REMINISCING

I can't wait to do this again. I don't know what has come over me, but I am so overjoyed at the thought of giving birth again. I am looking forward to the moment that Renee places beautiful Lennon on my belly and Jason and I get to touch him and hold him for the first time. Just like we did with his big brother.

FULL TERM BABY!!! OH YEAH!!!!

As of today -- baby boy Lennon is full term and we are all systems go for our home birth!!! If our little one decided to come before term we would have had to have him in the hospital. But he waited and now we can go forward with our home birth as planned. We have also started doing everything we can to help get my body prepared for labor with the hopes that we get to welcome Lennon home sooner rather than later. It's game time people!!! oh -- and BTW -- we walked about 5 miles yesterday and got some serious contractions going. The walking also moved Lennon down so low that when Jason checked my cervix for dilation he could no longer find it because it was pretty far back and up behind Lennon's head. Jason does think that I am pretty much fully effaced at this point too - although he's no expert on the percentage of effacement. Maybe next week I'll have my midwife check. We'll see.

37 WEEKS PREGNANT -- OUR NOT SO LITTLE STALK OF SWISS CHARD

How your baby's growing:

Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)
Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

SERIOUSLY -- WTF?

I cannot stop eating the last two nights!!! I swear 7pm hits and I cannot stop shoving food in my mouth. Good grief. Lennon can't seriously be going through another growth spurt. MY BELLY CAN'T DO IT!!!! Oh -- and the food -- SWEETS!!!! Someone stop me now before Lennon weighs 11lbs.!!!!

36 WEEKS AND 4 DAYS PRENATAL APPOINTMENT

My Midwife came to the house today for our 36 week home visit. She toured the house to get an idea of the lay out and we decided where the birth pool would get set up and what not. I can't believe that we are at the -- it could happen any day now -- point in the pregnancy. It just seems so surreal to think that the next time Renee comes to the house will be to deliver baby Lennon home to us!!! What an incredible thought. Wow. The prenatal part went really well as well. We did the GBS test (which I will find out about tomorrow) and she also took another vial of blood to test my titers. We discussed my pulled muscle and how things were going with that. I told her that it felt pretty much healed -- but that I had to let the Nanny go today because I was literally starting to sink into a deep depression over it. It was just too hard to have someone "chaperoning" an entire 8 hours between me and Miles and getting to do all of the things I wanted to do with him (play with him, hold him, feed him, bathe him, etc.). I just started to feel like such a prisoner in my own home. So -- we agreed that I would take is easy still -- my mom and Jason helping as much as they could and that I would do what I had to to make it through this with my sanity!!!! I also told her that I am DONE being pregnant. She laughed and agreed. I asked her if we could start trying to get labor going naturally, as Lennon will be full term this Sunday. She gave us the green light and we will be doing everything in our power to get him early!!! I am sooooo keeping my fingers crossed. She said that she thinks it's a good idea as Lennon is surely going to be over 9lbs. and is big and healthy to date. We listened to his heart rate -- and although his movements have slowed over the last few days -- he is ticking away in there like a champ. Renee said that his heart was reactive and slowed and sped up when he settled or momma talked. He is totally head down -- at about station 0 -- and is taking up every last bit of space that there is in my tummy!!! Renee did not check my cervix (she usually doesn't) but I did tell her that Jason checked me last night during perineal massage and is certain that I am 1cm dilated at the moment. That is SOOOOOOO exciting seeing as how I was not dilated at all when labor started with Miles. I am hoping to get my cervix to open a little bit before labor starts this time around. Anything to knock hours off the time. 22 hours is a VERY long time!!!! We have our next appointment in a week and I m so excited to be at the weekly prenatal appointments as they seem to make the weeks go by a little faster. They give me something to look forward to. I will update then!!!

