Henry's 10 Month Update

Weight: 19lbs

Length: 29.5"

Loves: MOM, JACK, and DAD. he simultaneously wants me to hold him, play with Jack, and for dad to make silly faces at him. So there is quite a bit of whining because of course not all 3 things can be done at once.

Hates: Still hates getting dressed or getting his diaper changed. As soon as we lay him down on the changing table he screams and tries to roll over. Toys and funny faces/sounds don't distract him anymore either so we are left just wrangling a screaming, rolling, banchee.

Milestones: He's learning to wave and kiss. The kisses are going better than waving and hey, I'm not complaining 😃. He also loves to walk with his push walker toy and follows us around everywhere. But he hasn't figured out how to turn, obviously, so when we hear crying we figure he's stuck in a corner or against a wall somewhere haha.

Sleep: STUPENDOUS! He goes down still around 7:30 and gets up around 6:00-7:00. Every once in a while he needs a little binkie help but other than that he's good.

Eating: Still eats around 4 6oz bottles a day and 3 finger food meals. At his new daycare they have added 2 snack times. He's learning to deal with different textures though he still hates pasta, but loves rice! And his favorite is still meat; chicken, ground beef, pulled pork, etc. The kid is a carnivore!

Teething: He has 6 teeth! 3 top and 3 bottom and I think another one is coming in on the top! So different than Jack. It's crazy!!

Henry's 9 Month Update

Weight: 18.1lbs - 14%

Length: 28" - 75%

Loves: Pulling up on everything! He loves to be involved with everyone and anyone. So he's constantly crawling around behind us, pulling up on the coffee table to play with Jack, and climbing and wrestling us. He always has to be going and doing!

Hates: He hates getting dressed or getting his diaper changed. He can't sit still that long! I swear he says "Come on Mom!!" So if you see a naked baby crawling or surfing around our house know I gave up that day lol.

Milestones: He pulls up on everything! He is also babbling a lot! He says Mama and Dada, though I'm not quite sure he really knows the meaning. He also says Baba around feeding time so maybe that's bottle but he loves to babble and communicate back with you. He is also VERY aware of tone and discipline. With a big brother running around we yell at Henry to put down small toys, dog food, dog fur, and other things that shouldn't go in his mouth. And that tiny head whips around and looks at you like "What Mom, I wasn't doing anything!" He's also gotten really good at sitting back down after standing up. He used to be scared about plopping down in his bottom but he seems to have gotten over that fear pretty quickly.

We're trying to teach him to point, blow kisses, and wave but we aren't quite there yet. He's also starting to walk with our fingers and his push walker. He's not very fast at it so he gets frustrated easily but we just keep trying.

Sleep: Awesome! He still goes down around 7:30 and gets up around 6. We haven't moved him to 8 with Jack yet because he still gets a bottle at bed time. Once he's off formula and eating a more regular schedule like the rest of us I hope we can do a dual bed time.

Eating: He dropped his first bottle so he now eats 4 6-8oz bottles a day and 3 puree/finger food meals. He's still really picky about textures so it's been more of a struggle than expected but we're learning. So far he loves fruit, carbs, meat, and some veggies (mostly in tot form). He hates pasta, broccoli, beans, and peas. He'll eat anything pureed so after attempting some finger foods we give him a puree to make sure he's getting all he needs. 

Teething: He got his top left tooth! So he now has three and is working on a fourth.

Henry's 8 Month Update

Weight: ~17lbs

Length: ~28.5"

Loves: Crawling! He is always on the move and he's quite the fast little army crawler. He can move through the house just as fast as the rest of us and he'll crawl right out the door if you not watching! I can't tell you how many times I grab something from the car only to turn around and find Henry half way out the door on the concrete!

Hates: He hates being held or contained. While he loves snuggles when he's sleepy he is not a fan when it's go time! He wants to play run and race with his big brother. Jack will run back and forth down the hall way and Henry is right behind him on his belly. Sometimes Jack is faster and doubles back before Henry can make it all the way and then there's a weird monkey-in-the-middle game going on and Henry gets really mad. It's all fun and games until the baby is stuck in the middle 😉

Milestones: He's just starting to pull up on things! He can do it pretty well on my legs when I sit on the floor but he hasn't really gotten into doing it with toys or furniture. He likes to stand and will take one or two steps with our hands but he's not confident at all. He'd rather jump and bob instead of walk.

Sleep: Awesome! He still goes down around 7:30 and gets up around 5:30. I'd like to move him back towards 8 like Jack but I don't know if we'll be able to do that until he's off the bottle. It's just too complicated trying to feed him and put Jack to bed. So this is working for us now.

Eating: He still eats 4-5 6-8oz bottles a day and 3 puree meals. I think he's trying to drop his first bottle and go down to 4 bottles a day but I still force him to eat some in the morning, it works better for daycare and since she's the one that has to deal with him all day I do what I can to make it easier for her. He is finally venturing into chucky foods! He hasn't liked the textures so it's been a much slower process than Jack but we're getting there! He likes strawberries, blue berries, puffs, and teething crackers. We're going to try some more vegetables and peanut butter again soon so fingers crossed!

