Abigail's Birth Story

Well here I am two weeks after Abigail was born (to the day in fact) finally getting my birth story done. Things are much crazier with a toddler already running around the house. But that's not what this post is about...

I had just about given up on Abby coming early. I had thought there was a decent chance she would come up to 3 weeks early and thought for sure she could come 2 weeks early, based on the changes I noted in my body. My last week of work was uncomfortable to say the least. My heartburn was awful, I had been getting some back labor-pains for a week or so, and the Braxton Hicks were painful. Abby had been sitting VERY low in my pelvis for pretty much the whole 3rd trimester and kept creeping down further. But 37 weeks came and went. My final day at work came and went. That weekend, and all the things we had planned came and went. (Faux of July party at Nicole's, Ryan's beer competition at the fair, and of course 4th of July at Randy's). Still no baby. So I waited out that 38th week, my first week off work, just hanging with Aurora and enjoying my last time with just her. Still no baby. So at the start of that next weekend nearing my 39th week, I was resigned to the possibility that this baby could be 2 weeks late if she so chose!

Saturday, July 9th my boss and his wife had a Paella Party at their house.The food was great, and I ate way more than I should have. I had been sleeping the first part of the night on the couch due to my heartburn, then moving back upstairs to the bed around 2 or 3am once my stomach was settled and totally digested. So I was generally eating small meals in the afternoon, and not much for dinner at all. But this night I said screw it, I'm going to enjoy myself and eat to my heart's content. I especially enjoyed the TWO pieces of cheesecake I had for dessert. lol.

That night I started the night out on the couch. I woke up earlier in the morning to head upstairs than usual; around 1:30 am. I got into bed and couldn't quite get comfortable. After tossing and turning for about 30 min (unusual for me, even in pregnancy to not be able to get to sleep right away), shortly after 2 am on 7/10, I suddenly felt my water break. It wasn't a full on gush like it was with Aurora - it was just enough to soak my pantyliner and my underwear - but there was no doubt what it was. Game time.

I reached over and woke Ryan up - "Ryan; this is it, my water just broke - time to get up." His reaction was a repeat of when I told him we were pregnant. "Oh shit". Since I defied statistics once again as the 15% of the population whose water breaks before labor starts, I knew that while the second labor was likely to go faster, we still had some time since I wasn't in labor yet. I went to the bathroom, and took a shower while instructing Ryan on who to call and text. We called my mom so her and Wayne could come over. Wayne would stay at the house so we didn't have to wake Aurora up, and then in the morning take her to Harb. My mom would come with us to the hospital. Then I texted the other people who wanted to be a part of this experience; Meg, Nicole, Kimmy and of course Cheryl.

A little while later, I was showered, my mom and Wayne had arrived and we had packed the last min items for the hospital. I was still not having regular contractions, although they were happening (Like 5-10 min apart and about 50 seconds long). I was planning on waiting until they got a little bit more regular, but Ryan was fritzing out and wanted to know exactly when we were going to be going to the hospital. I told him I didn't know, it depended on how quickly things progressed. He was very uncomfortable with that and it was clear that we should just go and get checked in and everyone (Ryan) would be more at ease. I made him make a thermos of his good coffee (knowing he would appreciate it later on even though at the time it was the furthest thing from his mind). And just after 4am we took off!

We met up with Kimmy in the lobby, and then checked in upstairs. They took me into an exam room, to ask me the basics, and to confirm that my water had broken. Of all chances, my midwife was working the Birth Center. She told me that they were having staffing issues; basically they didn't have a nurse to assign to me, even though they had a room. They had one women in active labor who they hoped would deliver soon, and if so they could give me her nurse. But after a good hour in the exam room and still nothing, they decided to start me down in L&D, where they could at least give me an RN and a room. They hoped that soon things would free up in the BC, and they could move me back up. So down to L&D. There Nicole met up with us (she was a little freaked out at first when they told her I was in L&D - she thought, why is she there???). The nurse there asked if I wanted to go ahead and get a Hep Lock IV (last time I got one and they used it to give me my pain meds, and then pitocin after I delivered) and I said yes. After hanging out there for a few hours, finally around 7 am we got word that the woman up in the BC decided to get an epidural, so that left the room and the RN free for me to come up from L&D! It took them a while to clean the room and get it ready for me, but finally I got into my room, which happened to be the same room that I delivered Aurora in 2 years previous! My midwife, Rebecca had finished her shift and Beth, another of the midwives was on. She was super sweet and I was pretty sure she had worked with me at some point during the last pregnancy.

Everyone else started to arrive throughout the morning (Cheryl, Meg & Justin, Melinda & Nathan, Alyssa & Keira). Not too much happened over the next several hours. The contractions stayed painful but not too serious, and stayed between 2-10 min apart and not more than a min long. As the morning wore on I started to feel discouraged; things were not picking up! I didn't want another 24 hour experience - the second labor was supposed to go quicker! The nurse suggested that I pace the halls a little, so Ryan took me outside and we paced around the BC square. Things really started picking up while doing that and within 30 min of walking, my contractions got up to less than 5 min apart and were lasting up to a min and a half. I went back into the room, and they started slowing down! Clearly the walking was helping and hanging out in the room was not; so Nicole, Meg and Kimmy took a turn with me pacing the halls. It was funny - I had my own labor entourage! One of them was keeping track of my contractions, another giving me sips of water after every contraction and the other giving my spine counter pressure during the contractions. (Kimmy had been giving me massage and it was still pretty painful so at some point the midwife came in and showed us how to apply upward counter pressure on the bottom of my spine. She explained that the baby sitting low and coming down the birth canal was putting a lot of pressure on my spine and the counter pressure pushed the baby's head back and provided a lot of relief).

I knew I wanted to try the water tub this time, since I didn't get to last time, and I let the staff know that right away since I knew it takes a while to get it all set up. They started to get stuff ready (put in the order, fill the tub, etc.) but since it would be a while and things were getting more intense I decided to take a shower sometime around 1 pm. Ryan came in with me to keep track of the contractions and for a while I labored in the shower. It was really great last time and was just as good this time. Squatting through the contractions helped, and while in the shower I started to get the beginning urges to push, so I knew things were finally picking up!

I got out of the shower after about 30 min and I wanted the tub so bad. Apparently they were quickly working to get the authorization and get my midwife in to get me checked before going into the tub while also trying to get the temp just perfect for me but to me it was all taking forever and my perception was that it was going to be like another hour before they let me in the tub, so at some point I asked for pain meds. (I can't remember exactly when this was). The nurse looked at me and said, "I would highly caution against that" since she could tell how far along I was coming and knew I would have the tub soon. And I said ok, like a little kid who has asked for candy that they know they won't be allowed to have. At about 1:15 pm they checked me and I was minus 2, 5 cm dilated, which they said was the perfect timing for me to get into the tub. (They don't want to put you in too soon, because it can slow down labor if you aren't far enough along in labor). I was in the tub by 1:30 and I was a HAPPY CAMPER! I dont know how on earth a tub can make that much difference, but let me tell you it did, and there is a reason they call it the birth center's epidural!!! It took all the pressure off, and the heat felt so good and it was just so relaxing through those painful contractions. I was only in there for about 30 min and I started to get such strong urges to push I couldn't control them anymore. I told them I had to push and was time to get out, so I got out and they checked me again.

Her head was there and I was fully dilated so it was go time! Obviously the tub really did the trick, and besides being an awesome tool for relieving my pain, it also sped along my labor. I got in the side laying position again, with Cheryl holding my right leg up, and I started going for it. I only had to push about 4 times and I had her out. She came out much slower than Aurora did. Her head came out with the first few pushes then another push got to her shoulders and then the rest of her. At 2:19 pm on 7/10/11 Abigail Rose Cross was born.

She had the same sucking blisters on both of her hands that Aurora had, and that my mom says I had too. She was wanting to suck as soon as she came out, but while they were stitching me (I did end up with some minor 2nd degree tearing; two stitches inside and a few outside, all pretty superficial) it was an awkward position on my chest, so she sucked around my boob but didn't get a great latch until a little while later when I got propped up on the bed. She was born with a full head of dark hair, and was super bright pink. This was the dark baby who looked just like Ryan that I had dreams of before I even had Aurora! Kimmy got to cut the cord, and she was ecstatic. I was so happy to have gotten through it all, and in good timing too! 12 hours from my water breaking I had my beautiful baby Abby.

Abigail Rose Cross
Born 7/10/11 2:19 pm
6 lbs 7 oz
18.25 inches

Labor is Eminent, Resistance is Futile.

This baby is coming soon. Seriously. Its really very interesting to go through it the second time around and see what the differences are.

Last time I had increased discharge the week before, and then the evening before I felt Aurora drop, and she was moving around like crazy very low in my pelvis. I also got the crazy nesting and went into a cleaning frenzy. Then the morning of I had pink discharge then my water broke at lunch that day. I was getting Braxton Hicks for a few months too.

This time, same deal with the Braxton Hicks, but last weekend and again last night I had an hour stint where they were over a min long and only a few min apart. Increased discharge has been the same too. But I have been carrying Abby much lower the whole pregnancy than Aurora, and she's inherently way more active than Aurora was. However, the last few days she has been twisting and turning deep in my pelvis more than before. The last few days I have been exhausted and have not had the energy for too much of any cleaning even though the house has needed some tidying. Then suddenly last night I couldn't stand it and had to clean up. I also had a sudden bathroom run in the middle of the day yesterday, another sign. And anyone who knows my bowel schedule knows its normally a first thing in the morning, on a schedule, and takes a long time. So all in all its pretty clear that things are getting close here, and my guess is sometime this weekend.

Which is fun, and right on track with my guess for another holiday baby (4th of July) but also sort of sad because we have such fun plans for the weekend; Faux 4th at Nicole's tomorrow, Sunday at the Del Mar Fair and Ryan submitting his home brews, and the 4th at Randy's. I guess having to choose between the two (having a baby or fun events) could be a much worse choice though!

