8.5 Months Pregnant

Yeah.  I'm a little blissfully nervous.

I say blissfully, because the end of my pregnancy is nothing like what happend my first go-'round.

With Alexandra, I had to have an emergency c-section.

Back then at 37+ weeks, I went to a regular doctor's appointment for a checkup during my work break.

We all knew I'd have to have a c-section because Alex was breech; her butt was situated where he head should have been.    :)

However, the nurse & doctor noticed during that checkup, that all my amniotic fluid had disappeared.

Not good.

I was told to go straight to the hospital because I was having the baby that day!

This time around, the baby is head down and has already 'dropped'...  Funny- i happened to notice this week i could walk from my bedroom to the kitchen without becoming winded because the baby was no longer wedged up super high into my ribs. lol...

So now -- i guess i just wait, and enjoy being able to breathe normally for the first time in a few months.

The doctor told me I don't have to have another c-section, but there is a 1-percent chance of the old c-section cut ripping during labor.   It's not a big percentage, but if it were to happen ... it could be deadly due to the loss of blood, among other things.

So, I think i'm opting for another "c"... but i'm not so sure what happens if i'm already in labor when i arrive at the hospital..

Gotta write that question down for the doctor.  Next appointment- next week!

Do I Warn Alex About Breastfeeding?

I've gotten 2, totally different pieces of advice from friends about the same topic.

Do I warn Alexandra beforehand, what breast feeding is?

One friend of mine was adamant.

With her eyes opened as wide as someone just scared by a ghost during a funeral, Kim warned me -- "YES!!  You NEED to tell Alex what breastfeeding is all about!!!"

Apparently, when her 2nd child was born, her older (but still very young) son FREAKED out when mom suddenly whipped out a breast and let baby #2 start suckling away.

Scarred him for a few months, actually.

Not sure how old her son was at the time ... but my best friend Karen just had her 2nd baby -- and gave me the opposite advice.

Karen has a 2-year-old daughter who saw, for the first time, her mother breastfeed over the weekend.

"What's that?" little Madison asked.

Karen said, referring to her own breasts, "There's milk in there for the baby."

Madison was satisfied with that answer, and went about her day ... until a little later, when Madison wanted some milk.

Karen caught Madison squeezing her own chest.

"What are you doing, Madison?"

"I want some milk."

"You don't have milk in there," Karen said while trying soo hard not to laugh out loud.

"Yes I do!" Madison insisted.

"Well, you only have milk in there if you have a baby in your tummy.  Do you have a baby in your tummy?"

.........................pause............................

"No."

"Well then you don't have milk in there, Maddie."

And that was that.   LOL... too freakin' funny.

So.  Which piece of advice do I go with?   Explain to Alexandra beforehand what breastfeeding is, or just wait for the questions to roll in?

My Hair Is A Bird's Nest

My first pregnancy -- my hair couldn't have been more thick and luxurious.

I was like a commercial for some expensive shampoo and conditioner!
It grew soooo long.

This time?

Ppfft!

I try to get it under control.  Forget it.  Every day I'm forced to pin it up -- on TV .. running to the store .. doing chores ... yawner.

Not so thick ... not manageable at all.

The up side -- with all the luxuriousness the first time around, I had hair growing everywhere.
The worst was my sideburns -- ugh.  If i had let them loose, i coulda braided them.

Not this time.

Hmmm.  Sideburns, or manageable hair .... that's a toughie.

Baby's BIG !

Well ... bigger than his/her older sister at least.

Another check up with the doctor and sonogram measuring tools estimate my 2nd baby is nearly 4 pounds at the end of the 7th month.

That puts him/her in the 55th percentile in weight.
That's also about how much Alexadra weighed when she was born!  (4 lbs, 10 oz)

No wonder i look and feel twice as big this time around.  lol.

Baby's head is still pointed downward -- so i figure those are his/her feet i feel fluttering up around the base of my ribs  (graphic, huh?)

And now that baby can swivel his/her head, sharp pangs against my bladder and whatever else is down there make it difficult to get comfortable in extremes: moving from a long drive in the car, to walking ... or from sitting upright to lying down for the night.

Pleasant, right?

30 Weeks And Counting !

Wow!  It's been a while since I've written ... and I'm FREAKING OUT.


Just returned from my now bi-monthly visit to my OBGYN...


I though if a woman had a C-section for her 1st pregnancy, she had to have one for her 2nd ... lowering the risk of ripping and hemorrhaging from the incision which could lethally endanger mom and newborn.


Nope.


Well, yes -- that can happen.


However unbeknownst to me, the chance of blood pouring from my abdomen uncontrollably during labor and delivery the 2nd time around because I had a C-section the 1st time    (sorry -- the translation of a freaked-out brain) ... is only --

 1-percent.

(Pppft!   Whatevs.   It can happen.)

So, imagine me be-bopping into the doc's office, wondering when we're going to schedule my 2nd C-section, and the doc says, "Oh. We can schedule one if you want to...."


Heh?????


Suddenly my brain is instantly spinning --
"ok, let's schedule one... a week before I"m due?!?! .... wait ... what if i start labor before that? ... are ambulances equipped to handle C-section incision rips?!?! ... what if no one's around and i have to drive myself to the hospital... ***GASP*** ... will i even have the strength to call 9-1-1 ???"


 .... sigh......   I'm ok ....


Really.


Usually what I do in these instances is take a nap and save the worrying for some other time. Lol.


Let's see --
I'm 30 weeks pregnant, and twice as big this 2nd time around.


My little Alexandra (baby #1) was born at 37 weeks.


HAHAH!  Whew.  Hope I make it that long!  Not sure how much more my body can stretch!

Ah, well...  zzzzzzzzzzz.....





PEANUT #2 !





Potty Training Day 3

Yeeeeaaah.

Momma needs to slow her roll.... lol.

Ok, so Alexandra's got going #1, down -- no problem.  We started giving her little stickers to stick on the back of her hand when she goes.  She didn't even need them.

#2 - that's going to have to wait a bit.

Well actually, my hubby claims Alex DID go #2 when he was watching her.... walked into the bathroom, slamed the door shut behind her, and went.

Hmmmm.   I have yet to witness the amazing event.    :)

I saw Alex had to go #2 yesterday -- the pushing, and all else related -- so i "coaxed" her to her potty.

Ugh.

I think i created a stoppage.  She wouldn't go!!!

Fortunately it all came out when she woke up from her nap later on.

Ah well.   1 outa 2 ain't bad.

Potty Training Day 2

Who knew such strides could be made in just 24 hours?

Not only did Alexandra pee-pee in her little potty.. on her own.. on day-2 of "potty training" (i guess we've started... lol!) -- she actually AKSED to go yesterday afternoon!

I was actually changing Alex's diaper when she blurts out, "Pee pee!"

"You have to pee-pee?" I asked.

"Yah!" she smiles.

"Do you want to use your new potty?"

"YAH!"

So, Alex walked her naked little butt over to the potty, opened the lid again, sat down and peed right away this time!

Not so perfect when it comes to her poopy... Oy.

Yesterday it was obvious she had to go #2, so she "played" on her potty -- up and down, up and down, up and down -- for like 10 minutes.

Nada.

Suddenly, she goes tearing off to the living room where the dog was.

What else do you do but hurry to get a diaper and chase after her ... but in that short amount of time, Alex returned to the bathroom and says, "Lala pee-pee .. Lala pee-pee!"

Well, "Lala"  (Lola)  is our dog.

"Sooooo show me where Lola 'pee-peed.'"

Off she trots -- with remnants of #2 on her little butt -- to the living room ...

Lying near Lola, are 2 small mounds of baby poop.   HAHAHAH!

Oh boy.

Well, at least she told on herself, i guess....
And after all-- she usually runs to hide in the living room when she goes #2.....

Mental note for next time:  Let her go #2 in the bathroom without an adult hovering over her. LOL....

It's Potty Time!

OH .... MY ..... GOODNESS.

I was so excited, I almost peed!

Alexandra used her new potty ALL BY HERSELF!!!

I mean, i had to show her how to sit on it from the front instead of trying to swing her leg over the entire potty like a man flipping his leg over a horse in an old Western movie ... but other than that -- SHE DID GREAT!!!

See ..... I had bought Alex a potty some time ago -- very plain, white, no frills -- that matched our bathrooms.

She would "play sit" on it ... occasionally.... but that was it.
I just thought she either wasn't interested, or it made her nervous.

I never pushed her, but i explained to her how "the potty" works every chance i got.

Well apparently she's been listening.

For Christmas, I bought Alex a new and improved potty -- that makes a little "magic wand" sound when you "flush" the potty lever, and it has a lid she can lift ....

Hubby made fun of me, btw -- buying a toilet for our baby for Christmas.  Whatevs.

Like any new toy, she's played with it when she happenes to remember it's there ... but nothing more --

UNTIL LAST NIGHT !!!!

Just before a bath, I asked a naked Alex if she wanted to use her new potty.

That itty-bitty walked right over to it.. lifted the lid .. sat down (with a little help) and started playing with the wand-sounding potty handle, just a-laughin' like there was no tomorrow.

I offered her a towel to wrap around her while she sat -- didn't want it.

After about 45 seconds, Alex stood up.   I said, "All done pee pee?"

She said nothing -- just sat back down and starting playing with the handle and giggling again..... when suddenly -- what sounded like a broken water spicket bursting at the seams.....

WE HAVE SPLASHDOWN!!!

I was so excited!  Started cheering!!!  Startled Alex a little because the spraying water sound stopped for a second... then she realize I was cheering for her ... lol .... and she finished!
Totally emptied her bladder in her little pottie, then stood up ... i gave her some toilette paper which she used to rub her butt (i helped her do it the right way) ... and finally she joinined my celebrations, throwing her arms up in the air yelling, "YAAAAAAY!" while running around the bathroom.

It was a beautiful moment i wish i had my cell phone cam nearby to capture!   :(

Now if she'll only do it when she has to go #2..........!

What A Climber!

Just last week, my husband and i realized Alexandra could climb on her own.

Our kitchen table is bar-height, as are the matching chairs.

I usually sit Alex on a chair next to me if I'm working on something at the table, then -- when i'm done, she's off the chair, so she can teeter around without being tethered to my side.

One of those times we were finished at the table, i literally turned and took a few steps when i heard Alex laughing.  She had scrambled up from the floor, back on top of a chair ... and was wiggling around on it, trying to stand up.

WWWWHHHHHAAAAAATTTTT !!!!!!!!!!

I almost had a heart attack.

Ever since then, she's been trying to climb or stand on everything -- ottomans, grocery carts, people...

And her confidence is growing.

Fortunately, the though hasn't seemed to occurr to her to try to climb out of her crib... i think she's a couple inches shy of being able to do that.

When she can, though -- watch out!

Hm. -- i wonder what that will mean for hubby & my sex life...   lol!

Ity-Bity!

My husband and I took Alexandra to see a nutritionist yesterday.

Alex is a little thang -- but proportionate.

Still, her pediatrician suggested we take Alex to get checked out, just to make sure she's getting enough nutrients.

She is, thank goodness, and the nutritionist gave us some suggestions on ways to make good, fatty foods more fun for Alex to eat -- what a lot of work!  HAHAH!

The funniest part of Alex's petiteness ... she doesn't have any hips to hold up many styles of pants.  I have to buy little boys' pants for them to fit her without falling down!

Do I Tell Her It's Her "Va-jay-jay"?

"DAT!!!"

Alexandra says that soooo much.

When she wants to know what DAT is... where DAT goes... if she can have DAT...
(though she DID say "peeese" (please) for the first time yesterday!)

Well, one of her DAT questions caught me off guard.

I was changing her diaper as she was pointing around her room saying DAT ... when suddenly she pointed to her va-jay-jay and said "DAT?"

"Ummmmmm......." -- i was floundering around for a word!

I didn't know WHAT to say, so i blurted out, "I don't know!" ... HAHHAAH!

Alex is at the stage now where she's repeating words she hears ... i can't imagine taking her to the grocery store and having her blurt out the word "VAGINA!" ... lol...  oh my goodness, could you imagine?!

So -- what the heck word do i give her for it?

When i was a child, my mother used the word "boo-boo"  .... don't ask ..... but i can't use that for Alex because we've already used it to describe her cuts and bruises!

I'm at a loss.... but i've got to come up with a word quickly!  HELP.