Naming Baby

Coming up with a name was so much more difficult for us this time, for whatever reason! We finally finalized our decisions over dinner at 38 weeks (and I made shirts to make them official):

The shirt was a bit snug on my big girl. :)

 #size0to3months #thinkagain 

Enough pictures, already! Feed me, woman!

The final decision was: Crosby Pete for a boy or Lenore Elaine for a girl.

Lenore Elaine
I've liked Lenore since we were pregnant with Lewis. I've seen it as Lenore, Leonore, Lenora, Elenore, Eleanora, etc. but I just like plain ol' Lenore.

• Meaning is 'Like a Lion' or 'Light, Torch, Bright.'
• I didn't initially realize it, but it's a form of Leona, which was my great-grandmother Webb's name.
• I don't know about a nickname, yet. I've heard Nori, but I don't think I can nickname my child the same as Kim Kardashian. :) I'd liked Leni years ago, but I've since gone away from that (and Kevin is very anti-Leni, so that was part of our agreement). :) I think we'll just stick with Lenore for now.
• We like how that it starts with an L, to go along with Lewis: Lewis and Lenore.

Elaine was Kevin's suggestion--he really likes Julia Louis Dreyfus, especially as Elaine Benes on Seinfeld. It was a first name contender for a while, but we decided to use it as a middle instead. And, an added reason, if you take the letters of my sister's name (Emily Diane) and put them in a letter blender, it kind of makes the name, Elaine. :)

Crosby Pete
Kevin is the one who suggested Crosby, and we both liked it for a number of reasons, even more so as time went on and we thought more about it.

• Meaning is 'Dweller by the town crossing.'
• Crosby Braverman (Dax Shepherd) from Parenthood, one of our favorite shows.
• Bing Crosby is in White Christmas, which is one of my (and my mom's and maybe my sister's?) favorite movies. I watch it every year as I put up the Christmas tree. My sister and I once did the Haynes' sisters' Sisters routine in a high school choir performance (because we are awesome). We go way back. :)
• Songs of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young have been with me, growing up, and with us, throughout our relationship. 
• Our House and Teach Your Children remind me of my childhood, hearing my parents sing around the house.
• Suite: Judy Blue Eyes is just a great song. 
• Kevin really likes Southern Cross.
• One of the absolute most fun days of my life was back in the summer of 2003 at Taste of Bloomington with Kevin and my sister and a friend, eating good food, drinking good beer, and dancing the conga line to Love the One You're With (covered by the band Bahama Llama). [Kevin would like to note that it's technically just a Stephen Stills song, not CSN/Y, but we still associate it with CSN/Y.]
• David Crosby has 'most awesome' hair, and given the crazy waves/curls between Kevin and I, we figure this child is bound to have some awesome hair, too.
• We like that it's two syllables, like Lewis, and we like the shortened version, Cros: Lew and Cros.

We went with Pete because, why not? We thought of using many other names and really went through the ringer with them, but we ultimately decided that Lewis Pete and Crosby Pete sounded right to us. Waycross (the source of the Jim Peters' story and Peter's namesake) is what brought us together, so we decided to just go with it.


So those are/were our names! I really, truly thought it was going to be a boy, based on how the pregnancy felt compared to Lewis' (very similar), but I had started to feel a greater connection to the name, Lenore, towards the end (and I told a few people that in the days leading up to the baby's arrival).

Lenore's Birth Story

When I left off on pregnancy updates, we were scheduled to be induced on Wednesday, 10/29 (40 weeks 5 days). Tuesday night, we packed our bags and went to bed, ready to wake up to call the hospital at 5am to check for bed availability. As long as there was a bed available, we were to check-in at 7am to start the induction.

Well, well, well...I woke up at 2:30am to pee, and, much to my surprise, as I stood up from bed and walked to the bathroom, my water broke!!!

I didn't know what to do at first--go back to bed? Walk around? I decided to call the hospital, and they instructed us to come on in since my water had broken. We took showers and finished packing our last-minute things and headed out. Check-in was smooth (we arrived a little after 3:30am), and we were put in lucky Labor & Delivery room 13.

The nurse was getting everything set up and ready for the induction--even though my water had broken, I wasn't in labor yet (labor is cervical change). I hadn't had any contractions, so they were going to start me on pitocin. The nurse checked me, and I was still just 1cm and the baby was still very high. She also seemed a bit unsure of what she was feeling when she checked me, head vs. butt, which of course made me anxious. She went and got the doctor, who did an ultrasound, and we instantly knew something was awry. 

Baby had flipped again, back to the transverse position. :( Head was up in my right ribs, and butt was pointing at my left hip, just as before. The doctor said that the baby would not be able to be born vaginally, due to its position. I asked about a version, if it was too late, and she said that was no longer an option--they have to have the waters intact to use as a cushion, and mine had already broken, counting me out. 

Before we knew it, anesthesia, baby nurses, etc. were all coming in to talk to us, and we quickly realized we needed to call the grandparents to get to the hospital asap. It was around 5:15am at this point, and the anesthesiologist told us we'd have a baby by 6am! (Our heads were spinning...)

We went into the operating room around 5:30, and baby was born at 6:06am. They let Kevin say what the gender was as they lifted her up over the drape--'It's a girl!' I think I said, 'WHAT? A girl?! WHAAAT?' (I think we both were convinced it was another boy.) We both started crying, and Kevin went over to watch her exam with the baby nurses. Her APGAR scores were 9 and 9, which is excellent. Meanwhile, I was still on the table getting sewed back together and trying to hear everything. And crying and smiling in disbelief.

After they finished with me, they moved us into an anesthesia recovery area. Kevin went out to the waiting room to tell his parents and my parents that it was a girl and her name and stats, and then Lewis came back into recovery to meet Lenore. I think we were in there around an hour, and then they moved us over to Mother/Baby.

In the course of that day morning, I went from being elated about going into labor on my own (or what I thought would be labor), to great disappointment in having to have a c-section. The pain is no joke, but hopefully it gets better soon. The whole day was so fast-moving and a blur, but we've all come out of it healthy and happy (and sleepy) on the other side.

Lenore Elaine Thompson

Born 10/29/14 at 6:06am

10 pounds, 1 ounce

21.25 inches

40+ Weeks: Baby's Been Served

40 Weeks 2 Days with Baby #2

(3 Days Before Induction)

41 Weeks with Lewis

(Day of Induction...2 Days Before Birth)

We are officially into extra time now, and this baby has an eviction plan in place. At my appointment last Friday (my official due date), things remained unchanged, so we moved on to discuss induction. Of course, she wanted to give the baby a chance to come on its own, and she again said I could go to 41 weeks (which is Halloween). She asked if I wanted a Halloween baby, which I do not, so Wednesday (tomorrow) is the day (40 weeks 5 days). She isn't on call anytime in the near future, so we are going to be with one of her partners who she was able to get to cover our case (and his on call day is Wednesday). I've seen, and been induced at, 41 weeks 2 days with Lewis, and who knows if this one would stay put that long if we let him/her. At this point, I feel like no, definitely not...he/she will never, ever be born. Ever. :)

Thankfully, I have had plenty of time to complete everything on my to do list (and then some!). I was feeling sentimental about the end of pregnancy and the end of life with 'just' Lewis, but I am ready now. 

Note: I did just get sad, reading to him at nap time, realizing it would be our last time to do so without also having a baby to tend to. I am not totally jaded/cold-hearted. :)

Lewis and I have a cold, which is great timing. His is worse than mine (and I caught mine from him). He had a fever Thursday, so I called my parents to come down and start their pre-baby stay with us (on Friday). He had to miss school Friday, and he might have to miss tomorrow, too, depending on how he's doing this afternoon after nap. The fever has been off/on since Thursday, along with a cough, runny nose, being hoarse, fussy, puny, etc. I finally took him to the doctor yesterday to make sure it isn't an ear infection, and it is not. The doctor said it's just an upper respiratory thing, but she went ahead and prescribed an antibiotic, in case there is an infection and to try to help it along faster with baby #2's impending arrival. 

Unfortunately, it has affected his sleeping. He woke up at 3:15 Monday morning, rearing to go--I heard him taking off his PJs and opening his drawers to change into comfy clothes, but I was able to go in and sleep with him until a more reasonable 7:30am. This morning was not as nice--he was up at 4am and he (and I) stayed up. Kevin took a while falling back asleep, too, so, we're all a mess, just in time for the new baby! Hooray! I did catch a nap today while my parents took Lew to open gym, and I'll try to (ha!) go to bed early tonight. I guess we have many more sleepless nights ahead, so why not get a head start?

I have some fall festival pictures from the weekend to post, and then the next will be about the new baby! (Finally!)

