Merry Christmas to All

 

Well...this is a New-Mommy-of-Two's excuse for a Christmas Card/Letter.  Also, I was really counting on that whole Mayan Apocalypse thing panning out* and I didn't want to waste any time writing a Christmas Letter if we were all going to be annihilated anyway!  So here I sit, writing out a recap of our 2012 a mere two days before Christmas.  Forgive us for this horribly impersonal mode of Christmas Greeting and please know that we love you all!

This year has been full of adventure for the Hulsey fam.  Thank the Lord that we had a mild summer compared to 2011, as I was largely pregnant for those blazing hot months.  With the lower summer temperatures, it was ensured that no one had to fear the wrath of pregnant Lindsey!  Yay!

Our chickens survived another year...kind of.  We ended up getting twelve new baby chicks in the middle of the year and found out later that of those twelve chickens we had been blessed with NINE roosters.  What are the odds of that?!  So we** had our first experience with processing our own chicken and enjoyed many fresh roast chicken dinners!

Derek is still flying as a First Officer for American Eagle Airlines.  He enjoys his job and tries to get trips that allow him to be home at least 3 days a week.  Having him gone has been especially difficult this year, but we always love it when he is home with us.  He is such a great Husband and Father.  Every time Brennan sees an airplane in the sky he stops and yells "THAT'S DAD!  HI DAD!"  It's quite comical, but mostly adorable.  I love that my boys have such an amazing Daddy to admire. 

I (Lindsey) spent most of the year growing a baby and working at a local bank.  I really loved the ladies that I worked with, but I was so very excited to know that this was my last year working a "normal" job for a while.  I am really enjoying the "stay-at-home-Mom" routine so far.  I always thought people were a little silly to say that it is the hardest work they have ever done, but as of now...I am eating my words.  Really!  For a job that you can wear your pajamas to, this stuff is hard!  Thankfully, I have a husband and children who show me grace daily and I am doing my best to learn the ropes and make it fun for all. 

 

Brennan is just as smart, funny, loving, and handsome as ever.  He has really started to enjoy going to his Sunday School class at church and it is so much fun watching him build relationships with his little friends.  Hearing him talk about his "best friends" melts my heart.  Some of my best memories are from my friends and even though he is only three, it does this Mommy's heart good to know that he loves and is loved.  He is ridiculously smart and amazes us daily with the things he comes up with.  QUITE the imagination.  He loves his baby brother so much and it is sometimes hard for us to keep him off of the baby.  All he wants to do is hug and kiss and snuggle.  We're just glad he didn't catch the jealously bug! 

 

Luke, our precious new addition...in the previous blog post you can read all about Luke's grand arrival.  We spent more than 9 months wondering if he was a He or She and we were so excited when he was born and we learned that we now had TWO sons.  Brennan had a brother!  Luke has been such a joy and now that we have figured out the eating fiasco (We have google and lactation consultants to thank for my sanity!) he is a very sweet and content little fellow.  He loves to be upright so he can see the world around him.  He recognizes all of us now and save his biggest smiles for his family.  Also, as of about 9 weeks old our sweet little Luke-y Charm has been sleeping for around 8 hours each night.  Can you hear the angels sing???  We can't imagine our lives without this precious guy!

So, to sum it up...we have been tremendously blessed this year.  We want to thank everyone who held us in prayer through this year and in the first months of Luke's life.  We love you more than you know!

Merry Christmas Y'all! (Can I say that?  I think I can since I have lived in Texas for three years now...crazy!)

*Only joking.  I knew those Mayans had it wrong.  But it seems like a nice excuse for failing to have a Christmas Letter prepared, eh? 

**When I say "we", I really mean HE...Derek handled the dirty work.  I let him know in advance that I had no problem preparing and eating the chicken, but there was no way in hades I was plucking feathers and removing innards.  BLEH.  Thankfully, a friend of ours from church works for the University in the nearby city and offered to allow Derek to use all of the "equipment" to make processing the chickens an easy task. 

