And Gravity Strikes Again...

Poor Aric. He was outside playing last night and tripped on a crack in the concrete. He's okay, but has a nasty bruise (and probably a bad headache).

Silly Us

We thought we were going to escape the need for a "security blanket". All Aric seemed to want was a pacifier. No big deal, until this happened:

Now he needs one quilt, one receiving blanket, one sock monkey and one pacifier. If that's not bad enough, when it's time to get up they all have to come with. Will someone please tell me how are we supposed to keep track of all of those?

Thriving

Since I changed my shift at work, Aric seems to be thriving with all of the time that he spends at home in the care of Daddy and Mommy. He is more creative, talkative, and braver. We finally seem to be making some headway in the food department, too. He is willing to taste new things instead of throwing them directly on the floor.

**Don't mind the bruise on his forehead. Aric received that when he decided to let gravity win while standing too close to the coffee table.

32 Weeks

Today brings a sigh of relief. Only because should the baby be born anytime after today the likelihood is high that she would be able to be treated at the nearby hospital. Things seem to be going well, though. She is showing no signs of arriving early at this point in time.

-The baby is very active. She keeps me awake overnight sometimes with her acrobatic moves.

-The pain from the abruption is very diminished. It bothers me sometimes rather than constantly everyday. I don't necessarily believe that the abruption is healed, I'm just not aware of it all the time anymore.

-Sleep is a luxury that is oftentimes hard to come by. Whether it be heartburn, a dancing baby, an uncomfortably large belly, an incessant need to use the bathroom, or a certain 14 month old, I'm not getting much sleep.

-Oddly enough, I still feel like I sleep my life away. I have been napping when Aric naps, which ultimately means I don't get much done. Thankfully I have a patient, understanding husband who picks up the slack for me.

Tomorrow I have another appointment with the OB. It'll be the first time that I have seen him since my last ultrasound. We'll probably discuss the large baby among many other questions and concerns I've been storing up.

Today, though, I'm just thankful that we've reached this point.

Christmas Came Early...

Christmas came early at our house this year. Well, at least it did for Ryan and me. We decided to purchase a new laptop and camera. Both were items that we wanted to have before the baby arrived since I'll be spending a couple of days in the hospital and we'll have a new subject to take photos of. The camera is a little nicer than the point and shoot cameras we have purchased in the past. I might actually have to read the 178 page manual that came with it. In the meantime, we've tried to capture some photos of our usual subject. Who, by the way, is getting harder and harder to capture since he is more fascinated with the camera than being a candid photo subject.

Unexpected, But Not Unappreciated.

Yesterday our driveway got fixed. We have a 1/4 mile long gravel driveway. The last time it was rocked was probably somewhere around 9 years ago. It was in sad shape. The last two years, the driveway really got torn up in the weather. Huge potholes and a large gully up by our parking pad. The gully was so bad that we had to be careful how we pulled out of the driveway or we would scrape bottom. And if you have ever been to our house, you probably have!

Ryan got a quote earlier this summer to have the driveway fixed. When he called the contractor to let him know we wanted to proceed with the repairs, he was told it would be awhile. Ryan was going to call this month to remind the contractor to put us on the schedule. In fact, Ryan was going to call yesterday...

I was up in Aric's room, sorting through stuff for the baby and chatting on the phone with my mom. When I hung up I realized it sounded like someone was mowing our grass. Which was odd since Ryan was at work. I looked out Aric's window and saw someone in a bobcat tearing up our driveway. Apparently yesterday was the day and someone neglected to tell us. I'm not complaining, though. It worked out since I wasn't planning on going anywhere and it was my day off, therefore, I wasn't trying to sleep.

The driveway looks wonderful, or as wonderful as a gravel driveway can look. No more potholes and no more gully. It kind of feels like Christmas!

Two Months...

Two months from today Baby #2 is scheduled to arrive. Lord-willing we will make it through those two months and not be at the hospital delivering her sooner.

In two months, Baby #1 will be 16 months old.

Though, I really don't think you can call Aric a baby anymore. Especially since I discovered today that he is cutting a pair of two year molars already. He's an ambitious one.

