We can't wait to meet you!
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
29 weeks!
Hello Trimester 3! It's hard to believe it's already here and that I am in the home stretch of things. This school year has flown by and April is just around the corner. As much as we have started to get things for Baby, I am also realizing how much we haven't done. Newborn clothes, towels, pacifiers.... Time to get on it! I've been lucky to acquire some of the "big" things already, but I need the day to day supplies for sure. My mom and dad will bring all of the 0-3 months things we saved from Aberly when they come in April (flying in right at my due date), but if Baby Girl comes early, she won't have much at all.
I spent some time this afternoon reading through the first year of my blog. It's weird to read our feelings as new parents and all the things we anticipated, experienced, and how we viewed it all. It's definitely different with your second and I'm curious to see how things will go this time. I know it will be very different with a 3-1/2 year old! As excited as Aberly is and I know she will want to be a big helper, I know she is going to struggle with the change and lack of attention for awhile. She is not a "solo player" now and is constantly asking us if we want to play in her playroom with her. I'm not quite sure how she'll handle many more "no's" about playing with her when Emalyn is up and needing our attention.
As for me, I am feeling pretty good still, but the heartburn has increased and I know with a few more weeks of growth, the physical discomfort will probably settle in. Here is my week 28 belly. When comparing it to my belly at week 28 with Aberly, I'm actually really similar in size. Just a tad bigger. Amazing how my body has treated the pregnancies so similarly.
Pregnant with Aberly This pregnancy
I spent some time this afternoon reading through the first year of my blog. It's weird to read our feelings as new parents and all the things we anticipated, experienced, and how we viewed it all. It's definitely different with your second and I'm curious to see how things will go this time. I know it will be very different with a 3-1/2 year old! As excited as Aberly is and I know she will want to be a big helper, I know she is going to struggle with the change and lack of attention for awhile. She is not a "solo player" now and is constantly asking us if we want to play in her playroom with her. I'm not quite sure how she'll handle many more "no's" about playing with her when Emalyn is up and needing our attention.
As for me, I am feeling pretty good still, but the heartburn has increased and I know with a few more weeks of growth, the physical discomfort will probably settle in. Here is my week 28 belly. When comparing it to my belly at week 28 with Aberly, I'm actually really similar in size. Just a tad bigger. Amazing how my body has treated the pregnancies so similarly.
Pregnant with Aberly This pregnancy
Monday, January 21, 2013
Hobbies and Colin's new "drug of choice"
When you become a parent, unless you are diligent and have accommodating children (when does that happen?), your hobbies and interests slowly fade away. Between demanding babies/toddlers, chores, store runs, feedings, and the like, time for "fun" becomes slim to none. Hobbies wait on the backburner, hoping for their once-in-a-blue-moon chance for action. Colin will also tell you marriage and parenthood tends to be a killer for keeping up with music and bands, but that is another story.
Once your kids hit a certain age though, 3+ seems to be pretty good, it becomes easier to find time for things again. No longer do you feel abandoned and hold it against your spouse when they leave you alone with your child for part of the day. If you are lucky, you have a mutual hobby or at least can do some of the things together. Colin and I don't really have mutual hobbies (wine tasting is about the only one and vineyards and good wine isn't synonymous with Oman) so we hope to find things we can still do together as a family, or at least give each other time here or there to pursue our interests (P.S. Mine is time to relax with a pedicure at the moment).
Colin loves outdoor activities and would ideally be out backpacking or hiking each weekend. He recently discovered his new drug of choice, which is rock climbing. One trip out with a group of friends here and I found us buying new rock climbing shoes while in Dubai, and he has acquired a few hand-me-down supplies for the rest. He is already looking at supplies to buy when home this summer with the gift card from his dad.
Although I am not as interested in this hobby (and being 7 months pregnant prevents me from finding out if I would be at the moment), I do find it a good opportunity to get out as a family since some of the locations here are in beautiful areas outside of town. Last weekend, we made it a family outing with our friends, Dan and Laura, and their two kids, Finn and Isla (Aberly's bestie). After a somewhat tense hike along a rocky hillside with two 3-year olds (by the way, they did great) to get to the dry river bed canyon, the kids played while I watched and explored the canyon floor and Colin, Dan, and Laura climbed. We had a great time, besides Aberly being a bit grumpy and tired at the end, and I hope it's something we can continue doing together as a family (Sadly, with Baby Girl arriving in a few months, Colin's new hobby may have to go on the backburner again for just awhile, but we hope she will be an easy baby and up for adventure!).
Once your kids hit a certain age though, 3+ seems to be pretty good, it becomes easier to find time for things again. No longer do you feel abandoned and hold it against your spouse when they leave you alone with your child for part of the day. If you are lucky, you have a mutual hobby or at least can do some of the things together. Colin and I don't really have mutual hobbies (wine tasting is about the only one and vineyards and good wine isn't synonymous with Oman) so we hope to find things we can still do together as a family, or at least give each other time here or there to pursue our interests (P.S. Mine is time to relax with a pedicure at the moment).
Colin loves outdoor activities and would ideally be out backpacking or hiking each weekend. He recently discovered his new drug of choice, which is rock climbing. One trip out with a group of friends here and I found us buying new rock climbing shoes while in Dubai, and he has acquired a few hand-me-down supplies for the rest. He is already looking at supplies to buy when home this summer with the gift card from his dad.
Although I am not as interested in this hobby (and being 7 months pregnant prevents me from finding out if I would be at the moment), I do find it a good opportunity to get out as a family since some of the locations here are in beautiful areas outside of town. Last weekend, we made it a family outing with our friends, Dan and Laura, and their two kids, Finn and Isla (Aberly's bestie). After a somewhat tense hike along a rocky hillside with two 3-year olds (by the way, they did great) to get to the dry river bed canyon, the kids played while I watched and explored the canyon floor and Colin, Dan, and Laura climbed. We had a great time, besides Aberly being a bit grumpy and tired at the end, and I hope it's something we can continue doing together as a family (Sadly, with Baby Girl arriving in a few months, Colin's new hobby may have to go on the backburner again for just awhile, but we hope she will be an easy baby and up for adventure!).
The dry canyon we were in. Someone commented to me how this looked like "snake country" to them. I realized I wasn't sure about Oman's "snake population" and curious how many snakes are in the area. Turns out while there are some vipers in Oman, most snakes are harmless here and snake bites reported each year are between 100-200. The deadliest snake here in the Sea Snake. Thrilling.
The kids playing and digging in the pebbles. Finn did some climbing on the rock walls, but the rest of the time they enjoyed climbing on the big boulders.
Snacks!
Colin makes his way up.
Aberly's "rock climbing"
Another couple views of the canyon
Aberly and Isla looking cute as usual.
The glowing pregnant lady holding down the fort at the bottom. It was cold in the canyon since the sun couldn't make it over the cliff walls, if you are wondering, which is why I am wearing Colin's pullover. And no, I didn't forget my pullover, my stomach is big enough now that mine don't fit. Sigh.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Pregnancy update
I consider myself very lucky because this pregnancy has gone very smoothly. Aberly's was too, but you never know how each one will go.
I definitely get more tired and physically drained this time around, and I have have no doubt I have a certain 3-year old to thank for that. She is busy, busy, busy and I don't get to sit as much as I did before. During the 1st trimester I found myself napping and practically passing out at 8:00 PM, which did not happen with Aberly. Really, I wanted to say, only three years difference and my body has changed that much that growing a baby this time around is that much more exhausting??? I did have some nausea, but that was fairly minor and was quickly quelled by a snack or meal.
Since then, I've mainly found that the pregnancy-related issues I had with Aberly are the same with this pregnancy, except that they have started earlier, instead of showing up during the last trimester.
1. Heartburn- This is by far, my least favorite pregnancy issue. If you know me, you know that I am an eater, I love great food, and I can eat a lot. I swear, a few weeks into trimester 2 (and baby was not very big yet and shouldn't be affecting my stomach space much) and I was having to prop myself up with pillows at night and down a Tums before going to bed. Eating smaller portions for me in like torture!
2. Varicose veins- Aberly left me with the gift of a small varicose vein on the back side of my right knee. It showed up during the last trimester but didn't cause me any problems, and it pretty much went away after she was born. I had pretty much forgotten about it until again, a few weeks into trimester 2, it bulged out, and a bit painfully this time, made its presence known. Then, a few weeks later, it decided to travel and expand itself down towards my calf. Ugh, gross. Luckily, if I keep myself well hydrated, it doesn't puff up too much and keeps a low profile.
3. Achy hip joints- Poor Colin, this is probably the one he hates the most because it causes me to wake up at night, move around in bed, stretch in bed, get out of bed, and the likes. I will lay down and within 10 minutes, find my hip joints starting to go into a dull ache; never terrible, but just enough that you can't sleep and are annoyed by it. So I have to do my best to stretch in different positions to get the muscles to relax and stop aching, which, with an increasing belly size, is getting a bit harder to do. And usually, I wake up a few times at night with the aches and have to stretch in the middle of the night. Sorry, dear.
4. Visiting the bathroom every two hours- This didn't effect me much during the day initially, but again, I hit the 2nd trimester and was getting up all the time. Now, I definitely have to go much more frequently during the day as well, which was not ideal in India (bathrooms are not plentiful and they are not clean).
5. Emotions!- I have been a crying mess a few times...
I may complain here a bit about my symptoms, but really, I know I have it very easy compared to many women.
