I still feel good, though I am so thankful for the pool! With the temps shooting up into the 100s this week, it's such a blessing to have a cool, watery swimming hole. I am trying to make better food choices for the baby, but Mint Oreos are just so awesome right now. Even with my indulgences, I am finding myself about 5 lbs lower with this pregnancy than with Madeleine. I have a pregnancy tracking sheet that my midwife used, and I have been weighing myself once a week. I plotted these figures on a graph and have been watching it for trends in growth for both my daughters, and I think I'll even use it for the next babies, should the Lord choose to bless us with more. Even with the lowered weight gain overall, I am definitely in no condition for labor. the first 10 weeks of this pregnancy, I was vigorously exercising every day with P90X. Since I hit that 10th week, I have been stagnant. I've managed a walk or a jog maybe twice a month, maybe, and when I did a few squats last night with Tim, I realized that this labor may actually be harder than the first if I don't start shaping up. So, even though I am completely unmotivated, I am going to attempt some structured form of exercise focusing on the delivery: squats, stretches, downward dogs, pelvic tilts, kegels and some possible walking.
I'm attempting to create an understanding for Madeleine regarding the baby, but it's hard to know how much she understands. It was actually really good to have a newborn baby at our house this week, because I could show her and tell her that Mama has a baby in her tummy. I know that the idea of a baby in your tummy is way too abstract for her, but I'm not sure how to make it truthful and accessible for an almost-15month old. Tim and I talk about her sister in my tummy and I pat my belly and say baby. Sometimes when she's in a shopping cart, she will reach out to pat my belly, and when I step closer to her, she will snuggle her head up to my bump. I guess I could show her pictures of babies in mommy's tummies, but I'm really unsure how much she actually needs to know versus how much I hope she can know.
I have done nothing in the nursery yet. Yikes! I know with our schedule it is going to get pushed out to October, but at least we have the bassinet for the first few months. My mom is working on matching crib bedding for baby girl, and I actually picked up a skein of yarn and a few crochet hooks in an optimistic attempt to make a little beanie for Peanut and a matching one for Mads. I did manage to open up my Boppy and re-stuff it making it firm again. All that Bradley class sitting and nursing made it quite flat and unusable, so that is ready to go. I also made a cover for it when Mads was still nursing, but I have a few other fabrics that I would like to use, so I hope my mom and I can modify the pattern I have to be more logical- we'll add a zipper on the outer horizontal seam instead of Velcro overlap opening vertically.
I think I'll make October the flurry of baby prep. Here are some things I have mentally planned:
-sand/paint crib (actually both of them to match)
-sand/paint dresser
-create hanging space for Peanut's clothing in closet
-decorate her letters that will spell out her name
-bring out all the 0-3 month clothing and wash any new stuff
-bring down bassinet from attic
-make cloth diapers with my friend to cut cost on buying Bum Genius
-prepare and freeze meals for Tim & Mads (oh, and me too)
-get my flexible spending account to approve a new breast pump (did you know that under federal law, I can't use the money Tim and I set aside from our paycheck in our 125 account to purchase a breast pump, but I can use it on an abortion?)
I'm sure there is more, but I need to go...I hear Madeleine cooing like a bird in her crib! She is so fun to wake up lately. She just lays on her pillow and hands me all her animals and makes all sorts of animal noises. She's awesome, I can't wait to meet her amazing sister too!
Now onto the next sub-goal: 36 weeks
Love, Lauren
