All the Feels at 40 Weeks

It's been a crazy past four weeks.  There have been ups and downs, happy and sad.  It's been really difficult to figure out how to feel, honestly.

My dad died on October 24th in Italy, after my brother was able to be there to spend the previous two weeks with him in the hospital.  Unfortunately, being 36+ weeks pregnant meant I could not be there in person with them, as much as I wanted to.  There's not much I can say about losing a parent.  I guess it's one of those things that you know is coming eventually, but you don't expect it to come so soon and you're really not prepared.  It's really been difficult, especially with balancing grieving and being happy about the new baby coming.  I wish Dad could be here to meet his grandchild, but at least I know he is watching from heaven.  I found this beautiful picture of him the day after Gabriel was born in 2014.  I think his smile says it all.

Nonno & Gabriel - November 2, 2014

On to happier topics...

Halloween was fun this year.  Gabe was all about trick or treating!  He wanted to be a skeleton, so I got a matching costume!  Even with us walking the ENTIRE Craig Street hill, baby still did not make his/her debut, ha!

And yes, the costumes glowed in the dark!

We also celebrated Gabriel's actual 4th birthday as a family of three, for not much longer!

Last birthday as a family of 3!

This week, we made it to full-term at 40 weeks.  I guess my babies like their womb with a view!  Our weekly appointment went well.  We officially have an eviction date (AKA a repeat c-section date), if baby doesn't decide to arrive on his/her own.  Gabriel has been talking to the baby and says s/he does not want to come out yet.  I've still been working, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc, and I have to say that I feel pretty good considering there is a heavy beach ball attached to my belly!  I am so ready to see my ankles again for more than 5 minutes when I wake up in the morning, though!  We're all so excited to find out if baby is a boy or a girl!  Hurry up, baby, we want to meet you!

Taken one day late, but baby was still inside!

Full Speed Ahead!

On the nesting, I mean!  Baby can cook a bit longer in my opinion, ha!

This past week, we've readied the crib and the animal mobile, figured out the bassinet & chair set-up for our room, made some freezer meals, and completed hospital bags for me & baby.  I also picked out baby announcements, baptism invitations, baptism thank you cards, and our annual New Years card - minus baby's name and pictures.  I'd consider that hard-core nesting, right?!  (If only I could do the same with my work life!)  Baby has definitely been telling me when I'm doing too much with all the practice (Braxton-Hicks) contractions I get when I need to take a break.

Speaking of the baptism, we officially have Godparents!  Craig's cousin Rachel and his nephew Michael will be accepting the honor for our new little one.  Yes, it's weird to not know the sex of the baby but already have Godparents and a baptism date, haha!  That would be my type-A personality coming out - plus the problem of the Christmas season being right around when we wanted to schedule it.  Now we just need a reception location...

There's not much left to do for baby's actual arrival - clothes have already been prepped and washed, car seat bases will get installed in the next few weeks, and Gabe is ready for 'his' baby!  When we were converting the crib from toddler back to baby mode, he said, "Mama, is baby coming today?"  You can bet I squashed that thought immediately!  Around 4 more weeks to go...

We had our 36-week appointment this week.  Everything looks good.  My group B strep test came back negative, which is good (and different from last pregnancy).

36 weeks on October 11, 2018

We also had Gabe's 4th birthday party at home this past weekend.  It turned out to be a great day with good weather, and all the kids had a blast!

Birthday boy is almost 4!

Mama broke out the facepaints for the kids

Delicious cupcakes!

Couldn't resist sharing this one of Babcia & Gabriel!

32 Weeks and Counting!

Well, we made it to 32 weeks back on September 13th.  (Yes, I am 10 days late in writing this blog post!  Pregnancy apparently makes my procrastination even worse!)  If you click on the video above with your sound on, you'll hear baby's heartbeat from Sept 10th.

Our appointment on the 10th went well; baby was measuring right on time with a heart rate of about 145.  Now we're in the home stretch - it's time to realize this baby is actually going to arrive soon!  We still don't have names picked, mostly Craig is procrastinating this time, not me!

In the last 10 days, we've had our last pool adventure (boy, did autumn sneak up on us!!) and celebrated my 35th birthday (or, if you ask Gabe, my 16th, ha!).

My swollen feet are so excited for my bunny-unicorn slippers that Gabe picked out!

I think Gabe has worn the tiara more than I have!!

My little fish!

The only thing I love about summer pregnancies is the pool!

Truly a Mama's boy!

I finally got a {{brief}} video of baby moving in my belly.  Anytime Craig or Gabe puts their hand on my belly when the baby is kicking, s/he stops immediately!  I had to document some evidence!

Consider this video of baby being fairly quiet - the kicks can be even crazier!  S/he currently likes her bum to be on the upper right side of my belly, and s/he 'fluffs' my bladder up as a pillow quite often.  But the weirdest baby feeling is definitely hiccups down low!

We've still got our baby hunch pool going for all the birth statistics.  Put your guesses in soon, as there are only 6ish weeks left till D-day!  Click here and enter this password:  LaTour

A Mother's Blessing

We had a wonderful time on Saturday, September 8th, celebrating a baby event at our house.  I wasn't sure about having a traditional baby shower (or a sprinkle) for a second baby, again of unknown gender, when I still had pretty much everything left from Gabriel's baby showers four years ago.  However, I really feel that every baby should be celebrated, so we came up with this idea of a Mother's Blessing.  As you can see from the blurb above, it's more of a coming together of women to celebrate and encourage the mom.  I thought it was pretty unique, and it turned out to be an amazing experience for everyone who attended!  I have to send out a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to my friend Kat from work for hosting, and to my mom who tolerated a lot of "how 'about this" questions from me for a few months while we planned!  Here are some of the photos that Chelsea and I took from our celebration:

Kat made this beautiful teddy bear cake (and then drove it 2 hours!)

Grandma & Babcia

This was taken during a pregnant lady moment - YUMMY!

Luca is re-training Craig

Kat says this picture makes me look like a cooking show host!

The pregnancy hormones kicked in while I was reading the beautiful verses, poems, and well-wishes from everyone!

(How come no one offered me a tissue??)

Curious Gabe

Nicole has wishful thinking - all girl stuff!

I was wondering when Rachel was going to give me a diaper wreath!

Beautiful gifts sent from the Duvalsaints in Florida

The dream catcher came out so cute with all the ribbons!  (You can still send some to add if you want!)

Thanks Chelsea!

Thank you Luksa + Henry families!

Thank you Duvalsaint family!

Thank you Nicole!

 

Thanks Aunt Linda!

Thank you Julie & Justine!

I'm writing this one extra special thing about the dream catcher down so that I remember it (pregnancy brain problems!) - Nicole's ribbon with the little hearts is actually five pieces attached together, one for each of our pregnancies.  It was so touching that she found a way to celebrate our three angels in heaven, Gabe, AND the new baby.  I still tear up thinking about it!

Thank you everyone for helping us celebrate this new life!  God bless you all!

Ready... Set... Go!!!

We've hit 28 weeks this week!  That means a mere 12 weeks (OR LESS!) until this baby shows up!  It's getting real.  The next weeks are going to speed by, ready or not!

We had a good prenatal appointment this week.  I passed my glucose tolerance test (for gestational diabetes) and got my Tdap (whooping cough, etc) vaccine.  That was the first time my arm ever hurt for an injection before, surprisingly!  The baby went crazy for the glucose and was jazzercising all over the place.  Actually, it was more like a TEAM of jazzercisers in my belly!  Baby's heart beat was chugging along at 152 beats per minute.

I've been preparing to head back to work for the semester in the next week or so.  This summer flew by and I'm not quite ready!  My new course in Veterinary Practice Management is {finally} all set, but I'm still making tweaks to Radiology.  Better late than never, ha! 

Gabriel has been acting out lately, and I'm wondering if it has to do with my increased work responsibilities lately - a full day meeting last week plus two full days coming up this week.  Of course, it could also be the crazy weather we've been having (torrential downpours mixed with incredible heat and humidity, and then the odd 70 degree cool day).

We're also gearing up for a Mother's Blessing celebration with close friends and family in early September.  (If you haven't yet RSVP'd, please do so, as my friend Kat is waiting to hear from you!)  It's not going to be a typical baby shower, so gifts aren't required, but our registry is www.babylist.com/babylatour if you wanted to check out what we still have to purchase for this baby.  Luckily, we have a lot from Gabe that is still in great condition.

A Mother’s Blessing is a celebration for a new life

inspired by an old Navajo ceremony,

which Native Americans created to celebrate

a woman’s rite of passage into motherhood. 

It celebrates pregnancy, birth, and motherhood,

and thanks our amazing God who has blessed us with new life. 

It focuses on the spiritual experience of birth

with a gathering of female friends and family showing support and encouragement. 

The emphasis is on providing emotional strength and harmony to the mother

                             by surrounding her with love and fellowship.

Double Digits

Well, we are officially at 99 days till baby's due date!  This pregnancy is flying by!

Over the last week, I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions (fairly mild, practice contractions).  They're not that painful but they are pretty inconvenient, as they tend to happen when I'm in the middle of something (like checking out at the grocery store!).  I never had them with Gabriel, so it's a new experience.  They feel like my abdomen is getting rock hard.  Interesting, to say the least!

I can't believe August is here!  School is only a few short weeks away.  I am definitely not ready!  Too bad time waits for no (wo)man, ha!

Oh!  We got the go-ahead from the Deacon at St Brigid Church on baby's baptism date for December, so that was great news!  Yes, that is my type-A showing, haha!

Third trimester starts next week (according to some sources - others say it's a week later) and we have our next appointment the following week.  Then we jump right into appointments every other week (joy! NOT!).  The end is near!!

Deep in the Thick of It

We're deep into the sixth month of pregnancy at 24 weeks this week.  That's a mere 16 weeks to go!  This pregnancy has flown by.  It's true when they say that time flies faster as you get older.  I imagine when I'm 60, I will be mid-blink and turn 70, haha!  I think my belly finally popped, though most days I still feel like I look more fat than pregnant!

This week we had a monthly prenatal appointment, but we ended up seeing a different doctor.  (My usual doc was on vacation - lucky him!)  The doctor we saw was actually the doctor who delivered Gabriel by c-section 3.5 years ago!  He was excited to meet Gabe, though I'm not sure the feeling was entirely mutual, as Gabe was more interested in playing his monkey fix-it game on my phone, ha!

Skip this paragraph if you're not interested in the ins & outs of birthing children...  The doc and I had a nice long chat about whether a repeat c-section or an attempt at a vaginal delivery was a better choice for this pregnancy (resulting in a "do what you're comfortable with, and we'll see what baby does" generalization).  There are advantages and risks to both approaches to this birth, believe it or not.  I'm leaning more towards wanting to attempt a vaginal birth even though there is very slight risk of uterine rupture (but faster recovery), as the risks for future pregnancies increase with a repeat c-section (plus it's major surgery and has a lengthier recovery).  I still hold the stance that my babies are not to be taken out before 'fully cooked' at 40 weeks, unless baby decides to come out on his/her own or there is a problem necessitating earlier action.  So, I'm hoping for going into spontaneous labor prior to 40 weeks, with a scheduled repeat c-section sometime after that if needed.

You can pick back up reading here, if you skipped the last paragraph!  At the appointment, baby was doing a good job moving around (not that anyone but me would know yet) and his/her heartbeat was strong and fast.  I didn't get to count or record it, because I was too busy watching Gabriel's face light up when he heard his sibling's heartbeat!  He thinks it's the coolest thing!

Swollen fingers and feet have been the theme these last couple of weeks.  My wedding ring has been retired to the jewelry cabinet because it no longer fits!  My engagement ring is off being repaired for a few weeks, which I guess is good timing, ha!  So my finger feels a little naked and I've been putting larger sized rings on it when I go out so at least I attempt to look married and knocked up ::wink wink::  Otherwise, everything is pretty good and the summer is flying by waaaaaayyy too quickly.

Procrastination at its Finest

Well, let me start by apologizing for not being timely with this pregnancy, haha!  I was supposed to make a post at 20 weeks but it's now almost 24!  Ah, well, that is what's supposed to happen with subsequent kids, right?  Fewer pictures (definitely won't be us when baby is actually here!), fewer tracked firsts, more hand-me-downs, etc.

Anyway!  Ok, so backtracking a bit...

On June 25th, we had our level 2 anatomy scan, which is just a fancy was of saying, 'Alessandra, you are now considered old and thus baby has a higher risk of genetic defects, so we look at baby more in depth on ultrasound.'  First off, 34 going on 35 is NOT old, at least not in my opinion, haha!  But whatever, we got an hour to look at our sweet Baby Seed (as Gabe & I have been calling him/her from the beginning).  Back to the ultrasound... (can you tell I am pregnancy-distracted?)  Everything looked good with baby aside from one "soft marker" for Down's syndrome.  Baby had a little white spot on the heart.  We spoke to a specialist after, and one marker is not super exciting or cause for concern.  50% of babies born with Down's have no markers, and plenty of babies with them are born normal.  We declined any further testing (we didn't do any genetic testing in the first place since it won't impact anything we do at this point anyway), and we obviously won't love this child any less either way!

Baby was also measuring 5 days ahead at this scan, and s/he had a normal heart rate of 151. If I remember correctly, Gabe had a 130-140 heart rate most of the time, so maybe girl??  A lot of our friends & family think girl, and even Mr. 'I-only-make-boys' Craig is debating, but we'll see!  We did not take the opportunity at this ultrasound to find out the sex, so we all just have to wait!

Baby's two feet

Bottom of baby's left foot

Baby's profile

Baby's profile zoomed in a little

Baby's head on the left and open left hand on the right of the image

In other baby news, I have been nesting way too much (and procrastinating other obligations, ha!), and if anyone sees me attempting to buy more diapers, call the authorities!  Our basement cannot handle the size of the stockpile, ha!  

I finished two baby blankets about a month ago.  The gingham one was a cool new way to carry yarn without having to weave in ends (for the crochet enthusiasts out there), and the hearts one I made off of a crochet diagram, my newly self-taught skill.

I also could not resist getting little brother/sister onesies for when Gabriel finally meets his little sibling.  How cute are these?!

Craig has been busy making repairs all around the house these last few weeks.  Gabe's playground is finished, new deck stairs are in progress, and we finally have decent grass in the entire yard.  Gabe has been 'setting aside' some of his things for the baby lately, so I guess we are ALL in the process of nesting.