Friday, December 15, 2017

Henry's 2 month update


Weight: 10 lbs 11 oz - 27%

Length: 23" - 75%

Loves: He loves to be propped up on the bobby pillow so he can look around. He loves to coo and smile at you, he's getting so expressive. He also loves tummy time! He will lay on his tummy for about 30 minutes before fussing, we're so excited. The whole reason you're supposed to do tummy time is to avoid a flat head and strengthen their neck muscles. Well Henry just lays there motionless with his head turned to one side. Now he's getting a flat spot on the side of his head...awesome. We can never win! And finally he loves bath time. As soon as his little feet hit the water he stops crying and fussing and immediately starts cooing and kicking.

Hates: being ignored or put down. If he's on the sofa in his boppy and I*'m watching tv he cries until I look over at him and start talking. He also doesn't like when we put him down in the swing during dinner. He wants to be held and included in the conversation.

Milestones:  He's holding his head up really well when he's sitting or on our shoulders / chest but terrible when he's on the floor. He's tracking us more with his eyes and less with his ears.

Sleep: He does pretty well. He sleeps 5-6 hours starting between 8-9PM then goes back to his regular 3 hours. He also makes this terribly loud stretching whine all night that keeps us up so even though he might be sleeping we aren't :(

Eating: Sill going well. I still have days where I panick thinking I don't have enough for him but he's always happy and content after each feeding and continues to have wet diapers so I muddle myself through the day and keep thinking positively. Other days I feel so full that I'm forcing him to eat just to relive the pressure. So we win some and lose some.

We're still going to our support group and it gives me such peace of mind every time we weigh in. It's a real tangible way to know how much he's getting and that he's thriving.

I'm also still rocking the pump life. Since I'm also nursing, getting much out of a pump session is hard. But we're making it. And I've already hit my goal of 300oz before I return back to work!! If I keep up the pace I think I can make it up to 400 before I go back! Now I just hope I can pump at work enough to replace what he eats at daycare. That was my downfall last time. But I'm trying not to stress and just enjoy the fact that we are actually doing this with a little less stress this time.

Teething: Nope, thank god! Though I do see a few white spots that seem hard but I'm trying to ignore it and hope it goes away lol.

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Henry's 1 Month Update

Weight: ~ 8lbs

Length: ~23"

Loves: Sleeping on our chests and being snuggled. He loves to be as warm as possible. At night we always have him in footie pajamas, swaddled, and an extra fuzzy blanket over his lower half. The only way to get him to sleep is to snuggle him against us in as many blankets as possible.

Hates: Diaper changes. But the one thing he hates more than anything, which is kinda weird, is being laid down flat. Every time I try to lay him in the bassinet or under his jungle gym he just screams at the top of his lungs. But as soon as you fold a tiny blankie or burp cloth and put it under his head like a tiny pillow he quiets right down. Weirdo.

Milestones:  He's learning how to be awake. He's having more awake periods but gets really frustrated when he can't figure out how to go back to sleep. He's enjoying listening to us and is starting to see farther and farther away.

Sleep: He does ok. He sleeps 3-4 hours which isn't terrible but I can't wait until we hit the magic 6 hr mark.

Eating: I'm so pleased to say that he's doing really well with breastfeeding! He eats every 2-3 hrs during the day and 3-4 at night. He has a great latch and my supply is significantly greater this time around. It also helps that he actually cries for food instead of us force feeding him and trying to wake him up. He's like clock work and it has made such a difference!

I also joined a breastfeeding support group at my hospital and that has given me such peace of mind. It's run by a lactation consultant and she answers all my questions. We start by weighing the babies, then we all feed our babies, talk, enjoy adult time, then we re-weigh them. This tells us exactly how much they ate and if they are thriving. Henry seems to be consistently eating about 2 oz. I love this group so much and plan to keep going even after returning to work.

I am also pumping to keep a good stash in the fridge for when I go back to work. This has been going so well and I think I'll have a good amount before I return.

This is such a difference from Jack and I couldn't be more happy. Keep it up Henry!

Teething: Nope, thank god!

Henry's Birth Story

IT'S A BOY!


Henry Paul Wilson was born 10/8/17 at 10:53 in the morning. He was 7lbs. 2oz. and 22" long!


We were super surprised he weighed less than Jack and that he was a HE! We were both so convinced we were having a girl but as soon as they laid him on my chest we were so in love.


This birth was very different than my first but it went just as well. Him and I came out happy and healthy and that's all we were really hoping for.

It all started Saturday 10/7. I had started to lose my mucus plug a few days before but because this never happened with Jack I wasn't sure if it meant labor was imminent. And I was supposed to head out with friends that night so I called the Dr to see if I needed to stay home and close to the hospital. However they told me it didn't really mean anything and I was cleared to go out. The only thing they said was to head to the hospital if it started coming out covered in bright red blood or I started having contractions. Well Saturday morning right around 9AM I noticed some bright red blood that seemed a bit alarming. So we grabbed Jack and headed to the hospital. Sure enough it was just what they call "bloody show". I wasn't having any contractions and I was only dilated 3cm so they couldn't admit me and told me to head home, wait, and rest.


We headed home and confined me to the sofa because I was having some cramping after the exam. The news "some how" made it over to my in laws *cough* Max *cough* so around the end of nap time we got a call asking if Jack could be picked up for a grandparents play date. I spent the rest of the day lounging, cramping, and sleeping on the sofa trying to decipher if it was cramps or contractions. At only 38 weeks and 2 days I didn't want to get my hopes up yet so I convinced myself it was just mild cramps and nothing to worry about.

