Ultrasound Update!

This past Thursday, Ryan and I went to the doctor for my 20 week ultrasound, where we learned (right away!) that we would be adding another son to our family! Chomper and I are officially outnumbered!

In addition to learning the gender of Baby Wader, we also learned that all of his organs such as his heart, kidneys, bladder, etc. are in working order, and that he does not appear to have any genetic abnormalities such as spinda bifida or a cleft pallet. This was all coming from the ultrasound tech, so my doctor still has to officially review everything, but our little guy looks great!

We did have one red flag pop up on the ultrasound, and that was the placement of my placenta. It is very low lying, almost covering my cervix, but not enough for it to be considered placenta previa. In the case of placenta previa, the placenta blocks the exit pathway, and you are required to have a c-section. The good news is that I will require an additional ultrasound in my third trimester, which is not always a guarantee!

My doctor said that 9 times out of 10, the placenta migrates further north in the uterus away from the cervix in time for delivery, but on the off chance it has instead moved lower covering my cervix, there is a slight chance that a c-section may be in order. Only time will tell! I am not too worried about it at this point, and am grateful for the opportunity to have an extra peek at Wader in a few months!

The first pic is Wader's 20 week ultrasound, and the second is Carson's 18 week ultrasound. I think there is a brotherly resemblance between the two, don't you? :)

Wader

Carson

20 Weeks - Its a BOY!

How Far Along: 20 weeks pregnant with a BABY BOY!

Baby Size: a Whoopee Cushion

Current Symptoms: I have been having a lot of lower back pain, which I am aware is quiet normal, as I also had it with Carson. But I have also been having some pretty persistent pain in my mid-upper back on the right side. Worried that it could be kidney related or something, I mentioned it at my 20 week checkup. Turns out I have “picking up a toddler too much” syndrome! The doctor stated that its really common in second pregnancies, especially if you still prop your 30 lb almost 3 year old on your hip! Needless to say, I have started to deny Carson some “uppies” which is sad! I haven’t cut them out cold turkey, but at least trying to scale back. Instead, I am offering up lots of ground level bear hugs J

What's Different: I have definitely been more lax this pregnancy when it comes to following “the rules”. I obviously am staying away from alcoholic beverages, etc. but I have drank a fair amount of coffee (at my doctor’s recommendation!) to fend off migraines, I’ve had some soda from time to time, etc. There are two things that I have been going crazy for, craving wise. All I want is spicy tuna roll and a turkey sandwich, and sushi and deli meats are supposed to be off limits. At my 20 week checkup, I asked my doctor (almost jokingly) to remind me why I can’t eat those two items. She concurred about the sushi, but told me to grab a turkey sub on my way home! She explained that as long as it was freshly sliced deli meat from a grocery store or local deli, the chances of getting listeria (a type of food poisoning) is slim to none. She did advise me to stay away from establishments such as sub shops like Subway, as they tend to let pre-sliced deli meat sit out all day. Yay for turkey sandwiches!

Carson Comments: Ryan usually picks up Carson from daycare, so I begged him to wait to tell Carson about his baby BROTHER until I got home from work. Carson seemed overall excited about the prospect of a little brother, but wanted to make sure that he could be involved in Wader’s “birthday party”. Birthday parties are a big deal around here these days! Carson has still been persistent about wanting his little brother’s name to start with a “C” just like Carson. We asked him what the name should be then, and his response was “Ca-Ca”. Clever in that it was the combination of two “C” sounds, but not clever when translated to Spanish J

Daddy Updates: Ryan says that he is thrilled at the prospect of two little boys running around our house, and that they Curtis name will live on with two boys in the family! He did want a little girl, but we both agree that two brothers are our favorite sibling combination! Ryan says he is also looking forward to feeling the baby move, which I think could be any day now, as I am consistently feeling kicks on the outside myself.

Baby Prep:  I have been a little OOC with the baby prep this week! We found it we were having a boy on Thursday and by tonight (4 days later) all of Carson’s 0-6 month clothes are washed and hung up in the nursery closet! Ryan has encouraged me to take advantage of all of the energy that I have now in my second trimester, because we both know I will slow down during the third and be much less productive!

Looking Forward To: Picking out a name now that we know we are having a boy! 

19 Weeks!

How Far Along: 19 weeks

Baby Size: a Square Tissue Box

Current Symptoms: Lots of baby kicks!  I have started to be able to feel them from the outside if my arm is lying across my stomach, etc. I doubt Ryan could feel them yet, as I imagine the combination of the inside and outside movement gives me an advantage. My headaches have started to decrease in frequency (knock on wood!) Overall my energy level continues to be wonderful. I am really enjoying my second trimester with Wader!

