Friday, June 29, 2007

11 weeks down, 29 more to go

I did a dissmal job of journaling my last 2 pregnancies. I am taking this suprise third one as an opprotunity to write things down (and maybe take some pictures!). I love LOVE being pregnant and want to remember it forever.
So, here I am 11 weeks today and at this point? Not so enjoying it :( The morning sickness held off long enough that I though perhaps I would escape it this time. It appeared around 9 weeks - what the heck??? It has peeked this week. Yesterday was by far the worst day ever! Today, not so bad - no puking but then maybe I would feel better if I did (that didn't work yesterday but worked up until then). What settles my stomach seems to change daily. Some days salty snacks and other days sweet snacks. It is hit or miss and breakfast is always an interesting time for me. I generally bring 3 or 4 different things to work and try them all until something works. I hope that I am almost out of the woods on this. It went away around 14 weeks with Ryan and 18 weeks with Rachel.
I can feel my uterus now - above my pelvic bone but below my belly button. It feels about the size of a large softball which I think is about right for now. Some days I need maternity pants but I think that is more bloating than anything else.
I have some weird insomnia that I remember getting with Ryan. I can fall asleep fine but then I wake up around 4 and have the worst time sleeping after that. This means that I am ready to crawl under my desk by 2 most afternoons :)
Onions. Did you know that they are the weed of the devil? Seriously they are fatal to me right now! Even one little piece and I will have horrendous heart burn for hours. I just have to avoid them for the time being (which isn't hard since I don't really love them anyway). Oh and hot food is kind of grossing me out. All I want to eat are sandwiches and fruit. Too bad the deli meat is off limits for now :(
No belly pictures for now because you really don't need to see my left over pooch from kid A and kid B :)

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Ryan, the hot dog snob

We live in Rochester, NY. The city is known for Kodak mostly, but also for some serious hot dogs.
Zweigles to be more specific. Now, I am not a huge fan of hot dogs at all, but I will get one of these at the ballpark every summer because, after all, what's a ball game without a hot dog?
ANYWAY, when we got out to eat locally (and we go out a lot sadly) Ryan almost always gets a hot dog. They are almost always Zweigles.
For Rachel's party we bought a huge pack of hot dogs at B.J.s - since we had 50 people coming over. Last night I told Ryan we were having hot dogs (and all the other party leftovers) for dinner. He told me that he didn't want the "yucky" ones from Rachel's party! When I asked why they were yucky he said they just were and they were to tiny. I think he meant skinny!
My boy child - a true Rochestarian* :)

* He can also identify a Wegmans truck on the road as well as requesting Abbotts for ice cream :)

Monday, June 25, 2007

One finger old!

Yesterday was Rachel's BIG day and what a great day she had!!!
The weather couldn't have been better - 80's and sunny with just a little breeze - which is great considering that we had almost 50 people coming to our house! There was plenty of food and drinks (and cake, of course!). And no lack of presents for the princess. We had a pinata (or a pana as Ryan called it) for all the kids that were in attendance and I realized that the birthday Princess was the only girl at her party! She had a harem of boys ranging from 2 to 6 years old! Lucky girl :)




She got GREAT gifts - too many clothes, but I kind of expected that! From Mommy and Daddy she got a newborn Cabb*age P*atch, from Aunt Renee a sheep rocker, Aunt Kara bought her books and a footprint charm for her bracelet (since she will, God willing, start walking this year!).




Ryan made out well too! Rachel gave him a D*ora lego set, he got some clothes and the coolest Auntie ever gave him a S*piderman slip & slide. Rob just called me to tell me that Ryan was bugging him about playing with it and then went upstairs for a little bit. He came back down in his bathing suit! How cute is that????




In honor of becoming a big girl, Rachel decided that she could, in fact, sit herself up! After practicing all day Saturday, she is now a pro at it! Go, Baby Girl, Go!!!

Friday, June 22, 2007

Rachel's big birthday post!!!

Hard to believe that a year ago today I was meeting with neonatologists to discuss what the situation may be after I give birth and this morning I was lugging cupcakes to the sitter's to celebrate that birth!
It's been a hell of a year - the whole preemie thing still gets me and I find myself saying "well, she was a preemie" at least once or twice a week! I hate that! She is a beautiful baby girl regardless of what she can (or can't) do!
That reminds me - I never did write about her EI evaluation. Basically what is boiled down to was that she was on target for her adjusted age in every area EXCEPT her gross motor skills. She was on par with 6 month olds (she was 9 almost 10 months adjusted). The therapist said her joints are hypotonic (which means she is a loosey goosey to the hilt!). Fortunately they don't seem to think that it is a sign of anything more serious, most likely it is caused by a combination of developing w/out amniotic fluid for a while and genetics (I am freakishly flexible and was a late walker as well). So she qualifies for an hour a week of physical therapy.
In the 3 weeks she has been receiving the therapy she has started scootching! YAY for scootching! She has also gotten herself to a seated position twice but no one saw her do it! She was laying down and then she was sitting. It's like the proverbial tree falling in the woods!!!
So, in a nut shell here is Rachel at 1:
Rachel has been overly healthy! She has had one cold all year! That is it! Did the Synagis help? Maybe, but then Ryan is a pretty healthy kiddo as well. I just grow em that way I guess!
* FOOD! Loves anything and everything! Her favorites are strawberries, hamburgers, ice cream, watermelon, basically anything sweet. She was fully weaned at 11 months, had about 3 weeks of formula and then went to whole milk. She is indifferent to it really. If it's in the right cup she will suck it down, otherwise she could care less about it.
* about weaning: it was a slow process honestly. Around 9 months I cut out on of my 2 daily pumping sessions but still nursed her in the am and before bed. At 10 months I cut out the second one and at 11 months she was no longer showing an interest in nursing at all. I feel like we did a combo mommy/baby led weaning thing and it worked for us. She never acted like she needed it (but she's not an overly cuddly baby to begin with so I think she always viewed it as nutritional more than comforting). I am hapy with the whole thing. I never thought I'd nurse even close to that long anyway!
*SLEEP! Rachel is an angel sleeper! 2 naps, and down for the night at 7:30 - sleeps until 6:30. I can't complain. If only she could teach her brother how to do that!!!
Things she can do:
Sit unsupported (if you put her there)
clap
wave
bang things together (LOUDLY)
feed herself - she will occasionally entertain the thought of a spoon but fingers are faster and this girl loves her food!
SCREECH if she doesn't get her way :)
THings she can say:
Mommy
Ha (this means hat and is said as she is putting her bowl (usually full of food) on her head
No
Yayan - we are pretty sure this is Ryan as it is said when he is not around OR when he is annoying her!
So, all in all, pretty damn good for a 35 weeker who couldn't quite figure out the whole breathing thing a year ago, huh?

Rachel at 4 days old - off CPAP but still needing some O2

Rachel at 2 months still wearing preemie clothes

4 months on Halloween

Chubby at 6 months

A 9 month old Rachel Bunny!

A bathing beauty at almost 11 months

the most beautiful birthday girl in the WORLD!!!

Thursday, June 21, 2007

So much happening....



Alright - I still haven't made a final decision but for weeks I have been thinking about closing the blog. I never write anymore, I never have anything exciting to say, and well, I am boring.
I like blogging - I love reading blogs even more! If I could just sit down for 10 minutes every day and write I think I would be less overwhelmed by writing an entry.
The kids are doing so many amazing things that I really want to remeber that perhaps I should contine writing!
What the heck???
Now for our REALLY big news.....
I am, most unexpectantly and shockingly, PREGNANT!!! YUP! After finally deciding that our family of 4 was perfect, fate decided we should be a party of 5!!!
I'm due around mid-January (I will be 10 weeks tommorrow).
So I didn't write about this before because honestly, I wasn't very excited about it until recently. I was actually more upset and scared than anything. Now our families know and seem excited and I guess it has worn off on us, because we are pretty happy!
This changes everything - I need a bigger car (I am pretty sure 3 car seats won't fit in an Elantra!), if it is another girl the kids will have to swap rooms since Ryan's is much bigger and could accomodate 2 kids. All logistical I know. The one thing that we know we have enough of is love.
I am still freaked out though - Ryan will be just over 3 and Rachel will be 18 months when this one comes! YIKES! My new theory is to raise them like a liter of puppies! At least there will always be someone to play with, right?
So, those of you with 3 - what's it REALLY like?????