Since Chase is pretty much obsessed with the swing at the park and at daycare, we decided to get him his own. The only tree we have is actually in our front yard so Stephen put his swing out there.
Chase LOVES it...
The other fun spring activity that he LOVES is watering. I planted some bulbs a few weeks ago and Chase loves to water them. Even if he waters the same spot 8 times in a row.
And finally, Chase is really into "shoot basketball" and he's found a fun way to ensure it gets in the hoop. (Technically not a spring sport, but who cares?) Gosh, he is such a big boy!
We set a tentative c-section date for May 22 (see below), so Baby L 2.0 will be here in fewer than 8 weeks. Holy cow!
Total weight gain: 16lbs
Belly button in or out? flat
Belly: I thought the growth had plateaued, but the comments today convinced me otherwise.
32 weeks
33 weeks
Sleep: Up once to pee
Best moment this week: Ashlee and Scott's wedding celebration
Food cravings: Nothing really
Movement: It probably peaked between 31 and 32 weeks. Now a lot of the movement is rolls and repositioning rather than jabs or kicks. Mondays are still his most active date.
Fitness: My legs get tired walking up the stairs at work. I'm out of shape.
Upcoming Pregnancy milestones: We just started biweekly Dr's appointments.
What I miss:Belts.
Doctor update: On Monday, Stephen and I went in for my 32 week appointment. Everything was fine, but we talked about some little things that I had been concerned about (like not moving all night) with the doctor.
The more important part of the conversation focused on whether I'll try for a VBAC or have a repeat c-section. I'm completely torn on this decision--my pros and cons for both pretty much balancce out.
VBAC pros:
I'd like to have a VBAC, it's safer for women who want multiple births, and I certainly would like the baby to choose his birthday. I'd like to be able to hold him right after birth too.
Cons:
It could (and will likely) hurt a lot afterwards. In a different spot. Every step could hurt. I'd hate to try a VBAC and fail-- both because I don't want to be disappointed in the birth process and because that would make the recovery from the resulting c-section more painful.
C-section pros:
Can be scheduled and I know I had an easy recovery last time so this time, without any labor, I'd probably have an easier recovery.
Cons:
I can't hold baby right away. And it's not great to have multiple c-sections.
I learned my lesson last time: You can plan all you want, but ultimately the baby and your body determine the type of birth you have. Unfortunately, we can't just go with the no-plan plan.
So what'd we decide?
As of now (and it could change), our plan is to attempt a VBAC. If things look like they are stalling or the baby is in distress, I'll have a c-section. And I'll be okay with it. A repeat c-section is scheduled for May 22. That's 5 days after his due date (and incidently would make him a Gemini and not a Taurus). He's been measuring to a May 13 due date so that actually gives him a lot of extra time to come naturally. Since Chase was born the day after his due date, the doctor thinks this baby will come within a few days of his due date--we're just not sure which one!
This prego Mommy should be asleep, but I just downloaded a ton of pictures from our camera and I really want to post at least one set of Chase pictures. Here are some shenanigans from "bedtime."
And the laughs kept coming...
Silly Daddy!
When we finally got him in the bathtub, he was still smiling!
Saturday is 2 months to 2.0's due date. When I was pregnant with Chase, I was hoping he'd come a little early. This time, the baby can come a week or two late and I won't be upset.
How big is baby: According to babycenter.com, 3.3lbs (weight of 4 navel oranges) and over 16 inches long from head to heel.
Weight Gain: +16lbs
Sleep: Waking once to pee.
Diet/Cravings/Aversions: I haven't really been into eating as much this pregnancy.Don't get me wrong, I eat plenty. But I haven't been very excited considering that I can pretty much eat anything I want. Meals are something I have to do rather than look forward to. I'm not complaining- it helps keep my weight in check- but think it is weird.
Exercise: Not so much.
Symptoms: Contractions. And I'm starting to get (really) emotional. I've had a few episodes of crying over raising my boys in a world where so much bad stuff is happening. And as someone whose body is working hard to make a child, I've been very upset by of recent political conversations about women having control of their bodies. For both Stephen and myself, I'm avoiding things that will upset me. Like the news...or the internet. There's plenty of other stuff for me to do.
Movement: There's been a marked increase in movement in the past two weeks. He's kicked me really hard a few times. There's a spot on the upper right side of my belly where I feel the most movement. Maybe his feet are there.
What's different this time: Last time I really started wearing maternity clothes around 30 weeks. This time I'm outgrowing them.
What I'm looking forward to: The Carter-McGrath nuptials next weekend!!! And a visit from Nonnie and Pop.
Best moment of the week: Sleeping in (with Chase) on Sunday morning. He was sick and up 3 times the night before AND it was daylight savings, but he did sleep until 9am.
The belly: "Your belly looks like it is growing every day." I wonder if people realize that's not a compliment. I'm outgrowing maternity clothes already--and I have another 2 months to go! What the heck am I going to wear in May??
Holy smokes-- In 2 months Chase will be a 2 year old! How did he grow up so fast? It literally was not that long ago that he was in my belly. His time as a baby flew by and now his toddlerhood is flying by. It makes me teary to think about my little baby becoming such a big boy.
His developments this month only highlight his development. Chase is becoming such a "little kid" in so many respects.
At 22 months, Chase is:
-Jumping! Two feet off the ground at once. This is a MAJOR accomplishment as Chase has been wanting to jump since Owen taught him to hop last May. The instructors at the Little Gym told us to not expect kids to be able to jump until age 2. But there is always a lot of jumping at our Little Gym classes and Monkey See, Monkey Do has a part where they tell the kids to jump to warm up. All of those paid off because he is jumping!
-Talking, talking, talking. Four word sentences are pretty frequent these days "Daddy, why Abu barking?" or "Mommy, Chasey apple juice please?" It.is.amazing. The stuff he puts together and the words he knows are mind boggling. He's just started with "why" and luckily does not use it too frequently (yet). We talk a lot about what we are doing, what happened earlier in the day, and what is happening later that day or the next.
-Chase does not forget. If we tell him that he can ride his bike when we get home, he is sure to say "Chasey, ride the bike?" as soon as we pull into the driveway. Our distract and deflect method does not work nearly as well as it used to!
-Chase is starting to talk a bit on the phone- Mommy calls when she is on her way home from work and he tells her that his day was "fun" and that he went outside and "play da ball," but his attention isn't much longer than that. He loves to FaceTime with Owen and Amelia (and "Cah-rie" and Gef") and with Grammy and Grampy.
-Sleeping in his big boy choo-choo room. Chase has moved into his new room equipped with a new "big boy" crib from Ikea (that transitions into a toddler bed). The theme is trains, although we are still waiting for the train decal I ordered from etsy. Chase also has a new toy box that's in the window nook that he both climbs on to look out the window and opens to pull out some of his choo-choo room toys. We still need to get him a (real) chair because the glider is going back in the nursery.
We don't have many pictures this month, but here's a long video of him eating an ice pop and chatting. (this was from a couple of weeks ago when he wasn't saying as much)
