What I've Learned About My Mom

“Making the decision to have a child - it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ” 

― Elizabeth Stone

My children are my world.  I spend every day entertaining, bathing, changing diapers, playing, trying to love them from head to toe.  They have taught me so much in the two and half years I've been a mother.  I've learned patience, humility, self-sacrifice, and how to find the humor in the most stressful of moments.  But they've shown me one thing that has been resonating especially loudly in my head lately.  If I love them this much, so much that my heart feels like it's overflowing, my mom felt the same way about me.  What a warm, comforting thought--that someone could feel the unconditional love for me that I feel for Nora and Ollie.  It's like I've tapped into a side of my mom I never knew existed, and I can't express how much more respect and admiration I have for her now.  She has always been my mommy and my rock, but I know now what that means on a much deeper level.

What I've Learned About My Mom

She's amazing, huh?

You were right.
Although I don't love admitting this, you were right.  Probably every single time we disagreed.  I know now you had my best interests at heart and were making choices out of love, and I was making choices because I was, well, sixteen and stupid.  Thank you for telling me no. Thank you for always pointing me in the right direction and being the parent I needed.

You worried.
You worried all the time.  When I was at school, when I spent the night at a friend's, when I ran to the store for twenty minutes.  I can't even (and don't want to) imagine yet what the worry is like on a first date.  Thank you for caring enough to wait up for me when I was out late.  Thank you for always checking in on me to see how I was doing.

You gave me everything you could.
I'm sorry.  I know I wasn't always appreciative of the things I had.  But I had so much.  I know now you and Dad gave us all that you could and more, like the trip to France I needed to take or the ridiculously expensive clothes I needed from Abercrombie.  Thank you for the times you went without so we didn't have to.

You hurt for me.
There's the obvious: you carried me for nine long months, full of backaches, swollen feet, and nausea.  You hurt an immeasurable amount to bring me into this world.  But you also hurt every time that I hurt.  By walking around with part of your heart outside your body, you felt some of the pain your children felt. Your heart ached for us when we were upset.  You felt awful when we were sick and you couldn't just fix it. You felt the sting when I came home crying with a broken heart.  With three grown children, you've felt a whole lot of hurt.  You've shared in all of my pain, and I can't say how thankful I am to have such an amazing mom in my corner during every punch I've taken.

You are still my biggest fan.
I have always had an amazing cheerleader.  You never missed an orchestra concert or a tennis match.  You always made me feel special.  You always supported me, even with my big, life-altering decisions.  And now, a "Hang in there, Mommy" text on a rough day does more than you know.  I have always felt loved and encouraged.  Thank you for the unwavering support.


I have big shoes to fill.

Thank you for devoting such a huge part of your life to raising the three of us.  Thank you for being a wonderful Gigi to my babies.  Thank you for teaching me so much.  And thank you to Nora and Ollie, for teaching me so much about you.

Love you to the sky and back a billion times,
Your Peachy Girl

Melodrama and Dreams

Not to complain or anything, but OH MY GOODNESS, what I wouldn't give to be living in the land of the healthy again.  Especially at bed time, I feel like I'm living in this really awful and immature soap opera:

Our story continues with Nora, who sweetly falls asleep at 7, appearing to be the sweet angel she was before she was taken hostage by the cold from hell.  But no!  She's WIDE AWAKE again at 8:15, with no intention of going back to sleep anytime soon.  "Muah ha ha!" she cries out, "That's just what Mom gets for trying to get me in bed early, even though that's the best thing for me right now because I'm sick and exhausted."  
Meanwhile, Oliver takes his day in stride, not showing many symptoms and being a generally happy baby, napping well and cracking the occasional smile.  That is, until his sister is finally asleep, at which point there is no way he could possibly ever sleep because his nose is sooo stuffy and his cough is sooo unbearable...

Am I being melodramatic?  I'm being melodramatic.  These sleepless nights will do that to you.  Thankfully, these rough weeks are few are far between, but man, when they come around...

With all of the meltdowns and the boogers I've been dealing with, I need to spend some time zoned out, dreaming about a few things that sound absolutely wonderful right about now.

