AHHHH…Feel that fresh air!!

Below is a picture of Jack this time last year – can you believe how much he has changed??!!  Still the famous eyelashes and cheeks, but so much more hair and orneriness in his eyes!

March 2009

This Momma is SOOOO happy that SPRING is upon us!  It is so much easier to live in a big city when it is nice outside and there is so much more that we can take advantage of.  It is tough getting through these long winter months being cooped up in a “smallish” condo, but once the sun is shining and it hits 45 degrees, we are OUTSIDE and I remember why we have not made the suburban move!  The last week has been filled with walks to the park, walking to run errands and having the windows open – And when I say “Walk”, I mean Jack is walking, not riding in the “baby stroller.”  He is NOT a stroller kid.  He and I went to the playground yesterday around the corner, and I think the walk there was our favorite part!  So much to see, touch, talk about…

This weekend was nothing special, but SO NICE with little on the calendar.  We have started a tradition of Friday night being Picnic (on the living room floor right now)/Movie night and Jack chose to watch Curious George.  Saturday Scott stayed home (Mommy slept in until 11am!) and we just played, splashed in the puddles, and got stuff done around the house.  I would say that I am 90% done with everything that I feel “needs” to be done before BW2 arrives.  We went over to Jane & Joe’s on Saturday night which is always a blast and Jack got to see his baby girl Caroline (he LOOOVVVVESS) Baby Caroline.  Sunday was just hanging out after Jack (and M & D) slept in until 10am! 

Katie is on a well-deserved vacation this week, so Scott and I get to stay home with Jack with help from his parents and Auntie Courtney.  Can’t wait for some good time with my boy before he has to share the spotlight, so it is great timing that she is off.  I am thinking of something extra-special that we can do.

Dr. appt on Wednesday, so we will see if we are making any progress!

36 Week Update

36 week size – crenshaw melon (what IS that?!)

I had my 1st internal exam today (fun times, although it was not as bad as I remember it being the 1st time around…when I called my friend Jane bawling from the doctor’s office!). 

I am 1 cm dilated and the baby is still high (but head down), heartbeat of 150 and no effacement.  Dr. Feldstein said that he wants this baby to come in the next two weeks!!…selfishly because he is on vacation for 2 weeks after that and will more than likely miss the birth if I go around my due date of April 4th.  I appreciate him wanting to deliver for us, but we definitely want this baby to come naturally (he mentioned induction before 40 weeks if I am up for it), and Scott has 2 big audits due on 3/31, so he really would prefer me to keep the baby cookin’ until then!

I actually feel really good.  Very tired at night (I have passed out by 8:30 the past two nights), but lots of energy throughout the day and physically am feeling great.  Dr. Feldstein urged me to walk a ton, move around, etc. to get these contractions going and get things moving along.  With Jack, I was 1cm dilated until the day I went into labor and was only 3 cm when I got to the hospital, so maybe this one is already following their big brother’s footsteps?

He said the baby is right on target for weight and I am measuring where I am supposed to be. This is coming from the doctor who likes his women to gain 40 lbs!  I haven’t reached that mark, but I think Jack is looking forward to the day when he can again sit on my lap without sliding off or me groaning!

As far as the sex of the baby goes…I told Scott today I am now having a feeling that it is a little girl…don’t know why, just a feeling.  We’ll see – hopefully in 4 weeks!  ;-)

I need about a week and a half more of nesting, cleaning, time at work, time with Jack – then Mother Nature can do what she wants…crossing my legs until then.

Happy Birthday, Scott!

Yesterday was Scott’s birthday – it probably wasn’t very exciting for him since he spent the day at he office (which was covered in foil by his co-workers – EVERYTHING down to his mouse and his pens!), but we were able to celebrate later in the evening with deep dish pizza and cheesecake with his parents and brother.

Honey, I am hoping that 2010 is as exciting as the last couple of years have been for us  - I’m sure it will be with our new arrival in a month, a probably move, and maybe a new minivan purchase?  :-)  HA!

