Meet Tate

Photo Taken 4/15

On Friday 4/13 in the morning we left school and went to the hospital because I was in labor.  We were sent home.  I was quite unhappy about it, but it was what it was. 

On Saturday 4/14 at around 2 in the morning I woke Lukas up (after a few hours of intense data collection of contractions).  This time I was not sent home because I was already 7 cm.  Less than 2 hours later he was here!  Tate was born on 4/14 at 4:41 am.  Does anyone else see a future jersey number?

Having Tate was a breeze.  It was extremely fast, there were no pre-eclampsia episodes.  No fainting in the bathroom.  No re-admitting.

Tate is as sweet as can be and has been since day 1.  Right when we met for the first time I told him that I was his mommy and he was my baby and he calmed right down and looked at me.  He had the most lovely round head and was already chubby (that couldn't have had anything to do with the donuts!)  He's really chilled out and mellow.  I knew that he would be because he already was when I was pregnant with him.

Since coming home (ahem, almost 3 months ago) our lives have been super happy and wonderful and exhausting (2 boys under 2 years people!)  People ask me if having the second one is easier and I don't know how to answer that.  I feel significantly calmer as a mother than I ever did with Cameron, and that makes my response to things a lot easier.  I will also say that the things that truly stressed me out when Cameron was brand new don't seem so stressful this time around, but I don't know if that's because it's easier or because I can approach it better. 

And if you're wondering about this guy...

Easter Sunday

He's just fine and dandy!  He is all over the place and talking all of the time.  Since getting a new little brother, he has learned new concepts such as "nice" and "gentle".  He enjoys helping and in the morning when he wakes up he asks for Tate.  For a long time though, Tate was "Baby".  He loves to kiss Tate and count his toes.  I think that they're going to be good pals. 

A 2 Weeker- 36 and 37

We have had a pretty eventful few weeks around here at the Hefty house. 

I hear that when you have a new baby things tend to really slow down for everyone and everyone gets lots of sleep.  (Please read that last sentence with your sarcastic voice.)  So we have been keeping it extra busy.  :)

So, week 35-36 looked something like this (it was eventful and 2 weeks so this is a pretty long post)...

Monday and Tuesday- Normal. 

Wednesday- Lukas leaves to go here:

In case you're wondering, this is Kennedy Space Center.  He goes every year with the 5th graders and they spend the night under a giant rocket (the Saturn V I think?).  If you want you can read more about it on his school blog here

In the mean time, I wave him and the 2 giant charter buses that go onto this trip goodbye before heading to class to start my day of filling in as the music teacher (since both she and my class were going to Kennedy).  It was going to be a great day until I decided to take a little "trip" of my own.  One minute I'm standing, the next I am literally super hero flying through the air after tripping and I land completely on my stomach with my hands out over my head in flying position. 

Would you like to guess who caught ALL of my weight as I hit the ground?  Yep.  My sweet (and now we know strong) baby boy.

So I went to the hospital.  After an ultrasound (where the lady told me I was having a GIRL and then corrected herself) and fetal/mommy monitoring for 5 hours I was told that my baby is perfect and I am ship shape and ready to go home.  Lukas got to stay on his trip (after I told him he didn't need to come home but I'd let him know). 

Thursday Lukas came home and Friday we got a visit from both the Spring Break fairy and...

NANNY CINDY!!

We ate, we picnic-ed, we played, we ate some more.  It was magical. 

Saturday we made a BIG move in our house.  Geesh, if I had time each of these paragraphs would have been a different post, they all seem so monumental to me!  Cameron transitioned over from his crib to his big boy bed/mattress.  This is NOT because we want to put sweet new boy in the crib and kicked Cameron out, but rather, because Cameron was ready.  He LOVES it!  Seriously, it has gone SO well!

We kept EVERYTHING the same that we could.  Same routine, same place in the room.  Just a different bed with some really fun big boy stickers of some of our favorite characters to look at. 

Sunday my besties did it again and they threw me a LOVELY baby shower/luncheon.  It was small.  It was thoughtful.  It was perfect.  I have a lot of nice things that I really want to say about this luncheon, but I want to do it with pictures that aren't on my camera, so if you'll be patient with me, I'd like to do another entire post on this later. 

Sunday also started week 36-37/ SPRING BREAK

Monday- Mom left :(  It's always a sad occurence, but she'll be back real soon!

Tuesday- The men in my life worked really hard and removed the shed from the backyard.  It was dirty.  There was wildlife involved (Lukas' favorite Ha ha).  Now there is an empty hole in my yard that is FULL of potential.  I can see two boys playing in their playhouse, swingset, zipline already.  It's inside the dirt there somewhere. 

Tuesday was also Poppy Max's birthday!  We went to Red Lobster and then came home for cake with our neighbors/friends.  The dad of that family has his birthday on 3/27 also!

