Childrens Museum

Trevor's days as an only child are numbered. My work life has slowed down, which has allowed me a lot of special time with him. I have been trying to keep on day a week for fun, even though I can always come up with errands and every day tasks instead. A week or so ago, we decided to check out a different children's museum. We have a pass we bought last February which gets you in to all of the local children's museums. We have a lot around here, Id say 4 or 5 within a 40 minute drive. We have used it a ton and it has paid for itself again and again. We plan to go a few more times next month and then renew in April or May.

This museum was a huge hit! Trevor stood at the sand table for almost 30 minutes straight. Its a good thing the Easter bunny is bringing him a sandbox. :) We went with our friends Elise and Colton. Colton will be 1 on March 3rd, the day after I am due! It has been fun for me to watch him grow, knowing our little guy will be that size next year. He is having a big birthday bash on March 4th and I have sworn I will be there. Overdue or with a brand new baby!

We stayed at the museum about 2 hours and Trevor was exhausted. I was sure he would fall asleep in the car, but he didn't. We were pulling into our subdivision and he just started to doze off. I put him in his crib and sat down to rest a bit. Then began the 2 hour nap battle. Oh my, was it exhausting! Especially because I knew how tired he was and how much he needed to sleep. I ended up waving my white flag and he did not nap.

It all started a few weeks ago. I was in bed and heard him say, "I'm up, Mama." I didn't even have a chance to roll out of bed and then there he was, next to me. I was shocked. This was a first. A very scary first! I took the approach of telling him how dangerous it was to climb out and I didn't want him to get hurt. Who am I kidding? The kid hops out like a pro. The next few days, we endured a battle at bedtime and naptime and crabby days since he was so overtired. We were so close to buying a crib tent. Thankfully, he the new trick isn't as exciting any more and we have had days of no problems. The only negative is that he comes to bed with me the second he wakes up. I love the cuddle time, but its too early for both of us! He was sleeping until 7:30 or 8 and now he is in bed with my around 6:30. I have to say, if this is the biggest challenge we have faced in his 26 months of life, we are very fortunate!

We will transition him into either a toddler bed or a single bed once we move. It just seemed silly to make another drastic change with so much going on. We get the keys to the house Thursday evening and I am so excited! The goal is to get everything moved and somewhat organized, while avoiding going into labor.

35/35

Whenever I read blogs and see they are at the 35 weeks pregnant/35 days to go stage..I feel like they are so close. Somehow, I am that woman and we are down to 5 weeks left! Hopefully less. ;)

How far along? 35 Weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: Up 17 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yep. And I scored two new nursing tops at Target for $5 each.

Sleep: Better!

Best moment this week: The weekend spent relaxing, after the worry was gone!

Movement: Oh, yes!

Food cravings: I wanted Subway the other night..Tom happily went and got us some.

Gender: A boy!

Labor Signs: Ive been having lots of contrax after doing too much. But, when you're moving at 36 weeks pregnant, you have to pack!

Belly Button in or out? Flat, but still not out yet!

What I miss: Nothing. My days of being pregnant are numbered..then I'm back to being infertile.

What I am looking forward to: Everything! Going into labor, having another birth story, snuggling our newborn, breastfeeding..

Milestones: Started dilating!

To honor this big milestone, we made a cast of my belly! It was super messy and difficult to breathe while being covered. It turned out better than I expected. It takes a full day to completely dry. I'm hoping to paint the outside and put Trevor's hand print on there. I may tie a ribbon to the top and hang it in the boys room.

Big Changes

I have been thinking a lot lately about how much Trevor's life is going to change in a few short weeks. We wanted this so bad and for so long, it almost feels wrong to have these feelings.

Trevor has been our world for over 2 years. He gets Mama 24/7 and Daddy nights and weekends. He loves his time with the 3 of us. He is always asking where Daddy is. He prefers to have our family in one place. Don't we all?

I have taken care of other children his entire life. But, having a new baby in our own home is very different. For the first time, I will have to tell him to wait until I am done feeding the baby, changing the baby, etc. He will have to share his Mama and Daddy with a new little guy.

Part of me feels like his world is going to be rocked and we may face some challenges. But, part of me feels like he will go with the flow, as he has with every single day of our life, and he will be fine.

After all, we are giving him the greatest gift we ever could. A brother.

Pics are from my bday dinner last week.

