One Week Old/One Week Postpartum

I can't believe it's been a whole week since we welcomed our sweet Eloise Jane into the world!

Sleepy smiles at one week old

I am full on into the sleep deprived bliss of the newborn period... it is a strange and magical place to be, where days are sloooow going and it's hard to get anything 'done' but hold and tend to baby. I am SO thankful BC was able to take a 2 week Paternity leave (basically he is taking paid vacation days)- as we are now mastering the 1 to 1 defense. He and Iyla are spending some wonderful quality time together, and I truly think it is helping her transition go incredibly smoothly. In fact, there doesn't appear to be ANY transition for her- she is as happy and carefree and loving as always, constantly wanting to kiss and hold and "pet" her baby sister. It makes my heart swell.

This post is going to serve as a 'catch all' of Eloise's first week so I can keep updating from here. Because you know I already have hundreds of photos that need to be posted. ; )

Like this adorable one! 
Iyla and her Mimi at Iyla's school when Mimi and Grampy were here caring for her. 

The best quote of Mimi & Grampy's visit happened one night when Mimi was putting Iyla to bed. Iyla- not wanting Mimi to go- said:

"Mimi's don't go to sleep"

My mom replied "Oh yes, Mimi's DO go to sleep."

To which Iyla retorted: "No they don't. Mimi's are nocturnal." 

Way to whip out the fancy science vocabulary, kid!

Our 2nd day in the hospital brought with it our first visitors- my parents and Iyla. We were SO excited for Iyla to meet her baby sister! We wanted her to come in first for a little family time, and I had a present ready "from Baby Eloise" for her- a stuffed Mama kitty that has 3 magnetic nursing kittens.

When Iyla first entered the room she didn't want to hug or greet me- she just wanted to see Baby Sister in the bassinet. We took Eloise out and asked Iyla if she wanted to hold her, getting a "No! I don't like her."

Alrighty then.

The Mama kitty was taken out and given (big hit! She declared "I've been dreaming of having this kitty") and Iyla took to playing with her new toy on the floor while my parents came in for their first meeting.

As Iyla observed her Mimi holding Eloise she came over and said that she wanted a turn too. BC and I remarked later how silly it was for us to forget our slow-to-warm little girl.... who always needs to do things in her own time, in her own way.

After a little time and observation she was now ready to officially greet her little sister.

And it was magic.

As Iyla held Eloise, she kissed her head and cooed: "I'm your big sister. I'll take care of you."

*Cue heart melting*

Aaaand.... a moment later Iyla announced "I'm all done!"

She is 3.5, after all.

Here are a few photos of this precious first meeting:

Warming up with her little kitty family

 Observing Mimi first

 This is what we got when my dad asked Iyla to smile for a photo

A family of four! Holy s***

Eloise rocked all of the hospital newborn screening tests, passing her hearing test, heart exams, and bilirubin draw (thank GOD!) with flying colors. So on Sunday, July 24th we got the green light to head on home! 

 Little squish's first time in the car seat

Iyla was super excited to have us all home again, and thankfully Mimi and Grampy stayed another night to help facilitate our transition home as a family. I can't say enough about how helpful it is to have extra pairs of loving hands helping out!

Grampy and his baby Eloise

As far as me? At one week postpartum, my body is slowly but surely healing and adjusting. My milk came in the afternoon we got home from the hospital (so about 36 hours after birth)- and Eloise has thankfully been an excellent nurser from day 1! Painful engorgement set in sometime Monday night (3 days postpartum) as my body worked to make sense of the milk arrival. I opted in lieu of pumping right away to let my body and Eloise work it out and get acquainted with one another. Happily the engorgement let up Thursday, around day 5-6 pp.

My lovely hemorrhoids temporarily got better at 4 days pp, but came back with a vengeance day 5 when my constipation FINALLY let up. I now have a cushy donut-esque sitting pillow on order to hopefully expedite this part of the recovery.

