Pregnancy Update: Week 34

How far along: 34 weeks, 0 days. That number is kind of surreal. Can we really be at 34 weeks already? Why yes we can, and we are!! Due date is 6 weeks from today. Amazing. Still taking progesterone to prevent pre-term labor. Probably have another week or more of that (I'm hoping for a little more just so I can finish the prescription).

How big is baby: Approximately 4 and 3/4 pounds (about the size of a cantaloupe) and 18 inches long. I believe the boys were roughly 19 inches long at birth, so this baby is already getting close to the same length as his or her older brothers.

Cravings/Aversions: no changes here. In other words: nothing.

Belly Button: Still flat. Guess baby isn't done baking yet.

Movement: the gymnastics continue.

Leg cramps: still continuing. It's a drag. Especially when you're having a doozy of a cramp, your two year old is in bed with you, it's 7 A.M. and your husband's phone goes off, so he leaves you in pain to go check the phone. Yep, that was a fun morning.

Sleep: Some nights are better than others. 'Nough said.

Weight gain: I think we're up around 17 pounds gained now. At 34 weeks, I'll take it! Especially considering I was up 44 pounds at this point when I was pregnant with the boys. 17 sounds great!!

Appointment: None this week. Actually this is my last week with no appointments at all!! Next Monday I start weekly visits. The week of my birthday I add in twice weekly NSTs. Ah the joy!

The Big Brothers: I could say so much here! But I'll try to keep it brief.

First, we're starting to say more than one word at a time. It's still very little, but small steps are good. We have "Bye-bye, Daddy" and "Bye-bye, Mommy" as well as "bye-bye, dada [truck]" and "bye-bye [insert any other type vehicle here they know how to say]." Substitute those same phrases with "Hello" as well. They have been saying "Police" when they see a police car, but I finally got them to say "police car" together. However, now Peter has changed how he says police and has dropped the "car." Whatever. We're still a work in progress.

The day care drop off is swinging back to being a somewhat pleasant experience about 80-90% of the time (it's truly like a pendulum). We went through a long period of crying and clinging to mom when I dropped them off in the morning. We seem to now be in a period of hugs and kisses and then off to play. It makes drop off so much easier.

Mattresses for the boys beds were delivered on Saturday and they were so excited. The boys and I weren't home at the time so they didn't know anything about them until we arrived home later that afternoon. They saw them, climbed right on, and didn't want to get off. I had to change diapers so I managed to coax them off, but as soon as they were changed they went back to playing on the beds. I went to wash my hands and came back to find that they had managed to get their blankets and one stuffed animal out of their cribs and had brought them to their new beds in their new room. We hadn't decided yet if we would put them to sleep on the beds right away or not. I wanted to get bed rails, but Hubby didn't see a need for them. So with the boys so eager we went ahead and made the beds and they slept in them Saturday night. We haven't had a single issue. None! No one has fallen out of bed (yet!), they don't get up during the night (yet), and they stay in their beds in the mornings until I come in to get them up (for now). I'm really surprised at how easy this transition was! Not only that, but the bedtime routine became a LOT shorter. I'm so glad the rocking chair is in the baby room and not in the boys' room. What a relief!

Saturday (while the mattresses were being delivered) we went to "Treat or Treat" at a local Catholic Church. There were a lot of craft vendors there and all had bowls of candy to hand out to the kids. The Shriner's train was there and as soon as we got off the shuttle bus the boys saw it. "Choo choo, choo choo!!" Guess what the first thing we did was? We also saw some goats and llamas, there was live music acts and a local Irish dance group did some performances, plenty of food to purchase, and kids games to round out the event. There were several inflatables as well, but my kids have no interest in inflatables, so we skipped those. It was a fun day, although pretty darn cold. I think they especially enjoyed riding the shuttle bus (we had to park at a nearby Baptist Church and there was a shuttle bus (from an Episcopal Church) taking people back and forth. [Very ecumenical event, apparently.]

Names: I have mine picked out. ;)

To Do List: I'm currently ignoring this. Probably can't do that much longer.

Breastfeeding class: Okay, so this was on my to-do list, but I took the class just last night. I'm so glad I did!! The instructor is actually a lactation consultant at my hospital and I was able to chat with her some after the class. But during the class, I listened, asked a ton of questions, mentioned my previous experience (or lack of, to be more accurate), and took a lot of notes. Lots of notes!! I wondered what the first time mothers in the room (which was everyone but me) thought about all the notes I was taking. I felt like I did nothing but take notes. Anyway, I feel like I can see all the reasons now why breastfeeding didn't work the last time. A whole host of factors. I'm really, really praying for a much better outcome this time. In chatting with the instructor afterwards she gave me some pointers for dealing with the hospital which was very helpful. I also elaborated with her a bit more on my previous experiences of pregnancy and she told me about the many changes that have taken place at the hospital since I last delivered there. All positive changes! She even gave me the name of a nurse to ask for (if I'm able) who is extremely supportive of natural birth. Overall, it was a good night! Part two of the class (pumping and returning to work) will be next week.

Prayers: Currently keeping several people in prayer. My prayer buddy A, of course. Several other friends who are dealing with tough pregnancies and pregnancy issues. For friend R's daughter R who will be facing yet another surgery soon, for friend J's daughter E who is having a bunch of tests done this week and next and is also dealing with asthma issues (she's only a year old), and for all moms who have children going through tough ordeals at such young ages. I also would like to ask for prayers for me as we approach the birth of this baby. If you can say a quick prayer for us for things to be successful, for the birth to go as natural as possible (as long as the baby is safe and there are no complications), and for supportive and encouraging people around me during labor and the birth itself. Oh, and also for a more successful breastfeeding experience. Thanks!

That's all for now. Looking at about 6 more weeks! Hard to believe!

Oh, and Happy Halloween!!

Pregnancy Update: Week 33

How far along? 33 weeks and 0 days.

How big is baby? A bit over 4 pounds now (roughly the size of a pineapple) and approximately 17 inches. Survival chances are still around 98%.

Cravings/Aversions: No changes here.

Belly Button: flat as can be!

Movement: Still big waves of movement and parts of baby pushing out in different areas at different times. Makes me laugh to watch the ever shifting shape of my belly.

Leg Cramps: Just when I thought they couldn't get any worse ... ::sigh:: I had a rough night on Friday, terrible leg cramp again. Not sure if I just didn't drink enough water that day or if my electrolytes were down. Whatever it was, it hit me again and kept me from getting a good nights sleep. The whole rest of the weekend I had mini leg cramps throughout the night every night. I was waking up every hour or two and having a hard time falling asleep for fear of waking up to the pain of another leg cramp. Not the best weekend, at all. Monday night/Tuesday morning I finally slept better. I remember waking up around 3:30 A.M. and thinking that was pretty good for the first wake up of the night, especially just to use the bathroom and not be dealing with a leg cramp. And now to drink some more water ...

Sleep: Well, just see above.

Weight gain: I forgot to weigh myself Monday, but did have a doctor appointment that day. But the scale there is not an accurate representation of how much I've gained. Weighed myself Tuesday morning and the scale was the same as the previous week. So I'm still going with a 16 pound gain at this point. Hubby and I were just musing that with the weight of the baby, the fluid, the placenta, and extra blood volume that maybe I've actually lost a little weight. I have no idea how that would be possible, but I'd be okay with it!

Big difference from 33 weeks with the boys! I was just looking to be under 40 pounds then. Here I am at under 20 still this time around. I'm continually amazed at the difference.

Appointment: Had an appointment on Monday. It was pretty short and uneventful. Because I work on a college campus and parking is a major pain, I decided to walk to this appointment. It was a gorgeous day and I was feeling good, so I thought "why not!" Plus, if I had driven, who knows where I would have had to park when I came back and the walk could have ended up being just as long. My blood pressure was surprisingly good for having just walked over, maybe a tad high, but I made sure to let the nurse know that I had walked over. I think it was around 130-something over 68. Baby's heart rate was 150 and I'm measuring right on schedule.

A resident was the one who did the heart rate and measuring and asked me a couple questions on how things were going (saw my doctor briefly after all of that). At one point, she asked if I was feeling pregnant yet. I think she was trying to be lighthearted, I mean, I am 33 weeks pregnant! But I did hesitate in answering her because honestly, I don't feel very pregnant. I assume she thought I would chuckle and tell her, "oh yes, very!" I ended up explaining to her that I really don't feel terribly big and therefore not all that pregnant (despite how far along I am) because my only point of reference at this time is a previous pregnancy with twins. But I did kind of laugh about it, so I think we avoided any awkwardness.

Following this appointment I also scheduled my first NSTs (non-stress tests). I don't need them until I'm 36 weeks, but they will still be twice a week, just like last time. So much fun being "advanced maternal age!" So my first two are scheduled for the week of Nov. 18. My next regular appointment will be Nov. 4.

The Big Brothers: We have definitely entered a period of "testing" with them. By which I mean, they are testing us. Big time!! I'm using time outs where I can and I'm becoming a bit more consistent (yes, I know, consistency is key. I'm working on it.). Overall they are very good, but they do try to test our limits quite often these days.

But there is plenty of cuteness factor to go around, too. Just one example, their pronunciation of "Amen" is cracks me up! When we do prayers they do a version of the sign of the cross, they keep their hands folded (most of the time) while we pray, and they say Amen. But it sounds something like "may-ma." It's incredibly cute!

Names: One night recently we found the site The Baby Name Wizard. We spent a lot of time putting in various boy names that we've talked about. I think I've definitely settled on one that I like. Hubby is still trying to decide, but I think this helped. He really liked the graphs and seeing how popular or not a name has been over the last 130 years. He seemed just slightly more agreeable to the name I have picked out. Right now it is our default unless he finds something different or the baby is a girl. We're set on a girl name, no debate there.

To-Do List:

For reference, click over to last week's post to see the list there. Not a lot has changed. Only change worth noting is that we did go through the online version of the hospital child birth class this weekend. So that's one thing done. We were supposed to go to a Labor class through an independent group last night, but they had to cancel the class. Everyone but us cancelled so they called me to see if we could reschedule for the November class. I agreed, but I am a little worried that it is going to be getting very close by that time.

Prayers: I got to go to an hour of Adoration and Benediction last week. I haven't had the opportunity to do something like that in forever and it was so nice. Peaceful, prayerful, reflective, quiet ... just wonderful. I tried to remember all those that I am praying for, particular my prayer buddy A and all the other mommies I know who are in high risk pregnancies or who are trying to conceive. I also tried to just absorb the silence. So little silence in this world, this is one of those places where the silence is pure and I didn't want to take it for granted. I had a very brief moment during that hour that is hard to describe. An overwhelming feeling of peace came over me and I immediately thought back to a previous time when I had felt that same thing, but yet it was a very different circumstance. Still the feeling in my heart was exactly the same, I have no doubt. I knew that it was a feeling of knowing that I was where I needed to be. Beyond, that I'm not sure I can describe it. I need to reflect on it more and maybe write sometime about these two instances in my life roughly 20 years apart, how completely different they were, and yet had the same feelings associated with them.

One last prayer request (and this is related to a topic I have written about in the past), please pray for all the pregnant women in places like China and India. Also pray for the unborn babies, especially the unborn girls who are at such a high risk for abortion just for being girls. I keep seeing stories about the horrors women face in these countries (and many others) and I want to do something. Not sure what, but we can at least start with prayer. Thank you.

That's all for this update!!

It's A New Faucet, Happy Anniversary!

Sunday was our anniversary. Six whole years of married life. Unfortunately it kind of went by us with barely a notice. But we did get something new on Sunday: a kitchen faucet.

We knew we had to do something about the kitchen faucet shortly after we moved into this house. First, we didn't like the sink and second, the faucet started dripping almost as soon as we started using it on a regular basis. We also discovered other leaking under the sink: the disposal and other mystery leaks. During all of this we were investigating how to replace the sink.

Replacing the sink turned out to be harder than we expected.

Plan A: find someone who can supply the matching granite in the kitchen so we can replace just that section and in the process get a sink that is functional and replace the disposal and faucet.

Plan A didn't work out. Apparently the quarry that supplied that granite is no longer mining it.

Plan B: replace the sink only. The reason this was not Plan A was because the sink was an over-mount sink and we preferred to have an under-mount. The problem was the hole that was cut for the sink that is currently there. Once we started looking for an over-mount we couldn't find something that fit the hole. The work that was done to remodel our kitchen (whenever that was) was poorly done. That becomes more and more evident with every project we take on. After a bit of research and lots of measuring, Hubby realized that simply replacing just the sink (and all the fixtures) was not going to work.

So we gave up on Plan B.

Plan C: replace the granite throughout the kitchen. We tried to avoid this as much as possible, but in the end we decided this was really best. However, we are leaving the island the way it is (and Hubby plans on doing something different with the island, eventually). Hubby found a good deal on a new disposal and late last week he ordered a nice, new faucet. We had everything measured, picked out a new sink, and we are now waiting for everything to come together.

Saturday we spent the morning running errands. Got home for lunch and in the process of putting lunch together for the boys and us, Hubby found water on the floor. On closer inspection it was a lot of water, coming from under the sink. Hubby never got lunch on Saturday, he ended up spending the day trying to fix the faucet. Poor guy. The lasagna that was planned for that night got nixed and it ended up being a pizza night. In the end, the leak was finally found near the top of the hose on the faucet.

By Sunday, Hubby decided a new temporary faucet was in order. So on our anniversary we got a new faucet. Not one we plan on keeping though. Just the cheapest one we could find to get us through another few weeks or so.

We'll be donating the temporary faucet to the Habitat Restore once we no longer need it.

Seems funny to me that we had to buy a faucet shortly after we had just ordered a new one. But the good news is that we no longer have any leaking (besides the bit of a leak coming from the current disposal) or constant dripping from the faucet itself.

I'll have to take a picture of the current sink so you can see just how non-functional it is. And of course, plenty of after pictures once we get everything together. I can't wait!!

Pregnancy Update: Week 32!

How far along? 32 weeks, 0 days. I kind of miss the over the top feeling I had when I hit 32 weeks when I was pregnant with the boys. Reading my update from back then, I wasn't expected to even make it that far. This time it was kind of a given. I'm still excited, but the level of excitement isn't quite the same. Still ... not much time left!

How big is baby? According to that 32 week update two years ago, the baby should be about 3.75 pounds (about the size of a large jicama) and 16.7 inches long. Survival chances are now up to 98% if the baby were to be born this week. Luckily that doesn't seem to be a possibility.

Cravings/Aversions: No specific cravings or aversions to speak of. However, I seem to want to eat a lot, it just doesn't seem to matter what it is.

Belly Button: Rather flat at this point. I think I can just barely see a tiny scar now too from the D & C procedure I had back in 2010.

Movement: So much!! It's fun to watch my belly shift into different shapes. The type of movement I am feeling seems so different than the last time.

Leg Cramps: No major ones, but I occasionally get woken up by the start of one. In those cases, I'm usually able to stop it before it's too noticeable. I don't like leg cramps at all, but if I have to have them, this is a much more preferable way to deal with them.

Sleep: Overall not too bad. Getting sleep, not too many interruptions, just getting tired of sleeping in the same position all night long. I try to move around, which is a bit of a feat in and of itself, but I always end up back in the same position. The worst part is the pain I wake up to in my ear. Okay, don't laugh at me (my husband thought this was hysterical), but seriously, my ear hurts!! It's smashed between my head and the pillow all night long (and my pillows are pretty soft, so that makes it even more weird) and so when I wake up it is throbbing. It hurts to even touch it. Hubby joked that he was going to invent an ear pillow in the shape of a doughnut for me. He really needs to learn a bit more about empathy.

Okay, I guess you can laugh at me if you want. :)

Weight gain: Based on my scale at home I think I am up about 16 pounds now overall. I'm kind of shocked that I'm still maintaining such a slow weight gain overall, especially with the crap I've been eating. Well, most of my meals and snacks are fairly healthy, but I do tend to munch in the evenings on unhealthy things and I've been stopping at the vending machines or walking over to the Express Stop at the student center a little too much for a late afternoon snack. Maybe the walking I have to do on campus is helping. I've been having a lot of meetings at the main library lately (it's promotion/tenure season and I'm on our P/T Committee), so I find myself walking there more than usual, plus some mornings start with meetings there, so I don't bring my lunch on those days and then have to make an extra trip out to walk to somewhere on campus to get lunch. It all evens out I guess.

[Wow, I was at +37 pounds at this point in my pregnancy with the boys!! What a difference!]

Appointment: My last appointment was last Monday (next one is 10/21). We chatted about a number of things, listened to the baby's heartbeat, and measured my belly. I forget now what the heartbeat was, but my belly was measuring right around 31 weeks. Perfect! I finally remembered to ask about her nurse who I hadn't seen since sometime in the summer. Apparently her husband found a new job several hours away so they moved this summer. I was so sad that I didn't get a chance to say good bye. I loved her, she was so sweet and always so helpful! Dr. M obviously misses her too. But she's getting to stay home with her two kids for now, which I bet she is loving, and eventually wants to go back to school. I wish her well!!

We also discussed future appointments and I made some more appointments through Dr. M's last day. So I have appointments scheduled with her through my birthday (starting weekly appointments in November) and then I'll have to switch to one of the MFMs for the remained of my pregnancy. I can't decide it I'd rather see Dr. H or Dr. O on a regular basis and have whoever I pick be the person who could be at my child's birth. I like them both and for different reasons. Decisions, decisions!

The Big Brothers: They are getting more and more curious about the room down the hall from their room that daddy keeps spending time in. He's painted it, put in a new ceiling fan, and has assembled the beds. Ethan wanted to climb in the bed tonight, but it has no mattress on it yet. We keep telling them that this is going to be their new room. We're hoping to get mattresses and bedding this weekend (and maybe some furniture?). Maybe we'll do the big switch from cribs to beds by next week.

We've also started noticing that Peter appears to be putting a few words together. Not too many yet and he still has some pauses in between words when he does do it, but I can see he's trying and working at it. I keep trying to encourage him when I can. It's so much fun to watch their language skills develop. Ethan hasn't yet tried, but he's usually not too far behind.

I've decided that yellow is Peter's favorite color. If you saw him on Monday and wondered why he was wearing shorts that did not quite match the yellow shirt he had on ... well ... now you know.

The boys' daycare has gone through some changes recently. One of those is that we now have to pack lunch for them each day. I've been using an insulated bag I had to pack all their stuff in each day. But Tuesday afternoon a box arrived on our doorstep with their new lunch boxes that I had ordered. I unpacked them and the boys carried them around the rest of the evening. I will need to take a picture of them one morning with their lunch boxes. It makes it seem like they are so old, going to school with their lunches all packed!!

Names: Hubby is on a timeline, but I think I'm willing to rule out one of my boy name choices. He thinks he can be okay with my other choice but he's still thinking about other possibilities. Maybe we'll have a girl and all of this worry over a boy name will be nothing but a distant memory!

To-Do List:
Finished or In-Progress:

• Pediatrician: Haven't made a final decision yet
• Signed up for the childbirth classes, reading some books, and just waiting for it all to begin
• Boys room: done: painting, beds assembled, and new fan put in; still to do: need to get mattresses, bedding, and a dresser
• We are signed up for the Post-Partum NFP class through CCL. Looking forward to that.
• We've asked a friend of ours to be the baby's Godmother. And she said yes!! So excited! Now just need to ask the potential Godfather.

Still waiting to be done:

• Stroller for snapping an infant seat in. I had forgotten about this one, guess I need to revisit this
• Baby carrier: I missed the Bluegrass Babywearers Group meeting this past Monday (had a meeting that ran long and I decided not to try and race over there). So I've been asking friends instead about their preferences. I plan on going to the group meeting next month instead.
• Baptism arrangements: haven't bothered contacting anyone yet, but will probably do that sometime soon. Need to make sure the Godparents take care of any requirements my church asks for. I'm thinking sometime in mid-January for the Baptism will be good.
• Plans for the boys: Starting to talk to friends about who can to help us out. Will need to start talking details with all of them soon and making a list of names and numbers that is easily accessible to both Hubby and I (especially Hubby).

Prayers: Yesterday was National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. So I am asking for prayers for all families who have lost a child through miscarriage, still birth, or early infant death. May God bring them all into Heaven to live for all eternity with Him, the Virgin Mary our Mother, and all the saints. Please join me in praying for God's mercy for these little souls.

Thank you for following along on this journey!!

Pregnancy Loss Remembrance Day

Today, October 15, is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. This is a day to remember all those babies who have passed on to the next life before they could experience much of this one. This is a day to help women heal as they recognize the true gift their children are to them, even when they only had a short time to be with them. This is a day when women can share stories, cry tears of healing, and not feel alone in their grief.

As a Catholic I believe that my children are in heaven with God, held tightly in Mary's arms. I believe that my desire to baptize my children is enough for my children to have received "baptism by desire." I believe that they are now saints, they can pray for me, their father, and their siblings, and that one day, God willing, we will all join them in heaven where our family will be complete.

My children in heaven are:
Casey Marie, lost too soon on March 31, 2008
Zachary Thomas, lost too soon on January 11, 2009
Brigit Ann, lost too soon on May 10, 2010

In commemoration of today, everyone can participate in the Wave of Light at 7 P.M. in whatever timezone you are in. Light a candle (or more than one) for one hour beginning at 7 P.M. in remembrance of the babies lost due to miscarriage, stillbirth, or early infant loss. If someone in every timezone across the world did this for one hour, we would have 24 hours of a candle lit somewhere for all these babies.

Also, over at Catholic Sistas today, we are hosting a link-up. We hope that others will take some time today to write something about their own children and share it on their blogs which then they can share with our readers at Catholic Sistas. Sharing stories is something women often do to help each other in the healing process during tough times. It helps to know that we are not alone and that others have experienced similar grief to our own. If you are able to participate we hope you will. And check back on the blog throughout the day as we post a series of stories on pregnancy loss. There will be lots of good reading over there today, don't miss it.

I just wanted to share once again the Pregnancy Loss Resources that I have put together. The most comprehensive list I have so far is the Miscarriage.InfantLoss Board on Pinterest. In addition, there is the list of resources I have listed right here on this blog. See the link at the top of the page or click here. I'm always interested in other resources, so if you know of one I have not linked to yet, please let me know. And please share these resources with others who may be in need of them.

Finally, if you know someone who has lost a child due to miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss, tell them that you are praying for them today. Or at the least, let them know that you are remembering their child today and will light a candle for them. Nothing brings comfort to a mother more than to know that her child is still remembered by others. It's so easy to feel that you are all alone in remembering your children, that everyone else has forgotten. Bring a smile to someone else's face because she does remember even if she never mentions it.

Thank you for taking the read this and for remembering the children who have touched your life in some way, no matter how small.

Pregnancy Update: Week 30

How far along? 30 weeks, 0 days. We're in the 30s!!!!! It's funny now to look back at the 30 week update with the boys and see that we were predicting 4-6 more weeks (it ended up being about 6). This time, I'm thinking, "Wow, only 10 weeks to go!" It's amazing how different things are this time.

How big is baby? Supposedly, baby is "almost" 3 pounds (roughly the size of a cabbage) and about 16 inches long. Survival chances are still at 95% if baby came this week.

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing in particular. However, I have a new favorite beverage: the Vitamin Water Zero, lemonade flavor. It's not really a craving, but I do really like it, especially since it is chock full of important vitamins and electrolytes. Doesn't hurt that it's been on sale at our local grocery store for a really great deal. I'm going to stock up again this week before the sales change over on Sunday. This is week two it's been on sale, so I'm not expecting it to still be on sale next week.

Belly Button: What belly button? I think it is disappearing!! I can feel it pushing out, but it's funny how it doesn't look like much.

Movement: Definitely lots of movement. It occurred to me this week that the kind of movement I am feeling is completely different from what I felt with the boys. It's hard to describe, but this time around I know which baby I'm feeling because there is only one. So I really know that this baby is moving, instead of wondering if one or the other or both are shaking things up in there. I think I feel a lot more with this one than I did with the boys, too. They just had less room.

Leg cramps: None this week. I'm hoping the Vitamin Water Zero is part of the reason. I am still feeling a bit of restlessness in my legs. It happens sitting at my desk at work, sitting on the couch in the evenings. It's more an annoyance than anything else.

Sleep: Last week I didn't sleep well, but this past week I've been doing better. I still occasionally get up during the night, but it's not too bad. I'm limited in sleep positions, though. I finally gave up sleeping on my back. In addition, sleeping on my right side usually causes my right hand and wrist to fall asleep fairly quickly (no other tendinitis symptoms, that's the only one). So I end up on my left side pretty much the entire night.

Weight gain: I finally weighed myself on my scale, which is a bit more accurate since my starting weight was done on that scale. I get thrown off by the one at the doctor's office, it always shows me about 4 pounds more than mine. It might be more accurate in terms of actual weight, but relative to my starting weight, my scale shows me a more accurate look at overall weight gain. All that being said, I think my total weight gain is more like 14 pounds at this point. I might be able to keep things to under 20 after all!!

Ultrasound: No more planned as of now. I keep meaning to scan one of the 3D images I have. I keep forgetting! Sorry.

Appointment: Next one is Monday, just the standard appointment. Still taking the progesterone, no NSTs (non-stress tests) as of yet.

The Big Brothers: They are going to be getting a new bedroom soon. Hubby has been working on painting the room. He has the ceiling and the trim done. We have two colors picked out for the walls. So his next step is painting one wall one color and then painting the rest a different color once that first wall dries. We have beds, but still need mattresses, a dresser (or two?), and some sort of book shelf or on-the-wall shelving for their books and a few toys. Oh, and he's replacing the ceiling fan in that room as well.

Cutest thing the boys have started doing lately has to do with the crucifix I occasionally wear. I used to wear it more, but when we were moving I stopped bothering with it and then just didn't get around to fishing it out of my jewelry box (items got tangled up a bit during our move) until just recently. So I put it on and the boys started giving Jesus kisses. It's been several days now and they will often pick up the crucifix, kiss it, and then try to hug it. Peter has also added in a fist bump, something I'm sure Jesus appreciates. Thank goodness it is on a long cord necklace!

Names: Still waiting on Hubby. We're both convinced it'll be a boy because we can't agree on a boy name.

To-Do List: Time to update this a bit.

Finished or In-Progress:

• Still thinking on the pediatrician. Haven't made a decision and haven't really done anything further.
• We are signed up for two childbirth classes and two breastfeeding classes. Plus a friend is letting me borrow one of her breastfeeding books and I'm currently reading the CCL book on breastfeeding and a book on natural childbirth in a hospital (written by a doula), which has been really good and has given me a new perspective on my previous two birthing experiences (thinking of possibly writing a blog post about those).
• Sold: cloth diapers and one infant car seat. Still have an extra car seat base to sell (Graco brand, if anyone needs an extra, we don't need three).
• Boys room is in the process of being painted.
• Pond has been removed from the back yard as well as a portion of the fence (Yay!!!!)
• Decision on baby's room was made: not going to paint at this time

Still waiting to be done:

• Get a single stroller for the infant car seat to attach to
• Get a baby carrier and attend one of the babywearing support group meetings
• Ask potential Godparents to be Godparents
• Talk to priest and set a date for the baptism
• Work out plans for the boys for when labor hits (I have to think of the scenarios and figure out a Plan A and a Plan B for each one, just in case). I have ideas in my head, just need to start having conversations with the key people.
• Not baby related: but we're having issues with our kitchen sink. Plan A didn't work out and Plan B doesn't look like it is going to work out. So now we're looking at Plan C. More on this in a later post.

Prayers: October is Respect Life Month. Please remember to pray for all the unborn during this month. Also, prayers for all mothers and fathers facing difficult pregnancies, unplanned pregnancies, unexpected news about their babies, and much more. And don't forget prayers for all people struggling with disabilities, illness, old age, and more. Let's pray that we can cultivate a culture of life in our country.

This post was way longer than expected. Thanks for reading along!! I'm posting again on Friday over at Catholic Sistas and will probably be posting another update next week. Stay tuned!