NEW BLOG!

Please note this important change in my blog.  For ALL further blogging updates and posts, please visit jenniferfreitas.blogspot.com.  This is my blog's new home for hopefully the next couple of years!  A full explanation of the change can be read under my first post. See you there! : )

Thanks,
Jenn

Pregnancy Weeks 35, 36, & 37

It seems as though I've maxed out my free photo storage on this blog and will be posting belly pics on Facebook from this point on until I get set up with a new blog.  I'll be sure to post about that and give the link to my new blog.  New baby, new blog, seems to go hand in hand : ) I'll keep you all posted.


Week 35 - I was having two full days of contractions lasting from 15-20 minutes apart.  The kind that wake you up in the middle of the night and make you want to count, just in case.  I was really hoping that these weren't the real deal, seeing as though it was a bit early, but I wasn't going to dismiss it, seeing as though I did have Judah 3 weeks early to the day.   The contractions did finally stop (for just over a week).
     Thursday Timm, my dad, and I all went to check out a house Timm had seen Wednesday and loved.  We all liked it too so we actually put a bid on it!  We didn't finish negotiating the price for 6 more days, kinda crazy, but we'll see what happens from here.  It would be nice to have a house finally, with the two boys.
     I did have a doctor's appt. this week where I weighed in at an impressive 178. Yikes! Oh well. I did ask to be checked seeing as though I had all those contractions and he said I was only the tiniest bit dilated.  He did not tell me about effacement or anything like that.  So all I knew was that I probably wasn't going to have my son within the next couple of days, which was good, because I had a big day planned the following day.  On my big planned out day I ended up going to my grandma's house and having her cook myself and some visitors a nice big chicken dinner for lunch.  It was great to see my family and some extended family for the short time that we did.  She sent us home with a big potato dish that we froze for later, so that was nice. Also, that same day we ended up going to a birthday party.  So needless to say, a long day and the last day we'd be traveling that far.

Week 36 - Surprisingly, no contractions this week and no appointment.  I was feeling pretty much like I did every other week with of course the horrible back pain of turning over from side to side in bed.  Leg cramps have kicked it up a notch this week though, but still nothing as terrible as when I was carrying Judah, those leg cramps were bad! At 36.6 days, I was waiting for it happen, to have the baby, seeing as though that was the exact night I had gone into labor with Judah. But alas, nothing!  I was kinda glad, but here we are in April where I know I am having the baby THIS MONTH!

Week 37 - I can't believe it but I'm here, in my 37th week. I had Judah when I had just turned 37 weeks to the day.  Currently I am just about 37 weeks and 4 days.  Its crazy to think that I actually might reach 38 weeks let alone 39 weeks and 1 day, which is when my C-section is scheduled.  But, if our son wants to wait, then so be it.  I'm totally okay with him developing as much as possible.  I really do think that he will weigh more and probably be longer than Judah was when he was born.  At least, I weigh more this time around!
     I did have a doctor's appointment this week and surprisingly my doctor did not check me, nor did I ask to be checked, figuring he knows what he is doing.  Also surprising, was the fact that I didn't gain any weight! I actually think I may have either lost a pound or was just under the 178 mark. So here I am well into my 37th week, clueless if I have dilated anymore and just waiting as each day passes wondering if this is the day.  I will say I am on my 4th day in a row of irregular contractions.  I did not have this many contractions with Judah so I am betting my body is just prepping for the big day a little extra in advance this time.  One unfortunate piece of news I found out is that my doctor will NOT be in next week!  What a bummer!  This would be the second birth of mine that he's missed if I go into labor next week. So either it has to be tomorrow or the scheduled C-section date for me to have him deliver my baby.  He did express to me though that he truly does want to be there, but since there is no predicting my baby's arrival, there really isn't much either of us can do about it.
     I did decide to update about the pregnancy a little earlier than normal though, just in case I didn't make it much longer.  With Judah's pregnancy I last updated at 35 weeks, so I'm glad I got to go a little bit past that this time, so far.  I may do an individual update for weeks 38 and 39, if I make it! :)

Currently 37 weeks and 4 days pregnant with baby number 2.  Having 4 days of irregular contractions and now just...waiting!

Judah's Latest Accomplishments

It seems as though Judah decided overnight that he was going to expand his abilities.  He is now able to do so many things that would make any parent proud.  

 Judah has become a fork using master!  He loves to use his fork to eat anything and everything and since doing so, it seems as though his taste buds have expanded too.  This makes mommy's life so much easier on so many levels!

Judah now also loves to use straws!  He thinks its the coolest thing when we go out to a restaurant and he gets to drink from Mommy or Daddy's cup.  Usually what we are drinking is a little bit sweeter too.

The ABC's are coming together quite nicely for him as well.  I believe he only skips D, H, I, and sometimes Z.   He even likes to help sing the very ending of the song and has his own little rendition that ends with "next time won't you sing with mommy?"

One of Judah's favorite things to do now is tackle really long words like "calculator" and "refrigerator", which he surprisingly says very clearly and articulately.

Not only has Judah been expanding his vocabulary, but also the length of his sentences.  His longest sentence to date is "I love you, so much!"

He always knows how to hold a book the correct way and never holds it upside down.  Additionally he likes to "read" books and recite all the words he knows.

Along the same lines Judah loves to sing and sing the actual lyrics to songs.  So far is greatest achievement is singing "I stand alone on the...b-i-b-l-e."

As far as being a helper, Judah has a favorite task that he even requests to do, throwing away his own diaper!  He does this task successfully each time, but will sometimes get distracted by other things and not return to finish getting dressed : )

Lastly, but definitely not least, Judah has figured out how to use his toys in more correct ways.  There is one particular toy that has five little animals that pop up when you either slide, press, switch, turn, or flip the little knob.  He had struggled with this toy for a long time, but one recent day he manipulated them all with the greatest of ease, making it look like he had done this many times before.  He amazes me!

Pregnancy Weeks 31, 32, 33, & 34

Week 31 - I had my prenatal check up this week.  Timm actually went with me for the first time this whole pregnancy and got to hear the baby's heartbeat.  (We remember hearing Judah's heartbeat the first time.  We couldn't stop imitating the whooshing sound all night.)  Judah was with us too and when he saw the fetal doppler he freaked out and cried worse than he does with shots.  I think he was nervous the doctor was going to "hurt" mommy but everything ended up being fine.  He is not a huge fan of medical equipment for some reason.  As for symptoms I have been experiencing very bad back pain, the sensation of being out of breath all the time, extra tired, slightly emotionally blue, and very hungry.

Week 32 - My energy level seems to have taken a turn for the worst.  I've been feeling slow, lazy, and tired.  Must be my body working extra hard on growing the baby.  This week too has been incredibly busy and I've been missing Timm a lot.  Knowing how busy he is makes me slightly nervous to handle raising a toddler and newborn alone for the six weeks he'll be in school until the Summer break comes.  The Lord is gracious though and would not give me this challenge if He thought I could not handle it though.  For that I am thankful and encouraged.

Week 33 - This week was rather eventful and filled with odd pregnancy symptoms.  It started with getting my prenatal check up at 33.2 weeks.  This will be the last check up I'm allowed to bring Judah, since they'll be checking for progression from here on out.  As for symptoms the top of my belly hurts so bad, as if I have a bruise or pulled muscle.  The sensation is an odd burning feeling and worsens when I bend over.  Timm thinks its my muscles stretching a part to accommodate the growth of the baby, he's probably right. I will be glad to be relieved of this pain soon though.  Another odd symptom I have been having is waking up with a headache on the left side of my head every single day.  It usually fades throughout the day, but is quite annoying. It has since gotten better and I feel no headaches in my current state of 35 weeks, but it was a little nerve wracking when my doctor suggested I see a neurologist if it didn't get better, seeing as though headaches are one of the main signs of pre-eclampsia.  Thankfully, that is not the case.
     As far as being tired, I am able to "crash" on a moments notice if you show me a bed. The strangest thing in the world has happened to me during this pregnancy and that is the space between my two front teeth has been closing up.  After 28 years it decides to stop having a gap. Pregnancy related? I have no clue, weird though. Also, my head has been super itchy and I haven't changed anything about my shampoo too recently.  I changed it like 2 months ago, but its only been itchy lately.
     Also, my birthday was this week.  28 years old!  I totally don't feel it.  It is odd because every year since 2009 I've been pregnant at some point.  Wondering, how long this trend will last!

Week 34 - Just 3 weeks to full term (37 weeks, which is exactly when I had Judah) and just 5 weeks 1 day until my scheduled C-section. Once the one month mark hits (in about a week) is when I'll feel like there is a real countdown. Although, anything can happen at anytime, as I have already found out.
     My main symptom this week is MY ACHING BACK! I honestly feel like my back legs and groin are going to all fall apart at a moments notice.  Turning in bed is next to impossible and I'm beginning to feel extra warm these days, could be hot flashes I'm not sure.  Sleeping through the night has gone out the window from this point until who knows when, leaving me extra tired during the day, and with Judah only taking one nap a day, it leaves me little time to sleep unless I let every household chore go by the wayside. Again, I know this is temporary, but will be glad when my new baby boy starts sleeping through the night and I get sleep again : )

I am officially 35 weeks and 4 days today!  

Three weeks and 4 days, or less, until I meet my brand new baby boy!

Please Meet Fiona: My New Niece!

Timm and I would like to introduce to everyone the newest addition to our immediate family, Fiona Marie! We are so beyond thrilled to have her in our lives, and we are more than excited for her parents to experience the wonderful adventure that is parenthood.  Fiona is the daughter of Timm's sister, Julie, and her husband, Andrew, making her Timm's & my niece and Judah's first ever cousin.  I truly hope Judah and Fiona and all the future cousins will grow close together.  Timm and I  got to meet the bundle of beauty last Sunday where we each got a chance to hold her for the first time.  It was a fun and funny time.  Here are some of our memories : ) (All photographs are courtesy of Andrew, the daddy.  Thanks, Andrew!)

Judah meeting his cousin for the first time.  Doesn't seem too sure what to think, yet.

Seems as though he approves : )

Here Timm is holding Fiona.  Don't worry, he hasn't contracted any strange illnesses; he just had a cold. 

"Judah, this is a baby, your new cousin, Fiona! Say hi!" 

Here we are as a family adoring the new bundle.  Please don't mind my attire,
I don't normally dress in extra tight Christmas pajamas at family affairs.

Here Judah is trying on Daddy's mask as a hat.  Silly boy.  

Judah wants to be just like Daddy, all the time : ) 

Finally back into my normal clothes; it was my turn to hold Fiona.  She's so cute! 

Pregnancy Weeks 27, 28, 29 & 30!

My belly at 32.3 weeks.

Week 27 - This week marks the beginning of my third trimester. This is going way back now, but symptom wise, I think I was feeling pretty good.  I had a few friends stop in this week so that kept me company and kept those pregnancy blues away.  The hormonal blues have definitely crept up on me this pregnancy and really its no fun, for anyone. But this too shall pass.

Week 28 - This week I had my prenatal check up and glucose test.  I had been psyching myself out with drinking the glucola drink for the month that it was sitting in my fridge.  When it came time to drink limondex, after my breakfast of two scrambled eggs on a waffle and a small glass of milk, I decided to chug it.  The drink turned out not bad at all and oddly enough I almost enjoyed it.  Luckily I passed my glucola test with flying colors.  I weighed in at around 165 this time and got to have another ultrasound.  Mind you this ultrasound was on one of those old machines so, not very clear.  I did like how my doctor commented that he was getting so big that he didn't fit in the screen anymore! : )

Week 29 - This week along with past weeks, marks just how bad my back pain has become.  It feels nearly impossible to turn over from side to side.  I usually feel fine during the day, but the pressure from the baby must really weigh on my back when I lie down. (Now as I write this at 32.3 weeks, its getting hard to even shift positions while standing, whether it be putting my socks on or stepping in and out of the tub to shower).

Week 30- This week was a week of symptoms.  I have had the worst restless legs.  Sitting through a movie is near impossible without having to get up and walk around or stretch my legs out and turn my ankles or anything to keep my legs moving.   I also have been experiencing mild leg cramps.  With Judah my leg cramps were horrible to the point where when I got out of bed I could hardly walk.  Luckily this time around I only need to bend my feet back to relieve the pressure only on occasion rather than every night.  I have also had major pressure from the baby when he decides to get cozy in a certain spot on either side of my belly.  The pressure is almost painful, especially if I'm trying to stand up since he feels like he's right under my rib cage.    
     The most significant symptom that has started is Braxton Hicks contractions.  I am not sure I got them this early with Judah, but I do get them whenever I sit up, which is exactly the same way I got BH with Judah.  The sensation is odd since your whole belly tightens. When I first started noticing them I didn't think that it was BH because of how much pressure the baby has been putting on my belly, but I thought to myself that he couldn't make my entire belly this hard, so I figured BH must have started!

I'm officially 32 weeks and 3 days today!

Baby Buys For Baby Number Two!

I just wanted to share some of the items that we recently purchased for our second baby including the double stroller that we decided to get.  Making the double stroller choice was extremely difficult, but for Timm and I who are on a budget, I found one that I think is fairly priced and fits most of our needs. (Major thanks to Grammie Freitas for this purchase!)  Although, it doesn't fit all our needs to perfection, nothing would be perfect unless the stroller was custom designed, and I'm really not sure where you could do that!  We did decide to go with another crib and dresser because we felt Judah was too young to be transitioning to a toddler bed at this point, and we wanted to keep as much as we could the same as possible to make bringing a new baby into the home as least stressful for him.  Yes, we did have to dish out a little more money now than most people just buying a toddler bed for their firstborn, but we know that these cribs can convert to larger sleeping areas, and the dressers are theirs until they one day move out and choose their own furniture.  But until then, this is what they get and I am sure they will be thankful. Without further ado, here are the three major items we recently purchased:

The Crib
This crib is called the Sorelle Verona Lifetime Crib.  We chose this one because it was not made of pine, but a stronger poplar wood, and it just looked absolutely beautiful in person.  We purchased this on the very last day of the Great Trade-In event, so we got a great deal on it.

The Dresser
We chose the Sorelle Verona 5-Drawer Dresser that stands tall and upright.  The reason we decided to go with this dresser was not only because it matched the crib and was not made of pine (a biggie for me), but because it had 5 full drawers.  Judah's dresser is the same design and I really love it because it doesn't take up too much space, and its easier for me to reach things post recovery rather than having to bend down all the time, with a lower standing dresser.

The Double Stroller
This is the most interesting of the three items that I will be featuring, not only because of its unique design but also because of its unique color, bright green.  So, the name of the stroller that we decided to go with is the Joovy Scooter X2.  It caught my eye because of its great reviews and its light weight.  Most double strollers weigh 30-40 lbs and this one weighs in at just 28 lbs.  I also chose this stroller because I really did NOT want a front-to-back stroller, since I read it can be uncomfortable for the older child, leaving him/her little room, and I didn't like the fact that one of my kids would be so far away from me, not to mention turning corners doesn't seem too fun. I also really liked this stroller because the seats recline almost fully, can fit through any standard doorway, and is compatible with an infant insert, so I can put my little baby in the stroller from nearly day one. I watched a video review of this stroller as well as read many written reviews and think that we will be very happy with this purchase.  Not to mention this company has excellent customer service, something to help give us peace of mind.

Perhaps after I have used these items I'll do a review on them, but for now I am pretty confident I will like them all.

Pregnancy update is coming soon.  I've been more tired and busy, so it's getting harder to do updates! Soon though, I promise : )