Teething: Still only has his bottom two teeth but the tops are looking mighty swollen and he's pretty fussy so I'm hoping they pop through soon!

Henry's 7th Month Update

Weight: 16lbs 9oz

Length: 28"

Loves: MOVING! He's always on the go whether it's kicking in his car seat, squirming in his high chair, jumping in his jump-a-roo, or crawling, he's always go go go!

Hates: being strapped into anything. He can't be stationary and if he is he just grunts and screams.

Milestones: He's sitting like a pro though he still locks his knees and turns one first in for support. But the biggest thing is he's CRAWLING! I'm not surprised given how active he is but it's a little shocking since Jack didn't really start crawling until almost 9 months. He just has to keep up with big brother!

Sleep: Doing great! I do his bottle and bed time story around 7:30 and then once I lay him down it's time for Jack. They have been doing a great job sharing a room. Henry mostly sleeps through Jack's potty cries and Jack mostly sleeps through Henry's coos and head banging. Henry is ever the mover and squiggles around his crib and bangs his head on every single side and corner. Then he usually gets up around 5:30. If he just talks and coos I let them have a little brother time but when it turns into urgency I get up too.

Eating: He still eats 4-5 6-8oz bottles a day and 3 puree meals. We tried the peanut butter binkie trick and he totally loved it! We're also moving onto more chunky chewing food instead of puree's as soon as our current stock is out, probably a week or two. But we are introducing the ever loved PUFFS! I hope he does well, he still isn't great at the pincer grasp so we'll see how it goes.

Teething: He has two teeth! WHAT?! No toothless wonder here. The great thing is that he doesn't seemed bothered by it. He's chewing on everything but he's not really mad about it, which is great, however he mostly prefers Jack's hot wheels instead of all the teethers we have so we're on the hunt for some different ones. Wish us luck! 

Henry's 6 Month Update

Weight: 15lbs 7oz - 12%

Length: 27.5" - 75%

Loves: People, he's always trying to wiggle and squirm so he can see what's going on. He loves bath time and swim lessons and sitting at the table for dinner just like the rest of us. He's such a happy social baby that its kinda hard to pin point one thing 😁

Hates: being still. He can't stay still for more than a few seconds. When we lay him on the floor he immediately rolls on to his belly and gets up on all fours and attempts to move and get toys, on the changing table he's always grabbing and rolling, in his high chair he's babbling and wiggling, everywhere he is he is in constant motion. I have a feeling he's going to be a handful when he starts walking lol

Milestones: He's rolling over both directions with an abundance of confidence though he prefers to be on his belly. He's also begging to sit. He's not great at it so at his 6 month check up I asked the doctor to make sure his hips and knees are ok. When we sit him up he locks his knees and rounds his back and rolls over his hips. We're constantly telling him to sit up straight lol. But she gave him a clean bill of health and after seeing him said that he probably isn't sitting great because he can't hold still long enough to do it. He'd rather roll to the side and onto his belly and attempt crawling. So he'll get there. He might crawl before he sits but to each their own lol.

Sleep: Awesome! I give him his last bottle at 7:30 then some gentle rocking and then I lay him down in his crib. He's usually asleep by the time I bing Jack in to do bedtime stories. I was trying to put them down together but it was just too difficult so this seems to be working better. He's also pretty much given up his 4AM binkie trouble. They both wake up around 5:30 now which is terrible but our usual work wake up time so I can't blame them. One day they'll understand weekends.

Eating: He eats 4-5 6-8oz bottles a day and 3 puree meals. So far we've tried all kinds of fruits and veggies and he seems to enjoy them all except spinach, but can you blame him? So far I haven't mustered up the energy to make my own baby food this time around but there are a few I'd like to introduce to him like cauliflower but we'll see. Also this weekend we are going to start introducing peanut butter! I know it's pretty crazy but the thoughts around this in the medical community are changing and they now recommend introducing allergen foods a lot earlier. So we're going to smear a small thing layer on his binkie and let him suck on it and see how he does. I thought about smearing a little on a spoon and letting him suck on it but previously he tried to choke himself with his spoon so I'm not sure lol.

Teething: nothing yet but the drool is ever present so we're just waiting!

Henry's 5 Month Update

Weight: ~14lbs

Length: ~27"

Loves: His big brother! He's always turning and moving so he can see him. Trying to feed him while Jack is around is nearly impossible. He's either ripping my boob off as he whips his head around or letting go of the bottle while he cranes his neck. But it's so cute watching them babble and talk to each other! 💗💗💗 Rolling over. He immediately rolls to his belly as soon as he's laid down. Last night he stayed on his back for like 5min staring at me and it felt so weird! He also loves to make raspberries. It's so cute but a little annoying when I'm trying to feed him lol.

Hates: being left alone. Constantly turning his head and screaming until he can see us again.

Milestones: He still can't roll from his belly to his back. Our daycare says he does it there but we've yet to see it at home. He's learning to sit but we aren't quite there yet. He likes to roll over his hips then he falls sideways. We're constantly squaring up his shoulders over his hips to sit straight.