Wednesday we went on a family date to International Mall to get Cameron's haircut, some lunch, and a coming home from the hospital outfit for our little baby.  It was a fun day.



Cameron got to sit in a big boy car and watch Cars while getting his haircut!

 Now he's still so handsome, but with shorter hair!

Thursday Lukas and I went on a little "Baby Moon" to Epcot.  We ate our way around the world, rode on rides and walked.  Man did we walk!  I have a picture, but it's my bump picture for below, so just hold your horses. 

Friday we relaxed.  Did some nursery decorating.  Packed our hospital bags.  Put both carseats in the car.  And relaxed. 

Saturday was the same.  Which leads me to the pregnant lady stuff...

And I'm still preggers:

How far along?  37 weeks! 

Total weight gain/loss: + 35.  I am currently at my goal.

Maternity clothes? Yes.

Sleep: No.

Best moments this past week:  See above.

Food cravings:  Nope.  In fact, I feel less hungry right now than I have in my whole life. 

Wedding rings.  On or off?  Haven't tried lately

Gender: boy- unless you're the ultrasound lady at the hospital.  Oh, oops, I was right, it IS a boy!

Movement:  Yes.  In fact, I'm trying not to be all "every symptom in the book" since I'm considered full term now, but I really think he's lowered. 

Labor Signs: Irregular contractions.  According to the doctor, I'm 1.5-2 cm dilated and 50% effaced.  I keep reminding myself that that doesn't mean anything.

Belly Button in or out? In.  Flat.

What I miss:  Comfort in my ribcage.

What I am looking forward to:  Little baby.

Update:  So...  I have to go back to the doctor on Monday so that they can very closely monitor my blood pressure due to my history with preeclampsia and the fact that my blood pressure was not high, but a little higher than normal on Friday.  We'll keep you updated. 

And now the baby is:  A watermelon.  He's pretty much as tall as he's going to be but is packing on the fat. If I were to go into labor and have him right now, I'd be considered full term and it would be okee dokee.  That's hard to know because now everytime I move I think about whether or not I'm in labor.

And my bump via Epcot:

 

Operation Poppy/Cameron is still going well and strong.  They seem to be having a good time together.  Every day, they walk down the street to see the amazing construction that's going on, and they spend a good amount of time in the swing.  It pretty much sounds like the life! 

The J-O-B is going super strong and I'm having a great time.  We had 2 HUGE presentation projects completed on Friday and they went swimmingly well.  The kids did power points and timelines and they seemed to really enjoy it. 

This week 5th grade (that includes Lukas, but not me) will be going to Kennedy Space Center for their big 5th grade field trip where they spend the night and sleep under a giant rocket.  It's pretty exciting.  Wish Lukas luck! 

And on Saturday, our new washing machine arrived.  It's really pretty and high tech.  And it does the laundry well too.

And I'm still preggers:

How far along?  35 weeks! 

Total weight gain/loss: + more than 30

Maternity clothes? Yes.

Sleep: I've been waking up twice a night. 

Best moments this past week:  Finally completing the entire room full of laundry that we had accumulated over the past couple of weeks.

Food cravings:  None really. 

Wedding rings.  On or off?  They felt tight for the first time today.  :(  I'm sticking with it though.  If they feel tight when I put them on I don't wear them, but I do still try to put them on.

Gender: boy

Movement:  Yes.  I can tell he's getting cramped in there.  So can my ribs.  I asked the doctor to predict how big he is on Friday and she predicted in the high 5's range.  Aaah!

Labor Signs: No.  Belly Button in or out? In.  Flat.

What I miss:  Comfort in my ribcage.

What I am looking forward to:  MY MOM IS COMING ON FRIDAY!!!!

Weekly Wisdom:  Not feeling too wise this evening.

Stretch marks? Nope.

And now the baby is:  A honeydew melon.  He's pretty much as tall as he's going to be but is packing on the fat.  He can hear and his kidneys are developed. 

And the big boy had a super big weekend!

On Friday night, he and his dad ran in a 5k.  Cameron was the first baby to finish!  There's not really a prize for that, but I was pretty impressed.  His time was 23:10 which is really impressive for a stroller!

The next day he helped pick up leaves in the yard.

 Then he got to wear this funny hat at a pool party

 After having such a great time, we decided on Sunday to let him play in the spa. 

It's the life!

34 Weeks

So, all last week (and even a little bit today) we've had no internet.  We've had 2 trips from the cable company and over an hour on the phone with them on Friday.  We have 1 more trip out tomorrow (hopefully) and then we will be back on to the internet along with the rest of the world.  So, I do apologize for not posting last week.  I'm sure that my good friends at the cable company would love to talk about it. Ha ha.

