Lima Bean: Thirty Nine Weeks

How far along: Thirty nine weeks as of Wednesday, July 9, 2014.  I didn't think I would make it to this post, but here we are, and Lima Bean doesn't seem to be in a hurry to speed things along.  I also look huge in this dress (and in everything I wear, probably).  But I actually lost a couple of pounds from my 38 week appointment to my 39 week appointment, although it probably had more to do with the clothes I was wearing or the scale than anything.  It made me feel good to see the number drop rather than go up, for the first time since I began weighing myself with this pregnancy.
Size of baby: Lima Bean is about 20 inches from head to heel and weighs a little more than 7 pounds. 
Maternity Clothes: Yes.
Movement: Still going strong, which is a relief.  It's something I really pay attention to, given that Henry's movements had slowed considerably the day my water broke.  Lima Bean is still very active, though.
Sex of baby: It's a girl!
Sleep: Still pretty bad.  I have resorted to sleeping on the couch in the living room, where it is cooler.  This change has helped my sleep some because I don't feel as itchy.  But sleep is still not great.
What I miss: Still sleep, not having a rash all over my legs and stomach.
Cravings: Scrambled eggs, potato chips.  I pretty much eat what I want at this point.
Symptoms: The rash is still present, although it is more tolerable, especially on my stomach, after using Grandpa's Pine Tar soap.  Lots of women with PUPPPS have sworn by the stuff on online forums, and it really has made the stomach rash much more tolerable.  I shower with it at least twice a day, and now, unless I am in the sun or too hot inside, I don't itch too badly.  I also had some cramping yesterday for several hours, which I thought could be the start of labor, but I think it was just dehydration.  No cramps at all today, and I don't even have that many Braxton Hicks.
What I'm looking forward to: Meeting Lima Bean and seeing what she looks like.  I am so excited.

Extras: I don't go to the doctor until Monday, so no word on progress. 

Lima Bean: Thirty Eight Weeks

How far along: Thirty eight weeks as of Wednesday, July 2, 2014.  This was as far as I got in Henry's pregnancy in terms of documenting the pregnancy weekly.  My water broke at exactly 39 weeks and Henry was born 27 hours later.  Maybe Lima Bean will make it a repeat and I will go into labor tomorrow?  One can dream! (Note, Lima Bean, I said labor, not just water breaking--I need contractions!)
Size of baby: Lima Bean is over 19.5 inches from head to heel, the size of a leek, and weighs about 6.8 pounds. 
Maternity Clothes: Yes.
Movement: Lima Bean is a mover and a shaker!
Sex of baby: It's a girl!
Sleep: Horrible, horrible, horrible.  Between my bladder and an awful rash (see below), I barely sleep anymore and haven't for a few days.
What I miss: Sleep.
Cravings: Potato salad (made it homemade so I didn't have a listeria concern and it was delish!), turkey burgers, scrambled eggs.
Symptoms: The rash on my legs that I thought was an allergy got progressively worse, despite prescription steroid cream.  It's now dark red and splotchy on my left leg, although it doesn't itch as badly as it did.  Then, the rash began spreading.  It's now all over my abdomen and is moving up my neck.  My OB thinks that it is pregnancy-related--there is something called PUPPPS that affects something like 1/200 pregnancies--aren't I lucky?!  If that is the case, I am praying that it disappears pretty immediately after Lima Bean is born, because it is just miserable.  I tried a second prescription steroid but it didn't help.  I also purchased Grandpa's Pine Tar soap, which is supposed to help.  It helps for the duration of its use, but not at all afterward.  At this point, I am just counting the days until Baby Girl arrives.  I hate that I can't enjoy the time I have with Henry more, but it's hard when I am so uncomfortable.  I especially dread the nights because I know I won't get any sleep. 
What I'm looking forward to: Having this baby girl and hoping that with her birth, this rash will disappear.

Extras: Barely any more progress to report.  Some, but not so much that I think Lima Bean will arrive much, if any, before her due date.

Henry's Birthday By the Hour

Last year on his birthday, I decided to take a photo of Henry every hour, and I am planning to do that for every birthday.  It will be so much fun to look back years from now and see how he has grown and changed.

Here are this year's photos:

8:00 a.m. 
Hanging out in the living room with Rowan and looking for the "cycle truck" out the window!  Ignore the nose/hand prints.  I cleaned the windows for Henry's birthday party a few days prior, but it took the boy and the dog no time to scuff them up again!

9:00 a.m.
Arriving at gymnastics class. We got there 30 minutes early so we could get a pancake breakfast at McDonalds first.  I love taking Henry to McDonalds for breakfast.  It is a sweet time for us to share pancakes and talk about what's on Henry's mind (usually trucks!)

10:00 a.m.
Gymnastics class fun!  Henry loves gymnastics class and talks about it all week.  It's funny, because he calls all of the other kids "babies," but he, of course, is "Hehy," and I doubt he considers himself a baby!  But he will comment, for instance, when discussing the trampoline, that it was "Hehy's turn" and then "baby's turn."  Ha!  

11:00 a.m.
Home from class and enjoying a yogurt snack before naptime!

12:00 p.m.
Gotta get my beauty rest!  With monkey, of course.

1:00 p.m.
Still snoozing.  He woke up about ten minutes after I snapped this photo and we had lunch.

2:00 p.m.
After a wardrobe change, playtime before heading to the city to meet up with Daddy!

3:00 p.m.
On the metro heading to meet Daddy to walk around and get some "i-ceam!"  Henry loved taking the metro and was fairly awestruck.  He has been on it a couple of times before, once when he was too young to remember and once a few months ago, but this time he really seemed to enjoy it.

4:00 p.m.
Break from strolling around the city to enjoy frozen yogurt!  You can't tell at all that that's what we're doing here, unfortunately, so you'll have to take my word for it.  Henry loved it, of course.

5:00 p.m.
Back at home, with Daddy in tow!  It was pretty hot this day, so we didn't last too long walking around in the concrete jungle of the city.

6:00 p.m.
More playtime before dinner.  You can see Henry's favorite "cycle truck" in the background.

7:00 p.m.
Birthday "cuppy-cake."  Grandma Linda and Dago were on Facetime singing the birthday song to Henry!

8:00 p.m.
Helping Daddy construct his big gift from Mommy and Daddy: his very own trampoline!

Enjoying a few jumps before hitting the hay.

Henry had a great birthday, and we had a great time celebrating with him! 

Two.

On June 26, 2014, our sweet Henry Cole turned TWO.  How is that even possible?!

Enjoying his favorite food, "i-ceam."

Henry, at two, is an absolute joy (most of the time!) and I feel so very fortunate to have such a wonderful, loving, smart, silly boy in my life.  Pretty sure Daddy feels the same.

Every day, I look at this little boy who made me a mama and think that I couldn't love him any more if I tried.  He is the best.  I have moments of anxiety where I feel badly that he's going to have to share my attention with Lima Bean and I worry that our relationship will change, but I know that my heart will only grow larger when she arrives and they won't have to share any of my love.  There is enough of that to go around!  And I know also that we will still have our "Mommy and Henry" favorite things--reading in the glider before naptime and bedtime, trips to McDonalds for pancakes, walks through the neighborhood.  I cherish those moments and memories so much, and I know that Henry does, too.

Happy two years, Henry.  Can't wait to see what this year brings!

Lima Bean: Week Thirty Seven

How far along: Thirty seven weeks as of Wednesday, June 25, 2014.  Officially "early term!"
Size of baby: Lima Bean is a little over 19 inches from head to heel, the size of a Swiss chard, and weighs about 6 1/3 pounds. 
Maternity Clothes: The top in the photo isn't a maternity shirt, funnily enough.  But you can see it's looking a bit short in the front :-)
Movement: Lima Bean is a mover and a shaker!
Sex of baby: It's a girl!
Sleep: Ugh.  Not good at all.  Not only do I wake multiple times a night to use the bathroom, but I managed to get another rash this week, this time all over both legs.  I am fairly certain it is an allergic reaction to a new lotion I used on my legs after shaving.  The pregnancy hormones don't help matters.  The rash itches like the devil, so sleep was hard to come by. 
What I miss: Sleep.
Cravings: Macaroni and cheese, which I didn't give into.
Symptoms: Exhaustion, general feelings of discomfort.  When I have Braxton Hicks contractions now, they are somewhat painful.  I think it's because there is decreased amniotic fluid to absorb the movements.  I don't remember feeling so uncomfortable at the end of Henry's pregnancy.  Either I blocked it out or it's just harder this go around with a toddler to look after.
What I'm looking forward to: Meeting Lima Bean soon!

Extras: I have made some progress!!  Not much, and it doesn't necessarily mean anything, but it made me feel better regardless.  Hoping Lima Bean chooses to arrive on her own initiative sometime in the beginning of week 39. 

Lima Bean: Week Thirty Six

How far along: Thirty six weeks as of Wednesday, June 18, 2014. 
Size of baby: Lima Bean is over 18.5 inches from head to heel, the size of a head of romaine lettuce, and weighs almost 6 pounds. 
Maternity Clothes: Of course.
Movement: Lima Bean is a mover and a shaker!
Sex of baby: It's a girl!
Sleep: Starting to have sleep issues--just waking up too often and have some trouble getting back to sleep.  I did not have this problem in Henry's pregnancy, so it's a bit of a bummer.  Plus, I managed to get poison ivy on my right arm (I think from Rowan--thanks, Rowan), and it woke me up itching for a few days.
What I miss: The freedom to eat whatever I want.
Cravings: Salads still.  At least it's a healthy craving!
Symptoms: Starting to feel exhausted all of the time.  Also, I am generally uncomfortable and have more aches and pains than ever before.
What I'm looking forward to: Meeting Lima Bean soon!

Extras: No progress at the appointment this week.  It's safe to say I was disappointed, even though I don't want Lima Bean to arrive for another couple of weeks.  I had been having some shooting pains low in my abdomen and I thought they were a sign that Lima Bean was starting to consider coming.  But nada.  I felt discouraged, but at least I have another few weeks to go to make some progress.

Lima Bean: Week Thirty Five

How far along: Thirty five weeks as of Wednesday, June 11, 2014. 
Size of baby: Lima Bean is over 18 inches from head to heel and weighs about 5.25 pounds.  Next week I start visiting my doctor weekly--we are reaching the finish line here.
Maternity Clothes: I think everything is maternity at this point, save for one maxi dress and a long tunic or two.
Movement: Lima Bean is a mover and a shaker!
Sex of baby: It's a girl!
Sleep: About the same.
What I miss: Nothing in particular this week.
Cravings: Salads, summer fruit like pineapple (which I really shouldn't eat because it hurts my stomach but I do anyway because it's so darn good) and peaches.
Symptoms: Getting a little more uncomfortable, but no real issues.
What I'm looking forward to: Seeing whether any "progress" has been made at next week's appointment.  I really want this baby to come on her own so I don't need a repeat c-section.