Luke's Story

Let me just start by saying:

God is so good!  Since before I knew for sure that I was pregnant, I began to pray that God would allow me to have a safe and healthy VBAC delivery.  I was nervous and anxious that it wouldn't happen and that I would end up needing to have another cesarean section, but I prayed fervently for peace through the pregnancy and I trusted that everything would work out according to His perfect plan.  I knew that no matter the method of delivery I would have a precious baby and most of all I just wanted for both of us to be healthy and safe!  Thank you to everyone who prayed for us through this pregnancy.  We can never tell you just how much it means to us to have your support!

 SO, Here's how it went...

The last shot of my big old baby belly. 

It was a dark and stormy night…literally.  Those of you who think that moon cycles and weather don’t have any effect on pregnant women, HAH!  Clearly it worked for me!  …The night of September 29^th (the full moon AND a wicked little thunder storm) I felt ok, but right around midnight (the beginning of September 30^th) I began having contractions like clockwork every 15 minutes.  Consequently, I got zero sleep.  Around 4 am I let my panic get the best of me and decided to go ahead and call Derek (he was in Mexico, naturally.) to let him know that I was having contractions and he should probably head home at his earliest convenience (or RIGHT NOW! RIGHT NOW! RIGHT NOW!), but lo and behold…the international calling plan that we had purchased failed.  Lovely.  So I resorted to sending facebook messages to him (knowing fully that he wouldn’t check his facebook until he woke up at a decent hour…why would he??)  Sure enough, the hours passed, the uterus kept right on contracting, and Derek slept peacefully in his little Mexican Hotel Room.  I have to admit…at this point I was still thinking that maybe I was just being ridiculous in wanting Derek to come home.  I mean, after all, the contractions were still 15 minutes apart and maybe I was just having “false labor”.  When he finally called me around 8:30 that morning he asked how I was doing and decided that he would come home.  Unfortunately, the earliest flight out of Mexico was the flight that he was scheduled to fly!  So he just had to wait.  Poor guy.  He landed in Dallas around 4:30pm and called me immediately.  I informed him then that my contractions were 12 minutes apart and still very consistent.  He got through customs, to his car and drove (very fast…eek!) toward home.  He called me about every 10 minutes (or so it seemed) on the way home and my contractions progressively moved to 10 minutes apart, then 8 minutes, then 6 minutes.  I figured at this point that it most likely WASN’T false labor.  It definitely felt very real.  I called the hospital and let them know that I was coming and hopped in the car with Derek’s Mom to head that way.  Derek changed his destination in the GPS to go directly to the hospital and amazingly (or terrifyingly…whatever) made it from Dallas to Nacogdoches in about 2 and a half hours (normally about 3 and a half or 4 hours of driving!)

 

This is what my face looked like when my contractions were 6 minutes apart. haha!

Finally my baby Daddy arrived!

 When I arrived at the hospital and got all checked in my dear sweet nurse informed me that I was, in fact, only 1 cm dilated.  To which I replied “Say Whaaaaaaa???  How could this BE???  And let me just say…if this is what 1 cm feels like, I am going to need an epidural yesterday because WOW…this sucks.”  Ok, so maybe I didn’t say those exact words, but I was heartbroken.  And exhausted.  But at least Derek was there with me now.  I could handle it as long as he was there.  The nurse even toyed with the idea that my doctor might want to send us back home (the nerve!) but that we would give it a little while and see how things progressed.  She suggested that Derek and I walk “laps” around the Labor and Delivery floor and see if that would spark up some dilation.  We walked for about 45 minutes and in that time my contractions started to come every three minutes and they hurt just like the dickens. (JUST like them!)  I decided to go back to the room and try out the tub to see if that would help and I will admit that I thought for sure I would be at least 6 or 7 cm dilated at this point.  It was just insanely painful.  I know…childbirth is painful…shocker.

I was on my knees (literally) in pain during our "walk" around the hospital.  OUCH!

