Ugh

I made up for last week and gained weight this week. We won't talk about how much. Gummy worms were a much better craving than ice cream. I'm already panicking a bit about labor and delivery, but I found an interesting article about posterior labor (as in when the baby is sunnyside up like Mina was). There were a few things that could have been done to make my last experience not so awful. I could have tried a couple of positions to shift her into a more favorable position. Now I know some things to try if that should happen again. The article also said that most people end up with c-sections in my position. No kidding! I'm glad I didn't have a c-section just because it improves my chances for not having one this time, but it sure was an awful recovery period.

I've done a bunch of research for double strollers and have come to the conclusion that I may just try to do without one. Mina is very good at holding hands in parking lots and I can put her in the cart seat and Charlotte in the car seat when we go shopping. If I want to do some serious shopping in places that don't have carts, then I'll either go when I have help or use a Target cart in the mall (which I used to roll my eyes at). I'd rather spend the money on a comfy, rocking recliner for our bedroom for those nights that the bed is too uncomfortable at the end and for those nights that Charlotte will only sleep in my arms.

No Gain

I'm very excited to report that I didn't gain any weight this week. Yay! I didn't have the gummy worm craving so that definitely helped. Here's the status of the bump.I ordered some girly stuff once we found out Mini was a she. Here are some diaper covers, some fitteds, and a luxuriously soft all-in-one (the pink and brown diaper in front).I also bought a couple of small/newborn longies. The ones on the left are wool and on the right we have fleece. I'm excited to use them both. Now I need to find shirts to go with them!The longies are teeny tiny. Here's a comparison shot to help you understand their size. Charlotte's size is on the left and Mina's size is on the right. There's a big difference between small and large!I've been feeling good other than being really tired. I really enjoy the kicking and can sit for long periods of time with my hands on my belly. I'm having no problems bonding with Charlotte! Mina loves her too and always wants to touch my belly and point at the baby.

Forgetfulness!

I can't believe I forgot to include the big news of the day in my entry last night. I SAW Charlotte kick! My right side of my stomach did the cutest little twitches yesterday afternoon after I ate some tomatoes. She did a repeat performance for Jon after I drank a root beer. I love this part of pregnancy.

Oh, and the tide has changed with cigarette smoke. I don't think I blogged about this before, but for some reason I've loved the smell of cigarette smoke this pregnancy. I'm usually one of those people that can't stand it for a second. Now don't get me wrong, I still avoided it for health reasons. I just loved the smell. Weird! This morning I opened the patio door and smelled the smoke from our neighbors and just about puked. It looks like things are back to normal in that department. Now if only I would stop dreaming about drinking margaritas! I fear that Charlotte is going to be a party girl.

While we're talking about sleep, I have to share that I've been sleeping much better the last few nights. I've found that I need to take a shower at bed time or I take about an hour to fall asleep and then an hour to fall asleep any time I wake up in the night (a real problem when you wake up once or twice to use the bathroom).

Make sure you read the post below this one because it's new too (well, as of last night).

It's 8:02 and Mina is still sleeping. Today is going to be a good day!

Project

Mina helped me with a project this morning. I sewed some cloth wipes for Charlotte out of flannel and minky. They're deliciously soft. It's too bad they're going to get poo on them! Anyway, I was really impressed by how much Mina has changed. Mina threw a fit the last time I sewed, but this time she entertained herself by coloring the majority of the time. Yes, she did color the tile in the kitchen for a brief amount of time, but at least she didn't scream at me. I got the giggles when she crawled under the table and pressed my foot down. What's one crooked wipe? She really liked it when I sewed fast. I had no idea that a sewing machine made such good music to groove to.I ended up getting 25 full size and 4 travel size wipes out of the material. That should be more than enough.I decided to just zigzag stitch and trim since these are just butt wipes, after all.
Mina has been super snuggly and fun at bed time lately. It makes me sad that we won't be able to devote ourselves 100% to her at bed time in the future. I hope she enjoys having Charlotte as part of the routine - kind of like she enjoys saying night, night to Bubba.

Halfway!

I've had a significant amount of growth since the last official belly picture. Wow! We had a fun weekend with the ISU v. Iowa game. Our team lost, but we still got to see friends and family. Tonight we have Vanessa overnight so we're getting a taste of having two little girls. It's going okay so far. She's a beautiful little girl!

Consequences

I learned the consequences of my gummy worm binge this morning. My weight is rather high. Uh oh! I gained about 40 pounds last pregnancy and I'd really rather not gain quite that much this time. So far, I've gained about 18 pounds.

The appointment went well. The genetic screening results were in and we have a ridiculously low risk of having any Trisomy or Down Syndrome problems. I wasn't worried, but it was still nice to hear. Dr. M hadn't looked at the ultrasound report yet so we didn't talk about it. Charlotte's heart rate was 138 and she was awake and kicking. She's just not too excitable I guess. I don't have another appointment until November 5th and I already got a flu shot.

Lee came up with a really cute nickname for Charlotte - Cha Cha. We might have to use that if Charlotte or Charlie/Charley don't seem to fit as well. Mina would have an easier time with Cha Cha also.

There isn't really much of anything else to report. I've been sleeping better now that the ultrasound is over with. I'm also enjoying the roundness of my belly. :)

Pink House

Jon is really going to be outnumbered come January or February because we're having another girl. Charlotte looked very healthy and the ultrasound tech said she was beautiful. We were given a few pictures.At one point she shoved both feet up towards the probe. It was adorable. Here's a picture of one little tootsie.She also played peekaboo and showed us her sweet little face.

Her weight was estimated at 11 ounces and her measurements put her at 19weeks, 3days which is exactly what she is. Jon and Cathy kept me company during the ultrasound.

I had a feeling in the last week that she was a she because of the gummy worm cravings. I'm so happy to find out we're going to have another little girl. Simon will just have to wait a few years.