Friday, March 30, 2012

Pregnancy: 28 Weeks (7 Months)


Here's what's going on this week....

What's going on with the baby right now?
  • She weighs about 2.25-2.5 pounds and is about 15" long.  Her weight has doubled in the last month alone!  Wow!
  • She is the size of a small cabbage
  • Her eyelashes are growing in now...all the final touches!
  • I felt her hiccup for the first time this week.  Hannah had hiccups constantly while I was pregnant with her (and for the first 3+ months of her life), so I was surprised that it has taken this long for me to feel them with Emma. 
  • 12 weeks to go!
What's going on with me?
  • So much movement this week!  It's like a kickboxing ring in there!  Insane!
  • This week I gained 1 pound, so overall I am up 8 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight.  The average weight gain in the third trimester is 11 pounds, which would be amazing, but I have a feeling I will gain a lot more than that.  We'll see! 
  • This week I started the week by cutting my Reglan pills in half, so I was only taking 1/2 a pill per day.  YEAH!  This was a huge step for me.  By the end of the week, I had started doing some research about Reglan (side effects and such) and was horrifid to read all the testimonials of negative side effects people had experienced while on Reglan.  I also read on several different sites that you should not take Reglan for any longer than 12 weeks!  Oh my!  I really wish someone would have told me that.  I've been taking it for months now!  So I immediately decided it was time to stop taking it completely.  Thursday was my first day without it and besides a massive headache, I felt fine.  I finally decided to take some tylenol before bed on Thursday night, which helped.  So far today (my second day without it) I am feeling great!  The biggest shock to me was how many people I found online that said that while they were on Reglan they experience severe depression.  DING DING DING!  I wouldn't call my "funk" severe depression, but I definitely haven't felt like myself for the past few months.  I think I will have a few words with my OBGYN at my appointment on Monday.  I am just shocked that no one ever mentioned these side effects to me or the time limit of how long I was supposed to be on it.  UGH!
  • During this week in my pregnancy with Hannah I stopped taking Zofran completely (a different anti-nausea medication that surprisingly didn't work with this pregnancy).  That was my main motivator (at first) to try to wean off the Reglan.  So glad I did!!
  • Heartburn has come back with a vengence this week!  I can't seem to figure out what is triggering it.  I know chocolate seems to make it worse, but even when I don't eat chocolate, I still have it.  It seems to wait until bedtime to make it's appearance, which I'm oh so grateful for. ;-)
  • Still wearing a mixture of my pre-pregnancy clothes and maternity clothes.  I love that I am still able to fit into some of my "normal" stuff, but I know it won't be long before it's all packed away.
  • Next appointment: Monday, April 2nd
Here's a pregnancy survey I came across that I thought would be fun to add to this week's post:
How far along: 28 weeks
Total Weight Gain: +8 pounds
Stretchmarks: Nothing noticeable that wasn't already there from my first pregnancy.  Thankfully I didn't get many with Hannah!
Sleep: Not easy! 
Best Moment This Week: Stopping Reglan!  So glad I did.  But also, this morning was great.  I took Hannah on a LONG walk around the neighborhood and it was so fun.  She loved it and so did I.  I'm hoping to make it a new morning tradition.
Movement: Insane!!!
Belly Button: Flattened
What I Miss: Feeling "normal"
What I am Looking Forward to: Feeling "normal" again and holding a newborn!!
Cravings: Iced coffee (had this with Hannah too)

Friday, March 23, 2012

Pregnancy: 27 Weeks

The third trimester has arrived!  (Some books say it starts at 25 weeks, but others say 27, so who knows?!)  Either way I am happy to be in the final trimester!!

Here's what's going on this week....

What's going on with the baby right now?
-She weighs about 2 pounds and is about 14.5-15" long
-She is the size of a head of cauliflower....yum!  I love steamed cauliflower!
-13 weeks to go!

