Month: March 2017

Dear Nugs,

Last weeks monthly check in went well. I took and passed my gestational diabetes test and am so glad I’ll never take one of those again! You were busy moving around in there so it took a while to find your heart beat but you were fluctuating between 146 and 152 beats per minute and are measuring right on track! Other than that, not a whole lot going on. Daddy has been busy working on the bunk beds and I was busy taking care of the two other nuggets.

Size of Baby: You are the size of a rutabaga. Approximately 9 inches and 1.7 lbs

The Bump: Daddy and I attended a wedding over the weekend. I attempted to wear a regular dress and it just felt too tight, so I pulled out a new maternity one and threw on a blazer to dress it up a little. It’s interesting how the bottom photo makes the bump look a little pointy.

Cravings/Aversions: nope nada! I’ve kind of had an upset stomach for the past week or so. Nothing sounds good, but nothing sounds terrible either. So just not eating a whole lot and sticking to pretty bland foods.

What I’m anticipating: Moving forward with the bunk beds. Daddy has made a lot of progress in the actual build of the beds and then it is my job to finish them. The big kids are heading to the cabin with Grandma and Grandpa for the weekend so hopefully we can get a lot done this weekend! Looks like lots of sanding and painting are in my future!

Miss anything: Nope

Worries: Not to much

Differences between pregnancies: With Lexi, the kidney issues I had improved, I was still in pain, but it was managable. I also traveled to Austin Texas for a photo shoot and it was like 90% humidity and 100+ degrees, which right now sounds amazing! With William, we had just gotten over colds, sleep seems to be fairly similar. Also noted that we had a boy name picked out but no girl name, just a few we kind of like–so same story here.

How I’m feeling: Overall, I have nothing to complain about and am in the sweet spot of pregnancy!

Sleep: This is all over the board. I have good nights and bad nights. Some nights I toss and turn a lot, other nights I wake in the middle of the night or early in the morning. I do feel bad that all my movement isn’t helping daddy sleep very well

Movement: Lots of movement. You get stronger every day! Lexi loves to feel you kicking around!

Milestones: I think this is the week of viability. IF something were to happen, you would have a good chance of surviving. Lots of hard work and complications, but you would likely survive. Also, passing the gestational diabetes test!

Best Moment of the Week: On Tuesday it was 60+ degrees and sunny and Lexi had a break from dance and the kids road bikes and we grilled and it was awesome and I can’t wait for the summer!

Sibling talk: Lexi and I were reading her Minnie Mouse books and she was looking at some other princess books. She stops, puts her hand on my arm and goes, “mom, I have a great idea, we can get these new princess books for the new baby and then we can trade princess and Minnie Mouse books, wouldn’t that be a good idea?”

Love,

Mama

Little Nugs,

Another pretty uneventful week, and I would like to keep it that way! Next week, I have another doctor appointment and need to take my glucose test, so I’m going to need to cut sugar out of my diet for a couple days, which is kind of terrifying!

Dear William,

You are going to be a BIG brother to a little sister!! A middle child. I’m kind of at a loss for words for you and haven’t quite figured out how you’re going to respond to this major life change yet, both for when the baby arrives and the impact it will make as you grow.

When your baby sister arrives, you’ll be just short of 2.5 (assuming everything goes to plan), which is just a tinch older than Lexi was when you were born.

When you were born, I felt the transition was pretty challenging. Lexi constantly wanted/needed my attention and was intentionally naughty. As a result, I didn’t get to snuggle you as much as I would have liked. I can see you behaving similar to Lexi, pushing boundaries while looking at me and doing something you know is naughty but doing it anyways. On the other hand, I’m hoping Lexi will help keep you entertained and being able to play outside will make this initial transition a little less painful.

I have no clue how you are going to respond to the baby itself. You are very cuddly and affectionate with Daddy and I, always giving us hugs and kisses and wanting to snuggle on the couch or before bedtime and when you wake up. However, I’ve never seen you pick up one of Lexi’s babies or show any kind of nurturing behavior. You’re rough and touch and love to run and play with balls and push trucks around. I could see you being a little rough with the baby and wanting me to ‘send her back to the hospital’ as Lexi used to say but then part of me thinks you could really surprise me and be sweet and love to rock her and give her kisses. Time will tell.

As you grow, you’ll have so many important roles that you get to fill. You get to be a little brother to Lexi, yet also a Big Brother to your new sister and all of the fun things that come along with that. You and Lexi are the best of friends right now and love to play together. It will be interesting if you become the ‘pesky little brother’ as the years go on or if you two remain tight. You also get to watch out for your little sister and make sure nobody messes with her.

