32 Weeks

Here is the latest picture (are the gloves from gardening or just the latest trend, you decide :).  I am still feeling enormous, but every once in a while someone tells me I look small.  I think they're only saying that to make me feel good, but I'll take it when it comes!  Whenever someone asks how I'm feeling, I usually say that I feel good and most of the time I do, but to be honest this pregnancy is a lot harder than the first.  I'm not sure if its because its my second or because I'm on my feet more at work and have a toddler to chase around at home.  Either way, I'm feeling those side effects much more this go around.  

This baby is a squirmer in the evenings.  He is sitting much higher than Reegan was, so I feel all the movements right under my ribs.  Its fairly uncomfortable sometimes and I feel like I'm constantly having to push a little butt or foot down so I can breath better.  With Reegan we had so many ultrasounds (16 in all) that I knew exactly where her body was and what I was feeling.  Since we only had the 20 week ultrasound this time I have no idea how he is laying.  Honestly, I'm kinda paranoid he's not in position because all of the movement is so high while with Reegan it was much lower.  My doctor assures me that movement up high usually does mean the baby is head down, but if he questions it closer to delievery there will be another ultrasound.  

My back pain is unbelievable some times.  If I'm just sitting I'm usually Ok, but playing on the floor with Reegan sometimes is impossible.  I was trying to chase her around on my hands and knees and I kept getting shooting pains on my right lower back, I was laughing and crying at the same time.  Sleep is getting challenging, I wake every 2 hours to pee and change positions, I had to bring out the body pillow this last week, so poor Jason doesn't have a lot of room.  I'm still able to workout, not as often as I would like but 3 times a week at least.  I bought a prenatal yoga dvd which isn't much of a workout but the stretching is amazing. 

Reegan really is the sweetest little thing.  Everyday (without prompting) she give my belly hugs and kisses and says hi to baby brother.  Whenever we see a baby on tv or somewhere she always asks me if she can hold it.  I think she is going to be the best big sister!  

At the end of my shift or a really busy day I feel like my ankles are a little swollen, but not to bad.  I am exhausted in the evenings and all day really and its a challenge to not let myself nap when Reegan naps.  I'll confess, there have been many times that I put her to bed and she pats the bed and asks for me to lay down with her.  I usually lay down and rub her back for a little while before she falls asleep, but more times than one I also fall asleep.  I usually wake up after 20 minutes or so, but one time it was pushing an hour...oops!     

These are all small prices to pay for this little one, I'm really excited to meet him and maybe even more excited to see Reegan with him.  We have a name picked out, but I don't think I'm ready to share it just yet.  I have a little trouble with commitment and posting it for the world (or the 10 people who read this) is definitely commiting :)  Soon, we'll hopefully have finished pictures of his nursery as well.  We decided not to go very traditional, but I think its going to turn out really cute.  For now, we are taking one last weekend away to spend with our only child before her world is turned upside down.  We leave for St. Louis on Thurs.  We have big plans so hopefully the weather cooperates.  Life is good, we are enjoying each of these experiences and look forward to the changes ahead!    

Saturday

Our Saturday started off bright and early when Reegan decided she wanted to wake up at 6am.  We have a strict "no one is out of bed before 7 on Sat and Sunday morning" rule!  Luckily Reegan likes to sleep in, so it wasn't hard to convince her to go back to bed and go to sleep.  Actually, Jason just had to walk her back to her room and she climbed in without a peep.  She still got up kinda early, at least for her, 7:30.  She was content to lay in bed with us while we all watched some Seasame Street. 

After breakfast we headed to the Olathe Farmer's Market and then to buy some flowers and vegetables.  Here is some of our loot.   

Terrible pic of me.  That doesn't even look like a baby bump, just someone who has eaten a little too much ice cream lately (which I have). 

While I planted the pots, Jason planted the veggies. 

A job well done if I say so...

While we planted, Reegan played with her new water table. My mom is the best garage sale shopper ever!  I can't find anything this good when I look.  She loved it!  Plus, she looks really cute in her bathing suit!

Hard at work.  This table has 2 sides to it and I'm thinking about making one side a sand box.  However, cleaning wet sand off my 2 year-old does not sound like my idea of a good time...so I'm still thinking about it!

We've never spent this much effort making the outside of our home look so nice and it feels good!  It was a great morning!

Trolley Run

It was supposed to be the 6th annual trolley run for Jason and I.  Jason was going to run it as usual and I was going to push Reegan in the jogging stroller.  I had snacks, books and little things packed in case she became restless (usually she loves walks and just chills) and I needed something to distract her.  Well, the weather did not cooperate.  I decided that there was no need for Reegan to be out in the cold and rain, so we skipped it.  Jason and my dad were troopers and braved the elements.  

My mom had surgery recently so the 3 of us girls went to panera for some hot coffee and to relax while we waited for the guys to join us.  Following tradition, we then went out to breakfast.  This year we went to Beer Kitchen in Westport and it was great!  Not your traditional breakfast menu, but very good. 

I'm pretty bummed I sat out this year, but I'll be back next year. 

Poor Reegan is not recovering like we had hoped/expected.  She still has a fever and is not back to her usual self.  I think a trip to the doctor is in store for her tomorrow.  Our poor little thing, I hate when she is sick and I would give anything to help her feel better.  She is sleeping great, so hopefully a full recovery is in the very near future.  

Surgery #2

Today was the day.  The day our baby girl had to have surgery...again!  A little over a year ago Reegan had tubes put in her ears.  The doctor told us at that time that there was about a 25% chance she'd have to have a second set.  Sometimes kids as young as her don't "outgrow" the problem before the tubes fall out.  Unfortunately for her, she ended up as one of the 25%.  Additionally, the doctor informed us that she was going to need her adenoids removed to her with her sinuses.  Reegan has almost always had a runny nose and he said that having these removed would help her out.

So, bright and early this morning (6:00 AM!) we headed to the hospital to begin prepping her for the procedure.  Having been through this once before, we came prepared.  Books to read, a blanket, a change of clothes, and Teddy as her surgery partner...

First step - get her vitals.  30 POUNDS!  You're getting too big little girl! 

Then we needed the proper attire.  A cute, yellow gown tied neatly in the back.

And finally, a hair cap. 

We waited awhile for the doctor and anesthesiologist - here's wher the books came in handy...

This time around they were going to have to use an IV in her arm.  This brought on a few tears (from Mom, not Reegan).  Plus they were going to intubate her.  All standard and routine practices, but scary none-the-less for a 2-year-old's parents.

After some final hugs, the nurses took her off to surgery...

The procedure took about 30 minutes total.  The doctor came out and told us that everything had gone just as planned and that Reegan was in the recovery room.  We still had to wait until she was moved to the step-down room to go back to see her (which was another 10-15 minutes of anxiousness).  We just wanted to go and hold our baby girl!

When we finally got to see her, she was doing just great!  A little sleepy, and clingy, and crying just a bit, but all of that was to be expected.  We knew our girl was just fine when she downed a huge cup of milk as soon as we offered it to her.  :)

We got her home and this is what happened...



She slept for 3 hours!  She's up and doing great now.  Reegan is such a brave little girl and tougher than we give her credit for sometimes.  What a trooper!  

Outside Play

So cliche, but where has the time gone?  I can't believe the end of April is almost here.  I can't believe that I'm already down to the every other week doctor's appointment, and I can't believe that my little girl is growing up so much and almost 27 months. 

We have been so busy lately that I don't think we've done much enjoying life, so we try to squeeze in a few moments at the end of the day when the 3 of us are together.  The 3 of us are not together as much as we would like.  This working nights thing is tough.  I feel like I'm always trying to take it easy because I have to work that night or recovering after I've worked all night.  I'll admit it, I don't sleep nearly enough.  Currently I'm at work and having a "what was I thinking" moment.  I wasn't supposed to work tonight, its not my weekend, but I traded with someone who needed tonight off.  So, here I am.  Not sure what I am thinking because I worked this past Thurs and Fri night and work again Tues and Wed night.  After accepting the trade I realized that I would be working 5 out of 7 nights...But then I have 5 days off.  That will be amazing!  In addition, I will be with Reegan all day tomorrow, because I just have too much stuff to get done to spend my day sleeping.  Come 8am when I'm off work, I'll probably regret it, but after a cup of coffee and, fingers crossed, a workout I'll be fine! 

How have we been spending our time lately?  That seems to be the magic question, because sometimes I am not sure what we have been doing.  If you came over to my house right now, it would look like we have been doing nothing, the sink is full of dishes, legos and stuffed animals are scattered around, plus there is currently a changing table and glider in our living room.  Jason has already painted Reegan's big girl room and we've moved her over (pics to come of that soon) and is currently working on painting the baby's room.  I have been moving clothes, books, toys, etc of Reegan's into her new room.  Once we get the nursery put together a little more I then need to start doing some laundry and digging the baby toys out of the basement.  I think in another week, we will start to feel a lot better about it and be able to slow down a bit.  I still need to go shopping since we don't have anything on the walls in either room, but that should be a bit more relaxing. 

We are still trying to have intentional time with Reegan, it just looks a little different.  We may not have time to take her to the park in the evening, but instead we'll head out back from some play.  Here is the newest addition to our deck.   

Gotta love consignment sales!  Thanks Mom :)

Reegan LOVES it.  She takes her stuffed animals out there and has really started to love walking in through the door and climbing out through the back window.  A very active girl we have.  I love it because it sits right outside our back door, so I can leave the door open and clean the kitchen while she plays.  Plus, she loves being able to come and go as she pleases. 

For Easter, Jason and I got her this t-ball set.  He has really loved teaching her how to swing the bat.  Much to our surprise she seems to do better batting left-handed even though she does everything else right-handed.

Jason tells me this could serve her well if she becomes some amazing softball player in the future (he has very high hopes for all our kids :)

We've also been doing a lot of work around the house preparing to put it on the market sometime in the next year and preparing for an upcoming garage sale.  Hopefully we can make some money on all these things we don't want.  The lawn is getting some professional attention and now Jason has strict guidelines for himself when it comes to mowing and watering.  Also, who knew replacing carpet could be so expensive...

30 weeks...

...and feeling enormous.  If baby boy holds out for another 10 weeks before his arrival, I may be rolling everywhere!  Or hiding in my house too ashamed to leave :) 

Honestly though, every doctor's appointment he (and I, doctor says my weight gain is perfect) is checking out great and I am feeling movement all the time, so he's healthy and happy (I think so anyways), which makes me happy!  I just hope there is no 9+ pound newborn in my future!    

Easter

I love having these "little" holidays spaced through the year.  We have so much fun being able to spend the time with our families and introduce Reegan to new traditions.  We started the day off with church and then our families came to our house to eat and watch Reegan hunt Easter eggs. 

We don't have many family pictures, so this was top of my priority list!  I love that now Reegan will respond when we ask her to smile...well some of the time.  It all depends on her attitude and also what other distractions are around.  Maybe this was my Easter present, a cooperative child!  Actually I think she was just so excited to have so many people she loves around her all at once. 

Look at that beauty.  WOW, I think she keeps getting cuter by the day.  She thinks so too, because if we put her in a dress or a new outfit she likes to see herself in the mirror and she'll say, "I'm cute".  Gotta love a toddler with high self-esteem. 

Sunday was much nicer than Saturday, so we were able to have the egg hunt outside. 

She's the only little one in the family, so she didn't have to compete with anyone for the eggs.  Not for much longer :)

More family pics...

...then someone started to get bored with it. 

I say it all the time, but I am so proud to her mom.  She is such a spirited, active child and we wouldn't want it any other way.  I am also so thankful for Jason.  He really is an amazing father and takes such good care of her.  It is wonderful not having any worries while I work and knowing that she is in wonderful hands.  Our families are incredibly supportive and love Reegan unconditionally.  We are so blessed.