Hospital Bag Time

I guess since we are less than 4 weeks until my c-section is scheduled and there is a chance that Addison may decide to pick her own birthday as opposed to the birthday I picked, and I guess that I need to pack my hospital bag. Yikes. So, What’s in my bag?

MY BAG:

1. Belly Bandit: This is something I didn’t have last time and I survived, but I have heard wonderful things about the Belly Bandit for c-section recovery. It is probably #1 item I will be taking with me.

2. Yoga Pants: I have some from my last pregnancy that I love. I got them from Old Navy and I plan to get a few more and take them to the hospital with me. I want to be comfortable.

3. Nursing Tanks: My favorite nursing tanks came from Target. I still have them from my last pregnancy and don’t need new ones, but I will be packing several in my hospital bag. C-section=at least 2 nights in the hospital.

4. Toiletries: This is easy for me, since I travel a lot, I have a travel bag with pretty much a copy of all my go to products in smaller containers. I will include a hairdryer and makeup with this category. My c-section is scheduled for noon, so I will get up that morning, shower, do my hair and makeup for the day. Might as well feel good going in for the day. 

5. Flip flops/house slippers: Flip flops for the shower, even though I brought these last time I was so out of it in the morning I showered without them. Hopefully someone is nice enough to remind me this time. House slippers. My body swelled horribly after my first c-section (I have heard it is normal) and the only thing I could fit my fat feet into were my slippers. I did leave the hospital in tennis shoes…not sure how my Mom and Michael got them on my feet but it worked.

6. Camera/cell phone/chargers: My camera didn’t need its charger, but my phone did. My camera will last a week, trust me if you don’t charge it on vacation 10 times don’t take it to the hospital…one more thing to lose.

7. Pillow: I wanted my own pillow and a blanket from home.

8. Sweatshirt/sweater: I don’t know why, but I was freezing constantly. Even when I got home. My body really struggled to control its own body heat post baby. Plus hospitals are always cold.

9. ID/Insurance cards: Just in case. Our hospital does most of the paperwork prior to going in, but you never know.

For Baby:

1. 2-3 outfits or more: I left Mason in the hospital provided outfits until the day we left and then I put him in his going home outfit, which was a preemie outfit and still big on him. I got a few cute outfits for baby girl to go home in and since she only goes home once, I am sure I will be keeping her looking good during our stay.

2. Blankets: Yet again hospital provides, but I have one specially for her that I will bring. This was the one thing I put Mason in daily, a special blanket for him.

3. Boppy Pillow: Makes BF easier and helps to have a pillow over your stomach for possible laughter and coughing. Post c-section problems.

4. Car Seat: They won’t let you leave the hospital without one.

5. Baby Book: This was helpful, because post c-section medicine helps remove brain power and if you want to remember gifts, flowers, and who came to visit, probably a good idea to bring this. Our hospital doesn’t do foot prints in the book, they provide you a cardstock type paper with them on it.

For Husband:

Our hospital is super close to our house. When we had Mason, my Mom would come early in the morning and relive Michael to go home and shower and rest. Michael was super sick when Mason was born. He didn’t want to have PJs or anything for himself there. He didn’t really care. I am sure similar things will happen this go around, minus the sickness. I think I put a few items in the car for him just in case he changed his mind, but he didn’t. It was nice of my Mom to give him a break and she was able to help me get out of bed and shower, so when Michael finally got back to the hospital we were both refreshed.

Does this sound like a lot? Am I missing anything important? Any suggestions?

Week 22 – Baby #2

How far along? 22 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 11 lbs. From my Doctor’s appointment.
Maternity clothes? Oh I give up. Stretchy pants are just better. I am wearing a lot of leggings these days and boots. So comfy.
Stretch marks? No-Thank goodness and applying lotion like it is going out of style.
Sleep: Sleep has been off. I have had some pain in the last week. They think it is from stretching and ligament pain. I am tossing and turning a lot more than I have been. I am hoping it will improve with time, but probably not until this baby is out.
Best moment this week: Any week I get to go to the doctor and hear the baby’s heartbeat is the best.
Miss Anything? Sleeping on my back.
Movement: This baby loves to move right when I want to go to sleep. Mason was always calm at night except 4AM. This baby loves to bust a move right at 10-11pm.
Food cravings: Can I have chocolate and ice cream for every meal? Michael even made a comment about how much sweets I am eating these days.
Anything making you queasy or sick: When I eat too much I feel queasy and now I am having heartburn pretty bad and that makes me a little queasy.
Feelings: I feel like this baby is a girl…mostly because it is completely different from my first. Heartburn is starting earlier. Heartbeat is slower than Mason by 20 beats every single time. The baby is sitting so much lower…my skin is crazy breaking out.        
Gender: Not finding out. Yay for surprises!
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: My emotions are completely in check now.
Looking forward to: I am looking forward to Christmas for obvious reasons. I am kind of looking forward to make next OB appointment. We will be scheduling my c-section at the next appointment. That will definitely make it real! It is odd to think I get to pick my baby’s birthday! I have an idea of what day we will try and do it, but won’t know for sure until we schedule it next time.