I could tell Thursday into today there was a lot of hormonal purging going on, as I got some serious night sweats, a pick up in bleeding (which has been very light since about 3 days pp), a headache, &....*ahem*- the opposite of constipation. I know it's my body's way of readjusting to no longer being pregnant, and its definitely an interesting phenomenon to experience!

Other postpartum notes:

*My feet were OH so swollen post birth (and still are somewhat)- which is a common side effect of all the fluids they use during the epidural.

*My hair! I've had a week straight of great hair days, with it looking and feeling more thick and full. Not sure what is up with that, but I like it.

*I'm feeling cold again. The thermostats are turned back up and cardigans have been pulled out.

*This 1:1 defense is NO JOKE. I am so grateful BC has two weeks off to help- and that help looks like him fully taking over Iyla care. Which leaves me primarily in charge of/mostly alone in Eloise care. Which also means I'm not eating or drinking as much as I should (or sleeping, but that is to be expected)- because it is just sooo hard to do these things one handed with a newborn! Yesterday I didn't eat breakfast until 11:30am. Thankfully today I was on a more normal morning schedule, thanks to BC having set up a 2nd monitor upstairs for Eloise watching.

*At one week postpartum, I have lost 15 1/2 of the 37 pounds gained in pregnancy. My belly is shrinking a little more every day and it feels OH SO GOOD to be able to move freely again!

 Selfie with Eloise in her nursery

One week postpartum belly

As far as Lady Eloise goes, she is overall a really sweet, loving, alert spirit- but will definitely let you know if she doesn't like something (like car rides, diaper changes, & being put down when still awake)! She is sleeping the days away in 2-4 hour nap stretches, and nights... well, nights she pretty consistently is up EVERY 2 hours. We've had a couple glorious nights with 3 hour stretches, but it also isn't uncommon for her to wake EVERY hour either. I'm one sleepy Mama, but again- am luxuriating in this gentle, sweet newborn phase. I'm already feeling emotional about it all as I know how quickly it passes and that this is our last go at it.

Eloise had her first doctor appointment this week at 4 days old (BC and Iyla came too!), and was none too pleased to have to endure the car ride there:

 Grumpy girl after a LOT of crying in the backseat. It's heartbreaking to hear her back there and not be able to help!

She weighed in at 7lbs 1 oz- which is AWESOME since she is almost back up to birth weight (she went down to 6#15oz at the hospital). All that night nursing is doing its job! She measured 20 3/4 inches long, head 14 inches, putting her at 95% for height, 30% for weight, and 90% for head size. Another long and lean girl like her big sister Iyla!

The doctor mentioned she looked slightly jaundiced (NO! I had immediate flashbacks to our hospital stay with Iyla due to this)... but said if she was eating well (yes) and pooping regularly (super YES- this girl goes almost every hour!) we should be just fine. I thanked our lucky stars for that!

The one shot I got AT the doctor's office itself... sweet girl was none too happy about all the poking and prodding, so I had to wait for a peaceful moment to officially document her visit.

Eloise also had her first chiropractic adjustment at 5 days old. She was peaceful on the car ride there but screamed the entire way home. While Dr. Ron was holding and adjusting her she let loose a big poo- it was pretty hilarious and Dr. Ron was more than happy to then hand her back to Mama.

Ready for our first solo outing to the chiropractor

Here are a few more photos of sweet Lady Eloise's first week of life:

Baby sleep poses are just too much. I can't stop taking photos!

 This is one of her favorite sleep positions. I've been having her sleep in bed next to me and she always curls her little body and/or head to face me.

I've also taken to calling Eloise "chicken legs"- and you can see why! She appears to have the same long legs as Iyla, courtesy of their Papa (lucky girls!):

As far as Big Sister goes? She has been having a blast with her Papa staycation. He takes her to school, swim and dance lessons, out on adventures (the park, the museum), out for breakfast and dinner... it's been a really sweet time for those two.