Okay, beyond the symptoms, Baby girl is VERY busy each day (I've felt her since week 14!) so I am fairly certain that she is going to wear us out from Day 1, which, with an extremely busy 3 year old on hand already, scares the crap out of me. I just passed the 27 week mark so I know the end will be here before we know it. Your 2nd pregnancy definitely goes by much faster! Baby Girl is due around the 7th of April. According to my computer "Count Down" app, that is 89 days away...
To wrap up this post, I will share a picture of my pregnancy health card that I have here in Oman. The hospitals all use them to put your medical/pregnancy history in, and document your current pregnancy and appointments. I was instructed to fill out the personal information part, which requests quite a bit of information you would not see on a form in the USA.
"I hate to sound like I'm bragging by picking Advanced, but since college isn't a choice..."
"Landmark... the the hill across from The American School? Does that work?"
"Sheihk... Mike Schwartz, leader of the Schwartz tribe? Although he isn't Muslim... yes, I guess that would matter, wouldn't it?"
"Really, 'not related' is the last choice???" or "Related by the blood of Christ."
Okay, Baby Girl is kicking away, telling me it's time to stop joking and get serious. These are serious questions and considerations here!
Have a great week!
I definitely get more tired and physically drained this time around, and I have have no doubt I have a certain 3-year old to thank for that. She is busy, busy, busy and I don't get to sit as much as I did before. During the 1st trimester I found myself napping and practically passing out at 8:00 PM, which did not happen with Aberly. Really, I wanted to say, only three years difference and my body has changed that much that growing a baby this time around is that much more exhausting??? I did have some nausea, but that was fairly minor and was quickly quelled by a snack or meal.
Since then, I've mainly found that the pregnancy-related issues I had with Aberly are the same with this pregnancy, except that they have started earlier, instead of showing up during the last trimester.
1. Heartburn- This is by far, my least favorite pregnancy issue. If you know me, you know that I am an eater, I love great food, and I can eat a lot. I swear, a few weeks into trimester 2 (and baby was not very big yet and shouldn't be affecting my stomach space much) and I was having to prop myself up with pillows at night and down a Tums before going to bed. Eating smaller portions for me in like torture!
2. Varicose veins- Aberly left me with the gift of a small varicose vein on the back side of my right knee. It showed up during the last trimester but didn't cause me any problems, and it pretty much went away after she was born. I had pretty much forgotten about it until again, a few weeks into trimester 2, it bulged out, and a bit painfully this time, made its presence known. Then, a few weeks later, it decided to travel and expand itself down towards my calf. Ugh, gross. Luckily, if I keep myself well hydrated, it doesn't puff up too much and keeps a low profile.
3. Achy hip joints- Poor Colin, this is probably the one he hates the most because it causes me to wake up at night, move around in bed, stretch in bed, get out of bed, and the likes. I will lay down and within 10 minutes, find my hip joints starting to go into a dull ache; never terrible, but just enough that you can't sleep and are annoyed by it. So I have to do my best to stretch in different positions to get the muscles to relax and stop aching, which, with an increasing belly size, is getting a bit harder to do. And usually, I wake up a few times at night with the aches and have to stretch in the middle of the night. Sorry, dear.
4. Visiting the bathroom every two hours- This didn't effect me much during the day initially, but again, I hit the 2nd trimester and was getting up all the time. Now, I definitely have to go much more frequently during the day as well, which was not ideal in India (bathrooms are not plentiful and they are not clean).
5. Emotions!- I have been a crying mess a few times...
I may complain here a bit about my symptoms, but really, I know I have it very easy compared to many women.
Okay, beyond the symptoms, Baby girl is VERY busy each day (I've felt her since week 14!) so I am fairly certain that she is going to wear us out from Day 1, which, with an extremely busy 3 year old on hand already, scares the crap out of me. I just passed the 27 week mark so I know the end will be here before we know it. Your 2nd pregnancy definitely goes by much faster! Baby Girl is due around the 7th of April. According to my computer "Count Down" app, that is 89 days away...
To wrap up this post, I will share a picture of my pregnancy health card that I have here in Oman. The hospitals all use them to put your medical/pregnancy history in, and document your current pregnancy and appointments. I was instructed to fill out the personal information part, which requests quite a bit of information you would not see on a form in the USA.
"Landmark... the the hill across from The American School? Does that work?"
"Sheihk... Mike Schwartz, leader of the Schwartz tribe? Although he isn't Muslim... yes, I guess that would matter, wouldn't it?"
"Really, 'not related' is the last choice???" or "Related by the blood of Christ."
Okay, Baby Girl is kicking away, telling me it's time to stop joking and get serious. These are serious questions and considerations here!
Have a great week!
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