Week 20-Baby #2

I am back this week. Sorry for being MIA last week. I was out in Harrisburg, PA for work. It was a long week and I am glad to be home for a week before hitting the road again.

How far along? 20 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 10 lbs. (according to home scale)
Maternity clothes? I am trying to slowly add more and more maternity clothes. It is hard to truly fit into maternity pants right now. The belly isn’t quite large enough to hold up the pants.
Stretch marks? No-Thank goodness and applying lotion like it is going out of style.
Sleep: I am still waking up once a night. I have the occasionally good full night of no waking, but until this baby decides to stop cuddling with my bladder it is going to come and go. 
Best moment this week: This pregnancy is feeling so unreal. I feel movement but not like a did with Mason at this point. It is almost more of a stretching then a kick, so I forget I am pregnant most of the time. It doesn’t help that I am chasing around Mason.
Miss Anything? I am missing my normal jeans. They are comfortable and I love them. I can comfortably fit into a few of my normal pants, but I am missing some of my favorite. 
Movement: I feel movement, but it is different then the last time. I can tell this baby is calmer than Mason was. When I flew with Mason he would move around a ton. This baby is just calm with the occasional bump or reminder it is there.
Food cravings: I haven’t really had anything fun cravings, yet again this pregnancy will most likely not have me wanting pickles and ice cream or at least not together.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Strong smells. Cologne on the airplane made my head hurt. I even smelled men’s cologne coming out of my hotel room this week and it was forever before I could get rid of the headache. BOO.
Feelings: It just seems weird. Somedays I think and dream about what this baby is going to look like or be like…girl or boy…blonde or dark hair. Other days I forget I am pregnant at all, or at least until I look down at my expanding midsection. I feel like this baby is sitting super low. I am wondering if it is just because it is still early or if the baby is going to stay that low.      
Gender: Not finding out. Yay for surprises!
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: My emotions are completely in check now.
Looking forward to: I am looking forward to Christmas and this whole month really.  I am in the process of planning lots of fun activities. We have Christmas, I ordered our Christmas cards, we have Michael’s birthday, Mason’s birthday, a baby shower for a friend, and a gender reveal for another friend. It is going to help make the next few months go faster. By the time March rolls around, I am not going to know what to do with myself.

Check back tomorrow for our last monthly update on Mason before he turns 2!! Yikes! Can’t believe my baby is turning 2 in a month!

Week 19-Baby #2

How far along? 19 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 8.5 lbs. (according to home scale)
Maternity clothes? I am half maternity half real clothes. I definitely enjoyed the stretchy pants on Thanksgiving day.
Stretch marks? No-Thank goodness and applying lotion like it is going out of style.
Sleep: Sleep is actually improving each day! I get very excited when I wake up and realize I didn’t get up to pee in the middle of the night. 
Best moment this week: I loved getting a glance inside and seeing our baby. He/she is looking pretty darn cute!
Miss Anything? Since I got to enjoy tons of Thanksgiving dinner and desserts, I have to say I am not missing a thing.  Thankful that my Mama is a great cook. 
Movement: This baby loves to move. I am feeling it more and more. It was cool watching the baby move on the ultrasound and feeling it at the same time.
Food cravings: All my cravings were fulfilled this week especially in the dessert category.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing new.
Feelings: I feel like this is getting real. After seeing the baby this week, it made life real. We are going to have two crazy kids running around.     
Gender: Not finding out. Yay for surprises!
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: My emotions are completely in check now.
Looking forward to: I am traveling this week and then I have a week off for Christmas. This month is going to go by so fast and then it will be Mason’s birthday. I am trying to enjoy each and every moment as a family of three.

18 Weeks and 3 days. Weighing in at 8oz. Measuring perfectly on schedule. He/she love her/his hands in its face, just like brother did, but that is the only thing I could immediately tell was the same thing. 

Week 18-Baby #2

How far along? 18 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 7.5 lbs. (according to home scale)
Maternity clothes? I am doing belly bands and rubber bands. I can button pants, but they are uncomfortable, so I am going for as comfy as possible. So maternity shirts. They are just longer, or maybe I am imagining that.
Stretch marks? No-Thank goodness and applying lotion like it is going out of style.
Sleep: According to my Fitbit I get between 8-10 hours of sleep at night! 
Best moment this week: I am loving that each day I am feeling more and more movement and it is getting stronger.
Miss Anything? Nothing new this week. 
Movement: More and More. It is so exciting to feel movement.
Food cravings: I am craving anything I smell. Went to the football game Saturday and I wanted everything I could smell. If it hadn’t been raining I probably would have eaten everything within reach.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing new.
Feelings: I am getting nervous for my ultrasound in just three days.    
Gender: Not finding out. Yay for surprises!
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: My emotions are completely in check now.
Looking forward to: My ultrasound is Wednesday and I cannot wait! I want to see the little bug I am growing and hear the heartbeat and know that everything is okay with the baby. It is exciting. It will be just me and Michael in the room. We aren’t taking Mason, but he will love the pictures.

Week 17-Baby #2

My little Monkey came and got in my picture this week. Cheesing for the camera. Ignore his lovely marks on his face. There is a story behind them.

How far along? 17 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 6.5 lbs. (according to home scale)
Maternity clothes? Still no here. I have been living in leggings and yoga pants. It has been so cold here all weekend, that I wanted to be comfortable and warm.
Stretch marks? No-Thank goodness and applying lotion like it is going out of style.
Sleep: This week was much better. I even had my first full night of sleep without waking to pee. Yay!! I was so excited and woke feeling amazing. It was only one night but still! 
Best moment this week: Getting to feel more movement. If I hold very still I occasionally can feel flutters or bumps. Loving them. 
Miss Anything? I am dying for a glass of wine or spiked hot chocolate. With the weather changing I want to put on a fire and grab a large glass of red wine. I told Michael he needed to have a glass so I could smell it. Maybe get a little contact wine high.  
Movement: More and More. It is so exciting to feel movement.
Food cravings: Mexican. Lots of chips and salsa and cheese dip.
Anything making you queasy or sick: I think it is safe to say I am completely over the sickness part of this pregnancy.
Feelings: I am feeling excited but nervous. When I was pregnant with Mason, I was just so happy to be pregnant I never thought about anything bad happening. This time I am worried constantly. I think it is from having friends who have had complicated pregnancies that I realize your happy bubble can pop so fast. Hopefully I will feel better after the 20 week ultrasound, when they tell me everything is great.    
Gender: Not finding out. Yay for surprises!
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: My emotions are completely in check now. 
Looking forward to: Next week we are having the big Anatomy Scan Ultrasound!!!! I cannot wait to see my little Mr. or Miss. on camera. I am also looking forward to more movement and some that Mason can feel. He lays his head on my belly and talks to his baby. I ask him if she/he is talking back and he says yes. Maybe it is! :-) 

Week 16-Baby #2

My sweet fur baby wanting to be in the picture this week. She is so sweet and has been super attached to me. This is her, are we seriously doing this again look. She loves her brother, but I don’t know what she is thinking!

How far along? 16 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 6 lbs. (according to home scale)
Maternity clothes? No. I give it a week or maybe 2 before I am wearing maternity pants. I can still comfortably button my jeans, but they are starting to get tighter.
Stretch marks? No-Thank goodness and applying lotion like it is going out of style.
Sleep: This week I have been sleeping better. I have been taking Benadryl at night to help with my cough and cold. It helps me stay asleep.  
Best moment this week: Mason has now become a little obsessed with my growing belly. He talks to the baby and kisses the baby. It is the sweetest thing. I have decided he think he is getting another Gabby out of this deal. He calls her Sissy and Gabby, and this week in reference to my belly called it Sissy.
Miss Anything? It has been an easy week. I had sushi this week. Yum Yum. I had fish twice including the sushi, which was crab.  
Movement: I didn’t feel anything strong this week.  Boo. I think this baby is calmer than Mason was in my belly.
Food cravings: I want food all of the time. I won’t be surprised if I gain 30-40lbs this time around. Hopefully no water weight. Last time I think 10-15lbs of my weight gain was water from swelling..  
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing new this week. I hate going to public places. People smell. 
Feelings: We had a crazy weekend/week. My first born, fur baby, had her second ever seizure at 3:45AM. It is the scariest thing in the world to wake up to it. She is scared, we are scared. It lasted 4-5 minutes, but feels like forever. We took her to the vet the last time and they told us it isn’t too uncommon for dogs to have seizures and majority are at night. They won’t put her on medicine until she is having 2 a month. The last one was back in September. Hoping for no more!!   
Gender: Not finding out. Yay for surprises!
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: My emotions are completely in check now.  
Looking forward to: 2 weeks until the big ultrasound!! Even though we don’t find out what we are having, I cannot wait to see my little bug and make sure he/she is healthy. 