Trevor climbs out of his crib now(thats another story), so our once a week morning cuddle sessions have turned into every morning cuddle sessions. This is when Trevor loves on my belly the most. He always checks on baby brother or "Elf", as he still calls him. He will rub his bear on him and talk to him. I am going to miss the love affair, but have a feeling it will be even better when I am watching him do those to his baby brother laying next to him.

2 little boys in my bed? How did I get so lucky?

Oh, yes. I had mentioned before how I got Trevors big brother gift together. I got a kid tough camera for free back around Christmas and saved it. We have loaded it with batteries, so Trevor can join in with the picture taking at the hospital. I bought him 2 books, one is called Michael is a big brother and ones is a giant board book on Babies. Lastly, I got him a tub of dinosaurs. I figure they will keep him entertained while at the hospital or back at my parents house. I was excited about the gift!!

Then, we bought this.

Let me tell you the story behind this beauty. I have been wanting this for Trevor since his 1st birthday, but couldnt bring myself to pay $350. I tried to justify it when I found out we were having another boy..but still couldnt fork over that money! Last week, my sister was at Target and noticed one on the clearance rack. She forgot to tell me until a few days later. I called the store and sure enough, they still had it. They wouldnt put it on hold for me and wouldnt let me pay over the phone. Trevor was napping and I was 2 seconds from waking him to speed to the store and get it. My brother graciously offered to go grab it. Its a good thing he did, because he beat a lady walking to it. Godfather of the year award. :) It was on sale for $149. THAT is a deal.

Weekend Update

Hi, all! I am still here and still very much pregnant!! Thanks for checking in. :) I ended up calling the doc before they closed Friday and they assured me that as long as there was no bright red blood or cramping, I was okay. We made the decision to stick it out at the cottage and hope for the best. I had contractions quite a bit when I wasn't lounging on the couch. Luckily, our agenda for the weekend called for a whole lotta nothing. I had some more spotting and discharge through Saturday morning and then it stopped.

Other than that fun stuff, we had a fantastic weekend. Tom, Trev and I drove up to the cottage Thursday evening. Friday, we made oreo truffles, played for hours and relaxed. Sam and Brian arrived later that night and we enjoyed watching the snow fall..having nowhere to go.

I take it back. Daddy and Brian drove to get us giant pizza. Does anyone else have a Bacci by them? They closed the one close to our house, so when Tom noticed they put a new one by the cottage, he decided it was worth the treacherous drive.

Daddy and Brian must have come up with a plan for the evening while on that ride. Sam and I went to bed around midnight, while the guys stayed up until 6am. Yes, 6am! They were drinking beer and playing Wii. Needless to say, they slept the first half of the day away while we hung with Trevor. Our friends Jen, Jason and Logan arrived around lunch time. Logan is Trevor's BFF, and he will tell you that, so he was ecstatic. Trevor took a nap and then it was time to play in the snow.

It was so much fun walking on the lake. Even while we were gearing Trevor up in his snow pants and gloves, he asked if we were going to the beach. He was right, but it was very different than in the summer!

More friends arrived and all 4 boys played together the whole evening. We made yummy stuffed shells and salad. The kids watched Cars and had some dessert. Logan and his parents decided to drive home rather than stay the night. Logan wasn't feeling too well and was sick the next day. Everyone else stayed over. We put the kids to bed and played some beer pong and Apples to Apples.

Sunday, Tom let me sleep in. And sleep in I did. Our guests started to head home and before we knew it, the weekend was over and it was just our little family. Trevor took a nap while we cleaned up and we sadly drove home to start our week. Trevor was in tears when we left. He loves the cottage.

Trevor wearing undies and come tighter stylish jeans=above pic. :)

An update on potty training? Trevor has been 100% trained for a few weeks now. He does still wear a diaper for nap and night. He wakes up dry about 75% of the time. It still feels odd to have a potty trained child. Odd and wonderful.

I changed my OB appt. schedule for Thursday to yesterday. I just wanted to know what was going on! My bp was borderline high, so they will check that again next time. I am 1cm dilated, but long and his head is high. She said to take it easy when I have a lot of contractions, of course.

I had the same bloody discharge today, likely from her checking me. With my luck, Ill still have to be induced, even after all of this. ;)

PS-Baby boy really needs a name! I dont want to be the couple still deciding in the hospital. Why is this so darn hard???

Losing It?

Last night, I went to the bathroom and wiped pink. I have been seeing some gross discharge since Wednesday, but this is the first time it was bloody. It was like that every time I went to the bathroom until I went to bed. When I got up, I called the OB and told them it seemed to have stopped. They said to monitor it and watch for cramping and let them know if theres any change.

