32 Weeks with Owen!

How far along?  32 weeks. Cannot BELIEVE I'm 8 months preggo! I feel super overwhelmed when I think about how much I have left to do before this baby comes.  I measured 2 weeks behind with Graham almost the whole time, but this time I have been measuring two weeks ahead! Ha. My doctor told me at my last appointment that she thought this baby was going to be bigger than Graham at birth. He was only 6 lbs, 15 oz, so that wouldn't be hard... But I'm really hoping that Owen doesn't follow in his Daddy's birth weight footsteps, who weighed almost 9 lbs. Eek.

Total weight gain? Gained 22 pounds. Too many desserts. :/

Maternity clothes? Running out of normal clothes that fit comfortably. Living in yoga capris and maternity tanks.

Sleep? No.good.

Best moment this week? This is a reoccurring thing, not necessarily this week specific, but I REALLY love it when Andrew puts his face to my belly and talks to Owen. Melt.my.heart. I also have been scoring big at yard sales/ Goodwill's 1/2 off for little Owen's wardrobe. Since he'll be born in the opposite season as Graham was, we're having to start from scratch for most of his clothes. All of Graham's newborn sized clothes were fleece footed pj type, but I'm pretty sure Owen will be living in short sleeved onesies for a while. Anyway it's so fun to build his little itsy bitsy wardrobe, especially for cheap!! Also, Mother's Day was pretty sweet. Andrew was helping with the new church building almost all day long, but then he cooked dinner for us and started a Mother's Day journal for our kiddos to write notes/ draw pic's/ etc for me over the years. I saw on Pinterest as a way to keep all Mother's Day cards together over the years, and I loved the idea! Andrew translated for Graham and Owen, for what they should say to me this year. :) Oh, and I had a sweet "Mother's Retreat" time, just a couple hours at a coffee shop to reflect on the beauty and blessing of motherhood and pray for this baby on the way. So refreshing to my heart and so thankful for Andrew having some boy time with Graham so I could do it!

Graham's handprints and "note" to me for Mother's Day :)

Owen's pic and "note" to me in my Mother's Day journal. Thanks hubba!

Miss anything? Same... Being able to hug Andrew really close. Fitting into clothes well. Sleep. And Andrew's turkey sandwiches always look so yummy.

Movement? This kid is strong. I feel like he's wrestling my insides sometimes.

Food cravings? Sweets and fruit.... especially ice cream, strawberries, pineapples... and Pop Tarts (I haven't given in yet to those but I'm losing willpower).

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.

Have you started to show yet? Ummmmm.... that would be a yes. The Trader Joe's sample lady who is so sweet and LOVES seeing Graham every week commented today that I'd grown since last Monday. I don't understand how my belly is just going to keep stretching even more. In the last few days, I've noticed strangers don't ask me anymore, "When is your due date?", but instead, "Is your baby coming soon?" HA!

Labor signs? This was probably my scariest moment this pregnancy. At 31 weeks, Andrew and I went on a rare date. I was fine through the movie, but as soon as we left and started walking to the car, I had about 5 contractions pretty quickly. They were more uncomfortable than usual and came so close together, it freaked me out. They continued in the car and at the Cheesecake Factory. Andrew and I scarfed down our cheesecake and French fries (yep) and headed home as soon as we could, vowing to call the doctor if they didn't stop as soon as I laid down. She had said to call if I had more than 2 in an hour, which I was WAY past. Andrew headed to our sweet neighbors' to pick Graham up, and I went straight to bed, begging God for Owen to stay put! I felt better immediately when I laid down, and my contractions stopped quickly. Whew. I have been trying REALLY hard to take it easier since then (which is nearly impossible with a toddler of course) and avoid certain activities that I know cause contractions. I've just had normal, sporadic, non-painful contractions since then, so I'm praying that episode was just a fluke, and I will go full term. Can't wait to see what the doctor says at this week's appointment about it.

Little Owen requested French fries instead of the planned cheesecake on our date night. :)

Symptoms: Another night of Tums. Dang acid reflux. Contractions.

Belly button in or out? It's still practically all the way out. Ugh.

Wedding ring on or off? On. 

Happy or moody most of the time? Moody. First I blamed it on the insane winter... now I blame it on our house remodel. I stepped on a rusty nail the other day, Graham can't play downstairs because it is a complete danger zone, etc, etc. But Andrew is on break now and working his tail off trying to finish this thing!! I know it will be worth it in the end, but it's pretty tough now.

Tearing down the wall between our kitchen and dining room.

Name possibilities? Sweet Owen. We cannot wait to meet you!!!!!!

Looking forward to? The Bachelorette starting tonight. :) Getting Owen's room in order. Snuggling this sweet baby in my arms!!! Seeing if he looks like his big bro or has a look all of his own!

G begs for his swing every time we go outside. :)

G man at 18 months

LIttle precious.

Weight: 26 lbs, 14 oz. (50th-75th %)

Height: 32 inches (50th %)

Clothing size: 18 months.

Diaper size: Cloth... size 4 disposable.

Feeding: Biggest milestone here is learning to like scrambled eggs and oatmeal. I have been pushing both since the beginning, but he has always refused both for some reason. One day he randomly decided he liked them, which made this breakfast-fan mama so happy. He also has become a huge yogurt fan. And he knows the names of so many foods now, it's super helpful in communication. I ask him if he wants a certain food and he'll smile sooooooo big and wiggle around, he's so excited to eat it. He also loves anything that I dip my food in-- mostly hummus and marinara sauce. He begs for a dip of anything and gobbles it up. The last few months he has gotten pickier about veggies. :(

Getting every last drop of yogurt.

Showing his OCD side...
separating out his breakfast food before he eats it. :)

Sleeping: Still on one nap a day, which usually lasts about 2-3 hours; bedtime around 7:30pm.

Milestones: Dropping the paci!!!! I thought this was going to be a super hard transition, even though he really only has used it for bedtime or embarrassing meltdowns in public since he was about a year. But we NEEDED the paci in those two situations, badly. I'd planned on weaning him at 18 months, so he would have two months to get used to it before baby 2 came. Then one day around 15 months, he started balancing it on his crib rails, where it would inevitably fall off, and he would go to sleep without it. This started happening every day, so I just stopped offering it to him. And now he refuses it. Whew. Really thankful he just did it himself. And he's definitely communicating more all the time. He shakes his head yes or no when I ask him questions, he can say about 10 words, he can follow certain requests, etc. HUGE for our days!! One of his favorite words is "Hi!" and he has gotten so much friendlier! He says hi and waves to almost every person or animal we see on walks, strangers in stores, etc. I love it.

Broadway babies enjoying the swings!!

Can't get over how big he's getting!!!

Likes: He loves anything outside!!! He loves to swing in the backyard, go down the slide, go on stroller walks, just walk around outside, ride on Daddy's back on hikes. The zoo. Puzzles. Eating. DOGS. AIRPLANES. He sees literally every airplane that flies overhead... which is a LOT where we live. He stops whatever he's doing, looks and points. Totally fascinated. And still buckets. :)

Working with his neighbor buddy on a puzzle.

Swinging with Daddy!

Dislikes: Being told "no". Teething.

Adventures: Zoo. 1st Mule Day. Easter.  

What we couldn't live with out: Warm weather!!! Seriously. I've also been reading A Mother's Heart by Jean Fleming, which has been so, so helpful in my perspective on mommyhood. And while we're on the topic of books, I LOVE these two by Rachel Jankovic: Loving the LIttle Years & Fit to Burst. They're quick, easy reads full of practical help and thoughts on raising little ones.

My favorite part of parenting this age: Communicating more and more!!! And his giggles and grins totally melt my heart.

The hardest part of parenting this age: The tantrums when he doesn't get his way. :(

30 Weeks with Baby #2!

LOVE being preggo with my bestie!!
Me at 30 weeks, Alikat at 25 weeks.
Little boy babies all around!!

How far along?  30 weeks!! I went into labor with Graham at 39 weeks, 2 days, so I am hoping this one follows suit... which would put us in the single digits in counting down the weeks!!! Ahhhhhh!!!!

Total weight gain? Gained 19 pounds. 

Maternity clothes? Practically all maternity all the time, plus normal yoga capris and long shirts. These yoga capris are AMAZING.

Sleep? Sleep hates me.

Best moment this week? Passing the glucose test at my 28 week appointment and finding out that my iron levels were super low. I'd been pounding so much Easter candy, I was super nervous I'd fail the diabetes test, but I made it. And when they called to tell me all the results from my blood work, the nurse asked, "Um, have you been really, really tired lately??" I wanted to scream, "YES!!!!" but tried to remain calm as she explained my iron count was super low, so I should start taking supplements and should see an increase in my energy. It was so validating to have a medical reason to why I couldn't make it through the day without a nap. I've been taking supplements for over a week now and I can tell a HUGE difference in my energy levels. Whew. So thankful. And of course it's always such a relief at these appointments to hear that Baby #2 is looking good and healthy! I am going every 2 weeks now to get checked out! I also got showered with love at a baby shower my sweet friend Allison threw for me!! I was so thankful to get to celebrate Baby #2 with everyone and got some super cute stuff I can't wait to use!!!

Miss anything? Being able to hug Andrew really close. Fitting into clothes well. Sleep.

Movement? This kid might be a wild one. Moves like crazy all the time.

Food cravings? Strawberries. Kiwi. Pineapple. Easter candy, especially jellybeans. So random. Ice cream.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.

Have you started to show yet? If my huge belly doesn't give it away, my belly button poking through my shirt definitely does!

Labor signs? I started having Braxton Hicks at 28 weeks. Nothing painful, but it seems like I have them a lot!! Especially when I go up and down stairs a lot or on long walks. My belly just gets really tight for a minute.

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks. Some acid reflux at night. :( Had to take Tums at like 2am last night. 

Belly button in or out? It's practically all the way out. Ugh.

Wedding ring on or off? On. 

Happy or moody most of the time? Moody.

Name possibilities? We finally decided! Owen John Buckle. Owen means "young fighter" and, similar to Graham's meaning of war-like, we want little Owen to fight for things that matter- truth, justice, love, etc. We want to be training up little warriors for God's kingdom. John is after Andrew's grandfather and also influential people in our lives like John Piper and John Calvin. We are both so happy with this name, and I LOVE that this little boy finally has a name and identity! It just makes me feel so much more connected to him to call him by name. Ohhhhh I cannot wait to snuggle this little guy and see what he looks like and what he acts like and kiss his little face off!!!

Looking forward to? Picking out a crib- hopefully this week! Meeting little Owen!!