a ton of pressure and it definitely hurt, but a much different pain than the contractions so it was almost a welcomed change. 

Later Lee would tell me that there was a second where he was afraid Houston's shoulders were going to get stuck (shoulder dystocia) but they all instructed me to push again quickly and they came through. Then again Houston's chubby belly got stuck! But I was able to push again and he was free. 

Lee was a great coach through the pushing. He's had a lot more OB experience since we had Leo. I don't even know how many babies he's delivered!  He gave me very clear instructions about what to do - taking a deep breath and holding it through the pushing to use the pressure... And not making any noise which I did a couple of times haha and was told to stop. He held my leg and counted down through the pushing for me. I'm so thankful for that guy. 

I pushed through about 3 contractions - probably 6-9 pushes I'd guess, at 4:43pm our Houston was here!!  

They laid him on my chest and I was in disbelief that he was actually finally here! 

This time I think I was more aware of what the midwife was doing after I'd delivered. I felt the umbilical cord against my body (uggh so disgusting) and watched Lee cut it. I definitely felt the delivery of the placenta and this time refused when she offered to let me look at it... I looked with Leo. I'm pretty sure once you've seen one placenta you've seen them all. 

Then got a quick look over from my midwife and she said I had no tearing and everything was fine! I was so anxious about tearing since I'd delivered him so quickly. With Leo my doctor said I didn't tear because the pushing stage took so long and I slowly stretched to accommodate the baby. Apparently this time by body just remembered what to do! 

The nurse brought me a frozen diaper to sit on and it felt amazing! I'd recommend it. 

I got about an hour to snuggle with my brand new babe and nurse him. He knew exactly what to do and latched without a problem - another relief! 

It is seriously such a high to go through this process and then finally have your baby.  You feel like a superhero. And you get this beautiful human being to call all your own. It's so totally worth it, without question. 

After the hour they took Houston to be weighed and measured - 9lbs and 21.5 inches! A full pound and half inch bigger than Leo! 

I then got up and went to the bathroom to get cleaned up a bit and use the bathroom. I was instantly amazed at how easily I could move around. With Leo because I had pushed for so long I was incredibly sore and all of my muscles ached. 

We then got in a wheelchair and they wheeled us to a regular room. Along the way we saw a couple of the nurses from the previous day and they were like yay! Finally!! Haha 

Right away I felt so good. Like I hadn't just given birth. It was weird. I kept waiting for it to hit me, but it never did. I didn't even feel the need to take the Motrin they offered me. With Leo I was very swollen and sore and it took me days before I could easily sit and stand, but with Houston I was in and out of bed, up and out of chairs, walking around no problem.  

Lee said it was because I didn't have to push for as long this time that I bounced back so quickly. Literally. My body stretched and then went right back. I think that the cold ice pack (frozen diaper) really helped too! 

Overall I'm happy with the whole experience, even if things didn't go as I had planned. Even though I had to take the pitocin which I 100% didn't want. It got my baby Houston here quickly and safely - for which I am very greatful. 

The nurses I had at Health Park were great. All of them! They were patient and helpful while I was in labor and very helpful after with Houston! So thankful! 

I was very attached to my OB in Detroit and so I had high expectations out of another dr or midwife and was very disappointed when I found out my dr would be out of town, and then again when things didn't progress and I knew I'd have the midwife I'd never met before I was very nervous... But it worked out exactly as it should have and she was amazing. She reassured me and was confident that she'd be delivering my baby soon and she did!  I'm even considering using her again if I have a 3rd! 

Which is funny... Houston has been the sweetest, most laid back baby that I'm already talking about our 3rd. Lee said I thought newborns were supposed to be good birth control... :) 

I'll blog soon all about Houston meeting his big brother and our first week at home ☺️

37 weeks

Not a ton of change the past week or so, but here I am awake at 6am while Leo is still sleeping and decided I'd take a few minutes to jot down some thoughts.

I guess you could say I've been experiencing a little bit of insomnia, I don't know if you'd call it that, but I've been waking up super early and unable to go back to sleep.  It's ok, I get some stuff done or just lay in bed with my phone, something that won't probably be happening pretty soon, so I'm trying to enjoy it.  I might even go make breakfast - you know not cereal. 

Last week I had my ultrasound!  While I was very glad to see my baby boy and breathed a huge sigh of relief when they said that everything looked great, I am kicking myself a little for having the u/s done.  I'll explain. 
The reason for the ultrasound was to get an estimate of baby's size due to larger than normal fundal height measurements. I said yes to the u/s because I was so anxious to see baby boy since we hadn't seen him since 19 weeks and truthfully this Zika stuff had been weighing heavily in the back of my mind because we live in south Florida, traveled to the Bahamas, and Lee traveled to Nicaragua just before we conceived and to Honduras in my 2nd trimester.. even though neither of us had a single mosquito bite!  Pregnancy is stressful.  I am not normally a stressful person but I find myself worrying about things that are either completely out of my control or just extremely unlikely... but I think that's normal. 

Anyway, the ultrasound estimated baby to be a little over 2 weeks ahead in growth and to be about 7lbs and 10oz.  Now they can be off quite a bit.  I've heard people say their's were 2 lbs off! But the Dr. I saw that day (because I had to go to a different office for the u/s) recommended induction at 39 weeks.
Not what I wanted to hear.

So then I had the entire week to worry about a looming induction... but also slightly nervous about the fact that I was really effaced at 35 weeks and definitely didn't want the baby to come before 37 weeks. I want him to come early, but not too early. Asking a little much right? 

At my appointment Monday (37+1) I was still only dilated 1cm and I didn't get a percentage estimate about effacement but she said I was very thinned out. My dr also recommended an induction at 39 weeks.

I do not want to be induced. I probably will refuse an induction until I get passed my due date. I just don't feel like it's 100% necessary at this point. I think I can handle giving birth to a slightly bigger baby and that baby will come when he is ready. 
That being said, I really think and hope that he comes all on his own next week sometime!  I'm thinking Thursday the 26th.  The 26th would be the 8 year anniversary of when Lee and I got engaged!! 

I've started doing a few little things to help spur baby along.  Attempting to take relaxing baths, long walks, and sitting on an exercise ball. I also have a fresh pineapple in my fridge to be eaten later today. I think about Sunday, once I'm 38 weeks I'll step up my efforts and do more "tricks".
At my appointment next Thursday if baby hasn't come on his own yet I'll have my membranes stripped and wait a few days to see how that goes.  I'm feeling pretty confident that if he isn't here by Thursday I will have at least made some progress. Pray that with me! 

I'm also trying to relax... which isn't the easiest for me at this point because when I'm not thinking about when baby is coming I'm thinking about all the things I need to do before baby comes, which truthfully isn't very much. 

Yesterday I found the stroller I've been wanting and looking for on Craigslist!!! A used double BOB stroller. They're about $600 new and there's no way we were going to be paying that... so I found one for less than half on Craigslist! And did a happy dance all the way to pick it up.  It's in great condition despite being a few years old and it just barely fits into my tiny car's trunk! Thank goodness! 
I'm also considering maybe getting a super cheap front and back double stroller off craigslist also, just to have options you know, and baby's car seat could click in for the first couple months, whereas the BOB doesn't have the infant seat attachment. We just have major storage issues in this house and if possible I'd also like to keep my old Graco jogger stroller specifically for beach trips. It's already rusted and worn in, haha, And Leo is completely capable of walking to and on the beach now.  Anyway, 3 strollers and Leo's bike is going to overwhelm this little apartment... or at least my husband. 

*Side note* I'm typing this on Lee's computer, which I'm not used to, in the dark, with my glasses on and I feel like I keep hitting the comma rather than the period so bear with me in my punctuation. haha 

We've pretty much checked everything off our to-do list before baby comes! House is mostly clean (not to just keep up with it), baby's space and stuff is all ready, a few meals are in the freezer, I made lots of "busy bags" for Leo to keep him occupied (maybe I'll do a post about those soon!), I put my etsy shop on vacation and shipped out my last orders, and I finished sewing the cover for my glider I found in the trash! 

Last week I had a day "off" sorta when Lee was post call and went and had a very relaxing pedicure and my friend Alex who does face-painting and balloon art professionally asked if she could paint my belly for her portfolio because apparently a lot of people ask about having their pregnant bellies painted!  Who knew?!  I said yes because it sounded like fun and it was! 

So yeah that's it.  If you need me I'll be out on a walk or bouncing on my yoga ball over here. 

