40 weeks and counting

Been awhile since I have written but as I left my doctor's appointment this afternoon my mind was swirling with all that's going to happen over the next few days and all that has happened over the last nine plus months. I just needed to write and get it all out.

At 40 weeks and 4 days pregnant I had my (didn't know it at the time but could have assumed) last doctor's appointment of this, my second, pregnancy. I went in, I think, hoping for some magnificent diagnosis of - "you're miraculously 8 centimeters and ready to have this baby any second - how have you not felt any of this?" HA! Who was I kidding? There's nothing going on...little dude likes it just where he's at.

So...that leaves us with induction. I guess I could have put my foot down and said. "induction, no way!" But I didn't. There's a big part of me that's just ready - ready to meet the little guy (and finally have to decide on a name), ready to have my body back, ready to be able to sleep on my stomach and wear normal clothes. Maybe that's selfish, but I honestly think that with all that has been going on, having Baby #2 will just bring things back to a level of normalcy that I can handle. I know, you're thinking, ummm....brand new baby + normalcy? Well...at least we can get into what will be the new normal. Steve, Becky, Ally, ?? - our new normal family of four. (I can't wait for this - probably the most exciting part.)

Then there's the whole "oh crap - induction's going to hurt." Well, I managed to make it through last time, induction and all. Granted, my water broke and I fought the introduction of pitocin tooth and nail until I had no other choice. Maybe this time will actually be easier? HA! (What a wishful thinker I'm being.)

Back to the induction. Monday morning at 6:30 I check in at the hospital. Doc says with my history and how "ready" my body is, I could have him by 2. I'm not going to be so wishful, but she's the doc, not me. So, this weekend, I pack the bag, give my "only child" her last "only child" lovin's (why am I so sad about this?), make sure the baby's room is ready to go, bills are paid, house is clean - whatever else I can fit in.

That means little "Darryl" Carroll will probably be born on Monday at which time he'll have to have a real name. Steve and I have some discussions to have this weekend. October 4th, 2010 for the newest Carroll.

Then I'll be the mom of two. I've always wanted two kids, but now that we're on the precipice of actually having two I'm a little nervous. I know what everyone says "you'll love this one just as much," "they'll be such good friends," "imagine what it'd be like if you didn't have a sibling" (love you Matt - couldn't imagine that for a second). I know all the benefits, but it doesn't make it any less intimidating. I know I'm ready, just have a mind awash with all the crazy thoughts of motherhood.

And then you have the flip side. This is my last pregnancy. My last childbirth. My last newborn. Granted - this is all a choice - but two is enough for us. Steve grew up in a family of four and so did I. It just makes sense for us. That means no more kiddos for us. Little dude will be our last.

All that's left is - well - I guess all that's left is the rest of our lives. The exciting part. This pregnancy and birth are just small blips on the timeline that is our future as a family. And that...makes me smile.

Can't wait to meet you, little guy...

~Becky

34 Weeks and counting...

While I sit here in my 34th week of pregnancy number two, I am feeling wholly unprepared for the arrival of Allyson’s little brother (he still doesn’t have a name – and no it’s not Darryl.) In the midst of escrow (we’re set to close August 31st), we’re making every attempt not to buy anything, use our credit cards or make any major purchases. But as D-Day approaches, I’ve been making lists of the things that he’s going to need – that we don’t have. Might be a little odd to use my blog as a To-Do List, but when I have the urge to write, I guess all who read have to suffer along with me (and help me make sure I’m not missing anything.)

When Allyson was born I knew that we were going to have a second so I made sure to get most of the “big” items in a gender neutral color so that we could re-use them. I am incredibly thankful for that foresight now because I could not imagine buying some of these things again. I already have – in bright green – the car seat and stroller. We have a swing and bouncy seat as well as a Jumperoo and high chair.

Here’s what I still need (and am starting to freak out about):

Bedding – we have it narrowed down to two different options (I think.) One set is called “Wings.”

And the other is called “Lil League.”

I think we’re leaning towards the “Wings” set. He’ll be able to have sports stuff later on in life if he wants. All Allyson’s bed set will be passed down to her little brother. So, I already have the crib and changing table along with the dresser. (Note the other big cost – this means my kid now has no bedroom set – yikes!)