Switching gears, Aurora got her first big girl ouchies! On Monday, Ryan was at the chiropractor then getting fitted for his tux for Blake & Alyssa's wedding and I was home with Aurora waiting for him to be done to pick him up. We were outside on the patio after some water play and she was fighting with me on the couch trying to put on her own diaper. She lost her balance and fell backward off the couch, and smacked her head flat on the brick flooring. I picked her up right away, consoling her, patting her head and back, knowing that she was going to be upset and would have a bump on her head.... then I noticed there was blood. "Oh no, where is the blood coming from?" I thought. Then I saw that her beautiful white-blonde hair was soaked with a circle of blood in the back. I started to really freak out, but then I was able to locate the laceration and see that it wasn't bleeding anymore. It was about an inch long and looked pretty deep, so I knew it would probably need stitches. But with Ryan not being home, not really knowing what to do (or where to take her?) I called Cheryl and she came over right away. She agreed that it would need stitches and suggested I call the Dr. and ask where to take her. So I called the UCSD Pediatrics office, and they put in a message to have the Dr. on call call me. While I was waiting for that call, Cheryl went to go pick Ryan up. The Dr. called back and said to take her to urgent care, and they would do staples, not stitches because it was on the scalp. I called them and they said to take her to the Children's ER, as they didnt have the facilities to do staples there. So by then Cheryl had Ryan back and we jumped in the car and headed to Children's.

They checked us in pretty much right away, and had us hold a cotton ball with lidocain and some other stuff on her laceration for about 20 min, then they came in, pumped the gurney up to chest level, had her lay on her tummy head to the side facing Ryan and I, and they stapled her up, "cha-chink, cha-chink, cha-chink". 5 staples later, Rory was all Frankensteined up and ready to go. She didn't blink an eye, bat an eyelash or whimper a single peep the entire time. What a trooper. She was very excited to get an orange popsicle afterward. They gave us a staple remover to take to the Dr. with us for her check up and told us to make an apt on Friday with her regular Dr. to see if they were ready to be removed.

Ryan took her in yesterday and they were. He said that she was just as good with them being removed as she was when they were put in. No getting her head wet for 48 hours though. Which means we have to be really careful in the pool at Nicole's, or not go in the pool at all. At least she will be free and clear by the 4th at Randy's. So that was our little ordeal with her. And as a last note on that, how funny is it that of all the boys (esp Brayden,) Aurora, little miss girlie girl, was the first one to have a major boo-boo needing stitches or staples????

36 Weeks and Counting

Tuesday was 36 weeks. Today is Friday, and next week is my last week of work! This baby is certainly preparing for birth. Shes been extremely active (more than normal, if I would have believed that to be possible), moving a little lower too, and Ive been getting some back laborish type pains and some cramping. I have also been exhausted and have been trying to get naps in every day. My heartburn and reflux has been TERRIBLE. Im already taking max dose of my Zantac, and on top of that have to take up to 10 tums a day. That's just the meds. The usual food triggers are off, and I have to be especially diligent in the afternoons and evenings. No spicy food, no fatty food, (pretty much stick to complex carbs and veggies) have to eat small amounts, make sure to chew thoroughly and slowly, and I can't eat too late in the afternoon. Also no large amounts of fluids with eating. Then of course Im sleeping with my wedge pillow too. So ALL that stuff has to be perfect and spot on and then I have an ok night... if I mess up ONE of those things, then suddenly I have a night from hell with super bad heartburn all night, my stomach contents coming up on me, I choke on them or a few times its been so bad I throw up even.

Its a great way to diet though! lol. I havent gained any weight for the last 4 weeks or so. I'm holding steady at 170 lbs, which is 25 lbs in this pregnancy. I did start this pregnancy 5 lbs heavier than last time though. But I also ended up at 175 with the last pregnancy. So all in all I have gained less and am topping out at a lower weight.

I have been trying to take it easy since I can tell I need to (dont want to push things here - Abby still isnt full term until Tuesday) and its really hard for me to just sit back and let things go or ask Ryan to do them instead. And its hard not to do as much with Rory - she doesn't quite understand that I cant pick her up and play with her as much because I'm physically limited.

Things are in pretty good order - the house is clean, we've cleaned all the newborn clothes, mostly packed the hospital bag (except for the last min items that we use every day around the house anyway) and we have put the carseat in the car.

On Tuesday I also started using my vag-stretcher (the Epi-No). I started at about 7 cm and have gotten to 8 cm in these 3 days. Goal is to get to a little more than 10 by the time I go into labor.

Rory is just adorable these days. She has such a beautiful personality! She fills our days with laughter and joy. She is ecstatic to have a baby sister, and Abby isnt even here yet! When she does get here Rory is just going to be overcome I'm sure. She has such a maternal instinct and LOVES babies so much. I'm really looking forward to seeing her with her sister.

Her speech is also moving along so rapidly its mind boggling. Every time she communicates a 3 word sentence to you its like "really? did you just say that to me???" I keep wanting to get it on video and get more pictures of her but shes in this stage right now where she doesnt want you to take any pics/video of her. Maybe after Abby is here she'll be ok with it again.

Anyway, thats about it for us. Im SUPER stoked - tomorrow I have my maternity shoot with my friend Becky Hill. I first met her when we went to the same baby prep class last time around and she does photography now. Stay posted!

Stick a Fork in Me... I'm Done.

However, the baby is not, so I must endure for another 3-6 weeks (or longer if Abby has a sick sense of humor.)

So this last week I finally got to THAT point. You know, the one were you get so uncomfortable that no position doesn't hurt or strain something. The one where if you get a 3 hour stretch of uninterrupted sleep (due to the baby on the bladder or the cheeseburger you ate at 3pm that still has not digested yet) each night you thank your lucky stars. The one where you know that the baby still needs some baking time in the oven, but you really just don't care and would give your right arm to get that kid out. It came on pretty suddenly. I was feeling "pretty good" until last week. I guess Abby went through a little growth spurt because I can't breathe, am getting rib aches, and don't even get me started on my reflux. Suffice to say that besides my two times a day Zantac, I'm supplementing with up to 10 tums a day, and after a few really bad nights of reflux, will from here on out need to be done eating dinner by ~5pm, and stick to low-fat, non-spicy, basic foods that dont take a long time to digest. At least its just for the next month or two... TILL I GET THIS KID OUTTA ME!!!! lol

I've also hit the upper end of my weight. Im up to ~170 now and I would like to stay there, but for sure not go any higher than the ~175 between now and when I deliver. No reason for me to go over what I gained in my last pregnancy, especially since I didn't make my goal of gaining less than the first time.

Tomorrow I'll be 34 weeks pregnant, and I really don't think that I'll go late. In fact I think there is a chance Abby might come earlier than Aurora did, but we will see what she decides. (Based on my body and the last time, Im guessing she'll come 2-3 weeks early). My temp at work started today and she's really sweet. I think the office will be in good hands while I am gone.

Memorial Day weekend was really great. We did a good job of planning and packing, and had a great time. Sat night it rained on us and didn't clear up so well, so we decided to head back into Fresno and spend that last night with the Schott's which was the best thing ever! As Ryan said when Laura and I proposed it to him and Marshall, "what's the downside here?" We got out of the rain and weather, got showers, the kids got to run around and play, we already had our food ready to go from camping, and Ryan got to see Marshall's home brew set up. With the car already packed up we were able to get on the road early and get a great head start and got home to SD by 1:30pm on Monday. Then Cheryl picked Aurora up to go up to the Cross's leaving Ryan and I some free time alone to unpack and get everything cleaned up!

Lucky too, because on Tuesday we had a stroke of really bad luck - Some old lady thought she had a green and turned RIGHT IN FRONT of Ryan who was going straight down Clairemont Mesa Blvd at Ruffin on his way home. He didn't even have time to react and T-boned her at ~40mph. Both cars un-drivable and she was taken away in an ambulance for minor injures. Ryan was ok but I made him go in to get checked out that night (xrays came back fine) and he's just really sore now. So we are down to one car until we get this whole thing figured out. We are pretty sure they will find she was totally at fault, as he had the green light, and it was still green when he got out of the car at the scene, and he has a few witnesses who saw the whole thing, and the police came out and did a report, but you never know! So NOT what we need right now with everything else going on!

Aurora has been a pain in the ass lately too. Sooo opinionated and stubborn. Im hoping it has to do with her schedule - we have had so much going on (Memorial Day Weekend, the accident, events for Blake & Alyssa's wedding) that her schedule has been thrown off, so hopefully its just related to that and once we get back on track it will be better. Im also hoping that she will enjoy the time off with mom and the new baby and not be upset and have jealousy issues. But we will have to see how that goes too...

32 Weeks... and Feeling Every Pound!

I'm now 32 weeks pregnant. The end is near. If Abby is as early as Rory was, I have only 6 weeks left! Thats NOTHING! Its actually a little scary and bitter-sweet. I know this is it for me; the last time I will be pregnant, the last time I will go through all the wonderful and annoying things about being pregnant. So I'm just trying to sit back look past the discomforts and just enjoy this last time of growing my own flesh and blood.

That being said, boy things are getting uncomfortable! I have to say I think it is not as bad as last time. Abby is carrying lower, so I'm not having as much trouble breathing, not as much rib aches, and the heartburn is not as bad (although this time I didn't hesitate to moderate with medicine and at this stage I need my Zantac AND Tums to get me through the day, and I got the wedge pillow right away when I was having reflux issues at night. So I think the heartburn is just being managed better this time around, not necessarily that its not as bad). Where was I? Oh yeah, and my skin doesn't itch as much this time since its already been stretched. (Well my boobs are always swollen and a little itchy, but my stomach isn't.) Wait, I have not talked about my boobs yet have I? Ok my boobs are OUT OF CONTROL. They are huge, and my areolas are like the size of saucers. None of my lingerie fits them anymore. I'm sure my regular bras would not fit anymore. I wouldn't know since I stopped wearing real bras (I've been on sports bras for months now). Ok I got off track again. Which is very typical of me now days. Seriously, my brain does not work right and I loose my thoughts and forget stuff all the time and say dumb things and can't remember simple words. Ryan says, "great now you know what its like to be me, so remember this the next time you get mad at me for losing something or forgetting something." Ok off track again. I started here talking about symptoms. So in general I think I'm less uncomfortable than last time. Also no leg cramps (double YAY). This week has been a good weight week; have not gained any more weight which is good considering I'm already at my top goal weight, and we have our Memorial Day weekend camping trip this weekend.

Speaking of which, IM SO STOKED!!! We have been prepping since last weekend; shopping, household chores, finalizing our packing list, planning out the menu, conversing with our camping buddies. I'm looking forward to the warm weather, the lounging around doing nothing, and letting Aurora run amuck with Hazel and just get dirty and be a KID! I'm sure I'll gain at least 5 lbs this weekend. lol. We have also invested in a roof rack for the Mazda, so that should help alleviate the space issues we had last year.

Updates Galore

This week I got to the 30 week mark. I don't know what it is about the 30th week but it feels like such a huge milestone! Although I still have two very long, uncomfortable months ahead of me, for some reason I feel like its just around the corner. I am definitely feeling more uncomfortable in general. I am NOT feeling "pretty good" anymore on a regular basis. Its more like "eh, hanging in there - especially considering I know its just going to get worse until I deliver!" lol. I've gained 20lbs so far, and we will see how much I gain additionally. I really hope I don't gain more than another 10. We shall see. I'm having more trouble breathing (so I'm coughing all the time cause I can't take a deep breath) and I was getting really bad night reflux, so Ryan got a wedge pillow for me. It is working out wonderfully, and I haven't had any reflux since I started sleeping with it.

Cheryl brought back my Epi-No from her latest trip across the pond to England. I was really excited to get it. I took it for a test run (much to the horror of Ryan who had to endure the process as we were going to bed one evening.) I was surprised to find out that my pelvic floor muscles actually have really good tone (must be all that awesome sex we have been having). I also tried out the balloon feature, which you are not supposed to do the actual daily stretching exercises until a few weeks before expected delivery, so I just did it the once to see how far up I could get and I got to 6cm, which I think is a great start! But it also makes me really excited to get to work those last few weeks with stretching my perineum since I clearly have some work to do (only about half way there).

I got my blood results back from a few weeks ago. My 1 hour glucose results were awesome! I got a 75 which I now know (thanks to my dear friend Alyssa) is practically a fasting level. However, my iron level was 11.4; still anemic. :0( So that means more iron pills and iron rich food for me. I guess my body just runs slightly anemic (Ive been anemic at a number of times in my life starting in high school), and I just need to adjust with my diet and supplements!

I had another "urgent care" experience last week too. Late on Sunday night, I woke up at 11pm, (yes woke up - Hey I go to bed early now days!!!!) and had really bad stomach pain and cramping. It continued on and off all night and when I woke up it still had not gone away, so I called and spoke with the Midwife on call, who recommended I come in just to make sure everything was ok even though it didn't sound like anything in particular. After an NST, running a urine sample, checking my discharge under a microscope and checking me out, I was not having contractions, urine sample came back normal, didn't have an infection, wasn't dilated and wasn't effaced. We decided that Abby is just EXTREMELY active, in sort of a strange sideways position and that is probably exacerbating the braxton hicks.

At my Midwife appointment with Rebecca on Wednesday we also talked about birth control after I deliver. She gave me a bunch of info to look over. Ryan and I had originally talked about getting him snipped after we had Abby, because we for sure are done, but then I started thinking, what if? I know we don't want anymore kids right now, but I can't say with 100% certainty what will happen with our family in the next 10 years while I would still be of child bearing years... So why make a permanent decision now; why not wait until we are 40 yrs old and for sure not going to be making any changes to our family? I don't even want to talk about or mention the what ifs, I'm sure you can imagine what they would be. Anyway, so Rebecca suggested an IUD. I have always had this pre-conceived notion that an IUD is a barbaric form of birth control but after looking into it a little more, I think I'm actually going to try it out. Paragard is hormone free, which is something I will need for up to a year after Abby is born since Ill be breastfeeding and/or pumping. (Last time I tried the mini pill and it affected my milk production so I'll need a hormone free bc option). I also don't want to have to mess with anything daily or weekly, so condoms, diaphragms, foam, etc are all out. If it ends up working out you can leave it in for 10 years which is exactly the time frame we would be considering a permanent option, and is very cost effective as you just have the one time up front cost. I have heard terrible second hand stories from people about IUD's but honestly, what birth control method has anyone ever heard of that DOESNT have negative experiences from someone somewhere? I think Ill try it out and see if it works out for me. If not, then Ill look into something else.

Mother's day weekend was quite lovely. Ryan (and Rory) got me flowers, a new pair of Reefs and made a super sweet handmade card with pictures of me and Rory all over it to keep at work to remind me of them. He did so good! We got Thai take out on Sat for lunch (Sooo yummy and I was craving it) and then really enjoyed actual Mother's Day on Sunday at Aunt Diana's house with Cheryl's side of the family and my family too. I made a second batch of my now famous strawberry lemonade, and two versions of my cheesecake. It was undecided (split down the middle) as to whether the light, fluffy, cakey version was preferred to the dense, rich, creamy one.

In other news, Finley Bruce is here! With a whopping 10 minutes of the day to spare, Finn couldn't wait another second to come out and now will forever more share a birthday with Aurora. So funny that in our group, two sets of kids already share a birthday. Luke and Reese with 4-20, Rory and Finn with 5-5. And the way I'm headed Abby could be a 7-4 baby.... so our group is turning out to be a bunch of pot-smoking, margarita drinking pyro-maniacs; or so you would think based on their birthdays. LOL.

Aurora recently had her 2 yr old apt too. She weighed in at 23 lbs, and 33 inches. She didn't need any shots, and they don't need to see her until she is 3 yrs old. Her talking has really increased as of late; she repeats nearly everything you say, and is saying 2, sometimes 3 words at a time. We still have a hard time understanding her a lot but it's slowly but surely getting better. She really is the light of our lives, and makes each day somehow a challenge and the best day yet. I am really looking forward to her being a big sister and seeing her with Abby. She's so excited about the other babies (Hayley, Reese and Finn) but I can't really let her hold and touch them as much as I will with Abby. So I feel bad holding her back because I know she so desperately wants to play with them and be with them more, but they aren't my kids so she will have to wait until Abby gets here!

3rd Trimester & More

Well last week was the beginning of the 3rd trimester. Tomorrow Ill be 28 weeks which means I've hit the 7 month mark! In two more weeks I'll hit the big 30 and then from there its the final countdown of the last 10 weeks of my pregnancy. (Or less if this kid comes early like Aurora did) It's pretty crazy to me that we are in the end like this. The first trimester was such a nightmare and I was so happy to be out of that and with very few symptoms in the second trimester it just flew by! And now 2 out of 4 of us in the T-town clan have delivered (Alyssa had Reese last week - more on that later) so Ash is next, anytime between now and her due date of May 11th, then me!

I had my glucose test on Friday, so hopefully I passed with flying colors. They will also be retesting my iron since the found out I had been anemic this whole time. My last midwife appointment was last Wed, and at first she asked if we were measuring her small yet, which we had not been, and after feeling around a little more we decided she was just sittin really low in my pelvis. (Didn't have to tell me that - I've been having to pee ALL the time cause she's always on it, and I've had a ton of lower back/tail bone pain the last several weeks. Plus I have not had nearly as much trouble breathing and rib aches and pains as I did with Aurora). Between that and the braxton hicks I've already been getting for the last several weeks, I think this baby might be coming early too. Heck I don't care when she comes, as long as she's ready and done cooking. I AM hoping for a quick labor though! Aurora was ~12 after my water broke to get active labor really going, then was a full ~12 hours of active labor until I finally got her out. Have I talked yet about the Epi-No I got and am going to use? I don't think so. Ok so here goes.

With Aurora I knew that tearing would be an issue (I'm sure everyone is over my "I have small orifices" speech.) so I spoke with Rita at length about how to control tearing in labor ect. One of the things she had suggested and had heard good things about was the Epi-No, which they have in Australia and England. Basically its a vaginal balloon that you start using a few weeks before your due date and slowly increase the inflation size to stretch your perineum, so that during labor you are less likely to tear. Well by the time she had heard of it and we talked about it I was already like 8 or 9 months pregnant, and its not available for shipping in the US anyway. (I'm sure some kind of regulations about it being a "medical device" or something). We did everything we could, but as most of you know, I still got a 2nd degree tear even though Aurora was only 6lbs. So this time I went to all these crazy lengths including bribing family members across the pond to purchase the Epi-No for me and another family member to bring it back from there to get it. So I'll let you know how that goes. I promise no pics. Anyway if you are interested, here is the info: http://www.avoidepisiotomy.com/

So my weight has been kinda crazy. I've made up for every pound I wasn't gaining in the beginning. I've now gained 16 lbs from my start weight (21 from my lowest weight). On average I have been gaining 2 lbs a week, and I cant seem to eat enough food, EVER. I'm completely insatiable. I'm doing my best to eat healthy things and make sure I get enough fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains and dairy... but I can't stay away from yummy desserts and treats! Funny thing is although my goal was to gain less this time by about 10lbs, so far I'm 8 lbs over target, which is actually within one or two pounds of exactly where I was this same time with Aurora's pregnancy (even though I started 5lbs heavier with this pregnancy). So I'm still trying to be good but for the most part am resigned to the fact that I just carry babies this way and this is how much my body likes to gain when pregnant. Hey, after all, this is my last pregnancy, so why not live a little and not obsess about the food so much? I would be worried if I was outside of the recommended weight gain, but I'm totally right in there, so bring on the food!!!

I've decided on my maternity leave plans. My last day of work is going to be Friday, July 1st. Monday is the 4th of July and is a holiday, and Tuesday the 5th would be 2 weeks before the due date, so I'll actually get to start my leave early by taking that holiday weekend as the start of my leave. Besides, how hard would it be to go through that weekend then have to come back to work for one more week? Then we'll see how my vacation hours end up based on when Abby comes and the disability and go from there.

So back to the T-town fertility water update. Alyssa was due today actually. But she went into labor early in the morning of the 20th. Funny since thats Luke's birthday! So we were all on pins and needles the whole day waiting to see if they would share a birthday or if they would be a day apart. For a long time Alyssa was not progressing any further than 2 cm, but finally in the (nearly) 11th hour she all of the sudden went from 3-10 and pushed out the smallest baby in her family history! Reese Lynn was only 5lbs 13oz; same size as Luke was! So in addition to them sharing a bday they were the same size at birth. She's totally beautiful and we are all so happy for Lukas and Alyssa.

Easter was this last weekend and was so wonderful! Saturday Tierrasanta had an Easter celebration at the Rec Center with an egg hunt, face painting and jumpy houses. Ashley & Dylan and Elly & Brett and us all ended up going and the kids had fun in the egg "hunt" aka free-for-all. Rory picked out a frog for her cheek, and since the jumpy house lines were too long we all went to the playground and let the kids wear themselves out. After heading home for a quick nap, we headed back out for Luke's 2nd Birthday Party at Nicole & Jason's. Tons of fun was had by all and at the end of the evening, I can't say who was more exhausted; all us adults or the kids. Sunday morning we all got together by Elly & Brett's house for our own private egg hunt, and Alyssa & Lukas came out with Reese. Again back home for a quick nap and out again for Easter at Aunt Carol & Chuck's house. It was great to see that family again; it had been like 3 months since we had seen them last! We stayed late and Aurora really started getting comfortable and opening up at the end there, and it was so nice for them to see her talking and interacting like we see every day. (In large crowds she's a little shy). This morning Aurora was NOT a happy camper and I felt her pain. It was so hard to get all of us up and going when not a single one of us wanted to do so!

