Week 38 - and rewind a bit

Here is an ultrasound pictures from a week and a half ago.  My doctor wanted to check to see if everything was okay because I was measuring a little small.  Everything is fine, we just have a littler baby, measuring in the 41st percentile - that number being inflated a bit due to the large size of baby's head :)  Malachi also has a big head.  Baby's head is down and so his or her face is a little squished.  These pictures make me really excited to hold our little one soon!

Week 37 - My Watermelon

The last couple weeks, my doctor has said our baby is measuring a bit small.  So, he scheduled an ultrasound for me for this morning.  I was a little apprehensive because of his mild concern, but was also excited to see our baby again today.  He or she measured in at about 6lbs 5oz, which falls into the low side of normal, but still normal.  My doctor and the technician both suggested that because I have a longer torso, that may also contribute to me measuring small.  Hard to believe seeing how I weigh 30ish lbs more than I did before I was pregnant!  I don't think I'm all that photogenic lately, so I haven't many profile shots of late!  I'll try to have one taken again soon.

Here are a few pictures of baby's freshly painted room in Benjamin Moore's Dill Pickle.  I've been wanting to use this color for a long long time and love how it turned out!  We are seriously looking to have carpet installed upstairs which will make the upper floor much more inviting to spend time in.  Right now it's old, ugly, cold, cracked and bubbling laminate.  Throw rugs have helped a little.

I'm now officially full term.  If you recall, I went into labor the day I was 37 weeks with Malachi.  In effect, I'm much more prepared this time for our baby to come early.  The only thing I have left to do is pack an overnight bag and (this is a big one) pick a girl's name with KC.  We have a boy name.  We took a refresher childbirth class at Metro a few weeks ago.  I'm pre-registered at the hospital.  We have baby's room freshly painted, the crib set up and made with clean linens.  We have the pack n play set up in our room with it's coordinating bassinet, changing pad and mobile all in place.  My Boppy pillow is ready.  I have a baby boy and girl outfit purchased for bringing baby home in.  The car seat and base are clean and ready to install in the car.  Newborn diapers are bought, washed newborn clothes are folded or hanging in the dresser or closet by size.  Prepared well enough at the office to go on leave.  Am I missing anything?

Week 31 - Oh a Squash

Here I am at 31 weeks.  I still feel 10 times bigger everywhere than I think I look in this picture. (scroll down - a lot)

Being pregnant makes me want to knit.  I just finished a scarf for KC's mom and I finished a simple cowl scarf for myself shortly before that.  Now that my winter knitting is complete, I'm doing little things that will make welcoming a new baby as smooth as possible.  I think I may have learned my lesson when Malachi came 3 weeks early and we hadn't bought a car seat yet and hadn't finalized baby names either.  If we had a girl instead of Malachi, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have had a name when she was born.  I think boys names are much easier than girls ones.

1. I've set up the pack n play in a corner of our bedroom in it's bassinet form with the changing station, mobile and organizer that it came with all attached and in place.

2. We got a toddler bed and mattress from some dear church friends for Malachi - so I set that up in his room.  KC disassembled the crib and reassembled it upstairs in a room that we haven't been using and now appears to be kindof a proper nursery.  I bought another mattress pad, washed all the sheets and a small blanket and folded a few matching blankets for swaddling inside.  The room upstairs will be used mostly for baby napping during the day as it will be much quieter upstairs than it will be on the main level with Malachi running around at times.

3. I brought two boxes of bottles upstairs, ran them through the wash and cleaned out a cupboard in the kitchen to make room for baby bottles and cleaning tools.

4. I broke out the pump, cleaned all the parts, put the ice pack in the freezer.

5. I bought two going home outfits - one for a boy and one for a girl.  I still want to get hats for each on Etsy.

6. I organized one side of Malachi's closet for new baby clothes.  Half the rack on that side is made up of 0-3 months items for boys and half for girls.  These are mostly items I found on sale and too hard to pass up even though I didn't need them at that time.

7. We are assembling an Ikea dresser to put in Malachi's room (the puppet theatre will move upstairs to make room for the dresser).  Until now, we've been using bins on the changing table and closet space to store Ki's clothes, but the dresser will really simplify things by having designated drawers and extra storage space to accomodate two little ones.

8. The Boppy is setting in the bassinet with a clean cover and another cover for back-up in the organizer.

9. I set up a course for KC and I to get a refresher on birthing on a Saturday morning.  I found this really helpful before we had Malachi and think we'll just feel better prepared being reminded of some things I'm sure we've forgotten in the last 2 years.

10. KC and I set a deadline to have a final girl and boy name by the end of April.  We have two of each that we both quite like - now we just need to make a decision.

11. I have daycare set up for Malachi and the new baby at CCLC.  I have been very seriously looking for an alternative option, however, as CCLC with two kids will be quite a lot more expensive than I'm really comfortable with.  If anyone has any good recommendations for someone in the Grandville/Jenison area - please let me know!

12. I haven't really been looking for a double stroller.  Malachi really only likes to be in a stroller when it's moving.  I also don't really want to spend hundreds of dollars on another stroller.  If anyone has one they're interested in lending or selling inexpensively, I might consider - otherwise, I think I might try to go without and see what happens.

13. I'm probably missing something.  Perhaps I'll start packing my hospital bag.  Until then, I'll just keep reading in library books, magazines, blogs or just talking with friends to figure out what other things I can do to prepare.  In some ways, I think having had one will make a world of difference in simply knowing what to expect - at least a little - the second time around.  Here's praying we can skip the ICU this time (God willing)!  I'd much prefer to walk my little ones to the farmers market and spend some summery days outside rather than managing medical paperwork between naps during my maternity leave.  

"Nice Doctor"

Malachi went to see Dr. Hofman today for his two year check-up - following are my notes in no particular order on what we discussed:

Eyes
We noted that Malachi is inconsistent with identifying his colors.  Hofman said by age 4 he ought to have them straight.  I didn't realize we were so progressive practicing colors already!

Ears
One ear looks a bit gunky, like one of the tubes may be falling out.  The other is clear and looks great.

Nose, Mouth, Back, Reflexes, Privates - check, check, check, check, check

Autism Screening
Clear

Language
Hofman asked if he is using 50 words or more.  I'm pretty sure he has 4x or more that many - he's such a singer and chatty little boy!  Now it's time to work on the 3 P's - pronouns, plurals, and prepositions.  We were encouraged to speak with Malachi like Mr. Rogers would have.

Potty
2 years and 4 months is average for boys.  We have a little training potty that we ask if he wants to use.  He usually says no.  Hofman suggested we don't ask, but state- and to go straight for sitting on the big potty.

Sleeping
No problems there at all.  Malachi likes going down for naps and going to bed at night.

Pacifier
He can keep it.  At times, he'll give it to me or KC if he doesn't want or need it.  We only really give it to him when he asks for it and also when he goes to sleep.

TV
None before 2 (we broke that a little at around 21 months).  Now that he's 2, I guess 1 hour a day is the accepted maximum, but I'm not really comfortable with even that much - probably because with both KC and I working nearly all week, our time with him is limited and precious.  A couple times a week he gets a 15-20 minute music video time - usually with KC.  Sometimes it's Justin Beiber with Ludacris - other times it's Will-I-am with Elmo.

Percentiles
Malachi is just a bit on the thin side of average (43rd).  He has a rather big head (82nd).  He's not nearly as tall as he used to be (28th).

Arms
I discovered recently that Ki has Keratosis pilaris or "chicken skin" on the backs of his upper arms.  I was actually rather pleased to find this, because it is something that I remember my brother Michael had and must have somehow been passed down genetically for Malachi to have it.  It's completely harmless (little red bumps) and will probably never go away.  If Ki were to ever itch at it, we could just apply some 1% hydrocortisone cream.

Eating
Time to start watching fats, taking extra care to avoid/moderate trans fats and high fructose corn syrup.  Time to switch from 2% to skim milk.  Also time for KC and I to get our cholestoral checked...  It's a bit tricky coordinating Malachi's appetite with dinner time, particulary since KC and I don't get home until after 5:30pm typically to start preparing a meal.  This probably means improved meal planning on my part and also working to not feed the hungry boy until dinner is ready (so long as it isn't much after 6pm).  The goal of course is to sit down together for dinner as a family, even if it's just me and Ki.

Immunizations
Malachi had his 2nd round of HepA today - remedied with a few tears, a Garfield bandaid, a turtle sticker and a little toy frog to take home.  Next will be a visit to the flu clinic this fall - now that he's two, he can have the mist instead of a shot.  I keep an Excel file to track the whats and whens of all his immunizations.  I like having it all in one place that I can find easily if needed.

Swimming
Though we are more confident in Malachi to do many things on his own, Hofman strongly encouraged us to take special precautions with him around water at this age.

Big Brother
Keep it casual.  Hofman shared that Malachi may regress a bit with a new sibling, but the less we draw extra or forced attention to the event, the easier the transition will be.  Hofman of course was delighted with the news of new patient.

Glasses for KC

KC mentioned to me a week or so ago that he really needs a new contact lens prescription.  Seeing as how I have had nearly perfect vision my whole life, I didn't really know where to start.  My plan right now is to schedule him with the independent optometrist at Costco to get a new contact lens prescription.  If I understand correctly, there is a separate cost for an eyeglass prescription.  I guess I'll find out for sure when I call to set up his appointment.  In the meantime, I was looking into free glasses at Coastal Contacts and found this really easy and fun virtual mirror (KC will love me for this).  So, I picked out 4 pairs of glasses for him that I like.  I discovered in the process that I'm a big fan of the black rim frame trend.  Which are your favorite?  If I'm really lucky, I might win a free pair for him.

Week 30 - A Large Cabbage

KC and I went away for the weekend to Grand Haven.  Last quiet weekend together before the baby comes.  Friday night we stopped at Meijer for jelly beans and I found this awesome Sooners T-Shirt for $1.99.  Just think of all the money we're saving to get a camera that doesn't take fuzzy pictures!!

Here I am at 30 weeks when I was pregnant with Malachi.

Week 28 - Nearly a Squash

Cannot believe I'm going on month 7 next week already!

Baby weights about 2 pounds now and is about 14 inches.  This is the last week baby is eggplant-sized.

Malachi is crying because daddy is taking my picture and not playing blocks with him.  In other dialogue with Malachi today:
A - Hi hunny!  Did you miss me?
M - No
A - You didn't really mean that did you Ki?
M - No
Sometimes when he sees me he says, "Hi peanut!".  I didn't realize I used that phrase with him so much.