This week can only be described as a complete whirlwind.

Saturday 3/3:  Soccer tourney in AUBURNDALE (1.5 hours away), followed by the arrival of my dad.

Sunday 3/4:  Church, Lukas and Dad go back to soccer tourney, bday cake for the bestie, and then a trip to Bob's (Bob Evans that is) and Target.

Monday 3/5:  First day of full time J-O-B.  Everything went great!  I feel so well adjusted to my class already and we are hammering through two large and fun projects in science and social studies (integrated into reading and writing!). 

Poppy and Cameron had a good day too!

Tuesday 3/7- Continue JOB, Lukas has late evening meeting.

Wednesday- 3/8- discover that our washing machine is broken.  Bad transmission.  How long have we been wearing dirty clothes?

Thursday- 3/9 discover that fixing the washer is going to cost $400.  Um.  No.  So we go buy a new one.

Friday:  Continue full time job.  Everyone has seemed to settle in really well. 

This weekend we've finished up some of sweet baby boy number 2's nursery projects (I promise I'll be showing you later), eaten Peeps S'mores (yum!), and hung out.  It's been relaxing and fun!

How far along?  34 weeks! 

Total weight gain/loss: +30

Maternity clothes? Yes.

Sleep: After this week of complete exhaustion?  YES.  Hard core.

Best moments this past week:  I was asking Cameron what the different animals said.  Then I asked him, "What does Cameron say?" He then responded with "MAY-MEM!"  That's his word for Amen.  Stinkin' cute!

Food cravings:  Coke.  I think my body was feeling the slight need for some minor caffeine.

Wedding rings.  On or off?  Still on!  For some reason I am incredibly impressed with this bit of information. 

Gender: boy

Movement:  Yes.  I can tell he's getting cramped in there.  So can my ribs. 

Labor Signs: No.  But I am really starting to wonder if he's going to make it to 40 weeks.  Not because we can't handle it or anything, but I feel legitimately more pregnant at this stage of pregnancy this time around. I feel bigger and I feel like he is lower.  Maybe that's a 2nd baby thing.

Belly Button in or out? In.  Flat.

What I miss:  A washing machine in my house.  It's getting delivered on Saturday. 

What I am looking forward to:  I am really motivated with nursery decorating right now.  I am looking forward to adding and completing the new pieces before having the baby!

Weekly Wisdom:  Paper plates (while not Earth friendly) do make for a good time saver on a really busy day!

Stretch marks? Nope.

  And now the baby is the size of a durian.  What's a durian you ask?  It is the item pictured above.  He can recognize songs and listen to conversations and he's getting lower.  I can definitely attest to that!

Here is me this week: 

This is not my favorite picture, but the better one, once again won't stop being sideways.  I'd like to note that I think I'm bigger than my 35 week picture from last pregnancy.  We'll see I guess!

And here's what I was doing last time at this pregnancy time period. 

32 Weeks- Starting Month 8!

So I found another pregnant lady blog this week who did a survey very similar to mine except she had a couple of additional questions that I'd like to add :)

How far along?  32 Weeks- beginning month 8! 

Total weight gain/loss: +23

Maternity clothes? Yes.

Sleep: We didn't have anything to do all day on Saturday so we slept in!  All of us slept until after 7:30.  It was glorious.

Best moments this past week:  I went on a baby number 2 DIY nursery frenzy this weekend doing crafts and decorations.  I'll let you in on more of that later (I promise!)

Food cravings:  Just donuts.  The uje.

Wedding rings.  On or off?  Still on!  They weren't still on at this point with Cameron.

Gender: boy

Movement:  He's still pretty mellow, but he (just like his big brother) finds my right ribs to be a really comfy place to live all day.  It hurts.

Labor Signs: No, but Braxton Hicks contractions.  Often.

Belly Button in or out? In.  Flat.

What I miss:  Nothing.

What I am looking forward to:  So, I'm starting a full time job this week.  I know.  I haven't worked full time in almost 2 years and I'm starting one for the last 8 weeks of being preggo.  With the job comes my Dad!  Poppy Max is going to come live with us and play with Cameron up until little brother is born.  I know, weird turn of events, but still, we're excited.

Weekly Wisdom:  I don't have any.

Stretch marks? Nope.

 

And now the baby is a squash!  Apparently a big squash.  He's close to his birth height and weighs anywhere from 2.5 to 3.8 pounds.  I'm leaning more toward the 3.8 though!  He is likely in the head down position and I can attest to the fact that he is getting crowded in there. 

This was another fun week last time in my pregnancy too!  Visits from Mom, Baby Showers, Oh my!  See here.

31 Weeks (almost out of the 7th month!)

This was my first week completely home from work and Cameron and I had a good time! 

