32 week doc appt.

My appointment went well this morning...and so did my chiropractor appointment yesterday! My chiropractor put me back together, so to speak, as I was OUT!! My increased pelvic pain was due to my pelvic bones being misaligned...feels much better now. My upper cervical was out again (results in uneven hips) which also didn't help. I'll start to go every 2 weeks now, which I'm sure I'll need!

Anna checked out great with the below stats:

Heartbeat: started out at 178 bpm due to her boppin' around and then slowed down to 150 bpm :)
Tummy measurements: 32 weeks!
Weight gain: 34 1/2 lbs. gained so far...4 1/2 lbs. more at this stage than with Eli

We talked about my tender belly and how it is caused from my skin stretching and large basketball of a belly I have. She agreed that I carry straight out and that my muscles get tired of carrying a heavy load! Like Eli, Anna literally sits on my lap when I am sitting. Maternity belt will help some, but not completely as she said I'll feel like I need to carry my belly around in my arms...too true! But, with increased chiropractic treatment, hopefully my pelvic pain will stay in check better which helps. Otherwise, all is great! Two more 2 week visits and on to weekly visits!

Finally...a post about our little man!

It's been a little while since posting about Eli, so let's see if I can make up for it :)

Eli is doing well & seems to become a bigger boy more & more each day!! Here's some examples:

1) He has really started to enjoy more independent play...especially with his cars & trains. Daddy has been buying him hotwheel cars and he loves them! He'll also be getting more cars & a track from his little sister once she arrives....what a great little sis! :)
2) He has become more creative in his play which is fun to see.
3) Eli's new obsession is watching "America's Funniest Home Videos"....he calls them "Kitty-kat videos" due to a cat video capturing his heart initially :)
4) Eli sleeps in his own bed...with help from daddy
5) Eli is hit or miss with naps...he may be done soon!
6) Eli can play ipod & computer games by himself with little help
7) Eli can get in his car seat by himself...most of the time
8) Eli often asks "How you doin' today?" then after you say "I'm good, how are you?" he says "I'm good!"
9) Eli has outgrown some of his 2T shirts! I think his shorts should still fit from last year, though...he will be 3 in August!!
10) Eli rocks at riding his tricycle!

This week is AWESOME weather so we are spending more time outside, breaking out the toys from the garage! I'm looking forward to a fun summer with my little man & baby Anna! Below are some fun pics from our last couple of weeks.

Eli enjoys taking pictures with our camera...this is a cute pic he took of himself:

We attended a birthday party & Eli ate cotton candy for the first time...he thought it was funny to eat:

Eli made a baby collage with help from mommy:

Eli telling mommy the "f" pictures. We haven't done any planned activities the last week or so....too much to do outside!!:

And a "B" dot-to-dot:

We had what I can only hope is our last big snowfall of the season. It literally snowed about 6-8 inches and was melted within days. Eli's last play in the snow for awhile:

"Daddy, can we go outside?":

We had another boo-boo incident requiring a doc visit last week. Eli likes to play in the race car video games & pretend to drive. As he was getting in the seat, he slipped & hit his cheek on the side. It was a nice gash, although small, that kept bleeding & bleeding. Finally after about 5 full band-aids, I called the doc & I took him in to see if he needed stitches. The doc decided it would only need one stitch so he chose to glue the wound shut. I was very thankful for this as stitches at 2 1/2 would have NOT been fun. Eli didn't like being held down to have his cheek glued shut, but that was better than a needle through his skin!! Here's a pic of the glue (it was purple):

We bought Eli a nerf dart gun last weekend. Thankfully he can't cock it back on his own so it's only a "daddy" toy:

A renewed interest in an old favorite:

Painting!:

An idea we got from a friend....water bottle, windows, & foam letters! Endless hours of fun and clean windows in the end (well, kinda):

Our next post should have many more outside pictures! Have a great week!!

32 weeks!

We're getting closer and closer and closer..... :) Another 8 weeks to go and I'm SO happy the warm weather has finally arrived!! I honestly had no coats that fit me! This week will be in the 70's so we are excited around here to experience more of the outdoors....now I just have to keep up with an active toddler!

I started wearing my maternity belt this weekend for times that I do a lot of walking. It definitely helps since gravity is currently not my friend. I'm having more pelvic pain and my belly is very stretched...so much so that at times it is sore! My belly button has way too many stretch marks around it and sometimes it goes numb...weird! I need to put cocoa butter on my belly daily to help my skin stretch easier. There also is more swelling in my ankles...the worst it's been is today:

For me, this is swollen since normally I have very skinny feet & ankles!

This weekend I washed and arranged Anna's clothes in her closet & worked on her baby album. This week I will be looking through MORE clothes of friends & family and attend a consignment sale or two. Yay! I visit my chiropractor on Wednesday and have my 32 week appointment with my midwife on Thursday, too. Here's my post about Eli at 32 weeks.

32 week fun fact: "She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth." (babycenter.com)

Before taking this week's belly pic, Eli took one:

Here's the one taken by daddy:

31 weeks!

