24 Weeks!

How Far Along: 24 weeks

Baby Size: Baseball Mitt for one more week, GO RED SOX!

Current Symptoms: Slowing down…I think my energy level has started to plateau…or maybe I have just been running around like a crazy person this last week, so I feel more tired. Or maybe its my cold. Celebrating Carson’s birthday in addition to a fun visit with Grampa Moose tuckered me out!  I wouldn't call it exhausted, but definitely not the burst I have been used to the last few months. As I get bigger, I find myself moving more slowly up and down stairs, down the hall to my office, etc. I even had a client tell me that I look like I am walking differently….thanks?

What's Different: The timing of this pregnancy and Halloween! Last time around…Carson was born 5 days before Halloween, and I was smack in the middle of a major medical issue involving my gallbladder, which forbid me to consume anything remotely tasty, including candy! This year is a whole different story. We had a fairly large bowl of candy sitting out at Carson’s birthday party, some of which was consumed by guests…most of which has been consumed by this mama since the party…to the point where I had to go buy more Halloween Candy! I think I better slow down before my glucose test in a few weeks! Can you say recipe for gestational diabetes?

Carson Comments: It’s pretty cute how Carson acts like Wader is already here and a party of the family. He wanted to make sure that Wader was coming to his birthday party, wants Wader to be a “baa baa black sheep” for Halloween, and wants to know what Wader wants from Santa for Christmas. He has been quiet attentive to his baby doll whom he affectionately refers to as “Scooper” (not to be confused with Cooper, which was one of our top name favorites). He enjoys putting newborn size diapers on his doll and is constantly taking off the dolls clothes, stating that Scooper has had an accident and needs a new diaper and outfit! Play mirroring life perhaps?

Daddy Updates:  We have finally settled on a name! It was quite the grueling process! When we were picking names for Carson, this name ended up being our second choice. For this reason, Ryan wanted to toss it out as an option for Wader…if it wasn't good enough for kiddo #1, then it wasn't good enough for kiddo #2! So Ryan dove into the 100,000 baby names book and created a list. I read over the social security’s top 1000 baby names from 2012 and came up with a list of my own. My only stipulation was that I did not want a name in the top 50. (Cooper, btw, was ranked 48 in the state of NH in 2012, that helped us narrow down!). We cross referenced our name lists, and created a top 10 in no particular order. Then we ranked the ten names by our combined preference, and knocked off the bottom 5, believing that they would never beat out the top 5. For the last month or so, we have been trying out the top five names to see what feels right. Eventually, we kept referring to the same two names over and over and eventually just the one! And after all that effort, it turned out to be the same name we almost used for Carson….at the end of the day, I guess we re-affirmed that we truly love the name! We plan on sharing it with our families when we visit them in a few weeks over Thanksgiving, and then we promise to make a blog announcement! Anyway, the reason this is Daddy related is because I knew the name was officially our choice when Ryan was searching for email address options this morning J

Baby Prep:  I have started to make a list on our fridge of “essential baby items” that we will need to acquire by the time that Wader arrives.  We have more than enough baby boy clothes thanks to Carson, so the list is comprised of “boring” things such as diapers, crib sheets for daycare, new nipples for bottles, nursing pads, gas drops, diaper cream, really exciting stuff J We figure if we purchase one or two things each week, we will spread out the list of items between now and February. My friend Kristi has inspired me to do a little couponing. I have a pro bono client that I see that essentially pays me in Sunday papers…free coupons…score! Whenever there is a baby product coupon, I definitely clip it out. We have a decent stock up of diapers thanks to coupons, as well as left overs that friends have passed along when their babies have grown out of various sizes.  I do admit that I have had to use a lot of self-discipline to not go nuts buying more baby boy clothes! I only allow myself to grab an outfit if it is from a consignment shop using store credit. Luckily, I am going to a baby shower this weekend for a little boy, and was able to go on a great shopping spree to satisfy my shopping needs! Watch out Erin, lots of baby boy clothes coming your way!