What's going on with me?
-Sleep is hard to come by again.  I wake so often in the night (not to pee, just waking) and I have such a hard time falling back to sleep. 
-Emma is still moving all the time, but I have noticed that her movements are almost always in my lower abdomen.  That makes me wonder if she is breech right now.  I sure hope if she is that she flips soon!
-Since I didn't weigh myself last week, I don't know how much I gained this week vs. last week, but in the past two weeks I gained 5 pounds! Yikes! So overall I'm up 7 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight.
-I experienced a lot of round ligament pain this week.  The sides of my stomach would ache.  I thought this would have happened earlier in my pregnancy, but I think since it took me so long to finally get a belly, it is just happening later.
-I have packed away even more of my normal clothes, but was able to wear a few pairs of my pre-pregnancy pants this week, so that made me feel good. :-)
-I had a rough morning on Thursday, feeling very nauseous and not able to eat much.  Thankfully it passed as the day went on, but man I am ready for Emma to be out of my belly and to finally feel "normal" again! 
-As far as my pregnancy "funk" goes, overall I had a better week.  I still felt a little off in the mornings, but having something to do to keep me busy is definitely helpful.  I started being more purposeful with my discipline and teaching with Hannah this week (we focused on the letter E, the number 7, the color purple, and talked a lot about Easter) so that really helped keep my mind off the "funk".  I am going to try to keep that up for both of us.
-Next appointment: Monday, April 2nd

Friday, March 16, 2012

Pregnancy: 26 Weeks



I am writing this while starring at the most amazing beach and laying in the hot sun! So wonderful! We have been in Siesta Key, FL for the past week and unfortunately we are leaving tomorrow to head back to reality. We really tried to soak up all the relaxing that we could since this is our last official vacation before Emma arrives. It has been wonderful, but as always, went by way too fast!

Here's what's going on this week....

What's going on with the baby right now?
-She weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14" long.
-She is the size of an english hothouse cucumber (my favorite!)
-14 weeks to go!  That's less than 100 days!  :-)
-All of baby's senses are developed now.
-She can now open and close her eyes (they were fused together up until this point)

What's going on with me?
-I am definitely peeing more often, but in very small amounts.  It will feel like I have to pee a ton, but then only a trickle will come out.  Then 10 minutes later, I have to go again!  Ugh!
-I have no idea how much weight I gained this week. I'm sure it's a lot because I have been eating a ton while on vacation and definitely not healthy stuff! Oh well!
-I don't think I have mentioned this in previous weeks, but ever since dealing with severe hyperemesis, I have been experiencing what can only be described as a minor depression. I've been in a "funk" for several weeks now and just can't seem to shake it. I know it seems nearly impossible to feel that way while spending a week on the beach with absolutely perfect weather and company, but I have. :(. I am praying that the Lord would give me great peace and pull me out of this "funk" very soon! I hate not feeling like myself!
-This isn't about me, but I figured I would add it in anyway.  Lately Hannah has been asking me to hold her like a baby and sing her lullabies.  This just melts my heart.  I'm a little worried that she is reverting and things will be difficult once Emma arrives, but I don't care.  Right now I am just enjoying every second of it!
-Still working on adding more iron into my diet.
-Next appointment: Monday, April 2nd

Monday, March 12, 2012

2 Years Old!!!



2 years old! Wow! What a blast the last two years have been!! I love the little person you have become over the past two years and so look forward to seeing how you grow and change over the next year. Two years old is my favorite age yet. You are so sweet, incredibly compliant, loving, full of giggles and smiles, and just so much fun! You change every day and your vocabulary has absolutely exploded over the past few weeks. I can't keep up!

Here are all the things that make you YOU at TWO....

You can identify a few different letters - "M for Mommy", "D for Daddy", "H for Hannah", and "E for Emma". IYou now know everyone's name in our family - "Hannah Gace Carro", "Emma Wose Carro", "Beena Carro", and "Bian Carro".  PRECIOUS!  I even managed to capture a video of you saying them all! We are working very hard on learning colors, but very little progress is being made.  Every time I ask you what color something is, you say, "red" (without fail!).  If that's not correct, you say, "Yellow".  This has me a little concerned that you may be color blind.  Which I know is silly, but I can't help but worry when so many of your friends already know all their colors.  It's definitely not for lack of trying!  But I know you'll figure it out eventually. And I do think you know one color - pink! Progress!