ANOTHER BELLY PROGRESSION

36 WEEK BELLY PIC -- ALMOST THERE!!!

Whoa nelly -- 4 weeks left!!! I absolutely cannot wait and I am hoping that little man Lennon decides to join us earlier than his anticipated arrival date. For starters -- I just can't wait to meet him and hold him. I was holding the gorgeous Kira this afternoon and suddenly my heart YEARNED for my newest little boy!!! She was so tiny and precious. I am just so excited to do it all over again!!! I also just can't wait to get out of this pregnant body!!! My belly is soooooo heavy and feels stretched to it's limit. Lennon has also dropped and engaged and is already at station 0!!! He is taking up a ton of space in the canal and there is sooooooo much pressure down there. I am barely sleeping these days -- although I desperately want to -- and am up several times a night to pee or readjust or fighting off weird dreams and headaches. Aye aye aye. Plus there's the whole pulled muscle complication!!! It has been a crazy few weeks. We finally started all of our labor prep including perineal massage, EPO, the Dr.Christopher's, walking, etc. We have a few other tricks up our sleeve that we will try after next week, once Lennon is full term. Oh -- and I hope I don't jinx myself -- but my swelling has been very minimal and limited to only a few occasions. This is a much welcomed change from my last pregnancy. With Miles I had some pretty decent swelling from about 34 weeks on. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the swelling will stay at bay!!! I think that's al for now!!! I will update very soon!!!

36 WEEKS PREGNANT -- THE FINAL MONTH!!!!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his first bowel movement.
At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely he's in a head-down position. But if he isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating him from the outside of your belly.

35 WEEKS PREGNANT & 31 YEARS OLD

I'm thinking -- PINA COLADA!!! What??? It's my birthday -- doesn't this pregnant biatch deserve a cocktail???? FINE. Make it a virgin.

35 WEEKS PREGNANT -- OUR LITTLE HONEYDEW

How your baby's growing:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

OMG -- MY FREAKING RIBS HURT

Dear Baby Lennon,

Mommy loves you so very much. Words cannot describe it. And mommy loves to feel you move and stretch out inside her belly. But, my dear sweet boy, mommy would REALLY love it if you could stop kicking her in the ribs. Thank you so much little one.

Love,
Mommy

LABOR PREP

Ahhhhh -- the glorious 34 week mark!!! The end is in sight and I have been given the green light to go ahead and start with my labor prep routine. I love having something to do that makes me feel proactive and helps pass the time. My labor prep includes a lot -- and the hope is that all of these things will help get my body, cervix, and uterus all primed and ready for an on time labor. The list includes:

Sipping tons of RED RASPBERRY LEAF TEA
Nightly EVENING PRIMROSE OIL capsules inserted into you know where
A daily schedule of DR. CHRISTOPHER'S PRENATAL FORMULA
Weekly ACUPUNCTURE visits
Nightly PERINEAL MASSAGE

I believe the perineal massage was sooooooo pivotal in preventing me from tearing. With Miles having been such a big baby -- I know that the PM was the entire reason for my good fortune. The Evening Primrose oil is supposed to help with tearing as well, as it helps to soften the tissue. It also helps to soften the cervix and help it ripen. The Red Raspberry Leaf Tea and Dr. Christopher's are all herbal preparations made specifically to prepare the uterus and tone it for the big day. I am supposed to take more and more of the Dr. Christopher's, the closer I get to labor, as this too will help my uterus to produce progressive contractions. The acupuncture won't actually begin for another few weeks and this will be done to help with late, third trimester discomfort and to help get labor started. I also dug out my birth ball and have been sitting on it in hopes to coax little Lennon to drop and engage. I should have been using it for awhile now since it helps to alleviate back pain -- but alas -- I am using it now.

This is all so exciting and I can't believe that we are gearing up for the big day. As slow as time seems to be moving these days -- it's also astonishing how fast this pregnancy flew by. We are just 6 weeks away from welcoming baby home.

