PG/Mom Check-In -- week of 8/25

[aegis2005]

Pregnant
Sara (sara76) due 11/19/2013 (Team Blue)
Kathy (mrsjason) due 11/26/2013 (Team Green)
Lauren (lauren9317) due 12/31/2013 (Twins - Team purple!)
Mayette (etteyam) due 1/15/2014

Moms
Liz (aidensmom) mom to Aiden (1/25/2008)
Kathy (mrsjason) mom to Macy (12/8/2009)
Danielle (dvroxy) mom to MacKenzie (4/10/2010) and Madeline (7/23/2012)
Jennifer (jennifer8080) mom to Kennedy (2/19/2011) and Caleb(8/6/2012)
Chelsea (mrschelseap09) mom to Lila (3/11/2011)
Mayette (etteyam) mom to Sophia (5/3/2011) and Juliana (11/14/2009)
Marissa (amellis2) mom to Amelia and Abigail (6/4/2011)
(lovethesun) mom to Mason (7/22/2011)
Sara (sara76) mom to Amelia (12/27/2011)
Meghan (mrsmew) mom to Ellie (3/29/2012)
Melissa (mellis74) mom to Mia (4/27/2012)
Shawna (mrsshawanab) mom to Blake (5/22/2012)
Jen (jen812) mom to Dominic (5/31/2012)
Angela (loskadoodle) mom to Drew (6/28/2012)
Janelle (dearselah) mom to Selah (6/29/2012)
Krystal (krystalskitsch) mom to Cannon (9/9/2012)
Kara (April17) mom to Ethan (9/14/2012)
Carolyn (moonstone523) mom to Samantha (9/30/2012)
Stephanie (surfbetty530) mom to Lauryl (10/14/2012)
Terri (may07wedding) mom to Cooper (1/17/2013)
Kate (mskateb) mom to Lily (7/26/2008) and Brendan (1/23/2013)
Heather (aegis2005) mom to Shane (2/18/2013)
Jen (mrsjenrn) mom to Zoe (2/17/2011) and Jack (3/12/2013)
Aly (alzi) mom to Alexandra (3/18/2013)
Lauren (babybchbum) mom to Triston (8/8/2011) and Owen (5/1/2013)
Tasha (tashaandsage) mom to Annabel (5/30/2013), Maisy (3/22/2011) and Beckett (1/28/2008)
Kim (kimandross) mom to Quinn (2/25/2008) and Hudson (8/10/2013)

[aegis2005]

Shane had his 6 month well baby check up last Monday. He's in the 93 percentile for height. I've got a tall baby

[kimandross]

Wow, I can't believe Hudson is already over 2 weeks old. His birth went really well, better than I could have imagined really. I started having intermittent contractions on 8/8 in the evening, and was up all night with them. The morning of 8/9 they subsided, but I laid low all day. That night they came back, again intermittently. Ross took Q to go get dinner, as I was pretty sure this would be going on a while. About 30 minutes after they left, I was laying in bed and heard (and felt) a pop, stood up, and water gushed out. So I called Ross, told him to hurry back, and got to finishing my bag. It took a little while for the contractions to get stronger, but when they did, holy ouch. Ross made it back and we headed to the hospital. I got there around 10 something that night, and have to say, I felt bad for Ross and the sweet triage nurse, I wasn't being very nice. Oh, and the midwife on duty from my practice was the one I hadn't met yet, so I was a little unsure about that.

Once I got somewhat situated (I was puking a ton and couldn't move much), they checked me and I was a 5. So off to the L&D room I went, having been very vocal about my need for some drugs. I think I could have held off if my water hadn't broke, but they were so bad and coming very quickly. They gave me some Stadoll and something for my puking, which helped a bit, but I decided getting an epidural was best. In the end, I'm really glad I did, I don't think I would have had the energy necessary had I not gotten it.

Once the epidural was in place (which I can't really remember, Stadoll makes me super loopy) I was able to sleep. The midwife, who was completely awesome and I'm so glad she was the one there, checked me around 3:30 am and I was a 9! Yay! Soon after that I had to have some oxygen because his heart rate was declining slightly, but I slept a little more and at 5:30 she checked me again and said it was time to push. Pushing is hard work, but there were some long breaks between contractions, which helped me regain some energy. I pushed for less than an hour and he was here! It was so awesome, I'm so glad I got my VBAC. I'm really glad I've got to experience both types of birth. Very different that's for sure!

Hudson is doing great, we've had a little hiccup with his weight, but that seems to be on track now. Quinn is adjusting fairly well, he loves his baby brother, but doesn't love the attention he gets. Plus he's in kindergarten now, so that's another big change. But overall we're doing pretty good!

[sara76]

Amelia is getting to be such a big girl. She's 20 months now so when people ask how old she is I say "almost 2". I can't believe it! She was a soldier at the baseball game yesterday. 11 innings!

Pregnancy is going well. I'm finally feeling better after I think 4 weeks of stomach aches and dizziness. I added iron to my prenatals and am drinking more water. Here's hoping for a smooth 3rd tri!

The baby's room is painted and the crib will be here tomorrow. Now I need to pick out bedding but can't find anything that I like for boys, except 1 airplane one from Land of Nod that is no longer available so I'm kicking myself for not ordering it a month ago when there were limited quantities. Everything for boys seems to be jungles, monkeys, sports or trucks. I just don't know what I want and I should have waited to paint because now I have to match it to grey walls and find a queen comforter set that goes with it.

[sara76]

Kim that's so awesome that you got your vbac! Was the recovery a ton easier?

I've been really wondering about Quinn. Glad to hear he's adjusting pretty quickly to all the changes. This is what I'm most nervous about with Amelia.

How's it been getting out and about with 2 so far? Have you done it alone yet?

[babybchbum]

O is such a good baby! Cries when he is tired or hungry. Otherwise happy and babbles all the time. He rolls all over the place already and tries to stand on our legs while holding our fingers.

T is getting better about O being around. He will kiss O when prompted and still continues to give him the pacifier.

We are starting to see some jealousy from T but overall not as bad as we expected. T has stolen a pacifier and chewed through it.

T is back in preschool and loves it. He is still doing therapy 2xs a week. We are getting more and more sounds from him which is exciting.

[amellis2]

Kim- Stadol was fun. According to Luis (And I hear this is a common side effect) I was dreaming outloud. I narrated the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Glad to hear you had a VBAC!! I am glad to hear that he Iis gaining weight again. I saw the pictures. His profile looks like you, but I def. See your DH when you look him straight in the face.

Glad you are feeling better Sara. What about trains? Anything with trains?

T looked so happy to go back to school! Glad he enjoys it.

The girls are doing so well. Words and sentences are coming along like crazy! Panties is a new favorite word. We are working on the potty some more but we arent rushing anything. The girls were doing well, but seemed to go backwards (which I hear is normal). In a few months we may visit the 3 day method, but idk yet.

I am looking for work full time. Nothing much in town, but a few place in Cocoa Beach. I have been concerned for childcare for the kids, but I think I may have found someone that would be a great fit in tbe case of a babysitter were to happen. One of my friend's mom was a preschool teach, then a sahm who baby sat (my friend met a mutual friend this way), then was teaching at a private preschool. She recently was laid off, so I was thinking she would be perfect...

Now if only a good job came upon me... I like staying at home, but things are a little too tight, so awayyyyyy I go.

[mrsjenrn]

YAY KIM!!!!!!!!! I'm soooo happy you got your VBAC! Of course I wasn't there that night! Karla and Beth are my favorite midwives. :)Hudson is so adorable and I love his name! Isn't the recovery sooooo much better than a c section???

[kimandross]

Recovery has been so much easier. There are still some not fun parts, but it is definitely better than the c/s.

That's hilarious Marissa! I know I yelled at Ross once about yoga. I don't know why I would ever yell about yoga, but I'm pretty sure I did.

I do also have to add, I had the best care at TGH! Pretty much every nurse I had was so attentive and helpful, the LC that came was great, everyone was awesome. So glad I chose TGH again. Oh, and the nurse I had 2 days in a row sent me a sweet card after I got home and while I'm sure she does that for everyone, it made me cry.

[mrsjenrn]

Both kids are doing amazing! Jack is grabbing everything in sight and putting it in his mouth. He loves his big sister and laughs all the time at her. I love their interactions together! She can be a bit rough with him sometimes, but most of the time she just loves to play with him. We went to Kate Jackson park today and there was hardly anyone there. We had a blast! I love days like this. Most of the time I am completely stressed. Working FT has been kicking my butt. No plans for me to go back to PT right now, but it is something to consider. Either that or I have to put myself on a regular work schedule and have a sitter come regularly. My schedule is all over the place and it is throwing me off. My parents are moving to Miami and that is a HUGE stress on my marriage. So, yeah, and that to my list of crap that is stressing me out.....
I am having trouble finding another sitter. I wanted to hire 1-2 more in case of schedule conflicts with them, and for back up if someone needs to cancel last minute. Ugh. We got so lucky with our first sitter and she has another job now. She comes most of the time when I need her, but it is a constant worry each week that she will say she won't be able to come. Tomorrow I have to take a renewal ACLS class at the hospital and she can't come, so H had to take the day off from work. Thankfully he has a flexible job!

[jen812]

Congrats Kim!

D is awesome. He got his first haircut this weekend & looks so much older. He says big words like elephant, but still not mama We tried a petting zoo this weekend... Big fail. He was scared when the animals got close. I thought he'd love it because he makes all the animal sounds when looking at books.

[lauren9317]

Kim, that's great, thanks for sharing your birth story!

This past weekend we got cribs and a dresser and also picked out paint colors for the nursery and the new guest room next to it. We also got our double snap n go stroller from another mom of multiples who lives nearby, and I had my first experience buying 2 baby things off Craiglist from total strangers. I don't think I'm gonna do that anymore. It worked out ok but it still felt kinda dirty, especially when the woman advertised the rock n play as "like new" and it had huge black marker stains all over it. And she wasn't even embarrassed. But she was asking $10 so I can't complain too much.

[amellis2]

Aug 27, 2013 7:22:29 GMT -5 lauren9317 said:

Kim, that's great, thanks for sharing your birth story!

This past weekend we got cribs and a dresser and also picked out paint colors for the nursery and the new guest room next to it. We also got our double snap n go stroller from anoother mom of multiples who lives nearby, and I had my first experience buying 2 baby things off Craiglist from total strangers. I don't think I'm gonna do that anymore. It worked out ok but it still felt kinda dirty, especially when the woman advertised the rock n play as "like new" and it had huge black marker stains all over it. And she wasn't even embarrassed. But she was asking $10 so I can't complain too much.

Ha! It was like new except for the black marker all over it!

[lauren9317]

Aug 27, 2013 12:08:22 GMT -5 amellis2 said:

Aug 27, 2013 7:22:29 GMT -5 lauren9317 said:

Kim, that's great, thanks for sharing your birth story!

This past weekend we got cribs and a dresser and also picked out paint colors for the nursery and the new guest room next to it. We also got our double snap n go stroller from anoother mom of multiples who lives nearby, and I had my first experience buying 2 baby things off Craiglist from total strangers. I don't think I'm gonna do that anymore. It worked out ok but it still felt kinda dirty, especially when the woman advertised the rock n play as "like new" and it had huge black marker stains all over it. And she wasn't even embarrassed. But she was asking $10 so I can't complain too much.

Ha! It was like new except for the black marker all over it!

Yeah it was really annoying! I was like "um, what's all that?" and she's like "marker, it will come out". Um no bitch, it didn't. Lol. I used stain remover and then washed it and those stains did not budge. But $10, so whatever. If anyone knows how to get rid of black marker, let me know.

[mrsjason]

I am doing good these days, this pregnancy is soooooo much better than what I had with Macy. I think a majority of it has to do with weight gain (or my lack of weight gain this time). I was huge my first pregnancy, and while I am getting bigger, my weight is on track and I feel a million times better.

I am however, restricted from running But as long as I don't push it too hard I can still walk and go to cycling class. Two weeks ago I attempted to run again, I succeeded but I could hardly walk for 4 days afterwards. It hurt to do ANYTHING and I would have cramping on and off. I called my OB, they got me in right away and ran some tests to rule out preterm labor. All was well on that front but she mentioned that I am probably suffering pain from my c-section incision and chances are I have major scar tissue going on. She also recommended that I go for repeat c-section given my history with pain (even prior to pregnancy) from my scar. She is pro-VBAC so hearing her recommendation was all I needed to make a final decision to go forth with the repeat c-section. It just sucks they won't be able to tie my tubes at the same time.

Not much is new other than that. Macy is doing well at preschool and I am really glad we got her in this year. I am also working on her big girl room since we will just reuse her nursery for the new baby (it is already gender neutral). We don't have much money since I stay at home so I have resorted to refinishing old furniture I have found on craigslist. I actually like how her room is turning out and all the mismatched pieces! I have painted her furniture in different colors (in neutrals) and it's so much more interested than if I went to Rooms2Go and picked out a bedroom set for her there........and a million times cheaper! Now I just need to add a few finishing touches and her room will be complete! I am hoping to get an electrician out to our house this week to hang her crystal chandelier since Jason and I can't figure all the wiring out. Not looking forward to that expense but I would hate to wire it wrong and have our house burn down the following week, lol.

[sara76]

Kathy I'm loving how Macy's room looks so much! You may be converting me to a shabby chic girl!

I can't imagine running right now. Although I'm not much of a runner anyway. Spinning sounds like a good time but I cancelled my gym until after I'm clear post baby #2. So all I do is walk the dog. And chase Amelia. But that part is getting hard. It's even getting hard to get her out of the tub lately because she is going through an "I don't want to stand" phase in there. But surprisingly, as big as I look and am in the middle, my weight remains the sane as my first appointment. I may be up a pound or 2 for this appointment now that I'm feeling better, I'll find out Friday when I go in for my glucose test. But according to my home scale, my weight is just shifting around. I started out up 25 lbs so I'm right on track as where I was with A, just 2 years older, lol.

[lauren9317]

Kathy, Macy's room sounds awesome! I just saw the pic you put on FB of the cabinet, that's really pretty. I have some pieces that I wouldn't mind having painted, or painting myself, but I don't have the patience right now. Like I have this old childhood dresser of my mom's that I want to paint but dressers seem difficult. But now your pic has inspired me and maybe I'll attempt it. What kind of paint did you use, did the fumes give you any trouble while pregnant?

[lauren9317]

Btw Kathy- that pic you have of that tarantula is horrifying!

[mrsjason]

Aug 29, 2013 13:30:49 GMT -5 lauren9317 said:

Kathy, Macy's room sounds awesome! I just saw the pic you put on FB of the cabinet, that's really pretty. I have some pieces that I wouldn't mind having painted, or painting myself, but I don't have the patience right now. Like I have this old childhood dresser of my mom's that I want to paint but dressers seem difficult. But now your pic has inspired me and maybe I'll attempt it. What kind of paint did you use, did the fumes give you any trouble while pregnant?

Oh gosh, I have to tell you my secret! It's called Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. It's pricey but worth every penny. It costs around $38 a quart. But the wonderful thing is you don't need to sand, prime or do ANY prepping of the piece before you paint. And that goes for any surface. High gloss wood, metal, floors, I have even seen people paint fabric with the stuff. Plus it's easier to work with than traditional paint and there are a million techniques to be done with this paint to get the results you are looking for.