Cameron is at one of those ages where every single day lately he seems bigger, smarter, and more independent.  He says and does something hilarious every single day.  His latest fun new things include saying "AMEN!" after praying with us and saying the word "please" while signing it.  And now to blatantly brag on my kid...  Cameron is really smart or in the words of my mother, he's "A GENIUS!"  :)

Also this week, Cameron and I had a super great time finger painting for the first time.  We started out a little hesitantly but by the end, we definitely got the hang of it!

I have been excited to do arts and crafts with Cameron his whole life and it was a really good time!

And yes, I'm pregnant still.  31 weeks.  Still in the "Decade of Birth".  This is the last week of the seventh month! 

How far along?  31 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +23

Maternity clothes? Yes.

Sleep: I've had some weird, really vivid dreams every night this week.  I'm getting a little uncomfortable too. 

Best moments this past week:  Play time with my sweet boy.  I also had a fun, uneventful doctor's appointment this week.  I'm down to an appointment every 2 weeks.  Weird!

Food cravings:  No need to crave when you are eating the way I am! 

Gender: boy

Labor Signs: No, but Braxton Hicks contractions

Belly Button in or out? In.  Flat.

What I miss:  Nothing.

What I am looking forward to:  I've started purchasing small items for my DIY nursery projects so now, I'm excited to create and put them up.

Weekly Wisdom:  Get messy!  Start with finger paint!

And now the baby is a pineapple!  I hope he's not quite as spiky though!  He's close to his birth height and weighs anywhere from 2.5 to 3.8 pounds.  I'm leaning more toward the 3.8 though!  All of his 5 senses are developed and he's getting smarter every day while I continue to suffer from pregnancy brain.  Haha.

Last time when I was this week pregnant I was starting a full week at camp!  Can you believe that?!?  Well if you can't look here. 

And I took a 31 week picture, but for some reason it's only coming out sideways, so I'm really sorry, but if you want to see you just might have to turn your head...

30 Weeks!

Oh my, what a week batman!

Since speaking to you last our family has done just about everything under the sun!  We...

1.  Went to Disney World for 2 days.  SO fun!  SO SO fun!  I would like to do a whole post on this, but in case I don't get to it, I still want to show you some pictures. 

2.  Cameron got a haircut (at Disney trip)



Yep, his hat sure does say First Haircut!

 3.  I had to leave my job.  :(  This was just a county error with me holding 2 positions in the county.  Yadda yadda.  Boring.  In the end, we decided it was best to end the part time job that I had to end three weeks from now anyway rather than give up my leave and lose my 2 years of teaching that I had on record.  So while errors always stink, it will be okay in the long run and now I get to love on this sweet boy even more.

4.  Cameron had his 18 month check up.  Yeah, he's pretty much perfect, the doctor said.  :)  Also, he doesn't need shots again until he's 4.  YAY!

5.  Lukas' soccer team played their last regular season soccer game.

6.  We had a very eventful and successful trip to IKEA to purchase baby brother's dresser/changing table for his room and we successfully assembled said dresser. 

7.  AND today Lukas ran another Half Marathon finishing with his best time ever at 1 hour 53 minutes. 
So proud of him.

If you think that this is a lot of things for a 29-30 week pregnant lady, then you're right.  But it's nothing new for us.  If you remember last time at 30 weeks we were here and we were pretty darn busy then too!  Yes, that is the same repost as last week's.

So here's what it's like to be me and pregnant right now.

How far along? 30 Weeks.  I like to refer to this as the Birth Decade.  That's to say that I don't go over 40 weeks.  I ask baby brother to take his time and grow, but please don't make me go past 40 weeks. 

Total weight gain/loss: +20.  In all of the busyness, I didn't weigh myself this week though.

Maternity clothes? Yes.

Sleep: Yes.  It really helps to have a little baby who is on a great sleeping schedule.  Right now he sleeps for 12 hours at night and 2 during the day.  Glorious.  Hopefully we'll strike gold there twice, I know not immediately, but eventually. 

Best moments this past week:  See above. 

Food cravings: Still sweets.   

Gender: boy

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? In.  Flat.

What I miss:  Disney World.  I could really live there.

What I am looking forward to:  This week we're getting our taxes done.  I know, we're so romantic doing our taxes for Valentine's day.  I'm interested to see if we get anything back this year.  That would be something to be excited about.

Weekly Wisdom:  Go to Disney World.  It's so worth it!

And now the baby is...

An acorn squash. We are somewhere around 3 pounds. We are almost our entire height (around 17 inches!) and we are fattening up. Our brain is really forming and coming together and "starting to look like a brain." He also moves all the time and it is a lot of fun. He likes to make his appearances all over my stomach, sides, and such, not just in one place.

You can see the bump in some of the pictures above.