Aurora sure is talking up a storm these days. I just love her personality, seeing and hearing her antics and the things she comes up with. Every day is something new and a fun adventure through their eyes. Daddy can't read enough books to her before bedtime (he normally has to read like 5-10 of her favorite short books before she will go to bed) so our bedtime routine starts like at like 6:30 or 7, which is a full 30 min before we actually want her in bed. It makes me so happy though that they have that special thing to share (there are plenty of other things that ONLY Mommy can do just right for her).

She is totally excited about the idea of having her own baby in the house too. She has been totally fascinated by both Hayley and Reese. The boys could care less and are playing with toys running down the street and Aurora is standing over them saying "baby" and petting their hands gently and tucking their blankets around them. At the Stoops last night they had a play baby-doll and a little bed set, and Aurora spent tons of time laying the doll in bed, tucking the doll in, picking it back up and hugging it, and repeating the process. SOOOO cute. She knows that the infant carseat is for the baby (click here for the video). She's so maternal and caring already! I can't wait not only to have Abby home for myself but to share having another baby with my sweet little girl. She's going to be the best big sister ever!!!

Next up: Aurora's birthday party this weekend. (When you ask her how old she is she proudly says "Two!".)

24 Weeks = 6 Months. Really?

Well Tuesday marked 24 weeks along in the pregnancy. At some point after the halfway point you stop counting up and start counting down (only 16 weeks left!!!). On one hand 16 sounds like just a glimmer of time, but 4 months on the other hand is a long time to continue to get fatter and deal with being more uncomfortable and having more body aches.

People keep asking how this pregnancy was different from Aurora's. They have been really similar, with the following exceptions.

1. Abby: Worst morning sickness I could imagine. I wanted to die. Was much more sensitive to smells than I ever could have imagined. / Aurora: Bad morning sickness. It sucked balls. / Both: Started up at 6 weeks, peaked at about 8-10? and just after I started the 2nd trimester it quickly tapered off.
2. Abby: I didn't really have a feeling for what she was right away. Just a few days before the big US I was getting "girl" vibes though. / Aurora: Knew from the start she was a girl.
3. Abby: A few minor headaches. Manageable with Tylenol. / Aurora: Migraines showed up in the second trimester and were a nightmare. Was unbelievably sensitive to light and sound. Tylenol didn't even touch it, so I stopped bothering after the first few. Normally they would go away overnight but at the worst, they stayed for days straight.
4. Abby: Lost about 5 lbs due to morning sickness the 1st trimester. / Aurora: Didn't gain any weight (maybe lost a pound or two) the 1st trimester. / Both: Pretty much net zero headed into the second half of the pregnancy, then suddenly started packing on the pounds like crazy and can't seem to eat enough. Mmmmmmm food.
5. Abby: Craving red meat once the morning sickness went away. / Aurora: Couldn't get enough OJ the 1st trimester. / Both: Same 1st trimester craving for Milk, and general aversion to salty food. (Saltines, the 1st tri lifeline had to be salt free).
6. Abby: Heartburn from the beginning. Learned my lesson from Aurora though and started taking Zantac right away. / Aurora: Managed by Tums until the 3rd trimester when it was intolerable. I tried to stick it out but it got so bad that I couldn't eat much, and had to stop eating after 3pm and even then it was really bad in the evening and I was waking up choking on my own vomit. I finally started taking Zantac a few weeks before Aurora came.

I'm very very curious to see now how early (or late) Abby comes, and how labor & delivery go in comparison to Aurora's birth. We will just have to see!

To follow up on a previous topic, Blake and Alyssa locked down their wedding date: August 6th. Yes, your math is right, thats just about 2 1/2 weeks past my due date of July 19th. It will be in Vegas at Treasure Island. Considering I'm supposed to be a bridesmaid, that complicates things! Fitting into a dress will be the least of my worries, as I am looking at a 50/50 chance of not even going. Pretty much if Abby has not come by then all of us (me, Ryan & Ryan) would stay in San Diego. If she comes on time, Ryan will take Aurora to the wedding and I will stay behind with the newborn (no way I could endure the drive to Vegas while still trying to heal up if this time is anything like last time, plus a two week old is way too young to be exposing to all those people and the Vegas "air".) If she comes early like Aurora, depending on how I'm healing and how the beastfeeding schedule is progressing we will all get to go. That's a lot of "ifs"!!! So we will have to see how it all works out. Phew it sure is a busy summer.

Preschool Blues & The Beginning of the Summer of Babies

So Friday Ryan and I went to tour preschools in Tierrasanta with Aurora. There were three that offer full day, full time programs for 2 year olds and up; Bright Horizons, Adventure Days (associated with Vista Grande Community Church) and Panda Bear Preschool (associated with the Chinese Community Church). Long story short, and after a long morning of visits, the one we fell in love with and has the best facilities and is accredited also happens to cost $1,100 a month. The other two we didn't like as much, and still cost $850-950 a month. Considering we pay $600 a month right now with our sitter, and keeping in mind that we will be adding another $600 a month bill on when Abby gets here, we simply can't afford it right now. :0( So we will re-assess the situation in a year when Rory will be 3 years old and see where our finances are. I don't really want to consider any program except for our first pick (Bright Horizons) but its so much more expensive than the others, and again, we will have to see where we are at by then.

In group news, Elly had Hayley! Two days before her scheduled c-section date her water broke and she went into labor. I don't know the details yet, but it sounds like in the process of laboring and waiting to be able to do the c-section she had some complications again but everything turned out ok and we are lucky that both she and baby are here with us and alive! This marks the beginning of the summer of babies! Next up is Alyssa, then Ashley (who has been put on bedrest because she started dilating and was 60% effaced with 2 months to go!) then me.

I had my monthly update with my midwife last Wed too. Main points as follows: 1. I am anemic, so need to start taking iron pills. Makes sense to me why when I was finally eating again the first meal I was craving was a big thick freaking slab of bloody prime rib. Mmmmmm. 2. My lungs sound clear despite the terrible cough that is lasting weeks after my cold went away. Ok to take cough syrup and I'm supposed to contact her if it lasts another week (which is coming up in a few days. It has not showed signs of letting up, so.....) 3. She confirmed that they listed the baby as "female" from the ultrasound. Haha nay-sayers. So unless the tech was wrong and missed something or Abby grows a penis, two girls it is for Ryan & Loralyn. 4. They didn’t get a good shot of the nasal bone or whatever in the "big" ultrasound, which can be an indicator for downs. Soooooo, she gave me the option of doing another US to try to get that shot. She said insurance would probably cover it. Most of you know how I feel about ultrasounds unless they are medically indicated (don't really approve of them), and all the other indicators for downs have been really low. She said it wasn’t absent, they just didn’t get a good shot at it. I was sort of 50/50 and Ryan said hes more 60/40 (to not do it). So I pretty much decided not to get it done. In my heart of hearts I don't think there is a good chance Abby has down's and I don't feel like the ultrasound would change anything anyway (it's really too late to abort, and since the other indicators were so low, I think the only thing a "positive" us as an indicator would mean is just an increased risk for downs).

Other than that things are just moving along in the Cross household. Aurora is such a big girl and surprises us every day with little accomplishments and milestones that she is achieving. We are trying to prepare ourselves for the summer, which we know is going to be one hectic ride. Blake and Alyssa finally decided on a venue and date for their long awaited wedding (Treasure Island in Vegas on August 6th) and Oy Vey that will be hectic. But that's a topic for a whole other blog!!!

With the 1st Trimester Behind Me... The Best is Yet to Come!

I'm starting to feel really good about things! I'm 100% over the 1st trimester annoying symptoms (morning sickness, exhaustion, breathlessness, etc.) and summer is just around the corner. More on the happy stuff in a second, I just need a paragraph to vent about the annoying nuisance of a cold I have right now.

So about a little over a month ago on a Monday Aurora woke up with a runny nose. That Wed when I picked her up from Diane's she had taken a turn for the worse and had been feeling crummy all day and had a bit of a fever. The fever got worse that night and I stayed home with Aurora the next day. Her runny nose and cough lingered, and then several weeks later I went to bed with what I thought was allergies. Well I woke up with the congestion from hell, a crazy runny nose and sneezing that didnt go away no matter where I was, keying me in that I had a cold. Here I am 3 weeks later still sick, and having gone through the entire gamut of cold symptoms (congestion, runny nose, nasty sticky green-yellow snot that wont come out, sneezing, sore throat, sinus pressure, coughing, AGH!). This has made it impossible to sleep well, and for several mornings in a row I was waking up at 3:30am not being able to go back to sleep. Well about a week ago, desperate to relieve my sinus's (the congestion was so bad I literally couldn't get an ounce of air through at all, and it was so infected that the mucus I could get out was the nastiest yellow-green sludge you have ever seen) I almost went to the ER to see if they could do something. (This was on a weekend and I had no hope of getting a Dr. apt until earliest Tues). I knew I would just sit there for hours, and eventually see someone who may or may not do anything but give me antibiotics. So I thought I would try my own home remedy, my Netti Pot, which I HATE using but it does seriously work for clearing things out. Well I started using it at night before bed and in the morning when waking up and it started helping SOOOO much. Within a few days the congestion had gone down considerably and the mucus was not as thick, or yellow-green anymore, and I was able to sleep better. That in combo with taking steamy showers before bed and using the humidifier by my bed at night have helped keep my sinuses at bay and I think (cross my fingers hope to God) that Im THIS close to kicking this thing finally!!! Ryan unfortunately has it but he's allowed to take meds for it, and his doesnt seem to be as bad. We all have the lingering cough but that always takes forever to go away anyway.