How far along: 37 weeks 3 days
Total weight gain:  34lbs
Maternity clothes: yes and no.
Stretch marks: no
Best moment of this week: picking up our stroller
Movement: yep, and I'm able to tell which parts of him he's moving, which is fun.
Food cravings: Not, not really.
Anything making you queasy or sick: no
Have you started to show yet: uh yeah. 
Gender:  B-0-Y!
Labor signs: maybe? see above! ah!
Belly button in or out: It's just really flat now.
Wedding rings on or off: off! I took them off a couple weeks ago just in case and I am so glad that I did because my fingers have swelled a little a couple times and I would have been panicking.
Happy or moody most of the time:  anxious and nervous for sure!
Looking forward to: going to the beach on Friday and having this baby next week! ;)

36 weeks

36 weeks and getting anxious.
I'm feeling equally as anxious to have this baby as I am to not have this baby yet. It's weird.

At my appointment Monday, 35 weeks 1 day, the midwife thought I was measuring a little big.  At my 33 weeks appointment I was measuring right on track at 33 and then at the 35 week I was measuring 37 (I know, I know, it can be off and I did see two different people) but still she scheduled me an ultrasound for next week to get an idea of how big baby boy is.  I've heard this things can be off by as much as 2 lbs so I'm not expecting a lot, but I am SO excited to see baby boy since I haven't since 19 weeks!!
At this appointment I was also checked for the Group B Strep (which was negative!) and so she asked if I'd like to also have a cervical check... you know, while we were at it.... and being the impatient anxious one that I am I said yes and she was pretty surprised to find that I was dilated about 1cm and 70% effaced.  She said my cervix was very soft and ready... and that it was pretty likely I'm looking at another 37-38 week baby! AHHHHH

I was initially very excited.  Sooner to meet baby and sooner to not be pregnant you know... but then the more I've been thinking about it the more nervous I'm getting that he'll come too early!  I obviously want a healthy baby first and foremost. Every twinge and pain I've had I've been like oooo no little one stay put.

I have been having a lot of pressure and pains lately.  I think a few contractions here and there too, but it's sorta hard to say, even though I'm not new to this whole pregnancy thing.

In addition, I don't want him to come yet because it's just really not the ideal time. The first week of June was going to be perfect. Lee has vacation and my mom can come.
If he decides to come now it'll be weeks before my mom can come due to my dad falling out of a tree and breaking his leg and needing her to take care of him and their farm. Lee is on a couple weeks of busy rotations, which we thought was smart to fit in some hard stuff before baby comes so that he can do an easier rotation in June...
And on top of that my backup plan to my mom, the lady who runs the nursery at church (and our friend) is going to have family in and is going to Disney when I'm 37-38 weeks. We do have back-up-back-ups, but I'm wondering how many we need! ahhhhhhhh again.

Anyway, babies come when the come, right?

I'm pretty much ready in every other sense.
The house is cleanish.  Lee cleaned the carpets for me this week, which was one of the main things I wanted done.  The baby's space is all set up.  Our bags are packed.  I have a couple things in the freezer to eat.  I have about a dozen "busy bags" made up for Leo.  I wrapped a gift for Leo from baby brother.  I cleaned out the car (car seat not yet installed but we have a better idea what we're doing this time around I guess. haha).  I even put a mattress pad on the bed in case my water breaks in the middle of the night like with Leo!  I feel so accomplished.

The only major thing I have left to do is get a pedicure!! Nice huh?
I'm gifting it to myself for mother's day.  Lee is post-call on Thursday so the plan is go get one then and hope it stays nice and fresh until baby gets here!

Last Sunday the women from my church had a beautiful baby shower for me!  It was so nice!  I wasn't expecting a shower this time at all with it being baby boy #2 and all so it was such a sweet surprise!  The decorations were beautiful, the food was great, and baby boy got lots of cute little outfits and diapers!  I *think* we're set for diapers for a while until baby boy can start wearing cloth!  But who knows, he might be a little chunk right off the bat and they'll fit him better than they fit long and lean Leo.

My friend Alex is expecting in September!! So excited to have babies together! 

Baby shower! 

How far along: 36 weeks
Total weight gain:  32lbs
Maternity clothes: yes and no.
Stretch marks: no
Best moment of this week: getting the carpet cleaned. haha. I'm such an old lady.
Movement: yep, and I'm able to tell which parts of him he's moving, which is fun.
Food cravings: Not, not really.
Anything making you queasy or sick: no
Have you started to show yet: uh yeah. 
Gender:  B-0-Y!
Labor signs: maybe? see above! ah!
Belly button in or out: It's just really flat now.
Wedding rings on or off: on, which reminds me that I really want to take them off but I'm going to need some lubrication. lol
Happy or moody most of the time:  anxious and nervous for sure!
Looking forward to: my ultrasound Tuesday and seeing my little guy! 

34 weeks!