And yes, I did leak Baby #2's first name. Our perspective changed four weeks ago when we found out about the second abruption. We started using her name more and more. We're still keeping her middle name closely guarded, though. That way there's some kind of surprise.

30 Week Ultrasound

I had an ultrasound appointment this morning to check up on the baby and the abruption. I asked Ryan to go with me for moral support since I didn't think the abruption was any better. I've had a lot of pain still and I didn't want to be by myself and find out that it was worse.

The abruption is no bigger and no smaller. It's a different shape, but the Sonotech said that was normal and nothing to worry about. The baby is healthy, active and still doing well. She's actually rather large, almost 4 pounds. My due date is Oct 21st and she's measuring to a due date of Oct 8th. (In case there's any question on a mistake in the first due date, that date was figured by her measurements in the beginning.)

I'm not sure what the news about her size will mean. The Dr wasn't there during my ultrasound. I have an appointment with him in two weeks and we will go from there.

In the meantime enjoy some photos of the baby, including the 4D photo that the tech snuck in for us.

Taking it for a Test Drive...

Ryan set up the baby's crib over a month ago and I finally found and ordered a crib skirt for it. Aric, being the concerned big brother, took the crib for a test run. I think it passed...

Starting Early

It's never too early to train your child to be independent...

Seriously, Aric stole the inside basket to our old deep freeze and ran off with a pile of his clean clothes. He likes to "help" with laundry. Which either means taking the clean, wet clothes out of the dryer as I try to put them in or handing me clothes to fold accompanied by his new word "Heeyah". ("Here" if you couldn't translate through his baby Boston accent.)

Adjusting to Change

The one thing I love about my new schedule is having three (technically four) days at home with Aric and not having to send him to daycare everyday. Aric is thriving under the new amount of attention and I have more time to concentrate on working with him to eat/try solid foods. Hopefully we get somewhere with that. Especially since he is getting to the point where he doesn't like to be fed anymore and yet not at the point where feeding himself with a spoon is an option.

Other than that, my new schedule is rather difficult to get used to. I had problems sleeping the first day. I slept better today which was probably more from exhaustion than anything else. Ryan, thankfully, hung more blankets over our bedroom window and made our room darker today. It helped and I was able to get some more sleep. The good thing is that I don't hear a peep out of Ryan and Aric when I'm sleeping. That is incredibly amazing given that Aric loves to squeal, laugh and shriek for no apparent reason. The A/C unit in our room makes a substantial amount of white noise. We'll have to think of a different solution when fall arrives and we no longer need the A/C.

I am doing well, otherwise, and the baby seems to be doing well. I still have pain in my side, which occasionally concerns me. I have my ultrasound on Tuesday morning to check on the status of everything. I must say I'm a little nervous about everything since I still have pain in the abruption area. Hopefully we'll hear good news on Tuesday.

Ryan and I decided that I probably should not take on the grocery shopping by myself anymore. I feel as though a little bit of my freedom is vanishing, but I know it's only temporary and for the good of the baby. (That sounds misleading like I really enjoy grocery shopping.) I took Aric to the grocery store on Thursday morning like I normally do. When I was unloading the groceries from my cart to the check-out line I started having contractions from the exertion. Contractions are not something I need to be causing at this point in my pregnancy. They did stop, but by the time I got home, unloaded the car and put the groceries away I was exhausted. Ryan and I will just have to find time to go together and get the shopping done.

Happier

Aric and I have been home together for the past three days. In that short time, I can tell that he is a much happier little boy. He laughs and shrieks more than normal. While my schedule will be a big adjustment for all of us, I think that ultimately it is for the best.

Silent for Too Long...

I started my new schedule Sunday night. I worked a 6-4 shift, went home and straight to bed. I managed two hours of sleep before Aric woke up and I had to take care of him. I got him out of bed, changed his diaper and let him roam around freely upstairs while I fed the cats, turned off/on air conditioners and made the bed. Having had only two hours of sleep I was a little slow with my mental processes. It took me a little longer than normal to realize it had been quiet for too long. This is what I found...

28-1/2 Weeks

These weekly milestones are more significant now that each week she's in there is another week of growth and development that would improve her quality of life should she be born soon.

28-1/2 Weeks with Baby #2:

28 Weeks with Aric: