Success!!!

It only took 5 nights, but it has happened. Thank goodness- I was about to give up after a few rough patches in transitioning to the toddler bed, and now I'm glad I didn't! Just a few moments ago, Ginger and I read stories in her room (of course, incorporating Elmo's "big enough for a bed" story, which I cannot emphasize enough how invaluable that book has been!) and then she got in bed, I put her blanket over her, we turned on her ladybug nightlight, and sang twinkle twinkle little star. Then a kiss, hug, our classic "sweet dreams" and "I love you" exchanges, and mommy walked out and closed the door. I watched as I exited, and she snuggled into her blanket, got comfy, and settled in. No crying, whimpering, struggles, she is (I hope!) officially settled in her big girl bed. I literally walked down the hall raising my hands in victory. Paul is gone tonight in Vegas at the SEMA show, so of course the timing couldn't be worse as I would have loved for him to experience this together. We've worked through this together though, in fact last night he was able to put her to sleep without fussing (but he did rock her almost completely to sleep) so I knew it was possible. But tonight she did it all on her own, with some reassurance and love from me. Wow she's getting to be such a big girl!

G's Big Girl Bed...

Our little baby girl has graduated to a big girl bed. Well, it's day 2, so I suppose I shouldn't speak too soon. It's been quite a new experience, lots of highs and lows in the past 48 hours. Paul and I had everything in position by the time I brought her home from daycare on Friday night. We recorded her reaction on my camera, which I'll try to post, but needless to say she took to the idea of a toddler bed right away. She kept thanking Paul and I (tank you....mom, tank you....dad) and was all smiles. We thought "hey this is going to be a piece of cake!". Even that first night she climbed up on the bed, on top of the duvet cover I had made especially for the bed (we'll introduce "covers" later) and then we laid her blankie on top of her, said sweet dreams, and our princess slept the entire night through until 7:30am the next morning (which was Saturday). Lots of praise, love, and kisses came next- she got to jump in bed with us, watch cartoons, drink some milk, and generally be spoiled as she was such a big girl!

Well, that afternoon, I can't say that naptime was the same experience. I made the mistake of giving her manderin oranges at lunch, which must have wired her because she was in NO mood to take a nap. And this is a girl who walks herself to her crib each and every naptime/bedtime, and tells US that it's time for her to go to bed, like clockwork. Paul and I both worked on stroking her back, comforting her, rocking her in the chair, but she wanted NOTHING to do with napping in the toddler bed. I had read a recommendation to use a pack-n-play as a backup option for the first few days of transition, so we pulled it out and set it up, but by then she had no interest in napping anywhere.

I can't even remember the last time Ginger hasn't napped during the day. Um, never. She has always liked (and needed) her rest. So, by 6:15pm that evening, on our way to the Olive Garden to grab some dinner, Ginger fell asleep in the car and there went dinner :) We grabbed takeout, came home, and put her to bed in the big girl bed where she slept soundly until 8:10am the next day when I went in to wake her up.

It is now 3pm, and we have had a (what I would call!?!?) successful nap transition today. I served a no-sugar lunch, no tv or cartoons after lunch, just books in her room with a dim light and lots of snuggle. Thankfully I had purchased a book called "Elmo and the Big Bed" and we read that about 3 times along with her "I'm a big sister" book. Lifesavers, I tell you. Upon putting her in her toddler bed, she did run off and opened the (cracked) door and jumped in daddy's arms. He rocked her and walked her back to her room, where he laid her down and put her blankie over her. She protested as he left and closed the door, but no screaming or crying, just a whimper.

She must have realized her new found freedom because for abouut 25 minutes she played, sang, whimpered, and jumped around her room. But then, after a few whimpers, it was suddenly quiet. That was 1:45pm. And now it's after 3. So I call that a success. I WISH for anything that we had a video monitor, as I don't know where she is actually sleeping at this moment (and I don't dare poke my head in, for fear that she wakes and I kill this naptime) so suffice to say that whether she is on the floor, in her big chair, or on her bed- she is sleeping.

This is a bittersweet feeling for me. I am thrilled that with persistence, she will hopefully transition nicely in these next 6 weeks before baby girl comes along. We've hidden her crib behind closed doors in baby girl's nursery so it is out-of-sight, out-of-mind. But I am a bit sad to think that I will never go and pick up Ginger from her crib anymore. I didn't cherish that last night the way that I should have- we kind of spontaneously put the new bed together and I never had that "last crib night" moment with her.

But, the show must go on. Ginger will be growing out of this toddler bed in no time, probably just in time to give it to baby girl #2, and then our plan is to bring the girls in a room together with the crib which converts into a full sized bed. So Ginger will get it back again in the future, but in a very different form!

Big moments at our house these days...

**EDIT** When she woke and cried out for me, I went in to find her laying on the cushy rocking chair. Oh dear...looks like this is going to take some time! :)

City Slickers...

Remind me to never, ever go to a "off the side of the highway" pumpkin patch the weekend before Halloween! No, it wasn't that bad, at least we didn't have to pay admission or parking. But it was nothing like our visit to Peltzer Farms last year. We had big plans to visit Peltzer two weekends ago, but Ginger got sick the night before and we thought we'd make it down sometime before now. Turns out my mom and dad went out of town, and we decided to try something local this year. We made the best of it- Ginger had just as much fun and we laughed, visited the petting zoo, watched big kids bungee jump and slide down inflatable (and questionable) huge contraptions, and took a few token pumpkin patch shots. It was WAY too crowded for nice, quiet, family pics so it just didn't happen. But here are a few of the cute ones.

Went for it!

So, I just ordered baby girl #2's Christmas stocking...with her name on it!! We are in ♥♥♥ with the name we've chosen, just taking a few more days until we decide how/if we'll share before we deliver. Still working on a middle name, which may impact our decision to share if we need more time to come to a conclusion...

But the name has been chosen!

(Side note: I had to order her Christmas stocking as soon as they became available online, as last year they sold out fairly quickly and I want to make sure that baby's stocking matches the rest of ours this year. Plus, I am due on 12/16 so I'm sure these next 59 days or less will be a whirlwind for us- one less thing to think about! ;-)

Yep, I confess....

I am totally, completely, and utterly in love with our daughter. To the point where I post too many pics on FB, tell too many stories in conversation with coworkers, and dream about everything she does that is wonderful (and forget everything she does that is, well, not wonderful).

It's hard even to describe to people who do not have children what this experience is like. For those who do, most of them get it, but possibly have been worn over time with more challenges, obstacles, and multiple children. I can't even imagine every feeling that way, but maybe that happens? Who knows.

But for those without kids, I get a lot of half-smiles, where behind the smile they are questioning "is this girl looney?" when I gush about little Ginger Lauren.

The greatest feeling in the world, though, is not caring how the message is being recieved. Sure, I try to tailor who I'm talking to, but once you get me going I am not bashful in wearing my heart on my sleeve about my love for this beautiful little girl.

Today we tried on her Halloween costume to make sure it fit properly in anticipation of a few fun nights in the next few weeks. It fit like a charm (sized 12-24 months- don't know how this would fit a 12 month old, unless they were huge!) but she looks like a darling little ladybug princess. Ok, there I go again :) But to look at this pic and see how much she's grown in just 12 short months, it's pretty incredible. Paul and I have grown significantly during this time as well. What a journey this is!

31 weeks

Only 9 more weeks (or less!) to go- awho-hoo!!!!! We went to the doctor yesterday for a check-in, and everything is looking just fine these days. Dr. did an ultrasound and I was able to watch as this baby flipped and flopped, punched and kicked, and didn't sit still for a minute! Just like Ginger, doctor was amazed at how much movement was going on, in the visit alone she said some women don't get that all day long! I told her I rarely need to do kick counts because even before 10am I know she's awake, alert, and already given me way more than 10 punches/kicks :)

Dr. also said that baby was measuring a bit larger today than 31 weeks, at 5 lbs 4 oz. typically babies are around 4 lbs at this point, but she also pointed out that ultrasound estimates can be off sometimes as much at 2 lbs. I was also told with Ginger that she would be close to the 9 lb range and she was only 7 lbs 15 oz. so for now she didn't want me to worry. I'll be heading back for visits now every two weeks, my amnoitic fluids look great, everything she said is looking fantastic.

Unfortunately baby girl was moving so much that the ultrasound pic came out rather blurry and indistiguishable. But I scanned it here just to remember. I've also included a scan from the ultrasound 2 weeks ago where you can see baby's (BIG) brain and head front and center!

31 weeks- can't even really make it out, but there's a hand in there!


29 weeks, and that big ol' brain of hers :)

Now this is the kind of news I need to hear...

Well, all the results are in. While we will need to continue to monitor my progress and the situation, all of my labs came back either normal, or just mild at worst, so doc feels very good about these results. She reassured me today that the point of this escalation was for precautionary reasons, that she wants what's best for me and this baby, even if that means going overboard with precaution when there are any, any signs of need.

So I feel good about that. I know I'm in good hands. Her reassurance was helpful. Things could change in a moment's notice, so I am planning on taking it easy, reducing my overextended workload (trying to be the hero before taking my maternity leave, not the right thing to do I'm realizing now) and taking care of myself and this baby first. I have a great support system and I just need to remember that I can lean on them and not try to do everything myself!

Thanks for all of the prayer and encouragement to my faithful blog readers. I'll keep you all informed of how the next 10 weeks (or less?) plays out, I'm sure!

And to my baby girl, thank YOU for kicking me, punching me, and remaining active throughout these past few days. It gave me confidence to know that you're a strong litle fighter in there!

the bubble has burst, if only a little bit.

well, i suppose everything couldn't be perfect the whole way through, God must think I'm too strong of a woman to waste an easy, carefree pregnancy on...

today I arrived at the doctor, gave my usual urine sample, and was told that my protein levels were high for the 2nd time in a row. They immediately sent me upstairs to the lab to complete a lengthy series of tests, if only for a precaution, they say.

High protein levels, combined with other symptoms (some I have just barely, like swelling of the hands/feet, some not at all, like high blood pressure) could be a sign of preeclampsia, which is also known as toxemia. It's a danger to both the mom and baby. Worst case scenarios include stroke, kidney failure, and loss of life to mom and baby.

Mild cases usually result in just being a bit more cautious, monitoring with more frequest doctors visits, and getting to the 36 week mark and then letting doc decide when it's time to move.

I have a level 3 ultrasound tomorrow, and begin the exciting process(!) of collecting all of my urine over the next 24 hours for testing. More concrete information will come once all of the results are in and the doc has reviewed and made a prognosis.

If you are the praying type, pray. If you are the 'sending out cosmic vibes' type, do so. If you are the crossing fingers type, I'll take that too.

Really trying not to be overdramatic. 90% of me knows that this should be ok. 10% of me can't stop thinking about it.

28 weeks

Act 3...(I thought I'd never get here)

Well, I've finally arrived at the 3rd trimester, and let me tell you- for those women who told me that their second pregnancy has "flown by", I can't say that's been my experience. These past few weeks are starting to pick up, but I think I'm just impatient and want to hold and kiss my little baby girl SO bad. It's unreal.

Ginger is starting to understand the concept of baby in the belly, now that I'm getting bigger. She likes to give baby kisses, and the other day when I asked her what we should name the baby, she said "sister". Well, that makes sense!

Which brings me to the naming topic- we are STILL going back and forth with a few names. It's definitely MUCH more difficult with baby girl #2 than with Ginger. I think the moment we found out G was a girl, we were sold on the name. But this time, there are more layers of complexity in choosing a name. We have a few we go back and forth with, but I seriously doubt that we'll make a decision anytime soon. Another big difference from last time.

bb #2 is enjoying a lot of kung fu in my belly these days. I don't mind it one bit, though it catches me off guard a majority of the time. She's a strong little one, preferring her arm at the top right of my belly, and her foot at the bottom left (almost feels diagonal at times). Who knows, maybe she's doing summersaults, all I know is how happy I am to place my hand where she's kicking to hopefully transmit a bit of love through the belly.

I have had a crazy obsession with cheese popcorn this pregnancy, especially in the past two months. And I've had an aversion to chain fast food (other than maybe Chick-fil-A) which is totally different than with Ginger. I've also come to love drumstick ice cream cones (no nuts) and have one almost every night. The upside of being pregnant :)

With only 12 weeks to go, I realize I am behind, big time. We still haven't moved the house around, though I figure there's no rush when we're going to have Ginger continue to use her crib/nursery for at least the first 6-8 weeks of bb#2's life. It's not as easy to be "set" as last time around- by this point I had literally everything in place. Crib, furniture, bedding, everything decorated just the way that I dreamed. The good news is I'm not really stressing about it. That's probably what I enjoy the most about this 2nd pregnancy, the fact that I've known what to expect (well to a certain extent) and that's good for me. The drama of the 1st time around is curbed a bit. But I still worry, and just want to know the baby is healthy and home and we can start our new beginning as a family of 4.

People have asked me whether we'll keep trying for a boy. For now, I say "we'll see". Both Paul and I could really end up feeling fulfilled with two girls, and while we always thought we'd have a brewd of boys running around here, we're kind of taking to the idea of a pair of sisters to raise. Girls truly do melt your hearts, and I was always fearful of having a little girl to raise, but I'm really enjoying it with Ginger. She is so thoughtful, sweet, and loving, and I just can't wait to see how she takes to being a big sister.

Enough for now, but sweet bb#2 I am SOOO ready for you! Can't wait to smell, kiss, snuggle, and love on you!