Weekly Update: 36 Weeks (1 Day Late)

At 36 weeks, baby bird is almost 6 pounds and more than 18.5 inches long. She is the size of a head of romaine lettuce.

I had my regularly-scheduled weekly check-up yesterday, which was a good thing because I had a little fall the day before. Hokie's beard drips water on the kitchen floor near his bowl after he drinks and I came through the kitchen a little too fast and slipped on it. I fell straight onto my butt, obviously doing something weird with the left side of my body because I was sore, sore, sore from my left toes up to the left side of my neck. My bootie was especially sore. It's starting to feel better today. I felt the baby move a few hours after the fall but was still a little nervous because she wasn't acting her normal busy self. Everything checked out ok at the doctor and he deemed her in much better shape than mom.

I've lost a few pounds since the previous week (take that, mean doctor!) and had my Group B strep test done (I'll find out the results from that next week, but basically just have to get antibiotics during delivery if I am positive - I was negative with both boys and they expect it to be the same). We officially unscheduled my 39-week induction and have me scheduled for 41 weeks (December 4). Hopefully she'll come on her own before then. I am predicting a November 30 birthday! :)

The handsome mister and I went to a Bradley Gilbert concert on my 36-week mark!

North Carolina State Fair 2014

This past weekend, we went to the North Carolina State Fair. Grandma & Grandpa Bagley and cousin Matt joined us. We met up with Uncle Mike and Olive there as well.

We spent T.E.N. hours walking, eating (lots o' eating), riding, and visiting exhibits. It started getting pretty crowded during the later afternoon so we mozied on back home after fighting the crowds back to our (paid) parking. Remember that year my Vibe got broken into while parked (very close to police) on the side of Hillsborough? Yeah, we pay to park in an attended lot now.

The boys had a blast riding rides. This is the first year they haven't wanted to ride the same things. Landon rode some things with his brother but passed on some because "he didn't want to waste his tickets on the baby rides." That didn't bother Carter in the least...he got on rides by himself this year, as did Landon. Landon surprised me this year with his little adventurous flair. He wasn't scared of anything and would have ridden more had we 1) had more tickets and 2) not cut off their riding due to long lines once it got crowded. He wanted to ride one ride that looked like a Scrambler, except it went up in the air, sideways, and SUPER fast. He SQUEAKED by on the height requirement (still debatable, IMO). Much to his mother's protests, he rode it with Uncle Mike and had a blast. I, on the other hand, had envisioned his little body being flown across the fairgrounds and didn't breathe during the entire ride. He also rode the little single car roller coaster (with his Daddy)...he liked it afterwards, but according to Christopher yelled "GET ME OFF" during the ride. LOL  I think he likes the fast spinny stuff (like Mommy likes) and maybe can deal without the stomach-dropping stuff (like Daddy likes). He's definitely turning into a little daredevil, and I am NOT ready for that.

Food. Oh the food. I ate a Mt. Olive sour pickle, elephant ear, fries, cheese fries, John Deere ice cream, and a turkey leg. Many other foods were consumed in our group (by mostly Matt) that included deep-fried mushrooms, corn on the cob, Krispy Kreme do-nut hamburger, Twinx (Twix shoved in a Twinkie, wrapped in bacon, and deep fried), oyster po' boys, apple cider slushies, corn dogs, pizza, etc. etc. etc.

We also saw the biggest pumpkin, beautiful cakes, and a goat show (those things are hard-headed) as well as other animals. We weighed ourselves (an annual tradition that I wish would end) and listened to some bluegrass. I had to stop often to rest (and eat). My feet were sausages by the end of the day, the kids were hyped up on sugar, and I felt like I was going to puke in the middle of the night from all the food so I call our day at the fair a win!

Turkey leg! Pickle sticker! (& boobs sitting on top of my belly!)

#ladyboner

The baby didn't like the smell of the animals. He's got his mama's nose.

Weekly Update: 35 Weeks

F.I.V.E. weeks to go. Five. One, two, three, four, five. Holy smokes!

At 35 weeks, baby bird is 5 & 1/4 pounds and 18 inches long. She is the size of a honeydew melon. Most of what she'll be doing development-wise from here on out is just getting fat. (And apparently mama too - 7 pounds gained in the past 2 weeks...yowzers!)

I had an OB check-up yesterday and the doctor I spoke with was very supportive of my choice not to induce at 39 weeks. He agreed that babies can get stuck, whether they are small or big, and that it was really hard to predict. He also said that he, and the other doctors in the practice, are very skilled at getting a stuck baby out (although that is obviously not the ideal situation because it does carry risks). He said that it was absolutely up to me and not to lose sleep over the decision. I had made my decision, but our conversation was very reassuring. I got my flu shot while there and he confirmed that Miss Wrenn is indeed head down. :)  I'm at weekly appointments now, which blows my mind (and is so hard to schedule around my training schedule at work)!

My feet are SO swollen. And it is so very painful. Some days I start out with ankles and the swelling sets in over the day, but some days I wake up already swollen (like yesterday...I put on cowboy boots for work and quickly realized that it was not going to work because of the swelling, but I couldn't get them off and Christopher had already left for work. My toes were numb by noon.)

People ask how I am feeling and the best I can answer is, "35 weeks pregnant." Oy.

Girl's Beach Weekend 2014

I went to Carolina Beach this past weekend for a Girl's Weekend and had such a wonderful time. The weather was gorgeous (I actually got hot on the beach and had to come inside), tried acupuncture for the very first time, and had a great time celebrating my friend's 40th birthday.

My relaxing weekend in pictures...

Weekly Update: 34 Weeks

34 weeks! SIX weeks to go! It's hard to believe that this pregnancy is quickly coming to an end. It's very bittersweet for me...I'm starting to get really ready to have my body back but I know I am going to miss pregnancy, especially since this is my last one. I'll never feel those kicks/punches again. I'll never have that growing belly again. I'll never experience that joy of growing a life.

I'm starting to feel pretty dang miserable and slow down a bit. My feet are swollen and hurt at the end of the day (thank you, Christopher for the foot rubs). I have a hard time standing in the kitchen after dinner packing lunches and such. But I'm trucking along.

At 34 weeks, my baby bird is 4 & 3/4 pounds and almost 18 inches long. She's the size of a cantaloupe. She's in good shape as far as lung and central nervous system development and if she were to be born now, she's be okay.

Diaper bag is packed and I am pretty sure I have some coming-home outfit options ready! I went to a local consignment shop and picked up some NB-size clothing that should get her through her first month or so. I still have to pack my hospital bag, install the car seat bases, and get the crib sanded/painted. I also still have to get flu shot (everyone else in my house has had one) - my OB was out last week when I went. Hopefully they'll have more in next Tuesday when I go for another check-up; if not, I'll just go somewhere else to get it.

Until next week, my friends!

Hokie

I don't take much time on this space to talk about our very first baby, Hokie. Christopher and I rescued Hokie, a lhasa apso/cocker spaniel mix in January 2003. He was 2 when we got him, potty trained, but a hot mess. He had been abused (which was apparent by how he growled anytime you came close to him and/or touched him for the first year we had him) and he was a long-haired matted mess. But I knew he belonged in our family. I'm glad I convinced Christopher that he was meant for us because he's been the most perfect dog. We love him to pieces.

He has always stood guard by my babies when they slept. When Landon was 2/3, he couldn't fall asleep without Hokie in the bed with him. So poor Hokie would stay in Landon's bed, for hours some nights, until he fell asleep. Then as soon as that heavy breathing would set in, Hokie would jump down and come find us. He likes to hang with us until it's bedtime, then comes up to bed with us. For 11 years, he's slept in between my legs at the foot of the bed.

Every time he gets groomed, he has an identity crisis and runs around the house like a maniac. He acts more like a cat than a dog. Actually, scratch that. He acts more like a human than anything.

He's a lazy bum. He doesn't like to play or get much exercise. His pastimes pretty much involve sleeping, snuggling, and begging for food any time he hears a bag rattle or when I am in the kitchen.

We've had to rush him to the emergency vet for HGE where he came close to dying. He's had 10 teeth removed and has more rotten ones now, which leads to terrible breath (I'm scared to put him through surgery again at his old age). He's always been deathly afraid of thunderstorms but is even more so now that he's older. He's actually scared of everything in his old age, like the blow dryer at the groomer's. He can't jump up on things like he used to, like the couch and bed, and often face plants into the side and just falls down. He stays under my feet constantly now (not sure if that's his old age or related to my pregnancy).

My heart breaks every day as I watch him age. He's close to 14 years old...I know his time here with us is coming close to an end. We love this dog so much and know that no other dog will come close to replacing him.

He's a part of our Bagley Circus.

Book Worm

When you've only got one more chapter left in your book, you just plop right down on the driveway to finish before you can play soccer with your brother.

*Landon (age 8) is loving the I Survived series. He just devours them up. They are historical fictions - real events told from the perspective of a young boy. They include true historical events like volcanic eruptions, 9/11, Japanese tsunami, earthquakes, etc. I highly recommend them for your little reader.

Pink Laundry

There's been an awful lot of pink laundry piles in our house lately. I'm not used to this. I'm more used to Lego t-shirts, Power Rangers undies, and Nike socks.

Naughty Carter Bear

Carter Bear has been our perfect angel from the start. The kid had to be woken up to nurse as soon as he came home from the hospital. He slept well...and long. He was quiet and calm. He was so low maintenance. We thought he was going to, for sure, be introverted.

Over the past year or so, he's definitely come out of his shell. He talks A LOT to strangers and is quite the ham. But over the past few weeks, he's been a...challenge. He's starting to get a 'tude and telling us some untruths.

And he's now getting in trouble at school. First, he told me this whole story about kids making fun of him at lunchtime over some "girly" packaging he had food in. Christopher and I both spoke to him on how to handle it, but I also emailed his teacher to make her aware of what was going on. After her speaking to him the next day, he admitted to her that he had made it all up and lied to us.

Then I get an email yesterday from his teacher that Carter drew big letters all over his desk during Writer's Workshop. When she asked him why he did it, his response was, "because I wanted to."

We've had long talks with him, taken away things like iPad, made him write apology notes to his teacher, told his sensai at ninjitsu who in turn made him sit out of the fun stuff at practice. I just don't know what's gotten into him. He's been a little sick this past week and gotten less sleep (due to no naps since he started K, coughing keeping him up, and just later bedtimes due to us being busy). And maybe it has something to do with the baby coming soon. Or is this a phase? Is this him testing his limits? Are we going through Terrible Twos at 5? We're kind of left sitting here like O_O.

Weekly Update: 33 Weeks

32 weeks & 6 days (All day, I pulled my shirt down and skirt up)

Wow o wow o wow o wow! SEVEN weeks to go!

At 33 weeks, little bird is a little over 4 pounds and 17 inches long. She is the size of a pineapple.

Things left to do: sand and paint crib (where paint is peeling), pack hospital bag, install car seats, and get a few more odds & ends.

The nursery is *almost* together. I just ordered these hot air balloon crib sheets which have been unavailable since I registered for them. They just became available yesterday (I check every day) so I quickly ordered those as they are a staple of my decor. Once I get this changing pad cover and dust ruffle, the nursery will be good to go - I need some gray and yellow in there to balance out all the pink. I'll order those soon (and holy smokes, Target shipping is SUPER fast).

I don't have much newborn-size clothing (that aren't gowns or PJs) so I'll probably need to get a few outfits. Even Carter, who was 8 pounds and 14 ounces, wore newborn for a few weeks.

So I am scheduled for an induction on November 20 (at 39 weeks), but I'm most likely going to cancel. Two doctors at the practice have told me that they'd like to induce me at 39 weeks because I have big babies and they don't want to risk her being so big that she gets stuck. Although, they also say they can't estimate how much she is going to weigh. This last doctor (who is my least favorite due to her lack of bedside manner) told me it was basically because I had gained so much weight. She was extremely rude. I told her I thought I had been doing awesome this time around...30 pounds so far (and most likely to land at a total of 40) when I was at 56 and 50 with the boys. Apparently, mom weight gain equals baby weight gain. So...if that's the case, I'll have gained less this time around so my baby might be smaller than my previous two which I pushed out just fine... It's really about the shoulders getting stuck, which can happen in a small or large baby...it just matters which way they come down the birth canal. I'm not 100% convinced that the doctors aren't just trying to avoid a lawsuit in the case they have to break her clavicle to get her out if she's stuck. Elective inductions have stats to support longer, harder, more intense labors and increased risk of c-sections. I know that there's plenty of women out there induced and they have wonderful birth stories. I just don't really see compelling evidence to bring her out a week early or before she's ready unless there's something going on like blood pressure issues, extremely overdue, etc. Let her come when she's ready. My body has done this before on its own time and I am completely confident in my body. Yeah, it'd be great to meet her a week early and great to have it scheduled and great to know with certainty that I can get the epidural...but I just don't see the undeniable evidence that it's a necessity. I'm going to see how this next month goes and talk to the other doctors at the practice and get their opinions (I'm at EOW appointments now), but most likely, I'll be cancelling the induction and let Wrenn pick her own birthday.