38 Weeks and a Bump Picture

I thought I should go ahead and take another bump picture, JUST in case I go into labor this week! Adie, who was due two days after me, just had her baby boy on Saturday evening, so it's really starting to set in now that I'm next! Our comrade, Julia, who was due 3 weeks ahead of us, had her baby girl a few weeks ago, too, so I'm the last one standing.

38 weeks with Baby Two

38 weeks with Lewis

I went back to the doctor today and have had no changes since last week. Still 1cm and baby is still way up high. (aka I'm never having this baby!) :) I go back next Friday, so maybe between now and then, something will happen. One can hope! :)

Week 37: Back to Normal

Yesterday was a very normal, quick, uneventful appointment with my primary doctor. She said she was 'happily surprised' to learn that the baby turned on its own from the transverse position. In her experience, at least, she said that they (transverse babies vs. breech babies) tend to stay put, especially that far into pregnancy. So WAY TO GO, baby. High five to you when you eventually make your entrance!

She did say that there is always a chance it could still get out of position again since I have 'plenty' of fluid, but she thinks it will stay put at this point.

I'm still only 1cm dilated, so I feel more calm about things now. Last week, I started to wonder if I was going to go early, but now I feel like I still have pleeeeenty of time (like with Lewis). 

Back next Monday!


I do have some 'real' posts to post, too, when I make the time to do so. I'm working on Lewis' Halloween costume and freezer meals this week, so I'll try to post this weekend.

Week 36: So Happy, Relieved, etc.

Yes, baby had his/her face turned away from the camera again and would not budge for a glimpse at the profile, BUT...

Baby is head down!!!

So exciting! The ultrasound tech said that he/she is laying on its side (but vertical), with its head turned to the side (towards my back). She also pointed out (again) how much hair the baby has. It is REALLY active and has plenty of fluid in which to move, so there is a chance it could turn again. The doctor said that contractions (I had some on Saturday) will only help move the baby downward and make it less likely it will flip.

He/She was playing with its feet during the ultrasound, grabbing onto its toes. It also stretched an arm out really long and sort of waved to us. Too cute. We got to see the chest rising/falling, too, which the tech said is good to see--practicing its breathing. The only pictures we got were of the hair (which is just a white blur) and a foot (which doesn't look very clear at all), so I'm not going to scan them in.

I am also 1cm dilated, which is something totally new to me! I was never dilated at all with Lewis until the induction at 41 weeks, so I fully expected to get the same report this time around. I am curious/uncertain now to see how things progress!

Back next Monday!


Oh, and...
We have come to a consensus on some names that we both actually like and could live with--we are down to THREE boy possibilities and FOUR girl possibilities. That is progress for us. :)

35 Week Update: Baby Knows What's Up? Or Down?

I went to meet the new doctor yesterday, and he said that the baby is no longer sideways (transverse)! That could be a great thing (if he/she is head down) or a not-so-great thing (if he/she is breech). It's unnerving not to know WHICH end is up/down, but at least he/she is on the move!

We go back on Monday for another ultrasound to check the position, the amount of amniotic fluid, and the baby's size. If it's head down, I can relax and will be returned to my primary doctor for the duration. If it's breech, the new doctor will give his opinion of how successful the version would be, based on size and amount of fluid. From what I've read online, transverse babies are a lot easier/more successful to flip since they're already halfway around the turn (vs. breech babies that have to go 180 degrees). The c-section is still an option, too, but I'd like to avoid that as much as possible.

I've done my exercises this week at home when the baby is active, and I definitely felt the baby making big movements a few times. Mostly, I lay on my back with my legs up on the couch for 15-20 minutes...Lewis likes to sit on my feet while I'm doing that and Hattie is usually nearby, wanting to be petted. Because, why else would I be laying on the the ground, but to give her lovins?? :) I will stop the exercises now until after our appointment on Monday because I don't want to move it if it's in the proper position.

I'll update again on Monday! Maybe we'll actually get to see the baby's face this time!

