Two Months Gone By

Two months have gone by since baby Dorian was born. He weighed 12 pounds and was 23 inches long at his 2 month Doctor's appointment. He was sad to get shots, as all babies are. He's slobbering a lot now and chewing his hands a lot. He looks as if he's getting his incisors in already, but the doctor told me they are just mucus cysts that are normal in infant mouths. We think he looks like a little vampire though. :)

Our garage project is finally done. So Eric's office moved out of the house, freeing up a room! And Tristan is thoroughly enjoying his ROOM. We dare not call it a bedroom, for we will get a lecture, "It is not a bedroom! It is just my ROOM!" He's right, there's no bed in there, just clothes and toys.

Tristan is a big helper. He likes to help with household chores and likes to do everything himself. "I can do it myself!" and "I'm a big boy!" are words we often hear coming from him. He's very good at entertaining his brother and even at holding and patting him. Of course, Dorian adores Tristan. Just seeing him makes the little guy smile. Everyone tells us what a good baby we have, even strangers. His temperament is very similar to that of Tristan as a baby. Tristan was also a good baby. And happy - both happy babies. Enough talk, I know all you want to see are pictures! :) So here are some current ones from this last month.

Ready for the meeting.

After bath cute curls.

Cutie smile.

Tristan helping out.

Another meeting day, both boys dressed up.

Tristan making a very Daddy(Eric)/ Grandma Brenda face.

Dorian looking at Tristan.

Dorian smiling at Tristan.

Dorian laughing at some Tristan antic.

Almost too big for Big Brother's lap.

Bedtime stories with Daddy. Go Dog Go!

More Pictures!

Dorian is 5 weeks old now and Eric and I have both gotten used to the idea that we have 2 children now.

Everyone keeps asking me how Tristan likes having a brother. HE LOVES IT. He did better with the transition than I did, actually. He loves "our baby". He likes holding him and napping with him and showing him things and helping me with him. He also likes going about his own business like he did before, playing, reading, going outside, cleaning, getting snacks, watching shows, etc. Our whole family is in love with the new little addition. And now that he's smiling, we can see that he's in love with us too. :)

2 weeks old already?!

Hello. Time goes by fast, even when the baby wakes up every 2 hours around the clock for diapers and feedings. (At Dorian's 2 wk well child visit today, he weighed 8 lbs! I was expecting him to be back up to his birth weight and maybe a little over, but not 8 lbs!)

Little Dorian is very mellow and good natured and sleeps a lot... very similar to Tristan as a baby. He also looks a lot like Tristan did as a baby. If they weren't 4 years apart, people would probably ask if they were twins.

All the pictures we took in the hospital are on our phones, but I'll upload some photos from our camera from the last 2 weeks since we've been home.

Oh, and here's a quick version of how the birth went: I had early labor for 9 hours, the kind where you know the contractions are about 5 minutes apart, but you can still talk and walk and joke around. Then in 2 hours everything else happened and we almost didn't make it to the labor and delivery room. We arrived in the L/D room at 3:30 AM and Dorian was born at 3:37 AM. It happened so fast, it was really scary and intense. And then he was out and I was so surprised! Then the nurse told us that we had to sign a "consent to care" form... we all chuckled.

Cute little baby:

Dilated Rumors

Apparently, if you do anything out of the ordinary when it's close to your due date a big rumor will circulate that you've gone into labor. We went to a different KH on Sunday to hear a friend speak. When we got home, we had 2 phone calls and one text message asking if we'd had the baby. Then the next day people stopped by to see the baby. Very strange (not the rumor, the stopping by part).

Saturday night I did start having regular contractions around midnight, but they slowed down got further apart and essentially stopped by 9 AM. I had texted my mom at 5 AM to ask her to come over whenever she got up and ready. Apparently, she conveyed that to her roommate, Julie, who went to the meeting Sunday morning and told 2 or 3 people something about it which is what turned into the rumor that I'd gone into labor.

Eric and I went to my doctor's appointment late Monday afternoon. I was 3 cm dilated. I said to the doctor, "Oh, ok, a centimeter a week, at this rate he'll be born in 7 weeks!" She laughed and shook her head and said, "Nooooo." Then she said that she'd be on call Tuesday, "so tomorrow would be a good day to have him." And she also said that she thinks it will be sometime this week. Oh well. I'M NOT EVEN DUE TILL THURSDAY! Tristan was a week late... maybe my body just takes longer than "average" to build-a-baby. He'll come out eventually. If he does come out on our anniversary, that would be one less date for Eric to remember. (He gets Tristan's birthday and our anniversary mixed up a lot, and this date will be close by the other two).

In other news, Dorian can't move around as much now. He still moves as often, but I can tell he's cramped for space in there. His movements are not as powerful. I've been nauseous a lot. I didn't get that way at the end of my pregnancy with Tristan; I don't know what the difference is. I threw up my whole breakfast this morning. I've been tired a lot the last several days, doing a lot of napping and sitting around. I think that means I'm almost done.

Nooooo, Baby's Not Out Yet

Hello everybody. The baby did not come out on Friday, or Saturday, or yet today either. I misunderstood what Eric said last week about Friday anyway. He said he wanted the baby to wait until Friday to come out, not "a" Friday. So he says it's fine with him for the baby to come out any time now. He finished the big project he was trying to finish before the baby was born. Whew! :)

Here's a picture of what the baby looks like in the belly at this point in pregnancy:Not much room left for my guts. Will keep you posted.

Fire Drill - How Fitting!

Eric and I went to my Doctor's appointment together today. They announced a fire drill right when we got there and the fire department said that everyone had to walk down 5 flights of stairs. The receptionist looked at me and said, "You don't want to do the stairs, do you?" I said that I didn't mind, but that I'd like to use the bathroom first. Instead, she had Eric and I go into the examination room and wait until the fire drill was over. That was nice of her.

I told my doctor that I'd been having contractions everyday since Thursday and that last night they woke me up and were painful so I started timing them. I realized they weren't anything serious once I timed them so I went back to sleep. She said that another woman this week had a similar story and when she checked her, she was 5 cm dilated, so she walked her over to the hospital and broke her water and she had her baby that afternoon. (Eric got a worried look on his face at that point because of all the work he has left to do this week). So, I said, "Well, I won't be that dilated." She said, "Why can't you be optimistic?" I said that I didn't want to get my hopes up because it makes time take longer and that I'd been telling people it would be nice to have him on our anniversary, the 17th. So, she checked me. I was 2 cm dilated, but soft and stretchy. She said, "You're not going to have this baby on your anniversary, and I'll be surprised if you make it until your due date. But we'll see."

After the appointment I asked Eric if he was worried that we'd have the baby today when she told that story. He said, "Slightly, but it would be ok." Then he said it would be better if we had him on a Friday. :) So, let's hope for this Friday, 6 days early, or else next Friday, 1 day late.

My next appointment is on Monday next week. So as she left the room, I said, "See you Monday." And she said, "If not before."

Then when we came home, my mom and I put up all the ceiling insulation in the garage. It took us about 2 1/2 or 3 hours. She took a picture of me up on the ladder because she said we might not believe our own story later that I was working hard at 39 weeks pregnant. A friend is coming over tomorrow to hang the ceiling drywall for us. Then we can get our drywall inspection on Friday. (We passed our framing inspection at the beginning of the week).

The thing I'm looking forward to the most is seeing what Dorian looks like. Eric and I have a 75% chance of having a brown eyed baby, and a 25% chance of a green or blue eyed one. I wonder what it'll be. I wonder if he'll have Eric's cheeks like Tristan. I wonder if he'll have that fatty upper lip that Eric has. I wonder what his little personality will be like. I wonder... everything.

Not Yet, Baby!

I posted on Friday because I've had an increase in phone calls, emails and text messages since I've been nearing the end of this pregnancy. People just wondering how I'm doing (which is a cover for, "is the baby coming out yet?"). :-) So I decided to increase postings to 2 or 3 times a week until the baby comes out. (And Eric has an i-phone now, so we can post to the blog from the hospital when the baby's born).

HOWEVER, I hope that the baby waits a while longer to come out. Tristan turned 4 today. He has a well-child doctor's visit tomorrow morning. Then we have a Bible Study to go on. Then we have our framing inspection tomorrow afternoon. And we have our meeting tomorrow night. So, tomorrow is out, Dorian! Tuesday would also be inconvenient because of other appointments... actually this whole week would be inconvenient. I really hope he waits until the 8th to be born. I like the idea of October 8th. The 8th month and the 8th day. Maybe he'll really like octagons and octopi too. It's ok if he's late too. Maybe he'll be born on our Anniversary, October 17th. Who knows?

I have been having contractions everyday though. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and today I've had them off and on and several in a row for some spells. That's how it works though. You just keep having them until one day they don't stop, they get consistent and then things get going.

It's quite unbelievable to me that there are only about 10 days left until the due date. I'm beginning to outgrow all my maternity tops. There are 3 or 4 shirts left that fit and don't look like I'm squeezing into them. Then there are another 3 or 4 that I will still wear, but the poor shirts aren't very happy when I do. And people squint when they look at me, in fear that a button will fly off and shoot them in the eye. :-)

Contractual Contractions

At this week's doctor's appointment, nothing had changed. I didn't have any contractions between last week's appointment and this week's. My doctor predicted that she will see me next week at my scheduled appointment. I'm glad. I'm not ready for this baby to come out yet.

Yesterday, Tristan and my mom and I went for a walk that was supposed to be just around the block. Tristan decided that he wanted to go to Christian Green's house. So we went ahead and walked over there... no one was home. I was pretty much having a constant contraction for the whole walk, there and back. Then all night I was having contractions, not painful, just annoying because it's hard to sleep when your whole belly is a rock hard boulder. They've stopped now. Hooray!

We got approval from our electrical inspector today. We'll have the framing inspection on Monday. Then we'll be able to finish the inside! Woo-hoo! The only other thing hanging out there is the continuous footing that we have to pour. We're hoping to have a weekend work party sometime in October where all our friends that have volunteered to help can come and help us dig the trenches. (We might hire it out, but we haven't decided for sure yet).

I've packed my hospital bag, just to have it ready ahead of time. Eric has been working day and night trying to finish some big work projects before the baby comes. I filed my birth plan and DPA with my doctor and enrolled in the hospital's bloodless program in case of emergency. Dorian's car seat has been installed in our car. Tristan likes to pretend that baby Dorian is in it already and he talks to him while we drive around. At the meeting Tuesday night, he got upset halfway through the meeting because he forgot to get "baby Dorian" out of his car seat and bring him into the Hall with us. :) So, we're prepared just in case the baby comes before the due date, but we're hopeful that he waits until October 8th.

The Oven Timer Popped!

Only 2 1/2 weeks left, and my oven timer has already popped! That's right, my innie bellybutton is now a-stickin' outie. Dorian had quite enough of the poor button and booted it out. =)

The doctor's appointments are every week now. This week there was 70% effacement and 1 loose cm dilation. So what does that mean? Not much. Some people have complete effacement and 4cm dilation for a couple weeks before the baby's born and others do it all in one day. So it tells us nothing about when Dorian might come out. But it does tell us that the contractions I've been having have been doing something. That makes me happy, since it's all got to happen before the boy can come out anyway.

Eric and Mom were both out of town most of this week. It took a lot of energy to be Tristan's only playmate and keep up with life during the week. I went to sleep at Tristan's bed time and woke up at Tristan's wake up time, and that seemed to help. Now neither of them is allowed to be more than 30 minutes away from me until the baby is born. =) I'll have to tell them that!

Here are some pictures of me halfway through the 9th month of pregnancy, taken just moments ago. The belly is BIG, so beware.

Living by the Moment

Wow, look that baby's nose is almost touching the finish line!

This week we had our child-friendly hospital tour, and Tristan was not excited that we left the hospital with the baby still in my belly. In fact, he's been very impatient lately. Thursday, I said, "Tristan, put your hand right here and you can feel the baby move." He stood defiantly and said, "I don't want to feel him move. I want him to come out of the belly so I can see him." Then Friday he came running up to me while I was sitting on the couch and grabbed onto my belly and said, "Dorian, come out of the belly so I can see your cute little face!" And he has repeatedly asked me how much longer it's going to be. I was telling him 4 weeks so many times that when I said 3 1/2 weeks today, he said, "No, Mama, you're supposed to say '4 weeks Tristan'."

I rearranged the living room one last time since my last blog post. It's so nice. Eric and I set up the pack-n-play in the living room in front of the never-used fireplace. We put the baby chair and all the baby toys inside it and covered it with a green baby quilt of Tristan's. Then we hung a new green and white crocheted baby blanket that some one made for Dorian over the front of it. Then we put some other green blankets and monkey blankets into the changing table part on top. Tristan's toys got reorganized under the window in the corner. And the couch got pushed back up against the wall. So the living room feels big and uncluttered again. I know this means nothing to those of you who didn't see it before, but trust me, this is a vast improvement.

We got our building permit on Friday. Hopefully we can get the electrical and framing inspections done this week. My mom and I have been working on getting things ready for that out there all weekend. I probably looked pretty silly with my 9th month pregnant belly and my Skil saw out there cutting plywood shelves for Eric's closet. The baby didn't seem to mind the noise, but Tristan did!

Well, it's back to "How are you feeling?" questions all the time again. My new answer is, "... blah, blah, blah, at the moment, but it depends on when you ask me." Which is entirely true. For example, today, I felt GREAT when I woke up this morning. Then I did so much work today that I felt EXHAUSTED and pained in some muscles for a few hours after dinner. Then after sitting on the couch talking to my friend Chrissy for a couple hours after dinner. I was able to get up and transfer a sleeping Tristan into his bed and then all I felt was HUNGRY. So I ate, and now I feel GREAT again. But then there are days when I'm so full of baby and whatever else that I can hardly move. Tuesday night it was all I could do to go to the meeting and sit in a chair in a dress for 2 hours without whimpering. I tried to jet out of the door before anyone asked me how I was feeling. There are days when I sleep most of the day, and others when I hardly need any sleep even at night. It's weird. I really hope that I'm having a good, high energy day (like today) when I go into labor. And I hope it's during the day, and I hope there's no traffic. Maybe I'll get one of those 3 wishes. :)

It's the Final Countdown

I'm 4 days away from being in THE 9TH MONTH of pregnancy! In some ways it has seemed like this pregnancy has zipped by; this whole year has zipped by. But, I have been pregnant ever since the beginning of January and I'm ready to be done.

I've been having contractions weekly, but not daily yet. Last Friday I had them all day long and it wore me out by the end of the day. I thought that meant that the baby was moving down into the birth position, which typically happens around the 35th week. However, today I read that babies don't usually "drop" in the second pregnancy until you're in labor. So I guess they're just practice contractions to get the uterus warmed up for evicting my little tenant.

The baby shower was a success despite the rain in the morning. The day turned out to be quite nice. The grass was too wet for a 3-legged race, but we did play "Don't break the water" in which we all walked across the park with water balloons between our legs trying to be the one to get the furthest without soaking ourselves. Eleven-year-old Madison won that game by quite the long shot. We also played "Bible Trivia" and "Guess how Much this Stuff Cost". There were plenty of beverages, and I didn't hear any complaints on the amount of food. I know I ate well. And there were tons of gifts! Little Dorian is all set for when he first comes out. There are a few more items we need to get, but they aren't things we'll need right away. He's going to be a very well-dressed little chap. Lot's of people were very thoughtful and got Tristan a gift too so that he didn't feel left out.

Tristan and his Grandma Nana went home to Oregon with his Grandma and Grandpa Knauer after the baby shower. They were gone for 3 days and 2 nights. That was a first for Tristan. I was explaining to him that Eric and I were staying home and he asked, "But who's going to take care of me?" I told him that he would have 2 Grandmas and a Grandpa to take care of him. He said, "Well I think kids need a mom or a dad to take care of them." I agreed that usually that is the case, but that for a few days Grandmas and Grandpas could handle things. He agreed to go and seemed to handle most of it quite well. He doesn't like going to sleep without Mama reading and singing to him... but he couldn't stay awake indefinitely. He also seemed to enjoy his first Amtrak train ride home. It was a good trial run for his being away from us for about the same amount of time when we'll be in the hospital next month.

It was an amazing break for Eric and I. We got a lot accomplished the 2nd and 3rd days. I think we were in shock the 1st day... I mostly slept that day. One of the things I got done was the drawing revisions for our permit application. So that's all turned in, and after talking to the guy that reviews the drawings and comes out for the inspections, I am pretty happy with how things are turning out with this. Nothing that we've done has to be undone, and that's a big relief.

Well, I can still eat full meals without too much trouble. Although I've been getting nauseous when I don't eat often enough, just like the first trimester all over again. I've been getting weird muscle spasms in my right leg, and last night awoke to an excruciatingly painful cramp in my right calf. My outcries of pain woke Eric up and he helped stop the cramp. It's the same leg that keeps feeling like it's falling out of the hip socket from time to time. I don't know if the baby is pinching something or if I'm not getting enough of some nutrient or if I'm not getting enough exercise. Something ain't right with that right leg.

Most of my cleaning projects are done now. Only 2 left that I can think of at the moment. Otherwise, it's just the daily life with extra naps until the littlest Knauer arrives.

Still Pregnant

Hello. I am still pregnant. There are 6 weeks left. I'm ready to be done, but I'm not ready for the baby yet, so I guess it's good that I'm still pregnant.

I'm excited about the baby shower. It's in 2 days and there will be 3-legged races! I hope everyone has fun.

We finally heard back from the Building Department on our permit (after 3 weeks). There are a couple of drawing revisions to make, then I have to resubmit the drawings. It's not looking good for getting the project done before Junior arrives.

In the grocery store yesterday, Tristan saw me getting 15 cents in change. He asked, "Mama, can I have that money because I need to buy a present for Dorian for his party on Saturday?" I thought it was very cute and sweet. So of course I gave it to him, along with all my other change. He and his Grandma wrapped his present today... I have no idea what it is.

Dorian likes to stretch his legs all the way out sometimes. Then my belly looks kind of like a giant horizontal football. He gets irritated with his hiccups and kicks and punches all over the place like a bony octopus every time he gets them.

My ligaments are loosening up in preparation for the big day. The other day I was dusting and my right leg kept feeling like it was just going to fall off. It kept coming loose in it's socket. That was a very weird feeling that I don't remember ever having in my previous pregnancy.

Mother Hen is in the Nest... Nesting

Here we are with only 7 1/2 weeks left to go, and NESTING has definitely kicked in! I made a list of things to get accomplished last week and when I finished that list I made a new one. Most of the items on the list are cleaning/fixing items and then there are the organizing and inventory items too. I brought in all of the baby stuff from the shed that we saved from when Tristan was a baby and cleaned them, killed the spiders that were trying to live there and have been slowly trying to find places for them in our over-flowing house. Tristan rediscovered many of his old toys and thinks that they are fun and shouldn't be for baby Dorian.

Eric is nesting too. He just replaced the fan in our bathroom and cleaned out the drain trap in our bathroom sink. He also rewired the bathroom outlet that he installed last year so that it was grounded and is now a GFCI outlet. I also caught him cleaning the plastic tray that holds all our silverware in the drawer. :)

Eric and Tristan picked two buckets of Italian plums from the tree in our backyard and I made 2/3's of one bucket into a pie today. They picked apples last week and my mom and I salvaged a pie's worth out of those. The plums are beautiful this year, but most of the apples were very wormy.

It seems like I have less energy and still have as many things to do. So, I haven't been spending very much time with my friends, even ones that only live a few blocks away. I have been feeling guilty about that, but my mom tells me that they understand. I've been trying to at least call or email people lately so that they know I'm thinking about them even though I don't want to get up off the couch at the end of the day.

UPDATE ON THE GARAGE PROJECT:

• I haven't mentioned it for a while. Let's see, we didn't work on it for most of the month of June because we were waiting for Eric to have time to do the electrical work which he wanted to do. He finally got that done over two consecutive weekends. Then we scheduled the electrical inspection.
  
• The inspector told us all the things we needed to change, which wasn't much, but he also told us that he couldn't actually sign off on the inspection because we didn't have a building permit. He told us to apply for one as if we hadn't started the work yet and told us to claim that it was enclosed storage and not an office space. I told Eric that I didn't want to lie about anything, and he agreed that we shouldn't.
  
• So then the next two weeks (one week was the C.O. visit) I worked on completing the drawings (approx. 30) to submit to the city of Seatac for a building permit. During those two weeks I called the building department countless times asking questions to make sure I was doing all the correct drawings. [[I had started the drawings back in October with the intention of getting a building permit, but when I went to their website they had online permits available for small projects and I went through that process instead and ended up with an electrical permit and no building permit. So I had about 10 drawings finished back then, that were still in good condition even though they had been stored on our table under the table cloth for 9 months.]]
  
• I submitted the drawings and the permit application stating that we are converting the existing detached garage to an enclosed storage/office space. When I was at City Hall submitting them, I had the lady connect my electrical permit with the building permit application number. She asked how I had an electrical permit without a building permit, so I explained it to her and how the electrical inspector told us to come get a permit. She said that the same thing has been happening to a lot of people ever since they started offering online permits. Then she asked if we'd already started the project, and I told her that we had. She also asked if I was an architect because she thought my drawings were great. That made me feel good since I'm not an architect, despite my architecture degree and 6 years experience, not to mention the fact that I haven't worked in 2 years. It turned out that she and I knew people in common in the architecture field, and we had a nice chat. She said that it would be 1 or 2 weeks until I heard anything from them... Tuesday the 18th will be 2 weeks. And I haven't heard anything yet.
  
• So, that's basically 2 months of not working on the garage. And it's so close to being done! It's been so close for 2 months, which is really quite frustrating. My mom moved in with a friend 2 weeks ago so that she didn't have to live in our living room out of a suitcase anymore. (I would've gotten tired of that after 2 weeks... she handled it well for almost 3 months!) She'll move back in as soon as we finish the room. Hopefully we can get the permit with no trouble.

What else? Well, I'm getting huge and it is getting harder, in the evenings especially, to bend over or to get up out of Tristan's bed after I read stories to him at night. One night I sat next to his bed in a chair to read his stories, and he was ok with that when I explained the reasons. He's a nice little boy. Soon we'll have 2 little boys... woah! That realization hits me occasionally and I don't know how to feel, it's a whole other unknown world that is about to open up for us. Eric and I talk about it, but we can only guess at what it might be like.

Photos to start month 8

Tristan has to hug me on the side otherwise, this happens! :)

7 months down, 2 months to go!

We've been busy around here! Sorry, no picture again this week, but I'm so late in updating for the week that it's almost time for next week's entry.

Dorian figured out how to crawl up into my rib cage and kick me so that it HURTS! It was happening consistently for a few days over the weekend, it kept me from sleeping Sunday night, but it hasn't been happening during this week. I was literally standing and pushing him down out of my ribs, then I'd lie down again and he'd work himself right back up there.

Tristan held my friend Roshae's baby today. He's 2 months old. (He holds him often). Today, though, he was holding him and kissing the top of his head, then he rocked him back and forth and sang "Rock-a-bye Baby" to him. It was very sweet. I read today that Preschool age children (like Tristan) are nurturing and helpful with a younger sibling, whereas toddlers are prone to be displaced and jealous. I think Tristan will do just fine.

The hospital where Dorian will be born offers a "Child-Friendly Tour" that we signed up for today. It allows 3-10 year olds to accompany you on the hospital tour. Our tour is in September, and will remind us where to park and check in and will let Tristan see where we will be, so that he can be mentally prepared.

Hot Mama

Well, we're having a heat wave up here in the Pacific Northwest. In general, it hasn't been too bad for me, but today was exceptionally hot. Today, I purchased a maternity bathing suit. We've been finding out that there are a lot more places to swim around here than I previously thought, now that it's hot enough that freezing water isn't an issue. And I was tired of just getting in up to my knees while Tristan got to have all the fun. :)

I forgot to post a picture of the belly at the beginning of July. I will post one next weekend at the beginning of August. For those of you who haven't seen me since the last picture I posted at the beginning of June... it will probably seem like I've suddenly gotten huge. It's not me though, honest, it's that baby growing in my belly! :) (Oh and "the counterweight" growing around back so that I don't tip over).

Now I'm in the 30th week. So, how do I feel? That question that you all want to know but are scared to ask now that I said it was annoying 2 weeks ago... (I was just being a hormonal pregnant lady that is annoyed tremendously temporarily and is then over it and wondering why everyone has that look on their face). Well, I feel PREGNANT. I'm at a point now where I can't forget that I'm pregnant anymore. I don't fit sideways through small spaces. Sleeping shouldn't be this tough when I'm this tired. My doctor wants me to take iron twice a day, and I haven't purchased it yet because I'm not excited about its uncomfortable side effects. (I had to take it when I was pregnant with Tristan too). I'm hungry all the time, but I get full just when I'm beginning to enjoy my meal. I'm thirsty all the time and I have to pee about every 1.5 hours. Sometimes I pee and then 10 minutes later I feel like I haven't gone all day. It's worse right after the baby does his aerobics. I'm fat all over. It's hot. Despite all these complaints, I'm happy. Really, I'm generally in a good mood. I think it has a lot to do with my mom being here to help me get things done. And a lot to do with the window air conditioner in my kitchen. :)

Baby Dorian gets the hiccups regularly now, just like Tristan did in the womb. I read that it's from their practice breathing exercises, wherein they "breathe" the amniotic fluid to work out their lungs.Here's a picture of what the baby looks like at 30 weeks. They forgot to illustrate the huge pregnancy butt in back, this woman would totally tip over. :) Remember that Dorian's placenta is on the back wall though, so imagine the uterus mirrored. That's why we can always see and feel the punches and kicks, because those long limbs are facing out instead of back like this picture. Sometimes he faces his placenta though, and then I can feel his little butt sticking out. He favors my right side and my belly often appears very lopsided.

Tristan knows all sorts of things about pregnancy and birth and new born babies now. And he feels quite free to share his knowledge with others (yes sometimes strangers in the supermarket) which makes for some surprised people sometimes. I'm quite proud of him though. Fortunately, we haven't been graphic with any of our explanations. I think people are usually just surprised that some one so young can explain something so complex in such simple and accurate terms with such a big cute grin on his face.

Moving Right Along

The pregnancy ticker (above) has changed to a number of days countdown instead of a number of weeks countdown... crazy.

Tomorrow I have my 7th month doctor's appointment. They will give me the glucose test at this visit, so I have to drink that glucola stuff and get my blood drawn.

Things are progressing all around here:
1. We finished the electrical part of the cottage, and our inspection is tomorrow. We already insulated and drywalled everything in there that didn't have electrical running between the studs. So, if the inspection goes well, we should have the rest of that done this week. Hooray! We hadn't worked on it for about a month because we were waiting for the electrical to get finished.
2. Chrissy reserved a park for the baby shower and is coming up with games to play there and ways to provide shade. Our first several choices were booked, and we ended up with a park that has almost no shade. Hopefully by the end of August it will be a little cooler around here. Meanwhile, I've gathered 33 addresses for baby shower invitations and have 10 left to obtain. So, it will be a pretty big shower... I've estimated about 80 individuals invited.
3. Tristan and I went to Target and registered for the baby shower. I scanned the first item and then Tristan wanted to try the scanner out and I never got it back. He did a good job scanning all the items. He wanted me to register for more things so that he could scan more. And actually, he picked a few of the items out. He's especially hoping for the tube of bath toys which he told me that Dorian would be happy to share with him.
4. The belly is getting rounder and bigger. Most people that ask how far along I am now tell me that I'm small for that far along when they get the answer. I think that they just don't remember what I looked like before. My clothes sure know!

When I was giving Tristan a bath a few days ago, he said, "Look at my fat belly!" and he was rubbing his belly. I said, "Where, what fat belly? All I see is a belly, no fat belly." Tristan said, "Look I can make my belly go out and in," and he showed me, "but your belly just goes out and Daddy's belly just goes in. But MY belly can go out and in!" He cracks me up.

Well, I've finally gotten to that point where sleep is uncomfortable in just about any position a lot of nights. I'm hungry more often and have to pee a lot more often. It's getting harder to pick Tristan up. It's not to bad holding him if my mom or Eric hands him off to me, but the picking him up part is getting harder. The reality that in 2 1/2 months, we will have a new little baby in our house is starting to sink in a bit more every day.

27.5 Weeks Down; 12.5 Weeks To Go

Everyone always asks how I feel. It's kind of difficult to have that question presented to you over and over again. It starts making me wonder. Am I supposed to be groveling in a miserable mire right now? Am I supposed to be glowing with superb radiance in a happy bliss? I'm just fine. Everything is fine as usual. Things that aren't fine and things that are great exist in my life now as much as they do when I'm not pregnant. But all's well. I'm kind of in a holding pattern right now. I've been pregnant a while and I'm going to be pregnant a while yet. Not much to report.

Tristan is getting used to getting kicked in the ribs every time he sits on my lap for a good snuggle. Sometimes it makes him laugh. Speaking of which, the baby tickled me a few days ago with his kicks. I tried to move so that his kicks would be shifted to a new location, but he got a few more jabs into my tickle center before he left.

This morning I felt the shape of a foot. I put my fingertips on it and it moved across my belly giving my fingers a little ride like a mini-surfer. It felt pretty neat.

The End of The Second Trimester

The baby's eyes have now opened and he can see his environment in the womb with enough light. He can tell the difference between darkness and light. It's nice that I'm pregnant in the summer so that there is a difference between darkness and light; the winter in Seattle wouldn't be much fun for newly opened fetus eyes.

We're planning the baby shower for the last Saturday of August. So, if you read this blog, you're invited and can mark your calendar for August (29th? I think). I'm trying to call around and get addresses for people who are not in my immediate area. My friend Chrissy will probably get all the addresses for close by people. If you read this blog though, you get a nice head's up before the invitation comes. I'll post more information as I know more. We're still not settled on location and time, but we're getting there.

My friend, Marnie, gave us a baby carseat for Dorian. Tristan asked me whose carseat it was. I said that it was for baby Dorian. Tristan got an excited look on his face and he asked, "Is the baby coming out?!" And I said, "No, no, not yet."

At the meeting last week, Tristan heard a baby cry during the meeting. And he whispered to me, "Mama, somebody's baby came out!"

He's excitedly looking forward to his baby brother coming out. I hope he stays happy about him after he's born.

Dorian on the Big Screen

This week, there was another ultrasound and a doctor's appointment. They had found something "borderline abnormal" in the last ultrasound and so scheduled another one to check on said something. This time, they not only found nothing abnormal, but Dorian is the picture of health. They told me that he's big though. My doctor says that you have to take their size predictions with a grain of salt because they're basing it on body measurements compared to an average at this gestational age. Different babies have growth spurts at different times. I guess that's like looking at two 3-year-old's and saying how tall and heavy they will be as adults. Anyway, he's in the upper 80's percentile on his measurements, and they think he's almost 2 pounds already! My doctor also told me that I weighed the exact same amount on this visit in my pregnancy with Tristan as this time.
In the ultrasound, I was able to see that Dorian's little lips are already developed. And I was able to see what I already feel many times per day: He's an active little bugger! The placenta is on the back wall of the uterus. The ultrasound technician said that it's like a mattress for him when I'm lying on my back. I was thinking it must be more like a trampoline! People always say that you just notice the movements more when you're sitting or lying down... I notice them when I'm standing up too. The uterus gets stretched out with the first baby and expands more easily with the second one, so that could be why he seems so much more active than Tristan was... he just has more room to move around and explore.

Mover and Groover

23 weeks done, 17 weeks to go. This is the beginning of the 6th month. It's flying by.

All the websites say that the baby moves a lot nowadays. They are correct. This little baby kicks at my skirt waistbands, he kicks at seat belts. I was studying for the meeting the other day and had my Bible resting on my belly while I was reading in bed... he tried to kick my Bible on the floor. Sometimes when he's stretching out, I can feel him jabbing at the top right of my belly and the bottom left at the same time. Eric likes to poke him and then rest his hand on the belly and feel him fight back. He usually moves a lot about 15-20 minutes after I finish a meal and just about anytime I lie down or sit down to rest.

I started remodeling our garage to be an extra room in November. I got a lot done until the big snow storm at the end of December. Then it was sooo cold in January. I started working on it again in February, then the morning sickness waylaid me for all of March. Then in April Eric and I both had a terrible cold that lasted 3 weeks. So by the time my mom got here in May, all the exterior work was done on the garage and one closet was framed inside. Since she's been here, she has been a HUGE help with the project. And since Eric went from having 2 full-time jobs to 1 full-time job, he's been able to help some too. And I'm so glad that we're almost done, because I'm looking forward to just being pregnant. I think it's part of the reason why the pregnancy is going by so quickly for me. I keep saying, "Wait, I still need to be 4 months pregnant for awhile until we finish the garage!" and it keeps not waiting. I'm doing really well at pacing myself though. My mom has helped a lot with that. Most of the drywall is done now, so we're getting to the less labor-intensive work now anyway.

Brotherly Love

What's In A Name?

Our baby will weigh up to 16.5 ounces by the end of this week and measure about 11 inches long. That's about 1 foot and 1 pound of baby! And let me tell you, he's an active little bugger. When I'm sitting or lying down, you can actually see my belly moving in the shape of punches and kicks and head-butts. Today, I lifted my shirt up whilst sitting upon the couch to show my mom and Tristan how the baby was moving. Either my mom or I ( I can't recall) said something about the baby kicking and Tristan said with a thoughtful look on his face, "No, I think the baby is dancing in there."

The biggest dilemma Eric and I have been having with choosing a name for our new little one is that we agree TOO much. It's hard to narrow it down when you both like the same 10 names. It was easy when I said, "I don't like Percival" and Eric said, "I don't like Owen". As of right now, we're planning to name him Dorian. However, we have about 15 middle names that we like with it and will have to take the next 4 months to narrow it down.

So, what's in a name? A rose by any other name smells as sweet. But for some reason when you tell people what you're considering for a name for an unborn child, they usually have some reaction like: Where did you come up with that? Really, or are you kidding? Oh, I rather like the name Michael better. Etc. etc. etc. However, when you actually have the cute little bubble-blower in your arms and some one asks you, "What's your baby's name?" And you say, "Dumbledorf Eisenhower the Third" or whatever, they usually just respond with, "Awww, he's so cute!" or "Could I hold him?" I thought it was the difference between seeing the cute baby and not seeing him. Now that I'm writing about it though, maybe it's just that once it's set in stone, people don't feel as comfortable giving their opinions as they do when it seems like there's still a chance to sway you from the unthinkable (in their minds). I think most people don't mind their own names though, even if it's not their favorite name or what they would've named themselves. Most people don't rename themselves. So hopefully, our little Dorian will love his name as much as Tristan loves his.

Half-time Boogie

We are officially halfway done with this pregnancy! Boogie Boogie!

As it turns out, if my record keeping was accurate for both pregnancies, I threw up the exact same number of times with this kid as I did with Tristan... which was a lot. Hopefully, like my pregnancy with Tristan, I am done with being sick now.

Tristan has come to terms with having a brother. Now the problem is that he wants to name him Knauer. So no matter what we try to call the baby, as we try out names we like, Tristan sternly tells us, "It's not that name, it's Knauer!" We told him that no one wants to be named Knauer Knauer, but he doesn't seem to care.

My good friend Roshae had her baby Tuesday morning, 4 days before her due date by emergency C-section. Tristan and I spent 6 hours with her in the hospital yesterday. Tristan showed me that he will be a fantastic big brother. He held the baby and fed him his first bottle (mom had been trying to nurse before). He was so gentle with him; he leaned down and kissed his forehead and kept repeating, "It's ok, you're ok." It was so adorable. And when I was holding the baby, Roshae asked Tristan to fetch a few things for her and he quickly ran over to comply. So helpful! He was also very friendly with all the nurses, telling them to look at his cool shirt with a fish on it that his Grandma Nana gave him. He told one nurse that his shoes were cool because they could do tricks. Then he showed her what they could do by jumping up and down and hopping on one leg.

Can I Kick?

Look! We're almost halfway there! 19 weeks down, 21 weeks to go!

This morning Tristan was able to feel the baby kick for the first time. He placed his hand on my stomach and he felt about 5 or 6 movements. Every time he felt one, he would raise his eyebrows and open his mouth with a little gasp. I kept saying, "Did you feel him kick? Did you feel him kick?" And Tristan kept nodding. Then he said, "Can I kick him back?" (I must have gotten quite a look on my face as I said "No, definitely not." Because his big boo-lip came out and he said it wasn't fair. So I had to explain to him that the baby is only the size of a banana and was not trying to kick him.)

Pictures of Knauer Baby Boy

The first two pictures are profile pictures which are pretty clear and self-explanatory. Then there is an image of the baby giving us a "thumbs up" and one of the baby's foot. I drew around them in red so that they could be more easily located.

When we first told Tristan that we found out that the baby was a boy, he just looked at us for a minute then asked, "So, is the baby out then?"

Later, I told Tristan that I loved him very much and that I loved his little brother in my belly too. He said, "I don't want a brother; I want a sister." I told him that we don't have a choice and that the baby in my belly is a boy, so he is having a brother. He asked, "Can we put that baby in some one else's belly so that you can have my sister in your belly?"

IT'S A BOY!!

We found out at our 2nd trimester ultrasound that our new baby is a boy! We are all very excited here at our house. And glad to finally know! More on this later, just wanted to let everyone know.

Bump Daddy

Last night (or this morning) at 3:00 AM when Eric was coming to bed after working late, our baby woke up and was moving around. Eric was reading and I was lying there with my hand on my belly. Then I realized that I was feeling it move on my hand too. So, I took Eric's hand and placed it on my belly. Then the baby gave him a big bump! He got a big grin on his face and said, "That was a nice big bump." So, that was the first time Eric got to feel our new little baby move. :)
(The baby-o-meter at the top is the one my friend Jennifer uses. It has more information about the baby's development than the car driving to the finish line).

Belly Shots

Some of my family far away has asked if I have started showing yet. I wasn't sure what to say... Most people I'm around regularly say that I'm not showing yet, but to Eric, Tristan and me: I AM OUT TO HERE! So, here are some pictures to help you judge for yourself. I love the one looking down on the belly; that's the view I have. I took these myself... not the easiest thing. :)

Tristan And Baby

I asked Tristan if he wanted the baby in my belly to be a boy or a girl. He said he wanted it to be a boy like him. I said, "Oh, so you want a brother, not a sister?" He said, "I want a brother AND a sister AND a baby". So apparently, he doesn't quite understand that the baby will be his brother or sister and that he can not have both nor all three!

Yesterday, I felt the baby move for about a minute or two straight. I hadn't felt that much activity with this little one before. It was when Tristan came to see why I wasn't out of bed yet and he was talking a lot. Today I noticed that when Tristan came and started talking to me the baby started moving too. The baby must already like his big brother. :)

I thought the baby-o-meter at the top of each post would be fun to see progress, but it automatically updates everyday... so anytime you look at the blog, they'll all say the same thing and they'll be current for the day you're looking at them instead of all being different.

Appointments, Appointments

We had a doctor's appointment this week. Eric and Tristan accompanied me to the visit. Eric distracted Tristan while my blood was being drawn (for the last time). We all smiled as we listened to our baby's heartbeat. Tristan told the doctor that his little sister is in his mama's belly. She said that boys usually want brothers. I explained to her that he has lots of friends that are boys and they always want to play with his toys, but girls always want to play with dolls. He's got that much figured out! Tristan also told our doctor that he doesn't ride in a car seat sometimes. She got an alarmed look on her face. We assured her that he's never ridden in a car without his car seat. Three-year-olds and the stories they make up!

Tristan likes to tell me that my belly is "out to here!" while he stretches one arm out and pats an invisible HUGE belly in front of himself. I keep telling him it is NOT, but that it will be. Yesterday, our friend Jennifer who is only 23 days away from her due date, came down to see us. When Eric got home from work he asked Tristan what Jennifer's belly looked like. He stretched out two arms and patted an invisible HUGE belly in front of himself and said, "Out to here!" Then Eric asked him if she walked funny (she didn't). And Tristan said "Yeah!" and he started walking around the room normally with both of his arms 'out to here'. It was pretty cute.

And yes, I have a round belly now. But it kind of looks like I've eaten too many doughnuts at this point. Or like a little boy belly that pushes the shirt out.

Something new that is happening during this pregnancy that didn't happen with Tristan... I'm waking up hungry in the middle of the night and can't fall back to sleep until I eat. Me want food!

We got our slip to make the ultrasound appointment sometime between May 8th and May 19th. I haven't made the appointment yet because I want Eric to be there and I'm not sure what day will work best for his work schedule right now. I don't want to have to call him up at work to tell him if it will be a boy or a girl though... I think that would be lame. I'll keep you posted... literally.