24 weeks!

Today I am 24 weeks, woo hoo!  I took an updated picture to compare it to when I was about 24-25 weeks with Maverick....agh!  Not only do I feel bigger this time around, it definitely looks like it.  Yikes!  Funny though--with both pregnancies I started out the same weight and have gained about the same at this point.  I guess (from what I've read) it is true that your muscles are all stretched out from having "been there and done that".

Here I am about 24-25 weeks with Maverick:

And here I am at 24 weeks with Little Brother:

It is so exciting to feel the baby move all the time, and with gusto!  I have an anterior placenta (it's in the front instead of along the spine) which made it hard to feel him early on.  He looooooves to kick my ribs all the time, and I'm pretty sure I felt hiccups the other day.  It's fun to have other people feel him now, too.

All the aches and pains seem to have hit sooner than last time.  I remember being almost 9 months with Mav and not even feeling that awful.  I was almost in tears the other night because I was in sooooo much pain.  I thought for sure the top of my stomach, right at the top of my ribs, was going to rip open from all the pressure of my growing insides.  Sitting down is more painful than standing, and laying down is the best.  I feel like this baby is carrying higher than Mav, and I've got the new stretch marks to prove it, haha!

I go a week from Tuesday for my glucose test...and I'm not holding my breath about passing.  I actually don't feel any of the symptoms like I did with Mav, I just assume since I had GD once I'll get it again.  Thankfully I didn't have to do insulin or anything last time, just diet control.  So if history repeats itself, it shouldn't be too bad to do again.

It's so exciting to think that in about 16 weeks we will be having another baby!!!  I know it most likely won't happen, but I would love to go a few days over my due date and have another Thanksgiving baby.  This year it falls on Nov 22, and my EDD is Nov 18.  Of course I'm sure at that point the thought of going over due would be torture, ha!

I know every pregnancy is different, but I can't help comparing...and I don't think I'll even come close to being over due.  Maverick was due December 1st, and he decided to come November 26th.  I vividly remember going to sit down on the couch to wait for Robbie to get ready for our day of errands, when my water broke.  That was Wednesday the 25th, and Maverick finally arrived early the next morning. :)

Speaking of Maverick, how about a cute picture or two?

Mav is just the awesomest little boy.  I am so blessed to be his mommy.  Every day he does or says something new and it is so fun to watch.  He is becoming such a little person (I guess babies do that?!). 

He loves to spell, and trace letters.  He knows where all his favorite cars come from (Ferraris come from Italy, Mercedes come from Germany, etc).  We've started working on State capitals since he has the States down...but he's a little confused as to why California is also called Sacramento. :)

Mav is starting to understand more and more about his baby brother.  Today was the first time ever that he came up to me and touched my belly to talk about the baby--all on his own free will, ha!

I think (and pray!) that my boys will be best friends and great brothers.  I know that may take until they are grown up and past the fighting-about-everything stage.  Hopefully it won't take that long and they'll be great friends from the start. ;)



Late Afternoon Ramblings

Today started out as a wonderful Sunday, except it all came crashing down when we picked up Mav from his classroom at church today.  His teacher told us that he was having trouble with hitting, and even had to sit him aside for doing it repeatedly.  Talk about a downer!!  Robbie said as soon as he made eye contact with Mav, he put his head down.
Having worked with preschoolers for a living (longer than I've been a mom), I knew this day was coming...but yet it still makes me SO sad!  I know my child is far from perfect, and this is a normal part of child development.  But it just stings when it's your own kid.  At least for me, anyways.

He's hit a few times at home, but it's never been a consistent problem.  As soon as he does it, one of us gets eye-level with him and says in a very stern voice, "Hitting is NOT okay.  We do NOT use our hands for hitting."  And if he does it again (which is the typical "I'm testing my limits" thing) he gets whatever he is doing taken away and put in time-out.

Mav doesn't really understand when he gets put in time-out for 2 minutes...but if his toy (or whatever he is doing) gets taken away--that's when he knows he's in trouble.  Interesting how every kid is different!

Anyways, with all that said I think we're maybe seeing some acting out from all the new baby talk, too.  We have been reading books about bringing home a new baby and talking about little brother all the time.  Mav loves to give my tummy a hug and talks about little brother too.  However, we are expecting some behavior changes...after all...his little world is getting rocked! :)

Right now Mav is being super clingy to me.  He only wants mommy to give him his food or milk; only wants mommy to cuddle with him at bedtime, etc.  Poor Robbie gets discouraged sometimes, but I just reassure him it's just a phase and that I think he's already sensing a big change coming.

We'll get through it.  It's just a short season of life. :)

Thanks for letting me ramble a bit!

Progression

Well I guess since I get random questions from strangers now, I feel okay with posting some belly pics, ha!  My favorite conversation was with a drug store checker a couple weeks ago that went like this:
"Oh wow...when are you due?"

"Around November 18." (maybe Nov 21...but I have a feeling I'll deliver early either way...but babies never arrive on time, ha!)

"OH. my. gosh.  You are barely halfway?!" (big buggy eyes at the size of my belly)

Okay, okay.  I know I have some a lot of extra padding.  But gosh, the things people say, haha!  I should also mention the fact that Baby C was measuring a tiny bit larger for his gestational age.  Surprise, surprise--look at his ginormous brother.

Here is the first photo I took on March 28; about 6 weeks pregnant.  I hate, hate, hate posting pictures of myself.  Hate it.  Especially ones that show more than my head & shoulders.  But this is all in the name of cherishing memories.

No pictures in April. This was taken May 16; about 13 weeks pregnant.  Not a huge difference at all.

I took this last night (July 6) with Robbie's iPad; about 20-almost 21 weeks pregnant.  I wish I would've remembered that switching to the self-photo lens meant the picture turning out opposite of what it looks like on the screen.  Oh well, I might figure out how to flip it in Photoshop, ha!

Definitely a bump there.  More baby than pudge, haha!  According to BabyCenter, the average baby is the size of a banana at this point.  A banana!!  Second time around and the miracle of creation is no less amazing.

We started cleaning out baby's room last night since the reality hit that we are a little over halfway through this pregnancy.  Our perfect size house has a master, and 2 bedrooms.  Both of which were storage rooms...but when Mav came along we cleaned & transitioned one out...and now we've started with the other room--much to Mav's delight.  This room was the place where we put all the stuff we didn't want him to touch/bother, but didn't want it deep in storage.

I love how I'm taking things from the room downstairs to the basement, and bringing up all the baby stuff we had stored down there.  Double love it!

The plan is to get a bigger bed for Mav (he still sleeps in his crib converted to a toddler bed) since it would be so silly to buy another crib.  We've taken him out a couple times to look at big beds and he loved it.  I don't think there will be any trouble making the switch.

Mav still doesn't quite get the whole idea of another kid living in his house, haha.  We talk about his baby brother in mommy's tummy all the time, and how he will be here just in time for his birthday.  I'm sure Mav will do great though.  Maybe I'm still in denial about another baby coming.  I am not stressed about it whatsoever.  Almost feel like I'm not preparing enough...but not really, ha!  But that's kinda my personality.  Just go with the flow, chill out, and enjoy life. 

Like Pete the Cat--it's "aaaaallllllllll gooooooooood". 

All mommas of preschoolers/preschool teachers out there know who Pete the Cat is.  And if they don't, they will soon!  I recommend reading the book "I Love My White Shoes" with the audio clip on HarperCollin's website. The song really gets stuck in your head.  "I like my bluuuuueeeee shooooooooes...."