 Anyway, we went back to the room and I was in the tub for just about as long as it took to fill it up and then I couldn’t stand it any longer and had to get out and see if I could get some drugs to help me out.  I was so tired and I just wanted to sleep and get some rest to be able to have some energy when the time came to push.  Funny thing…when I got out of the tub and she checked me again, I was still only 1 cm dilated.  ONE!  Unbelievable!  There may or may not have been a few expletives spewed.  The nurse offered to give me a drug called Fentanyl and an Ambien to help me get some sleep.  I asked how quickly the Fentanyl would kick in and my nurse assured me that it would be almost automatic because it was going directly into my IV.  She sweetly instructed me to “get some rest” (HAH!) and left the room.  The next 45 minutes were basically the worst thing ever.  Ok, maybe not the worst EVER, but certainly the most painful 45 minutes of my life!  And can I just state, for the record, that my precious little nurse told me a lie straight from the pit of hell...that Fentanyl did absolutely NOTHING for me.  When she came back into the room after 45 minutes or so I asked if I could please have more of the drug or something else to help with the pain.  She said that the baby’s heart rate was declining a little bit so they couldn’t give me anything else.  I told her I was scared because I felt like every time I was having a contraction my body had a mind of its own and was pushing!  It was such a strange sensation.  I couldn’t stop it!  I even remember the nurse looking at the monitor and saying “Gosh…you’re having some STRONG contractions, Girl!”  (Hello, Nurse Obvious.  Pleasure to meet you!)  Anyway, she decided she would check me again and as she did her face changed from “this poor girl thinks that she is in pain NOW, she’s only 1 cm!” to “Hmmm…that’s strange.” because upon inspection she discovered that I had gone from 1cm to 10cm in a matter of 45 minutes.  When she said this to me I didn’t quite understand because believe me…in that moment…I wanted an epidural.  I wanted one BAD.  But guess what??  They won’t give you an epidural when you are 10 cm and already pushing…can you believe that?!  RUDE.  So there I was, having the VBAC that I had prayed so hard for and without pain killers to boot! (not so much a specific part of my prayer, but God has a sense of humor!)  My doctor wasn’t even there because just less than an hour before the whole 1 to 10 fiasco, the nurse had called her and told her not to worry about coming in!  So now my nurse was calmly asking me NOT to push if I could.  She asked me to “breathe through the contractions” and I cried and apologized because, as I said before, my body had a mind of its own!  I couldn’t stop!  Eventually the nurse just said we would do some “practice pushes” while the doctor was on her way.  Turns out I didn’t need a whole lot of practice.  I guess I am pretty awesome at pushing!  (can we get a round of applause, please?  Thank you.)  My doctor showed up less than 5 minutes before the baby was born.  It was actually kind of comical when she arrived because she was throwing on her scrubs and gloves like a mad woman and as soon as she sat down the baby was out. 

My sweet baby boy, Luke Iven Hulsey was born at 12:45 am on October 1, 2012!

8 lbs 5 oz and 19.5" Long

So glad (and clearly feeling the Ambien) to be holding my boy!

Funny how your perspective on life (and your facial expressions) change when you aren't in Labor!

Love my family!

We are all happy and healthy and you know, even with the insane and intense pain that I experienced in the birth of this baby boy, I would do it all over again in a heart beat!  The recovery from this VBAC has been a million times easier than my c-section (even with a toddler added into the mix!) I am so incredibly blessed to have had this experience!

 

Oh, the horror...(Part II-Even MORE heinous)

So yesterday Derek decided it was time to mow our "yard" (We don't really have an official yard, per se...it's more of a boundary that we create in the hay field by cutting the grass so that we don't have waist deep hay at our front door...you understand.)  I was inside with Brennan and we watched through various windows throughout the house as Derek buzzed around on the riding mower.  Then...he stopped.  He gazed toward the house with a crazed look in his eye* and I thought "Uh-oh...what's wrong??"  So I went to the door to check and he walked up calmly and told me to get the camera because there was a HUGE spider.  (There may or may not have been an expletive thrown in there.)  I have to admit, I thought he must be overreacting, a spider big enough to get off of the giant machine you are driving?? But who am I to judge?  So I got the camera.  Much to my dismay...he was, in fact, NOT overreacting...No, not one little bit.  

THIS is what he saw whilst mowing:

Texas Brown Tarantula...discovered mere FEET from my front door.