In January I painted this little vanity for Macy's room with traditional paint. It was nothing too fancy, I just wanted it plain white. It was a smaller piece but it had a lot of fancy wood trim on it. Let me tell you, it was a total bitch to sand the thing down. It took about three days and my hands were crippled afterward! Then I had to prime it, and since I was being lazy (and because of the fancy trim that was difficult to paint around) I went through like 5 or 6 cans of the Killz Spray Paint Primer.......and that crap isn't cheap! Then came the painting, which even with the sanding, priming and painting left somewhat of a rough surface on the piece. Not ideal, but definitely not worth the trouble of repainting. 

Adding in the primer, the costs were about the same as if I had just used the Annie Sloan Chalk paint to begin with. But no joke, it took me three or four times as long to finish the project regardless that the piece was much smaller than the china cabinet I just recently finished! 

After using ASCP I wouldn't be afraid at all at painting your childhood dresser! I read tons and tons of tutorials about the chalk paint and really the stuff was a breeze to work with. I really wasn't anticipating that it would be so easy. If you screw up, you can just paint over (no re-sanding!) and the stuff dries in the blink of an eye.  

Oh, and another great thing about this paint is it's totally safe to paint with while being pregnant. The lady who developed it (Annie Sloan) is from England and is super hip so I think all of her products are non-toxic and the paint has absolutely no harsh fumes. But either way, I still painted the piece outside in a well ventilated area.

Let me know if you have any other questions about the paint! I seriously don't know how it's not more popular. The stuff is hands down amazing if you ask me. It's so great that tomorrow I plan on hitting up garage sales in hopes to find more furniture to paint for the house, LOL. I still have over half my quart of chalk paint left and I am anxious to transform another piece of furniture

Man.....I just wrote a novel about paint. Can you tell I am a huge fan?!

[lauren9317]

Thanks so much for the info! I will definitely check that paint out. Where did you buy it? I wish you would come over and paint all my stuff for me.. haha.

[mrsjason]

Aug 29, 2013 15:40:17 GMT -5 lauren9317 said:

Thanks so much for the info! I will definitely check that paint out. Where did you buy it? I wish you would come over and paint all my stuff for me.. haha.

The distributors for the paint are typically little antique stores. The closest one to me is about 2 hours away and after much debate I decided to make the drive and purchase some. I plan on going back next week so I can refinish my master bathroom vanity that is just so.....builder basic. Blah.

The awesome thing is there is only about 20 colors offered so you're not overwhelmed with color options once you get there.

Here is a link to finding a store by you.....

www.anniesloan.com/acatalog/North_American_Stockists.html#Florida

It looks like there is a store in Tampa as well as Lakeland

[lauren9317]

Thanks! And I'm excited that there are only 20 colors bc I hate choosing colors! That should make it easier!

[aegis2005]

Aug 29, 2013 16:48:10 GMT -5 mrsjason said:

Aug 29, 2013 15:40:17 GMT -5 lauren9317 said:

Thanks so much for the info! I will definitely check that paint out. Where did you buy it? I wish you would come over and paint all my stuff for me.. haha.

The distributors for the paint are typically little antique stores. The closest one to me is about 2 hours away and after much debate I decided to make the drive and purchase some. I plan on going back next week so I can refinish my master bathroom vanity that is just so.....builder basic. Blah.

The awesome thing is there is only about 20 colors offered so you're not overwhelmed with color options once you get there.

Here is a link to finding a store by you.....

www.anniesloan.com/acatalog/North_American_Stockists.html#Florida

It looks like there is a store in Tampa as well as Lakeland

I've read great things about the Annie Sloan paint - wish I had used it when I painted out a bedroom set.  Maybe when I get around to redoing it, I will