1.  Reading Still Life With Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen. I think I need to start making some time in my day to just sit and read a book.  I often complain about how I never have any time to read, when in fact I'm letting a lot of time just mosey on past me when I'm on Facebook or Pinterest.  No more excuses!  If I have to get up a little earlier to enjoy my book and my coffee, so be it.  And I think I'll start with this book--something new from an author I've never read before, I'll let you know how it goes!













2. Taking a bubble bath. Which wouldn't be too hard, except that we don't have a tub... The person who lived in our house before us was disabled, so they installed a roll-in shower.  Perfect for someone in a wheelchair, not so perfect for two little kids or a mom who needs a break for twenty minutes.

3. Going to Disneyworld.  Who doesn't dream about going to the happiest place on the earth??  I love everything about Disneyworld, and am beyond excited for the first time we get to take the babies there.  Nothing like seeing a little girl's eyes light up when she meets Cinderella. :)

[And on that note, little man has finally dozed off.  Sweet dreams!]

Lazy Monday

Phew, we survived the weekend with an incredibly miserable two year old.  Thankfully, she seems to be on the mend, but she's still so sleepy and just not her usual happy self.  I didn't want to take her anywhere yesterday, so we stayed home from work to have a lazy, easy day.

[Side note: I had planned on at least part of this laziness occurring on Sunday and I was going to post Andy Samberg's video Lazy Sunday and it was going to be perfect.  Lazy Monday isn't nearly as perfect, but  I'm still going to post the video because it ignited my undying love for Andy. <3

Ok, back to our day now...]

We started our lazy day off by watching Jake and the Neverland Pirates, reading blogs and eating cinnamon rolls for far too long.  Then, a small miracle happened: both children were bathed without a single tear being shed.  If this had been the only accomplishment for the day, I would have been tickled pink.  But the real highlight of our day was baking cupcakes.  Nora's sweet, tired face complete lit up when I told her we could even make the frosting pink.  She did a pretty awesome job with the sprinkles, didn't she? :)

["I love those cupcakes like McAdams loves Gosling..."]

She started fading pretty quickly after we cleaned up our mess, so we returned to being lazy, alternating between reading books and watching Veggie Tales.  She finally couldn't do anymore and fell asleep on the floor watching basketball with TK.  Poor thing couldn't even make it through our lazy day. :(. I'm praying she gets better very soon, I don't know how much longer I can be without my wild child!

This Week's Bests

Seriously, sick babies are no fun at all.  Nora woke up Friday with this awful cough, and she's been getting worse ever since.  She had a fever all day yesterday, and then Taylor was up with her all night because her cough just wouldn't let up.  To top it all off, Ollie woke up with a stuffy nose and a little cough this morning.  :(  I'm praying that Nora gets better soon and that Ollie doesn't get any worse!

Despite everybody being sick, our week wasn't all that bad.  This week's bests were:

Operation Lose This Baby Weight Update:  I lost 2.8 lbs this week! 8.6% of the way to my goal. :) It was so nice to see some hard work paying off, and it was just what I needed to see to keep my motivation up.  Last week, I wrote up a plan to lose the weight (here), but the only part I stuck to was tracking my calories with My Fitness Pal.  Hopefully, this week I'll be able to fit in some exercise, I don't know about the diet coke though (It's just sooo good!)...

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: I LOVE Jimmy Fallon.  I haven't watched The Tonight Show in years, mostly because I'm an old lady who loves going to bed, but Taylor and I have watched every episode on Hulu since Jimmy started hosting last Monday and I love love love it.  Especially Will Smith talking about curling ("That's a sport that I really think I could add something to!") and Bono's impromptu motivational speech about a coffee mug  ("It can be full of love, or bad thoughts.").  And how great is it that it's on Hulu?  Now this old lady can still watch late night without having to sacrifice my sleep. :)

Ollie's Cheeks: How great are these cheeks?? They are so fat and droopy, I could just kiss them all day long.

P.S. This is Nora when she was a month old, them chubby cheeks must run in the family!

Peace and Quiet

Nora is sick and fell asleep on the way home from the grocery store.  Taylor is out coaching a basketball game.  So my wild Friday night?? Hanging out with this happy dude. :)

Is he not the cutest?!