34 WEEK PRENATAL APPOINTMENT

Today we had the first of our last two bi-weekly appointments. Our last one will be at 36 weeks and then we begin our weekly appointments. I love seeing Renee more frequently. It helps pass the time and I am able to remember all of my questions as there isn't 4 weeks worth of goings on to try and recall. Today's appointment was fantastic. Of course, we discussed my pulled abdominal muscle and she felt and palpitated it and gave me the same advice over again. I told her that I felt that I was doing a good job of honoring her "prescription" and that I had done my best to take it easy and not doing any heavy lifting. It was hard not pick Miles up at all this weekend, but I am doing it!!! We covered all of the usual prenatal stuff and Lennon's heart sounds great. His head is good and low now -- sitting just above my pubic bone. I was so excited to hear this as now I am certain that he is really getting to work putting some good pressure against my cervix and coaxing it to start progressing. I can still feel his feet very high up in my uterus, which is no surprise -- he's gonna be one tall little guy. There was a small trace of protein in my urine today -- but Renee said that it was nothing to be concerned about. I have no swelling at the moment and my BP was great -- so there really is no concern about Pre-Eclampsia. We will retest in two weeks. In two weeks we will also re-test my titers and do a GBS culture. My home work for the next two weeks and leading into labor is start tea tree oil sitz baths. This helps to fight off any GBS that could be lurking down there. This way I don't have to take a ton of antibiotics to get rid of GBS before or after labor. The hope is that there will be no GBS to kill!!! I tested negative with Miles and I am certain I will test the same this time around. Renee also gave me the list of items I will need for our homebirth kit. It's the exact same kit that we used with Miles and I am so excited to place the order. Getting the kit and setting everything up is so exciting for me and it really makes the fact that baby is almost here seem so much more real. I also mentioned the birth pool to Renee and it turns out that she has one that we can use and all we have to do is purchase a liner and hose -- for obvious -- sanitary -- reasons. I am so excited to have birth pool this time around. I know I have said it before -- and I will say it again -- a home's standard sized bathtub is NO place for a laboring woman!!! Good grief -- I felt like a sardine. What a shame, too, because the hot water felt so heavenly. This time I will have a giant pool to spread out in. It is going to be delightful. That's about it. Our next appointment is at 36 weeks and Renee will be coming to our home for it. We usually go to the birth center for all of our appointments, but next she sill be coming over to see the new house, get a feel for it, and help me figure out where will set up the pool and what not. Maybe next week she'll even check my cervix for progress. Who know!!!!

GIRLS DAY OUT!!!

Nana and I have been dying to get a manicure and pedicure for months now. Having little Miles in tow has made that dream impossible. So, I decided to get us mani's and pedi's as a Christmas gift to Nana this year and Jay Jay offered to take Miles for the day!!! It was so nice to sit back and relax and enjoy some girlie time with my mom. We haven't been out together, just the two of us, since Miles was born. It was such a lovely experience -- although Nana was certain that the man who did her manicure was trying to break the bones in her arms during the massage. That being said -- we now have soft, gorgeous, callous free hands and feet. Let's just say that the massage that accompanied these services was just what this pregnant momma needed!!!! We also stopped and had lunch afterward. We had almost forgotten what it was like to dine without a little one in tow. Oh soooooooo nice.

REALLY?

Jason just reminded me that last weekend was New Years weekend. WHAT??? That felt like 3 weeks ago. I was literally stunned and in denial. There is no way that New Year's was only a week ago. NO WAY. Man oh man -- we are in it for the long haul. The VERY long haul.

