Here Comes Your Man

28 Weeks - Midwife Check-in

I met with my midwife today and everything seems to be going just dandy fine with the pregnancy. My blood pressure is good. My weight is right on target. And iron and glucose levels came back in the normal range. The baby was head down this morning and her heartbeat was good, although fast from the glucose test. My belly is measuring a bit big and we'll have another ultrasound in four weeks to try to determine just how big the baby will be. There is concern, obviously, since Henry was so big. I will see the midwife every two weeks now as we're officially in the third trimester!

Outside Time!

It rained for a week and then hit the 60's. All of our snow was gone in a jiffy. That meant our little adventurer quickly learned of puddle jumping, yard exploring and mud. Mmmm.... mud.

Henry likes his trike but needs to grow another inch or two before he'll be able to reach the pedals. At this point, he likes to be pushed and likes to walk behind it and push it himself even better!

All is well. Bring on Spring!

The whole family is finally healthy. Henry had another round with very high fever and rash last week that turned out to be Roseola. This resulted in me being out of the house for only 5 hours in 7 days. I had a mild melt down on Friday as a result, but am happy to report that everyone survived. In fact, Henry has slept 12-13 hours the past three nights allowing Nathan and I to also catch up. So far today has been a very normal day for us and, as lame as it sounds, normal is heavenly. We've been able to go outside the last two days to enjoy the nearly 40 degree temperatures and to learn all about splashing in mud puddles. Here to compare and contrast, two very different photos:

Last Week

This Week

23 Weeks Pregnant and the Stomach Flu

I feel like I might die. I was up all night last night and threw up three or four times (I lost count). Nathan had it the night before and Henry has had a snotty nose, cough and diarrhea for four days. We were in St. Cloud over the weekend for the annual trivia contest at KVSC radio. Nathan and I are both alumni and continue to volunteer every year. Problem is, college radio stations are virus incubators. The pregnant lady probably should have stayed home rather than risk getting sick at six months, but that sort of attitude would prevent me from ever leaving the house which I do rarely anyway. I cannot not sleep as every time I close my eyes they fly open again two minutes later because of the very real feeling that I might have to run to the bathroom again. In the last two hours I've managed to keep down about 10 ounces of water, so I may be turning the corner. Dehydration during pregnancy can be very, very bad for the baby if it lowers the amount of amniotic fluid she has to float around in, so I have to force myself to keep sipping. I seriously do not remember being sick like this since high school. Nathan is not out of the woods himself yet, but he is bravely taking care of Henry today so that I can stay in bed. My midwife says that since my immune system is compromised, illness like this can last twice as long as it does for the average non-pregnant person. And dehydration can land me on IV fluids. So, I will be trying to avoid that. Meanwhile, the baby is very active which is good. My stomach muscles all the way around her just plain hurt from the force of it all. I have only gained ten pounds this pregnancy, so I don't have much I can afford to lose either. All around this time around has been much harder than Henry's pregnancy. Thankfully, only 17 weeks to go!

The Age of Discovery

The age of 15 months is a time of constant exploration and discovery. We visited Como Conservatory last week and Henry could barely contain himself, literally running through the tropical room and the sunken garden. He loved watching the turtles and listening to the birds, but it was the water and the koi pond that really drew his excitement. Before I knew it he was elbow deep, smacking the fish with his chubby little fingers.
As part of the Saint Paul Winter Carnival, we visited the snow sculpture competition and snow maze. It was quite cold and at first Henry didn't seem too thrilled. Once he got to crawl around on some of the sculptures, however, it was a blast :)
The stats at 15 months:
Height 32 1/4 inches (80%)
Weight 23 lbs 5 ounces (25%)
Head 19 1/4 inches (90%)

Since Henry was sick and on antibiotics for 10 days, he experienced a drop in weight, but is feeling better and once again eating well so he should rebound. He also had two more shots and only has one more to go at 18 months and then he's done until Kindergarten. The doctor was also able to get a blood draw from him to do allergy testing since he had a negative reaction to peanut butter. We should know more in a couple of days. This was the first time anyone has been successful drawing blood from his tiny veins.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

I am 20 week pregnant today (half way!) and I had a Level II ultrasound this morning. Everything looks good, healthy and normal and we are quite certain it's a girl! She was very active and gave the technician some trouble because she wouldn't stop moving long enough to get really good pictures. Here are a few, however, for you to enjoy (or try to make out). I think I could clean these up a bit if I a) had a decent scanner and/or b) knew how to use the delightful Photoshop software I own (eyes rolling)...