Here are some shots from Iyla's past week:

They go out to breakfast at the local Quickie Pickie several mornings a week

Iyla also had her first ever trip to the dentist this week! Papa reported that she did awesome, bringing her beloved "Dinies" (dinosaurs) with her for support:

Iyla ALWAYS wants to see what Baby Sister is up to- she is sooo sweet with her

All my girls

Boat safety at swim class!

In closing, a comparison shot of newborn Iyla (on the left) and newborn Eloise. They are definitely sisters! A bit different noses, but other than that... a lot of similarities. I'm curious to see if the resemblance remains as Eloise grows and changes.

Feeling oh so blessed and oh so grateful for my two healthy, beautiful little girls.

Happy one week in the world, sweet baby Eloise! We love you more than you will ever know.

The Story of Eloise Jane

Our sweet baby Eloise Jane is here!

She arrived on Friday, July 22nd at 11:04pm after 11 hours of labor. She weighed in at 7lbs 4oz, and measured 19 3/4 inches (though I think the hospital measured incorrectly- because yesterday at our 4 day old doctor appointment she measured 20 3/4!).

Here is her birth story.

 

Weather forecast the day Eloise joined the world 

We had an induction set for 7am Friday July 22nd. My parents- Iyla's Mimi and Grampy- arrived the day prior to get settled in toward caring for Iyla. I hardly slept at all the night before the induction- so much going through my mind! Perhaps my body was already prepping me toward the sleepless newborn period ahead.

 Last belly shots taken the morning of our induction at 39 weeks, 3 days

When we arrived at the hospital, we were told there weren't any rooms available and that it would be up to a 2 hour delay. Apparently there were a lot of babies being born that day! So BC and I settled into the waiting room, where I treated myself to a 2nd breakfast (egg, cheese, & bacon croissant)- knowing that once the induction got started I wouldn't be allowed to eat any more solid food.

Finally around 9am we were officially admitted and given a room. The nurse put my IV in and started the Penicillin toward treating the Group B Strep. That medicine definitely HURT on the way into my arm; with each subsequent round I'd get throughout the day I'd again have the pain, necessitating ice packs on top of the IV. I was told I'd need at least 30 minutes of Penicillin in my system before the Pitocin could begin.

 

Hospital board in our room- #12 

Right before they started the Pitocin my midwife did a vaginal check, and it was confirmed that I was 4cm dilated, 50% effaced, and baby was at a -2 station. They then started the Pitocin at 11:55am- a very low lose of 1.5 to gently get my contractions started and my body warmed up toward labor.

At 12:30 I got an epidural, which was uncomfortable and somewhat painful to get. I could feel the needle going into my spine and working its way up and down. I have NO memory of this pain with Iyla's epidural, likely due to the fact that I was already in painful active labor. Similar to Iyla's this was a "perfect" epidural in that I could still completely move the bottom half of my body; I could feel my legs and feet, and could feel the pressure of each contraction.

At 1:15 my water was broken and the Pitocin was upped to 3. At this time my cervix had progressed to a 70% effacement and I was still at 4cm dilation. Shortly thereafter at 2pm they opted to reduce the Pitocin dose, as my contractions- which were coming very regularly- were lasting too long in each wave.

At 2:30 they started a 2nd round of Penicillin. I was sipping water and apple juice and overall just resting the best I could as the contractions beeped by on the monitor.

By 3:45 I started feeling a big uptick in overall pressure, to the point where it started getting painful. When I was rechecked at 4pm I was now 5 cm dilated, 90% effaced, and baby had moved down slightly to a -1 station.

As my swearing intensified with each contraction, the nurse ordered a refresh on my epidural from the anesthesiologist. It took a little while to settle in, but I knew the moment it did because the pain subsided and along with that came nausea and vomiting. This vomiting would continue on and off for the rest of my labor.