34 WEEKS PREGNANT -- OUR LITTLE CANTALOUPE

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

PULLED ABDOMINAL MUSCLE AND MODIFIED BED REST

Well -- I have really gone and done it now. My midwife has been telling me all along to take it easy and make sure that I was not doing too much heavy lifting -- but I felt like superwoman and didn't listen. It's really hard to listen when you have a 26lb. 14 month old who still wants and needs to be picked up and held frequently. Even though Miles weighs as much as some 3 year olds does not mean that he is a 3 year old. He is still my little baby and is so not ready to give up being picked up. Well - for the last few weeks I have been having a burning pain in the muscle between my breast and uterus that I have been writing off as just some pregnancy thing. Turns out that it was in fact the pulling and weakening of my abdominal muscle. When I picked Miles up this morning my muscle pulled completely and I am now in a world of serious pain. My Midwife has put me on strict modified bed rest -- meaning -- I do not literally have to stay in bed, but I am not to do any lifting, picking up, pulling, or pushing of any kind. I am to take it easy and rest as much as possible. This means I cannot pick Miles up anymore. She made that very VERY clear. I am so heartbroken about this. I don't think I can make it 6 weeks without picking him up and I feel so scared that this will have a negative impact on him and our relationship. I don't want him to think that I don't love him and I don't want us to grow apart because mommy can't pick him up and do all of the things that she used to. I can't even give him a bath anymore. How sad is that???? The plan of action is the following: Jason will take all late shifts at work, which means he will be here until 9am every morning. NanaBee will spend the first part of the day with MIles and I (she's the best) --helping out and we are hiring a Nanny to do a 1-9pm shift to relieve Nana and help until Jason comes home from work. With all of this support my muscle should heal in no time and I should be able to push little Lennon out with little to no difficulty. The biggest concern is whether or not having a pulled abdominal muscle will make it too painful to push. The goal here is to heal, heal, heal!!!! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family who loves me and is willing to go to all this trouble to help me out. I really am the luckiest girl in the world.

SLEEPING SITTING UP

It's official -- I AM PREGNANT!!! You know you're uber pregnant when you have to sleep sitting in a reclined position. I had to rig a sleeping set-up in our bed last night with 3 giant pillows and my snoogle loop. Side lying is no longer a go. I tossed and turned for over an hour before I realized that there was just no way I was going to get any sleep that way. So Jay Jay helped me and I was sitting up and fast asleep in no time. I also had about 5 or so nasty leg cramps that really threw my night out of whack. I hate those little monsters. The only way to get rid of them is to walk and walk and walk until they subside. OUCHIE!!!! So -- yep -- here we go. This how you know baby is coming soon. Mother nature's little way of giving you a taste of the lack sleep that is to come. We have been so spoiled with Miles sleeping roughly 11-12 hours a night since 4 months old. Little Lennon is just weeks away from rocking our world as we know it....;0) What will that little guy be like?

LOOK... I MADE TRACKS IN THE SNOW

Click here to view this video

MOMMA, MILES, AND LENNON AT THE PARK

MOMMA AND LENNON IN THE SNOW

IT'S SNOWING!!!

THAT'S RIGHT!!!! I said -- IT'S SNOWING!!!! In Southern California!!! And I mean -- REALLY snowing. We're not talking about a few flakes here and there. We're talking all out, giant flakes, of snow flying everywhere. I am sooooooo giddy!!!!

THE (d)EVOLUTION OF PREGNANCY

7 WEEKS LEFT AND TIME HAS STOPPED

Well -- ok -- maybe it hasn't stopped, but today literally felt like a week. We have officially hit the slow down and I don't know how I am going to make it to week 40 or more without losing my marbles!!! I am swimming with so many feelings and emotions. I literally cannot wait to meet Lennon -- I am so freaking excited to get him into my arms and to see his gorgeous little face. I also don't think I can take 7 more weeks of the discomfort and pain of having this sweet pea kick me in the ribs and organs. I swear -- my right lower rib is bruised. It hurts to touch it. I am also very concerned about how I am going to get my shoes on in a few weeks here. I am almost to the point where I can't do it alone. I may just have to pick a pair and never take them off. Could you imagine me sleeping in my converse one stars???? LOLOLOL. Mostly, I am just starting to get really antsy about meeting our newest little bundle of boy. I sit in his nursery several times a day just soaking it in and fantasizing about when he arrives. Miles loves to go in with me and play with baby brothers things. We both seem to really love it in there -- so it works out nicely. Jason is getting pretty excited too and has mentioned, on several occasions, the fact that he can't wait to hold that tiny little peanut and to get the ball rolling on raising our 2 children. We're still in the processing of "growing" our foursome. We just can't wait to move into the "raising" our foursome phase. I can't believe how lucky I am to be getting the family I want!!! Momma and her brood of sweet sweet boys. I just don't think it can get any better than that. Now -- I just have to make it there. With my marbles. Well -- we'll see.

33 WEEKS PREGNANT -- OUR LITTLE PINEAPPLE

How your baby's growing:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.