Pregnancy Timeline

So I haven't written much about this pregnancy, but I guess that's typical with #2. Here's a quick rundown of what we've experienced so far in 2011:

• Jan. 3, 2011: Franklin has febrile seizure at school. We discover this is the onset of RSV, and he's on breathing treatments for the next 4 weeks or so


• Jan. 10, 2011: Auburn wins national championship! Frank and Catherine win #2! I am sick with remnants of Franklin's viral cold


• End of January: Positive Test - I am still sick.


• Feb. 14: First Appointment with Dr. Straughn, we see our little bean. I am still sick. I am also tired, and feel rather barfy at night. Apparently during this pregnancy I am going to have acne like a teenage boy and gross greasy hair.


• End of February: I am still sick. I beg for drugs. Doc tells me unless I'm running a temp, no drugs for me. I sleep sitting straight up in the air and Frank sleeps on the couch because I cough all night long. 3 bottles of Robitussin later, I'm feeling well enough to make it through the day. But still sick.


• March 7: First OB appt with Dr. Straughn, 11 weeks. I am still sick. They feel sorry for me and finally give me a Z pack.


• March 16: I can finally make it through the day breathing normally. Thank you, z-pack.


• March 21: NT Scan, Week 13. Baby is healthy! Boy guess, not confirmed.


• April 4: Week 15. Appt with Dr. Straughn. Baby is healthy, heartrate is 160. This week he (yes, I am convinced baby is a boy) is the size of an apple, and is about 4 inches long. We confirm sex of the baby 4/14 around lunch time.

Last time: exhausted, hungry, rapid weight gain, clear skin and thick dry hair. Can sleep for hours on end and nap as necessary. Already making purchases for baby by week 12, including a crib and clothing.

This time: Not as tired as I remember (but I've been tired since October 23, 2009), not as hungry, no distinct cravings, slower weight gain, yucky skin, greasy thin hair. Insomnia. One purchase made -- a "take home" outfit for a baby boy. Relish the thought of having a boy because I won't have to buy anything and will merely have to (hopefully) move the nursery from one house to another.

Oh yes, that's another post. We have outgrown our lovely Homewood house, and are willing to pass it along to another happy family/ student/ resident/ bachelor/ bachelorette/ retired couple/ dog for a reasonable price. Will post details on the listing when we put it on the market (hopefully next week!)

My Baby is Five Months Old!

This little guy is too much fun! Five months ago today we welcomed him to the world, although I can't remember what life was like before he arrived. He's growing and learning more every day, and never ceases to make Frank and I laugh with his silly antics. Our coos and goos have turned into flat out yells. He's trying really really hard to have conversations with us, and gets super excited when it seems like we understand what he's saying (we really don't). He loves to be sung to, so I now spend the majority of my time with him singing song after song after song after song... in the car, in the glider, while he's in his swing. But what do you do when "Old McDonald" and "How Much is that Doggy in the Window" make your little boy giggle? You sing the song, right?

Franklin can sit with little assistance and stands up as long as you will let him. He adores the jumperoo and will spend nearly an hour in it at a time. He rocks back and forth on his belly during tummy time, and any day now I suspect he'll figure out that he can scoot himself across the floor with those strong legs of his. At the moment his hand never leaves his mouth. When I bathe him at night, I have to fight with him to get the soap off his little fingers before they go right back in the mouth. I suspect that's why we are currently fighting yet another cold, this time with a fever and a cough. However, he's doing much better and this illness didn't seem to take much out of him.

He's found a friend in the crinkly lion he received for Christmas, and still loves his blue blanket bear that goes with him to school every day. Perhaps we have a book lover on our hands as well, because he has yet to meet a story that he hasn't enjoyed. And just when I thought I couldn't love him more, now when I rock him to sleep at night he strokes my hands and holds onto my fingers, like "mommy don't put me down." There isn't anything in the world I'd trade for that. He does have hair, by the way, it's just so blonde that it doesn't show up in pictures and makes him look bald. Oh well. We are ready for Spring so Franklin can be outside! More pictures later! Happy Birthday little man!

The February Post

So, can you tell I went back to work? I did, and it's been great. The transition was easier than I expected and I am very happy. I'm meant to be a working mom. Some days are harder than others, of course, but for the most part we have a schedule and system worked out that makes sense for all of us. At least for now! So here's what we've been up to....

On my first day back to work, Franklin had his first "real" day of school...

Then we had a party at Franklin's school to celebrate Valentine's Day! It was our first chance to meet some of the other parents of the babies in Franklin's class. We had a ball!

It snowed a little bit that weekend.

On Valentine's Day Sunday, Frank woke me up with a yummy breakfast of pancakes and sausage. It was a good weekend. Franklin received a special Valentine's Day present from Mimi and Papa:

It was My Pal Scout! He loves it. I have a feeling Franklin will like Scout better than Lola and Bebe.

When I come home from work, sometimes Franklin helps me cook. He watches from his bumbo.

Then Franklin met his friend Campbell. Isn't she a gorgeous little girl? I envy her olive skin. She and Franklin will get married one day, her parents and I have already arranged it.

Then Franklin turned FOUR MONTHS OLD!

Franklin's little blonde hair grows longer and longer each day. I think it's safe to say that he will not be bald on his first birthday (although we are still working on growing hair on the back of his head). As I look at these pictures, I can't help but think: "Who is this little boy in these pictures, and where did my baby go?" He can hold a rattle now by himself, and loves to shake it all around. He's developed quite an attachment to Mr. Bear (the blue bear/blanket that was a gift), and it goes with him to school each day. He also l-o-v-e-s the Jumperoo that Stacey and Jerry lent us. My little boy can JUMP! He is also strong, and can stand with little assistance. He rolls over when he wants to, but really wants to move around. He can scoot himself a little when he's in tummy time, and just any day now I expect that he'll start crawling around. Franklin loves the sound of his own voice.... our home is filled with oohs and ahhs and googoos each day. Frank and I lay in bed each morning before we get up and listen to Franklin making cooing sounds in the next room. It's so sweet, and is a nice way to wake up. Our boy is a good sleeper still, and getting better -- he now goes down by 7:30 PM (thank you Lord!) with very little help, and has been known to fall asleep before he even finishes his bottle. He's a monster in the bath tub and I emerge from the bathroom each night soaking wet after giving him a bath. He finds it rather funny to try and "run" in the bathtub, and giggles when I get splashed. Franklin gives smiles with reckless abandon and seems to charm the pants off nearly everyone he meets. Which is probably why we weren't too upset when he gave Frank and me, both of Frank's parents, and my mother a horrible stomach virus last weekend. Early Sunday morning (around 1 AM), Frank and I both woke up sick. So sick that my parents drove in from Brewton to care for Franklin, since we could not. In a rather unhappy turn of events, our first night away from Franklin was spent sick. But, we're all recovering now, and it certainly didn't hurt me to drop a few pounds (I could stand to drop a few more). I'm finally working on those last 10 pre-baby pounds, with the hope that before swimsuit season I'll be back to my old fighting weight. We shall see. All in all, February was a fun month. Cold, but fun. Here's looking towards warmer weather.

A brief update on Franklin....

Franklin visited Dr. Levin yesterday for his three month appointment... He's now 12 pounds 11.5 ounces (45th percentile), 23 inches long (25th percentile) and has a head circumference of 16 inches (40th percentile). I was pleased that our little butterball wasn't such a shorty this time! Hopefully he'll keep growing taller, his chubby cheeks make him look awful round sometimes. Frank took him to school for the first time this morning, and I'm on my way to the treadmill... will post pictures later!

And we're still here....

My appointment with Dr. Straughn yesterday went fine, and I was pleased that she offered a growth scan "just for fun." Essentially, I have only trace protein showing up in my labs and my blood pressure was 130/82. Yes, up ten points in five days, but still not technically "high," which is at least 140/90. My next appointment is Tuesday the 20th, a week from today, so we'll see where we are at that point. In any event, I'm here and still pregnant for at least the next week.

Now to the fun part! Last week when Dr. Straughn measured my fundal height, I measured at 36 1/2 weeks. Yes, ahead for where I was at that point (34 weeks 3 days), but fairly typical. Yesterday, however, my fundal height measured at 39 weeks. So looks like Franklin has enjoyed another large growth spurt. So I'm now measuring about 4 weeks ahead of where I am. Dr. Straughn decided to have her ultrasound tech scan me just to make sure everything was ok, and off I went. Sometimes fundal height measurements can be off, due to the way the baby is positioned or the amount of amniotic fluid present. The ultrasound, however, confirmed the measurement -- Baby is head down, and his head, abdomen and a few other measurements were dead on at 39 weeks. His estimated weight at this point: 7 lbs 5 ounces. (!!!!) Seriously??!? That's 2 pounds more than I weighed at birth. At this point, he's packing on a 1/2 a pound a week, meaning that if I went to 40 weeks Franklin would be a 10 pound baby. OMG. I hope he can wear some of the cute outfits I've bought him, they obviously won't fit very long. He also has hair! And chubby cheeks! And he STILL had his hands next to his face. Poor thing will probably come out with scratches all over his sweet face due to those fingernails... I've purchased several sets of mittens so that I can hopefully prevent him from doing further damage once he's decided to make his appearance.

In another way, the fact that he's so big and I'm measuring so far ahead also made me feel better about how bad I feel at this point. I don't think I've ever met a pregnant woman who's reached 39 weeks who isn't ready for the baby to just get out already! You're exhausted, you're carrying around a ton of extra weight, the baby's huge and pressing on all of your organs, you can't sleep, and it's a rough go. I was beginning to feel like a bit of a whiner, honestly, since at 35 weeks I am still not technically "term" and shouldn't be quite so anxious for him to get out... but my body feels like I'm at 39 weeks, and it's telling me that it's ill-equipped to carry around this much extra stuff all the time. At this point, the swelling in my legs, thighs and feet never goes down, even with rest and putting my feet up. The indentions in my ankles and legs when I cross my feet totally freak Frank out, because they don't exactly "bounce back" like normal skin would. And yes, with the amount of swelling I'm experiencing, it actually hurts to bend my ankles. So the normal "pregnancy waddle" is compounded by the fact that I'm in pain when I walk in more ways than one.

I am anxious to meet my little boy, and am hopeful that the day will arrive sooner rather than later. I just try to hang in there from week to week now, and look forward to my visits with Dr. Straughn so I might catch a glimpse of when this entire experience will reach it's end. Next week, another pregnancy milestone: the GBS Swab and the beginning of weekly cervical checks. FUN!

Dr. Update

Well, it appears my firm discussion with Franklin yesterday worked. At my appointment with Dr. Straughn yesterday afternoon, she declared that I am "trending" towards Pre-E, and asked that I come back on Monday so that they can check my blood pressure again. Apparently it's still not high, but because of the swelling in my hands and face, and the fact that it was 10 points higher than it was at the last appointment, she thought I should be monitored more closely. She also refused to officially schedule the C-Section for November 6th, because she doesn't think that I'll go that long! So, I'm supposed to watch myself over the weekend, and we'll see where we're at on Monday. Dr. Straughn also confirmed my desire for a section, and said that she thought it was actually a really good decision due to my blood pressure and swelling combined with the baby's size. Further, it was better to have pre-decided on a c-section versus an induction, which often leads to a c-section anyway. She said I should be pleased and at peace with my decision, so it definitely made me feel better. She also said that there really isn't anything that I can do to keep myself from getting pre-e, that it just happens and they don't know why.

So it's looking more and more like Franklin will be an October baby. I have been given instructions by Frank, however, that the baby is NOT to arrive the third weekend in October (the AL v. TN game), because he'd rather not fight birthday party schedules and going to the game every year for the rest of his life. Love, I'll do my best (and I think you're good, that's next Saturday and I still don't think he's quite ready to arrive just yet). I also would rather not have the baby on October 31st. My new prediction: He'll arrive sometime between the 19th and 24th. We'll know soon enough! (I keep telling myself "Less than 30 days... less than 30 days....")