At 5:40pm I was checked and was at 8cm, 90% effaced, 0 station with a "big bloody show!" (as exclaimed by the nurse attending). The nurse and my doctor decided to have me sit upright for awhile and labor that way, which actually felt really great to my body (I'd been flat on my back all day, going from side to side, and had a pretty mean crick in my neck). A 3rd round of Penicillin was begun.

 

Why yes, I did take a "I'm about to meet my baby girl" selfie! 

I was still feeling the contractions much more than I had with Iyla's labor, and was really trying to relax and breathe through them (though I was also swearing quite a bit!). I pushed my epidural "freshen" button a few times and was then able to get into a really Zen meditative state- eyes closed, just breathing in and out rhythmically and trying to visualize baby moving down.

At 8:50 we began an initial round of pushing, lasting around 20-25 minutes. When that didn't result in obvious progress my doctor asked me if I preferred pushing or laboring (I had no idea!) then said her gut was to stop the pushing and let me labor for awhile longer to see if I could help further visualize and move baby down. They kept my feet up in stirrups, and my doctor "bound" my belly- tying a sheet snug above where baby was to help encourage her descent from the outside pressure.

At this point I asked BC to play some music. Nick Drake was put on, and as the music played I swayed and shimmied my hips to the rhythm. We would DANCE this baby out! We spoke to the baby, trying to entice her by letting her know that the music sounded so much better here on the outside.

Around 10:40 my doctor returned and we decided to try pushing again. Within 4-5 pushes that little head crowned, and as I sat with the most intense pressure ever my doctor and the nurse got everything prepped for delivery. When I got the green light to push again it took 3-4 more rounds before baby was officially born- arriving at 11:04pm. She came out with the cord wrapped 2 times tightly around her neck, which my doctor immediately loosened toward delayed cord clamping. I had a 2nd degree tear that was stitched up, and as with Iyla's birth, had some pretty awful and painful hemorrhoids emerge.

Baby girl had some great lungs on her from the get-go, though calmed quickly when laid on my chest for initial skin to skin. I was flat on my back so couldn't really prop her up- but the sweetest thing ever was that she kept craning her neck to try to get a good look at me... trying to see just who this lady was who'd been carrying her all these months! She also latched onto my breast her very first try with a strong latch and has continued to be a champion nurser ever since.

 

You can see her trying to look up at me here. So sweet! 

After about an hour of skin to skin baby was taken to be weighed & measured, then BC went with her to the nursery for her first bath. She received an 8/9 on her Apgar Score and continued to be extremely alert throughout those initial hours.

The intense waves of nausea and vomiting persisted even after baby was out, so at 2:40am I finally caved and asked the nurse to get me anti nausea medication. We'd been avoiding it up until then because it is known to constipate (and having an epidural is already constipating!)- but man oh man do I wish I would have taken it from the get-go. It worked fast and I was finally able to hold down sips of water and juice again.

Baby girl returned from the nursery with BC around 2:45am, and we were told we'd be staying the rest of the night in the delivery room, as due to all the births that day there weren't yet any postpartum rooms available.

It wasn't until the next morning that we finally settled once and for all on her name...sweet baby Eloise Jane! We took to calling her Lady Eloise pretty early on, and it's a nickname that has stuck and definitely fits her. The name Eloise has several meanings, which include "healthy," "warrior," and "sun." She is definitely our little warrior girl after all it took to bring her here! Her middle name Jane is a nod to my beloved maternal grandmother Nani, whose name was Betty Jane.

Here are a few precious photos of Eloise's first hours of life. We are absolutely smitten, and so incredibly grateful that she had a safe, healthy arrival into this world.

Welcome to the family, sweet girl! 

You are so incredibly loved.

39 Week Updates: Baby 2.0

How far along? 39 weeks today! And genuinely shocked that baby is still cooking. That whole "women tend to gestate similarly pregnancy to pregnancy" thing definitely is not holding true here. Baby #2 is already proving to be an entirely different creature than her big sister!