Well then around 5:00PM we headed over to the in laws for dinner and to pick up Jack. On the way over I had my first true blue contraction. It took my breath away and Max looked over at me with a shocked look on his face and told me I just had a contraction before I could blow it off as a cramp. He checked the time and started his internal clock. I knew at that moment I was on Max super watch and couldn't get away with downgrading my cramps anymore. Well about 30 min later I couldn't breath or move again and I saw Max start to get really excited. He also wasn't the only one to notice my obvious discomfort. My mother-in-law looked at me in panic and then I knew the whole Wilson clan was watching me, waiting...


Well every 30min or so I was having another contraction. They didn't seem as painful as the ones I remembered with Jack so I still wasn't convinced. But the in laws thought for sure we would be headed to the hospital later that night so they graciously offered to keep Jack over night just in case. I was a little upset/disappointed because if it was truly going to be my last night as a mother of one then I wanted to spend it with my only child. I wanted to cuddle him, read him a good night story, and kiss him as much as humanly possible. But I also knew that if we needed to head to the hospital late that night I didn't want to drive back to my in-laws to drop Jack off. So we stayed a little longer than usual and I cuddled my little monster a little closer. Once we got home I ate a small amount and drank some water and the contractions seemed to stop.


However a few hours later I woke up with what felt like period cramps which is identical to how Jack's birth started. I tried to stand and walk them off but it wasn't working. These were real contractions. So I broke out an app and started timing them. They were consistently 25min apart, not close enough to head to the hospital but they were so painful! After 2 hrs I finally decided to wake Max. As soon as I did the contractions sped up and they were 3-4min apart. We jumped in the car and not 24 hrs after our false alarm we were back at the hospital and positive it was go time.

They got me and the baby hooked up to all the monitors and hearing that little heart beat is always so reassuring. I was having another intense cramp and I remember asking the nurse if it was a contraction because mine never seem to feel the way other blogs and people described them. She sorta giggled and said yes and then got ready to check me. I was hoping that I was at least 4cm and could be admitted. When she told me I was 5cm I almost cried. She then continued on to say that they had rooms open and I would be admitted and transferred to labor and delivery as soon as she filled out the form....

Well...

An hour later we were still in triage and I was in excruciating pain. She came back and said there was an emergency breach C-section that came in and everyone was dealing with that before they could deal with me. Eventually I was admitted and I was now 6-7cm with contractions only 2min apart. I was in tears and begging for drugs.


But with 2 more emergency C-sections and only ONE anesthesiologist I wasn't getting my drugs any time soon. They made sure I was next on his list but they wouldn't know what time that would be. The nurses I had in labor and delivery were my gods. One sat by the door waiting to catch the anesthesiologist as he walked by while the other stayed by me and monitored my progress and gave me some much needed encouragement. I didn't want to have this baby drug free but the longer I waited the more likely it seemed.

Max was great too. He would tell me when a contraction was coming and when it was almost over. He also held my hand and didn't complain about my nails digging into him. It's one thing to choose to give birth drug free, it's another when you don't want to. Every time Max told me a contraction was coming I would cry, shake my head and tell him I didn't want one. I breathed through them and let out what I am sure sounded like dying animal cries. With every nurse that came in I asked Max if it was who I thought it was, and every time he had to come up with a nice way to say no.


By the time the anesthesiologist got there I was 8cm. He felt terrible for making me wait so after the initial dose and placement he topped me off with a little extra pain killers. After two more contractions I didn't feel a thing. My arch nemesis became my best friend. I could watch a little tv, relax my muscles, and drink a little water.

Life was so much better.

After only a couple more hours it was time to push. But because he topped me off with extra pain killers I was completely numb. I couldn't feel a thing. With Jack I could feel pressure and slight pain but this time around you could have cut off my legs before I felt anything. This made it really hard to push. I had no sensation or feeling. I didn't know when the contractions were coming and I felt no pressure to push with. So they turned my epidural off and slowly the pressure feeling came back and I could use it. I pushed him out in a few moments. They had to use the vacuum again just like Jack because his head wasn't slipping under my pelvic bone. He was just butting up against it. So they had to pull him down while I pushed him out. After a few tugs he came slipping out and we had our second son!


Everyone was so excited to see what it was especially after we told everyone we were convinced it was a girl.

They placed him on my chest and I cried and kissed Max. As soon as they took him away to be weighed and cleaned up Max and I looked at each other and laughed. Probably not every parent's usual response after birth but we knew what the other was thinking... now we have to have a third so we can try for a girl ;).


During the birth I did have one slight tear inside so she stitched me up and packed the area with drugs and gauze. But those drugs along with the epidural gave me the terrible shakes. So much so that when it came time for our skin to skin my muscles seized and I felt like I was crushing him. But even through this he found he way down to my boob and started to feed. He was just as good as his brother. He latched on great and sucked with such a fury. My hopes immediately were raised that we might have a good breastfeeding journey. Only time will tell.


All in all this birth went as well as you could expect. I didn't get drugs as fast as I wanted but we both came out the other side happy and healthy and that's what matters.


Once our "golden hour" was over Max went and got Jack from the waiting room with the grandparents. He came in and immediately wanted to sit with Mama. He climbed up on the bed and we sang Happy Birthday to Henry. It was a special moment with just our little family of 4. I still can't believe I have two kids.


We love you so much Henry and we couldn't imagine the crazy crazy life without you.