Wader's current wardrobe

Looking Forward To: Meeting baby Adina Rose Freiman over Thanksgiving! She was born at 38 weeks via C-section the day before Carson’s birthday!  Anna and David Freiman have been dear friends of ours for years and we have shared many milestones together such as graduating college, getting engaged, married, and now parenthood!  Adina and Wader will be in the same grade, and we hope they will be great friends! Anna and I already have plans for summer vacation visits and pen pals! Congrats to Anna and David!

Anna and her daughter, Adina!

P.S. Special shout out to my sister, Dr. Kristen Brewer, who started her first physical therapy job this week following her graduation from med school! 

Aunt Kris!

P.P.S. Carson birthday party pictures coming soon! It was a blast! 

23 Weeks!

How Far Along: 23 weeks

Baby Size: Baseball Mitt for two more weeks

Current Symptoms: HUNGER! I have been absolutely starving! I am eating huge breakfasts, and I am not a breakfast person. Lunch and dinner are equally as large. I bring 4+ snacks to work with me each day and eat them all. I eat a snack around 10:30 PM before bed and without fail, I wake up around 2 or 3 AM starving again! I also supplement by drinking very large glasses of chocolate milk when I feel like I need a break from eating… sometimes I worry that I may be eating too much….but my weight gain continues to be steady, so Wader must just be craving the extra calories! I don’t ever remember being this hungry with Carson…

What's Different: My activity level compared to my energy level. With Carson’s pregnancy I felt pretty sluggish throughout my second trimester which turned out to be linked to Anemia. But that didn't stop me from getting things done….painting the nursery, putting together furniture, helping Ryan with some landscaping, going on dog walks, etc. This time around, I feel like I have all the energy in the world during my second trimester, yet I find myself fairly crampy by the end of the day, especially if I have been on my feet a lot. I ran this by my obgyn today at a checkup, and she said due to my low lying placenta and “moderately high risk” labeling due to fertility issues, that I should avoid cramping at all costs. She basically said “If walking around the grocery store makes you crampy after a long day, then you need to skip the grocery shopping”. Sounds like my body is telling me that even though I have a high level of energy, it doesn't mean I should take advantage of it all the time!

Carson Comments: Ryan and I have boiled our list down to two names, one of which we think we have settled on, and one of which Carson insists he has settled on, and they are not the same. He has been going around to everyone at his preschool telling them his version of Wader’s potential name (which by the way is no longer “Tree”!) When we attempt to redirect him to our name preference, he gets very flustered! For this reason alone, we cannot concretely decide which name to go with! We are leaning towards going with our instincts, in hopes that Carson will eventually come around. And let’s be honest, he could change his mind next week, and want to name the baby “Oatmeal” or something! To attempt to pacify him, we found a baby doll that he has thus far rejected as part of his stuffed animal collection. We affectionately told him he could name this baby his name choice, and he seemed to buy it! He snuggled up with his baby doll at bedtime and informed us that he was the baby’s Daddy. We’ll see how long this lasts!

Daddy Updates: Ryan says he is super excited because he finally felt the baby kick! We checked back on Carson’s blog and noted that he first felt Carson as of 21 weeks. With Wader, it was 23 weeks. I have a theory regarding the disparity between dates. With Carson, Ryan was intensely interested in things like feeling the baby move, putting large headphones on my belly and playing DJ to see what genre of music made Carson move, etc. With this pregnancy, instead of playing with the baby in utero, he plays with Carson from the minute they get home after work! He is very busy being super attentive to the kiddo we already have, which is amazing. I think he also has less patience to sit and wait to feel something he already has felt with Carson. He used to sit during an entire TV show with his hand on my belly just waiting….but with Wader, after 30 seconds he is like “eh, I’ll try again later”. A few nights back, Wader was moving around like a crazy man. I told Ryan to put his hand on a very specific location, and right away he felt a kick! And then another! He was thrilled! I think part of us is also still cautious of attaching to this little guy until he has reached a certain level of viability, but feeling baby kicks makes it that much more real!

Baby Prep:  We have been trying to think more about our birthing game plan. Not so much what will actually happen at the hospital, but more like….what will we do with Carson? The current game plan is to hope that Grammy will be here in time to keep Carson occupied. We have already started talking to Carson about coming to visit us at the hospital with Grammy, and he seems very excited. And if Grammy is not here in time, I am sure Carson wouldn't mind hanging with his buddy, Dean! But last night, Ryan asked….what will we do with Chomper? Good question!! When we had a planned induction, it was very simple to proactively make plans for our furbaby! But what if my water breaks at 2 AM, and Grammy is not here yet? We’ll have to think more about our Chomper plan! Stay tuned...

Just a quick update regarding my low lying placenta situation…I got clarification from my doctor today about just how low lying it is. She said that anything less than 2 cm away from your cervix is considered low lying, and needs to be monitored. Mine measured 1.7 cm away from my cervix at my 20 week ultrasound. We've scheduled another ultrasound for 28 weeks to see if it has moved pastbeyond the 2 cm mark. If it hasn't, they will repeat the ultrasound at 32 weeks. If after 32 weeks it still hasn't moved, then we will get a one way ticket to a c-section! My doctor seems to think that moving .3 cm between now and 32 weeks will be a non-issue, so I am not that worried about it. The silver lining of the situation is that a c-section would be a planned delivery, so we could get Grammy here in time! (unless I went super early?) This would solve our Carson and Chomper issues all together!

Looking Forward To: I think Ryan and I both agree that reaching “viability” in a pregnancy is a HUGE thing we are looking forward to. In today’s advanced medical field, a baby has a decent chance of survival if delivered after 24 weeks, but with some possible long term complications. Babies delivered after 28 weeks tend to have an excellent chance of survival with limited long term complications. So completing next week and then the next month is a pretty huge thing we are looking forward to! 

22 Weeks!

How Far Along: 22 weeks

Baby Size: a Baseball Mitt

Current Symptoms: My cravings for red sauce based food items has really kicked up a notch….still with limited reflux issues. Here is my current list…it is quite the spectrum of meal items! Spaghettio’s, Chef Boyardee Ravioli, tomato soup, paneer marsala (yummy Indian!), spaghetti (with or without meatballs), lasagna, chicken/eggplant parm, meatball subs….have any fun recipes to add to my list? This is new territory for me, as I am not at all a “red sauce” connoisseur!

What's Different: Time of year has been an interesting change for this pregnancy. My third trimester with Carson was for the most part over the summer and a little into the Fall. With Wader, my third trimester kicks off with Thanksgiving, ending sometime around Valentine’s Day! Carson’s birthday is a month before Thanksgiving, adding to a busy Fall. Usually people report feeling like their third trimester drags on…I am fearful that mine might go by too fast!! Historically the time between Carson’s birthday and New Years Day is a bit of a black hole, between the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, traveling, etc. Once 2014 hits, we will only have 6 weeks give or take before this little guy makes his debut!

Carson Comments: We continue to kick around about 4 names that we really like, and recently decided to run some of them by Carson to see what he thinks. We thought we could present them in pairs and see which one he picks, and then pair the last two names together, kind of tournament style! Well…Carson seems to think that he is quite the funny man! Every time we present a pair of names, he answers “no, the baby’s name is “tree!” followed by maniacal laughter. We can’t get a straight answer from him either way! We have explained that in no way will “tree” ever be an option…

Daddy Updates: Ryan says that although the government shutdown is unfortunate, he has been taking advantage as much as possible of his free time at home since his company is at a standstill with the National Archives being closed. So far he has fixed our French door handles, repaired the well pump cover in our back yard, oiled up our squeaky garage doors, installed a new doorbell on the house, and most impressively built new composite front steps! So productive! Ryan says that this time off has also allowed him to focus on baby names…he has suggested that we pick a different name of the four each day, and give them a test run rather than using “Wader”. So far one name keeps popping up more than others… J

Baby Prep:  I took Columbus Day off yesterday since we were able to still send Carson to daycare. Ryan and I did a bunch of projects around the house in the morning before spending the rest of the day together.  When we prepared the nursery for Carson, we had his crib in the room along with a double bed, so that it could be used as a second guest room when necessary. Now Carson has his own twin size big boy bed where the double used to be. I spent yesterday morning reassembling the crib so that it is no longer in “toddler friendly” form, with the mattress raised to its highest level. Carson found it amusing when he went to bed last night, because “Wader won’t be able to get out of his bed!”  We didn’t have the heart to tell him that that was the whole point of a crib! We have also moved the double bed down to our guest bedroom, so now there is a queen and a double in one room, hotel style! This will definitely come in handy when all of our family comes to meet the new baby!

Looking Forward To: Carson’s 3^rd birthday! Grampa Moose is able to make a last minute appearance due to an overlapping business trip in the area. It will be fun to have one last huge celebration for our kiddo before his little brother takes over our world for a while! We are planning a Halloween themed dance party for him with some of his closest buddies. 

21 Weeks and counting!

Black is slimming! ;)

How Far Along: 21 weeks

Baby Size: an 80’s fanny pack (really??)

Current Symptoms: The symptoms theme of this week is lack of symptoms! Earlier in my pregnancy, I would have been worried about symptoms disappearing, but Wader likes to move constantly to remind me that he is very much ok! I think I have gone at least two weeks without a headache…whooo hooo! My acid reflux, which has been an issue essentially since I was pregnant with Carson, followed by the removal of my gallbladder, is the best it has been in probably 3 years! Oddly enough I have also been craving very heavy acid inducing foods such as tomato soup, lasagna, etc. and don’t even need to pop a Zantac! I still have really great energy, and can’t say enough about how much I am enjoying this second trimester.

What's Different: Weight gain has been different this time around. With Carson, I did not gain a single pound until after 20 weeks. I then gained 28 pounds total from 21 weeks until 34 which is not necessarily ideal. Medical professionals believe that rapid weight gain is a common trigger for gallbladder issues during pregnancy. Its not often that people gain 28 pounds in 3 months! I am not sure why I gained weight the way I did…I ate plenty and didn't have any morning sickness with Carson. With this pregnancy, I started off with no gallbladder, so that was a plus! I did have a decent amount of morning sickness, but still have managed to steadily gain weight each week at a healthy speed. So far I am up about 10 pounds. The goal is somewhere between 25 to 35 pounds by 40 weeks. I am pleased with my healthy pace this time around!

Carson Comments: Carson has taken a break from his focus on becoming a big brother this week, because he started PRESCHOOL! This has been a super exciting milestone for him, and so far he has transitioned fabulously. He loves is new teachers, is very pleased to be learning about letters and the sounds that they make, and is grateful to be back in the same classroom as some of his favorite buddies. We have heard from his teachers that he has alerted them to the baby in Mommy’s belly a few times in conversation! So proud of our big brother!

Daddy Updates: Ryan has been consumed with Baby Names!! He has been reading the baby name books during every moment of free time, creating quite the list. I have created a list as well, and we have cross referenced our list, boiling it down to 4 names that we are currently contemplating. Ryan is a master analyzer and thoroughly exploring which name might be best fit for our little guy! I am feeling content with any of the 4 names, and it changes each day as to which one is on the top of my list. We shall see how this all plays out!

Baby Prep:  Baby prep has reached a new level this week as well, as Ryan is on an unofficial furlough! Ryan works for a company that does research out of the National Archives, which is a federal building and has been closed due to the government shut down. Without a place to conduct research…there was only so much “catch up work” Ryan could do at his office. With lack of activities to keep him busy, his boss was gracious enough to send him home as of today, with the understanding that Ryan is to be checking email throughout the day and responding to clients accordingly. This has paved way for Ryan to tackle a bunch of projects around the house – things that we want to get done before the baby comes! Although grateful for this opportunity, as well as the support from his employer, let’s hope he is able to get back to work soon!  

Looking Forward To: I am looking forward to a three day weekend! I did not schedule any clients for Monday (Columbus Day) and Ryan has that day off as well (not counting the fact that he is on furlough!) We hope to take advantage of open daycare that day and have a grown up day, just the two of us! Since Carson’s birthday (October), Thanksgiving/Hanukkah (November), Christmas (December), and New Years (January) bring us right up to when the baby is due, we figure this might be the closest thing to a “babymoon” that we can squeeze in! Looking forward to spending some time with my hubby! 

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…