How it all went

Thank you thank you for your lovely comments! I'm sorry Mike didn't get to post further updates as he promised so now that I have some time I'm going to do it myself!

The c-section: I went to the hospital early with mom, while Mike was taking care of Oliver and bringing him to the creche. I was checked in and I knew there were 4 sections scheduled that morning but I thought I would have been last. That was not the case! Mike wasn't anywhere near the hospital when the nurse said "I can bring you up to the theatre now..." or dear...I tried to call Mike on his cell which wasn't under coverage (he was just parking) then texted him and went up with mom to the prep room. Mike called a few minutes later, he had parked and forgot the phone in the car, run back, saw the txt and panicked! He was running to the hospital at that very moment! He made it in the end, I thought it was actually quite funny, didn't get distressed and was very focussed on meeting the baby, hoping she would be healthy and that all will be just fine.
The c-section was a breeze, very calm and relaxed unlike of course my previous experience...Dr. W is truly wonderful. He went through the previous scar commenting how low it was (he said about 2cm lower than normal...odd as he did it!). As he pulled the baby out and above the curtain for me to see, he said "You are having a little lady!" what a surprise! She looked beautiful, wasn't crying (but she was obviously breathing) and just had this curious look...amazing. He then chatted away to me while baby was being checked by the paediatrician, saying it wasn't an easy delivery due to the position of the incision but they managed nonetheless. I think they had to use a forceps as our little girl had some bruising on her left eye and forehead.
Of course we had no name at all...or actually, we had her third name, Phoenix as per our tradition, but that wasn't enough! We had thought in the previous pregnancy that if it was a girl we would have called her Erin, but to me she just didn't look like an Erin and the name (while I absolutely love it) didn't seem to fit as her first name...Erin would be her second name so. It took us a couple of days before settling on Martina. I love Martina. She is the sweetest thing. I thought Oliver was an easy baby, but Martina tops it without a doubt. She is content all the time, cries if she's hungry, that's all.

Oliver: Oliver came to the hospital with Mike the day after Martina was born, I had a nice private room and thankfully visitors (though restricted to immediate family) were allowed. We took the approach of not making a fuss about the baby (she wasn't named at that stage) and just focussed on him till he took an interest in the baby (she was in the plastic transparent cot) and we followed his lead. He asked to touch the baby and we had no problem with it, then I asked him if he wanted to hold her and he was beside himself with happiness. This is one of the best pics of that day...look at his face! Very proud big brother!

Now that we are home, he is still very sweet, though we try and dedicate as much time to him as possible and this is made easy by Martina who is no fuss at all. Martina is in our room but in her cot and this doesn't seem to be a problem for him. He doesn't wake up at night when we are feeding her or changing her nappy etc which is great, but he is waking up very early and coming to the bed which is a killer as I may just have gone back to sleep after the feed...So the plan is that Mike is going to take care of him once he's up in the morning, hopefully he'll settle back into his normal sleeping pattern soon.

Martina: She is adorable. The feeding is a bit of a problem as like Oliver, she doesn't latch on...and this time I have a bit more milk, not much mind you (wishfully thinking it can still get better) but I do have it. And she is voracious. So I am back in the trenches of pumping, feeding her my milk, trying to latch her on with any device invented, giving her an additional bottle and settling her back in her cot (which is literally just putting her back down). In total this takes me over one hour. I can already tell we will be doing elimination communication with her very easily...she is very easy to read and already last night I got her to poo in the loo (well the sink effectively, sorry TMI!). She doesn't have a feeding pattern yet, can sleep between 2 to 4/5 hours and unfortunately for the moment the longest stretches are during the day! But I can't really complain. Having a toddler to mind though seriously adds to the fatigue and I can't thank my mom and Mike enough for ebing so helpful.

Emotions: It's definitely much better than the first time. Of course I didn't have a traumatic experience this time and I was nearly at the of the pregnancy. I did enjoy the pregnancy, can perfectly remember everything about it (you may remember after Oliver was born I had a total black out on the pregnancy experience) and loved Martina exactly like I love Oliver from the minute I saw her. I am also not worried about SIDS as much as I was with Oliver. All this helps. But of course there is a "but". I am addicted to hospitals and medical environments. Though I again went home after 3 days of hospital stay rather than the recommended 5 (once again I had no real need for pain management, felt well and up and about very quickly), I am mourning the fact that this is likely my last pregnancy ever, I won't get to interact with Dr. W anymore (you know the way your OB feels to you as the person that makes your longed for miracle a reality, brings the baby into the World and hands it to you, to me he has very much a god-like status), I won't get to experience one of the happiest things in my life which is the birth of a healthy baby. Then I think maybe just maybe we could have a third one, we still have 4 blasts after all...and then I think how difficult it would be not only economically but also practically to have three children...and then I think how people do manage and so on. So I don't know. Maybe this door is still open but it has to be for the right reasons while at the moment it seems to be for the egotistic wrong ones.

Well if you read this far, thank you, I'm going to try and pump some more!

39 weeks and the last belly pic!

Wow things are happening. Yesterday OB visit was good in so far as placenta, baby size, heartbeat, blood-flow in the cord, fluids etc. Then the internal check verdict was that my cervix has no intention of cooperating and is shut, long and posterior. Thanks cervix! So we have a scheduled c-section for....drum roll please....tuesday!! I'll go in early in the morning and then depending on emergencies and theatre availability I'll meet Phoenix sometime during the day... I'm excited, a bit worried about Oliver's reaction, sad that these are my very last days of ever being pregnant (at least I enjoyed it this time!) and happy it's not looking like there's going to be a panic like we had when Oliver arrived. I just took what I think it's going to be the last belly pic ever...

In keep with our style, we have no name selected, we think we are going to use Phoenix as a third name like we used Elvis for Oliver (surely Phoenix is suitable for both boys and girls, right?) and I have no idea as to whether it's going to be a boy or a girl. It'll be a total surprise!

My mam is arriving in a few hours, it will be lovely to have her over and I have no doubt she will be great help. 

Oliver has started waking up quite early in the morning recently (say before 6am) and then shows up to our bed and comes in for a cuddle...if we are lucky he sleeps a bit more, but normally not. For the last few nights he also woke up crying around 1am. I'm not sure what to think other than he's sensing something is going on and he is a bit distressed by it. We got presents "from the baby" to him, apparently there are mixed feelings out there as to what is the best thing to do to try and minimise the jealousy...some say it's the bigger child who should have a present for the baby not the other way around. We'll have a present from Oliver to baby too just to be on the safe side...but to be honest I think it will make very little difference. At the moment Oliver is very fascinated by babies and loves watching youtube clips, but when we will have one here to stay I'm not sure he'll be so happy!

In any case, I hope I will be able to update on tuesday or at least Mike may do it, positive thoughts that all will be well are much appreciated!

OB visit, 38 weeks and a plan!

Another week has passed with nothing much to report and yesterday I had another check with the doctor. Everything looks still good and Phoenix is growing which is great news. Dr. W has guessed a weight of about 3kg should he be born in the next few days. He'll see me again next friday (if nothing happens before then) and then we have to make some decisions. He suggested to give me an internal and we can have an idea about the cervix. If it's favourable, soft, maybe a bit dilated already, short etc, he could break my waters and hope for labour to start. If not then it'll be a c-section. If the cervix is unfavourable then there is no point in trying anything to bring along spontaneous labour and we'll just plan a c-section. So here we are, not long till we meet Phoenix! Very exciting yet seems so unreal still...
Today I'm 38 weeks and feeling well, but definitely I'm also feeling the weight! I seem to be sleeping a bit better which is great and the nose is also behaving not giving me much trouble. I have officially finished work on friday but to be honest the idea of being home alone is not that appealing to me...Mike works in the same college as me, so I think I'll go in with him and hang around the office...at least I will be among people! I am very happy as I managed to do all the things I wanted to do before the baby came so there is nothing pressing that could cause stress.

In other news, we got yet another terrible news in Mike's family. One of his cousins, 32 year old girl, got diagnosed with lung and liver cancer...I found this absolutely shocking and terrifying, she never smoked, is a lawyer and very healthy overall. We don't know much details, but she will be starting chemo on monday. I read a bit about lung cancer and was very surprised to read that while 80% of that type of cancer is smoke related, 20% isn't smoke related and very common in young, otherwise healthy females... it apparently kills more that ovarian and breast cancers combined. Mike is going to visit her this weekend (she is in a hospital in our city) but the prognosis is not good as far as I can tell. And then of course I got frightened by the fact that I have also had this odd cough for months now which I blamed on the continuous colds Oliver brought home and awful weather. It is much better now but my hypochondria has undoubtedly kicked in. Anyway, if you can spare a thought for this young girl it will be much appreciated.

37 weeks, new record!

I'm 37 weeks today, and I'm one day over the length of Oliver's pregnancy! At the appointment yesterday Dr. W took a first measure of the abdominal circumference, and didn't look too good, I think it was measuring something just short of 35 weeks...he commented on the fact that like the last time this baby is smallish but kept going on to look at the spine, at the fluids (which look still good) and the placenta which is a smooth as a peach this time around! We got to see Phoenix practicing breathing (I had forgotten they do this) and Dr. W said it was a very healthy sign. Then went back to the baby's belly and said this was a better angle for measuring it and gave it another go. The circle expanded and expanded to measure over 36 weeks!! Dr. W was absolutely delighted, said "I think this baby is actually bigger than we think s/he is!" and so was very happy to give me an appointment in a week time. He would like to give Nature a chance to do her job and let me go into labour spontaneously, but doesn't want to risk anything either, hence the close monitoring. I asked him how far in advance do we have to decide if we want to schedule a C-section (we still won't exceed 40 weeks gestation even if all is well) and he said no time at all, that we could decide to do it tomorrow or in case of need we could have walked across the corridor and do it there and then! So we have no date yet but I'm really pleased for now all looks as it should be. With Oliver I had gone into the hospital as I thought my waters were leaking, but then it wasn't ever clear if it was the case or not given that IUGR had set in and nobody cared about the waters. I now think I really was leaking because this time I definitely don't feel that wet and it's more normal discharge.

In Oliver news, the potty training at home is a great success I have to say, we may have the odd accident if he's distracted looking at a book or at Peppa Pig in tv, but in the creche is a different story. The first day it was super, only minor accidents due to the fact that he didn't seat properly on the toilet (he wanted to do it by himself!) and so he wetted his pants a bit, but from the second day onwards it was a disaster, there was an average of 4 accidents a day! The carers are great, kept saying it's very normal, not too many children are toilet trained in that room and so maybe Oliver isn't too bothered yet but he will get better. They don't want him back in nappies. On friday it was a better day, Rebecca (one of the girls) brought him to the toilet often, he peed a couple of times in the toilet and had still a few accidents. When we picked him up we actually witnessed about 3 accidents in the space of 15 minutes!! Here how it goes: he wets himself a bit, you bring him to the toilet, he says "Finished!!" you put new pants on and by the time you pull them up he pees a bit more! Mike was doing all the changing, we picked him up early after the OB visit and wanted to go for an ice-cream, till at one point I took over and told Oliver to sit on the loo and let me hear the noise the pee makes...and so he did!! Last pair of dry pants went on and we managed to have our ice-cream and get home without further accidents! Today was a breeze (so far anyway) but we prompt him very often and I don't take no for an answer. That's all folks for now, I leave you with a new belly pic, does it look to you the belly has dropped a bit since last week? I had a couple of days with strong back pain and a million BHs...

36 weeks and potty-training!

That's me a couple of minutes ago! I thought I better take a pic of the belly given that the one with Oliver the 36weeks one was the very last of the pregnancy...which I only manage to post with the birth story. All is well, getting over this last cold/cough combo and managing a bit more sleep. Regular baby movements keep me happy and I sure hope he's still growing. No fluid retention to speak of this pregnancy which is fantastic and I can still wear my rings which are only marginally tight in the morning. Looking forward to friday OB appointment and I decided that I better have a bag ready for the hospital...with Oliver I didn't! So this is what I'll do this afternoon.

Kitchen is almost finished, in fact it's finished but we are trying some methods to darken the added granite top to make it more similar to the rest, so a post will definitely come soon!

The biggest news of all though is that we started yesterday potty-training Oliver. We have 4 days of holidays and it was my neighbour who suggested to give it a go. We skipped pull-up pants and went straight to cotton underpants as soon as he woke up yesterday morning. I bought a Star Chart to mark his progress and we also skipped the potty altogether choosing the toilet seat reductor instead. We made a big ceremony yesterday morning of how he was a big boy and to tell us if he had to pee. Remember it's been 18 months that he poos only in the loo (ok, of course occasionally he would poo in the nappy but very rarely) so he has the association of loo-poo but not so much for pee which is mostly accidental when it happens in the loo.
Anyway, yesterday morning we had 3 accidents to which he reacted very surprised that he was wet! And immediately he would say "I do popo..." no worries, we reassured him, changed his underpants and pants and kept bringing him to the loo at regular intervals. He was mostly successful and seemed to really enjoy this new thing. He never had other accidents till after dinner. I had read that it's important to wait for the child to realise that if you have not brought him to the loo and he needs to go, he has to tell you, so letting him wet occasionally is a good thing. He did pee a bit, wetting the pants, but stopped immediately, called me saying "popo!" and off we went to finish the business in the loo! By the end of the day we had so many stars in the chart he was delighted! We are not worrying about nights for now, with Phoenix on the way in a very short time I don't think i'd have the energy of getting up and changing beds! Daytime is huge already!
Then today we NEVER had an accident (yet!), he told us twice he had to go BEFOREHAND! So so happy and he really seems to understand this is what mamma and papa' do all the time given that we don't wear nappies! I put on a nappy for his afternoon nap, telling him this is just in case he pees while sleeping and not to worry we'll take it off as soon as he's up and we'll put the underpants back on. He seemed happy with that too.
If this works out as I hope it will, I will resize all our nappies to new-born settings for Phoenix so that he can enjoy them for very early on!

Ticking along: OB visit

Phoenix is still growing! All looks good, fluids, placenta, blood-flow through the cord and the little belly is two weeks fatter than two weeks ago! The head was not measured this time but to me it looked pretty much the same circumference as the belly which I take it's as it should be.

Dr. W is really thorough and measured the baby 3 times, he will see me again on the 5th of April and the plan for now is to keep a very close eye on growth and see how it all progresses. If nothing happens by the due date, he has suggested a planned c-section so that I'm not going overdue and I agree, there is no point in chancing our luck. He said also my chance of the waters going early is about 15% which sounds pretty low to me but who knows! He then said that should the growth slow down then we have to intervene sooner but in total safety for the baby. 35 weeks is already a very good place to be in and he feels we are good to go anytime.

Sooo I feel better, keeping an eye on baby movements and try to cope the best I can with the sea-sickness sensation I get mostly after breakfast...
The first day of the students being back went well, very busy for me but once this week is over I have very little left to do.

In other news, last night I got a skype call from the Ultimate Vet Hero!! So nice to talk to her and of course I could see the lovely sunshine of Cali which made me really longing for the holidays we had last summer...I'm going to make a real effort to be able to spend a few months there if I can get some sort of sabbatical once i'm back from maternity leave!

34 and 35

Not much to report really, but I'm 35 weeks today and doing well (I think!)

I suppose I'm entering a bit of an anxious phase as Oliver stopped growing at 34 weeks and Phoenix started from the beginning being a bit behind (about a week behind). On Monday I have my OB appointment, I'm going on my own as it's late afternoon and Mike will have to pick up Oliver from the creche. Somehow I have a bad feeling (but that's not new with me, is it?) I started worrying as I remembered that at my last scan almost 2 weeks ago, the head circumference was measuring behind the abdominal circumference (I can't remember how much but at least a week if not two). Dr. W didn't say anything just that he's happy the baby is growing as it should, that it's not a big baby but all looks great. And yet... I can't believe I'm falling again in the loop of negative thinking...
I also have AGAIN a cold/cough mix which is really annoying, it's like the soundtrack of this pregnancy. I think I may have been 2 weeks at the most without some sort of viral infection, I put this down to the fact that this pregnancy I have not done the flu vaccine. Ah well, too late now anyway.

The house project is coming along really nicely, Mike has now tiled and painted the new added bit in the kitchen and I think today finally he's going to put up the under-counter lights. I have taken pics of the various phases so I will have a dedicated post once all is nice and tidy. My next project is changing the front door...we'll see if that'll happen anytime soon!

Oliver has been transitioned in the upper toddler room in the creche and as always it's been just fine. I think it's great that they always move a few children at the same time, so his two besties are always with him and then of course he rejoins the slightly older children that had moved a few months back so everything is made real easy. The new carers are lovely too, young and enthusiastic, they showed us that in this room they encourage children to climb up a stepladder to get onto the changing table but they also start actively looking for signs that a child is ready to potty-train and we think Oliver is definitely almost there. It's now two full weeks that Oliver sleeps in the big boy bed and it's absolutely fine, I'm really happy we have been able to do this without too much drama.

Finally on the work front, three more weeks to maternity leave but I'm doing well so I'm happy to keep going. Term starts again on monday after the spring break and the only thing I'm not looking forward to is the madness of the parking situation...early mornings here we go again...

Auntie Fran

My niece was born this morning around 4am. Mum and baby are doing well, I can't believe my sister is a mamma too! They called the baby Clarissa and she is the cutest little thing. I hope to meet her very soon.

In other news I'm 33w3d today and yesterday I had my check up. Phoenix is doing well and growing! Blood flow through the cord is good and everything looks fine. I had another puking incident yesterday morning, so strange, I just had a glass of water with my vitamins and it came all back up...

Big thing to record here is that Oliver has been sleeping in his big boy bed since last friday night. It is still taking a bit of time to settle (keeps getting out of the room) but we have started applying again the method of the controlled crying keeping the door closed and it's getting better every day. We are already back to normal going to bed time. He may get up once as he loses his soother and can't find it in the bigger bed, so I have a reserve one which I promptly give him and he goes back to sleep. The move to the big room has been paralleled by the arrival in the bed by his new best cuddly toy "Baa Baa" alias Shaun the Sheep with which he's now totally in love! Of course the fact that his new duvet is made with the wool from Baa Baa makes it almost magic...

Mindfulness is going really well, though I have to admit this week I have not been too persistent with the exercises...but I really like it and keep it up. I will have a dedicated post to it soon I promise! Same as I'll post pics of the kitchen as soon as Mike has finished with the details!

32 weeks

This one feels like another milestone! Weight check this morning is still +11kg which means I have not put on weight in the last two weeks wohhooo! Phoenix moving about very nicely and reassuringly every day and I have quite a few Braxton Hicks daily, but not painful and mostly linked to me walking or doing the stairs. My sister on the other hand has hit 38 weeks! But for now all is quiet in her quarter too.

Thank you for the suggestions on the blocked nose (I'm adding this paragraph at 4.45 am as I the situation is not much improved!), I have bought a marine water nasal spray, I think it helps a bit, but it's not a miracle solution unfortunately...the best thing for me seems to be a combination of such spray, two pillows and getting up in the middle of the night to drink something warm like a camomille or mint tea...needless to say I'm not in the best form in the mornings...thankfully Mike has let me sleep in on weekends and I also manage to go for a nap in the afternoon. Weekdays are tough though.

I attended my first mindfulness class and I LOVED IT. I realised pretty quickly that was what I was looking for, a form of meditation which is practical and almost scientific in the way it's taught. I can't wait for my next session on thursday!

Oliver is now sleeping with the side of his cot open and I'm waiting for the arrival of his duvet (I bought a lovely natural wool duvet from the UK) and we will start having him sleeping in the big boy's room. He seems very happy about the new deal, in the morning he does show up in our bedroom for about 7.15 am which I suppose is not too bad at all! He is then happy to cuddle with us till we get up for his milk. During the week there is very little cuddling time but the weekends are great.

The kitchen was fitted last thursday, we still have to finish the granit top (and we found a practically identical match!!) and Mike is fitting lights under the upper units. Will definitely post pics of the evolution. Off to watch some telly now!

OB 31 weeks update

All is well with the little bundle of joy! Growing steadily (though not a huge baby and as always a week or so behind when checking AC), excellent fluids levels, placenta very good looking and Phoenix managed a few kicks while under the scanner! S/he is head down and with the shins on my right side, not very pleasant! Next appointment in two weeks and it will be interesting to see how Phoenix performs as we approach 34 weeks as it was at that stage that Oliver growth arrested.

In other news I have decided to start a course in mindfulness, any of you has experience in this? I will start this Thursday and see how it goes, I love the idea of a meditation technique which will have me focussed on the present and help me not to worry about the future. I will let you know how it goes! I am not doing antenatal classes or yoga, you might remember the crazy antenatal yoga teacher I found the last time...but I need something to keep me grounded.

Still on pregnancy news, I have this CONSTANT blocked/stuffed nose which I don't remember from the first time around. I read up on this and it happens in the 30% of pregnancies...I swear I have a toilet paper roll in my office as it's cheaper than buying a ton of Kleenex. Anyone has suggestions as to what could help clearing this disgusting phlegm that has now been awarded citizenship in my throat/nose?

Oh and here's a belly pix from right now!

Big boy's bedroom

And so here are the pics on the new bedroom! Oliver loves it though he has not slept there yet, we still need a few things before we transition him.
This is what it will be like in its final composition, with the beds at 90 degrees, but for now we have the lower bed underneath the upper one to have one side blocked (minimize falls!). We have also removed the bottom 3 steps as Oliver is well able to climb onto the upper bunk and it makes me nervous. I really like the roman blinds and the fact that some of the birds are the same lime green.

These then are the two wall stickers I got from a place in Australia who sells worldwide for very very affordable prices and they stickers are removable and made of cloth! Love them!

We then bought a carpet in Ikea, I worried it was a bit too dark, but the lighter colours weren't as nice or as thick, so this one will have to do!

See? Oliver climbs very well and even if he cannot reach the upper bed from that side, we decide to remove them from the room altogether.

With the bed underneath the upper one we had to relocate the drawers! Nice that everything has wheels! We also got Oliver the sure comfy Ikea chair children size and he loves it!

As for the sleeping, we made huge progress last week. He is now happy to stay in the bed even if he can come down and occasionally it happens that we have to go back up and put him back in the bed if he's wandering around the corridor, but all in all it's great. Last night we heard him opening the sliding door of his room and then closing it up again...we normally leave it near and not fully closed, obviously he preferred fully closed! He didn't come out of the room at all. My big boy!

Another major major thing is that since yesterday he started saying when he needs to use the toilet!!! Twice we were a bit too late, he was peeing as we took the nappy off, but this morning he said he had to poo and he did!! i think we are not far off from toilet training and I'm delighted I didn't start this too soon (we have been doing EC since he was about 4 months old though, so he knows what the toilet is for).

Two upper canine are through! We have a total of 14 teeth for now. The little mister is well able to throw tantrums, though for now that has happened in the house and so quite much easier to manage. If he's tired we are almost guaranteed a tantrum at bath time, but I really can't complain. He's speech is progressing amazingly well and he can almost have a conversation with you.

And while my big boy is growing in front of my very eyes, the little Phoenix in the belly is 31 weeks too! I'll update on the pregnancy after the OB visit tomorrow.

30 weeks

Flying by, just flying by!

All is well, I put on a bit of weight in the last two weeks, so I'm plus 11kg bohooo but I noticed my hands are a bit more swollen so that will definitely contribute. I also checked the heartbeat a couple of days ago (just because I can! ehehe) and it was 136 bpm so totally normal. Not sure you remembered that I was worried it would have steadily decreased as they baby got bigger, but it's just his average it seems!

Movements are very regular, Phoenix has been transverse till yesterday so I could feel movements mostly low down and very funnily on my sides with a distinct tickling feeling. I have the occasional BH specially if I walk a bit or do the stairs, but nothing out of the ordinary. For the last couple of days Oliver has been really attracted by the belly and spontaneously would give it kisses! So sweet! Or if we both sitting on the couch he would keep his han on my belly. Bless him. We went visiting neighbours who have just had their third baby boy and Oliver was very gentle with him even if I was holding him. Hopefully he'll be happy when this one arrives and will be in the house.

Oliver's room has arrived, I will have a post dedicated to it shortly. He loves it!! But we still need to get a bed guard so for the moment Oliver thinks it's the best play ground ever and has not slept there yet (maybe tomorrow, I'm thinking to let him fall asleep in the usual bed and carry him in the new one then...). We also had the electrician in doing some prep work for the kitchen which is great and Mike is chasing the kitchen people to make sure they are working on our order.

Work is still very busy though this week at least there were no labs and a colleague of mine decided he had to do 3 weeks of lecturing now rather than later...so I'm only doing two courses instead than three which is definitely much better. The downside is that I would have had it all done within the next two weeks and now I have to do some more after that. But ah well, I'll do what I can.

Mike's aunt from Cali will be staying with us for a night or two early next week before flying back to much better weather. She did make the funeral and I mentioned before that Irish funerals are something else. The service was lovely, the priest grew up with Mike's cousin so every word was heartfelt. Oliver was also very well behaved and managed to stay quiet for most of the mass (then Mike took him outside to let him run around a bit).
And I think this is all for now, I know most of you posted on Valentine's day, but we don't celebrate that day much (me and Mike I mean) so I didn't have anything particularly interesting to say! We did enjoy a box of chocolate and a movie though, since the recession we say here that "staying in" is the new "going out" so we certainly did follow the trend for once.

Love to all.

29 weeks (-1!) OB appointment

Happy to report that Phoenix is growing nicely and all looks perfect! I quickly looked at the dates appearing as Dr. W. was taking the head circumference and the abdominal one and both were in around 28 weeks which is completely within error and more importantly much bigger than the last time.
Dr. W mentioned again VBAC to which I'm completely open and of course we will keep a close eye on growth, fluids and placenta (so far all perfect) just in case we have to intervene a bit sooner.
My next appointment is in 2 weeks time!

Major progress on the house front too: next thursday the big boy bedroom is going to be fitted, we have the room painted and curtains are up! We have not really worked at selling our two futons currently in the room but ah well, we'll move them in the attic for now. Then on the same day we are also having an electrician doing a few modifications in preparation of the counter-top extension in kitchen (and added units), and some other bits and pieces. The kitchen people are on the move to assemble our cabinets and Mike was fantastic at sourcing a granite top that is very very similar to the one we have. This should all be ready in 2-3 weeks! Will of course post pics of before and after.

Oliver is well, we have canines coming through at the top but he's been doing very well (no molars yet). Sleeping is good and when the new bedroom arrives we'll give another go at sleeping without sides.

I'm half way through my teaching and it feels great, I can see the end!

On a sad news, Mike's first cousin died suddenly and we have the funeral on saturday...I never met him (I think) but I know I'll be very very emotional at seeing the grief of his parents and family. Mike's aunt from the States flew in this morning, and she was so so close to them it's going to be heartbreaking. We don't quite know what happened yet, if it was a stroke or a heart attack or a true accident (he fell in the bathroom) but as he was only a few years older than Mike it is really shocking.

Ok, better leave it at that for now, thank you for your continuous support and gentle hugs!

28 weeks milestone

I didn't get to update last week, I've been a bit under the weather and really really overwhelmed with lecturing and lab supervision. By the time it was thursday I had nearly lost my voice altogether, nagging cold, a bit of cough, the works.

Thankfully the pregnancy seems to progress just fine, I have gained half a kilo since last week (after  a few weeks of no weight gain at all) and I'm at +9Kg which I'm very happy with. Plenty of movements throughout the day (and probably night too, but I can't tell) and I think my belly had a bit of growth since the last pic, so I'm posting the progress here.

I have 4 more weeks of very heavy teaching, I really hope I didn't take on more than I can handle...I actually took friday off (meaning I worked from home) to take it a bit easier. Friday is the only day I don't teach and I have no labs. Anyway, I know by the end of next week I'll be half way through and it will feel great!

Oliver is doing very well, chatting more and more, somehow he realised he can now push the bed from the wall and get down...this afternoon Mike was out and I was handling nap time....I totally lost my cool I have to admit, couldn't manage to properly block those damn wheels, after an hour of up and down etc and me physically blocking the door (it's a sliding door, can't do much to keep it close) finally Mike came back and fixed the bed. Thing is we are heading off to a birthday party in half an hour and he will have slept about 45 minutes, half than his usual time. Not good.

No sign of the bedroom arriving, it should have been 3 weeks since placing the order and that happened before Christmas. No update on where we are at either. Very frustrating. Similar thing with the kitchen slight modification we'd like to do, it's dragging on forever. I have the feeling it'll be like when Oliver was born and the attic project, everything done about a day before the arrival...

Anyway, better get ready to go to the party (it's a 2 year old!).

26 weeks, a bit of drama, a cold and Oliver

Baby is a head of lattuce today apparently! Moves regularly and strongly, and I think all is progressing well. But let me tell you about the bit of drama we had a the beginning of the week...

Sunday was a great day, first sunday back from the holidays at my parents' and Mike and I enjoyed a lot of time together...while Oliver took is usual nap after lunch. On monday I wasn't feeling the best, my stomach was aching a bit, started feeling some tightening in the belly. By the time we picked up Oliver at the creche I thought my tummy was just one big ball of marble. I got home, took a shower, drank plenty of water, rested on the bed. By 8 pm I thought better to give the hospital a call, jus in case these contractions are not normal. They told me to go in, I took a taxi and went. This is the most difficult thing about our situation, we don't have family here that can be at hand, we don't really have a baby sitter organised either and in any case is not like you can have someone on call all the time. So Mike stays home with the baby and I go into the hospital. I was seen straight away, in L&D, lovely midwives and doctors took excellent care of me, I was not dilated or effaced, and the contractions while I felt them, were not threatening. The uterus was measuring right for dates, they gave me steroids shots just in case the baby decides to come a bit early (please not SO early!) and kept me overnight. The HB was often monitored and it was always great, by the time it was morning I was back to my old self. Dr. W. came to see me, he thought they were probably just very strong Braxton Hicks that he said are perceived more in following pregnancies but not to be shy and go in again if I worry. I asked about taking anything to relax the uterus, his position is that there's very little that works and taking it easy, drinking plenty and having done the steroids is about all that one can do. I trust him deeply, read a bit of papers myself and I have to say I agree. I also found out Italy is moving in this direction too, while they would have loaded you with drugs in this situation a few years ago, now they don't anymore. All has been quiet since, I'm glad I went in and a bit of surprise was to meet some of the midwives I taught back in September! They remembered me and I got the royal treatment without a doubt!
I'm seeing Dr. W on monday for my scheduled appointment, I guess we are gong to check for proper growth, fluids and all that, I'm hopeful all will be good.

It's three days I have started sneezing, then the cough started about yesterday, I have not been sleeping much at all as I can't find a position in which I can breathe that is comfortable...Then this cold must have affected my trachea somehow, I feel as if it's smaller (like having a lump in your throat), it's not sore, but my voice is really low...and I'm back lecturing on monday!!! Not good...let's hope this is the worst day and will start improving tomorrow...

The other big news is that we are trying to transition Oliver to sleeping without the side protection in his cot. It's not going too well at all, he keeps getting up and actually seems relieved when we give up and turn the bed around so that the opening is against the wall and it's like his old bed. Any tips are appreciated! The new room won't arrive for another couple of weeks I think, and I wonder if he's just not ready yet.
We are every day amazed at the number of words he has and is able to put together in both languages...last night he melted my heart when I asked him "Quanto bene ti vuole la mamma?" (Do you know how much mamma loves you?) and he answered "Tanto cosi'!" (This much!) which is what I would always tell him while hugging him tightly...but I never thought he'd picked up on it! I had tears in my eyes...

Teaching term starts next week, I have all my teaching at the beginning of the semester (should be over in 6 weeks) but I better have some contingency plan in case I don't get to finish. I have to say, my colleagues are amazing, I feel very loved and supported all around!
Better go and get some tissue...this nose is like a tap!

Oliver is 2 - Time in Italy - Pregnancy update and new car!

I only manage to sit down properly for a post today. I wanted not to have to rush a post and upload pics too, so finally I'm able to do so!

Our holiday in Italy was lovely, Oliver still finds it very difficult to settle and properly sleep, but at least my parents didn't make any comments that I found irritating. We are all growing in our new roles and boundaries are definitely more respected. Oliver LOVES his grandparents, he would get up in the morning asking for them (after waking us up with a distinct "Mammaaaa! Papa' sleeping?" no my love...no one is any longer sleeping!) and my dad was beside himself with joy any time Oliver woud run up to him and hug him.

He got lots of presents which he really liked, including books and DVD of his favourite cartoon, an Italian dog called Pimpa which I used to watch too when I was young!

And then there was his birthday on the first of January, he loved opening up more presents, his cake and blowing off the candles (well...almost!) and we sang the happy birthday song for the rest of the holidays! To be noted also that he always had food at the table and since then we put away the high chair at home too. He is really growing up! He loved my mom's food (and so did we!) so she was delighted with herself.

Then we went to the house in the hills with my parents and sister, Oliver slept there like a log and was out all day in the garden, watching/participating in all the activities going on (cutting trees, picking up leaves, cleaning the deck...), it was definitely the highlight of the holidays. 

It was very sad leaving this time, Oliver was quite upset at the airport and sure my parents could hardly hold back the tears. As Oliver turned two while we were away, it turned out we didn't have the right plane ticked for him on the way back! After a bit of drama they let us on the plane anyway and he got his own seat! Was quite interested in the sky shopping magazine...

His Italian came on massively when we were away and it's really interesting to see how he can switch between languages, often mixing them up whichever way he finds more convenient! And definitely has strong preference for some words in Italian and others in English!

Today I'm 25 weeks whoohoo and go go go Phoenix! Weight is up 8.5 Kg since the start which is great as I was up 12 Kg with Oliver at this same stage, of course one small side of me is saying "this baby isn't growing!" but it's a small one...I also checked the HB last night just for the craic and it was his usual 132 bpm when he was quiet. I have to say, it is great not to worry about it any more. I have to mention that I had a dream when I was in Italy that Phoenix was a girl! I was as surprised in the dream as I would be in real life, but the thing is now I don't have any strong feelings anymore one way or another, it will be a real surprise. For your pleasure I'm going to post two belly pics, side shot and front shot! Have your guess as to whether you think it's a boy or a girl!

And finally, one other big news!! I'm a proud owner of a new car!! It's a pearl white Mazda CX-5 top spec with black leather interiors arrrggghh  very aggressive! The dealer took my little car to see if he could sell it, well, by the time I got home he called that he got me the deal I wanted!! Really really happy. We also got a new hoover and made a plan to extend the kitchen counter! Is this nesting enough? Will post pics of before and after and the same for the big boys room which should be here in a couple of weeks!

23 weeks Italian Style!

We had a very nice Christmas on our own, really enjoyed the peace and quite and doing things at our own pace. You were curious about the menu, so while it was nothing too special I'm happy to share it! On Christmas Eve it is tradition for us at home to have a fish based meal, I cooked tagliatelle with salmon, lemon zest and parsley in cream sauce for lunch which were delicious, I also had prepared tuna steaks marinated in lemon, mint and olive oil, but we ended up having those for dinner instead! I had prepared a delicious mash potato (Italian style, not Irish style, with cream, Parmesan cheese and butter) very rich which went down like a treat even with Oliver who has never been a fan of potatoes. On Christmas day we had home-made lasagne I had pre-prepared and frozen during the weekend, I love making my own ragu sauce (what some may call a Bolognese sauce) as well as the besciamella sauce, with added nutmeg! We have found this local butcher whose mince meat is truly delicious! Then I had made roasted beef in white wine and roast potatoes (or the mash from the previous day!). Finally we had panettone with mascarpone cream I had prepared that morning. We loved it! Oliver opened his presents and though I'm sure didn't quite understand the whole Christmas thing, was really happy.

And now we are in Italy, it's going very very well, Oliver settled in much quicker and is sleeping properly (wakes once, but then sleeps till 9am!), loves his grandparents who are of course doing all they can to make him happy, loves the food (not the same when we go to MIL...) and is eating loads! We went out this morning with my parents for a walk in the city centre and he was really good, walking holding hands or sitting happily in his stroller. His vocabulary is coming along in leaps and bounces, every day he seems to have developed a series of new words overnight! And in both languages! He will be 2 in just 3 days!! I promise a picture galore then!

And today I'm 23 weeks along with Phoenix, woohooo, he's moving plenty, at quite predictable times during the day which is of course nicely reassuring. Imagine I didn't bring the doppler with me, I feel very brave and proud of myself! I bought a couple of things to wear which I badly needed, and also a lovely big handbag I had spotted back in October but had forgotten my credit cards at home! Of course everything already discounted ahead of the official starting date of the sales in January...The weather is sunny and chilly, typical winter in Bologna, with the occasional fog I absolutely adore. Yes, when I'm here I'm thinking how I manage to live in Ireland, I miss the good food so so much, the variety, the taste...I love the shops here, the nice things you can buy at a more than reasonable price, I love the buildings, the archways typical of my city, the buzz etc. But then I know I would hate working in the University here, I would never have what I have career wise and it would be the same for Mike. So we compromise. All going well, I'll be able to spend a lot of time here during my maternity leave, so I'm looking forward to next year!

Papaya baby!

22 weeks! Not much to update but I did weigh myself this morning and I'm up 7.5 kg, which I think it's just fine for me and also better than the first time around.

Plenty of movements, even visible from the outside if you are looking at the right time! Phoenix seems to be more active now than Oliver was, or maybe it's my placenta which is high and so less obstructing? In any case, I have not listen to the heartbeat in a while, the fact that it felt to me so much slower than Oliver's was really giving me anxiety and when I talked to a friend of mine who's a midwife, she of course gave out to me a good bit.... she said literally "would you throw away that darn thing? Do you feel movements? Are they becoming stronger? So that's all you need to worry about!" And I listened.

My belly is not particularly big, at least in comparison with other cyber moms, but thankfully the papaya baby is just growing right so this time I won't be worried about the "you look so small!" comments! And you should see my sister...yes I never mentioned this I think, but she is also pregnant, an oops pregnancy totally unplanned and with precautions always taken... yes one of those...what can I tell you, we are the opposite of one another in many aspects, add fertility to the list! She is 28 weeks now and while at the beginning she was really torned about this baby she is now totally in love with the little girls she is carrying. I'll be an aunt! And Oliver will have a cousin about his age (and Phoenix too of course, still finding it a bit difficult to believe we will have two children soon), we will have to do our best to meet up more so that they can get to know each others.

I have finished all my exam marking on friday, really delighted as I had a ton this time around, I can now enjoy the holidays!! I've decided on our Christmas menu, no turkey and ham in our household....I wouldn't even know how to begin to prepare such a meal, just as well I don't particularly like it! We will go for a more Italian tradition, though not my home town as I won't find all I need. But that's ok! Mike's American cousin last summer said that they had invented their own tradition for Christmas and truly love it. So we will give it a go too!

I will check in again I'm sure, but just in case you only happen to stop by and read this post, I wish you a very happy Christmas and a peaceful 2013.

(I can't even begin to imagine how heartbreaking this Christmas is going to be for those families in CT, I couldn't watch any of the news and only read titles on the online papers...we have to enjoy every minute of what we have, hold our loved one close, life can change in a second.)

OB visit yesterday

Yesterday I had my scheduled appointment with Dr. W and the first thing he said when he saw me was "Soooo I hear you were worried about the fluids the last time..." ops...the secretary obviously told him about my phone call! He was very nice about it of course but did state that he would always share any concern even minimal about the pregnancy even if that may cause me anxiety. I know this is the same thing his secretary said, but it was even more reassuring hearing it from the horse's mouth!
He gave me a quick scan, where he showed me the fluids (plenty!) and how everything look just right. I told him that occasionally I feel like a lump on the surface of the uterus, beside my belly button, and I wondered if if was the fibroid they had seen during the surgery for my second ectopic. I don't remember feeling it with Oliver. I wasn't particularly concerned, just curious and in fact there is was, a nice round fibroid, completely external and not problematic at all.
I had two more questions which I didn't dare asking....one was about the heart rate (I actually have stopped checking it) and the fact that it was so much slower than Oliver's at the same gest age. I suspected he would have had me committed for excessive paranoia....and the other was about checking my thyroid levels...I had at some point, a good few years ago, a mildly under-acting thyroid, which was just monitored and was fine since. I had it checked about half way through the first pregnancy and it was fine. But who knows how it is now...and of course I read somewhere that there may be a connection between hypothyroidism and low fetal  heart rate! Ah well...I decided  to leave it be. I may do it when I'm going home during the holidays.
My next appointment is in 4 weeks, and he said we'll be talking about VBAC or planned C-section then. I am completely open and trust his opinion without reservation, as I had a previous C-section, he said induction is not an option so, should I be overdue or in need of an earlier delivery it'll have to be a C-section, but otherwise we can see about a vaginal delivery! It sounds still so far away, I'm not really thinking about it yet.

Another good news I got yesterday is that my new car will arrive in Ireland on the 6th of January! Wohooo! Can't wait now! And we have ordered the big boy(s) bedroom which will arrive at the end of January...so we have to repaint and try to sell our two double-futon beds that are currently there. Lots to do and lots of excitement!
I'll post a few pics of Oliver in the next few days, he doesn't really have the concept of Christmas but he loves the Christmas trees...

21 weeks (belly pic)

Not much to update since wednesday, so I'm just posting an update on the belly growth!