Of course, 2 minutes after I get off the phone with them, I go to the bathroom and there was a different and large discharge(so disgusting!). Since then, Ive wiped more blood and goo. It appears I am losing my mucus plug?! I never lost it with Trevor. We had to pry him out.

Ive had contractions here and there and baby boy is moving around fine. My issue is that we are in Wisconsin at the cottage, so to be checked out I would have to drive home or go to the small local hospital. Im not even sure how that would work with our insurance. Its a blizzard outside right now and supposed to be at its worst for the next few hours. And its Friday, so I wont be able to call the doc to be reassured.

Im going to call and update them and see what they think. I am 34 weeks today and I believe that is the standard time that most docs wouldnt try to stop labor? But, I think they would possibly give me injections for his lungs if they think he is coming soon. Hmm..what to do?

Baby boy, please give Mama 3 weeks. Its all I ask.

Life in Numbers

5

=number of years I have been married

2

=how old our son is

33

=weeks I am pregnant

25

=years old I am, today!

I am not happy about getting older, but life keeps getting better. I am thinking 25 will be a great year for me, my marriage and my family.

Tonight, were doing dinner at my parents and tomorrow we are headed to the cottage for a weekend filled with relaxation and some great friends. An extra day with Tom was all I asked for this year. I cant wait!

33 Weeks

How far along? 33 Weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: Up 16 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yep, so glad I got 2 new pair of jeans. The ones without the full belly band cut off in the middle and are painful and irritating. I have enough to get me through until I have him. I just need to find the perfect shirt for maternity pics.

Sleep: Not happening.

Best moment this week: Planning my bday weekend.

Movement: Yes! His head is constantly ramming into my cervix and its quite painful.

Food cravings: Chocolate milk..just like with Trevor

Gender: A boy!

Labor Signs: Contractions every day.

Belly Button in or out? Flattening.

What I miss: Being able to bend over and put my shoes on. Boots are tough!

What I am looking forward to: Moving! Then, I can wash clothes and get organized!

Milestones: He is in position to come out? Seems soon, I suppose it could still change.

I was thinking it would be cool if he comes before Feb 24th, which is Toms birthday. I turn 25 on Wednesday and Tom is 25 until 2/24. Its the one span of time the whole year where we are the same age. Also, I would LOVE if he came Valentines Day. Or close to it. My sprinkle is on the 12th, so he is welcome after that. Trevor was created on Valentines Day 2009 and I think it would be so special to have 2 sons, 3 years later. <3

Thursdays Thoughts

My, oh my. I am so tired right now..fighting to keep my eyes open. And yet, when I get in bed, I guarantee I wont be able to fall asleep. This has been a long work week, paired with a week where I can not sleep! Its so frustrating because my body is exhausted and I have hours of quiet time wasted. Even my snoogle doesn't help. Its so hard to get comfortable. I took a small bit of benadryl and Im hoping that will do the trick.

I feel like theres a lot to catch up with..as usual. Lets see:

*Trevor has been in undies 100% since last Friday. We decided to be brave and have him wear undies out. I thought it may be confusing for him to wear undies at home and diapers when were not..and he may have a harder time later on. So, we left the house in undies and haven't turned back! Trevor is doing fantastic! He only wears a diaper to nap and sleep. He wakes up from his nap dry about half of the time and even woke up dry this morning! Ironically, I have been stocking up on diapers this week. I just can not pass up a box of diapers for $5. I bought sizes 1 and 2 and now have roughly 8 boxes for baby brother. Score!

*Yesterday, Trevor called to announce he was awake. Before I even had a minute to roll out of bed, he was next to me! That was a first. I explained to him that climbing out of the crib was dangerous and he needed to wait for Mama and Daddys help. Tonight, I put him to bed and he came out of his room 25 minutes later to pee. Uh-oh! We will see how this pans out..

*Yesterday, it was about 52 degrees here. Today, we had our first little blizzard. Crazy Chicago weather! It didnt amount to a ton, but it is very slick. I am thankful to have a large car and brand new tires for my precious cargo! Were looking forward to playing in it this weekend.

*I had an OB appt tonight. I would usually go alone, but Tom worked his second job this evening. it was super stressful getting off work, feeding Trevor dinner and giving him a quick bath and getting to the appt with all the terrible drivers. Plus, Trevor was whiny and tired. I ended up spilling pee on myself in the bathroom. Wonderful! The nurse took my BP and it was high twice. She came back 5 minutes later and it was still high. She was going to have me lay on my side to lower it, but the doc said she thought it was just circumstances. I must agree.

