Week 31

It's starting to get to the point where caring for Amelia is really taking a toll on my large, pregnant body.  The constant bending over, carrying her, and getting up and down from up off the floor is exhausting.  At the end of the day, my back is usually sore and I get really uncomfortable.

My belly is so itchy and I saw a few new stretch marks around my belly button.  I've already ruined a few shirts since I keep lathering lotion on my belly.  On a positive note, my hair is extra thick and shiny and my nails are growing very quickly. 

I also took my three hour glucose test this week and it turns out that I barely failed.  I was boarderline with Amelia too, but they treated me for GD anyway.  Looks like that is going to be the case for this pregnancy as well.

Week 31

(Week 31 w/Amelia)

Out and About

A few (kinda blurry) pics from my phone from our activities this week!

Hanging out in the van

Getting into trouble with her buddies at the library after story time.

This library doesn't have toddler area, but the kiddos didn't know the difference.  They had LOTS fun with the book cart.

Going for a walk at Brookside Gardens with some friends.

She was loving the flowers!  She kept on pretending to smell them and would say "mmmmmmmm."

She seemed confused because there is usually a cool fountain there.  However, she discovered the strings of Christmas lights and that made up for it. 

Chasing her shadow!  It was so funny because she would try to tackle her shadow, ha ha ha.

Her new obsession was touching every string of Christmas lights we passed. 

This library has better toys!  We stayed for a while to play after story time. 

Amelia is really good at sharing ;0)

Nesting...

Things have gotten a little out of control at our apartment.  Every nook and cranny has been inundated with baby stuff.  Since we have so many friends with children, we have been receiving hand-me-down clothing like crazy.

I just finished sorting through 11 garbage bags full of girl clothes!  Our whole living room was covered with little girl clothes, it was crazy.  Then another friend gave us a giant suitcase full of baby boy clothes that are either brand new with or barely used.

Just sorting and organizing the all clothing has taken me hours!  Alex has so many clothes now that I think he can wear a new outfit every day for the next 4-5 months.  So, seriously, we don't need any more clothing for Alex! 

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has given us clothing! 

Since we have limited space in our apartment, we have been sending the clothes Amelia grows out of to Jimmy's parents.  We have had to be very creative with creating places to store all the kids' stuff.  It was already tight with just Amelia, now add another baby to the mix and we are bursting at the seems!  We love living in the city, but we have definitely grown out of our apartment!

I've been feeling the urge to get everything organized and ready for Alex.  It's all about getting our master bedroom set up with the pack and play and the new dresser for his clothes.  His crib is up and ready in the nursery, but he won't be sleeping in it for a while... so we filled it with his baby stuff!  It's completely filled with his car seat, bouncy, clothes, diapers, boopy, blankets, infant toys, etc.

It's definitely a lot harder to get any "nesting" done with Amelia running around everywhere!  (I can barely even get my daily chores done!)  She likes to knock over piles of folded clothes and gets into EVERYTHING.  Our parents will visit us in December, so I'm hoping to get things finished up while I have them to watch Amelia!

January is just around the corner and I know these last 8 weeks will go by fast!  I had Amelia two weeks early, so if this little guy is like his sister, then I may have even less time!

Diva in Training

Amelia loves her "prettys" (pronounced: pree-dees).  Prettys are necklaces, headbands, bracelets, tiaras, and any kind of hair accessory.  This morning, she decided she needed at least three necklaces to complete her outfit.

She's getting really good at putting the necklaces on and off herself

OMG, I love this girl!

Snowsuit LOLs

Amelia's new snowsuit!  OMG, Jimmy and I couldn't stop laughing.  She looked like a giant marshmallow.  Amelia didn't want to take it off!  She loved running around in it and giggled non-stop.  Now all we need is some snow ;0)

Amelia's "Ading"

Ading in Ilokano means younger brother or sister.  Jimmy and I both have younger siblings, so really wanted Amelia to have at least one ading too.  I'm super excited to see Amelia and her baby brother interact.  I'm the big sister of my family, so am excited for Amelia to take on that role too. 