Anyway, on to the fun stuff! Ryan and I LOVE our phones. Its so easy to take pics on the spot, and immediately upload them to where we want, and everyone gets to see more of Aurora whether they like it or not! Speaking of Aurora, she is getting better at two syllable words and even says two words together sometimes. Ryan and I have decided we will be putting her into preschool once my maternity leave is over. Its sort of scary thinking about all the extra time and coordination we will need to make a second child work! (Mostly with regards to us doing it as two full time working parents) Two different kids at different stages/schedules, with different needs, going to two different day care places, Ahhh!!! Obviously we will make it work; every parent does, but I just know it is going to be a lot. I remember everyone telling us when I was pregnant with Aurora, "enjoy your time together now, rest, etc. because its going to get crazy when the baby comes" and I feel that way now - I'm always thinking how easy it is to just pop to the grocery store with one kid, or take one kid to daycare on the way out to work, or go to a social event and sort of keep an eye on on kid, packing stuff for one kid... soon we will have two and that will all be a thing of the past!

All that being said, I think I'm really enjoying this time we have before the baby comes. I'm so happy to be out of the first trimester and that terrible morning sickness (that was the most awful thing I have EVER had to endure and there is nothing on the planet that could convince me to go through that again). And being through it once and knowing that this time is my last time being pregnant, I'm sort of savoring certain parts of the experience (getting big and round, feeling the baby move in my tummy, feeling famished all of the time and eating so much knowing I'm nurturing the baby growing inside me). And the weather warming up and the sun coming out to play the last few weeks has just warmed me right through my soul and makes me so happy. I think of how close summer is, and how amazing the summer is going to be. There are so many things to look forward to. Easter, Rory's birthday, mother's day, Memorial Day up at the King's River, Abby coming, the long awaited reunion with my cousin Jay and his family moving to San Diego... and those are just the specific events. In general, I'm looking forward to hot summer days at the pool, bbqs with friends and family, having the kids run around in their swimsuits (or better yet, their birthday suits!!!), my maternity leave and enjoying three 3 day weekends per month with Ryan, trips to the Ranch, breastfeeding a newborn and not having to yet go back to work and pump... In a lot of ways I think this just might be the best summer of my life!

Halfway Home

Yesterday marked 20 weeks; halfway through the pregnancy. After the morning sickness went away, the last several weeks have been flying by. The biggest news recently was the 19 week ultrasound. We went into the ultrasound planning on Ryan finding out the sex, but not me. We were telling everyone that neither of us were going to find out, just to make things easier on Ryan (not have people hound him to try to get it out of him). When we got to the exam, the tech asked us if we wanted to know. I said he wants to know, but I dont. And Ryan said, "Actually Im good." I was super touched and thought how nice that was of him to last min go in with me to not find out. So we go through and she gets all the shots she needs to and we get to the crotch shot. At that point I see a glance and I dont see anything there, so I initially think "girl". I should also say that before the US I had told Ryan I felt like it was a girl at that point - I had not had a feeling before that but just in the 18 week range I was feeling girl. Anyway, so the tech tells us to turn away since this was the shot. So then she tells us when its over and we look back, and a few min later, the tech says, "she" then awkwardly pauses and adds, "or he". If that wasnt bad enough, she does it several more times during the ultrasound. Seriously?????? Then the printer wasnt working, so they said they would make us a CD of the pictures. And she warns me, "but the sex shot is on there and its labeled so since you dont want to know dont look at that one", and Im thinking, come on lady, do you really not realize that you have already totally ruined it and we know its a girl??? So we left and I said we might as well double check the CD for the shot since it was already kind of ruined for us. Sure enough, there are two crotch shots labeled Fem1 and Fem2. One you cant really see anything, the other is more clear, but still doesnt look totally convincing. I think it's pretty clear but some of the other friends and family can see where it could still be a boy. I guess we will all get the surprise of our life if out comes a James Ryan or Alexander Ryan instead of an Abigail Rose. Otherwise, the baby looked good from the US - measuring a little over 1o oz, heartrate at 147, and the head measuring closer to 18 weeks than 19 weeks. (What can I say, Ryan and I are a small headed family!)

Another big milestone, I felt the baby move for the first time during the ultrasound. I had felt flutterings before but couldnt be sure if they were gas or something else. And since then Ive been feeling her more and more.

Last Monday night I had some pretty serious allergies before bed, or so I thought. Well turns out it was a serious cold. I was unable to breathe at all at night, getting the worst sleep ever. (Actually I dont know if you can even call it sleep - more like tossing and turning). By the end of the weekend, I was almost better, then yesterday I woke up with a sore throat and started getting stuffy again. Come on already! Leave me alone! Then this morning I woke up to diarrhea and vomiting. Must be a stomach flu or something. UGH. However, looking back at my blog from Aurora's pregnancy, I got a really terrible cold around the same time. I guess there is something to be said for that repressed immune system.

Im also right on track for my weight. Ive gained about 7 lbs from my lowest weight, and total from my start weight is only about 2 lbs. So we will see how I gain from here, but hopefully I can keep the gain minimal in this second half of the pregnancy.

Ive also changed midwifes - Rita spread her wings to fly, being the free spirit she is, and went to Africa for a while. From there she will move to France and see where things take her. Im very happy for her and know this the right choice for her. She recommended I see Rebecca, another midwife, and so I have had my first apt with her. You really can't go wrong; all of them ware wonderful. :0)

Aurora is doing well. She is talking up a storm and exerting her wants and needs as forcefully as any toddler. "Mine" and "Pease" are her go to words. She will just keep repeating one or both of them over and over when she doesnt get her way. We are working on colors and numbers, although she doesnt really have any of them down. Her hair is long enough to put in a cute ponytail or double ponytails, which make her look like such a big girl! Ive decided I do like her better with some bangs so I am keeping a little fringe in front trimmed (after our hair cut debacle with Grandpa Wayne where he CHOPPED her hair without asking us first!!!). She has gone pee pee in the potty twice in the last few days. We arent forcing it but for sure trying to make her aware of the option to go in the potty instead of her diaper. It would be awesome to get her mostly on the potty before the baby comes. We will see! We have talked to her about the baby and she knows there is a baby in my belly. However, I dont know how much of that concept she actually gets.

In other exciting news, Ryan and I finally sprung and decided to get smart phones. We got the HTC EVO, and a great discount with Sprint through my work. We are loving them and being able to keep in easier touch with our friends and family, as well as capturing pictures and video more easily and uploading it quicker with them.

We have also found an amazing housecleaner who we love (thank you Sarah from work for the referral) and have set up on a monthly schedule. Its a difficult added monthly expense especially when we just got the phones, but it is giving us more quality time because we are spending less time cleaning, and we are less stressed.

Well I think thats about it for now!

Rory Dictionary

Man - He-man
Mo - Elmo
Emo - Elmo
Squeal - Elmo, possibly He-man, possibly Keira
Mine - Don't you dare touch whats in my hand, reach, or sight or I will scream and cry.
No - No
No - I'm really busy, come back later
No - Don't you dare touch whats in my hand, reach, or sight or I will scream and cry.

Aye - Yes (Who knows where she came up with this, but apparently she thinks she's a pirate)

Es - YES, ok? (I can't believe you are making me say it, isnt it obvious I'm agreeing to your conditions... geez.)

Peese - Please I really really really want [that] and I'll do anything to get it.

Guin - Guinness

Guin - Friend who is smaller than me

Guin - Fun to torture
Boss - Boston
Boss - Playtime
Boss - Friend (but totally in a platonic friend way and not in the let's play doctor or go to prom way)
Saber - Lightsaber
Poop - I pooped my pants
Pool - Playtime
Pool - Residence of Jenna
Uke - Luke

Uke - Playtime
Uke - The Funny Guy
Uke - Friend (but totally in a platonic friend way and not in the let's play doctor or go to prom way)
Pa Pa - Pacifier
Pa Pa - A Holy Artifact sent by God
Dad - Playtime
Dad - That Goofy Guy
Dad - The Tickle Monster
Oh - I have no idea what you just said but I'll play along and humor you
Mum - Cuddle Time
Mum - Chef Instructor
Mum - Cookie Sharer
Cook - Cookie Monster
Keir - Keira
Keir - Playtime
Keir - Time to run around and scream
Grm - Grammy
Grm - Fun Time
Mop - Moppsy
Mop - Spoiler

Mop - Secondary Sitter
Bray - Braydon
Bray - Playtime
Bray - Friend (but totally in a platonic friend way and not in the let's play doctor or go to prom way)

What Happened to my Last Post?

Well I had a big post that I was working on and I have no idea where it went. So here I go starting again. :0(

[July 5th, 2012 NOTE: I found the post! It had been saved as a draft on my workout blog. Man was I out of it! lol. I posted it at the bottom, just for kicks and giggles]

So on Tuesday Ill be 16 weeks pregnant. Im a gillion times happier than I was 4 weeks ago, and a gillion bazillion times happier than 8 weeks ago. My morning sickness is totally gone now, and Im back up and running cooking and cleaning and managing the kitchen. For sure not up to "par" but hey, close enough. Ive regained 3 of the 5 lbs I lost in the first trimester. I dont want to gain as much with this pregnancy as with Aurora though. I gained 35 total with her, and although that was within recommendations, it was a little much for my frame. I was pretty uncomfortable in the last trimester, and had a good 10 lbs after the birth that took a long time to lose. I feel that 25lbs is a healthier goal for this time around. We will see how easy that proves to be though, now that Im eating again! My heartburn has continued to get worse though, and I am now on Zantac for it, but still having to take Tums additionally about once a day. Ive had a few headaches, but so far none as bad as last time (at least so far). Ive been pretty congested which makes it hard to sleep but overall I cant really complain; Im not a walking zombie!

We are calling the baby "Sam" which we think is a good androgynous name since we wont be finding out the sex. I keep thinking I might change my mind about wanting to know once we come up on the big ultrasound, but then I think about the birth itself and I just dont want to know until then, and it reaffirms my resolve. Of course everyone thinks Im crazy, and is frustrated (THEY want to know, after all). My mom is trying to convince me to let her know, and swears she'll be able to keep it a secret. I keep telling her shes full of poop and she wouldnt be able to keep it a secret if her life depended on it. But that doesnt stop her from trying to convince me otherwise.

Aurora is growing by leaps and bounds every day. She is talking up a storm and surprises us all the time by saying words that we didnt even know she knows. (Today at a Chinese restaurant she pointed to a panda and said, "Pan-a") She has learned the word "mine" and loves using it. We are trying to concentrate on simple and polite phrases that she can use to get what she wants - please, help, etc. Thank you is a little more complicated - she's still not so good at multi syllable words no less multiple words. Her favorite activity is playing with daddy, and he is the best at it for sure. (Mommies are best at cuddling and comforting). We finally got all of her toys organized and into groupings and in separated bins (thank you mom for getting that ball rolling). Her bedtime has moved up to 7:30-8pm and daddy does the bedtime routine. Starts with brushing her teeth, then getting a new diaper, jammies, bedtime books that she gets to pick out and finally, she gets her "paa-paa" - her pacifier - her little stuffed mouse, and her blanket and goes right to bed. She still gets two bottles a day - one in the morning and one at night - but drinks water and milk (sometimes juice) out of her sippy cups during the day.