Sleep: Still pretty awesome! We're potty training Jack and we've gone cold turkey on diapers, at all times including bed, (that's a whole 'nother blog post 😓), so Henry's been sleeping in Max's arms while I deal with Jack. Then we lay Henry down once Jack is settled. But I'm hoping as potty training progresses we can get back to dual bed times.

But they do really well sleeping in the same room. They go down around 8:30ish and recently both have been sleeping in until 7ish! 🙌

Eating: We didn't make our goal of 6 months. Last week we introduced formula by doing half-and-half bottles. And just yesterday he was only on formula at daycare. I only nurse him first thing in the morning and right before bed. I'm not sure he gets much of anything but so far it's working for us.

At daycare he eats 3 6-7oz bottles or 18-21oz total. Today is the first day I didn't pump at work. It's bittersweet but I know I'm still doing the best for my baby.

He eats oatmeal for breakfast and then 2 4oz jars of baby food for lunch and dinner. I haven't started making food yet but I'm sure that's coming.

Teething: The drool can't stop won't stop.

Henry's 4 Month Update

Weight: 13lbs 7oz - 12%

Length: 26" - 75%

Loves: PEOPLE! He's is a super social butterfly. He would rather watch us in kitchen, watch Jack play, or simply sit on the sofa and talk to us rather than play with any of his fun baby toys. The jungle gym, which Jack lived under until he was about 8 months, has hardly been touched. If we do leave him under there he wiggles and rolls around until he can see someone and talk to them.

Hates: being left alone.

Milestones:  He can roll from his back to his belly but hasn't mastered rolling back over from his belly to back. Our daycare says he can do it but we have yet to see it. I think he fakes not knowing how to do it so we come over 😉.

Sleep: He does great! We've just started doing dual bedtime routine. We get them both dressed in PJs, then Max holds Henry while I brush Jack's teeth, then family hug and kisses, then books with mommy, then sleep. After we read books I lay Henry down in the crib completely awake. Then I pick Jack up to say goodnight and he throws a blankie over him. 💕 The first night we attempted this I picked Jack up and he quickly exclaimed "Where's Henry's blankie?!" I told him that Henry didn't have one and it was ok. But he was very distraught, being a blankie kid himself (there are roughly 9 blankies in his bed). So he ran around the house searching for one for Henry. After finding two, of course, he threw them in the crib and kissed him goodnight. My heart almost exploded.

But they do really well sleeping in the same room. They go down around 8:30ish and then Henry is usually first to get up between 5:30-6:00 followed shortly by Jack.

Eating: We are slowing down but I think we might make our goal of 6 months. When I nurse him he seems happy and content for the most part. But I'm not sure how much longer that will last. I'm hoping we can make it another week without topping him off with my frozen stash because then we can start him on cereal. And cereal after nursing should be more than enough.

At daycare he eats 3 6-7oz bottles or 18-21oz total. At work I pump 9-11oz total. One step forward two steps back. My freezer stash is slowly dwindling but I am so proud of how far we've come and how well he's growing.

Teething: Not yet but the drool is uncontrollable!

Henry's 3 Month Update

Weight: ~12lbs

Length: 24"

Loves: He loves being face to face with you and smiling and talking. This kid is such a chatter box! It's always making noise and loves to be part of any conversation. We can't leave him along for a split second before he starts fussing and feeling left out. Every night during dinner we prop him up on or next to the table so he can join in. We have attempted to leave him in his swing but that is only met with whining and fussing. He has to be part of everything. 

Hates: being ignored or left alone, he is a people person.

Milestones:  He's holding his head up better and better. We're working on floor time and rolling but he hasn't quite got the hang of it (If you've been following me on social media you know this recently changed 😉).

Sleep: He does pretty well. He usually has his last feed between 7 and 9PM. Then we finally lay him in his crib around 9 after Jack goes down. Then he sleeps until about 6AM. So anywhere from 9-11hrs. Not bad! And we have started putting him in his crib at night which means he's sharing a room with Jack 😲. He is a light sleeper though so sometimes in the middle of the night he squiggles and grunts and we have to re-binikie him but he usually goes back down pretty easy. And so far Jack has been sleeping through even the loudest of screams! #parentwin

Eating: Still going pretty well. I still have up days and down days but I try to remind myself that he is happy and content. If he starts screaming for more we can adjust but so far so good.

We aren't going to group anymore, which I am incredibly sad about. It was such a form of peace of mind. It was a real way to make sure he was doing ok and getting enough. I thought about going 1 day a month and working from home but with Jack, work, daycare, etc. it was just too much and it didn't work out. Maybe I can find a weekend group but we'll just have to see.

I'm also still rocking the pump life. At work I pump 3 times a day; 9AM, 12noon, and 3PM. I'm not pumping what he's eating but I'm not terribly far off. The night before I left for work I had 423 oz. in the freezer and I counted again recently to see what I have been able to replace from daycare and I have 423 oz. So I have been able to replace EXACTLY what he's eating and that made me feel so good!

Teething: Nope, thank god!

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.

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.

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

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.

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!