My Mom is Here!

Hooray! My mom flew in to Salt Lake last night and actually arrived half an hour early which was a surprise considering the snow situation in New Hampshire and the fact that her layover was in Chicago--possibly my least favorite airport (though least efficient would have to go to Orlando...).

It was so good to see her but I feel like I've been really calm about it because her being here means that I'm having a baby tomorrow. And that means I should feel nervous or something, but right now, I just feel like it isn't happening. It's so different than with Tenley (so far) where Dalin and I were going stir crazy with anticipation. It is just hard to believe that we will have two kids tomorrow. I don't know, it's weird.

I'm not even feeling as excited as I was earlier in the week/month because I think if I let myself get too excited then my emotions will be just a step away from hitting "nervous" and I don't want to go there.

But I will admit that yesterday, I kept thinking it would be today. I was having some cramping/contraction-like things and lots of pelvis pressure/lower back pressure but they were all over the place. They would be regular for a while, then I would sit or stand or lay down and they would continue in a different pattern. So I'm thinking they are probably Braxton Hicks, which I didn't have with Tenley so they're kind of new to me. But they stink--like what's the point of cramping if they aren't leading to a baby is what I want to know... They are driving me crazy today. But they're still not painful or regular enough for me to call Dalin at work just yet. Somehow it's only 12:30 though so I guess there is time for things to change.

As far as the induction goes, the hospital is supposed to call me today and have me schedule it for tomorrow morning. It's weird how they wait so last minute...like would it really be that big a deal to plan for an induction and then cancel it if I went into labor a day or two beforehand? Apparently yes, because they haven't called. Maybe it will feel more real when we have set a time (which will probably be like 6am by the way...they only have early or late options).

But today has been great so far. The apartment was pretty clean to begin with thanks to my overactive nesting instincts or whatever, but my mom helped me conquer three giant loads of laundry (even though we had to pay in tons of quarters because my student ID card (which usually gives us a big discount) is in the car with Dalin--darn it) and I feel so much better having that huge load (literally) out of our room and put away.

We spent part of the morning going through the new clothes for baby boy and 18 month clothes for Tenley (though she is mostly in 12 month clothes still...she even fits in 9 month stuff). We also had fun looking at Dalin's birthday gifts which I can't wait to give him one week from today when he turns 25! :)

I guess my short list of things to try and get done today includes:

• Call the hospital if they don't call me first
• Wash the dishes (there are like five, but I'm too lazy to do them right now)
• Tidy up Tenley's room a little more
• Sort through the "get rid of" pile of stuff that has formed over the last couple of weeks (sort into donate or sell piles)
• Write up Tenley's typical nighttime schedule for my mom
• Go through the random piles that accumulate on the kitchen table and the shelf in our room and toss stuff/put it away
• Make a shopping list for my mom (or find the one I started weeks ago...)
• Try to nap
• Shower...eventually
• Spend some last alone time with Tenley
• Work on my last essay for class (if I'm feeling ambitious...)

It's so nice to have my mom here. I am a little worried I'll come to rely on her too much over the next three weeks and then it will be disastrous (for me) when she leaves, but I'm sure it will be okay. Everything will all work out.

Please let me know if you have any last-minute "to do" items for me to accomplish today or advice/comforting words for tomorrow! I'm just praying and praying that my labor is truly easier the second time around (as I've heard from so many moms!)

Lots of love!

Which Belly is Bigger?

Remember this photo? My wonderful friend and photographer, Samantha Rizzo took this photo a year and a half ago (how has it even been that long!?) when I was pregnant with Tenley. In fact, she took this photo on my due date, which was August 5th. Unfortunately, our cute little stinker didn't join us for another week (and that was only because we forced her out at 41 weeks--thank goodness we did though because she barely came out as it was--my doctor was about ready to give me a c-section but thankfully the forceps worked just in time!).

In comparison, this time we're forcing our little guy out a week before his due date (this Friday if you haven't heard!!!), but I'm pretty sure it's a good move considering I weighed 136 lbs at my biggest with Tenley (my starting weight was around 103) and I currently weigh 134.5 lbs with a starting weight of 96. So I've actually gained more this time and I feel as though the weight is definitely more concentrated in my belly (which would explain the new stretch marks that are making their way past my belly button). 

Being pregnant with Tenley during the summer meant I stored a lot of water weight. Especially during the last month, I remember feeling like my face, arms, and thighs were huge and my legs and feet were super swollen. This time, my feet don't appear swollen at all to me (one pro of being pregnant in the winter!). But I remember after Tenley was born when the crazy swelling finally went down, I couldn't stop looking at my feet and commenting on how small they looked. They kind of looked bony or anorexic after being blown up like balloons for so long! It was weird. Even though I haven't swollen up the same way, I still think this boy is going to be pretty big--even though he's coming two weeks before his sister did--because all the weight seems to be wholly directed to my belly. As you can see here: 

Anyway, I am seriously counting down the moments until he is coming out. I just have to stay entertained from Tuesday to Thursday. Meanwhile, I'm working on taking lots of naps and enjoying the last moments I'll have alone with Tenley. I'm also continuing to try and prepare her for the arrival of her brother (even though we've talked about it for months) and hopefully get her excited to have a real life baby (instead of the baby dolls she carries around) in our home. 

I'm also kind of expecting my water to break at any moment (which is stupid because it breaks for like 10% of women before getting to the hospital supposedly) because the pressure on my pelvis is so intense at times. I'm simultaneously trying to satisfy my cravings to hold a newborn by looking through the photos posted by the FIVE ladies who have all given birth to sons in the last two weeks! It's definitely boy season. It's so exciting!

Apart from that, I'm just trying to stay relaxed and distracted. I'm telling myself not to stress that my mom's flight (which she had already switched in an attempt to avoid the nor'easter hitting New Hampshire and other states right now) might be delayed to Thursday or even Friday, and trying to forget that we need milk and paper towels, and that we have at least two large loads of laundry to do. It'll all work out. It just might not all get done until February;)

Well, I'd better go to bed. Hopefully I'll be going into labor any minute here and will be able to surprise you tomorrow but let's not get too excited about that. It's a fat chance;)

I'd still appreciate any thoughts or prayers you can send my way though:)

Have a lovely night! 

The End In Sight

Only four more days of carrying this baby around inside me (and maybe less, but let's be honest...four days it is;). It's weird to know that. I know I missed small moments of Tenley being inside me when she was a newborn, but right now I just am getting so anxious to have my body back. The extra weight is very hard on me and my weakling back and legs. They just aren't used to it. I am not too worried about losing the baby weight--it came off fairly fast thanks to breastfeeding (I did virtually no exercise after having Tenley...I'm way too lazy for that, so it probably took a little longer than it otherwise would have. Since it was winter during that time I didn't care too much though).

I just want to be able to reach things on the top shelf without having my giant belly set me back several inches (plus I'm already short so it's hard all around)! I want to be able to walk in a store without my feet throbbing after half an hour. I want to see how crazy my stretch marks get (since they got worse for me after I had Tenley) once my belly is gone. (Speaking of stretch marks--they have appeared all over my belly-button area. I had almost none there with Tenley and definitely not before delivery. I do have fewer on my hips and butt than before, but darn it, my belly got hit big time).

But that's the complaining part of my rant--I just do not enjoy being this size. But the good things are coming, too! Like snuggling and smelling and kissing a new baby! Just seeing his face is going to be so wonderful. And I'm kind of excited to start breastfeeding again (yeah, I'm crazy) because I love that bond it creates between mom and baby, and I miss those quiet, tender moments that come with it. (Of course, who knows how quiet they'll actually be with a toddler around...)

Plus I like knowing that nursing helps to shrink me back to my normal size. And it's so much easier (and by this, I mainly mean more convenient) than having to make a bottle or spoon-feed a baby. The bad news is there is the potential for soreness since I haven't breastfed for like 7-8 months. Also, I just learned that the more children you have, the greater the cramps when you first start to breastfeed as it helps shrink your uterus back to size more efficiently. Darn. But it's worth it. Hopefully I'll be singing the same tune next week...I guess we'll see! Also, if you're a second-time mom like I am, I am not sure I recommend googling breastfeeding cramps second baby...everything I read made me feel sick to my stomach with anxiety about it. I will have to let you know how they go for me. Supposedly they last about two weeks tops! Yikes.

Anyway, four days until my sweet little boy gets here. We are between two names right now and I guess it will just come down to what he looks like because we really want to use both names. Luckily though we will at least know what our next boy and girl will be named after this guy's born!

Please, please, please if you have any suggestions/advice/whatever about the postpartum cramping that comes with breastfeeding subsequent children, share it all! My pain tolerance is really low so I might just be taking lots of tylenol (and by lots I mean one...my body responds to really low doses) to cope! 

Also, wish me luck! I am excited about being induced, but it's always scary with all of the unknowns! Any and all prayers this Friday will be so appreciated:)

Love,

P.S. Here is my 38 weeks picture, which all of my Facebook/Instagram friends have probably seen.

Full Term: Pregnancy #2

Well I am full-term as of yesterday. (By the majority of the medical world's standards anyway;).

37 weeks.

I'm feeling excited, huge, anxious, and tired just thinking about the physical exertion required to give birth. I'm also feeling nervous, but mostly about whether or not my delivery will be easier and how I am going to take care of two tiny kids on my own once my mom leaves. But we'll cross that bridge later.

At the doctor's office yesterday I learned I am 2.5cm dilated and 30% effaced. Sadly, I know that means very little (since I was at 3+cm and 90% effaced with Tenley for over a week without so much as a contraction) but since this is our second baby, who knows.

I do know that I am not going to get my hopes up. My doctor is planning on inducing me in 2 - 2.5 weeks and if I happen to go into labor before then, yay! But I really don't think that'll happen.

So in the meantime, I am still filling my days with things to do. I loved the suggestions I received on ways to keep busy (like by getting a manicure or pedicure--I really want to do that) and would love more still if you have any to offer!

I was reading this blog post about loving the post-delivery hospital stay and I have to say I completely agree. I loved staying at the hospital when I had Tenley. At Orem Community (which is a tiny hospital), the rooms are spacious and they give dad a good-sized bed (the couch flattens) with plenty of pillows and blankets. It kind of felt like we were in a hotel room. You also deliver right in your room which I loved--I didn't have to get shuffled around from place to place.

Even better, I loved the nurses I had--each one was so kind and helpful and they are always at your beck and call, offering water, ice, food, and more. They changed all of Tenley's diapers at the hospital and would have taken her to the nursery if I hadn't decided to keep her right next to me in the room (which turned out fine because she slept like an angel from the start). They helped me with breastfeeding (which was almost easy once they provided me with a nipple shield) and I got tons of free baby stuff throughout the days I was there.

I loved that I didn't have to worry about anything except relaxing and enjoying my newborn. They let me (and encouraged me) to take several warm baths, changed my bedsheets constantly (which helped me feel refreshed), brought me extra pillows and plenty of ice (mostly for sitting on;), and meals came at regular intervals (I was surprisingly not hungry for the first couple of days, but I nibbled at what they brought). It was the best, and I remember not wanting to leave--so much so that I asked my doctor whether I qualified for an extra night (I didn't, darn it). It was a little scary to leave the safety and order of the hospital with all those trained nurses nearby should anything go wrong. Going home meant the real world, and I wasn't sure I was ready for that!

This time, I am not as concerned about what could go wrong as much as I am looking forward to not having to take care of any trivial things for two full days after delivery. As someone else stated, I'm looking forward to my hospital stay almost as much as I anticipate our son's arrival! I think it's all about the hospital you're at and the service you receive there. Fortunately I got lucky with our first.

I am definitely wondering about how my labor will compare to Tenley's. Hers lasted 13 hours plus 4 hours of pushing. Honestly, I'd take 24 hours of labor and ten minutes of pushing over 4 hours. That was just ridiculous, but supposedly (hopefully!) it gets easier the second time around so we will see!

I am also wondering about recovery time (I felt pretty great after two weeks with Tenley) which is often shorter with subsequent pregnancies.

Last, and most of all, I am wondering what our little son will be like. Will he be as calm a newborn as Tenley, or will I learn what it means to be up all hours of the night trying to soothe a little one? Will he be as great at nursing as Tenley was, or will it be harder this time? Will he look like Tenley and Dalin, or will he have more me in him?

These are the main questions I've been asking myself lately. I am trying not to be overly excited/emotional or anything because I don't want to be disappointed when he doesn't come until I'm induced or if he is a tougher newborn than his sister was. Deep inside though I am hoping to be pleasantly surprised on both accounts;)

When do you think this little guy is coming? And do you think he will be as big as Tenley who was 8lbs 3 oz (even though we're likely forcing him out two weeks before she came) or smaller?*

*Note that I weighed 136 lbs at my heaviest with Tenley...at my appointment yesterday I weighed 134.5 lbs. But I'm not sure what that means since babies usually gain about a half a pound a week in the end.

P.S. My bff Sarah came over for a little while today and we took these pics of Tenley haha. So cute. 

Tenley's Nighttime Routine (Another Update for Toddler Parents)

I have a 17 month old who is very soon to become a big sister. I have a hard time wrapping my head around that but I couldn't be more excited for the little Gunnell family to become a foursome! (In reality, I already can't wait for us to become a group of seven+ but I think I can be patient...mostly because I'm pretty done being pregnant right now--well, my body is anyway).

Tenley is doing well with her nighttime routine considering how frequently it was interrupted during the holidays. Our current routine seems to be working which is exactly what I was hoping for even though it's about to get disrupted when her little roommate arrives;)

Our nightly routine goes something like this:

-We read family scriptures (unless we did it earlier in the day--it depends on Dalin's work schedule)
-We do family prayer (sometimes over the phone if we have to)
-Tenley and I brush her teeth (possibly my least favorite part of the routine because it's a battle 95% of the time)
-She kisses dad goodnight with a loud "mwaaah!"
-We go to her room and I put the child gate up in her doorway
-On the way in, I turn on the DeepCalm app on my phone (it's free!) and we listen to Sea of Tranquility, or Silent Night, or Morning in the Forest all night long because it makes all of us sleep better (seriously, download it...it's so relaxing!)
-We put her in pajamas if she isn't in them already (or if she isn't in a shirt that works for bedtime)
-We sit down on her bed and read two verses out of her mini copy of The Book of Mormon for her "personal" scripture study (she actually loves doing this--she loves to turn the pages of her tiny Book of Mormon and goes to fetch it before I even have to ask her to;)
-We sometimes read a fun bedtime book depending on how tired mom is
-We turn out the lights and I shine a flashlight on the glow stars on her wall to make them bright
-We fold arms and say a little personal prayer together, which always ends with a loud "'men!" from Tenley
-I tickle her back for a few minutes, kiss her, tell her I love her, and let her know that I'm going to leave and ask her to say "goodnight" and "bye" to me to acknowledge that she understands I'm leaving

Then she usually will cry or whimper "mama" a few times when I leave, but I just say, "It's okay, Tenley, mama's right here" and she goes right to bed. It's great. During the night, Tenley will often wake up around 5:30am and come to the gate in her doorway (which is just a few feet away from my side of the bed) and I just tell her to go back to bed.

Sometimes she won't go by herself and I have to walk her back to her bed, but I only do that if I don't want to hear her yelling "mama" five thousand times in the middle of the night. (It's cute to think about her wanting mama later on but at the time it's really annoying because she can be very loud). Anyway, Tenley will usually sleep in until somewhere between 6:30 and 8:30am, then she gets up again and I fetch her a pre-made bottle of whole milk from the fridge and she drinks it snuggled between Dalin and I in our bed. If she comes in around 6:30, we make her go back to sleep (sometimes with us) until its like 8:30 or 9am when we all get up.

So that's the routine currently. We are hoping we can get her to stop waking up in the early morning hours and crying (mainly because it will probably affect her brother's sleep) but we've been too exhausted to tackle that issue lately.

In other nighttime news, I get up at least twice a night to pee (which is frustrating and I can't wait for that to be over). Also, going to bed has been pretty uncomfortable lately (despite my amazing maternity pillow which I could NOT sleep without) because of this stupid acid reflux I've been experiencing. I had it a little toward the end with Tenley, too, and this time it started about a week ago. I take a few Tums and it helps sometimes, but my belly is just so huge that it is pushing the acid up my esophagus anyway and it's really been bothering me the last few days.

But I truly shouldn't complain because I'm so close to being done and overall it's been a breeze compared to some of my friends' pregnancies. I'm happy though and even happier that I have about 3 weeks or less left! Hooray!

Any suggestions (apart from Tums and sitting/sleeping upright) for acid reflux? I hate it!!!!
Or, maybe any suggestions for getting Tenley to stop waking up in the night? (Our doctor encouraged us to let her cry it out which we did in the past, but now she's much louder and her doorway is literally two feet away from where I sleep so it's pretty hard to ignore her crying for a full hour in the middle of the night).

I love hearing from you! I always get some great advice:)