We are debating what to do for Aurora's 2nd birthday since Ill be ready to pop by then and want to have a plan in place early, but havent totally decided between a big family get together at someone's house or at a park vs something smaller just for our friends with kids at like Chuck E Cheese or something. We'll see!


Quickly, a note to the first trimester:

You treated me poorly. I hate you and I never want to see you again. I'm over you like a bad boyfriend and I'm never looking back.

Ok. Moving on. Tuesday will mark 15 weeks for me. Over the last 3 weeks my nausea has continued to decrease and I've been throwing up less and less. I was throwing up sometimes twice a day and it slowly became every other day and now about once a week. I'm now able to eat dinner and have even gained my first pound. (Well gained back one of the 5 total I have lost.) Unfortunately the other symptoms have crept up. My heartburn sucks big time. I just switched from Tums (which just were not cutting it) to Zantac. And the headaches are starting in too. I really hope they don't get as bad as last time. I remember screaming at Ryan's dad to turn down the tv volume because it was "too loud".

Even though I've been able to expand my diet, I'm still having food dreams. Massive amounts of them. Every night. I'm cooking and eating huge buffets of food, and eating all kinds of processed, fatty and junky food. It's pretty hilarious to me. I tell people I'm eating vicariously though my dreams. The same way that the food channel was my favorite thing to watch when I was sick and nauseous on the couch; all the food with none of the smells, tastes or textures that made me sick. (Although anytime a dish came up with poultry in it I was on to another channel.)

The other weekend I scheduled a housecleaner to come. (I was more than sick - pun intended - of throwing up into toilets that would make the local gas station shutter.) We have tried a few of them before and they all do a good cursory job but none of them have ever knocked my socks off. Well this one was a reference from a friend at work, and she turned out to be the most amazing gift of the year! We are never giving her up, ever!

I Survived the Holidays!

Today I'm 12 weeks pregnant. Once I complete this week and next, I'll be out of the first trimester. I'm so looking forward to this, because it means things are going to get better from here on out! At least they did last time and this pregnancy's timelines have been pretty much the same as last one (just higher intensity of the symptoms). The nausea has actually subsided a lot, although I'm still throwing up just as much (some days not at all, most days once in the evening and once in a while twice in a day). I've only thrown up in the morning 3 or 4 times; mostly its in the evenings, esp just before bed (around 8pm). And my energy levels have continued to increase. Today I go in to get some blood work done (1st tri screening) and on Friday I go in for the NT US.

I made it through the holidays. I spent lots of time outside with warm clothes, and I had awesome family members who kept me company. (I couldnt be inside a lot with all the food everywhere and all the smells that go with it). I did find that baby bel cheese and rice crackers sat really well and at lots of that combo. Aurora got WAY too many gifts; she actually didnt even get around to opening all of them and I had to open the rest for her later while she was with my mom. Big girl at 20 months now is talking more (we are working on two syllable words) has all her first round of teeth, still loves her night time and morning warm bottle of milk, and gets more independent and opinionated with every passing day. She loves playing pretend. She got a set of play food from both us and Blake & Alyssa and she LOVES "tasting" the food, and stirring the pot.

Im looking forward to the next few months; hopefully they include the lessening of my symptoms, and allow me to get back into my social scene, cause I MISS IT!

I'm Not Dead - I'm Getting Better.....(I think I'll go for a walk)

Ok I have to quote Monty Python for this one first, just because its hilarious and it fits my situation:

The Dead Collector: Bring out yer dead.
[a man puts a body on the cart]
Large Man with Dead Body: Here's one.
The Dead Collector: That'll be ninepence.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I'm not dead.
The Dead Collector: What?
Large Man with Dead Body: Nothing. There's your ninepence.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I'm not dead.
The Dead Collector: 'Ere, he says he's not dead.
Large Man with Dead Body: Yes he is.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I'm not.
The Dead Collector: He isn't.
Large Man with Dead Body: Well, he will be soon, he's very ill.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I'm getting better.
Large Man with Dead Body: No you're not, you'll be stone dead in a moment.
The Dead Collector: Well, I can't take him like that. It's against regulations.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I don't want to go on the cart.
Large Man with Dead Body: Oh, don't be such a baby.
The Dead Collector: I can't take him.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I feel fine.
Large Man with Dead Body: Oh, do me a favor.
The Dead Collector: I can't.
Large Man with Dead Body: Well, can you hang around for a couple of minutes? He won't be long.
The Dead Collector: I promised I'd be at the Robinsons'. They've lost nine today.
Large Man with Dead Body: Well, when's your next round?
The Dead Collector: Thursday.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I think I'll go for a walk.
Large Man with Dead Body: You're not fooling anyone, you know. Isn't there anything you could do?
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I feel fine. I feel happy.
[the Dead Collector glances up and down the street furtively, then silences the Body with his a whack of his club]
Large Man with Dead Body: Ah, thank you very much.
The Dead Collector: Not at all. See you on Thursday.
Large Man with Dead Body: Right

All jokes aside, I feel like for the last 4 weeks I've been on the brink of "death" and at various points I come up for air then get sucked back down. About 2 weeks ago I got to be throwing up every afternoon/evening, and had lost almost 5lbs. Last Friday as a last stitch effort to try anything I went to Rite-Aid to buy some of those motion sickness acupressure wrist bands. (They are technically for nausea in general but most people use it and know what they are for their indicated use of motion sickness). Miracle of all miracles, as soon as I put them on I got instant relief that brought my nausea from a 10 down to a 6 or 7. I started crying tears of relief right there in the car. For the first time in weeks I was able to walk into my house without gagging or vomiting. I still have thrown up a few times since wearing them, but my general nausea level is very much decreased.

It was perfect timing too, because that weekend was Ryan's cousin Philip Cross's wedding up in Glendora (which is quite a drive and necessitated an overnight stay up there). I was anticipating it being a miserable weekend for me, but with the bands it was bearable and even more enjoyable than anything else I would have been doing (like melting into the couch for hours on end watching Law & Order marathons). I had to split the second they served the food (poultry and I just dont mix right now, and I dont think any amount of acupressure or drugs could lessen that right now), but at least I made it through the ceremony and the beginning of the reception. It really was beautiful, and the Crosses did a great job. Nicole's dress was really stunning and the red/white color scheme was perfect for a Christmas time wedding; fitting for the season but not tacky and screaming "X-mas!".

So the only downside to them is that they are REALLY tight and leave pretty big welts on my wrists for a while after I take them off. So Im wearing them when I get off work in the PM until I eat breakfast in the AM, then I take them off to give my wrists a break until the PM again.

My first appointment was at Kaiser on Monday. It was so nice to make sure everything was ok (heart is beating!) and especially the confirmation that there is only one of them! I dont know what I would have done if it was twins. lol. I invited Kimmy along, cause with missing Aurora's birth I knew she would love to be a part of whatever she could be for this second one. It was a long day; the appointment, then I got two shots (the flu shot and dTap) and my blood drawn. I was so tired by the time we got back home!

I made my first appointment with UCSD for January, and I'm excited I get to see my midwife Rita from last time (I found out she's taking an extended leave so she wont be my midwife for this pregnancy but all of them at UCSD are so great I can't go wrong).

As for home life, I have had an increase in energy, so Ive been able to in short bursts help Ryan clean the kitchen, put away my clean clothes, wrap our xmas presents, etc. He finally got sick of feeding himself and Rory PB&J's and quesadillas for dinner every night, so he picked up some easy frozen foods at Costco to prepare. My mom has taken Rory on a few occasions for several days at a time, which allowed Ryan to get caught up on household chores and also to get out the Xmas decorations and to get a tree, and decorate. He put up bulbs hanging from the trees outside and it looks sooo cute! Go honey!

One thing we didnt get around to this year: taking a xmas family photo or getting out cards/letters. This is the first year since we've been together that I have not gotten them out. But it will probably be the last, unless I come down with some other debilitating illness around the holidays at some other point in my life. Next year's letter will be crazy since we'll have two years to catch up with.

On other news, my cousin Jay got a date in Feb for coming home from his third deployment in Afghanistan, and we are so excited to have him home safe and sound, and see him, his wife Leizel and their son Jude.

Love and hugs to everyone and their loved ones this Christmas!

Things That Make me Sick to my Stomach at 8 Weeks

• The smell of my house
• The smell of my car
• The smell of my purse
• The smell of my pee
• The smell of anyone heating up any food or cooking
• The smell of a pan being heated
• The smell of lotion
• The smell of anyone's breath
• The smell of anyone's perfume
• The smell of the 52 by the dump on my way to work

Heck, what DOESNT make me sick to my stomach? The answer is water. In the shower is the only time I can honestly breathe a full lungful of air without gagging. Its so bad that I dont breathe in all the way day to day because doing so would be too much "smell" of whatever is there at that time and I would gag. So short little breaths are all I cant take. Im sure that doesnt help my oxygen levels, which apparently need to increase right now.

A Pattern Emerges

At least Im starting to see a pattern. Ive thrown up about 5 times by now. Afternoons and evenings are the worst. Around 1pm it starts to creep up and just sticks round until I either throw up sometime between 4-7pm or go to bed. Then in the morning Im dehydrated and empty but then I have my carnation instant breakfast which makes me feel better and as long as I eat small snacks throughout the day im ok and have a good morning till it starts up again around 1pm. At least I know what to expect now! And we know I have plenty of fat of the land to live off of for a while, haha.

Oh No

Well Aurora broke 1 of her final 3 teeth that she has left. Bottom left corner. She only has two bottom on the other side left then she has all of her baby teeth!

She's started hitting though which is not good. I think it came from the hard patting that she would give Guinness, but we are trying to teach her now its not ok. She for sure is expressing outbursts of frustration and independence.

She has developed the concept of play-pretend. She will pretend to eat something from your hand with you. For Xmas we got her a play set of food, so Im excited to give that to her and "cook" with her and "try" the new foods!

On the 5th she'll be 19 months old, wow! Shes growing and maturing so quickly. She has a definite preference for certain shoes, jackets, etc. She recently had a complete meltdown over a pair of shoes that for the previous 3 weeks had been her total favorite. But not that morning; she wanted a pair of pink sandals that she hadnt touched in months. Oh boy.

Just Surviving... One Day at a Time

That's all I can manage. Night time is my favorite time - I can knock a whole 10 hours of this misery out in one shot. The days are just torture. I feel very sorry to anyone that has to deal with the terrible monster that I've become, esp Ryan and Rory.

Don't mind me, Ill just be hiding out for the next 2 months till this all magically disappears.

Just to document, threw up for the first time today. Walked into the house, and couldnt stand the smell of it. Walked right back out and lost my cookies.

Can I Get a Refund???

So everything was going great after I found out for about 2 weeks. I thought, gee is everything ok? Im not really getting any symptoms and I remember getting lots last time! Then at 6 weeks I started to feel pretty freaking sick. Then for the last week its gotten terrible. Sooo tired, going to bed at like 8pm and very nauseous.

This week was Thanksgiving. SOoooo wonderful we spent it with Ashley & Dylan, and invited my family. It was the best Thanksgiving my mom had ever remembered, and Ashley and her mom Trish did such a great job with the food and the decorating! I was able to eat that day, although I didnt eat a lot. Then on Sat we went to Ryan's mom's house and I felt terrible. I was on the couch the whole time and threw a hissy fit about the water cause I could taste mildew in it. Sunday was a brunch with the VM Clan then ornament party for the girls. I made a breakfast casserole/bread pudding dish that is sooo yummy normally but cooking it made me almost lose my cookies. At brunch Elly made really good waffles and I ate them with whipped cream and fresh fruit. YUM. Nothing else was really appetizing to me though. I felt good enough to do the crafts, and luckily there were not any strange smells to compete with throughout the process. Then when we packed up to go home I lifted the lid to my casserole to see how much was left and it was enough to send me over the top. I almost threw up right there and had to run outside and catch my breath before coming back inside. Luckily Alyssa agreed to take it for me cause I couldnt stomach the thought of even having to bring that rotting carcass home. It was bad enough that the house still smelled like it when we got home.

Ryan has been a saint and Ive pretty much told him he'll be a single parent taking care of two kids for the next 3 months till this all goes away. I love that man.

I am so miserable I began to wonder if it was this bad last time; surely I would have never wanted to have another kid if I had to go through this once before and would have to again for a second kid.... Well lucky I started my blog at the beginning last time and have record of it. Some excerpts:

10 Weeks: "Still feeling very weak and physically exhausted all the time. Been gagging a lot. Threw up for the first time on Saturday. Not feeling as nauseas as weeks 6 & 7 though. Can’t wait to feel better, to start cooking, cleaning and walking again. The house is a mess, I miss cooking and I know the fresh air would be good for me."

12 Weeks: "Well I don’t feel as weak anymore, but I still feel awful. Food is my enemy. I am gagging over everything and if I go too long without eating, I get sick to my stomach. It’s the worst at night. I woke up at 2am starving. I ate a cracker but it was too late already and I threw up. Dinner was long since digested, so it was just bile and a cracker, but still wasn’t fun! I ate more crackers after with some water and was fine till morning."

Oh God, things were exactly this bad last time! I've been duped! Can I get a refund? I was just kidding I didnt really want to go through this again! Ill wait till I have enough money to pay someone else to do this... Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One thing's for sure - Pregnancy Amnesia is a for real occurrence. Honestly. If we remembered how terrible this all was we would never do it again. Unless you are just a total whore and dont have any pregnancy symptoms. If thats you at least pretend you are in pain for your own sake. Or else I'll come after you with my last ounce of energy.

According to last time I should be mostly done with the morning sickness by 16 weeks. However, the other ones Im terrified of (the migraines especially). Im already experiencing the stuffy sinuses and the cotton in my ears. I thought at first it was allergies or a cold but then my blog reminded me it was the increased blood flow to my mucus membranes... Seriously I guess I was way more read up last time than this time. Good thing I have me to reference back to. lol.

Here We Go Again!

My period was due on 11/20. Friday, Nov 19th was boy's poker night at Ashley and Dylan's house. All the girls and kids were over while the boys played away (Elly with Brayden, Nicole with Luke, me with Aurora, and Alyssa - Reese is still cooking in her tummy and Ashley was out of town with Boston).

We were discussing if Nicole and I were pregnant yet (Elly, Alyssa and Ashely are all pregnant, Nicole and I had just that month started "trying"). Nicole said she was sure she wasnt but asked if I was. I said I didnt know cause I didnt take a test yet! They gave me trouble, but I responded that I wasnt due till the next day, and didnt want to take a test till I would know for sure; I didnt want to get a negative test then have to take another one to make sure I wasnt pregnant. They wouldnt take no for an answer, so upstairs I went to go take my test.

I had for sure had a few "symptoms" (cried during the Lion King in Vegas, got nauseous for a random morning on that same trip, was crazy hungry that same trip) but nothing that was so obvious that I could say for sure. Plus, I couldn't be pregnant: it was too soon. It was only the first month we were "trying"! And I was supposed to be ovulating for Halloween based on my cycle, but based on what I could tell I ovulated that week before (Oct 25-28 somewhere). We did have sex twice that week, but what were the chances?

Well as long as it took for those thoughts to go through my head, up pops the positive line on the test. "You have got to be freaking kidding me!" I yell. Everyone goes crazy downstairs "Oh my gosh you are pregnant!!!!!!!!!" Shaking I run down the stairs disbelieving. Seriously, first month off the bat again?

So then we all discuss how I should tell Ryan and we decided the best thing would be to tell him right then and there in the middle of boy's poker night. This is how it went down:

Sorry, Another Month Passed...

Ok I know. I haven’t blogged since Oct 6th and this is long overdue. And the only reason is because my computer at work got a virus on it and is scanning (a 3 hour process) and I cant do anything without my desktop.

Anyway, LOTS has happened since my last post. Rory cut like 4 more teeth and now almost has a full set. All her left side came in at once now the other side is following behind. Shes only missing like 3 up front now on that right side. Its so funny to see her with a full mouth of teeth after her not getting her first tooth until like 10 months. She is talking more and more now too. Her only really good 2 syllable word though is “Gran-pa”. And Wayne couldn’t be more proud. Shes SOOO independent now, wanting to do every little thing herself and if you even try to help in the slightest she flips out and wants to abandon the project all together. Its like she’s saying, “if your hands even so much as touch this, I don’t want any part in it!” We have moved her bedtime back to 7:30pm since she was waking up earlier, and she has ditched the afternoon nap on most days. Its hard to get her to sit down for a full meal – she prefers to snack slowly on things throughout the day as she goes about her business.

My mom has been a saint – coming for the one Friday a month that Ryan does not have off to watch Rory so I don’t have to take a vaca day… taking Rory for the weekend while we run away to Vegas… taking her the full weeks that our sitter is off but we still have to work. Like this week. As my mom said the other day, “Im watching your kid as much lately as you are!” lol. It’s a nice treat to suddenly have an open schedule, but then there are those moments when it hits you and you just wish they were there to squeeze and kiss and snuggle. (All the while they are screaming and pushing you away to leave them alone and put them down). So here’s my shout out and big THANKS to my mom, even though she doesn’t read this thing anymore.

Now we turn to the holidays! Im very excited for Rory’s first Christmas that she will actually be “participating” in. Last year she played with the wrapping paper, and that was about it. This year we will be buying her a few gifts and she will get to help decorate, (trying to convince her to leave all the nick-knacks alone and not play with and break them).

Good Thing I'm Organized...

Has it really been a whole month since I last blogged? Well that’s what the technology is telling me and technology doesn’t lie… sooo…

It is officially October, and Fall started 2 weeks ago. Did I say its October? Im going to add on “already” because I really must make my point that the year is escaping me and its completely out of control that is ALREADY October. And before I know it is going to be the end of November. Do you want to know how its going to go by so fast? Lets take a look at my calendar, shall we?

Last weekend: Oktoberfest with the Rubins (so much fun, and just a little too much drinking. Just enough food.), and my Mom’s 60^th Birthday. Wow shes officially what I consider to be ‘senior’. I mean Anything in your 30’s is still young, 40’s and 50’s is middle aged and I feel like when you get to 60 it’s a whole new level of old. I don’t feel like my mom is old enough to be old. But I digress.

This weekend: Cousin Nathan’s Bday party, followed by a recoup day (literally the ONLY one in October), and a very important hair appointment & my dear friend Venissa’s son’s 4 yr old Bday party.

Next week, among work will be the dentist, dinner for friends who just had a baby, donating blood on a lunch break.

3^rd weekend in Oct: Another friend’s son’s Bday party, and friend’s Bday party later that night (Bday count is currently at 6 including my Aunt Tina whose was not previously mentioned in an event), and Bate’s Pumpkin Patch with the VM clan and the kiddies. (Yes Nicole from here on out you will be included when I refer to the VM clan even though you don’t live here with us).

That week is Taco night for my bday, dinner with Ryan’s mom, then dinner with Brian. (I can feel the lbs packing on now).

4^th weekend in Oct: Mine and Meg’s Bday party (Bday count at 8 and counting), Phil & Nicole’s engagement party, and another pumpkin patch day with the kiddies.

Last weekend in Oct: Pumpkin carving with the VM clan, our annual Halloween party, Rory’s first actual trick-or-treating Halloween and carnival.

First weekend in Nov: Vegas baby! (with the Kaminsky’s) CANT WAIT FOR VEGAS. Staying at the Luxor, seeing Blue Man Group and The Lion King – shout out for front row tix at both for half the price. Another shout out to my mom who is watching my kid as much we are for the next month and a half.

Second weekend in Nov: Following a huge symposium at work that I am 100% responsible for planning and executing (its been in the works for a year and a half) we get to see the Schott’s on our home turf. Cant wait for that! And to meet Roscoe too!

If you got bored and were scanning the above, heres where to pick back up. (Im not judging. I know that my calendar for the next month and a half is probably really boring to most of you. I wouldn’t read yours. I really just put it up there to be a reminder to Ryan next month of why we have no money in our bank account.)

Yeah so needless to say Im tired just thinking about it all. How the heck am I going to fit in time to do shopping for all these events, and wait, there is Boss’s Day on Oct 16^th! AHhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! Next chance I get to breathe… I think I might have a heart attack out of boredom. Joking. Ill sleep for 12 days straight.