34 Week Update

Back of the Head

At my 20 week ultrasound, the baby was breech (which is no big deal, so was Lewis at that point). My doctor had scheduled an ultrasound for 34 weeks to see if he/she had flipped, so today was the day. Unfortunately, this baby did not cooperate like Lewis had at this point--this one is sideways (transverse). The head is up in my right ribs (as I've thought it's felt like for months) and the butt is pointing at my left hip. [Side note: I can do sort of a Stupid Human Trick--if I push on the head, it dances/kicks down at my belly button. It's nice to know which body parts are which now. :)]

My doctor gave me three options: to do nothing, schedule a C-section, or do a version (external cephalic version), where they physically try to push the baby (from the outside) to the head down position. She said that the do nothing plan was not really a plan at all, and she wants to avoid a C-section since I've already given birth the old-fashioned way. Since I have plenty of fluid, have already had a child, and the baby is already halfway there (not fully breech), she said I'm an 'ideal' candidate for the version, so we decided to go with that.

In the meantime, I do have some stretches to do at home to try to get it to flip, but if those don't work, the version will be happening in two weeks. I'm nervous about it because I just had a friend describe hers to me, and it was like worst case scenario all the way. BUT, she was full term and it was her first baby and the cord was involved and so on...my doctor was pretty reassuring about the whole thing today.

My doc does not actually do versions (she said she's tried in the past, but has been unsuccessful), so I'm going next week to meet one of the two doctors in the practice who does do them. He will talk to me about it and then schedule it for the following week (if it's still necessary). If it doesn't work, they will schedule a C-section for later on. If it does work, I get to go home and go about things as normal until I go into labor (assuming I go into labor on my own this time).

The baby was also turned away from the camera, so all we got were back-of-the-head shots. :) The ultrasound tech was able to show us that the baby has a full head of hair, so that was cool to see. Otherwise, everything looks fine, I guess.

Lewis the Truest, Vol. XIII

Lewis went out to Huber's with Grandma and Grandpa T. last week, and they took a tractor ride around the farm. As the driver of the tractor was moving from the paved road to the field, she said something like, 'Hold on! It'll be bumpy!' Later, Lewis was driving a wooden tractor play structure (non-moving) with Grandma as his passenger, and he said:

Lewis: Hold on! It'll be bumpy!

----------


Lewis is going to break an arm soon, I have a feeling. The past week or two, he's been very big on:

Lew: Watch this, Mama! OR Look at me, Mama!

Followed by a jump off the couch, a WWE-esque fall to the ground, or an accidental faceplant off of a chair (these things have all happened). Bad choices. 

Gymnastics should hopefully help fine-tune his tumbling/furniture-diving skills to minimize injury. :)

----------

On the way to camp/school the other day, Lewis noticed a man using a weed whacker along the side of the road:

Lewis: That guy was working?
Me: Yes.
Lewis: He was using a weed whacker.
Me: Yes, he was.
Lewis: I want to use a weed whacker ONE DAY when I grow up.
Me: Oh, I bet you will use one at your house, just like Dada does.
Lewis: At my house?
Me: Yes, one day you will grow up and get a job and a car and your very own house. And you'll have to do things to take care of it, like mow the yard and take your dogs for a walk.
Lewis: I'M GOING TO GET TWO BABY DOGGIES!
Me: You are, are you?
Lewis: Ohhh, they're going to be so cute. (as he fake snuggles his future/imaginary puppies) I'm going to get TWO of them, and I'm going to get TWO CAR SEATS, and I'm going to take them TO THE ZOO!

He's got plans, yes, he does. :) My sweet boy.

----------

On the way home from school the other day, Lewis noticed a neighborhood across the street from his school and started talking about it:

Lew: What's down that road, Mama?
Me: Oh, it's a neighborhood. Where people live.
Lew: Some of my teachers live over there. And my boys. And ME!
Me: Oh, really?
Lew: Yea, there are BIGGER houses over there. We need a BIGGER house. Our house is too small. Our KITCHEN is too small. We need a BIGGER KITCHEN! 

:)

Gee, I wonder where he got that idea? ;) I may or may not have grumbled mentioned a few times in past few weeks how small our kitchen is and how I feel our house is closing in on us. It's especially awesome on school days, when I'm making Lew's breakfast and packing his lunch while Kevin is making his own breakfast and lunch. Sometimes Peter and Hattie come in to hang out, too...Hattie, especially, likes to hang out right under our feet so we have a maximum chance of grazing her and making her yelp out like it's the end of the world. It's good times, let me tell you!

Also, between moving/relocating things from the office/guest room, getting things ready for Lewis to move to his new room, and pulling things out of the very full storage room for the baby, things have been a bit crazy all over the house. Piles o' stuff everywhere. Kevin informed me that almost 8 mos. pregnant is NOT a good time to think about moving (he's always so rational), so I will keep plugging along at bringing order back to the house. 