What's Different: I assumed that my baby bump was much bigger these days in comparison with where I was at 19 weeks with Carson. To compare, I decided to take my 19 week bump pic wearing identical outfits! Is it me or does my stomach pretty much look exactly the same? Feel free to comment! I must have popped out faster in the beginning of Wader’s pregnancy, but have slowed down a bit! I was also sad to have to remove my wedding rings this week L I felt like it was much sooner than when I had to take them off with Carson however; I checked back on by baby blog, and it was the same exact week! So maybe the theme of this week is consistency instead of differences!

Carson - 19 weeks

Wader - 19 weeks

Carson Comments: Carson references Baby Wader all of the time! Just the other day he brought home his pull ups from daycare as he has consistently been dry at naptime, and wanted to put them away for Wader. He asks if Wader can come out RIGHT NOW to play. He mentions Wader during dinnertime and bedtime prayers. This evening he asked if when Wader was done growing, would he be “THIS BIG?!” with his arms spread out as far as he could get them.  He has also begun to ask how Wader is going to come out. We’ve explained that Mommy and Daddy will go to the hospital when Wader is ready to come out so that a Doctor can help. Carson then asked if he could help too! Oh boy… It has occurred to Ryan and me that eventually this baby is not going to be named Wader…how would Carson handle that? On the way home from school today, I chatted with Carson about how soon we would know if Wader is a boy or a girl, and then we would pick a boy or girl name for Wader. He immediately got very excited, and asked if Wader could have a name that starts with “C” just like Carson! This made me smile with satisfaction, as I am a big fan of the C Curtis name pattern! Now if we can get Daddy on board…

Daddy Updates: Ryan says he is psyched to find out the gender this week! At least he hopes…Carson was shy at this ultrasound, and we walked away with no answer! Ryan believes it is a girl, I think it is a boy…what do you think?

Baby Prep:  Probably the only baby prep activity I did this week was buy baby friendly laundry detergent….can’t wait to start washing and putting away baby boy or girl clothes!!!

Looking Forward To: Aside from the obvious gender revelation, I am excited to be half way done as of this Friday!!! 20 weeks, here I come!

Story Land!

Last weekend, The Curtis and Williams families went to Story Land in Glen, NH! We had a blast! The premise of the theme park is somewhat of a generic Disneyland, touching on fairy-tale characters such as Cinderella, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Little Miss Muffet, Old Mother Hubbard, Humpty Dumpty...the list goes on!

I think three years old (or just about) was the perfect age to go! All of the rides and attractions were age appropriate, nothing was scary, everything was magical....we had a blast! The oldest child there was probably around 8 or 10, so the park was filled with many other young excited families.

Some of Carson and Dean's favorite attractions were the train ride, the pirate ship boat ride, the safari tractor ride, driving old fashioned cars, and anything to do with pumpkins! Here are some cute shots of all of the magical fun that was had!

Along came a spider and sat down beside...Carson and Daddy!

Dean the car driver

Slow and steady wins the race...

 

Happy family waiting for the Choo Choo Train!

One of many train rides...All Aboard!

  

Sometimes the simplest/safest rides are the most fun! (Says Daddy Slade!)

Flying with Mama Dean!

Very serious flying business...

Most handsome coachmen that I have ever seen! 

Is it almost midnight?

Riding in a pumpkin stagecoach to Cinderella's Castle!

Ahoy, Me Hearties! 

Captain Carsonbeard

We're going on a bear hunt... 

Found an elephant on our safari! Note the elephant noise making...

Fun was had by all, can't wait to go back next year!

18 Weeks!

How Far Along: 18 weeks

Baby Size: a Pint of Ben &  Jerry’s Ice Cream

Current Symptoms: Round ligament pain and overall feeling of being stretched has definitely consumed my belly this past week! At this stage, Wader is practically doubling in size every week, so stretching ligaments and skin makes total sense! Belly button has started to flatten out, and the “Linea Nigra” has appeared on my lower stomach.  I also have been feeling a fair amount of Braxton Hicks contractions, which started post belly bee sting a few weeks ago.