How’s the family? Great. Rory is a pleasure as always. She has had a few nights of waking up randomly in the middle, I think those canines are finally going to make their appearance. Top left is next – Im calling it. She has loved all this weather; she gets to learn about rain, and the leaves are changing (which she loves to play with). Have I mentioned that the walk to the mailbox which should be a 2 min chore turns into a 20 min fieldtrip that she LOVES each day.

Guinness got an infected va-jay-jay which was no fun. $150 later, she had to take antibiotics and wear a cone again for the first time since getting her girly parts removed. Cones are not made for dogs who have short legs. She kept doing face plants every few feet when the cone would catch on uneven ground. It was hilarious but seriously pathetically sad. Good thing it was resolved quickly.

So looking forward to this month. Still don’t know what Ryan and I will be for Halloween – Im kind of putting all our energy and money into Aurora’s adorable little blue fairy outfit. I even made her wand. It will last all of 60 seconds, but that’s just how things go with toddlers right? Ill take pictures of it first! And Im so stoked, I got my dress for my birthday party. Ross for $8.50, can you believe it? It was perfect except the sleeves were too long so I took them to my guy and for $10 he took it in. With those and my $9.99 hot heels I got there too and my birthday outfit is complete!

16 Month Dr. Visit Update

So Ryan just got back with Rory from the doctor. This was supposed to be her 15 month old apt but they didnt have an opening till now. She was:

• 19 lbs (she was actually 19.7 but they take off for clothes and diaper since they dont do naked baby anymore) and that puts her at the 2nd percentile for weight.
• 30 inches even, which puts her at 25th-50th percentile for height.
• 45.7 cm head, which puts her at 25th-50th percentile for that.

They want her to be getting more good fats (like olive oil) to keep her on track. It looks like she went from 4th to 3rd to 2nd percentile these last few times so its nothing to be super concerned with, just to be aware of and to try to make sure shes getting good healthy fats to keep her growth curve up.

End of Summer Update

Aurora has broken both bottom molars (one on each side) this week. Poor thing! For the record though, I was right; the bottom left one broke first. Although Ryan is now claiming that’s what he said. But here on my blog I have the proof, that he said it was going to be bottom right. I win. Anyway I’m so happy that she will finally be able to chew things now; shes got 4 middle up top and 2 bottom middle for biting, and now will have 4 molars, one on each side & top and bottom to chew with.

She’s loving her books more and more each day. Her favorite are the ones with simple words and bright pictures. She has a Sesame Street bubble one that she is OBSESSED with because she loves bubbles more than anything in the world. Her favorite thing to do after dinner is go to the living room where her books are and pull them from the shelf one at a time and read them while she is sitting on the doggy stairs beside the bookshelf.

In fact, she had her first tantrum the other day when we made her stay in the kitchen with us until we were done with dinner. She wanted to go to her books and we said, “you can get out of your high chair when you are done eating but you need to stay with us in the kitchen until we are done eating”. So she cried and sobbed for a number of minutes. Of course this first time she did it we had no idea why she was so upset. Last night Ryan said she probably just wants her books so we brought some into the kitchen and she was so happy with her books in the kitchen till we were done. Problem solved!

She is talking so much more too. This morning she walked into the bathroom and said “baw” I looked where she was pointing and there was a little jewelry box that she likes to play with on the sink. “Oh, box! Yes, here is your box”, it was so cute!

So we are going to Vegas in November with Nicole and Jason, leaving the kids with our parents, and we are soooo excited! We just bought Lion King Tickets, front row. Should be a wonderful show. Then the other night Nicole & Jay are going to Tim McGraw, and we will probably see one of the Cirque shows, Ka or Zumanity are our top choices. We are debating when to start trying to get pregnant. Ill be ovulating right around my birthday so I might just see where things go from there and if I start seeing symptoms in Vegas (I would be about 2 weeks along) I would just take it easy.

And at 3 months in advance, we have the holidays figured out! YAY! I cant tell you what a relief that is. With such big families on both Ryan’s mom and dad’s sides, and my family, ALL in San Diego, its hard to balance them all so everyone feels like they are getting enough time with us, and also manage to make ourselves happy so WE actually enjoy ourselves! I was not really happy with last year. I felt we made too many accommodations for others, and were running around too much to make everyone else happy and to be honest after all of it I still don’t feel like everyone was happy with the arrangement anyway! I know I wasn’t. So this year Ashley invited us to Thanksgiving and told me to invite my family, so I did. Two birds with one stone on that one, we get to spend it with good friends AND my family. Christmas eve sounds like it is at Ryan’s aunt Diana’s house and we had said last year that we would start doing Christmas morning at our house, and Ryan’s mom Cheryl said that she is doing Christmas day at her place so that’s nice we don’t even have to leave Tierrasanta on Christmas! Im really looking forward to it all. And hopefully we will have the best present of all this year, getting pregnant with our second child!

16 Months old? Seriously?

Aurora will be 16 months old in a few days. The last few months have been such a huge period of growth for her, it stuns me. She is now talking all the time, and has many words under her belt. When our aquarium screen saver goes on the computer, she says "ish!" (the "f" is hard for her to pronounce), and just today walking to the car a black crow flew across the sky and she saw it, pointed and said "bird". She also knows dog, mom, dad, juice, cheese, yes, no, and makes a pretty good effort to repeat any word you say.

She is a huge fan of books now, and will actually let you read one all the way through (as long as too much time is not spent on each page) and will point out things she knows and say them, for ones she doesnt she points them out for you to tell her what they are.

She giggles and cracks up all the time, and her and Daddy especially have a

dozen little games they both play. Like this one, where she puts her hand in your mouth for you to "eat" then pulls it away cracking up cause its the funniest thing in the whole world. It's amazing music to our ears, and we would do anything to get her to laugh time and time again. Our neighbor Erik taught her how to bump it (closed fists against each other) and she thinks thats hilarious now too. Other things that humor her: When Guinness "play" bites her hand, when you try to brush her teeth (just before you actually get inside her mouth, then its not funny anymore), when you chase her pretty much anywhere, when you turn away from her then turn back really quickly and make a face, or say "boo" or other similar thing...

She loves to drink from small cups too. I have been squeezing the juice of an orange in the afternoon and letting her drink it from a small appetizer cup that my mom gave us for her, and she loves it. She's good at it too! Normally no spills although we stand over her careful and ready just in case, and have to remind her to use both hands, since she likes to try it with only one hand.

Did I mention before she's finally in size 12 month? Some stuff is too big, it falls right off of her cause she's so skinny, but she needs that size for her length. (see previous post about her growing 2 inches, and she's grown another 1/2 inch since then!) So it's lots of dresses and tops with the few pants and shorts that fit her normally.

Trying to figure out Halloween, and not sure what Ryan and I are going to do. Rory is going to be a little blue fairy. Got a blue and green tutu, and blue wings. Need to get a blue onsie and we are all set for her!

Still no new teeth since those top molars... but I think a bottom left molar is next, Ryan has a bet against me that its the bottom right. We will see who's right!

Success!

Well the week was a complete success! Aurora was a perfect angel for my family, and they all loved every second with her. They took her on walks, played with the animals, went to the zoo, out on errands... My mom was so funny at one point I talked to her and she said, "this is so much fun, but I haven't gotten a single thing done all week!" The first morning we had her back she called me and said, "I miss her already! I just woke up and she wasn't there..." I love that she loves Aurora so much and it shows in everything she does and says. With that going so well, we have no reservations about leaving her with my mom when we go to Vegas in November [CANT WAIT FOR VEGAS], or for the week of Thanksgiving or the week between Xmas and New Years that our sitter is also off and we have to work that M-Wed. THANKS MOM - You're the best!

Anyway, so we kept ourselves busy, with plans every night. We skyped each afternoon after work, and called to check in many times a day. Our "busy" plan actually backfired though, and Ryan got VERY sick, and is just now finally almost over it. My mom dropped Rory off on Friday (which Ryan had off). Ryan said she was more excited to see Guinness than him. When I got home though, she had already said hi to her best bud and she was excited to see me. I have a feeling if I was in Ryan's shoes though she still would have been happier to see Guinness.

Anyway, we have our little girl back and life is back to normal. Aurora is turning more and more into a little person every day, who clearly expresses her needs and desires, and her talking is progressing. She says a number of words, the clearest basic ones are yes, no, dog, mum, dad, juice, and cheese. She is having way more fun now, laughing and giggling all the time when you play with her. (It used to be that she would smile pretty easily but it was nearly impossible to get her to crack up). Her two upper molars are mostly through, and no others are in sight yet. I was realizing since she got her first teeth at 10 months old and she is now 15 months old, she has gotten almost 2 teeth per month since her first! Poor thing that is so many teeth to cut all at once! Shes liking her books more too, she is starting to point to things in books, and we then tell her what they are. There is one Sesame Street one that talks about body parts and does something similar to the head shoulders knees and toes song and she does the whole thing with the book (clapping, touch your nose, where is your mouth, your tongue hides inside, wiggle your toes, etc.) sooo cute! Ill try to get that on video. But she is so funny when she knows she's on video she wont "perform" cause she gets distracted by it.

Summer Fun!

Aurora is about to have a really fun week! She's staying with my mom next week. It was one of two weeks that our sitter, Diane is on vacation and my mom was sweet enough to agree to take Rory for the week so that we could work and save our vacation time. Her (Mopsey) and Grandpa Wayne are going to have sooo much fun. She's going to come back to us way too spoiled.

Ryan and I on the other hand, are going to miss our baby girl like crazy.... but will be taking full advantage of our time with no post-baby responsibilities. We will be going out to dinner, watching movies, taking long walks... all the things that you cant always fit into your schedule when you have to keep a little one on track and in bed by 7pm. Plus, my mom has skype, so we will be able to at least see/talk to her over the net for a few minutes a day.

Other than that, at 15 months tomorrow, her favorite new game is spinning in circles until she is so dizzy that she falls down. She's also finally started signing. Ashley had said that Boston started signing around 13 months, out of the blue after she had given up on it. Then Nicole was saying how Luke started signing a few weeks ago and I thought, well I should try it again then, and I did, and she is signing! Her favorite is "more" which is like clapping but with closed fists. She pretty much gives is that anytime she wants anything or more of anything. She understands the milk one but isnt good at giving it to us. I think she almost forgets or doesnt realize she is thirsty until we offer it. She is finally starting to *almost* sit still for books now. She will pick one out and bring it to you, and if it has very few words per page or you only read some of it and keep page turning at a quick pace, she will sit for it! I can't wait till she is really interested in stories and longer books, I will sit and read to her for hours. I'll love it.