And daydreaming about that house with a bigger kitchen...

What's in a Name?

We still, at 31 weeks pregnant, do not have a name picked out for a girl or a boy. [Although, when I put it that way, it seems like we have TONS of time.] :) I kind of thought we'd settled on one of each, but Kevin made a comment last night about how we DON'T have them, so we clearly need to have some further discussions. :) I'd written this post a long while back about how we came to Lewis' name, so I thought I'd share now:

----------

When it came time to decide on a name for Lewis, it took us a really long time. We poured over books and computer print-outs on car trips, making lists of possibilities. I used all of the baby name generator websites I could find, like if you like Name A and Name B, then maybe you might like one from this list of 20 names like those names. We eliminated the vast majority and came up with a small final-ish list we were thinking through.

It wasn't until I thought I MIGHT be having contractions one night that we finally made our final boy and girl pick: Lewis Pete for a boy, Harper Adele for a girl (and her initials would be HAT and she could go by Hattie if she so chose). :) I think that we technically finalized the names a few weeks before I was finally induced, but we didn't tell a soul, which was fun.

A few things about Lewis and how his name came to be:

**I had a Grandma Lou (my dad's mom, Ladosca), and I didn't really think we were naming him after her at the time. Now that we call him Lew quite a lot, it seems like the universe meant for it to be. He would've loved her, especially going to her house to be spoiled with penny candy and peanut butter fudge. :)

**We liked the name Lewis because if he plays sports, it will sound awesome when the crowd yells LEWWWW!

**I remember adding Lewis to the final-ish list after seeing a kid working at Panera named Lewis and thinking he seemed like a good kid. [I know, my process was so scientific.]

**I had a student named Louis when I was teaching (an 8th grader who couldn't read...that's pretty much all I remember about him), and he was one of many who broke my heart, so he might have had a little influence on me liking the name.

**I love the show Flipping Out, about interior designer Jeff Lewis. (I didn't think of that until after he was born and named.)

**We made it clear from the start that he is not Lew-ey, and most everyone has obliged. :) There were a few slip-ups early on, but now everyone calls him Lewis or Lew or Lewis Pete.

And Pete:

**Pete, of course, is for our dog Peter. Our first 'baby' together, our first love of another living thing. Also, the best dog in the world. ;) 

**We thought Lewis Pete had a better ring to it than Lewis Peter. And if we go way back, originally, Peter was named for a counselor from Waycross folklore, Jim Peters. He is rumored to live in the woods and sneak in at night to steal a little youth from campers while they're sleeping--giving himself more youth and leaving the kids seeming a little older when their parents pick them up from the week at camp. :)

----------

So we're still working on what will be right for this boy or girl. Kevin has made it clear that Hattie will not be a contender for a girl, so poor Hattie Girl won't have a namesake. That's okay, though. I have nine whole weeks to convince him otherwise. Haha. ;)

Pregnancy Musings

My doctor's appointment went well this week--I am measuring on target now vs. 'big' last month, so that's good to know. The biggest news this time was that I PASSED my 1-hour glucose screening!! I failed it last time (with Lewis), so I was nervous that I'd fail again and have to sit through the terrible 3-hour test again. I had to be below 135, and I got like 83 or 85 (yay!). I was so relieved to hear that--my doctor and her assistant were cheering with me, after I'd told them both how nervous I was that I wasn't going to pass. I go back in TWO WEEKS! 

Kevin and I had an oh $%&@, we-have-entered-the-every-two-week-appointment-mark moment. We'd better get more serious about preparations!

**********

While I don't think I had that many specific cravings when I was pregnant with Lewis, I remember having very strong, very specific food aversions last time (i.e. Chinese food, hamburgers, cheese, etc.). They started in the first trimester and lasted the entire pregnancy and beyond. 

This time around, it's sort of been the opposite. There have been aversions (pure maple syrup, most fast food, etc.), but I've had (mostly brief) time periods of cravings, too, which I wanted to try to remember and list:

The Bread phase (aka all of the 1st trimester)
The Dip Cone phase
The Simply Raspberry Lemonade phase
The Jimmy John's phase
The Root Beer phase
The Mashed-Potatoes-and-Brown-Gravy phase
The Tootsie Pop phase
The Water phase
The Raw Fruit and Vegetable phase
The Cole Slaw phase
The Burger phase
The Vanilla Diet Coke phase (ongoing)
The Butterfinger Blizzard phase (ongoing)

And I *still* have 11 weeks to go!