We Made It!

Friday!!! I thought you'd never get here! Relax like these guys and enjoy your weekend!

The boys at ninjitsu this week, meditating on sensai's words while they lay perfectly still for 15 minutes.

Weekly Update: 32 Weeks

31 weeks & 6 days

At 32 weeks, my baby bird is 3 & 3/4 pounds and about 16.7 inches long. My weekly BabyCenter email tells me that she is taking up most of my uterus. NO KIDDING!!!! She's the size of a jicama (I had to google that - it's a Mexican yam).

From here on out, I should gain about a pound a week and half of that will go right to her. She's fattening up!

I had the most perfect little baby shower this past weekend (details and pictures coming) and felt so loved! But my nursery is starting to become very pink...I've got to get some other colors in there to balance it out.

Feeling about the same...heartburn, tired, pains, etc. My next OB appointment is this coming Monday and then I go to every-other-week check-ups.

As you can see from my 32 week picture and my 30 week picture (same outfit!), I am starting to run out of clothes that fit and my options are pretty slim!

I finally got around to attacking the linen closet (nesting). I'm not sure what my next victim will be, although it really needs to be my shower. But getting down on all fours in my 4x4 stand-up shower just ain't happening.

I'm starting to freak out a little about having a baby in the winter time when colds and flus are at a high (and not to mention this Enterovirus going around now). We haven't had a great track record with respiratory junk (Landon had RSV which caused him to wheeze for years, and Carter had pneumonia). They were both about 6 months when that hit since they were summer babies. My sweet girl is going to be a tiny little thing during all this upcoming yuckiness. I'll go ahead and apologize in advance if I shower you in hand sanitizer or hand out a mask (only halfway kidding about the mask). Should I just get a bubble to keep her in until spring?

I can now say that we meet our bird NEXT MONTH! Well...unless she's late and comes in December. But soon! I'll have her in my arms soon!

"Peepee Medicine" is Back

Rewind a few years ago... Landon was completely potty trained, but started bedwetting almost every.single.night. We were doing everything right...no caffeine, no drinks after a certain time, peeing before bed, etc. etc. etc.

He was ashamed and embarrassed. He wore the big boy pull-ups for a while but after I realized it was adding to his embarrassment, we tossed those aside and I just started changing and washing sheets every day. Then he had two accidents within a week at school during the day. Our pediatrician sent us to a pediatric urologist and he gave us our sanity and confident little boy back. Landon was diagnosed with Overactive Bladder (OAB) and given medicine that worked like magic!!! No more accidents, no more bedwetting, and his frequency and urgency decreased.

The urologist described the bladder as an emotional organ. Things like stress, excitement, etc. can trigger OAB "episodes" so he said to try the medicine for a little bit, stop it, and see how things go. If he is still bedwetting, get back on it and try again later. After a year of medicine (all of 1st grade), we were able to stop.

He's been good to go (all of 2nd grade) until recently. Right before 3rd grade started, his bedwetting started again (4-ish times per week) and I also noticed an increase in frequency/urgency during the day. We went back to the pediatric urologist yesterday (we were due for his annual check-up in the next few weeks anyway). He made sure that he didn't have an infection (apparently I don't hold the urinalysis cup as good as daddy does and that's why he misfired all over the office toilet seat and wall) and wasn't constipated - those are two big reasons for bedwetting! No infection, no constipation. So, he's back on the medicine for OAB. We'll try it for a few weeks, then stop to see if it resets the bladder. We'll keep up the stop-and-see method until we're able to take him off again. And who knows...he might be good to go forever after this episode or we may have to keep with the medicine resets every so often.

Landon's confidence takes a beating when the bedwetting starts up. Like I said earlier, he feels so embarrassed and ashamed. Except for the grumbling by me in the middle of the night when I'm stripping a bed of wet sheets and relocating boys, we don't say much about it. It is what it is and we know the poor kid can't help it. The urologist was so sweet to Landon (I was almost in tears in the office). He talked to him about how he has many patients just like Landon every day and that he's not alone, And also that he's not going to wet the bed forever. He also had on a Winnie the Pooh tie, which made him the authority.  :)

So medicine and a pep talk from the coolest Pooh tie-wearing doctor, we're good to go!