Week 14-Baby #2

 How far along? 14 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 3lbs. (according to home scale)
Maternity clothes? No. It has been a lot warmer here in the last week. I desperately want Fall weather all of the time. Then I can spend my days in leggings and boots…scarves! I think that will be the best part of this pregnancy. 
Stretch marks? No-I keep praying for this answer to stay a no.
Sleep: I still have a pretty bad cough. So I am waking up once or twice to pee and 10 times to cough. I really need this cough to go away.
Best moment this week: I am hoping to feel some movement soon. I thought maybe I did one day this week, when Mason was elbowing my gut, but not 100% sure.  
Miss Anything? I am definitely missing a cocktail. Someone is going to have to start describing to me the taste of a good glass of wine.  
Movement: No movement yet, I don’t think.
Food cravings: This week was Oreos. Yup…almost finish an entire oreo container by myself. I also had it hidden from Mason and Michael…pregnant women don’t share well, or at least I don’t.   
Anything making you queasy or sick: I am improving daily. I cannot wait to get energy back and get over this cough. I think I could be really enjoying the 2nd trimester.
Feelings: Feelings. I don’t really have too many good or bad feelings from this week. Excitement to meet this new baby…Fear about my c-section. I am already thinking about that c-section.  
Gender: Not finding out. Yay for surprises!
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: I haven’t been crying this week. YAY! I think I am actually happier and feeling less emotional.   
Looking forward to: I have a doctor’s appointment this week!! I cannot wait to hear that heartbeat again! This early in pregnancy is so hard. You can’t feel the baby, and you go to the doctor once a month to hear the heartbeat. It can drive you crazy. Once I feel movement, I don’t mind the once a month visits. Thursday cannot come fast enough!

Week 13-Baby #2

How far along? 13 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 2.5 lbs. (according to home scale)
Maternity clothes? No. I have probably 3 pairs of jeans I can still button, and I am loving leggings right now. That’s the best part of fall. I can throw on leggings and an oversized shirt and make it work.
Stretch marks? No-Lotion lotion lotion. I am more worried about it this time. I feel like my belly and other parts are expanding a lot faster than before.
Sleep: This last week has been horrible. I have to pee 3 times a night and on top of the constant bathroom breaks, I have had a horrible cough. The doctor think it is allergies, and told me take Benadryl so I am knocked out, until I start choking/coughing.
Best moment this week: I haven’t had an exciting new baby week. Been pretty boring, but I am very exciting about the fact that my husband bought me a new Jeep Grand Cherokee.  
Miss Anything? Nothing this week. I am realizing as my belly expands it is going to be very hard to place Mason in his crib for bedtime.  
Movement: No movement yet.
Food cravings: Pasta, carbs. Yes please! I could eat pasta of any kind daily, three times a day. It is soooo good. I am still wanting sweets. Chocolate for dessert please.  
Anything making you queasy or sick: I had a really good week, until Sunday. I waited too long to make myself some lunch. I immediately felt sick and had to take a nap to kind of get over it. I slept for an hour Sunday, and then was asleep by 8pm. 
Feelings: Nervous. Worried. I think it is going to be so difficult on Mason to adjust to not being the center of our world. Sharing is going to be difficult. It makes me sad to think about how he is going to feel. It will be good for him, but also so hard. 
Gender: Not finding out. Yay for surprises!
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Emotional. Tears and crying. A lot. Stupid TV commercials and shows.   
Looking forward to: I am beyond ready for movement. I felt my first flutter with Mason at about 13 weeks. It felt like a flutter and it was different then anything else at that point. I remember calling a friend to ask about it and she said it sounded like I felt movement. Of course, I didn’t have that feeling again for 3 more weeks after that. I need that verification of there is something inside!

Hormones

Could someone come and help get my pregnancy hormones in check? Lets talk about crying on a dime. It is embarrassing. I feel like a big bag of unstable!!

I think this week, I have cried about 4 times. I received a sad email the other day at work and cried. It really was sad news about someone I work with and have traveled with, but it was just informative. I cried for a good 5 minutes about it. I am talking giant crocodile tears near sobbing…very ugly crying.

I went to a wedding the other day. I never ever cry at weddings. In fact, I am usually the awful one laughing at the criers. One of my close friends was a bridesmaid and I looked at her and she was crying.  Immediately I was crying. I refused to look at her the rest of the ceremony. Michael was like are you actually crying…yes dear, start poking fun at me now.

Commercials, TV Shows, you name it…I have cried during them in the last month. Crazy Crazy hormones. Get it in check! I keep saying this has to be a girl. I was never emotional with Mason. Ever. Michael had it so easy with Mason, I didn’t get moody, I didn’t have cravings, nothing. Easy. This pregnancy is completely different. I am a ticking time bomb of emotions waiting to explode. And we don’t know if it is anger or sadness that is going to come out. Please pray for my husband. 6 more months of this.