At the beginning of this month, your naps were back to being short and filled with tears.  You were napping like a champ for the previous month, but then you were back to your normal 45 minute naps, with the occasional one hour nap thrown in there.  You were once again waking up screaming your head off (still tired!) but refusing to fall back to sleep.  I continued to remain consistent in leaving you in your bed for an hour and a half, no matter what, but you just continued to fuss. After a few days of this, I decided it was time to have a chat with you, and see what happened.  I talked to you several times during the day about what you should do when you wake up from a nap (not cry, but instead play quietly with the toys in your crib).  You seemed to get it and the next day I reminded you several times before I put you down of the new nap time "rule" and then prayed that it would work!  And it did!  You woke up at the one hour mark, fussed for a few seconds, but then SILENCE!  I don't know if you fell back to sleep or not, but you were quiet and I was thrilled.  You then began fussing again at the one and a half hour mark, which was fine by me, as that was the desired nap length.  Yeah!!  This worked well for the first two days, but the third day we were not so lucky.  :-(. By the end of the month you were taking an average of an hour nap, with a few hour and a half and 45 minute naps scattered in there. So overall, a good month of napping.
You are obsessed with the magnadoodle and constantly want someone to draw a picture of our family.  You are sure to have me include Mommy, Daddy, Hannah, and Emma!  I love that you have started having us include Emma in the picture...hopefully this is a sign of good things to come. You loved your little Elmo cd player that grandma got you at the beginning of the month. It had a microphone attached to it and you loved to sing and talk into it. It was so cute! I tried desperately to catch you doing it so I could take a video, but that proved too difficult. Unfortunately, the cd player stopped working since being dropped a few too many times. :-(. It sure was fun while it lasted! You are also obsessed with calico critters, little people and your sesame street figurines. You love to play pretend with them and are getting to that fun age where playing with a dollhouse for hours is entertaining!

You started jumping with both feet (not perfectly, but close) this month and can walk backwards very well. You also love to march and gallop.

You are incredibly shy!  INCREDIBLY!!  We do two different structured activities during the week - Music with Mummy and Sportots.  You cling to me for the majority of the time and rarely participate in the activities.  I don't know where this shyness comes from, but it bothers me a bit.  I hate that you are missing out on certain activities that all the other kids are participating in and I don't like for you to be the odd one out.  But at the same time, I want you to be yourself and be unique.  So it's a hard line to balance on.  I don't want to stifle you in any way but I also don't want to push you too far.  I am hoping that this is just a phase and that you will eventually warm up to other people.  I am also hopeful that once preschool starts in September, that it will help you become more comfortable in group settings.  But even more so, I am praying that it doesn't traumatize you!  YIKES! You are also NOT a fan of crafts!  I attempted a Valentine's craft with you (painting your feet and making a footprint heart), which was a complete disaster.  The second the paint touched your feet, you started screaming bloody murder!  Oh my!  You were hysterical.  When I finally managed to put your painted feet on the paper, you were squirming around so much that they just turned out as big smudges on the paper, not resembling foot prints at all.  Epic FAIL!

Your vocabulary continues to explode and you are speaking in full sentences most of the time now.  We can almost always understand what you are saying and most of your words are pronounced correctly. My favorites lately are - "I'm so happy to see you Mommy" (followed by a great big hug), "Bye bye Mommy. I'll see you in a couple days" (as you walked out of the kitchen into your playroom), "I love you Mommy", "I'm so proud of you Mommy", and "Bye Mommy.  I'll see you soon.". You are so polite, saying "please", "thank you", and "excuse me" all the time!  You also say, "Bless you" when someone sneezes, which is simply precious.  If you get hurt, all it takes is a kiss from mommy and everything is all better.  Mommy's kisses are magic!  And you constantly say, "Love you", which continues to melt my heart!

You have gotten very good at brushing your teeth and are even doing a better job at letting me brush them too.  you love to say, "Mommy do first!"...guess I've said that a few times. Soon it will be time for your first dentist visit, which makes me nervous!  I'm pretty sure you are not going to be a fan!

Your favorite foods right now are blueberries, pasta, chicken, pretzels, raisins, freeze dried fruit, apricots, bunny crackers, smoothies (plain yogurt, fruit, spinach, wheat germ, and almond milk), veggies with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top, prunes, bananas, green beans, raw carrots, steak, and peas.  You are a fairly healthy eater, which I am so thankful for!

You are counting to 10 perfectly now and can even count to 13 outloud.  You have no trouble counting how many objects are in a picture, as long as I point to each one.  Otherwise you get confused about which ones you have already counted and just keep going until you get to 10. :-)

You are finally starting to become more interested in coloring, which makes me so happy.  I have always looked forward to the day where crayons and a piece of paper would occupy you for several minutes and I think we are nearly there.  Right now you still try to eat a crayon from time to time and spend the majority of your time lining the crayons up in a perfectly neat row, but you also spend some of the time scribbling on the paper, so I'm happy! :-) We did have our first two crayon mishaps this month. The first time you called me into the playroom ("Come see Mommy") to show me your artwork. Unfortunately, it wasn't on the paper, but instead was on the window. Oops! The second time I was in the bathroom and you were banging on the door. For the first time I had locked the door for some privacy instead of the typical door wide open approach. I wondered what all the banging was about and when I came out (just a minute later) you had covered the entire door in blue crayon. Oh my! Thankfully the magic eraser took it right off. We have since had lots of talks about where we are supposed to color - "On paper" you say.

You are still obsessed with Barney and Elmo (Sesame Street) and those are the only two shows you will watch on tv.  We still limit your tv time to one or two shows per day, max, but also try to skip a few days from time to time, as I really hate letting you watch any tv.

We have not attempted potty training yet, as I just don't think you are ready.  I do ask you often if you want to sit on the potty, but you almost always reply, "No".  So I don't push it.  However, the other night I asked you before bed (like I always do) and you said, "Yes" and proceeded to sit down and peed, like it was no big deal!  I stayed very unemotional about the whole thing, as I know how you do not like loud noises or a big fuss, but I can't even tell you how proud I was!  I was sure to tell you that, but in a very calm manner.  We then poured the pee in the toilet and waved bye bye as we flushed it down the toilet (with the lid closed of coure, because I am a freak about that!)  You still disappear into another room while pooping and when you are done you come to me and say, "Mommy, I pooped". So at least you know when it's happening....a step in the right direction.

You are obsessed with your baby sister, Emma, and ask to see my belly several times during the day.  Everytime I pull up my shirt to show you, you say, "Hi Emma" and proceed to play with my belly button. :-)  You love to show her your toys and tell her you love her.  Sometimes you will randomly say, "I love Emma", which makes me SO happy to hear!  I hope your love continues once she arrives.  You are going to be a wonderful big sister!

You love to fasten your seatbelt buckle on your own (the top one) and often fight me when it's time to get in the carseat.  But as long as I say, "Will you buckle the buckle?" you almost always calm down immediately.  It's the little things...

The other night at dinner, we were saying a prayer before we ate.  We always hold hands and as we did, you said, "I pray".  So we said, "Ok, what do you want to say?"  You bowed your little head and said, "Amen".  So precious!!  Throughout the rest of the meal you continued to ask to pray and would repeat the same scene...."Amen". Then you started mumbling before saying "Amen". What a precious moment.  I can't wait for the day that you say your first prayer.  What a precious thing it must be to hear your child pray! Since then we have started asking you every night before bedtime prayers what you want to thank God for. Your favorite answers are food, Mommy, Daddy, Emma, MeMaw ("MooMoo"), PaPaw, Grandma ("Gama"), Grandpa ("Gapa"), and Uncle Chris ("Kiss"). Sorry to everyone she hasn't included yet, but it's simply based on who she has seen that day. ;)

You have one "official" chore....feeding our dog, Bubbles.  You take out the container of food, then ask for help opening it ("Mommy help"), scoop several scoops of food until I realize that you have given her way too much and tell you to stop, then attempt to close the container ("Mommy help"), and proceed to put it back into the cabinet.  Then you sit next to the bowl and wait for Bubbles to eat.  If she doesn't start right away you get very frustrated. 

You love to sing and it always surprises me when you start singing a song that I had no idea you knew.  One of my favorites is when you sing the clean up song..."Clean up, Clean up, everybody go". You can sing the majority of the alphabet song in the correct order now! The best part is when you get to "wxyz"...you say, "dubabubba x y and z". Love!  You also know, "Twinkle, Twinkle", "Happy Birthday to You" (which you sing at the most random times and you usually say, "Happy birthday to me" or "Happy birthday to Hannah"), "I love you, You love me" (Barney theme song), "Baby bop hop" (from Barney), "I like my yellow blankie in the day and night" (another Barney hit), and "Lullaby and Goodnight".

Other 2 Year Stats:
-You wear mostly 2T and 3T clothes, but some 24 month stuff still fits.
-You weigh at least 30 pounds
-I'm not sure how tLl you are, but we I'll find out next week at your 2 year appointment.
-Continue to wear size 5 diapers, day and night
-Continue to wear size 7 shoes, but some 8's fit ok too.

Wow! That's a lot in just one short month. I can hardly believe that two years have gone by so quick. We waited for 2 years just to conceive you, which felt like a lifetime. But now you have been here for two years and it seems to have flown by. Weird how that works. You are so special and we are forever thankful that the Lord chose us to be your parents! We love you unconditionally!

Friday, March 9, 2012

Pregnancy: 25 Weeks

We had a very busy week....hosting Hannah's 2nd Birthday Party, preparing for our trip to Siesta Key, FL, and I had a doctor's appointment this week (more to come on that).

Here's what's going on this week....

What's going on with the baby right now?
-She weighs about 1.5 pounds and is about 13.5" long.
-She is growing more hair and it is starting to get a more distinct color and texture.
-15 more weeks!!  Ahhh!!!
-She is the size of a rutabaga (never had one of those)

What's going on with me?
-I had my gestational diabetes screening this week and passed!  YEAH!  Drinking the orange glucola wasn't even that bad.  The only bad news I recieved from that test was that I am anemic.  My iron is apparently fairly low and I need to start taking a supplement.  I had the same problem with Hannah and did eventually end up taking a supplement, but not right away.  I first tried to up my iron intake with foods, but when they tested it again and it was still low, I finally caved.  I just HATE having to take any supplements (I know this seems funny since I am popping an anti-nausea pill every morning without a second thought).  The iron typically makes me more nauseous and constipated...no thanks!  So once again, I will try to get more iron in my diet first and see what happens.  But if that doesn't work, I'll be back on a supplement in a couple weeks.  Yippy.
-I have been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions for a few weeks now, but they are definitely happening more frequently now.
-According to the books, my uterus is now the size of a soccer ball.  I believe it because I am feeling very large right now.  Although my belly is a few inches smaller this time around then it was with Hannah at this point. 
-Hannah got to feel Emma move for the first time this week....at least I think she did! :-)  She had her hand on my belly and Emma kicked pretty hard.  She said, "Oh!"  I asked her if she felt it and she said yes, but you never know.  I'm not sure if she gets it or not, but she is definitely obsessed!  She is constantly asking to see Emma or talk to Emma.  She says, "Hi Emma" and shows her different toys and says, "Emma likes this".  It's precious! 
-Sleep is becoming more elusive this week.  It's not because of heartburn or being uncomfortable, but I think it's because I can't get my mind to stop thinking.  I've started reading up on Babywise schedules again and my brain just won't shut off at night.
-I have started wearing all maternity clothes now.  There are still a few things that fit, but for our trip to Florida I packed all maternity clothes. 
-My weight has fluctuated this week between my pre-pregnancy weight and 2 pounds heavier.  So I've either gained 2 pounds or none.  We'll say that I've gained 2 pounds this week, just for fun! ;-)
-Overall, this has been a great week.  I haven't been nearly as nauseous and the heartburn has even let up some.  I'm finally enjoying this pregnancy!  YEAH!!  Even if I only get a couple weeks of that, I'll take it.  (Yes, I am still taking Reglan every morning)
-No more progress in Emma's room...still full of small junk.  The next step is to clean that out and then have new carpet installed.  But all of that will have to wait until we come back from Florida.
-Next appointment: Monday, April 2nd

Monday, March 5, 2012

Is Anybody Out There???

