36 Week Sonogram

I had my 36 week sonogram today and Geoff and Ellery (and Ellery's "baby" doll - her new must have) came along! For a second Ellery thought that we were at the doctor for her and she was whimpering :( Geoff held her on his lap and kept pointing to the screen telling her to look at her baby sister! However, she was too busy staring at what the sonogram technician was doing to my belly. Even if she was looking at the screen she couldn't have seen much! Madeline is already head down and facing the back, so we have no shots of her face. We were able to confirm that it is a girl! She is measuring at 6 pounds 5 ounces. My amniotic fluid is at a level 9 so the doctor wants to keep an eye on that. She said to chug lots of water! Which means lots of bathroom breaks at work.

Geoff and Ellery left right after the sonogram but I had to stay and see Dr. Gautreau. I was shocked to find out that my cervix is thinning but I am not dilated! I thought for sure I would be dilated because I have been feeling contractions and pressure on my pelvis. My doctor said we don't want to be dilated yet! She said I will probably mirror Ellery's birth which means baby Madeline will likely not come early. I want her to come a week early because I am ready, but if she waits then we can attend Anna's high school graduation! It will be a last minute decision. Anything can happen!

As I was leaving the hospital, Geoff called and told me to go back inside because there was a tornado warning and he didn't want me driving. So I went back in and took care of our hospital registration. I was stuck there until 10:30 while worrying about Geoff at work and Ellery at school! 

Dr. Gautreau instructed me to pack my hospital bag and get the infant car seat bases in the cars! I cannot believe it is already that time! I need to refresh my memory on the EASY (Eat, Activity, Sleep, You Time) method for infant schedules! I vaguely remember Ellery's schedule during her first 12 weeks. One difference with Madeline is that she will start daycare at 12 weeks, while Kelsey was able to nanny Ellery at home until she was 1! I'm trying to view this as a positive. Madeline won't have to adjust or transition like Ellery did once she becomes aware that we drop her off at school. It will be a totally different experience.

3 weeks and 6 days until we are due to be a family of 4!

32 Week Check-up

Madeline's heart beat was at 140 and she was moving all over the place, as usual! The good news from my 32 week check up is that Madeline is already head down, which means she is getting ready for the big day! Also, I learned that I have gained less weight this pregnancy, which was surprising because I definitely look bigger! The "bad" news is that I am measuring right at 32 weeks, which means this baby could be 8-9 pounds. 9 pounds?! I am not pushing a 9 pound baby out of me. That is impossible. Dr. Gautreau says we will determine that later. I don't want a c-section! I want everything to go just as perfectly as it did with Ellery! But I know that every pregnancy and birth is different. And however it goes down is how it was meant to be. I am just praying for an 8 pound baby. That is something I never thought I would say!

Looking back on my previous posts, I had bad leg cramps and charlie horses at 32 weeks with Ellery. I am happy to report that I have had none this pregnancy! However, the veins on my hands are enormous and my ankles do swell sometimes at night. And I had a pain in my left hip last night. All normal pregnancy weirdness. 7 weeks to go until Madeline is here!

32 Weeks

We finally managed to take my 32 week bump picture. No judgement...I was sick with a mysterious virus. I rolled out of bed and took one shot. So this is what we get. Yes, I admit to usually taking several pictures and picking the one that is the least awful. It drives Geoff nuts :)

32 Weeks

Madeline is the size of a jicama (still have never seen one in person)

Bump Comparison (32 Weeks with Ellery on the left). 

I am noticeably bigger with Madeline and my belly button has popped earlier!

30.5 Week Check Up

Madeline and I had our 30.5 check up yesterday with Dr. Gautreau. Every time I see her I am reminded of how blessed we are to have her as our doctor! She is truly the best. We talked for 30 minutes about Madeline, Ellery, pregnancy and faith. She always makes me feel safe and she definitely lifted my spirits about Ellery's JRA diagnosis.

Madeline's heartbeat was at 140 and she is measuring right on target. She is still high up even though she feels pretty low. She sometimes presses on my pelvis bone and it feels like she is going to fall out! Dr. Gautreau said that with each pregnancy the baby can feel lower because of stretched muscles and bones. Which reminds me that I need to work on my kegel exercises (they are the worst). Hopefully we will have another sonogram around 35 or 36 weeks to find out Madeline's exact size!

My ankles and feet have started to swell towards the end of the day. I remember the same thing happening with Ellery but I feel like it is happening earlier this pregnancy. I think this calls for Geoff to cook more dinners so I don't have to be on my feet as much in the evening, right?

I know that I need to take a picture of my bump! Maybe I can do that tonight. Stay tuned...

30 Weeks - Madeline Alice Morthland

10 more weeks to go until we meet Madeline Alice Morthland! Yes, that is her name. I guess it is time to say it out loud. It will be pronounced "-line" instead of "-lynn." I think it is such a beautiful name and I love the alliteration of Madeline Morthland. Geoff is already calling her Maddy. Alice is Corliss's Mom's middle name. We love to use family names!

I spent this weekend painting Ellery's new dresser so we could move Ellery's current dresser into Madeline's room. Ellery's current dresser is longer and has the changing pad attached to the top. Madeline will be getting all of Ellery's furniture and bedding except the book shelf. We plan to set up Ellery's new big girl bed and swap furniture between rooms near the end of April. Although Ellery was trying to climb out of her crib this morning so the swap could happen sooner! I have started to hang Ellery's 0-6 month clothes in Madeline's closet. Clothes sharing is one of the benefits of having two girls so close in age! It is so crazy to see the teeny tiny clothes that Ellery once wore. It seems like yesterday! And I can't wait to hold Madeline's little bitty baby body in my arms.

I was having some sharp pains last night under my right rib cage. I read that many expecting mom's have a similar pain in the third trimester because the uterus is pressing into the abdomen, crushing your rib cage. Or it could have just been gas (which I seem to have lost all control of :/). Or maybe I overexerted myself this weekend. It is hard to remember your limits at 30 weeks pregnant with a 20 month old to take care of! But everything seems to be fine now.

Here's hoping the next 10 weeks fly by just as quickly as the first 30!

Diabetes Free on the First Try!

Since I failed my first gestational diabetes screening during my pregnancy with Ellery, I thought for sure the same would happen this time. But as they say, all pregnancies are different. I passed the screening on my first try! What a relief because I was starving and ready to treat myself to a smoothie. My iron was a little low so Dr. Gautreau prescribed an iron supplement to take with my prenatal vitamins.

Baby's heart beat was at 142 this morning and she is laying side ways in my belly. I told Dr. Gautreau that the third trimester symptoms are creeping in - insomnia, nausea and just being uncomfortable. She said I could treat my nausea with pepsid or tums because nausea in the third trimester is usually caused by acid reflux. She asked if my insomnia was because of the baby or stress. I'm sure it is a little of both! 

We have been to so many doctor appointments with Ellery these past two months and last Friday she was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis by Dr. Gedalia (pediatric rheumatologist). So we have many more appointments in our future (PT, OT, Eye Doctor, follow ups with Dr. Gedalia and Dr. Kelleher). Ellery had tubes put in her ears and her adenoids removed on Monday so hopefully that will help her to stay healthy so we can concentrate on healing her JRA! She will be on steroids for a while and then Dr. Gedalia will decide where to go from there. We pray that this is a short story for Ellery and that it goes away! Dr. Gautreau recommended that I ask if there was a chance that Baby M could develop the same autoimmune disorder. Please say the answer is no!

We will be in Palm Springs this coming week with the Morthlands so hopefully we will get the relaxation that we need and be ready to tackle JRA when we get back!

And Just Like That, I Am 26.5 Weeks!

To say I have been neglecting this blog is an understatement! A second pregnancy that is close to your first pregnancy definitely receives less outward attention. But rest assured I am not neglecting my pregnancy! I can feel baby girl kicking ALL OF THE TIME and I take little moments to pause and watch her move. I pat my stomach and let her know that I know she is there. I think about what she will look like all of the time. Will she have red hair and blue eyes like her sister? Will she be as strong willed as me and her sister, or laid back like her dad?

While I am not neglecting my pregnancy, I am not such a stickler to the "pregnancy rules" this time around. I have a cup of 12 ounce coffee most mornings, I am not afraid to eat a turkey sandwich (as long as the meat is steaming), I carry things that weigh more than 20 pounds (Ellery is 21 pounds and you cannot say no to a sweet face with arms raised up for mama) and I had a glass of red wine for my birthday! These may seem like small feats, but I did none of these things when I was pregnant with Ellery. Yes, it is best to take precautions when pregnant. But I know, as a mother and as an experienced baby carrier, that the small pleasures I am indulging in will not result in harm.

I am also sleeping much better this pregnancy. I haven't even pulled out the snoogle pillow! Well, I take that back. I still wake up at least 3 times a night to use the bathroom and while I am up I might as well go check on Ellery. So it is more likely that I am just accustomed to not sleeping. 

So far I have resisted buying any additional maternity clothes. Both pregnancies are around the same season so there had been no need! I have also become creative with leggings, boots, tunics and ponchos. No need to spend unnecessary money, right? 

I cannot believe that we will meet baby girl in 13.5 weeks! We won't begin setting her room up until Ellery is ready to give up her crib and sleep in her big girl bed. Our tentative goal is late April. We want to give Ellery enough time to transition before baby gets here and she is hit with more change! We are so curious to see how she will handle all of this. She has become much more loving, even to Norman. She leans in for Norman kisses and pets him softly (with reminders and encouragement from us). She extends her arms for hugs and gives us kisses. I think she will love her baby sister just as well :)

Norman, on the other hand, will probably give up and run away.

Baby Girl at 20 Weeks

Here are a total of TWO pictures of baby girl from her 20 week sonogram. She was not very cooperative. She refused to open her legs for about 20 minutes so we could find out her gender and only turned around once to give us a profile shot! She must be a shy one :)

Bitty #2 is a...

GIRL!

We found out yesterday that Bitty #2 is a GIRL! I have to admit, Geoff and I were both surprised! We both thought it was possible that it could be a boy since I had been slightly sicker during the first trimester during this pregnancy as compared to Ellery's pregnancy. But we could not be more excited! How fun to have two girls so close in age! They could be best friends, or competitive enemies. Only time will tell ;) We are extremely prepared for another girl with our 5 plastic bins (so far) full of clothes with appropriate sizes for each season.

This experience was completely different than the first gender reveal sonogram. With my first pregnancy with Ellery, I was completely consumed with it. It is all I thought about. I was counting down the days until the sonogram. We had names picked out well before 20 weeks. For this pregnancy, I am so busy with Ellery that I sometimes forget that I am pregnant! I only had time to get excited for the sonogram while sitting in the waiting room. And we have no name yet. But we we do love you, Bitty #2! Baby girl #2!

We have been going to a lot of doctors recently trying to figure out why Ellery sometimes does not want to walk. All doctors that have seen her (and there have been MANY) suspect transient synovitis which is inflammation of the hip joint and could come and go for up to six months. Some days she wants to run around, some days she doesn't. We still have several appointments to try and pin point a reason, or verify the transient synovitis, but the best news is that she will be ok. The stress has been killing me and Geoff (although he has remained strong and positive the entire time. I am so thankful for him.) which is probably the main reason why I haven't had time to focus on this pregnancy lately. I blinked and we are at 20.5 weeks!

I had to leave Ellery at the hospital with my mom, Corliss and Ally to meet Geoff at Dr. Gautreau's office for the sonogram. We are so lucky to have such an amazing support system!! Dr. Gautreau and her whole staff were entirely supportive and understanding. We were in and out in 30 minutes. I never ask for special treatment when it comes to appointments but this was clearly an exception! Baby girl would not open her legs! After much convincing with poking and jiggling, we were able to see that she was a girl! I immediately asked Geoff if he was disappointed and he said "No way I love my girls!" He later admitted at dinner that he was so nervous to find out and that he still wants to try for a boy. To which I said "one pregnancy at a time, Geoff!" Baby girl was facing my back and would not let us see her face. We got one profile shot which I will share as soon as I can. Her heart rate was 148. I can't remember her weight but I think it was somewhere around 11 ounces. She has all 4 limbs and her heart and brain look perfect! Dr. Gautreau said "baby looks great, now go back to Ellery." She is seriously the best ob/gyn ever. Her son actually had transient synovitis when he was younger so we were able to compare notes before I left. He healed and is a perfectly healthy boy.

I bought some pinks socks in the gift store downstairs, had them wrapped in a bag and brought them back to the hospital for my mom and Corliss to open. It was very last minute but I think it was a cute way to tell them! 

We later posted a picture of Ellery holding a pink balloon on Facebook saying "Geoff is about to be outnumbered by 3. Baby M is a girl! Ellery can't wait to show her little sister all she knows." 

20 Weeks!

20 Weeks!

Bitty #2 is as long as a banana!

Bump Comparison (20 weeks with Ellery on the left)