Friday, September 22, 2017

36 Weeks - Baby Wilson #2


How far along: 36 weeks
Total weight gain: 32 lbs.
Sleep: Just getting up to pee a lot.
Sickness: nope.
Cravings: nothing recently.
Make me queasy: nothing really.
General Symptoms: stretching pains, swelling, and I'm running out of room. My belly feels like it can't stretch any more. I never felt this full with Jack. I feel like it's just crushing me and any kick might split me open. I had a full breakdown one night with Max just crying that everything hurt and itched so bad! He tried rubbing my belly to make it feel better but the slight weight of his hand threw me over the edge and I snapped at him to "Stop pushing on me! I don't have any room left!" Hopefully this baby comes a little early like Jack.
Miss anything: BLUE CHEESE and salami sandwiches.
Maternity Clothes: nothing new and I'm growing out of most of the ones I have....awesome. I'm giant.
Movement: A LOT. It moves all the time and it hurts. It also seems very flexible lol. I get something poking out the left side, the right side and the top all at once. My skin is so tight it looks like it might split. The most common comment I get from people feeling it is "OMG your skin feels so tight and it's so hard! Maybe it'll come any day!" Don't get my hopes up people 😉
Gender Prediction: Girl, totally and utterly convinced.


Dr. Appointment Update : EVERYTHING IS BETTER! The baby is head down and no longer breech. And my placenta has moved plenty far away. So we are back to as if nothing happened. No scheduled C-Section and we are just twiddling our thumbs waiting for it to pop free. Hopefully not directly through my skin lol. Tuesday starts our weekly appointments where they will check my cervix and see how I'm progressing. I know 0" dilated is the most likely but a girl can hope for 1-2" lol.


Old Wives Tales:
Morning Sickness : No / Yes
Cravings : Salt Sweet
Chinese Calendar : Boy / Girl
Heart Beat : Low / High
Belly : Low High
Skin : Better Worse
Attitude : Happy Moody

It's all adding up to : GIRL



Official Names! :
       Girl: Olivia Marie Wilson
       Boy: Henry Paul Wilson

Monday, August 28, 2017

32 Week - Baby Wilson #2


How far along: 32 weeks
Total weight gain: 22 lb.
Sleep: I've had a cold for the last week so that's not helping. Still up 2-3 times a night to pee and sit up.
Sickness: nope.
Cravings: nothing recently.
Make me queasy: nothing really.
General Symptoms: stretching pains and general uncomfortableness. I still have the burning pain on the top right section of the bump but other than that nothing is too terrible. Just generally uncomfortable and feeling huge.
Miss anything: BLUE CHEESE and salami sandwiches.
Maternity Clothes: nothing new.
Movement: A LOT. It moves all the time. It hurts a lot more than I remember Jack hurting but who knows.
Gender Prediction: Girl, totally and utterly convinced.


Dr. Appointment Update : MY PLACENTA HAS MOVED!! It's now 2-3cm away from my cervix. This means we are pretty locked in to have a regular delivery! During delivery the Dr. will watch for signs of too much bleeding and if they see that then I'll be moved to an OR. So we aren't completely out of the woods but it seems the worst is behind us. They are going to check it one last time in about a month from now just to be doubly sure and see if it has moved any more. I'm so glad I'm avoiding a planned C-section.


Old Wives Tales:
Morning Sickness : No / Yes
Cravings : Salt Sweet
Chinese Calendar : Boy / Girl
Heart Beat : Low / High
Belly : Low High
Skin : Better Worse
Attitude : Happy Moody

It's all adding up to : GIRL



Names I like at the moment:
       Girl: Olivia Marie Wilson
       Boy: Henry Paul Wilson

*Jack has Max's middle name, and family name, Christopher so we decided to stick with the family middle name theme. This time we chose names to honor my Van Domelen side; Marie is my middle name after my aunt's middle name, and Paul is my father's middle name.

Monday, August 21, 2017

Potty Training - 11th Circle of Hell - Attempt #1



We started our potty training journey a few months back right before Jack turned 2. We were first timers so after reading several pinterest posts, which obviously made me an expert, I felt like Jack and I were ready.

I took Friday off from work and armed myself with many different techniques that I found all over the internet but mostly on fun mommy blogs like this one with happy smiley kids pooping on the potty. Those seemed the most trust worthy. The kids were happy right?

Wrong.

Those pictures were lies.


Technique #1 : 

My first technique was leaving Jack naked. I got him undressed and let him roam free. I obviously kept him in the family room and kitchen area as those have hardwood and I could keep an eye on him. He wasn't tall enough to climb on the sofa so no extra precautions were needed there. Thank god.

Expect I was wrong.

After being naked for only a few minutes he discovered how to scale the sofa and he peed on it...

twice.

So I dug out some old towels and layered them all over the sofa.


I thought if he could see the messy floor and feel his legs getting wet that would trigger some sort of response. Well it didn't he ran through puddles of pee with no care in the world. He didn't care that his feet or toys or anything else was dripping with his own pee. I didn't want to discourage him so I said nothing but I was secretly screaming and crying on the inside.

I tried to take him to the potty every 30min or so but he refused. He knew what the word potty meant and watching tv or playing with cars was way more exciting. I tried books, my phone, and a tablet, nothing was better than his cars in the other room.


Technique #2 : 


My second attempt was moving the potty to the family room right in front of the tv. Who wouldn't want their porcelain throne, or plastic in this case, smack in the middle of the room with a giant tv playing their favorite channel. I know I was jealous.

Well this sorta worked. He would sit on it for a few seconds and then run around peeing wherever and whenever he wanted.


Technique #3 : 

My next thought was bribery. I was prepared with his favorite snack, gold fish. The only problem was that some time in the moments leading up to this he decided he no longer liked gold fish. He screamed and threw them at me and ran off naked and probably peed somewhere.

I didn't have anything else in the house except M&Ms. So I put a small bowl by the potty and said if he sat on it he could eat one. Well this worked.

A little too well.

Smart ass.

He sat on the potty and ate an M&M. He immediately stood up and sat back down and ate another. He was a little gopher up and down until the entire bowl was empty and his hands were covered in melted chocolate rainbow chunks.


Technique #4 : 

I called my mother. 

At 27 I can safely say I am fully potty trained and I feel pretty confident about my siblings too. She is obviously an expert.

She told me to stop the M&M train and only dole them out for a success. This was logical but I was worried taking it away would result in him never sitting on the potty again. I was right. He refused to sit down when I refused his fix.

Try again mother.

She then suggested my next technique...


Technique #5 : 

Undies.


A few days before this adventure we went to the store and I let him pick out big boy undies. He obviously picked the ones with Cars on them.

So I busted them out and laid them all on the coffee table and told him to pick one. My thought being that he wouldn't want to hurt and drown and poop on Mater or Lightning. He picked his favorite pair and we put them on.

I repeatedly told him "don't peepee or poop on Lightning. Lightning doesn't like peepee or poop. It will hurt him". Roughly 15 minutes later we had run through all 8 pairs. Lightning and Mater didn't stand a chance.


Technique #6 : 


This was my last try. I was beyond frustrated and Jack could tell.

He was winning and he did a little peepee dance to prove it.

So I combined the last two days into one massive "DO IT ALL" day.

I got him up that last fateful morning and got him undressed. I set up a jar of sweet cereal (golden crisp in our case) next to the potty in the family room right in front of the tv. I laid out some underwear and put Cars and Cars 2 on repeat. I told him he could eat as much cereal as he wanted if he sat on the potty and he only got M&Ms if he actually went potty.

He was mad but once those sweet sugary morsels touched his lips he stopped whining. He sat on that potty eating cereal watching Cars and Cars 2 all the way through and he never peed. For 3ish hours this kid didn't produce a drop!

I gave up.

I kept him naked but I let him roam the house. I resigned myself to cleaning up after him all day. But no. He drank sippy cup after sippy cup of water and nothing!

He didn't pee hardly at all! Only a few drips here and there.




Later that night after Max got home I was beat. I was physically and emotional exhausted. The house was a disaster, dishes were piling up and Jack was giggling naked somewhere.

He continued to sit on the potty for cereal but no success.

Until...

During viewing #467 of Cars the potty started to sing. It was congratulating him on going potty and cheering. I ran over and Jack just sat there blank faced with a handful of cereal.

Max and I started jumping up and down like morons. We were so unprepared for this moment. I scrambled to find the M&Ms. Jack just sat there utterly confused on what was happening around him. I finally grabbed and M&M and handed it to him as we screamed, cheered, and clapped. I stood him up and brought him into the bathroom to watch the ceremonial flush. But as he stood up I looked in the potty and there were seriously like 4 drops. It was just enough to set off the potty's censors. He had no idea he had even gone.

But we made a big deal anyway.


But that's where our first try at potty training ended. I had to go back to work. Our "Potty Train in 3 Day's" pinterest weekend was over. Jack just wasn't ready. He didn't recognize the sensation of having to go or even the sensation of actually going. He didn't care that he was wet or that the floor was wet.

Everything online says don't look back, persevere, never put a diaper back on again. But those mothers mostly stay-at-home, which is great, but I couldn't take a naked non-potty trained toddler back to daycare on Monday and expect them to continue what we started. Life just doesn't work that way.

So we moved from diapers to pull-ups in hopes of making some baby steps. We have waited and bided our time and we just recently started trying again in small easily consumed chunks instead of full blown exhausting weekends. I hope to fill you in on attempt #2 soon!

Thursday, August 10, 2017

29 Weeks - Baby Wilson #2


How far along: 29 weeks
Total weight gain: 18 lb.
Sleep: Getting harder and harder. The bump is bigger this time and already so uncomfortable. I get up at least 2-3 times to pee and shift positions.
Sickness: nope.
Cravings: FRESH FRUIT
Make me queasy: nothing really.
General Symptoms: stretching pains, heartburn, and general uncomfortableness. The bump is bigger this time around and it's already feeling huge and heavy. When I walk I generally keep a hand under the bump to hold it up because it feels like it's pulling on my skin. Sitting, standing, walking, generally being a live is very uncomfortable these days. Trying to play with Jack on the floor is damn near impossible and getting comfy on the couch is even worse. I also have this TERRIBLE pain on my skin on the top of the bump. I don't know if it's because the bump is getting heavy and pulling on that top skin or if it's a nerve issue but OMG it feels like a chaffed sunburn. Just the thought of touching that section of skin sounds painful. I rub lotion on it twice a day and try to hold back the screams as I do but it only mildly helps. But this too shall pass and I know I'll miss being pregnant again one day.
Miss anything: BLUE CHEESE and salami sandwiches. I dreamt last night about a huge salami sandwich with mustard and pickles. It was amazing and maybe my first post birth hospital meal.
Maternity Clothes: A few new dresses and a t-shirt from Motherhood. They had a Buy 1 get 1 free deal that I couldn't resist.
Movement: I had a small panic attack last week because it usually moves so much I get frustrated and annoyed and for 2 days it had only moved once and it was a very tiny flutter like back in the early days. So after a crazed text to Max he told me to call the Dr.... well they were closed. So I called the after hours triage nurse and she was super helpful. She gave me an at home test to do and told me exactly how many kicks I should be feeling in a give time frame. I completed the test exactly how she explained it that night and everything is fine. And now if I ever feel that way again I know what to do instead of just Googling "decreased fetal movement" and crying my eyes out.
Gender Prediction: Girl, totally and utterly convinced.