Would you please leave me a comment so I know that I have some readers!  I'm feeling very lonely!  Just say "hi" or tell me something you would like to see me post about, or ask me a question.  Anything!!  Go!! ;-)

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Pinterest Mania!

I have recently become somewhat addicted to Pinterest (yes, I am a little behind) and I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite Pinterest finds lately.  Most are recipes, as I have planned all my dinners for the last two weeks from Pinterest.  These are all things I have made and loved, so they are "Sabrina Approved"!  :-)  Enjoy!


These were delicious!  I made homemade pesto to go in them.  Hannah loved them too!



This was amazing!!!  So healthy and so tasty!  A big hit!



We all loved these, including Hannah!



AMAZING!!  Definitely not low fat, but probably the best lasagna I've ever had!



Mine didn't look nearly as pretty as the picture, but they sure tasted good!



Hannah really liked these!  They remind me of Kashi Cereal Bars.



I didn't make these, but I sent the picture to a local bakery and they were able to recreate them exactly!



This was easy and beautiful!  I am looking forward to using it year after year!



I've made these several times!  Always a great decoration.


What are your latest Pinterest favorites?  Please share!!

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Hannah's 2nd Birthday Party - Ladybugs!!

Today we celebrated Hannah's 2nd Birthday (a week early).  We did a Ladybug theme and made it very casual with a small group of friends.  We will be travelling to Siesta Key next weekend (Hannah's actual birthday) so we decided to celebrate a little early.  Here are some pictures of her special day.

"Ladybug Lemonade" (Cranberry Juice, Pink Lemonade, Sprite, and Blueberries)


Food Table

"Ladybug Spots" (M&Ms) and "Ladybug Straws" (Licorice)






Ladybug Cakepops - Thanks to The Dunwoody Bakery


Our Traditional Birthday Banner (12-23 Months)








Crayon Roll Party Favors made by Grandma Vaccaro


Balloon Wreath (thank you Pinterest!)


Where everyone ended up spending most of their time....the playroom














12 & 13 Months 


14 & 15 Months (no sign and no clothes...oops!)


16 & 17 Months


18 & 19 Months


20 Months (no sign) & 21 Months (our first month of not taking a picture in the chair...mommy was too sick all month) 


22 & 23 Months


 
Tissue Paper PomPoms made by MeMaw

Friday, March 2, 2012

Pregnancy: 24 Weeks (6 Months!)

Here's what's going on this week....

What's going on with the baby right now?
-She is officially viable at 24 weeks, meaning she has a chance of survival if she were to be born now.  However, we are praying that she stays in for several more months!
-She weighs about 1.5 pounds and is about a foot long.
-She is the size of an ear of corn, long and skinny!
-She has begun developing a more defined sleep/wake pattern, but unfortunately it is completely backwards.  She is moving around all night long, but still for the majority of the day.  Let's hope this gets straightened out before she arrives!  I do not do well with all-nighters!

What's going on with me?
-I am sleeping fairly well right now, despite the yucky heartburn that I have most nights.
-I am now wearing mostly all maternity clothes, as my normal clothes are just too uncomfortable or small.  The shirts are riding up in the front and the pants are starting to cut into my stomach.  I am surprisingly not loving the maternity pants as much as I did with Hannah.  They just refuse to stay up...annoying!
-I am still just at my pre-pregnancy weight, so I didn't gain any weight this week.  Not complaining!
-My nausea has been better this week, which I am so thankful for!  Heartburn wasn't too awful either.  A good week all around!  Still taking Reglan daily!
-There was a lot of progress in Emma's room this week.  My dad painted it, fixed the closet, changed all the doorknobs and other hardware, and we cleaned out all of the furniture from the room!  YEAH!  Next step is to clean out all the other junk in there.
-Next appointment: Monday, March 5th for the diabetes screening