*Everything checked out great with baby. He is head down and measuring right on track. I feel like he has dropped a lot recently. Ill need to compare pictures this weekend. I go back in 2 weeks..

*We get the keys to the house in 3 weeks and will move that weekend. I have a lot of packing to do this week, since we will be at the cottage next weekend.

*Life has really slowed down since January began and its a welcome change. We done a lot of just hanging out. Tom really appreciates me scheduling time to do nothing. ;)

*I keep thinking how sweet it would be if baby comes around Valentines Day. Trevor was created on V-Day 3 years ago. How wonderful for us to have 2 sons, three years later!

*Our hospital tour Monday was awesome!! It made me want to hop in a bed and get the party started right then. Now we know where to park, which elevators to take and all of their rules and regulations.

*He still doesn't have a name. We truly may wait to meet him to name him.

Alright, I need to attempt to sleep. Wish me luck!

A Text

I got this text message from my friend Elise earlier today:

So, I'm at work today and a lady came in from Denver who is doing fertility treatments and needs a blood test on a specific day of her cycle. We don't do labs on Sundays and she wanted it shipped to her physician in Denver, which is already kinda a pain in the butt. She was crying because she didn't know what to do...so I fought and begged the lab tech to just draw it even though we aren't supposed to. All I could think about was you somewhere and no one helping you...so YOU made this lady's day..because I won! Just thought I would tell you and let you know how strong and great I think you are.

Made my Sunday.

32 Weeks!

How far along? 30 weeks pregnant.


Total weight gain/loss: Up about 12 or 13 lbs.


Maternity clothes? Yes and I got two pretty shirts in the mail today. :)


Sleep: This week was terrible, until I took some meds last night. I am getting more tired during the day. Carrying around the extra weight and working and caring for a toddler is tiring.

Best moment this week: Planning my bday weekend.


Movement: Yes! I am curious about how he is positioned and am looking forward to asking at my appointment next week.



Food cravings: Water, water, water! I have been so thirsty!

Gender: A boy!

Labor Signs: A contraction here or there.


Belly Button in or out? Flattening.

What I miss: Not having a bloody nose.


What I am looking forward to: Trevor walking into the room and meeting his brother. I have his gift from the baby all bought. I am very excited about it!


Milestones: 8 months pregnant!

Other baby updates? I go in next Thursday for my 32 week appt. I have the rescheduled hospital tour this coming Monday. Baby shower invites go out next week, I am told. We still have no name. I have my favorite and Tom has his. Neither of us want to give in. I still say he is going to surprise us and come early. Time will tell..

I couldnt resist adding this picture of big brother. It has been unseasonably warm here, and weve had almost no snow. Today, it was almost 50 degrees, so we went outside to play a little soccer and take some pics. He is the littler love of my life!

Potty Training

I had hoped to potty train Trevor close to age 2. I know boys aren't usually ready until closer to 3, but we decided to give it a try. We have had a potty seat for the big toilet and a baby Bjorn one in our bathroom for months. There was little to no interest..until one day, it just happened. About 3 weeks ago, Trevor decided it was time to grow up! He is 100% potty trained..at home. We have not taken the leap to have him wear undies away from home too much yet. Last night was our first attempt and we went to a friends house for about 2 hours. He peed twice while there and came home dry. :) My issue, is the he will tell me he has to go and if I cant find a potty very quickly, he will have an accident. In the summer, I could have a pop up potty in my trunk and have a bathroom available at all times. With our freezing winter ahead of us, I cant subject his bare booty to that. So, I am currently thankful he is saving us about 50% of the diapers we buy and will slowly transition him to wearing undies all day. I do think he will be totally trained by the time brother comes. Yahoo for only one in diapers!
*Yes, I am totally aware he may regress when baby arrives. We will see when it happens!*

Now, some photos of my bathroom. Here are Trevor's options for potty time. I cant believe I have a mini urinal in my home.

Trevor got this watch for Christmas, so he actually was doing well before it came along. You set it for 30, 60 or 90 minute increments and it lights up and plays a song. When it goes off, he dances and says, "Its potty time!" And runs to the bathroom. Its a little peace of mind for me and Tom when are distracted and wondering when the last time he went was.

Here is our reward station. He gets one treat for pee and two for poop. Right now, he has pez or chocolate for his choices.

I am so proud of my big boy. Another piece of his babyhood is quickly fading away. Thank God we have another one coming to start the cycle again.