Dr. Appointment Update : at 28 weeks we did the glucose test. Since I haven't heard anything I'm assuming I passed and don't have to do the 3 hr test which is wonderful. Next week we go back in for our last ultrasound to check on the placenta previa. Fingers crossed it's moved enough for a healthy vaginal delivery!


Old Wives Tales:
Morning Sickness : No / Yes
Cravings : Salt Sweet
Chinese Calendar : Boy / Girl
Heart Beat : Low / High
Belly : Low High
Skin : Better Worse
Attitude : Happy Moody

It's all adding up to : GIRL



Names I like at the moment:
       Girl: Olivia ------ I think Max has come around but he still sounds a little hesitant so we'll see :)
                 But we still have these on the list just in case : Eliza, Felicity, Violet, Ruby, Fiona, Hazel, Penelope, Claire, Molly, Brooke.
       
        Boy: Henry

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

27 Weeks - Baby Wilson #2


How far along: 27 weeks
Total weight gain: 15 lb.
Sleep: Getting harder every week. I lay on my left side and then sit up once my hip starts to hurt. I'm also getting up at least once to go to the bathroom.
Sickness: nope.
Cravings: FRESH FRUIT and chicken wings
Make me queasy: nothing really.
General Symptoms: stretching pains and terrible heartburn. I never really had much with Jack but this baby has been totally different. It's still probably not as bad as some other women but it feels terrible to me :)
Miss anything: BLUE CHEESE and sandwiches.
Maternity Clothes: No new ones.
Movement: SO MUCH! It moves ALL THE TIME! Just yesterday I was sitting at my desk and out loud said "OMG just stop it!" and my boss (mother of 3 boys) giggled at me. But In all seriousness I love it. Getting to feel it so much and so often makes me feel better and nothing beats that feeling of getting karate kicked in the bladder ;)
Gender Prediction: Girl, totally and utterly convinced.


Dr. Appointment Update : We have another appointment this Thursday. It's the glucose test so wish me luck!


Old Wives Tales:
Morning Sickness : No / Yes
Cravings : Salt Sweet
Chinese Calendar : Boy / Girl
Heart Beat : Low / High
Belly : Low High
Skin : Better / Worse
Attitude : Happy Moody

It's all adding up to : GIRL



Names I like at the moment:
       Girl: Olivia ------ This is the name I really want but Max is still mulling it over. This is the first name, even including all the names we debated with Jack and this time around, that I have had a connection to. I can look down and feel it kick and it feels like an Olivia. I can see her little face and see her playing with Jack and it feels like our family. But Max has to feel those things too and I don't want to force him or push him into anything so I'm trying to give him the space to think it over but I would be lying if I said I wasn't hoping.
                 But we still have these on the list that we really like as well : Eliza, Felicity, Violet, Ruby, Fiona, Hazel, Penelope, Claire, Molly, Brooke.
       
        Boy: Henry

Friday, July 7, 2017

24 Weeks - Baby Wilson #2


How far along: 24 weeks
Total weight gain: 11 lb.
Sleep: Getting a little worse. I'm not what you would call agile. I'm up and down all night trying to take the pressure off my hip. Sometime soon I'm going to bust out the maternity pillow. Sorry Max.
Sickness: Feel great!
Cravings: FRESH FRUIT!
Make me queasy: nothing really.
General Symptoms: Dry skin and stretching pains. My skin feels like it's going to split open Alien style at any moment.
Miss anything: BLUE CHEESE and sandwiches.
Maternity Clothes: I've taken my winter long sleeve maternity shirts from Jack's pregnancy and cut and hemmed them into short sleeves! 4 new tops for $0, can't beat that.
Movement: A lot!! I feel like it moves a lot more than Jack ever did. I was constantly worried about Jack and wondering when was the last time I felt him move. But this one is always on the go. I just wait an hour or so and it starts flipping out. Maybe that means it'll be a handful... 😓
Gender Prediction: Girl. I don't think I'd believe the doctors if they told me it was a boy. I've even started calling it "she" including the air quotes ;)


Dr. Appointment Update : At our 24 week appointment they checked the placenta again to see if it had moved. And it has!! A whole bunch but not quite enough. It's still considered a complete previa but only by a sliver. So the doctor is hopeful it will move completely out of the way since it has already moved so much. So I'm still on pelvic rest and no exercise. At 28 weeks we'll do the glucose test then at 30 they'll check me again to see if it's finally out of the way. Keeping our fingers crossed!!


Old Wives Tales:
Morning Sickness : No / Yes
Cravings : Salt Sweet
Chinese Calendar : Boy / Girl
Heart Beat : Low / High
Belly : Low High
Skin : Better / Worse
Attitude : Happy Moody

It's all adding up to : GIRL



Names I like at the moment:
       Girl: Violet, Ruby, Eliza, Fiona, Hazel, Penelope, Claire, Molly, Brooke
       Boy: Henry

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

22 Weeks - Baby Wilson #2



How far along: 22 weeks
Total weight gain: 8 lb.
Sleep: Every night is different. Some nights I can't sleep on my side for more than a few hours before it starts throbbing, other nights I last until 4-5AM. Out bed has been a God send this time around.
Sickness: Feel great!
Cravings: fresh fruits and chicken wings.
Make me queasy: not too much these days. I'm not really into hamburgers right now but I think it's because we've just had too many over the last few weeks.
General Symptoms: Dry skin! It's been so crazy! I've always had oily greasy skin so dealing with itchy burning dry peeling skin is totally new for me. Also my hair and nails are not as great as they used to be. This baby is sucking everything out of me lol.
Miss anything: BLUE CHEESE and sandwiches.
Maternity Clothes: Nothing new this week.
Movement: A whole bunch! I think it's still breech because the kicks still down low even though they are super strong. I love feeling it. It's even kicking me as I type and I can't help but smile :)
Gender Prediction: Girl. I don't think I'd believe the doctors if they told me it was a boy.


