Pregnancy Progress Report-24 Weeks-6 Months

How far along: 24 weeks, 112 days to go
Baby's size: About the size of an Ear of Corn (BabyCenter); 12 inches long and weighs approx 1.3 pounds
Symptoms: Still very out of breath, some cramping, pelvic pain-but mainly at night & first thing in morning only now. My feet and hands have been a little swollen.
Sleep: Still the same as last time: Up every 2 hours to pee and uncomfortable because of pelvic pain so not a lot of sleeping going on. (Note the dark circles in the photo below)
Total Weight Gain: OMG, weight gain is out of control! I gained 10 pounds since my last visit a month ago. That means Total Weight Gain=29 pounds!!! So far the increase at each appointment has gone like this...+6 lbs, +4lbs, +9lbs, +10lbs. This trend needs to quit. My goal for next month is to have only gained a few pounds. So, we shall see. 

Maternity clothes: Only maternity clothes. Hated full panel pants and jeans with 1st pregnancy but those are the only kind I can stand to wear this time. The others cut off my belly too much and are really uncomfortable. Love my long tunic shirts.
Best moment this week: Reaching 24 weeks. It feels like a big milestone for some reason. Can't believe I'm already 6 months pregnant.
Movement:All the time, stronger movements and kicks now.Can see some kicks and movement from the outside.
Food cravings: I can't stop eating!!! So bad! Chips, salads, cake and homemade chicken noodle soup have been my favs lately.
Gender: GIRL....GIRL...GIRL....I'm still so excited about this and can't wait! 
Labor signs: None, but I am having Braxton Hicks daily, especially in the evenings.

What I miss: Same as last time: BEER and WINE!!! And also wearing regular shirts and sleeping on my stomach.
What I'm looking forward to: Still waiting on the moment when Jackson can feel the baby move or see it from the outside.
Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week):That I need to quit eating so much, it's getting out of control. I almost weigh the same as I did the day I went into labor with Jackson and I still have many months to go. So that's not a good sign.
Milestones:Reaching the 6 month mark.
Emotions: Up and down. I get stressed thinking about all I need to do still but I work well under pressure and when I have a list it kinda gets me all motivated to check things off one by one. Oh and I cried last night at the end of American Idol which during non-pregnancy would make me want to puke. So there is that.

Photo of the week:

24 week bump

Wordless Wednesday-My sweet boy!

Pregnancy Progress Report-21 Weeks

I saw this pregnancy progress weekly report type thing over at one of my favorite bloggy friends site, Unpolished Parenting, and thought it was a really cool way to track my pregnancy week by week for those of you that are interested in that sort of thing. (I am aware that many of you are not and this blog will probably annoy you for the next 19 or so weeks). Anyway, here we go!

How far along: 21 weeks and 1 day, 132 days to go
Baby's size: About the size of a Banana (theBump); approx 10.5 inches long and weighs approx 12.7 oz
Symptoms: Bad pelvic area pain and backache, out of breath and CRAZY heartburn.
Sleep: Up every 2 hours to pee and uncomfortable because of pelvic pain so not a lot of sleeping going on.
Total Weight Gain:I won't be using my actual numbers here (it's too embarrassing), I lost 10 lbs in the beginning before I even went for my first appointment so according to my doctors office I've gained a total of 19 lbs (OMG), but really from where I started before I got pregnant and sick I've only gained 9 lbs (this is my crazy in the head way at looking at this so I don't feel bad for all the fudge and candy I ate over Christmas).

Maternity clothes: Have been wearing maternity only clothes for awhile now, I popped way earlier this second time around. Trying to sport the whole leggings and skinny jeans look with boots and tunics this time around. It's comfy and pretty cute.
Best moment this week: My husband finally getting to feel her move.
Movement:All the time, stronger movements and kicks now. It took longer this time to feel the baby partly because I have an anterior placenta (it's on top against belly like a cushion).
Food cravings: Everything sweet and salty! Can't quit eating on most days, but still have those days where I have to take the Zofran and don't really want to eat anything.
Gender: GIRL....GIRL...GIRL....I'm still so excited about this and can't wait! 
Labor signs: None, but I am having Braxton Hicks contractions already.

What I miss: BEER & WINE!!! Oh what I would give to have a drink. Does that mean I have a problem? =) Also, sleeping normally.
What I'm looking forward to: When the baby gets bigger and Jackson can feel her moving.
Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): That every pregnancy is completely different. I could list a million ways this pregnancy is different than my first. Way more uncomfortable this time much earlier.
Milestones:Last week I reached the halfway point and that was super exciting!
Emotions: Realizing that I only have 19 weeks left kinda freaked me out because of all the things I want and have to get done before she gets here (see goals before May post). And the damn ASPCA dog commercials are killing me.