How big is baby? She is officially considered full term and ready to greet the world. The apps say she is the size of a small watermelon, estimated at around 20 inches & 7 pounds. She still moves around pretty constantly- with her most active predictable periods happening around 10:30 am & 3:30pm. She rests primarily on my right side- that's where I always feel the biggest kicks and where I see my belly contorting as she stretches out her legs.

How big is Mama? Mama is feeling HUGE. I'm up just a smidge over a pound from last week, for a total weigh-in of 147.8 this morning (so a 37.8 pound gain in pregnancy so far.... just about 10 pounds MORE than I gained total with Iyla! No wonder I am hurting).

And for comparison's sake, here's the last belly shot I took with Iyla (and ah- being 9 months pregnant during the fall was SO much better than this 100+ degree summer insanity):

Oh how I also miss that thick hair... my hair has definitely changed and thinned out since pregnancy/birth/pregnancy

Labor Signs? I had a rough Sunday with many contractions that continued into the night. They were 10-12 minutes apart and some were pretty intense. I slept terribly, and come morning.... no more contractions.

This little one is definitely playing with me!

I did head to my doctor to re-check me, and found that I am now 4cm dilated, still 50% effaced, and baby hasn't engaged yet. Apparently women can stay at this dilation for weeks, so it really isn't indicative of any impending labor. What it DOES mean is that when baby decides to finally come things will likely move quickly. My doc said that it is pretty common with 2nd pregnancies to have night contractions (when oxytocin peaks) and then have the contractions subside by day. She encouraged me to SLEEP as much as I could with these (vs. trying to time them) and assured me I would know when it was the real deal, in that every.single.contraction would be intense on a different level than what I've felt thus far.

I had been planning to do what's known as a "membrane sweep" this week to see if that might kick start labor naturally. However, I found out that I tested positive for Group B Strep - which means my clinic isn't comfortable doing the sweep due to an increased chance of infection.

So.... we now have an eviction plan in place for baby- an "on or before date" that has been set for a myriad of medical and personal reasons. To include:

*My fibroid (remember Franny?), which has gotten considerably bigger since Iyla's birth. This baby also appears considerably larger than my little 5#14oz firstborn peanut was, so.... that combo already makes Baby #2's ability to push past Franny for a vaginal birth trickier, and the bigger she gets, the harder that journey becomes.

*The whole Strep B Positive fun. This diagnosis is generally considered to be 'no big deal' if treated correctly. What it means logistically is that when I get admitted to the hospital I'll need to receive intravenous antibiotics for as long as possible before giving birth. The RISK comes if you do not receive these antibiotics and the Strep B passes on to baby through a vaginal birth- this can be very dangerous for baby. So: if my water broke on its own I would have to HIGHTAIL it to the hospital to get the antibiotics, hoping baby didn't come TOO fast (hello 4cm dilation!) and that we had enough time to get those into my system. Scheduling an eviction gives us more control over this process to allot the time needed to be super safe.

*My doctor doesn't prefer women over 40 to go past 40 weeks gestation. Now this is NOT something they force or demand of their patients whatsoever, but hell- I'm totally on board with that.

*I'm 39 weeks and full term. AND I AM SO READY. My body is at full capacity right now, and it is oh so hard to get up and down, turn over in bed, walk, sleep, you name it.

Sleep? I had that really crappy night's sleep Sunday with many, many contractions.... then last night got in bed at 8:30pm and slept like a rock. My fingers & hands are still getting numb and achy during the night, shifting positions is horrendous and laborious, and I'm up to use the restroom multiple times....but I always appreciate any sound sleep I can get in between those episodes!

Food cravings/aversions? Here is what's been on the menu this week: Oh's Cereal (I have NO idea where that one came from but it is like heavenly crack to me), watermelon, peaches, apples, eggs, bread, tomatoes. No real aversions, though heavier meals are definitely not something I am craving.

Symptoms?

