27 weeks check up

Today I weighed in at 132lbs. I was quite surprised that I had only gained 3lbs in the past 5 weeks, espeically with the holiday grub, and I was a little concerned that this is not enough of a weight gain. But my tummy measured 30cm which indicates Reagan is growing just fine. The midwife was not at all concerned about my only gaining 3lbs so I guess I should not be either. I have gained 13lbs total and with 13 weeks to go I am sure to at least put on another 12lbs, meeting the minimum recommendation of 25lbs. Baby's heartbeat was strong (forgot to ask how fast) and everything else was normal. I did the glucose tolerance screen which involes drinking a sweet soda-like beverage and then getting my blood drawn 1 hr after finishing. They will also check my blood for antibodies and for anemia. I am not sure if they will call with the results so I may just find out next time. I am going to see them every 2 weeks now so I won't have to wait too long.

It is getting more and more straining to carry Katya and my back is starting to bother me although it is not nearly as bad as it would be if I was working. I am having a hard time working on any extra projects around the house and have decided I need to be okay with my limitations and take it easy. Keep the house clean, cooking and caring for Katya have me pretty tired which means my steam cleaning and painting projects will have to take the back burner. I do want to finish them before Reagan is born so I will just work on it a little at a time.

Katya's room

Here is a recent picture of Katya's room after I have rearranged it. She got the animals above her crib for Christmas. They are SO cute I could not resist. You can't tell from the pictures put they have glitter accenting parts of the animals. Katya loves them! Now that she is a big girl she sleeps with Grandma T's quilt which looks so great in her room.

Some of Katya's new words are 'dark,' 'meat,' and 'snack,' (_nack, she can't pronounce her s's)'remote' (mote) and 'grandma'. She learned 'grandma' yesterday and was so pleased with her self she said it all day long! She says it quite well and we were able to Skype Doug and Sharon so they could hear her. She is also starting to say her name better, with the a on the end. She is getting more attached to her binky and wants it a lot. We have to keep it out of sight and when we say it is night-night time she immediately asks for her bink. It will be interesting to see how she handles new baby having a binky...

She is down to one bottle a day, in the mornings. She was drinking so much milk in her AM and PM bottles that I was not able to offer her milk during the day. Now she gets cold milk in her sippy cup with lunch and dinner which she likes and then her warm AM bottle. She asked for the PM bottle the first few nights and again last night for Craig but has adjusted pretty well over all. The bottle is totally a comfort thing rather than her being thirsty. We are going to let her have the one bottle until after the baby is born. Love to all, Brenda

Our predictions

Craig has made a bold guess of March 31st as the date of our daughters arrival. I would be over 38weeks, thus full term so it would be okay but I really doubt I will go into labor that early. I am just not that lucky:0) My prediction is April 10th, which is the day after the full moon for that month; I think I will go into labor on the 9th and have her on the 10th. That is how I guessed Katya's b-day, the 29th was a full moon. Of course I was induced so who knows when she would have come on her own but I am sticking to my method! We shall see....

Reagan's room is coming along. It looks so cute! I painted her name letters and the canvas pictures over her crib (I drew the animals from the pattern of her curtain and bed skirt). I am going to put up a floating shelf or two and Great Grandma B's quilt to finish of the wall decore. Grandma T's quilt will be an accent on the bed.

Cloth Diaper Update

First another picture of my beautiful girl! This darling outfit is from the Kirklands.

So this is were I am at on the whole cloth diaper thing. Have bought 4 diapers, 2 different brands to try them out. Both brands are "all-in-one pocket diapers" which do not have a seperate cover. They have inserts that absorb the urine and you can put more than one insert in depending on the need (i.e. night time). This type of diaper is suppose to be the most like disposables and easy to use. This really appeals to me and plus you can spend up to 17$ on a really good diaper cover which makes using the old fashion method of cloth diaper and cover expensive too. I am waiting for 2 of the diapers to come in, hopefully I will get them this week.

The brands are Fuzzi Bunz and Bum Genius. They both have advantages and disadvantages. The Fuzzi Bunz are the ones Angie loves and they have snaps which are easy to care for. I would have to buy 2 different sizes, smalls for Reagan and meduims for Katya. I did not realize when I made my first cloth diaper post that the mediums go to 30lbs so I may not have to buy the large size. But this all depends on how big Katya is before she is potty trained. Buying the large size would be another 300$. The other potential problem is when Reagan grows out of the smalls (18lbs), Katya may still be in the mediums and so I would need another 18 mediums. I may just use disposables or some sort of training pants at this point. Hopefully Reagan's growth rate will be similar to Katya's who did not reach 18lbs until 7.5 months old.

The Bum Genius is a brand that grows with baby from 7-35lbs. The good thing about these is I could buy 36 diapers and use them for both kids interchangeably and they would hopefully fit through potty training. They have Velcro closures which might wear more with such frequent laundering. They are a bit more bulky than the Fuzzi Bunz but both are so much bulkier than disposables I think this is something I am just going to have to get use to. They are not quite as soft inside as the Fuzzi Bunz but if they absorb as well I won't care. Bum Genius is not a brand that Angie has tried but it is sold by a company she uses and trusts; a local company only sells tried and true brands. I am hoping to really like these because they would avoid some of the problems mentioned above with the Fuzzi Bunz.

So either way I go I will be spending a bit over 600$ on 36 diapers (at least for the time being); much better than the $900 I originally calculated (for 54 diapers). I should come out ahead of disposable costs with Katya and Reagan and will save a lot more if we have a thrid child. I am going to try and keep track of everything I spend on cloth diapers, including the disposables I keep on hand to see what the end cost is. It is a lot of money to spend up front but will save us in the long run. Craig and I are using our Christmas cash from Grandma and Grandpa Faulkner towards the first 18 diapers. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa! I will wait a few months to buy Reagan's set.

Katya and Teddy

Katya loves her Teddy Ruxbin from Grandma and Grandpa Faulkner. She is very interested in his mouth moving and likes to push his buttons on his back. I have heard the tape he came with about 10x's already! Craig had a Teddy Ruxbin when he was little. Sharon still has his Teddy but the tape player no longer works. They have re-issued Teddy, with upgraded technology and that is what she bought for Katya. She also gave her all of Craig's Teddy clothes which include a Santa suit, a Tuxedo and more. They are a bit big on the new Teddy but still cute. I have him in his PJ's and robe right now, very cute.

Deceptively Delicious

Here is another picture of Katya in a new Christmas present outfit. So cute!

Craig's Aunt Joan and Uncle Don gave me Deceptively Delicious, a cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld for Christmas. The whole stick is using vegetable purees in recipes for an extra boast of nutrition. I made a chicken salad this week that had 1/2 cup of cauliflower puree in it. It also had grapes, yogurt, celery and more; it was very good! I am really excited about this cookbook! I am especially excited for when Reagan is eating solids; I will be making purees for her and can also throw them into meals for Katya, Craig and I. Very fun.

Third Trimester!

Today begins week 26, and my final trimester of this pregnancy. I can't believe I am already to this point and that the "easy" trimester is now behind me, damn! It can't be worse than the first 4 months of misery but I do know that there are challenges to come, especially in the last month. I am really enjoying this stage of things with 95% of the nausea/vomiting behind me, my lovely growing belly and more and more kicks from my little girl. I do feel her move WAY more consistently now which makes me happy. I love when I see the movements, it is so alien like but cool.

I am having Braxton Hicks contractions and I am up more at night to pee. I am continuing to have cramping off and on which I have been told is due to an "irritable uterus." It feels like menstrual cramps; constant pain in my pelvic and lower back areas but my belly remains soft so I know I am not contracting (thank goodness). It is not terrible pain but any pain sucks and I do get tired of it. One of the benefits of being pregnant is suppose to be not having a period and the associated discomforts! I had this with Katya too and I remember it did take a toll on me by the end of the 9 months. I have to be careful to drink 3L of water a day, especially if I am feeling crampy. I feel like all I do is drink and pee but it is super important to stay well hydrated (dehydration is a common cause of premature contractions). I literally have to plan my outings with bathrooms in mind and I cannot take long walks.

I will get Craig to take a current belly picture and post that soon. Love to all, Brenda