Siblings are the best and I can't imagine a life without my siblings or Jimmy's little sisters.  I am thankful to say that I have great relationships with both my siblings and Jimmy's.  I believe it changes the dynamic of any family for the better.  We cannot wait for Alex to arrive!

Amelia has been the center of our lives for the past 14 months.  I'm worried about how she'll react about sharing our attention with another baby.  More importantly, I'm worried about how to balance the two kids.

Again, I know these concerns are normal, but it's something I think about all the time.  From what I've been reading about the topic, Amelia is still too young to grasp the concept of having a younger sibling or being a big sister.  Sadly, there is very little we can do to prepare her for her baby brother.

Amelia and I do a lot of activities during the week and I know it will be more limited once Alex is born. I am just hoping I can figure out and efficient way to get them out of the house (by myself) once in a while.

Logistically, having two young children is going to be really difficult. I'm just trying to imagine myself doing simple things like getting them in and out of the car, coordinating nap and meal times, baths, and even just keeping them entertained all day. 

I am truly and excited for our little man to arrive.  I just hope everything falls into place!

Week 30

It's..... still a boy!  We got to see our little Alex this week via ultrasound.  I asked them to double check to make sure we were still having a boy ;0) 

I had to get a second ultrasound screening because my doctor wanted to make sure he was growing adequately.  Amelia was a tiny baby, so they wanted to make sure Alex was okay.  I'm happy to report that all is well!  Although he is measuring about a week too small, they are not concerned about his growth. 

My doctor said that if I were to go to term that he estimates Alex will be about 7-7.5 pounds.  That seems huge to me because Amelia was just 5.5 pounds at birth.

My doctor was also nice enough to give us a peak at Alex through the 3D and 4D ultrasound.  His hand is up against his face.

This week I took a second gestational diabetes test and failed.  I'm truly disappointed, but not surprised since I had GD with Amelia.  They want me to take the three hour test within the next few days to verify the diagnosis. 

If I fail the three hour test, then I will have to diet and cut out most carbs and sugars from my diet.  With all the yummy holiday food coming up, it's going to be tough.  I'll also have to prick my finger four times a day to check/monitor my blood sugar.  In addition, I'll be required to go into the hospital for weekly fetal monitoring. 

I want to do everything I can to make sure Alex is healthy, but this time around it's going to be more difficult to juggle a very specific diet and several medical appointments each week. I have to figure out what I'm going to do with Amelia!

Week 30

Week 30 w/Amelia

Nursery Decor

We finally put up Alex's name over his crib.  I wanted to make it similar to Amelia's  The nursery isn't quite finished yet, but I'll post pictures as soon as we're done!  We're not in any rush to finish it because he will sleep in our room for a few months ;0)



Visiting Daddy at Work

Amelia and I have been going to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center during the week to attend Mass at the hospital chapel.  After church, we have been meeting up with Jimmy for lunch and a visit.  Amelia and I just love seeing Jimmy during the day.  We look forward to it every week!

Halloween Fun: Four Down...

Three to go!!

We have been-busy-busy-busy this week with what seems to be never ending Halloween activities for Amelia!

We went to a birthday-Halloween party on Sunday, Tiny Tots Halloween activities at the community center on Tuesday, a Halloween play date/party on Wednesday, and the WAM all member Halloween party was last night.

Coming up is another WAM playgroup party today! On Sunday, we plan on taking Amelia to go trick-or-treating at the mall with friends and then on Monday, Halloween, we are going to the Fall Festival at Walter Reed.  On Halloween night we might just hit up a few houses of our friends.

Amelia is definitely getting use out of her kitty costume.  We've been busy, but she loves to run around, play with her friends, and wear her costume!  She is such a happy, active, and social baby/

WAM all members Halloween party:

Our WAM Playgroup...

my mommy BFFs and Amelia's BFFs

Drink break with daddy

Costume parade

Her costume is too long, so it look like she has broken ankles, ha ha ha.

Play Date Halloween Party with Dana and Baby Ryan:

Baby Talk Moms Group

Treats for mommies and babies

Nerd Face!

She was getting sweaty in her costume, so I took it off.  I love how her pigtails are squashed!

Our Baby Talk Moms group met at the community center for Halloween play time:

Patrick (monkey) and Amelia stacking cones