*Constipation is back this week. I'd been doing pretty well managing this with one magnesium supplement at night, but this week it's taking TWO magnesium tabs PLUS a stool softening Colace to get things moving.

*Braxton Hicks on steroids. These have been much more frequent and often painful. I've also noticed the last couple of days that instead of only ONE side of my belly growing into a large hard lump, both sides are starting to harden.

*Actual contractions. I've had a few doozies where the Braxton Hicks are coupled with pretty intense and painful cramping.

*Fingers/hands falling asleep at night and feeling achy by day (still).

*I had one weird night Saturday where I got a really bad headache and also had a lot of nausea & indigestion. Another example of baby teasing me with potential labor... I thought for sure those must be signs that the real deal was near!

Big sister?

Iyla threw out a couple new to her (and me!) Big Girl expressions this morning, to include:

"Don't do anything to embarrass me." Said when I asked about fixing her hair (!).

This was followed by: "I can handle this!" while going down our stairs with 3 stuffed dogs in her arms (cue me teetering VERY close to her, lest she miss a step and topple down).

She also- for the first time in maybe 5 months- wanted to wear her hair down all weekend long, officially breaking up our bun streak. However, it was a short lived phase, as come Monday morning it was back to the buns!

Shocking!

Iyla has been showing us a really amazing ability to psycho-analyze and reflect on scary or sad events that happen to her. A couple examples from the past week:

*We were all out to dinner and the restaurant had one of those toy machines where you direct a crane to try to grab the stuffed animal you want. This proved to be a VERY painful process for Iyla, who adamantly wanted the PINK ELEPHANT- and sadly, that damn crane couldn't for the life of BC or I get it. There were many, many tears as we explained as best we could the nature of the game and acknowledged that YES- it was incredibly frustrating! Cue Iyla 15 minutes later in the car working things out in the way she now does- which involves either BC or I pretending to be HER and play acting how sad she was. Then she play-acts being Mama & Papa, saying soothing things to "Iyla" and talking through the entire event toward a peaceful resolution. It's pretty amazing.

*Another event that happened this week was Iyla accidentally flipping over the back of our couch. She was playing on the couch next to me (as we often do now that I am OH SO PREGNANT) jumping up and down, and the next thing I knew she went flying over the back and landed with a huge THUD.

Ugh.

Mama's WORST nightmare! Luckily she was mostly unscathed- no broken limbs, but there were a LOT of tears and talks about how she had hit her head. Ever since this event we play-act this out several times a day where she'll direct: "Ok, you be Iyla flipping over the couch and hitting your head- and you be SO SAD. I'll be Mama." And we run through the entire event from start to finish with our reversed roles, where she holds me and comforts me and whispers "it's OK Honey" while stroking my hair. Again: amazing!

Here are a few more shots from Iyla's past week:

Baby Prep? Uh, been done there for what feels like weeks now!

Today I am actually re-washing all of the clothes I've had packed in our hospital bag for the past 5 weeks (!)- which are needing a good freshening/de-wrinkling. I'm also washing Iyla's and our bedding, our towels, getting groceries delivered (Instacart is a 9 month pregnant woman's DREAM), and overall just trying to get things cleaned and organized toward baby time.

And baby time is SOON! There won't be another weekly update- hopefully the next post will be announcing the safe arrival of a healthy baby girl. Stay tuned!

Conversations With Iyla: On Death

Going to attempt to start recording some interesting conversations I've been having with Iyla as of late, as my memory is terrible and these are too good to let fall into the ethers.

Two days ago when I picked Iyla up from school, she asked (seemingly out of nowhere):

"Where is Sam?"

Me: "Sam our kitty?"

I: "Yes."

M: "He died, sweetie. His body got very old and it was time for him to die"

I: "Oh. What day did I die?"

M: "Sweetie you haven't died yet."

(Interrupting me with impatience and urgency)

I: "No Mama, what DAY did I die?"

