36 weeks

As I move to weekly midwife appointments, I figured it would be fitting to take weekly pictures too. Especially considering that I feel my belly growing over the course of a day, or so it seems some days!

My father in law was kind enough to tell me yesterday that I am definitely bigger than I was with A. Both M and I think that's not the case (although maybe we're just thinking of the VERY end when I was house like).



Maybe I should just try to wear the same shirt next week... maybe next week will be nice enough for the shorts I wore that day--wishful thinking on this gray and cold day!

35 weeks

Discomfort has officially set in. I am way more comfortable sleeping on the couch than I am sleeping in bed, and Saturday morning brought insomnia back for the first time since I sprouted a belly. Indigestion is officially here, and more often than not, there is what I suspect to be a foot sticking out of my left side.

Other than that, though, I'm feeling pretty darn good! I was exhausted yesterday, but that was partially due to the insomnia, partially due to a LOT of walking as we enjoyed the first day of spring (which was absolutely stunning here in still soggy NJ).

I just looked back at 35 weeks with A, and commented that school was finally over. Lucky lucky!! I met my maternity leave replacement on Friday; I hope all goes well on that front.

People have been commenting that I have dropped (and of course, the comments about how large I am, and how I couldn't possibly have 5 weeks to go, have continued), but I've been carrying "low" this whole pregnancy. All I know is that it's increasingly difficult to avoid have a bare space between the bottom of my shirts and the tops of my pants.

So, not a whole lot going on here, other than counting the days until SPRING BREAK (woohoo!). Happy Sunday!

Way Back Whensday

I know it's been a ridiculously long time since I've done this.



This was taken at the beginning of March in 2008. It was really the first time A pet Mitten, and he pretty much hasn't stopped. Now, he loves to give her a hug and a kiss before going to bed, but the highlight of his day is when he is actually able to pet Catcher.

I told this story to someone yesterday, so it seems fitting to put it here again...

Despite trying every wives' tale out there to start labor, nothing at all got it going. What did, however, was Mitten having an accident. We think she fell out of the bathroom window, hitting her hind areas on the toilet on the way down. We noticed her having a serious limp on Friday afternoon, and when it hadn't gotten better by Saturday, we took her to the emergency vet. Things did not look good for our little Mitten Kitten. We left her there for observation overnight, and I went home and cried my eyes out. This is what started my labor on Sunday morning.

We asked the hospital to keep Mitten for us, since we were dealing with the birth of A and I was in the hospital that whole week. On Wednesday, we were told she would have to be locked up so she wouldn't jump or ruin carpets, and that we would have to manually extract her bladder and bowel movements. With a brand new baby, we figured this was something we would be unable to do, and that her quality of life would be terrible, considering being in the window is one of her favorite things to do. Wednesday night, we made the decision.

On Thursday, we got the call that she was up and walking around, and that she was using the litter box! Although she still limps and cannot control her tail, she is doing wonderfully--she is still able to get herself into windows (especially with the recent addition of a bay window).

So, I say that Mitten and A are linked because they gave each other life. If Mitten hadn't gotten hurt, who knows if/when A would have finally decided to come out, and if I hadn't been in the hospital with A, who knows how long we would have allowed Mitten to stay in the hospital.

She is so unbelievably patient with him, andI really can't believe that she lets him actually give her hugs and kisses.

Sweetie

And, before this turns into an all pregnancy, all the time blog, here's little man before school this morning. He knew my routine was different today, and just wanted to play, watch Dumbo, and cuddle. I wish I could've said yes!

Comparing pregnancies

The other day, M asked me how this pregnancy compares to my pregnancy with A.


First of all, I'm better at taking these belly pictures. And my hair is longer.

Right now, I'm fighting a cold, and I even decided to take a sick day today. It's my first sick day, other than for my doctor's appointment a few weeks ago. With A, I caught everything that came through my school, and even had bronchitis in January. This really surprises me, since I know have a child in daycare and so am exposed to far more ickies.

The first notable difference was in my morning sickness. With A, I would be sick three times a day, but fine for the rest of the day. This time, I was nauseous all day but was actually sick maybe one time a day.

Obviously, I showed a bit earlier this time around, but I feel like I'm actually smaller than I remember being with A.

My rear end has grown this time around; early this pregnancy, I was trying to wear regular jeans with the button open, but couldn't get them up past my hips and tush. Didn't have that problem with A.

I don't really recall having big time cravings with A, but rather I had aversions, especially early in pregnancy. This time, I've definitely had cravings, especially for Italian and Mexican food. Oh, and lobster and pork roll.

I've definitely been MUCH more tired this pregnancy. Lately, I've taken to falling asleep on the couch while cuddling with A, and staying asleep until around 8, then going to bed and sleeping all night. There are other explanations besides pregnancy, since life is so very different than it was in 2007--not only do I now have a toddler, but my teaching responsibilities are much greater and I teach substantially more students than I did then.

That's all I can think of right now!

33 week belly