What's Different: The way my current maternity clothes collection has lined up with seasons/trimesters! With Carson, my first trimester was in the Spring, second and beginning of third in the Summer, with the final weeks of my pregnancy in the Fall. With Wader, my first trimester was mostly in the summer, second trimester beginning in late summer and then Fall, with my third trimester being definitely in the winter, as my due date is in mid-February.  This has posed a bit of a problem with my fashion options!  I barely was able to wear half of my summer pregnancy apparel and fear I may be a bit short on warm maternity clothing for the Fall and Winter! I do have some cute colder weather items that I never got to wear with Carson since I rounded out my pregnancy on bed rest (PJ pants and Ryan’s tee-shirts were my daily bed rest wardrobe!) Special thanks to Stephanie, Angela, and Nicole for helping me round out my seasonal maternity attire.

Carson Comments: I always hoped that my children would be around 2 years apart, just like my sister and me.  I quickly learned that I pretty much have zero control over pregnancy spacing, and have come to terms with the 3 ¼ years that will exist between Carson and Wader. While grappling with this knowledge, as well as watching some of my close mommy friends juggle 2 year olds and infants, I am learning to appreciate the silver linings of a larger age gap:

1. Only one kid at a time in diapers! Carson is officially potty trained! It was quite the process, and I am glad I did not have to go through it with a young infant around. And talk about saving $$$ on diapers!

2. Speaking of saving $$$, we will have less overlap in daycare costs! Carson will move on to Kindergarten when Wader is around 2 and a half years old.

 3. Carson for the most part cognitively grasps that he is going to be a big brother, and that there is a baby in Mommy’s belly. For example, he found an old tube of diaper cream and handed it to me saying, “I don’t need this because I don’t wear diapers anymore, lets save it for Baby Wader”. Brilliant Child! J

Daddy Updates: Ryan had a great time this past weekend with Carson at Story Land in Glen, NH. Stay tuned for an exclusive Story Land post with pictures included! He can’t wait to go back sometime with Wader. Ryan says that he feels like we have not done much to prepare for Wader so far. I reminded him that we pretty much have all the baby gear we need, potentially enough clothes depending on the gender outcome, and don’t need to take childbirth classes this time around. We will most likely sign Carson up for a “Siblings Class” at our hospital in early 2014. We do need to re-assemble the crib as it is currently in toddler bed form. I am sure we will find plenty of projects to do before February!  

Baby Prep:  Grammy officially has a plan ticket for February 11^th! With Carson, I had an induction date a month in advance so it was easy to plan long distance travel. This time we hope we will be able to go into labor naturally, but that makes things more difficult for out of town support! The good thing about Southwest Airlines is that is pretty easy to change tickets last minute, especially with a Senior Fair J Grammy is excited to stay with Carson while we are in the hospital, if she makes it here on time! After Grammy leaves, Mom Mom and Aunt Deedle plan to come and visit the newest member of the family as well! We will see how it all plays out…

Looking Forward To: Our gender ultrasound! 10 more days to go! I have been encouraging Wader not to have the umbilical cord between his/her legs like Carson did…how disappointed were we to leave that ultrasound last time with no answer!? I am excited to break out the bins upon bins of boy baby clothes to either wash and start to put away in the nursery closet, or consign for some girly items! 

17 Weeks

How Far Along: 17 weeks

Baby Size: Toilet Paper Roll

Current Symptoms: HUNGER! For the first 16 weeks, when it was time to eat, my hunger intensity was definitely high –“ I need to eat and I need to eat NOW!” At week 17, I am just hungry all the time! Doesn't matter if I ate a half an hour ago! I am currently craving carrots which I guess is not the worst food to crave. This prompted me to make a pot roast for dinner this week, yum! Another symptom I am finally feeling in full force is EXCITEMENT! For so long into this pregnancy, Ryan and I were in denial that everything was going ok, and that this was going to be a successful pregnancy. Now that I am well into my second trimester and Wader seems to be doing great, we found that we are still having a hard time getting excited, as we had conditioned ourselves to stay calm for so long. After celebrating one of my best friends at her baby shower this weekend, I think I am finally letting myself get EXCITED about this baby! And it feels great! J

What's Different: I think I have started to gain some weight, after actually losing some in the first trimester. This seems to be the same pattern that I had with Carson (losing first, then gaining in second trimester). The difference seems to be that I am just gaining weight in my belly thus far! I know this may eventually change, but maternity pants that were borderline too tight on me with Carson seem almost baggy with Wader. This is especially exciting since my pre-pregnancy weight with Wader was about 10 pounds more than with Carson.  When we compare gestational blog pictures, my belly is definitely bigger at 17 weeks….but the rest of me is not. Teenier during my second pregnancy? This girl isn’t complaining!

Carson Comments: Carson’s daycare was closed for a day of community service today, so Carson and I took advantage of the rare 90 degree September weather and hit the beach with a bunch of other moms! We carpooled with Carson’s good friend Zoey, and her baby Brother, Grady. Carson was such a great helper with 8 month old Grady! He alerted us when Grady was eating sand, stealing a banana peel, crawling too far away on the beach…something tells me that Wader is not going to get away with much when eagle eyed Big Brother Carson is around! Carson also did an excellent job of entertaining Grady while we unloaded the car by rocking his car seat and singing him songs! Grady giggled with delight!

Daddy Updates: For the last 2 years, I have served as the Secretary of the Board for Carson’s cooperative daycare. As I am due with Wader shortly after the next Board term starts, and I am feeling like it might be too much on my plate to continue with the role. Ryan has always expressed interest in also being a Board member, so we have decided to switch places! Ryan will be joining the Board as Secretary for the Wader’s first school year! He is very excited for this opportunity.

Baby Prep: This week I have focused a little bit on what work might be like after Wader. How much time can I afford to take off, since I won’t have any paid leave? Should I continue to maintain my practice in both offices or simplify down to just one? We aren’t sure if there will be a daycare spot immediately available when we need it, so do I go back to work part time to start or find alternative daycare options? I haven’t made any concrete decisions yet, but so much to think about now that I am my own boss!

Looking Forward To: Fall weather! I thought we were starting to wind down into cooler weather, but this week, especially today, was crazy hot! I actually broke down and took the ring off my right hand after spending the day at the beach…as my ring finger started to turn purple! At least I still have my wedding rings on…

16 Weeks

How Far Along: 16 weeks

Baby Size: Blackberry Phone

Current Symptoms: Lots of baby kicks! Definitely feeling things all the time, especially after eating chili! I have some pretty intense acid reflux when I am NOT pregnant, due to post gallbladder removal symptoms…and it was pretty bad during my first trimester when I had some morning sickness however; I am feeling great right now, best I have felt in the last few years in the reflux department! I am guessing that is not going to last forever as my belly continues to grow…also still battling some nasty migraines, about twice a week. My doc says that some women often find relief after the 16^th week…maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel!

What's Different: Our pregnancy sensitivity and empathy is definitely different this time around J It was all exciting and new when I was pregnant with Carson, but this time around it is very much “been there, done that, now get over it!” All of my other second time mom friends concur that pregnancy the second time around is not as glamorous as the first, particularly in the husband department! I sometimes have to remind Ryan that I need a break once in a while. I think my growing stomach is serving as an excellent reminder as well! To be fair, Ryan has really stepped it up and become Mr. Mom these days as he is in charge of daycare pick up and starting dinner due to my later work schedule. Regardless, I wouldn’t trade him for the world, and am grateful to have him as my parenting partner!

Carson Comments: Carson is usually asleep by the time I take my bump pictures. This week before our last beach trip of the summer we squeezed in a quick photo op, and Carson was very intrigued! He insisted on taking his own set of bump pics before the shoot was over! See pic below, adorable! We were doing some back to school shopping this week, and Carson found a shirt that he liked and I told him that we could buy it. Carson’s response was “Well if I get a new shirt, then Wader should get a new shirt too!” He picked out a fire truck pj set which Ryan insists will be OK for a boy or a girl J

Daddy Updates: Ryan has been doing a lot of bonding with 3 month old Audrey, our friend’s Stephanie and Slade’s baby girl. Ryan secretly thinks we are having a girl, so I think he feels a special connection! (For the record, I think Wader is a boy!) He loves to hold her and rock her and cuddle with her, and boy does she flirt right back at him! He constantly says things like “I don’t remember babies being this small!” or “She’s so fragile!” I think we are so used to having a toddler these days that an infant may throw us for a loop after all!

Baby Prep: I haven’t done much baby prep for Wader this week because I am super excited to co-host a baby shower for my friend Anna this upcoming weekend! Most of my focus has been preparing to celebrate her little girl that is due in November! Can’t wait!

Looking Forward To: Attending Anna’s shower with at least 4 of my college friends (or spouses) who are also pregnant! We definitely will have to take a group picture! Ryan and I were the first of our group of college friends to have kids, so we are excited that other people are joining us in parenthood! (Much to our friend Eric’s dismay!) J