M: "Sweet girl- I can tell you are feeling frustrated because you want Mama to answer a certain way. Can you be so patient while I try to explain?"

(Nods head)

M: "You haven't died yet. You are a human, and humans can live a very long time. You are 3 years old and humans are able to sometimes live to 100 before they die! I don't know what day you will die, but I hope you don't for a long, long, LONG time."

I: "My body hurts. Does that mean I will die?"

M: "No. We all get boo-boos and our bodies hurt at times. That doesn't mean you will die. Sam's body was very very old so it had done its job for him and it was time for him to die."

I: "Oh."

And there it was. A preliminary exploration of death with my 3.5 year old daughter.

Neither BC nor I are religious, and if we were to put labels on our beliefs, his would be "Agnostic/Atheist" and mine would be "Spiritual/Frou-Frou." As Iyla gets older and her questions & understanding become more complex, we plan to explain to her what each of us believe (we have very different views on what happens after death!) and then from there explore the concept that everyone believes something a little different... here's why WE believe what we do, and it's up to her to form her own beliefs from there.

Loving the journey of exploration with this little one. 

May she live a long, long, LONG and healthy life!

38 Week Updates: Baby 2.0

How far along? 38 weeks today! Yep... still cooking.

How big is baby? The apps have her estimated around 7 pounds at this point, though truly it is anyone's guess! She is definitely filling up every inch of space in my belly.

How big is Mama? Not much weight gain since last week- only up .2 of a pound, for a total weigh in at 146.2 (36.2 pound gain this pregnancy so far). I am quite sure that sometime between last week Monday and Wednesday baby 'dropped.' The profile of my belly changed and on Wednesday I also had increased pressure down low, complete with tailbone pain and a resurgence of hemorrhoids (which I haven't had since birth and the post partum period with Iyla!) All of this means it is increasingly painful and hard for me to sit long periods at a time... or walk... or, really, do anything.

 Here's the comparison belly shot between last Monday and last Wednesday- the "basketball" has dropped slightly and shifted to a more oblong shape

And here is this week's 38 week belly shot. 
It looks even MORE oblong to me- she's definitely getting bigger in there!

Sleep? When I am asleep I sleep soundly. However, I wake so.many.times throughout the night having to shift my body and get up to use the restroom. I'm still having my hands constantly falling asleep so I have to mix up my positions frequently.

Food cravings/aversions? Ah, fruit! This past week I can't get enough of watermelon and peaches, along with apples & grapes. I'm wanting lighter foods overall, though am still enjoying the occasional cheeseburger. Fruits, veggies, sandwiches, & cereal seem to be my recent go-to's.

Symptoms? Everything is jacked up to a high degree!

*Pelvic pressure and pain. I'd include here the sore tailbone, hemorrhoid pain, pressure in my lady parts, etc. After using the restroom I often can't stand straight up or walk for a moment or two due to a strange burning/shifting down there- so have to bend over and do "cat/cow" yoga arching of my back before trying to walk upright again.

*Fatigue. The last week has been tough physically. I also seem to be having an uptick in days when I wake and automatically feel absolutely exhausted- like you could knock me over with a feather.

*Sore hands/fingers. This goes part in parcel with the limbs falling asleep at night. By day my fingers are tight and painful to straighten, especially the ring finger on each hand.

Big sister?

Iyla continues to play act all things baby and family on a daily basis. She loves to take my hand and stuff it under her shirt, saying that "baby tickles" is in her belly and asking me to "feel her moving!" It's so sweet.

Here are this week's school photos:

Iyla also got to do a "Kids Night Out" Saturday night at her school. It was a beach themed party, and apparently she and a new little boy named Nico were BFFs the entire night. Here's a shot of her heading out for her fun evening (and Mama and Papa got to sneak in an extra date night- hooray!):

Still in a phase of insisting on TWO BUNS in her hair every.single.day

On Sunday BC took Iyla to a "Discover the Dinosaurs" event- where Iyla picked out a toy dinosaur whose belly lit up because according to her, it had a "baby in its belly." Of course!