Dr. Appointment Update : We haven't had our next appointment yet. It's scheduled for 6/29 so we are patiently waiting to hear if the placenta has moved. Everyone cross your fingers!


Old Wives Tales:
Morning Sickness : No / Yes
Cravings : Salt Sweet
Chinese Calendar : Boy / Girl
Heart Beat : Low / High
Belly : Low High
Skin : Better / Worse - I would say a little worse but with a toddler running around a more hectic schedule my face wash routine hasn't been the greatest so who really knows.
Attitude : Happy Moody

It's all adding up to : GIRL



Names I like at the moment:
       Girl: Molly, Fiona, Claire, Ruby, Violet, Felicity
       Boy: Henry

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

20 Weeks - Baby Wilson #2


How far along: 20 weeks
Total weight gain: 6 lb.
Sleep: Getting harder. My hips hurt earlier in the night and I wake up more times to go to the bathroom but nothing too terrible...yet.
Sickness: Doing great!
Cravings: fresh fruits and chicken wings.
Make me queasy: hummus - but going to give it another go now that I'm not so sick and see what happens.
General Symptoms: FATIGUE! And my skin is starting to itch from stretching. Almost time to break out the belly cream.
Miss anything: BLUE CHEESE and sandwiches.
Maternity Clothes: I finally found a bra I like! I decided this time around instead of stretching out all my clothes I would buy a few maternity staples and shop some sales. So far I've been able to wear a few things left over from Jack but most of it was winter clothes and the AZ summer is way to hot for that. So I've found a few tops at a consignment store, Old Navy, and Target. Old Navy is the best! Highly recommend. The motherhood store is great but kinda pricey unless you get coupons and shop the sales.
Movement: A whole bunch and Max has finally gotten to feel it! Only once but it was still pretty cute. I can't wait until Jack can start to feel it.
Gender Prediction: Girl. I'm so deep in the girl camp.


Dr. Appointment Update : We had our anatomy ultrasound appoint a few weeks back. We didn't find out the sex so it's another surprise for us! We also found out that I have placenta previa. Over the last couple weeks I've come to terms with it and am just trying to move through this pregnancy as gracefully as I can. Basically at this early stage it's a waiting game. I have a few restrictions like pelvic rest and little to no activity. Basically no sex or exorcise. I also need to watch for bleeding or heavy cramping. So far I have had no symptoms and I'm feeling great. If the placenta doesn't move then I will have to deliver via C-Section. There are some other complications with bleeding during delivery that could lead to some scary things but we're just nothing thinking about that right now. We're just hoping it moves and we can deliver vaginally and relax a little. I've been having some pains down low and in my back which is where the placenta is and since I wouldn't classify them as cramping more just pressure and stretching pains we're hoping it means it's moving!! I will have another ultrasound on the 29th to see if it has moved. So fingers crossed!


Old Wives Tales:
Morning Sickness : No / Yes
Cravings : Salt Sweet
Chinese Calendar : Boy / Girl
Heart Beat : Low / High
Belly : Low High - seems definitely high now, especially compared to Jack. But check out my belly timeline and tell me what you think.
Skin : Better / Worse - I would say a little worse but with a toddler running around a more hectic schedule my face wash routine hasn't been the greatest so who really knows.
Attitude : Happy Moody

It's all adding up to : GIRL



Names I like at the moment:
       Girl: Molly, Fiona, Matilda (Mattie), Grace, Violet, Clara, Cora, Mabel, Margot
       Boy: Henry

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Dr. Amanda Moore!

In the Wilson Family...


The Wilson's don't start anything they aren't willing to finish...multiple times. Max's dad has a JD (law), his mom has an EdD (education), Max has a masters in biology and is working towards a PhD in Biology and his sister, Amanda, JUST got her PhD in Chemistry. They are a family of smarty pants.

Having known Max and his family through his mom's EdD, Max's undergrad, masters, and now PhD, and Amanda's undergrad and PhD I can tell you it takes a lot. They are the most persevering, dedicated, goal oriented, bunch of crazy people I know.

And we are so proud of Amanda. So much so that we packed the whole family up and flew out to Houston to watch her graduate at Rice University.

Sorry about the poor quality. A picture with a cranky toddler in the Texas heat doesn't lend itself to high quality :)


So I have a few tips on how to take your 2 year old on a "family vacation" and attend a very important graduation.

1. FAMILY FRIENDLY - try to stay somewhere that loves kids. I mean really loves kids. You'll be there awhile and they are going to make a lot of noise. We all stayed in an AirBNB house on the beach in Galveston. This was perfect and I'm so grateful my mother-in-law thought about it. Our neighbors weren't close enough to hear Jack cry in the middle of the night and the beach was a great outlet for Jack to run off energy. With big events planned daily for the graduation having somewhere were he could let loose and run off steam was amazing! Plus who doesn't love seeing their kid enjoy the ocean for the first time. It was so much fun!








2. BE FLEXIBLE - There are going to be a ton of plans, opinions, and stress so try to go with the flow as much as possible. We nodded and did what we were told. If Jack missed a nap, o'well. If he took 8 because he fell asleep every time we got in the car even better! We ate french fries and beef jerky and dry cereal for a snack and lunch, who cares. No toddler has ever died from eating french fries as a meal. It's only a long weekend everything will be ok. That holy grail of a routine you keep is going out the window and you need to cope with that. For example; Jack slept the whole way from the rental house to the ceremony which was about an hour and a half. So once we got there he was ready to go! He wanted to run and play and do all the toddler things. But we needed him to be quite and sit in his seat....not going to happen. There was luckily a tv and an empty room just outside the hall so we could take Jack out to run and still watch what was going on. Max took the brunt of the Jack watching because it was getting too hard to keep up with him at 17 weeks pregnant. Then once it came time for Amanda I snuck out and traded places so he could enjoy his sister's special moment. As Jack and I stood in the wings of the hall waiting for Amanda to appear he started to whine. I quickly asked him "whats wrong?". He promptly and loudly said "POOP!". Awesome. Some poor person's video recording of their son/daughter has Jack screaming poop in the background. Go.with.the.flow.





3. TAKE A VILLAGE - No matter how you feel about your in-laws, parents, extended family etc. you will need a village. A large village. You're 2 year old will scream "NOOOOO" several times, mostly for no reason. They will ask to go places that they just asked to leave. They will want to walk and be held at the same time. They will want to look out the window at the airport but not the one near all your luggage but the one across the airport near the ramp with the plane that's boarding. They will want to frantically run the halls and cry. They will want a fresh clean diaper right in the middle of graduation but not bad enough to hold still as you wrangle them on the dirty bathroom floor because for some god forsaken reason that women's bathroom doesn't have a changing table. They will only sit still for food and electronics which you can't dole out too much because they will have zero affect on their attention when you finally get to your destination. This is why it's important to have someone who can walk the halls, can carry them to and from the beach multiple times, who can hold them, and who can play games to grab their attention. You will need someone at some point so it might as well be someone you know. Because at your lowest and most burnt out you contemplate strangers, and how bad can they really be? This is not good. So you're village, no matter their relation, is super helpful but use them wisely you will call on them many many times.




But most of all enjoy. You don't get to "vacation" very much these days so soak up every ray of sunshine and peaceful, giggle filled moment you get.

Monday, May 22, 2017

18 Weeks - Baby Wilson #2

*We have had several family trips in the past two weeks so watch for some posts about those too!*


How far along: 18 weeks
Total weight gain: 4 lb.
Sleep: So far so good. My hips still hurt sometimes but the new bed is doing so well!
Sickness: Eating a lot more and finally craving some things.
Cravings: fresh fruits and doughy gooey breads.
Make me queasy: hummus - but going to give it another go now that I'm not so sick and see what happens.
General Symptoms: FATIGUE! And my skin is starting to itch from stretching. Almost time to break out the belly cream.
Miss anything: BLUE CHEESE and sandwiches.
Maternity Clothes: pants, shorts, and a few tops. My belly still isn't quite big enough for a full blown wardrobe change so I'm still wearing some stretchy favorites.
Movement: A whole bunch of fluttering! Still waiting for Max to feel it on the outside though.
Gender Prediction: I go back and forth but I think I'm still team girl.


Dr. Appointment Update : Next week is our anatomy ultra sound. Can't wait!


Old Wives Tales:
Morning Sickness : No / Yes
Cravings : Salt Sweet
Chinese Calendar : Boy / Girl
Heart Beat : Low / High
Belly : Low High - kinda in between
Skin : Better / Worse - no change really
Attitude : Happy Moody

It's all adding up to : GIRL - some things are changing like my cravings and belly so who knows!



Names I like at the moment:
       Girl: Molly, Fiona, Matilda (Mattie), Grace, Violet, Clara, Cora, Mabel, Margot
       Boy: Henry

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

16 Weeks - Baby Wilson #2


How far along: 16 weeks
Total weight gain: 3 lb.
Sleep: Hips still hurting so I'm still sitting/lounging in the early morning to take the pressure off.
Sickness: Feeling much better and eating a lot more!
Cravings: Sweets, fresh fruits, salt, and doughy gooey breads.
Make me queasy: purple onions and hummus.
General Symptoms: FATIGUE!
Miss anything: BLUE CHEESE and sandwiches.
Maternity Clothes: I've started wearing maternity shorts and pants, and have integrated a few tops back in. My belly still isn't huge so most of my stretchy favorites still fit.
Movement: A whole bunch of fluttering! And I've felt a few stronger kicks. Still can't feel much on the outside so Max is patiently waiting :)
Gender Prediction: I go back and forth but I think I'm still team girl.


16 Week Dr. Appointment Update : The heartbeat is doing great and it was moving around a lot. My blood work from last time came back normal so our changes of a terrible chromosome disease has drastically lowered. That was a great sigh of relief. They drew some more blood this time to check for spina bifida. So we're crossing our fingers!


Old Wives Tales:
Morning Sickness : No / Yes
Cravings : Salt Sweet
Chinese Calendar : Boy / Girl
Heart Beat : Low / High
Belly : Low High - kinda in between
Skin : Better / Worse - no change really
Attitude : Happy Moody

It's all adding up to : GIRL - some things are changing like my cravings and belly so who knows!