Another week down...about 9 to go! I continue to do well but my belly is a little sore with more pelvic pain the last few days. I think she is having a growth spurt and maybe has lowered some, both causing some uncomfortableness. I also pee A LOT day & night & occasional ankle swelling, but not daily. I see my chiro next week, so I could need an adjustment. I've also been overall more tired. My mommy friends from playgroup with 2nd babies tell me the 2nd pregnancy had more braxton hicks, baby dropped earlier and several times instead of just once as with the 1st, more uncomfortableness and some early on "real" like contractions that kept them on their toes (or off, I should say) the last few weeks. So, we'll see how we do! I will say, though, that I still cannot complain...too much anyway :) Here's what I posted for Eli at 31 weeks.

I started Anna's baby album over the weekend and look forward to adding more soon. We have "to-do" items but things like packing my hospital bag can wait a little while longer. There are 3 consignment sales coming up so I'll hopefully find some additional clothing for both Anna & Eli. I also plan to buy Eli some "special" toys for times when I am busy with Anna (particularly when nursing) and a gift to Eli from Anna. I've heard this can help with some jealousy issues. So, I've got my checklist....checking off slowly!

AND I'll see my midwife next Thursday!

Fun 31st week fact:
"Your baby's still-developing immune system has gained substantial strength over the past few weeks getting them in full gear to face our disease-ridden world o’ wonders. Obviously, a large majority of your child’s immune strength will be derived from exposure to breast milk as well as the outside elements." (babygaga.com)

30 week appointment

Another great appointment...I am so THANKFUL!! Anna is great, I'm great, all is good! Here's the stats:

Heartbeat: 164 bpm
Tummy measurements: 30 weeks exactly!
Weight gain: 32 lbs. so far (35 lbs. for Eli at 32 weeks...maybe I'll stay on the same track for Anna!)

3 more "2 week" appointments and then weekly appointments starting at 36 weeks!

30 weeks!

30 weeks

Here we are at 30 weeks for lovely Anna! Her arrival seems suddenly close....which is very exciting. All continues to be really awesome...especially now that I'm in the clear for GD! Back pain is minimal if any, sleeping well (lots of pee breaks & changing positions, but that is to be expected), & heartburn is sporadic. I have had more pelvic pain lately, but it, too, is sporadic...they are gettin' ready!!

I see my midwife on Thursday & will see her every 2 weeks until 36 weeks, when I'll start to see her weekly! Anna does a lot of tossing & turning in the evenings & mornings or anytime I am quiet & sitting. She's probably starting to get a little crowded as she is nearly 16 inches and 3 lbs! She must be head down & angled to my right side as I feel her hiccups sometimes & the most movement is down low & my upper right part of my belly....just like Eli! Sometimes this causes me to be lopsided, which is funny to see. I'll post some video of her movements in a few weeks! Here's my post about Eli at 30 weeks.

Fun 30 week fact: Your little porker is getting even cuter with increasingly pudgy arms and legs this week thanks to the ever-growing layers of subcutaneous fat. (babygaga.com)

I put together a belly flip book slide show....enjoy!!

Having fun Eli style!

Eli's time has been full of the usual: play, play & more play! Of course all this play involves learning, too :) I'll just caption each picture so enjoy!

Eli got his first slinky last week...$1 Target spot rocks!:

One of Eli's many cheesy grins:

In case you haven't heard, our boy kitty, Shadow, went to live with Grandma. Shadow does not do well in a family with young children as he needs constant love & attention. Grandma can give him that, not us! We still have our girl kitty, Mocha, who is so good with Eli. She takes all his love & some of his roughness:

Last week our toddler activity theme was "Me, Family & Friends". We weren't good about taking pictures of the activities but here are a couple.

Eli cut out of construction paper a house like this and then decorated like our house. Here's Eli holding the colored template. As you can see, he is doing more of actual coloring of certain parts of a picture and not just scribbling all over. See the green shutters/windows & door?:

Each week we do a letter....the letter "A" was from the first week, but needed more coloring last week, I guess:

Eli is in love with all things electronic: ipods, laptops, VCRs, tapes, t.v.'s, phones, you name it!! Not surprisingly, he now knows how to use ALL of the listed devices. Here's an example:



We've had some warmer weather off & on the last couple of weeks....woohoo! Although we may get a rain/snow mix tonight into tomorrow, the warm weather will stick around soon, right? Due to this, Eli has insisted on living the last couple of days outside...who can blame him! Over the weekend we visited our neighborhood park:

Big boy swing!:

Rock climbing wall:

Eli enjoys going down slides face first on his tummy:

Back to the toddler swing...he can go higher in these anyway!:

And our visit to the park wouldn't be complete with a run in the field:

And more outside time playing baseball!:

Eli is SO much better with his tricycle. He even has mastered the Roller Racer at Toddler Town. I'll bring my camera soon to shoot some video of this:

Here is Eli showing his tricycle skills:



Now back inside. Eli decided he wanted to play with his glow in the dark stars in the bath tub....what a great idea! Now we turn of the light a few times during bath to see the stars shine:

Eli also got a hair cut last weekend....he's gonna have to start going monthly like daddy!:

Here's what Eli does when trapped inside:



Lastly, our good friends brought dinner over Monday night as I think my stress about the 3 hour glucose test was showing. What awesome friends! Eli enjoyed eating with his buddies, too!: