I can't believe I haven't blogged about my pregnancy yet. We've been really busy for the last couple of months, but mainly I think it's because everyone who reads this blog probably already knows our news either from word of mouth or facebook info! And it's only recently that we've had any big developments. I am so excited to be pregnant again! I'm really starting to get excited about having a boy, foreign as the concept may be for me!. Because I grew up in a house full of women...poor daddy!... (and extended family too.; only 1 boy out of 9 first cousins!) I'm just not sure what to do with a boy! :) But I know I'll have fun learning (and keep reminding myself that I'll have more energy when I'm not pregnant!). It may sound cliche, but really all I'm really concerned with is having a healthy baby and a safe delivery for both of us. As with Rachel's pregnancy, doctor says I'm measuring large for my progress. Next week we're doing a sonogram to see if it's a big baby or too much amniotic fluid (too much fluid was the problem with Rachel). The norm for 32 weeks is about 32 centimeters (about a centimeter per week basically) and I was 36cm at 31 1/2 weeks. So he may not make it until Feb. 13th, but we'll just see how it all goes. I really don't think I'll miss the last week or two, seeing as how you get more and more uncomfortable as time goes on! We can verify that he is for sure head down too, though dr. says he can tell by feel.
I am very excited to have another sonogram though! I love those! It's so much fun to see the baby with your own eyes and know that everything is a-ok. Not that I don't know he's here...he's an active little sucker! Sometimes it feels like he's doing jumping jacks in my abdomen, kicking both arms and legs at the same time! Hopefully we'll have a new picture to post too.
Rachel has been too cute about the new baby (or "baybay" as she pronounces it!). She'll lay her head on my belly and give it kisses and tell him "night night". Don't know if she'll feel the same once the baby is home (she'll probably be thinking, "why'd you bring this loud, squirmy thing home?" much like Max reacted when we brought Rachel home!). But it'll be a time of adjustment for all of us. Joshua's job will be to keep Rachel as happy as possible! I never did mind the late night feedings much though. It's amazing how you can be incredibly groggy when the alarm goes off at 6am, but can operate so nimbly at 3am for a baby! I saw a lot of infomercials while feeding Rachel and would get excited to see something like Happy Days on! Saw a lot of lumberjack competitions too...
One thing I'm definitely looking forward to is having the experience of having done this before. It's not qute so scary going into the hospital because you at least know what to expect. Even though you know the possibility exists that problems could occur, it's still not so bad as it is the first time. And I'm so glad I'm a breastfeeding veteran this time around too! That was the most stressful part of my stay in the hospital with Rachel because we had so much trouble finding someone either 1)competent; 2) a lactation specialist that wasn't ready to leave because it was 4:30pm on a Friday; or 3)a nurse willing to take the time to actually teach me what to do (seriously...I had a nurse get kinda rude with us...I was in tears thinking I was going to be going home with a baby that would starve because I couldn't feed it, and a sleep-deprived husband who was about to lose it with the nursing staff! The labor and delivery nurses were amazing, but the postpartum staff needed some work, and thank God for the one nurse that was helpful! She was truly a Godsend). As Joshua described it, it's like teaching two people to do something when neither speaks the same language! At least this time one of us knows what she's doing!
Ok, now that I've spilled the beans per se, I can blog about baby boy updates, though really there hasn't been much to report lately. Which reminds me...in a non-problematic pregnancy, dr. visits are incredibly boring! I have an awesome doctor, but I drive almost 45 minutes for a five minute appt! Or maybe I'm just not a high maintenance patient; let's hope he appreciates that in about 6 weeks! But I do get to hear his little heartbeat at each appt and that's always special. :)
Hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas! I should have more pictures coming soon!
I know...I'm posting on this really late, but it's been getting harder and harder to find the time and energy to blog with the holidays and all that that entails (I should be wrapping gifts right now in fact). I really and truly can't believe that Rachel is already 2 years old! She's grown so much! She's definitely in her 2s now also...when told to do stop doing something, we get a lot of attitude and palms-out hands (I thought all that didn't come until she's a teenager! go figure). I just have to keep reminding myself that this too shall pass and it has to get better eventually....right? Someone tell me the behavior will change for the better! :)
Miss Rachel does enjoy her movies! Some of her favorites are Shrek, Toy Story, and the Jungle Book (this includes all sequels too). Her one constant is that she likes movies with minimal human characters; she'd much rather watch animals, monsters, or toys than real people (once tried to get her to watch Mary Poppins...that was a mistake!). I've saved up a few shots we got of her watching movies in various states of repose.
We used an Easter dress that my mom got her earlier this year and spruced it up with some fancy princess accessories. I even went all out and made her a matching purple feather-lined cape, which she quickly decided she did NOT want to wear! But we did get some good pictures of her in it even if she didn't keep it on long. I think the feathers from the boa may have poked her arms a little and made it uncomfortable to wear. 
My best guess is yes, it is! It's been cooler and rainier than usual for north Texas this fall (and the region in general), and I am loving it! It's always bugged me that autumn never really gets here until about mid-November, and winter not until about January. But it looks like that will be a little different this year, so I'm enjoying it while I can! The only downside has been that Rachel hasn't been able to get out and play much outside. So we take advantage of the dry spells when we can.