Names I like at the moment:
       Girl: Molly, Fiona, Matilda (Mattie), Grace, Hazel, Violet, Clara, Cora, Mabel, Margot
       Boy: Henry

Thursday, May 4, 2017

15 Weeks - Baby Wilson #2


* So this is a little late since I'm 16 weeks today but o'well lol. 16 week update to come tomorrow or Monday! *

How far along: 15 weeks
Total weight gain: 1 lb.
Sleep: Finally got our new mattress! It's amazing but as I get bigger sleeping gets harder no matter what. My left hip hurts around 4-5AM so I tilt the pillows up and sleep until 6AM in a reclined sitting position which helps a lot.
Sickness: Feeling better. Food still sounds "meh" most of the time but I'm gradually getting my appetite back. I'm actually starting to crave a few things.
Cravings: Sweets, fresh fruits, and salt
Make me queasy: purple onions and hummus. I'm so sad about hummus, it's my go to healthy snack but after a week of trying I just can't seem to eat it.
General Symptoms: FATIGUE!
Miss anything: BLUE CHEESE and sandwiches.
Maternity Clothes: I've started wearing maternity shorts and pants, and have integrated a few tops back in. My belly still isn't huge so most of my stretchy favorites still fit.
Movement: A whole bunch of fluttering!! I can't wait until I feel some more solid kicks.
Gender Prediction: I think it's a girl.

Old Wives Tales:
Morning Sickness : No / Yes
Cravings : Salt Sweet
Chinese Calendar : Boy / Girl
Heart Beat : Low / High
Belly : Low High - kinda in between
Skin : Better / Worse - no change really
Attitude : Happy Moody

It's all adding up to : GIRL - some things are changing like my cravings and belly so who knows!



Names I like at the moment:
       Girl: Molly, Fiona, Grace, Hazel, Violet, Clara, Cora, Mabel, Margot
       Boy: Henry

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Jack's 2nd Birthday! - Welcome Race Fans!

I can't believe my little boy is already two! Time sure does fly. I remember soaking up every little moment in our tiny hospital world, then planning his barn yard bash last year, and now planning a super fun race car birthday!


Jack loves cars more than anything else in this world so picking a theme for his birthday was super easy. I've been pinning ideas on Pinterest for months (ok maybe a year 😉) and I officially started buying them a month in advance so I knew everything would be here on time.

Of course I missed some things and I was running around like a crazed woman the day before but such is life.

My parents were in town this year which made it all that much more special and they were a great extra set of hands to help get everything ready. And the decorations came out perfectly! I was probably more excited than anyone else but after so much planning it was fun to see it all come together.

Right when you walked in the door there was a sign that read "Present Parking" and our coffee table was covered in black road play tape. This is the coolest product. It's just tape that sticks to your table or floor and is designed like a road. I was skeptical at first about it peeling the finish off our table but it sticks more like masking tape and not like duct tape so it was super furniture friendly. I HIGHLY recommend to everyone! It's also super affordable.


Then we hung a race banner and put some balloons in our arch way to the kitchen.


On the kitchen bar we put a water cooler that read "fuel station" and hung some cardboard stop lights. There was also some red, yellow, and green fruit and we hung the extra banner along the bottom just to drive home the theme 😉.


On the table we had a race flag table cloth and red, yellow, and green flat ware from the dollar store. I also hung a "Start your engines" sign that was super cute. My mom also came up with some really fun names for all the snacks we had out. The Chex mix was "Nuts and Bolts" and the Tortilla chips were "Traffic Cones".  And for a sweet treat we had rice krispies with red, yellow, and green M&Ms pushed into them to make traffic lights. God we're so adorable 😅




Then outside in our back yard was where the fun really was. We had three stations for kids to play at; though let's be honest it became one giant free for all. And I'm perfectly ok with it!

There was a "Car Wash". Which was Jack's brand spanking new water table, great present from my parents, under a nice large umbrella to keep some of that desert sun off of the kiddos.



Next was a "Speedway". I took some spare wood we had around the house and spare gray stain and had my dad stain it the night before. Then the next day when it was dry we leaned it up against our gazebo and put a bucket of cars at the top. This was the one thing I thought the kids weren't really going to use because it was so simple but it turned out to be the most used! They loved throwing, sliding, pushing, and shooting the cards down the slide. Then it grew into anything they could get their hands on. It was a huge hit! Because the kids were of such varying ages (6-2) I didn't set up prizes or scheduled play time I just let them at it and it worked perfectly.



The last area was a bean bag toss. I bought some inflatable pool floaties that were designed like tires. I bought 4 because they were supposed to go home with each kid as a party favor but at the end of the party I completely forgot. I'm sorry!!! But we had some left over bean bags from last year so I set those outside next to it. Needless to say Jack and his little friend Ellie were too small to play and the bigger kids didn't think it was much fun so the tires got used for other made up games which was way more fun to watch anyway 😊.


Other than that we setup balloons at each "station" and let the kids do what they wanted with them. The wind blew some bunches around popped them and other bunches were used as splash targets and punching bags. All perfect uses for balloons!

After some serious play time we all sat down for dinner and most importantly CAKE! We had burgers, hot dogs, Mac & Cheese and a salad, exactly what I would expect to have at a race track 😉. We ordered the cake from our local grocery store about a week before and picked it up that morning. It was perfect! It was a Disney Cars theme which is the one and only movie Jack will actually sit through, no surprise there.


We quickly made him blow out the candle and cut him a piece before he could smash the whole cake. He was skeptical about getting messy just like last year but after that first taste of frosting he was all in!




And after it was all gone he required some extensive cleaning.



But right after was present time and he couldn't have been happier with everything that he got. Of course the majority of them were car themed but even the ones that weren't he still enjoys playing with.

He's getting to be such a big boy and I'm already so excited for his next birthday and to see him as a big brother but I'm a little sad he's not my cute cuddly new born anymore.

We love you so much Jack! Happy birthday!