A Little Bump Comparison at 28 1/2 ish Weeks

Kevin finally forced me to take a belly picture today, which I guess I should thank him for.

28  1/2 ish weeks with Baby #2

30 Weeks with Lewis

This pregnancy is chugging right along, and, until just a few days ago, I have done absolutely nothing to get the house ready! I knew we had plans to have Emily, Juniper, and Otis down, so I wanted to leave the guest room (Lew's future room) intact until their visit was over. We did decide one night last week to go ahead and move the office space out of the guest room, which didn't go quite as planned. I'd had the cable company out to add a cable outlet, which went fine, but Kevin and I broke the computer desk as we tried to move it downstairs ourselves. We set everything up temporarily on my old sewing table, so we just need to move it over to the new desk. [which we got yesterday and Kevin assembled today]

If moving the office was Step 1 (fail), Step 2 would have been to move the queen guest bed downstairs to the basement in a newly created Bedroom #4 (by moving some big bookshelves to partition off a space in our large basement). Upon realizing that the computer desk wouldn't fit down the stairs, we realized/decided that that queen box spring wouldn't either, so we're no longer doing Step 2. Plus, we don't have that many guests, so we can just use an air mattress when need be. I guess Step 2 can still be redeemed by just moving the bed out of the house and calling to have it picked up for donation (it's a really old bed).

Our next steps will be to assemble the new dresser we got for Lew's new room and to decide whether or not we want to paint an accent wall in his room. I got THE CUTEST bedding yesterday at IKEA, so I feel I have much better direction for the rest of the room. Lew has camp this week, so I hope to get a lot accomplished while he is there. After we get him moved into his new room, we'll have him help us set up the nursery with what was in there before.

**********

Back to the pregnancy itself, having only 12 weeks left sure seems hard to believe. I remember feeling like the nausea would never end, yet now that seems so long ago. Everything is going well--last month, the doctor did say I'm measuring big, but she said that I just have big babies. I go back this week for the regular monthly appointment and glucose test, and then I think I start going every two weeks.

It IS kicking my butt a little more this time around! Over the past few weeks, I've had some back pain on one side of my body and hip pain on the other side. That makes for some funny hobbling around at times, but for the most part, I'm still getting around ok. I did 5 weeks of prenatal yoga through the hospital where I'll deliver, but that ended towards the end of June (before I was really having any aches and pains). I tried doing a prenatal yoga DVD I'd picked up at Goodwill, but the instructor was whack and went at a much faster pace than I'd prefer. Instead, I'm just trying to do stretches and am still figuring out the proper pillow placement for sleeping. Hopefully those things will help.

Our September and October are looking semi-busy, so the goal is to get Lewis' room and the nursery both together this month. Mostly so that they're finished, but also so that Lewis has plenty of time in his new space before the baby's arrival (so he doesn't feel kicked out). He seems pretty excited about moving into the bigger room, so hopefully the transition goes smoothly.

Pool Time and The Belly at the Beach

Thursday we switched things up and went to the pool in the morning instead of the beach. Such rebels, I know. :) It was really nice to slow down and only have to make a few decisions a day...beach or pool, lunch out or dinner out, nap or no nap, etc.

Lewis' favorite spot all week was the pool--he loved playing with the other kids, mostly. Some weren't interested in playing with him, while others were very sweet. There was a particularly sweet brother-sister who spent a long while asking him every question under the sun, all age-appropriate (favorite color, food, drink, best friend, etc.). He happily answered them while Kevin and I eavesdropped and giggled at his answers.

There were some sweet sisters who invited him to play a game (fetching rings in the water) with them the last day, too, which he enjoyed. He also told anyone who would listen that he had gone to the battleship and on a boat ride (and later in the week, the train museum). He was happy as could be, floating around and chatting people up. It made me happy to see him so happy. :)

 The pool had a nice shallow entry, so we were able to sit in the water (to stay cool) and sun ourselves while Lewis swam around. 

 Snack Time

:)

After nap that day, we headed down to the beach to try to get some belly pictures. We'd taken some at 16 weeks at the Pacific Ocean (on our trip to L.A.), so I wanted to get one of this one at 22 weeks at the Atlantic.

16 weeks in Malibu

22 Weeks in Surf City

'twas just a little bit windy!

 Water collection is serious business.