I was just reading over my post about being 34 weeks with Leo and at that dr appointment my dr said that if I went into labor then they wouldn't do anything to stop it and I could have a perfectly healthy baby!  What!

Just like when I was 34 weeks with Leo I feel like my to do list was 12 miles long.  Yet, we have everything we absolutely need for this baby.  Minus some diapers and I can just send Lee to the store while we at the hospital, yeah?

At 34 weeks I am feeling amazing.
I had a few days a couple weeks ago where I didn't feel great.  I was waking up sick and feeling nauseous and getting sick after I ate, but thankfully that didn't last too long and things appear to be fine!
I'm having almost no hip or pelvic pain at this point and baby boy has become a bit more gentle with the kicking. It's almost entirely on my right side now, which I found out last week at my appointment is where his little feet are because he is now in head down position, but lying on his side.  I was very relieve to hear the words head down!  Now just flip on your back little buddy and we'll be all good!

I haven't had any swelling since that one day I wrote about on my last pregnancy post and I don't think I've been doing anything differently.
I'm sleeping through the night just fine, yay! For a while longer yet I hope...

 I don't know if this is just the burst of energy you get before baby makes their grand entrance or the burst you get before you feel humongously pregnant and uncomfortable but I'm not complaining.

I have all the baby items pulled out of storage.  The swing and pack n play are assembled in the the living room.  The bouncer, boppy, play mat, and blankets have all been washed and are ready to go.  I have his space of our room almost completely decorated.  His clothes are nicely folded in his drawers.  His car seat is on the bed in the spare room ready to be installed.  The baby bathtub is hanging up in the shower and all the hooded towels and baby wash cloths are organized under the sink. Leo is sleeping in his new twin bed and the mattress has been moved back to the highest setting on the crib.

The house is getting clean.  I've been getting bursts here and there to clean and purge certain areas.  Last week was my bookshelf.  One day was my closet.  One was Leo's closet. One day I did one of those pinterest tricks to clean our mattress really well.  One day I even opened the closet where the AC and hot water tank are and cleaned out all the dust in there..... that was gross, but hopefully will keep our air clean for baby, right?
Something I really want to do before he is born is clean the carpets and deep clean the kitchen (but really that could wait until my mom gets here and wants to do it for me.... kidding.........)

Next up on my to do list is make the cushion covers for the glider chair and start some freezer meals.  I have some cooked ground turkey and a thing of spaghetti sauce frozen so far. That'll save me like 15 minutes some day... lol

I've also started making "busy bags" for Leo. Mostly stuff I've found on pinterest.  Hoping to buy some time here and there when I need him to be occupied and don't want to feel like I'm ignoring him. I am so thankful that Leo loves to learn.  I think it's going to make this transition easier because he really is content to sit beside me on the couch and go over flash cards or read books or make up stories. I pray his personality and temperament doesn't change when baby shows up on the scene!

These pictures are from 33wks and 3 days! 

And 34 at church

How far along: 34 weeks
Total weight gain:  about 28-30
Maternity clothes: yes and no, I still have a few things I can get away with wearing!
Stretch marks: nope, I might be lucky and make it through a second.  Once can hope
Best moment of this week: probably one of the times Leo talked to my belly or about baby brother. He's going to be the best big brother.
Movement: slower and less sudden movements I think.  I also have a better idea of what body part I'm feeling, haha.
Food cravings: not really, I usally crave drinks I guess. Water with lemon, Dr Pepper, juice
Anything making you queasy or sick: no
Have you started to show yet: yes, and everyone is letting me know. lol 
Gender:  B-0-Y!
Labor signs: no, I hope not yet
Belly button in or out: It's almost flat, but its still sorta in.
Wedding rings on or off: on
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy and anxious!
Looking forward to: finishing my to-do list and meeting this boy! 

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!

28 Weeks

Hello 3rd trimester!

I don't have a lot of update about really.  Things are still going along just fine!
I had an OB appointment this week and I was pretty shocked to learn that I have gained 18 lbs thus far. I mean I know that's a normal amount of weight to have gained, but I definitely don't feel 18 lbs heavier.  I'm definitely getting a bigger belly, but a lot of my clothes still fit.  My mom always told me that someday being tall would pay off!  I guess it's true that you can hide weight pretty easily.

About a week ago I experienced my first leg cramp in the middle of the night.  I had just a couple with Leo, but they are so terrible.  If you've ever had one you know real pain. haha.
I did what Lee told me to do - stand up as quickly as possible to stretch it out.  It is terrible, but it really does help it go away quickly.
Note to self to keep drinking lots of water and eat bananas.

Baby boy is moving lots. And I still win an award for worst mother because I cannot stand the feeling. I can definitely see him moving now too.  When I'm laying down I can watch him roll over and push.... eeeek I hate it. haha.

This week on Wednesday we got a new nephew!! My sister-in-law Amber had her baby boy Theo!  Another boy cousin for Leo and baby brother!

How far along: 28 weeks 
Total weight gain:  18lbs at my appointment at 27+1
Maternity clothes:  I have 3 pair of maternity shorts and I've been wearing them for a couple weeks! I can still wear my regular shirts and a few pairs of jeans that sit low. 
Stretch marks: nope.  I hope my skin stretches the same as last time! 
Sleep:  Good, I have woken up several times with my hands asleep from sleeping on my sides, which I'm not used to but I'm trying to do because that's the "proper" way to sleep apparently. 
Best moment of this week:  Leo told everyone in the elevator and in the waiting room that we were "going baby doctor" it was so sweet.  We heard a great heartbeat and everything was good at my appointment! yay! 
Miss anything:  This pregnancy I'm having a harder time with caffeine... even though I was definitely getting less sleep when I was pregnant with Leo because I'd get up at like 5:30am for work and was working on my Master's so I was staying up late.  Leo sleeps until about 7-7:30 most days and I'm usually in bed by midnight so it's plenty of sleep... but I'm just craving coffee and Dr. Pepper! I usually limit myself to 1 a day.  1 cup of coffee or 1 can of Dr. Pepper (with cherry!) 
Movement: yes!! I already discussed that. haha
Food cravings:  No. Unless it's Dr. Pepper with cherry. lol 
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope. 
Have you started to show yet:  Yes!  But I could still hide it if I wanted to.  Strangers haven't started commenting yet. lol 
Gender:  BOY! 
Labor signs:  no
Belly button in or out: in, but getting flatter by the day! 
Wedding rings on or off: on, but now that you mention it I might take my engagement ring off... it's getting hotter in FL and I am terrified of having my rings stuck on. 
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy!!
Looking forward to:   Having this baby!  Seeing my new nephew (pictures only, he's in Canada) has given me major baby fever and I want mine!!! 

23 weeks pregnant and 23 month old toddler

23 is the magic number this week! and I'm just bored enough to not want to go to sleep (regardless that it's 11:52pm) and yet not motivated enough to clean or work on projects for my etsy shop.
So blogging it is!

I'll start with my pregnancy because that's probably what I'd have the least to say about.
Things are still going great and uneventful for the most part.
I had an appointment Monday and everything was fine.  It was the shortest appointment ever. Weight, blood pressure, pee in a cup, measure belly, listen to heartbeat... any questions? I typically have very low blood pressure - like 80/50 and this time it was 110/55, which is still normal, but high for me. It's maybe better if it's slightly higher than my normal because I often get light headed if I stand up too quickly.

I've gained about 10lbs and am starting to look more pregnant.  My clothes still fit but a lot of my jeans (except for the stretchy ones) are too uncomfortable to wear at this point. I have all these really cute pairs of maternity shorts that I was all prepared with but it's been COLD and I haven't worn shorts in weeks.  I only have 2 pair of maternity jeans and they're still too big at this point.  I've been re-wearing the same 3-4 pair of stretch jeans and dresses of course.
I'm at that point though where I just look chubby - which isn't fun when you're getting dressed :/

I feel like my baby bump is a little lower this time around.  With Leo I felt big really high up, like right under my boobs, but this time I don't feel that yet.  It's kinda silly, but I hope I carry a little lower this time because that makes a cuter baby bump. haha.

Other than weight gain, eating a lot, and peeing more frequently I don't feel much different and don't have any other symptoms.  Thank goodness!

At 23 weeks baby boy is over a pound and is about 8inches long!  I'm feeling him move a lot, especially when I lay down at night. Lee has felt him a couple times but usually when I say oh feel! baby stops moving.
Leo is fascinated by all the talk about baby brother.  He knows he's a boy and tries to talk to him through my belly button.  The other day he had a little toy and was giving himself an ultrasound and saying baby! baby! He also tries to listen with his toy stethoscope. Once he was doing it and my stomach growled and his eyes got huge! haha

Leo is 23 months.  2 weeks away from being 2.
Crazy.

I don't even know where to begin with this child.  I know I'm his mother, but he is amazing.  He blows my mind every day.  He is so smart.  He only needs to hear or see something once to have it memorized.

He loves to sing - he can sing his ABCs (sorta,lol), Jesus Loves Me, Row Row Row Your Boat, Wheels on the Bus, Elmo's World, Spiderman, Batman, and his favorite bedtime song is I Can't Stop the Rain (which is doubly precious because this is one of Lee and I's "songs" he used to sing it to me all the time when we were dating... now Leo requests the rain song before bed.  Oh my heart)
He also likes to drum and has a great little dance when he's drumming on his toy bucket flipped upside down. yea...

One of his absolute favorite things to do is draw, paint, color, etc.  He asks to do art.  It is the BEST.  I mean I obviously love art and crafts so doing little painting projects with Leo is a very enjoyable part of my day.  And if I need some time to get something done he is so happy to sit at the table with blank paper and markers.  He's really good at putting the lids back on the correct colors too!

Which leads me to - colors.  For about a month now Leo has had his colors down. You can even quiz him about what color something is even if he can't see it.
One day last week we were in the car and I said something about Nanny and Leo said - I want ride Nanny's red car.
My mom's car IS red! He hadn't seen that car for over a month and I definitely haven't talked about it!  Crazy.  He also talks about mommy's grey car and daddy's white van :) which we are getting RID of that van this weekend!  Oh Happy Day!

Leo can recognize very easily 20 letters of the alphabet.  He's still working on the weird ones - q,u,v,x,y, and k... even though he knows how to say Kelsey. haha
He'll sit and do his alphabet puzzle and say - A Apple, B Batman, C Cookie.  It's the best.   He picks out letters everywhere we go.  License plates, signs in Target, on trucks driving down the street... I know that letter recognition doesn't necessarily correlated to reading, but I'm still impressed.
He's counting to 3 and recognizes the numbers too!

He can identify pretty much every single DC and Marvel superhero.  He LOVES them.  Batman and Joker are his favorites... then Ironman and Spiderman.

There's basically nothing in any book that he has that he doesn't know anymore.  Every animal, instrument, household object.  He's got it.  His vocabulary exploded!  We can have full conversations now.

He also loves to help in the kitchen.  Lee lets him do dishes all the time and so he loves to pull a chair to the sink and play in the water and wash stuff. haha.  It keeps him busy!
He also cooks.  If you ask him how to make macaroni and cheese (his #1 favorite food) he'll say - water, pot, hot, bubbles, roni, milk, butter, cheese, spoon.
hahahaha I'm not kidding. He knows the steps.

On top of being so smart he really is incredibly sweet.  Every morning when I open his door he says - Hi Mommy!! He's so excited every time.
He likes to give kisses.  He wants me when he's hurt.  He likes to talk to baby brother.  He gets crazy excited when Daddy gets home.  We hear the lock turn and he jumps up and runs to the door.


He can thrown some tantrums but thankfully they are very few and far between and have ALWAYS correlated to a missed or shortened nap.  I used to roll my eyes when parents would say - oh he's  tired.  But seriously, it messes kids up. lol.
Last week one day Leo only had about an hour long nap (he usually sleeps at least 2) and he woke up wanting an orange straw for his drink.  We don't own an orange straw.  He was so sad and cried and cried and cried.  He refused all drinks and all colors of straws.  It was the most upset I've ever seen him.  He's not typically a crier... not when he's left in the nursery, not when he gets hurt, not when he's told no..... but man don't have an orange straw when he wants it and it was the end of the world.

We've been very consistent and mindful of doing timeouts lately.  He only gets timeout pretty much if he hits.  I know it sounds crazy, but I can't think of many other situations where he's misbehaved to warrant a time out (I swear, he is SUCH a good toddler)... but sometimes he does hit.  He usually hits Lee, but occasionally me too.  We say - Leo you're in timeout go sit on the couch. He'll walk over and sit and not get up until we come talk to him.  He's so good even in timeout!  He started catching on really quickly though and as soon as he'd sit on the couch he'd start saying - Sorry Daddy!! Daddy I sorry!! Come here Daddy! I sorry!
It's adorable. hahaha. But he stays in timeout for 2 minutes.  Ped said 1 minute for however old they are so we just started with the 2 because he's almost 2.
It's only been a couple weeks but I'd say for us timeout has been extremely effective.  We just have to be consistent and do it every time he hits, even if we're not at home.

So yea, over all everything is great and I am looking forward to 2!  I read that in Europe they call it the boundary stage rather than using the phrase "terrible twos" which I like much, much better!