One Month Old

I can't believe it. Saturday my tiny little baby turned a month old! I took her in for a weight check, and she's now up to 8lbs 13oz (she gained over a pound in two weeks.) She's starting to stay awake more, and smiling at us (mainly the girls, but I've gotten one or two!) She's such a good baby, and it's hard to believe she's been in our life for a month already!

I love you sweet Maddie Pearl, and can't imagine our life without you!

Want ALL the crayons!

The girls and I spent about 2 hours wandering around Target today, and I found the coolest things. Crayola now has a set out that is exclusive to Target called "Pick Your Pack." You choose a box to hold your crayons that you can decorate yourself, and then you pick and choose from 8 count packs that have different themes. Some of the options are "Cupcake My Day," "Glitterati," "Sports Fan," and "Pirate Treasure." I will admit, I want them all. And I won't even pretend they are for the girls. They would totally be all for me.

Images are from Target.com

Reasons to wait on having kids

Don't get me wrong, I love my children. However, having two unmarried, childless sisters is a great and constant reminder on why you should live a little before settling and having kids. Between buying gifts for their nieces, going to the movies, and hanging out with friends, that's enough to make me jealous. The highlight of my day is usually going to Target on my own, and my social life is all lived on Facebook. But the biggest? Cecily left today going to London for a month for school, and Sarah will be in London, Paris, Scotland and who knows where else in July. Plus, she gets to go to Disneyland Paris!! 

My summer? Baby Bookworms, Girl Scout meetings and camp, and dreading maternity leave being over because I won't get to cuddle Maddie all day anymore. Not that I don't love all those things, but it's just not quite the same as studying literature in London or visiting Disneyland Paris.

Going by too fast

My tiny little baby is now almost a month old. I can't believe that my maternity leave is half over, and in about a month I'll be back at work. So far I've loved every second of it - taking Amelia to Baby Bookworms on Tuesdays, lounging around the house with Maddie and watching her sleep, watching crap tv, and of course the cat naps during the day. I've heard that there are some... things... going on at work, so it should be very interesting when I go back in August. But honestly? I'd rather be here. I know that we wouldn't be able to live anywhere like we do now if I quit, but man, I'd love to be at home. Especially since I'll be shelling out so much for daycare. If only the side projects would pan out, or Mike could get moved at his job so he'd be happier. If only, if only...

Madeline Pearl

I can't believe my newest little one is 3 weeks old today. She arrived at 2:30 on May 30, weighed 7lbs 6oz and was 20 inches long. At her two week checkup last week, she was up to 7lbs 9oz, and was 20.5 inches. She's now staying away more often, and is starting to get a decent schedule going at night. It's so hard to believe that she's here and as perfect as she is!

Newborn Maddie



 1 Week


 2 Weeks
 

3 Weeks

Last few days as a family of 4

I turned 38 weeks on Friday, and they let me pick a day for the induction. On Wednesday, May 30 (barring any complications or unseen events) we will go from a family of 4 to a family of 5. I was told to be at the hospital at 6:00 pm on Tuesday night, and they'll start the induction Wednesday morning. If it goes like Amelia's did, she'll be here before noon.

Knowing that this time next weekend we'll have a newborn around here has made me want to spend way more time with the two I have. As of Wednesday, everything will be different. It will never be just the 4 of us again. And as excited as I am about the baby, that makes me sad. I feel like I just got used to having the 4 of us, to having Amelia around, and just got our routine down pat. And now it's all going to be different.

I am excited - I'm looking forward to nursing again and the sweet newborn cuddles, and watching Amelia adapt to being a big sister. To having a baby again, and the sweet tiny clothes, and definitely the 2 months off during the summer where my only job during the day will be to take care of and pay attention to her. But I'm worried - about Amelia adapting to having a baby taking over some of my time, that something will go wrong with the delivery or something will be "wrong" with her, and about being able to be a mom to three. I worry about finances and no sleep and our overcrowded little house. And I worry if I'm ready for this or not.

Mike and Cadence went and spent all day yesterday together, and Amelia and I went shopping. Today we're going to church, then hanging out, and we'll spend today and tomorrow cleaning last minute things to make sure it's all ready for me leaving. I'll go grocery shopping, make sure the bed and everything is ready, and try to make sure my house is decent enough for company since I know there will be tons of it the next week or so. 

I'm scared and nervous and excited and just overwhelmed. I'm not sure what to expect or what this baby will be like, or how my little family will react to me having to give so much attention to this new little one at the house. It's scary, but exciting. And I just hope I'm up for it.

That's not the word I'd use to describe it...

I've heard lots of woman say that they loved being pregnant because they felt beautiful and womanly and sexy. Now, this is my 3rd pregnancy, and while I've ranged from "Holy crap, this is torture!! Why do women do this to themselves???" (first) to "This isn't so bad. I can understand why someone would do this over and over - bonus: cute babies!!!" (third), "Sexy" isn't a word I would have ever used to describe being pregnant. Ever.

It is true that some women experience an increased sex drive, especially during the second trimester, but even during that time I would have never said that I felt "sexy" while pregnant. "Beautiful"? Maybe. "Womanly"? Definitely. "Beached whale that waddles everywhere she goes"? Without a doubt. But not sexy. I can't find anything attractive about any of this:

• Morning Sickness - Nothing says "sexy" like running to the bathroom to puke multiple times a day.
• Swelling - Those sexy heels I used to wear? So extremely attractive when you have swollen feet and cankles.
• Headaches - I was one of the lucky ones that actually GOT headaches from the hormone shifts, and it was so awesome having to deal with vomit-inducing headaches for months on end.
• Weight gain - I know it's normal to gain weight because of the increased blood flow, the baby growing, etc, but you end up going for a few months where you've put on some pounds, but you don't really look pregnant yet. It's a lovely time.
• Sinus issues - because of the increased blood flow and weight gain, most woman have sinus problems. I've had it all three times. Gotta love stuffy noses, snoring, and sinus headaches.
• Hemorrhoids - Again, weight gain and blood flow cause hemorrhoid problems as well. Sex-y.
• Gas and digestive problems - As the baby grows, it starts pushing on your intestines and colon. It causes all kinds of lovely issues. Thank goodness my husband loves me and knows that I'm not always a gas machine!
• Non-stop peeing - Between Baby Girl on the bladder, and having to drink non-stop to stave off dehydration, I go to the bathroom every 20-30 minutes. I'm also going multiple times at night. I need to just buy stock in Angel Soft at the moment.
• No Sleep - There's the pregnancy insomnia, the fact that I can't get comfortable, the baby sitting in my ribs so I can't breathe, and I'm having to pee constantly (see above.) I keep telling myself that it's just trying to prepare me for her getting here, but man, a little sleep before she arrives would be nice!
• The Waddle - There's nothing sexier than a woman with a beach ball under her shirt, waddling like a duck. Quack Quack!

Then, of course, is labor and delivery. This is baby #3, and it's been 7 years since having the first. Yet, my husband still refuses to come into the delivery room with me this time. He was thrilled when my mom wanted to come in with #2, and has told me I can't have this one until at least May 28  because my mom won't be back from vacation until then. He is still scarred from the screaming, yelling, crying and cussing, not to mention the actual delivery itself in all it's bloody glory. Yep, that's pure sexiness right there.

There are lots of things I'm loving about being pregnant this time, and I do have my moments where I feel pretty and beautiful and excited about the new life growing inside me. However, I will be very very happy to be somewhere closer to a normal weight again, and not have to deal with a majority of the issues listed above. Maybe then I'll start using "sexy" to describe myself again.