We planned to play at the beach some that evening, but the wind was blowing so hard, sand was pelting us. :( We hit up the pool, instead.

Lewis was pretty tired by the end of the day, so Kevin carried him back to the condo:

 My sweet boy and his dad. :)

20 Week Ultrasound

Today was our big ultrasound, and thankfully everything looks great! The baby is breech, just like Lewis was at this point, but it's nothing to be concerned with right now. The ultrasound tech was great about telling us when to look away so that she didn't accidentally reveal whether it's a she or a he. :) She (the tech) said that he/she has very BIG feet, which is no surprise. Baby T. was flipping around quite a bit during the ultrasound, making it difficult to get the needed measurements at times, but eventually all was good. He/She is measuring spot on with our 'due date' (still using that term very loosely so as not to pin myself down). :) The pictures are a little bit blurrier than they were with Lewis, but hopefully you can still make out the general idea:

 Profile

 Looking straight on at the face

You can see the eye sockets, nose (white lines), and mouth (open) and little chin. Baby also yawned during the ultrasound, which was adorable. :)

Those big feet!

Here We Go Again

At last, Lewis is going to be a big brother! We're due in late October, which could be well into November if it's anything like the first time around. Please, let it not be. :)

We are not going to find out the gender again--that wonder and anticipation was just too great last time. It's a lot harder to look at names this time (AS IF we could complicate things even more than the first time around). Instead of just plucking one out of the millions, we now have to choose something that sounds right with Lewis' name. I've started my own lists, but Kevin and I haven't really discussed them together yet. We need to take a road trip--that was our prime name-discussion time when we were expecting Lewis.

I think I felt more nauseous this time than with Lewis. Either that, or I've become more of a wimp. I never did actually toss my cookies, but I felt like it many, many days, from about week 6 until week 10 or 11. The heartburn was terrible in the 1st trimester, too, but hasn't been bad for a few weeks now. I'm sure it will be back in the 3rd.

I've had very specific aversions again, I think moreso than last time. I'm eating a lot of toast. :) The main one was/has been pure maple syrup (makes me nauseous just typing this!!)--my first day of feeling nauseous was at the maple syrup festival, and I had to throw out the cotton candy, maple nut goodies, and jug of syrup because I just.couldn't.take looking at it. 

I've been REALLY tired from very early on, but that has gotten better. I have taken quite a few naps while Lewis naps. When I was nauseous and tired, it was kind of awful.

I started feeling movements WAY earlier this time--around 11 weeks, I think? It might have just been muscles and organs being shifted around, but it sure seemed like little flutters. Since the 13 weeks mark, I've for sure been feeling regular little kicks and punches. At our ultrasound last week, it was neat to see the kicks on the screen and correlate them with what I'm feeling. 

I think that's all to say. Feeling good now, energy is back, getting things done.

Still Pregnant

Well, here it is...6 days past my due date. Still pregnant.

We are scheduled to be induced tomorrow evening. I am still hopeful that, by some minor miracle, the baby will decide to come on its own between now and then.

At our last doctor's appointment, we had an ultrasound, non-stress test, and regular appointment with Dr. Brown. The ultrasound showed that everything looked good: movements, heart rate, amniotic fluid level, and placenta. Baby's head was still high. The current estimated weight was 8 lbs., 15 oz., plus or minus a pound. And baby will gain an ounce a day at this point.

Non-stress test was also fine. Heart rate and movements were good--baby had the hiccups most of the time. My stomach was twitching like crazy.

During our appointment, we found out we are finally 1 cm dilated. Whoo freakin' hoo. Dr. Brown expressed some concern over the baby's size. She has said all along that she would not let us go past 41 weeks, so we went ahead and decided to schedule the induction for this Sunday/Monday (even though she'll be out of town). She warned us that first babies, big babies, and induced babies can all set us up for a c-section. We both understand that we have to do what we have to do to get the baby out, but we really want to avoid a c-section if at all possible.

Now that we are just a day away, I am getting nervous. I kind of want to cancel the induction and see if we'll go on our own, but I know that I am just putting off the inevitable. Dr. Brown has told us that after 41 weeks, the rate of stillbirth increases steadily, so we don't want to get into that danger zone. Also, the longer the baby is inside, the bigger it will grow and the greater the chance for meconium inside the amniotic sac.

So, it is best to go ahead. I've already walked the dogs a few miles this morning. I think I'll find some lunch and take another walk this afternoon. Almost there...