Perhaps the most astounding thing about this whole charade is that we caught the thing.  Looking back on this now, CLEARLY we were suffering some sort of panic-induced insanity.  Why else would we have gotten close enough to first capture the beast in a tupperware container and then transfer it to a mason jar since we couldn't see through the tupperware very well?  It defies reason. 

I have to admit...I was really hoping that this little monster and the heart palpitations that ensued would have thrown me into labor...but alas, I am still pregnant.  We didn't kill the spider, by the way.  Upon doing some research we learned that the Texas Brown Tarantula is actually quite docile and not poisonous.  Also, they eat other bugs and spiders and such.  HOWEVER, we did pass him along to my Father-in-Law who wanted to get some better pictures of the mongrel.**  He has STRICT instructions to release the disgusting beast far FAR away from the residence.  

I'm thinking it might be time to move.  Who can find me a place where man-eating spiders don't exist?? Hmm??

*He was clearly disturbed, but tried to remain calm.  As we were contemplating how to catch the spider he had the idea that maybe he could just "drop" the tupperware onto the spider.  I assured him that was a horrible idea because clearly this thing could bench press us both...we needed some force behind it!   So my brave husband inched closer and closer...very slowly...and finally slammed down the tupperware as he yelled "FACE YOUR FEARS!!" It was actually more like "FACEYOURFEARS!" one swift word.  If you watch Modern Family, think "Excited-Phil-Dunphy-Voice"  HILARIOUS.  

**That's right...Mongrel.  This thing was harrier than a dog.  And had longer legs too.  

40 Weeks and a Silly Survey!

Total weight gain: how is it that when I was pregnant with my more-than-10lb baby I only gained 14 lbs total and somehow this time around with my "significantly smaller" baby I am up to 17 lbs?...it defies logic.  I'm blaming Texas because I seem to have some swelling this time around and I never did with Brennan.  Oh well...

Maternity clothes? Yeah...at 40 weeks pregnant I just look for something that is loose enough to maintain blood flow to my baby.  Not an easy task. 

Stretch marks?  Yep.  DANG!  I found one yesterday...right on my belly button of all places.  My skin is extremely tight so I wouldn't be surprised if we see a few more once this baby is out.  Battle Wounds!!  

Sleep: has actually gotten a little bit better/easier.  Not to say, in ANY WAY, that it is the best sleep I have ever had...but I seem to be a little more comfortable the last couple of weeks.  I'll take it.   

Best moment this week:  This is my last week of work at a "normal" job.  I have worked for basically my whole teen/adult life...so this will be an adjustment for me, but I am so excited to be a Stay-at-Home-Mommy!  

Miss Anything?  Being able to easily shave my legs, reach my feet, and bend to pick things up! 

Movement: the baby still moves quite a bit, although he or she has slowed up a little.  My doctor just says that is because there is no more room to move (FYI, Baby...that is your cue to vacate the premises immediately!!  Thanks.)

Food cravings: Carbonated drinks.  Thank goodness we don't keep these in the house and I stick to water for the most part.  Pretty sure it wouldn't do good things for the "swelling" issue to drink a bunch of soda.   

Anything making you queasy or sick: not so much, but the pain from my belly stretching is pretty intense.  Especially when the baby moves violently! 

Gender: It's official...I am SO EXCITED to find out who this baby is!!  I can't believe that we have made it this far and that in a matter of 6 days (TOPS!) we will know who this baby is!!  Can't wait!!  I'm so glad that we waited...it's going to be such a fun/special moment. 

Labor Signs:  I have been having some fairly uncomfortable contractions, but nothing consistent enough to do any good...clearly this is one big cosmic joke.  AWESOME. 

Symptoms: swelling, contractions, stretched-to-the-max abdomen

Belly Button in or out? No belly button.  Just a giant belly. 

Wedding rings on or off? Still on.  I hope I don't have to take them off.  The swelling isn't so bad in my hands yet...so maybe we can leave them on for the rest of this pregnancy!!  

Happy or Moody most of the time:  I suppose I have hit the "moody" stage of pregnancy.  I am still happy, but I think I would describe it as pensive...a little anxious...I just feel ready to get this show on the road and sometimes I get a little bit overwhelmed with the "little details".  