We Love you, Babe!  Thank you for being such a wonderful provider and support for our growing family and for everything that you do for us every day!

XOXO – Mis and Jack

Our big boy

Jack had his 2 year doctor appointment yesterday.  He was very interested in the doctor and what he was doing the entire time.  He got to stand on the “big boy scale” and it registered 30 1/2 lbs – in the 75th percentile.  His height was in the 90 percentile, as imagine from his genes, at 36”.  The doctor said that he was the size of at least a 2 1/2 year old.  The MMR shot, however, did not go over so well…”THAT HURT!”  We read a book when we got home about a doctor where a little boy got a shot, so he kept talking about how he got the same shot. I’m sure it will be the first thing that he tells Katie this morning. 

Hard to believe that my little 8lb 4oz, 21” long baby boy is now 3 feet tall and having conversations about astronauts and is memorizing books.  I clearly remember driving to the hospital in labor and how excited I was to find out the sex, how big he/she was, to finally pick a name (uh, yeah, if it were a girl,it was going to be a “game-time” decision, as it probably will be this time, too!), and if he looked like me or like Scott. 

Jack has been such a big help lately and very interested in talking about the baby, hugging my belly, sharing his stickers with the baby (AKA filling my belly w/ stickers), etc.  He helped Katie change Dylan’s diaper this week, has been pushing him in the stroller, and we have been reading a lot of “Big Brother” books.  He lights up when you tell him that he will be a big brother and he still says he is having a baby sister and that he will tackle it when it arrives.  Last night he told us that her name will be “Table.”  :-)  So sweet.  He is going to be awesome.  GREAT NEWS>>>>> Prentice lifted the ban on their child-visit restriction, so he can now come to the hospital to meet BW2 and see Mommy!  That totally started my day off right this morning!!!!

Wonderful sunny weather here this weekend and possible temps up in the 40’s!  So…we will spend a lot of time outside and may open the windows to air out the winter stink! 

Momma Bird is nesting

Tick tock, Tick tock…the time is drawing near for Baby Walti’s arrival!

I was a “nesting” machine this weekend…newborn clothes/blankets (neutral) are washed/put away, bottles & pump supplies are disinfected, Jack’s closet/dresser are organized with room made for baby, bathtub is out, bouncy seat is out, baby book is started…I even packed my hospital bag “just in case,” although I don’t think I used a thing out of it the first time except for my camera!  So…I am feeling much better about springing into labor, at least from the home perspective.  Now getting my emotions in check about Jack not being the only one and thinking about the transition he is about to face…that is a completely separate process I need to undertake!  Tear, Tear…  **A special thanks to Katie for taking J on Saturday so that I could get all of this done!!!

Practicing his big brother skills – very interested

Overall, I feel pretty good considering I am 35 weeks along, have 22 lbs of belly sitting on my pelvis, and am regularly heaving and playing with my 32 lb. son.  Experiencing some heartburn, pelvic/groin pain, and extreme lower back pain that I don’t remember having with Jack.  I had a WONDERFUL prenatal massage on Sunday which helped my back – so great that I seriously considered proposing to the woman that rubbed me down.  :-)

Baby size update – Babycenter.com tells me that the baby is about 18” long and over 5lbs…about the size of a Honeydew.  It feels like it is 3 ft long by it’s kicks to the ribs and punches to the groin!  I will miss this feeling (most of the time) however.

Other than nesting, we had a great weekend!  Friday night I went out with former colleagues for fondue (yummy) and Saturday night Scott and I went out with friends for another tasty dinner!  **Special HI to Dustin for reading this post – i promised I would give you a shout-out!  :-)  Scott worked most of the day on Sunday (fun winter life of a CPA), so Jack and I made ourselves busy baking brownies, painting, and just putzing around.  He is just so much fun right now, I can’t stand it!

Making brownies for Daddy

Picasso hard at work