Photo of the week:

20 Week Bump

 

The one about Potty Training or the lack thereof ...

One of my goals for 2011 is to finally potty train my three year old. His birthday was back in October and it's starting to get to the point where it's looking like a mom fail type of thing. I think we made the mistake of trying to introduce potty training too early back when he was about two. I bought a potty chair and put it in the bathroom and he seemed interested in it so I took his diaper off and let him pee in it. Well he loved all the clapping and what not that went along with that so he kept doing it. We never put underwear or anything on, I didn't want to push it, but he would go in there sometimes and want his diaper off and then he would pee. But then he lost interest all together. But I thought, no big deal he's only two.

Here we are today and he acts like the potty chair and any mention of peeing or god forbid pooping in the potty are reason for an all out temper tantrum and a general loosing his shit type of a moment. If we even mention that he should try and pee in the potty he freaks out. I keep hearing from everyone to just tell him that all the diapers are gone and to put him in underwear and he won't like peeing and pooping on himself (no kidding) and that he will eventually just start going to the potty when he has to go. First of all I think that is kinda mean but whatever, I guess it's just one of those things you do and hope they won't be talking about in therapy years from now. Second of all, I don't think "those people" who lovingly offer this advice completely understand the willpower and stubbornness of my three year old. Jason and I tried to put a pair of underwear on him recently and it was like trying to put underwear on a wildcat. I had to hold him in my lap with his arms pinned down and Jason had to try and get one leg in before he would take it out again. He was screaming, crying, slobbering and generally trying to claw my face off. We did finally get the underwear on and he ran off totally pissed and within 10 seconds had ripped the underwear off and threw them at us and demanded the diaper that he also threw in my face be put back on him. I don't know what to do, if he won't even put the damn underwear on, how is he supposed to pee and poop on himself and therefore learn to go to the potty???

We've watched the potty training DVD, we've put the potty training poster up on the bathroom wall and bought special stickers for when he finally does go, we've bought cool underwear, we bought a potty chair and the potty ring for the big toilet, we've let him witness his cousin and best buddy go potty in the "big boy potty" (I think I've said that about a million times in the past month), I haven't peed or pooped alone since the child was able to crawl, so I think he gets the general workings of how it's supposed to go down. WHAT ELSE SHOULD I DO???

This is one of those things "they" don't tell you before you have kids that will totally consume your life for an unspecified amount of time and make you want to pull your hair out. I feel like your child's peeing and pooping is something that from day one can drive you crazy. I mean from the second they are born you are told to chart how much they are peeing and pooping for the first so many days, then you are constantly worried about the color, texture, amount they are excreting. If the poop changes in any way you become obsessed with the why and what has changed to make it so. It's OUT OF CONTROL!!!

OK, sorry I had to vent a little. Anyway, I'm longing for the day my child can pee and poop on his own and it would be nice if that occurred before baby #2 gets here. The thought of having to buy two sets of diapers is something I'm not willing to accept. If any of you have any suggestions please advise, I'm truly desperate!

My Goals for 2011 before baby #2 gets here in May

1. To potty train my three year old.
2. To change my three year olds room into a big boy room and move the baby furniture into our now office/guestroom for baby #2's nursery.
3. To figure out what to do with an entire office/guestroom full of stuff when there is nowhere in our ever shrinking house to put it.
4. To go through all of Jackson's clothes from the time he was born until now and sort through it all for selling in the Just Between Friends sale and keeping a few sentimental pieces without totally loosing it emotionally. I so should have done this BEFORE I got pregnant.
5. To tag and prepare all of my items for my first time consigning in the Just Between Friends sale at the end of February.
6. To have another god forsaken garage sale to further "eliminate files" as my husband calls it.
7. Once all of the stuff has been sorted, sold, donated or thrown away, my plan is to reorganize my house and to try and get it at least semi livable for at least another year until we can hopefully purchase a new bigger house.
8. Prepare the nursery for baby #2.
9. Clean the house from top to bottom. Like the baseboards and blinds type of clean.
10. To read a few books on breastfeeding and sleeping that will hopefully help make both of those things go better this time around. 

That's a lot to accomplish in the next 19 weeks and I'm having a slight panic attack now that I've actually made a list of it all. Pray for me!

It's a..........

Girl!!! I am so excited!