Looking forward to: Hearing my doctor say "It's a _____!!!!" and finally getting to hold my little babe :)

Splish Splash

A few months ago the town next to ours (The "Big City"...has a population of about 5,000!) got a new park!  Actually, it was already a park they just revamped it because it was pretty pitiful as far as parks go.  Also, it was extremely dangerous!  They had a slide that I UN-affectionately named "The Death Slide" because when Brennan was just barely 2-years-old he fell off of it and it was seriously one of the most ridiculously scary moments in my life to date.  Ugh.  Luckily, I have the reflexes of a jungle cat when it comes to my baby...so I was able to catch him and break his fall.  Then we both sat in the dirt and cried our eyes out.*  Fun times.  I am happy to report that the "Death Slide" was removed (and hopefully thrown into a fire and destroyed) and they replaced it with some newer/safer playground equipment AND...drum roll please...a SPLASH PARK!  It's not very big, but it's pretty awesome considering what it took the place of.  Brennan loves it.  It's so much fun hearing his squeals of delight as he weaves in and out of the geysers and water cannons.  Also, the fact that we live in Texas means that we will probably be able to enjoy this little splash park for about 11.5 months of the year.  Good call, Parks and Recreation of Center, TX...good call. 

Thankfully these little "guns" turn off when you rotate them toward the picnic tables because my son would definitely found enjoyment in soaking us as we watched him play.

Just as I enjoyed soaking HIM!  Muahahaha!!

A boy and his turtle.

Trying to block the water with his hand...not a huge success.

This seems to be his favorite part...he runs into the middle of the "ring of water" and then jumps up and down.

See? :)

Jumping like a frog

That's some pretty impressive air! 

Weeeeeee!!

I love this boy. 

*I would just like to state, for the record, that I am not being a crazy-over-reactor-hyper Mom in this case.  This was one of those old school metal slides with a ladder straight up the back and a slide straight down.  Problem is...it was very high (as in, standing next to it with my arms completely stretched out above my head I didn't even begin to reach the top.) and there were absolutely NO side rails at the top...just open space.  You may be asking yourself at this point "What on earth were you thinking letting your two-year-old child go down such a slide??" and to you I would say...Exactly.  Hind sight is 20/20.  We were at the park with some friends of ours (the kids were 7 and 4) and Brennan wanted to slide with them...and he did...multiple times.  I stayed pretty close by because I feared the worst.  Then the park got crowded and for some reason all of these little kids were little daredevils and wanted to go down the "death slide"...Brennan got a little panicked when the kids were waiting on the ladder behind him, next thing I know he is falling head first off the top of the slide...which is when I dove under the slide and contorted my body to break his fall.  And the crowd goes wild!!!!  The End. 

We Really Want to Know...

 What your guess is!!  So what do you think???  

Pink or Blue?  Boy or Girl?  Pheobe or Pheobo? 

Ultrasounds

Aren't these little sneak peeks amazing?  If you remember my earlier post from this pregnancy...we didn't exactly have a "riveting" ultrasound experience for our 20 Week (Half-Way-Point) Ultrasound.  Compared to the experience that we had during my first pregnancy it was somewhat of a let down.  Anyway...when I had my ultrasound for this baby last week (Doc wanted to make sure this baby isn't getting super huge like Brennan was!  All is well...we have a perfectly average sized baby!) I was surprised when the ultrasound tech was over-the-top friendly and randomly switched over to the 3D Ultrasound at the end of the session!*  I was pretty bummed that Derek wasn't there for it, but it was definitely a pleasant and unexpected turn of events.  I got to see our little baby's precious face!  Now...granted, this equipment must not be as nice as what we had with Brennan because you can definitely see a difference in quality, but just look at my sweet babies!!**

Brennan (above) and Baby #2 (below)...I can totally see the resemblance!  

I think I might see some hair on top of that sweet head too!! 

Baby has the "pouty lips" down! 

Brennan always seemed to have his hands up near his face, this baby seems to like his or her hands curled up nicely on the chest.

*Just in case you wondered...NO I did not peek at the baby's gender.  It was tempting, but come on...we've made it this far...we can wait a few more weeks!  I am so excited!! 

**By the way...the ultrasound picture of Brennan at the top was taken around 29 weeks gestation.  The picture of Baby #2 is at 36 weeks.  Brennan was a BIG boy!  My goodness.  You could definitely tell during this ultrasound that the baby had a lot more "wiggle room" even 7 weeks later than big brother.  

36 Weeks and a Silly Survey!

 

Total weight gain: it seems that I am up to 11 pounds gained at this point.  Fun times.

Maternity clothes? HAH!  Yeah.  Pretty much anything REALLY stretchy is what I wear these days. 

Stretch marks?  Still none, but that was also the case in my first pregnancy.  Then when I was less than two weeks from giving birth...BAM!  There they were.  Hoping that doesn't happen this time! :)

Sleep: Doesn't exist.  That is what I have convinced myself of these days.  Who needs it anyway, right??   

Best moment this week: Derek FINALLY came home from his training.  August has been a rough month because he has been gone for the majority of it.  We are ready to have him HOME!  

Miss Anything?  I miss being able to sleep comfortably.  And breathe deeply.  Yeah...it's the little things, you know.

Movement: is becoming insanely painful.  I'm pretty sure this baby is trying to escape on a regular basis. 

Food cravings: Oh my goodness...Watermelon.  YUM!  

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really, although I have had a few moments here recently when I felt the "morning sickness" come back...thank God it seemed to go away quickly!

Gender: I had an ultrasound today and this is the first one of this pregnancy that Derek was unable to attend.  I told him I was going to be really bad and "peek" and just have the tech tell me since he wouldn't be there to stop me!!  MUAHAHA!!    I didn't though.  I was a good girl.  I still have no idea and I am so excited!  How anticlimactic would that be to find out NOW after we have waited so long!  Can't wait to meet this sweet baby! 

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks and some "different" hip pain...although that could just be because the baby is getting bigger! My doctor checked me and everything is still resembling Fort Knox...so nothing to indicate this baby is coming tomorrow or anything! 

Symptoms: Extremely tired, aching hips, heart burn, braxton hicks...also...I guess I have allergies, but it feels an awful lot like a case of the "sick" and my throat is killing me and I can't stop sneezing.  AHHH, Sneezing...such a joyous occasion when you're pregnant.   

Belly Button in or out? No belly button.  Just a giant belly. 

Wedding rings on or off? Still on.  I hope I don't have to take them off.  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy, but I will admit...it's hard to put a cap on my irritation with the current discomfort.  I get particularly grouchy when it is bed time and I know that nothing good is going to come of me trying to "rest".  

Looking forward to: I'm looking forward to hearing my doctor say "you're dilated to 10 centimeters!  PUSH!" 

"Have You Had That Baby Yet???"

This is a question that a woman who is in her final weeks of pregnancy will come to loathe.  Let me just start by saying, in general, we (pregnant folks) know that the "asker" of the question means well and is just trying to make small talk and be friendly.  Let me finish by saying, in general, how incredibly frustrating it can be to hear that question whilst you carry around an enormous belly that practically screams "No, I have NOT had this baby yet.  In fact...I have been pregnant for about 10 years."

I am not quite to this stage yet with Baby #2, although I can feel it coming.  At 34 weeks I am quite rotund and only getting more-so as the days progress.  I can almost see the question forming on the lips of friendly people and I know that when the time comes I will politely smile and force a chuckle.  Unless, of course, I hit about 39-40 weeks and then I will, naturally, have one of two reactions.  A) I will burst into tears or 2) I will simply alternate staring blankly at my huge abdomen and the face of the offending asker.  More than likely, it will be the latter.  I remember doing that on a few occasions when I was pregnant with Brennan.  I worked until Friday and I had Brennan on Monday.  Imagine how large I was carrying a 10lb baby...people asked "Have you had that baby yet???" and I completely lacked the energy to offer any other response than a death glare that conveyed the "Are you kidding me right now??" tone of my attitude.  To those who received the glare...I apologize.  But not too profusely because really...you and I both know that it was CLEAR I hadn't had my baby yet :)

SO...to solve the mystery...if you feel yourself wanting to ask a largely pregnant woman "Have you had that baby yet???"  Feel free to click here:

Have You Had That Baby Yet???

And there you have it! :)

PS...how hilarious is that website??  I so wish I had known about this with my first pregnancy!!  Love it.

*image courtesy of Pinterest

Lightning, and Thunder, and Wind...Oh My!

I have never really been afraid of storms.  Granted, during my formative I didn't witness a whole lot of storm action living in California (more droughts than rain) and Washington (lots of rain, but more of a perpetual rainy-ness...not thunder/lightning/torrential down pours)  So I suppose I never really had the opportunity to develop a healthy fear.

 

When I moved to Virginia for college, I remember being caught in this insane monsoon that just came out of nowhere.  I had never experienced anything like it.  It was hot.  Like...really HOT.  August in Virginia kind of hot.  And I had a basket full of *clean* laundry that I had just collected from the laundromat on campus (of course the clothes HAD to be clean) and as I walked back to my dorm the skies opened up and let loose.  It was absurd, but I embraced it.  Sort of like taking a shower...I was completely soaked from head to toe with a (now much heavier) basket of sopping wet laundry.  There were also many times during my college days when my friends and I would take advantage of the rain-induced mud pits for fun games of "slip and slide" or sit in our windows and watch the incredible lightning shows.  I actually grew to enjoy storms!

 

Fast forward to last night and you have a grown woman who came about this close to climbing in bed with her two-year-old.  I was sound asleep when I started to wake up to some distant thunder/lightning.  Then it started to rain.  Then it started to rain harder and the wind was howling.  THEN...just as I pulled the corner of the blinds down to peek outside...the tree that is just outside of our bedroom decided to split and a ginormous limb fell and landed about a foot (maybe two) from the very window that I was looking out of.  *Insert scared puppy yelp*  YIPE!!  I moved as quickly as possible (which, admittedly... is NOT very fast at this point in time), grabbed my pillow and tip-toed into Brennan's room where I discovered him snoring away, un-phased by the terror outside.  So I stood there like a goon in the middle of his room for a while, debating on whether or not I should wake him up by climbing in his bed or suck it up and go back to my bed to possibly be impaled by another falling tree...hmmm...decisions, decisions.  Then the power went out.  SO, on top of everything else...I was now a scared pregnant lady with no air conditioning...oh, the humanity!  The storm was relatively short-lived, so I ended up going back to my own bed and trying to calm down by taking deep breaths.  My heart was beating ultra fast!  I wonder how that must have felt to my baby?  The power went out around 10:30, Brennan woke up around midnight and was freaked out at the utter silence and pitch-blackness of our house (normally he has a fan and a night light)  He came into bed with me and wanted to lay RIGHT next to me, practically ON me because he was a little scared.  NO air conditioner + toddler cuddles = Super uncomfortable and miserably hot pregnant lady.  Thankfully, the power came back on around 1:30 and I was able to move B to his own bed and cool down a bit.  Needless to say, I am a wee bit sleepy this morning.

 

This picture doesn't do justice to how close this was to my window!

I won't say that I am scared of storms now, but I wouldn't call myself a storm chaser either.  Also...I am considering cutting down all of the trees that are anywhere near my house and boarding up all of our windows.  Now THAT is healthy fear :)

Brennan the Baker

Brennan loves to help me in the kitchen.  He is such a little scientist and always very curious.  He wants to measure and pour and stir and watch things as they turn from batter to cake.  Confession:  I am sometimes have trouble relinquishing control in these situations (crazy "type A" personality!) and I fight the urge to cringe when I see sugar tossed on a counter-top or egg shells in the measuring cup...but really...how can I resist this face??  And the apron??  Please...there's no way I can turn him down!   Truth be told...he really is such a sweet boy and I love the memories we make when we are baking up something tasty...a messy kitchen is the least of my concerns :)  

See the focus?  He is very serious about his baking skills.  Perhaps he will be the next Cake Boss??  I'll keep you posted! 

It's a Bird...It's a Plane...