My dear boy, this also means you are becoming the middle child. As a middle child myself and the deprivation i endured (semi-kidding here) I’m going to do my best to make sure you don’t feel left out or over-shadowed by your big and little sis. I do think that being our only boy will really help this. You’ll get to do special things that the girls won’t likely do. And carrying on the family name (both of your grandpas and the last name) kind of puts you into your own playing field. Oh my sweet curly-haired William, your daddy and I love you so much and are constantly laughing and smiling at every funny (and naughty) thing you do. I’m so excited to watch you grow and adapt over the next year and pray there are more moments filled with laughter than tears.

Love,

Mommy

My Big Little Lexi,

You are going to be a big sister, again. This time you’re getting a little sister!

First of all, let’s talk about the notion of sisters. They are truly the best! As you grow up and develop friendships, I’m hoping that none will truly ever compare to the one with your sister. I pray you two will share a special bond that I believe is indescribable. Speaking from experience, there is something so comforting about talking to your sister when something terrible has happened, you’re scared, need advice or you’re thrilled beyond words. She is one of the few (perhaps only) person that can even come close to understanding how you feel. Growing up, you’ll have experienced the same memories, have inside jokes, understand the weird family quirks we have or truly how much trouble you’re really going to be in when mom and dad find out what you did. I pray that you two are close and share the same set of values and will always be there for each other in ways that I can’t be. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there are going to be moments growing up where you are so angry at each other you spit in each other’s face (when you get older, I’ll share that fun little story in mine and Auntie Sheila’s relationship) but, I also pray that I’ll be able to teach you forgiveness so you’re able to carry on the next day as if nothing happened. Given that you will be 4 1/2 years apart, I’m so excited to watch how your relationship grows and evolves throughout your lifetime.

Second, let’s talk about how different becoming a big sister will be as a 4 1/2 year old than as a 2 year old. This time around, I think you are going to be really helpful verses disruptive (you’ll leave that task to William). I can see you regularly requesting to hold her, sing songs and read books to her and help get bottles or diapers for me. I also have a feeling you’re going to love bossing your brother around and telling him what he can and can’t do with her.

Upon sharing the news with you that I had a baby growing in my belly, you were pretty indifferent and didn’t really react, just went about your regular business of playing with Squinkies. However, as we have talked more, you have shown much more interest in the baby and are pretty protective of the baby and of your mommy.

If William is climbing on me or tackling me, you’re quick to tell him, be careful, there is a baby in mommy’s tummy and you’ll hurt it. The other day, I was putting your ice skates and you kept telling me to be careful so I wouldn’t cut the baby with the blades.You also like to boss William around and tell him that when the baby comes, you’re going to go to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for awhile, but it’s OK, you don’t have to be scared, she will bring us to the hospital to visit mommy and daddy. You also love to randomly come up to my belly and rub your nose against it and tell me you’re nuzzling the baby.

Although the questions aren’t as frequent, here are a some of your favorite questions to ask: How does the baby come out? Where does the baby come out of? How did the Baby get in there?  How big is the baby? Will the baby be able to talk? What will happen to my Squinkies and Shopkins–will the baby try to eat them? Where will the baby sleep? How do they know if it is a boy or a girl?

Prior to finding out the baby’s gender, you were 100% positive this baby was a girl and only refer to it as a ‘she’ and ‘her’. I told you many times, we don’t know if this baby is a boy or a girl yet, and we’re just going to have to wait and see. Occasionally, after you catch yourself saying ‘she’ you’ll repeat the little phrase back to me verbatim. ‘Well, we don’t know if the baby is a girl or a boy yet, we’re just going to have to wait and see’

When we did decide to find out the gender,  you played a pretty big role. We were driving home from school, I told you we could find out if the baby was a boy or a girl when we got home. You came tearing into the house and yelled, ‘Daddy, we get to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl’ and started going through the mail. I helped you identify the correct envelope and you started opening it right away. We ran upstairs so Daddy could be with us. You opened it and saw the words and kind of went silent. You helped identify the letter ‘G’ and when you connected the dots that girl starts with G, you got very giddy and announced that you are going to help give the baby bottles, but not change the poopy diapers.

Oh Lexi, you are going to be an excellent big sister to William and the new baby. You are sweet, kind, helpful, generous, thoughtful, protective and honest. Your sweet but honest demeanor are going to be great qualities and make you a wonderful role model to these two little ones. You love to follow the rules and let others know when they aren’t, love to play with your brother and are a great helper to mommy and daddy. I couldn’t have picked a better big sister to your little brother and sister and am so excited to watch you grow over the next year.

Love,

Mommy