Actually, Ollie fell asleep 5 minutes after I took this picture, so here I sit, eating my luxurious dinner of chicken nuggets and diet coke.  This is the probably the best way for me to be spending my night, though.  Some much needed peace and quiet and mindless Hulu-watching after a long week.  Some time to unwind and not get up for diaper changes or snacks or work.  It's funny how things change: a few years ago this would have been the most boring thing in the world.  But now, what a luxury an hour by myself is! :) Okay, no more talking, I have lots of Vampire Diaries to catch up on !

One of Those Days...

Yesterday was one of those days. Where nothing was particularly bad, nothing went noticeably wrong, but by the end of the day, I was beyond done.

In short, Nora had the most major case of selective deafness, and Oliver was crankier than usual because he was having a hard time pooping (the struggle is real for this one-month-old).  I must have repeated myself a billion times, and it nearly drove me crazy.  "Nora, please don't throw your cup on the ground...  Please pick up your cup... Nora, your cup is still on the floor..."

It was like Nora was playing this twisted game with me called "What Can I Get Away With Before Mommy Starts Ripping Her Hair Out?"  There were dish towels thrown in the trash, half eaten cinnamon rolls hidden in drawers and under beds, and Ollie was woken up multiple times, usually just after I had coaxed him to sleep.  I hung in there pretty well for most of the day, but by the time dinner came around, I wanted nothing more than to hide in my room and curl up under my blanket with some Ben & Jerry's.

The craziness lasted all the way up until bedtime.  Taylor had to work late and had just gotten home.  Nora and I gave him good night kisses and trudged into her room, both completely worn out. We laid down.  She looked at me, yawned the biggest yawn, and asked me to read her her Thomas the Tank Engine book.  We said our prayers, and closed our eyes. Then, my little girl, who had worn my patience down to nothing just minutes earlier, touched my cheek, kissed my forehead and told me she loved me most.  Instantly, tears ran down my face and the stress from the day slid off my shoulders.  It was the most innocent reminder that I so desperately needed:  This day was done.  The craziness was all over.  We both had a rough day, but she was still my sweet Nora, and she still loved her Mommy most.

It may have been "one of those days," but thankfully, that's all it was...one day. I think this is the most wonderful part of being a mother: no matter how frustrated or upset or impatient I get, no matter how drained I feel, it only takes a second, a kiss on the forehead, to make my heart completely full again.

Operation: Lose This Baby Weight!

Alright, the time has come!

I waited until yesterday to weigh myself.  I didn't want to see a number on the scale that I wouldn't be happy with and wouldn't have the ability to do anything about.  But Oliver is four weeks old now and my body feels ready for some diet and (light) exercise, so I'm ready to tackle this baby weight..  I'm not thrilled about sharing this information with who-knows-how-many people, but I'm hoping that it will provide some much needed accountability.  Without further ado, here's the numbers...

Final weigh-in before Oliver: 192.9 lbs. (uggghhh)
4 weeks post pregnancy weight: 162.4
Weight loss so far: 30.5 lbs (yay!)
Pounds to go: 32.4 (That's to get to my goal, 130.  My pre-pregnancy weight was 140, so I technically only have 22.4 lbs of baby weight to lose ;)

My ideal weight is 125 lbs, but I had a really difficult time getting to that point after I had Nora, so my official goal weight is 130. I'm almost half-way there!  Ideally I'll lose 1.5-2 lbs a week, so hopefully in 4-5 months I'll be rocking my skinny jeans again. :)  My plan to get there is to:

• Use My Fitness Pal to track my calories and exercise.  When I lost my baby weight after I had Nora, I tracked religiously with Weight Watchers and it worked like a charm.  I'm going to try MFP first (it's free, but I would have to pay for WW).  The only downside with MFP is that there isn't a built in option for nursing moms, so a lot of the analysis won't be correct. The upside?  Way more information, like how much fat, protein, sodium, and cholesterol I'm taking in.
• Try DailyBurn.com for working out.  I see the Daily Burn ads on Hulu all of the time, and since I would much rather do a guided workout than run on the treadmill, I think this will be great for me.  Plus, I love that there are so many different options, like yoga, zumba and cardio.
• Stop drinking Diet Coke.  This is not going to be easy, I am definitely a Diet Coke junkie, but I know there is absolutely nothing beneficial about drinking diet soda.  I don't plan on giving up my morning coffee, but after I'm done with that morning pick-me-up, just water for me! 
• Be patient!  This may be even harder than no diet coke. :/  I am generally a very impatient person, but I need to remind myself that I didn't put this extra weight on overnight, it sure won't come off overnight either.  

I'm going to do my best to stick to these four things for the next two weeks, and then I'll update on how it's going and any changes to the plan.  Here's to getting rid of my spare tire! :)

This Week's Bests

Call me Stella, I think I may be getting my groove back.

Okay, that was awful and cheesy.  But seriously, I finally feel like I've gotten my sea legs and can decently maneuver this two-kid business.  I am getting a fair amount of sleep (thanks Ollie!) and my crazy hormones have evened out, so I'm feeling more level-headed and in control.  And because of that, I've been able to be more patient with everyone, including myself, and enjoy even the longest of days.

This week I've been able to slow down, take things a little less seriously, and soak up some amazing moments with my babies.  The best things this week have been:

• Nora's manners at the dinner table:  I kid you not, my two-and-a-half year old said this exact quote to me, in the most serious tone: "Mom, don't talk with food in your mouth...It will make your tummy hurt."  First off, I promise I'm not some gross person who talks with their mouth full of food, I was almost done with my bite!  And second, what am I supposed to say to that?  Haha, I mean she's half right, and if it keeps her from talking with food in her mouth... 
• Our Valentine's Day double date: I had a wonderfully simple Valentine's Day with my favorite people.  Nora and I made cards for Dad and the grandparents, I got a rose from my hubby, and then Taylor and I went on a double date to the Mayan Palace for some Mexican food we'd both been craving.  Only thing was, Taylor and I both brought our own dates.  His date kept trying to tickle him, sang the VeggieTales theme song multiple times and very reluctantly ate her taco.  My date slept the whole time.  It was perfect.
• About Time: Hands down, best movie I've seen in a really long time.  I'm a sucker for British accents, Rachel McAdams, and movies that make me cry, so of course I loved this one.  It was exactly the reminder I didn't know I needed.  "I just try to live every day as if I've deliberately come back to this one day, to enjoy it, as if it was the full final day of my extraordinary, ordinary life."
• Oliver sleeping on my chest: There is something so comforting about having a sleeping baby on your chest.  I love when Ollie is curled up on me--my own little heater, shamelessly snoring, and occasionally waking up for a few seconds, like he's checking to make sure I'm still in awe of him.  Like nothing else, it relaxes me, relieves my stress, removes some of the heaviness I may have on my heart.  I thank God every day for this kid.  :)

[It's amazing to see how much things change in a year.  I did a few 'This Week's Best' posts at the beginning of last year, what a difference! I'm hoping to make this a regular post again--you can check out the old posts here, here, here, here, and here.]

Taking Stock

[I've seen this on a few different blogs, specifically here and here, and it seemed like a fun thing to do since I'm in an especially reflective mood today.]

Making: plans for anchorage in march.
Cooking: nothing today.  love having leftovers in the fridge!
Drinking: my morning coffee.
Reading: lots of blogs, and the complete guide to money by dave ramsey.
Wanting: anything chocolate. too bad I told Nora no chocolate until after lunch.
Looking: for things to do with the babies during the week.  i'm starting to get some serious cabin fever, and the return of 35 below isn't helping that at all.
Playing: with play-doh with nora.
Wasting: time watching the good wife on hulu.  two seasons down, two and a half to go.
Sewing: well, i started making curtains for the kitchen six months ago, I should probably get around to finishing them...
Wishing: that I could be back in my normal jeans already. working out can start in five days, I've never been more excited to exercise.
Enjoying: my new baby boy.  he is changing so much quickly right now, its unbelievable. we're starting to get some sweet half-smiles and coos out of him, so sweet!
Waiting: for after lunch so that Nora and I can have some chocolate. :)
Liking: spending so much time with our favorite family, the hansens. they came over for dinner saturday night, and like usual, nora and tucker played while clark and taylor gave hailey and me a hard time about, well, everything.  :)  
Loving: being at home the majority of the time with my babies.  i especially love spending lazy mornings in our pajamas together, when i get to relax and enjoy my coffee and we don't have anywhere to rush off to.
Hoping: it warms up soon, i thought we might have made it through the nastiest part of winter, but apparently not.
Marveling: at my beautiful daughter in her Minnie Mouse pjs and crazy bed head. she is such a big kid now, and she's so smart. I can't believe that only two and a half years ago she was as little as Ollie! (cue the emotional mommy sobbing...)
Needing: a massage.
Smelling: the most wonderful smell in the whole, wide world. coffee <3
Wearing: a tank and yoga pants.
Following: some new blogs. 
Noticing: the sun is out, nothing better than the return of the sun after a couple months of darkness.
Knowing: that the days are going by so quickly.
Thinking: about getting up and doing the dishes...bleh.
Feeling: refreshed. Ollie slept so well last night!
Bookmarking: freezer recipes. 
Opening: my Bible more often these days.
Giggling: when Nora talks to her little brother: "heeeyyyy buddy!" 

Welcome to the World, O-Dub!

Introducing...


Oliver William Burcell
January 18, 2014
6:21 am
9 pounds 13 ounces
22 inches








I can't believe he's four days old already.  I can't believe he's only four days old.

On one hand, it feels like I just met him.  His newness is overpowering sometimes, like I just can't soak in this new baby fast enough.  On the other hand, this sweet boy has settled in so perfectly to our family--he's an old regular around here. He fits. :)

It's hard for me to remember the details about having Nora.  For the most part, I remember how labor was so long and drawn out.  Afterwards, I felt so drained, mentally and physically.  With Nora, it was 28 hours between the time I started feeling contractions and when she was finally delivered.  Add that to being unhealthy to start with, my epidural wearing off with a few hours to go, and the overwhelming stress of being a new mom, it's no wonder I felt so completely exhausted.  But despite the anxiety and exhaustion, I distinctly remember the feeling of peace I had when I held my new sleeping Nora.  The feeling that I was supposed to be her mom and she was supposed to be my Nora.

Except for that peaceful feeling of getting my perfect baby, Oliver's labor really couldn't have been any more different than Nora's.  And since I really wished I remembered these kinds of details about my first labor...

Friday, 1/17/14
9:15 am: I went to the clinic for my last appointment.  I was eight days overdue, and so beyond ready to meet my baby.  Three days before, I was still only dilated 1 cm and 50% effaced, so I really needed to show some progress at this appointment.  Luckily, I was 3-4 cm and 75%, so I left my appointment with the phone number of the Women's Center at the hospital in hand and instructions to call at 6 am on Saturday to find out when to go in for an induction.  I was praying and hoping to go into labor before then, but at least there was finally an end in sight.  We would meet Ollie this weekend whether he liked it or not!

10:00 pm: After a relaxing day--going out to breakfast with my family, cuddling and watching movies with TK and Nora, and enjoying an early birthday dinner at Silver Gulch, I decided to go to bed.  No signs of labor so far, and I knew I would have to get up early the next morning to call the hospital.

10:30 pm: CONTRACTIONS.  All of a sudden.  Yikes.  I'd been having Braxton Hicks for weeks, but these HURT and were so different.  I tried not to get my hopes up, but I had a feeling this could be it.

11:00 pm: I couldn't lay in bed anymore, and Taylor was still awake in the living room, so I went out and watched TV with him, trying to breath and time my contractions.  By now, they really hurt, and were already just 5 minutes apart.   It seemed like my body had been more than ready to go for awhile, it just needed the trigger to go off and get things moving.

11:30 pm: 3-4 minutes apart, I told Taylor it was go time and called my mom to come spend the night with Nora.  I couldn't believe this boy waited as long as possible to get things going on his own, like he knew we were threatening to take matters into our own hands. :)

Saturday, 1/18/14

Right after we got to the hospital, last belly pic!
41 weeks and 2 days

12:00 am: We got to the hospital, were walked up to our room, and I got changed into my super-hot hospital gown.  I was 5-6 cm and 95% effaced.  FINALLY.  It was, in fact, time to have this baby! I was so excited, but my contractions hurt so much worse than the last time.  My nurse said the anesthesiologist was already in the Women's Center, so I told her I wanted to get ready for an epidural.  It was my saving grace last time, and at this point, I was more than ready for the juice. :) (DISCLAIMER: I truly admire women who give birth without medication, but I am so not that person.  Being able to go through the hard part with little to no pain? Yes, please!)

1:30 am: My IV had been in for about an hour and I'd received enough fluids, so the anesthesiologist hooked me up to the epidural.  5 minutes later: sweet relief.  Dr. Wiegund, the doctor on call from Chief, checked me again and said I was at 7 cm, so Taylor and I both tried to get some rest.

3:00 am: I didn't think that I'd slept at all, but I must have, because 3:00 am came around really quickly! My nurse checked me, and I was at 8 cm.  Progressing fast, but not quite there yet.  Back to sleep.  This is why I loved my epidural: there is no way I would have gotten to take two naps if I had been feeling every contraction.  And after being up since 6 am Friday morning, these naps were a godsend.

5:30 am:  My nurse checked me for what would be the last time...! I was ready to push, she just had to get everything and everybody all set.  After singing some Salt n' Pepa [Push it reaaaal good!] and everybody and their mother gathering in the room, time to push!

6:21 am: Oliver William Burcell was born, and was completely perfect.  After getting cleaned up and having his lungs checked (there was meconium in the amniotic fluid, so he needed some special attention right away), I got to snuggle and kiss him for the first time.  Absolutely nothing better.

Ollie and I were both healthy, so we only spent had to spend one night in the hospital.  I loved only being away from Nora for the one night.  Though I had a lot to do to keep up with new Ollie, it was so comforting to be able to read my big girl her bedtime story on Sunday just like usual.

This sweet boy has settled in so perfectly to our family.  His sister asks me every five minutes, "Nana kiss him??" She has already established her position as Ollie's protector.  She gets really concerned if someone besides Taylor or I is holding him, and she is very defensive when Taylor calls him a stinker. :)  We're making a concerted effort to keep our days as similar as possible to before we brought Ollie home, and it has seemed to really help make the transition smooth for everyone.  Nora and I still watch cartoons together in the morning while we eat our breakfast, and then spend the morning reading and playing in her room.  Though I would kill for Nora to still be taking naps, we have kept to the no-nap schedule we've had for the past month.  This has thankfully meant that Nora is still sleeping from about 8pm-8am, and I'm only waking up to tend to one baby at night.

I was so anxious before having Oliver about how we would adjust to all the changes, how I would ever juggle taking care of two kids.  But everything about bringing Ollie into the world has gone more smoothly than I had expected, and I've loved having two babies to snuggle with these last few days.  It's so obvious that God has His hand in it all. I had prayed for months for the patience to take care of two, and a happy, healthy transition from a family of three to a family of four.

Thank you God for answered prayers.

Overdue

My last post started out: "I'm sure this will be the last post before we meet Baby Ollie, so here goes..."  Man, I was obviously counting on this chicken before he hatched.  Here I am, 2 days overdue and still typing with my laptop propped up on my bump.  Not what I was hoping for when I cheerfully reminisced over my third trimester last week.  My body feels just about the same as last week, no new cravings or weight gain or labor signs.  I am, however, in a completely different mindset.

These past few days have been a lot harder than I'd imagined they would be.  Half of the time I am caught up in feeling bad for myself.  (Taylor has been great, but must be so sick of all the whining and complaining he's had to listen to.)  The other half of the time, I feel guilty about feeling bad for myself.  I should be thankful for the fact that my body is healthy enough to carry a healthy baby to term, not complaining that I'm still pregnant two days after a day that is truly just an educated guess.  These conficting feelings have made me a big mess of tears and back aches and anxiety--not a pretty sight.

I had no idea I would feel this way when the waiting game came around this pregnancy.  With Nora, I didn't know what to expect at all.  I was unsure of just about everything, frightened about labor, anxious about being completely responsible for a tiny new life.  This time, my fears couldn't be any more different.  I've survived a labor and delivery.  I've made it through 2 1/2 years with very little sleep. I'd like to think Taylor and I have done a pretty great job with my Nora girl.  Everything I was nervous about the first time around seems insignificant today.  This time, I'm unsure of how our transition from a family of 3 to a family of 4 will go, frightened about being in the hospital and away from Nora, anxious about balancing my time between Nora and Oliver when we get home.  

This new set of emotions has me all over the place.  All I want to do is meet my baby boy.  All I want to do is relish in these last however-many days with just my baby girl.  All I want to do is make sure my house is clean and my bag is packed.  All I want to do is rest.  But as impossible as it seems, all I need to do is be patient--with Oliver and myself.  I need to understand that Oliver will be born very soon, even if that means I'm pregnant for another week.  Ultimately, I need to let God take care of my worries and anxieties.

This too shall pass.  And these waiting days will have been so worth it.

Week 39

[Alright, so overall, I have totally failed at keeping this baby blog up to date.  It's been 12 weeks since my last update, oops! So much has changed over the last three months, and I'm sure this will be the last post before we meet Baby Ollie, so here goes...]

Wowza, that's a big belly!

Days Pregnant: 273! Doesn't get a whole lot more pregnant than that!
Days Remaining: Only 7 til my due date, but I'd be perfectly fine if baby made his debut before then. :)

Total Weight Gain: Final weight gain has come in at 43 lbs.  A little more than I had wanted, but so much better than the 70 lbs. I gained with Nora. And I have noticed such a big difference this pregnancy; much less swelling in my hands, feet, and face, my blood pressure is right where it should be, and no threat of gestational diabetes has made for a much happier and healthier prego.

Maternity Clothes: This baby better come soon because even my maternity clothes are getting too small for this bump...

Best Moment This Week Trimester:  Man, have we been busy these last three months! We took Nora, dressed up as a minion from Despicable Me, Trick-or-Treating for the first time.  Thanksgiving was such a welcome break from work/school.  I had a wonderful baby shower, and have finished accumulating everything we need for baby's arrival. I survived both of my classes with A's (oh yeah!). Christmas was so good to us, and it was awesome to see Nora into everything "Chrimmis" this year.  This is the first year she's understood what was going on, and she was so excited to both get and give presents.  Lastly, Nora's half birthday was 12/28, which made me realize how grown up this little girl is!  She is such an amazing talker, and she is so loving (I've even heard, "Oh Mommy, I love yo's fo-head!").  Lately, she's been carrying around her baby dolls all the time, rocking them to sleep and putting them to bed.  Somebody must be just as ready for Oliver as I am!
Movement:  Still feeling so much movement, but as he's gotten bigger, those sweet little kicks and rolls have turned into killer punches to my rib cage and nasty head butts to my bladder.  So very uncomfortable--have I mentioned how much I want to have this baby??
Cravings: Ice! Lots of ice.  I have become somewhat of an ice connoisseur over the last couple months, and I definitely have my favorite places for getting ice (Fred Meyer has THE BEST ice in town, in case you were wondering...). I'm sure Taylor is so over having to go to out for late night ice runs, but at least it's a pretty cheap craving, compared to Ben & Jerry's and Oreos.  Maybe this has been the secret to not gaining as much weight this time around?
Aversions: I have gotten over my egg aversion, thank goodness! I had Eggs Benedict at the Cookie Jar last weekend and man, I'd missed it!

Gender: Baby boy :)
Labor Signs:  I was reading a book at the clinic a couple of days ago while I was waiting for my midwife, and I am literally showing every single labor sign except for actually going into labor.  Restless backache, nesting, Braxton Hicks contractions, etc.  Put all of these together and you have a very anxious and uncomfortable mom.  Almost every night my contractions get a little stronger, and I get my hopes up, and then...nothing.  Oh well, the midwife told me they would induce me a week past my due date, even sooner if baby is measuring big at my ultrasound next week, so I know I won't be pregnant for too much longer.
Symptoms:  All the labor signs, plus some swelling in my feet at the end of the day and some seriously achy ligaments in my hips.  Apparently, the achy ligaments are normal with second pregnancies, and it STINKS.  If I sit in the same position for more than a few minutes, I have to hobble around like an old lady when I get up. (I must make pregnancy sound so glamorous...)
Looking Forward To:  Oh, I don't know, having this baby, maybe?? :)  At this point, I'm so ready to not be pregnant that labor is not freaking me out at all.  It will probably be a different story once I'm actually in labor, but right now, I just want to get this show on the road.  Besides, I've survived labor once, and I got the most beautiful little girl out of the whole thing.  One painful day compared with all the baby snuggles I have ahead of me? So worth it!

Any prayers, good wishes, and finger crossings for this baby to be born happy and healthy (and soon!) are much appreciated. :)