Here she is riding a mechanical dinosaur at the event- her face in the 2nd shot is priceless!

Baby prep?

SO READY. Literally. Bags are packed. Diaper stations are stocked. Clothes are washed & organized. Several meals are prepared and frozen. I even had the good fortune of scoring an awesome and super cute new soft structured baby carrier:

This brand- Kinderpack- releases two new carrier prints on Tuesdays and Fridays and typically sells out within MINUTES of the carriers releasing. One of my Mama friends from my November Mamas group is famous for having an incredible track record of scoring these for those of us wanting them- and she did NOT disappoint! This print, known as "Terrapin," became an instant hit- with so.many.moms on message boards lamenting how they didn't score one, and willing to pay a HUGE uptick in price for anyone willing to part with theirs. So: awesome, cute carrier for the new baby that doubles as an amazing investment! BOOM. Now let's just hope this kid let's me wear her (unlike her big sister Iyla who always hated being worn, and continues to be slightly claustrophobic).

Last week I asked baby to please give me time to get my new listing on the market (preferably with multiple offers so I could get it under contract as well). 

Check and CHECK. 

Under contract with 5 strong offers, so baby officially got the GREEN LIGHT on my end to come any day! However, BC says he'd love to have through this week to tie up some work- and so far it seems like she is also listening to him (darn!)

Did I mention how ready I was for baby to come?

I know the end is in immediate sight.... but dang if these last weeks of pregnancy aren't rough.

C'mon baby girl, c'mon!

37 Week Updates: Baby 2.0

How far along? 37 weeks today!

How big is baby? My apps estimate her in the 6-7 pound range, around 18 inches long. Her lungs should be mostly fully developed, and at this time I am considered "early term" meaning I'm not quite FULL term, but baby should be healthy and ready to go. 

How big is Mama? I am up just shy of two pounds from last week- weighing in at 146.2 this morning, for a total of 36.2 pounds in the pregnancy so far. I had a doctor appointment Friday afternoon where I was checked for any progress, and lo and behold, I was already 3 cm dilated, 50% effaced (though thick) and my doc could feel baby's head. She was low and definitely in position! Of note: I went into labor with Iyla at 37.5 weeks, and when I arrived at the hospital I was 3 cm dilated & 90% effaced.... so.... we are officially on active baby watch.

Sleep? I've gotten over the achy/falling asleep hands (which are still occurring nightly) and am now alternating between my sides and back for sleep. I'm sleeping pretty soundly overall, though waking quite early lately (in the 6-6:30am window).

Food cravings/aversions? Things I've loved this week: watermelon, cheeseburgers, breakfast (always love breakfast! I usually have some kind of scrambled eggs with spinach, onion, & cheese).

Symptoms?

*The biggest new symptom is CRAMPS. Last Thursday & Friday I had light period like cramping on and off all day long. Last night? More intense cramping that had me timing contractions from 12-1am and finishing up my packing (those suckers were coming every 3-5 minutes or so).

I then made a mental agreement with baby that went like this:

*Please make it clear when it is THE time to head to the hosptial
*Please let me get some rest before the hard part begins (meaning last night)
*Please- if you have any ability to do so- make things as easy as possible with Iyla care/coordination

Happily I was then able to sleep through the rest of the night, but this morning the cramping is still intermittent and is making it very hard to walk. It's definitely up a notch in discomfort compared to last week.... so I have cancelled appointments for today to take it easy and stick close to home, just.in.case this means it's almost baby time.

*As I mentioned above, my hands are still aching and falling asleep at night- and my right hand especially remains achy & stiff during the day.

Big sister? Iyla had a blast celebrating the 4th of July with our family- largely because she spent most of the day in a swimming pool! That is definitely her idea of pure HEAVEN. Here are a few pictures from our celebration: