My pregnancy may expire before my yogurt

Posted- 3/29/10 (can't get the post date to change from 3/25/10 when I drafted it). We're getting closer to meeting baby girl. I noticed this morning that the yogurt in my fridge expires on May 3rd (my due date) and the milk doesn't expire until May 16th. I will for sure have a baby before the milk goes bad (granted with a 2.5 year old in the house it will be gone by next week for sure). For some reason, this all really excited me. When will she come? Who will she look like? How big will she be? All unknowns & very exciting. Other exciting news- as of my 34 week visit last Wednesday she's not breech! Hallelujah! Also, I watched what I ate from 32-34 weeks and actually lost a pound which didn't alarm the doctor since that still puts me up 35 lbs. It was by far the best dr's visit of this pregnancy because it quelled my fear's of an external version or scheduled c-section- 2 things I had been fretting big time. I had an U/S to confirm her position & she's definitely head down. They estimated her weight at 5.5 lbs which would put her on track to be 8.5 lbs at 40 weeks. Look at her taking after her big brother already by being a big baby. Her femur length measured at 32 weeks so she may be a short, chubby baby which would be super cute. The pics below are my favorites from the U/S. In the 2nd one you can see her sucking on her nummy fingers. Seems that she already loves her sugar sticks just like Brady did. The 3rd pic down cracked us up because she looked like she was either smiling or passing some gas. I think she looks alot like her daddy in the 4th & 5th pics and just like Brady as a baby in the last one (although Rocky thinks she looks just like me in that one). I've also included pictures of me at 34 weeks 1 day. My belly is definitely more than a bump at this point. Our doctor's office didn't get their 3D machine until right after I had Brady so we have no 3D pics to compare to although I'm sure she'll look atleast a little bit like him. This past weekend I washed up her NB & 0-3 month clothes, blankets, and her crib sheet. Her crib is ready to go although she probably won't sleep in it for the first month or so. I was really happy to find a Moses Basket at Homegoods for $20. My mom is going to make a mattress and sheet to coordinate with the basket lining fabric. It's starting to seem more real now. I'm finally starting to feel a little more tired. I even came home from work yesterday, napped for 2 hours, slept for 8+ hours last night, and was still tired and in need of coffee this morning. This pregnancy has gone by much quicker & has been alot easier on my body than the first one (probably because she's stayed pretty high and off all of those nerves that caused me pelvic, hip & leg pain before). Let's see if she's as good of a baby as Brady was. No matter what, we will love our little girl. What a blessing!

Go Canes

We had a great time as a family at the Canes game on Sunday. All we told Brady when we left the house is that we were going to a surprise location. He kept saying he thought we were going to Chick-fila, but realized we were going to the hockey game once we were in the parking lot & he saw all the flags & people walking around with jerseys one. "Hurricanes!" he kept yelling. His jersey was waiting in the back of the car & he was oh so happy to match daddy. Once we got our tickets from willcall (after many phone calls to Rocky's boss who bought them under his account), we went inside & Brady was so excited. He was a bit concerned over the noice (see below pic of him covering his ears from the cheers of the Buffalo fans who were there in obnoxious supply), but overall had an awesome time. Daddy & him even took a trip to The Eye & got Brady his very own Canes hat. Brady decided he liked wearing it backwards. He's been asking when we can go back & loves to her me say the word "Zamboni!" which he repeats with some degree of giggling.

You hurt where? Your head is where?

So there has definitely been alot of crud going around lately, mostly colds & a nasty stomach bug that's hit my co-workers, their kids, or my friends' kids. Last Thursday night about 30 minutes before bed, Brady kept saying he didn't feel well. It was pretty sudden & I started to wonder if a tummy bug was coming on. Friday, I went in to get Brady up & ready for school to find him laying in some throw-up. Oh boy! Rocky had a scheduled vacation day off & I really felt like Brady needed his mamma, so I stayed home too. This was the first time Brady had ever been sick & really acted sick, laying around, not wanting to play, needing extra rest. He even fell asleep on my bed at 10:30 instead of his usual naptime of 1ish. Later in the evening he fell asleep on the couch at 5:45 with his head down in the crevice between the backboard & armrest. Pitiful muffin! I asked him throughout the day what felt bad, and he would touch his mouth and say "My mouth hurts". I'd asked him about his tummy & he'd say that didn't feel good either. He was drinking very little fluids & Rocky had gone and gotten him Gatorade & Apple Juice. I know most sites on the internet say to stick to pedialyte with tummy bugs, but Brady has had one other bug & he refused it. In his defense, that is some nasty tasting stuff. On Friday, he never once got sick or had a poop. I didn't understand how he could have a stomach bug without these symptoms. I offered him fluids throughout the day & he would take one sip every so often. I offered him foods- applesauce, yogurt, pancake to which he would take one bite and declare he didn't like it. It was so hard to see him not eating & drinking well since he usually eats anything & everything and drinks alot. Rocky went to Target and got him Monsters Inc & Cars, and I had gotten him 7 new books at the Kids Everywhere Consignment Sale the day before, so this helped Brady pass the time while not really wanting to play. Close to 8 pm, Rocky suggested we look in his mouth since Brady kept mentioning that it hurt. Rocky shined the flashlight in there & we both let out loud gasps. His tongue & throat looked like a petri dish, covered in nasty white stuff. He'd also gone from a 99.7 to 100.7 to 101.7 degree temperature so I felt this ruled out thrush. Seemed to be strep throat to us. This explained the not wanting to eat or drink, and we think he may have thrown up due to be tired, fevery, and in pain. Poor little guy. At urgent care on Saturday morning it was confirmed that he had strep so he was started on penicillin. Penicillin tastes pretty yucky even when berry flavored & the ibuprofen burns his mouth because of the sores, but we're making sure he gets his much needed doses 3 times a day. By Saturday afternoon he was asking to go to the park, but the dr said he needed 24 hours of doses in order to not be contagious any more. He woke up 3 times during the night on Saturday, but went back to sleep each time. Rocky was up with him & I didn't even know about this until I woke up in the morning. Sunday I managed to get him to eat a whole pancake despite him wanting to be done after 3 bites. He wasn't fevery any more & was cleary wanting to get out of the house. I took him to Barnes & Nobles, and you could tell how much he loved being able to play again. He managed to eat a small amount for lunch and went down for a nap. I went out to run errands and came back to find that Brady had already been up for an hour and was being quite fussy. We figured he was hungry since he gets pretty crabby when he's hungry. We thought about what we could give him that he'd eat more than a few bites. Golden Corral it was, since we could offer him lots of mushy options- baked apples, rice, sweet potato casserole, macaroni & cheese. To our delite, he ate a full plate of food! I cried at the table I was so happy. From there we went to the park, and it's amazing how some food & time to run around changed his attitude back into being a much happier boy. He went back to school yesterday & ate all of his food there. He ate a decent dinner at home last night too. He's still fussier than usual, but I think he still needs to catch up on his sleep. Last night he told me "Mommy, I'll make you feel better. Lay down for me. Here's some bubblegum. Here's a Thomas sticker for your arm." The bubblegum was referring to his flavored medicine, and the sticker is the highlight of any trip to the dr's office. I was happy to know that he understood that we do all of those things to try to make him feel better. This experience made me realize how much I appreciate when he is healthy. It also gave me a new respect for parents whose children are "really sick"- those with chronic health problems that need constant care. It is so hard to see your child not feel well & know there is only so much you can do.

On the baby girl front, we get to see her again next Wednesday! Last Tuesday I'd gone ahead and booked a 3D/4D scan at Prenatal Peek, and we were going to get a 30 minute DVD of her. I thought it would be something neat to show Brady & the grandparents. Baby girl had other plans. I went in for my routine 32 week appointment last Wednesday. I hopped on the scale to find out I had gained 6 more lbs in 2 weeks. I was worried about this being a sign of pre-eclampsia, but my blood pressure was great at 110/68 so that was ruled out. Dr. Duncan came in, asked how I'd been feeling, to which I replied "I feel great, but I'm not sure why I'm gaining so much weight." At this point, I'd already gained 36 lbs, while I only gained 31 lbs the entire pregnancy with Brady. He said this was a concern since me gaining more weight would make her gain more weight. He measured my belly at 33 cm which is fine for 32 weeks. Brady would even measure 2.5 cm ahead. He performed the Leopold's Manuever (feeling around on the belly) to determine her position. The doctors who saw me at 28 weeks & 30 weeks had done the same and said they couldn't tell if she was head down. This 3rd doctor said he couldn't tell either. He said, "No worries. We'll just do a scan next time." He said they really need to determine her position & also to check her weight since she could be getting quite large since I'd gained that much. I felt crushed & once I got back to work and called Rocky I broke down. It's not a vanity thing, so that's not why I care about the weight part. I'd just hate for her to get so big that they suggest an induction or c-section. I do not believe in inductions unless a woman is quite past due (around 2 weeks), since I feel like if there is such a dire situation (high bp for example) then the baby should be delivered immediately via c-section. I also think it's nuts to offer a woman one just because she is tired of being pregnant. I think your body usually knows what is best. It also seems like so many inductions end in a c-section anyways. Brady was quite large, but since they never checked his weight via U/S, they never suggested any other option than me going into labor on my own. My other concern is that she is breech. There are times when I feel a hard ball up high & it makes me think that her head is what's up in my ribs. Dr. Duncan said she is very high up in my ribs which explains my shortness of breath. However, Brady was so low that I had all of the hip, pelvic, and leg pains, so this is much preferred. I asked Dr. Duncan if she does appear big on the U/S if they would suggest an early induction & he said not necessarily, but my brain was already thinking of all of these things and getting panicky. I went to check out & book my next appointment. The receptionist told me they did a scheduled c-section for her since her baby was so high. Not what I wanted to hear! I want her to be head down, drop nice & low, and for me to go into labor on my own. I will never forget the magic of going into labor with Brady & knowing my body was doing such an amazing thing. I have to remind myself that when it comes to pregnancy, it's not really about what I want. It's about what is best for getting baby girl here safe & sound.

Baby girl- I'm sure everyone is tired of hearing us call her that. She still doesn't have an official name. We thought we had it figured out, we tossed in another name, and we've recently started talking about another name that I've liked for some time. I think we may end up naming her once we meet her. I'm getting more excited every day, and I'm gonna start organizing her stuff this week by doing some laundry & putting her clothing in the pack-n-play and moving Brady's clothing up to his bedroom. I bought some NB diapers this past weekend and almost cried thinking about having a new baby who will be so tiny, especially in comparison to her big brother. I feel like I know Brady so well & it took me a long time to feel like I knew him. Soon I will have baby girl who I know nothing about & that experience of getting to know my child will happen all over again. I know it will be different since she will have her own personality and her own ideas about sleeping, eating, and all of her likes & dislikes. I look forward to getting to know her, getting to know Brady better, and getting to see them enjoy being brother & sister.

Baby Girl Shower

I had an awesome time at my baby shower last Saturday hosted by Maeghan Sutton & Jamie Tjalma, 2 of my sorority sisters from college. I've posted lots of pics below. I was truly honored by the generosity of all of my friends and family (mom & Shaunda) who were there. We got tons of clothes for baby girl in sizes 3-6 months so she will be one stylish little lady. We also got cups, blankets, hooded towels, a handmade baby blanket, and my mom made her first granddaughter bibs, her first doll, and a quilt. Maeghan & Jamie also did a crazy good job with the food. The sub tray was awesome since they thought to get veggie for me since deli meat it off limits while pregnant, there was a delicious pomegranate punch, pasta salad, hummus & crackers, and the most delicious cupcakes I've ever had from Bliss Boutique Bakery. Lucky for me, Maeghan sent me home with 10 of them. We enjoyed them for days! The decorations were super cute too, enough so that I just had to take pics to share. Another highlight of the shower was having Mandee, another sorority sister from college & one of my bridesmaids, surprise me by coming to the shower all the way from Knoxville. I let out quite the scream when I got to Maeghan's apartment and saw her standing in the kitchen. Later that night, Maeghan & Mandee came over to hang out with me, Brady, Shaunda, and Tanner. Rocky went to pick us up pizza & we chatted for hours. It was like the good ole days with all of us being a little older, a little wiser, and a big ole baby belly on board. It was an awesome day & I really felt so special.

Let the Estrogen Fest Commence

Just a quick post to say how much I am looking forward to my baby shower tomorrow. 2 of my sorority sisters, Maeghan Sutton & Jamie Tjalma, are hosting it in Chapel Hill, and I CANNOT WAIT!!! It's an all girl event, unless my friend Sue brings her 9 month old Stough which would be great, so there will be a plentiful supply of estrogen. I'm excited to spend time with friends and to celebrate the blessing that is my daughter. I will post pictures of the festivities, hopefully this weekend. I was originally going to wear a black & cream geometric printed dress but decided I wanted something more colorful and quite honestly something that would photograph better, so I ventured out at lunch today and found a navy & aqua floral dress with matching teal flats. I've learned that maternity dresses should actually be called "moo-moo's" so I opted for a non-preggo dress in a size up from what I usually wear. And let's be honest- since I didn't have navy or teal shoes, it was the perfect opportunity to add some to my collection. Also, it's quite possible this will be our last baby, so I'm trying to savor every moment (side note- despite this attempt, this pregnancy is going by way too fast. When I was pregnant with Brady I never thought I'd say that a pregnancy would feel as if it went by too fast, but this one definitely is). I also felt like it was okay to splurge on a new head-to-toe look since again, it may be my final baby shower ever. I know we'll all have a great time and if the adorable invites are any indication, I'm sure the shower will be girly & perfect. Since I'm pregnant, there's no shame in me admitting how much I'm looking forward to the food too. Apparently, so is Brady since when I told him yesterday that this weekend I was going to a party for baby sister while he spent time with daddy, Papa, and baby Tanner, he asked if I'd bring him back some cake, specially Shrek or Spiderman cake! I'm thinking it will be something more along the lines of a pink or purple cake or cupcakes, but I promised I'd bring him some anyways.

Little Bunny Foo Foo

My favorite posts are those where I can weave a story that includes elements of both Brady and Baby Girl Davis. This is one such post. It's no secret at this point that the name of Baby Girl is a secret. When I arrived at Brady's school yesterday, one of his teacher's approached me and said "Brady's been saying his sister's name today." My heart sunk thinking that Brady had let the cat out of the bag by letting the name slip out. All I could do was smile & reply, "Well, what was he saying?". "Oh, he's been saying her name is Bunny". Silent sigh of relief on my part. I just laughed and confirmed that her name will definitely not be Bunny & said something about never really knowing what Brady's going to say. She asked what the baby's name is going to be, and I told a LWL (Little White Lie) when I said we weren't even sure yet. I say it was a LWL versus a BWL since technically we're not 100% sure what her name is going to be. We think we know & Brady calls her a certain name, but we're leaving it open in case when she arrives we can feel free to pick something else if she just doesn't look like she should be called by this name. Next, I ventured out to the playground to find my sweetie pie who was busy at the tire swing. Two more of the 2 year old teachers said he'd been very talkative about his baby sister today. They had also heard the name Bunny thrown around along with something that sounded to them like Dawn. My honest thoughts about Bunny Davis & Dawn Davis are that they both sound like perfect names, but only if one would like to pursue a career in some adult industry if you know what I mean. So for all those who are interested, you can cross Bunny & Dawn off the list of name possibilities.

Another Brady/ Baby Girl hybrid story is one that took place last Thursday. The spirit moved Brady while we had some tunes playing on the tv & he hopped up to dance. Near the end of his booty shaking he informed Rocky & me that he was "dancing for baby sister." I'm telling you, when he says things like this my heart really does melt. I asked him what she would think about his dancing, and he stated matter of factly that "She will love it". I will make an attempt later today/weel to post the video to the blog, but I'm not sure how that will go due to my still limited knowledge of all things blogging. While I'm getting more excited by the day to meet my sweet baby girl, I'm equally as excited to see Brady's experience being a big brother. I know he will be as good of a big brother as he is good at everything else he does & I know that the first time I see them together I will use my fair share of Kleenex. I've been asking him what he will do the first time he meets her & he tells me that he will give her hugs & kisses and tell her "I love you baby sister." Let's see how long this loving feeling lasts before he asks mommy & daddy to send baby sister back to wherever she came from. I'm sure it will be quite the adjustment for him since he's had all of our attention for over 2 and a half years.

I've posted 2 pics below of Baby Girl in all her glory at 31 weeks 1 day. I'm not a huge fan of how huge my cheeks look, especially in the top picture, but I know it's just part of this final 2 months of pregnancy. I'm actually quite happy being a chubby cheeked mamma to a (most likely) chubby cheeked daughter. I was talking to Rocky the other day about the fact that having a daughter will make me more aware of how critical I can be of myself. I need to be careful not to criticize my hair, skin, weight, cooking, etc in front of her because that could lead to my daughter having lower self esteem, and this is the last thing I want. I want to be a positive role model for her and raise her to know that she is a beautiful girl & then a beautiful woman who can do & be anything her heart desires. I can't believe my due date is only 2 months and 1 day away. Rocky thinks there's a good possiblity she won't hang out that long, but I like to thing that I have the Taj Mahal of baby caves (I was told this by my gal pal Nicky while pregnant with Brady) & she may make a Mother's Day appearance on May 9th or even May 10th which is Uncle John's birthday.