IT'S SUPERMAN! 

I have to say...having a little boy is such an adventure.  He was definitely born with this innate "boy-ness" that gives him the wildest imagination, a love of dirt...trucks...bugs...and a sense of humor when it comes to bodily functions.  He is such a joy.  And even when he isn't being particularly easy to love...I do.  So much.  I can't imagine my life without this little super hero.  

I love these two pictures together.  He's a jumping machine!  He can FLY! 

I love my sweet boy so much that I am even willing to post pictures that are 100% disgusting and unflattering of myself, just to show how adorable HE is.  Look at that face! :)

He is such a sweet boy and I love when he gets slap-happy and can't contain his squeals and giggles.  Music to my ears. 

By the way...he insisted on wearing this flannel superman pajama shirt and cape even though it was about 106* outside.  It gives him the ability to fly, you see.  

32 Weeks and a Silly Survey!

Total weight gain: It seems to go up and down quite a bit.  About 7lbs gained at this point.  My doctor says "Whatever is going on in there is ALL baby..."  You know, I always like to put the baby first! 

Maternity clothes? Clothes in general are pretty much the bane of my existence these days.  Nothing fits right.  Too big, too small, too loose, too tight, too short, too long...BAH!!  I'm over it. 

Stretch marks? Still no "new" stretch marks.  I have been using my sugar scrub and lotion.  Hopefully this keeps the skin stretching at bay and I can escape this pregnancy without any wicked marks!  Although, if I get them...no biggy.  I did, after all, grow a human being inside of my body.  

Sleep: So terribly uncomfortable.  I have lots of "special" pillows and such...nothing really seems to help.  I actually really wish we had a recliner.  Like one of those massive Lay-Z-Boy jobs with the cooler in the arm rest...yeah.  Then I could sleep in an upright position AND have cold water in the night without waddling to the refrigerator.  

Best moment this week: We did a hospital tour of the L&D area and were pleasantly surprised.  We had heard so many negative things about the hospital that I am going to deliver in ("It's so OLD and outdated...", "the rooms are TINY!", "the staff is not very nice...") but we found the rooms to be pleasant (even though a little old-ish and small) and the nurses were very sweet.  Also...I am hoping not to spend a ton of time in the hospital anyway...so who needs a brand new giant room??      

Miss Anything?  Being able to jump out of bed quickly when my toddler wakes up in the night with a sick tummy.  There aren't many things that are more frightening than a 2-year-old next to your bed threatening to throw up and being paralyzed with pain.  You definitely want to move at warp speed in that instance.  

Movement: Lots.  At our 31 week ultrasound we saw that the baby was breech...I feel confident that the baby has already moved from that position (I can no longer feel the hard little noggin front and center right under my ribs!)  Who knows what position the baby is actually in now, but I will take it as a good sign that the little one is moving up a storm! 

Food cravings: SWEET things!  Chocolate and Caramel (my dear husband brought me some Twix and Rolo's today!)  Ice cream, cookies...more chocolate.  Mmmm...

Anything making you queasy or sick: I am running out of room to eat more than a small amount of food at one time.  The problem is...sometimes something just looks SO good and I eat too much too quickly and I end up feeling miserable.  Note to self...eyes are usually bigger than your stomach! 

Gender: We made it through ANOTHER ultrasound and stayed strong.  We figure we have come this far...we're not finding out now.  Recently I have had the feeling that this baby might just be a girl, but I keep telling myself that it is probably a boy.  Once again revealing the startling news that...I have NO CLUE!!  Super excited to meet this baby! 

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks

Symptoms: Extremely tired, aching hips, heart burn...basically the same as a 90 year old woman.  

Belly Button in or out? What belly button?  It's just a little bit darker part of skin stretched across my belly now.  There is no definition!  

Wedding rings on or off? Still on.  I hope I don't have to take them off.  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy with intermittent "zoned out/zombie like" moments.  Sometimes I feel like I could sleep standing up.  

Looking forward to: We have another ultrasound at 36 weeks!  Hoping the baby is a reasonable size and head-down at that time!!  Feel free to join in on the prayers!! :)