I also need to get another monitor. In the new house, the kids are on the complete opposite side of the master bedroom. I don’t really love it (but I know I’ll get there when they get a bit older.) So, I really think I’m going to want a monitor in her room as well as one in the baby’s room – at least while she gets to know her room and the way to Mommy’s if she needs me in the middle of the night.

My diaper bag was destroyed in the last year, I really beat it up. Plus it was pretty girlie. I found this Timi & Leslie bag online at Zappos.com (have I mentioned how much I LOVE Zappos?)

This item isn’t deathly important, but now I’m heading into “nice-to-get” zone.

I’ve also done a little bit of research on strollers. We hardly ever use a stroller now, but I’m thinking that with two I might need/want/use one a bit more. I really wanted to find one that I could attach the carseat too, but that would also allow for Ally to ride along as well (she’s not all that keen on being strapped in a stroller – she’s my big girl.) I found one online by Joovy called the Caboose Ultralight Stand-On Tandem Stroller. It’s a pretty cool idea. The infant is strapped in the carseat in front and then the toddler child gets to ride or sit behind. Again, a “nice-to-have,” I’ll see how desperate I become when I start to venture out with the two of them.

And then there are all the little things that I know I’ll use but don’t have my shelves stocked with yet. New binkies – I love the NUK ones. New nipples for bottles – for when I go back to work. Milk bags, a new bath sling, diapers…you know – all that little stuff. I’ve been shopping since I found out we were having a boy (I know – shocker to all of you) for clothes and I went through all Ally’s old clothes looking for gender neutral items. I think I’m all set on onesies – that’s about all I was able to separate out. I see now that my daughter was a pretty girlie girl. (No wonder she was so cute! Wait a minute, she’s still cute.) I have all the stuff I have bought him in a bin but really have no idea what kind of inventory of size I have. Once we’re in the new house I’ll line it all up and see where I need to fill in.

I’m sure I’m missing stuff, but I know that I’ll be able to wing this one a little more. I mean, I’ve already had one – I know what I’m doing, right? All this stuff will fall into place as we get into the new house, as the baby arrives and as life as we know it moves into a more normal routine. At least a girl can hope, right?

~Becky

Carroll Family 3.5

I've been promising to share recent ultrasound pictures of Baby Carroll #2 and I've finally found the time to do so. As you may have heard, the first perinatologist was right and we are having a little boy. Before I get to his name, here are a few pics.

Baby Boy Carroll Profile

Baby Boy Carroll's foot - too cute (a little creepy all skeletal looking though.)

I'll refrain from posting the picture that confirmed his "boyness" to prevent any future embarrassment for this little guy but be assured that when the tech said "here's a leg, and here's another leg and this - this is not a leg" we had confirmation of our little boy.

Those pics were from almost two weeks ago and today Mr. Carroll is about the size of a spaghetti squash. (Who compares to a spaghetti squash? Does anyone actually eat those? Or buy them in this form at the store?) So far this pregnancy has been pretty smooth. The morning sickness faded away between 14 and 16 weeks and I'm just starting to have to wear maternity clothes. Mostly tops - my pants still fit with a little help from the trusty Belly Band (love that thing!) I wore a pair of maternity jeans the other day and remember why I hated them so much. Those damn things have to be pulled up every time you stand up. I feel like I need suspenders!

Oh - name. I almost forgot. Well...after some serious consideration and input from family and friends...we've decided to go with Darryl. Yup Darryl Lane Carroll.

(And you if you believe that one - you're more gullible than I.)

We still have no idea. A friend at work threw out Darryl as a joke (at least I think it was a joke) and it has stuck - poor kid - I promise we'll come up with something soon. In the meantime, rather than calling him "the baby" or "him" we're calling him Darryl. Darryl Carroll - future NASCAR driver. (At least that's what that name sounds like to me!)

So stay tuned for more in the saga of the Carroll family.

~Becky

Today was a good day...

Today started out well. I fit into jeans I haven't worn in months! Maybe the last eight weeks of morning (all freakin' day-long) sickness have been a good thing? Either way - I'll take it. Maternity clothes are in my near future, but this old pair of Lucky's will suit me just fine for the next few weeks.

Next, we got to go have another ultrasound. This is our second for this pregnancy. The first I had a few weeks ago to get a better determination of due date. (Remember - Baby #2 was a surprise so this Momma wasn't counting days.) Today's ultrasound was part of the genetic screening. This along with the blood draw that I did last week will help rule out any genetic abnormalities.

We got to the perinatologist's office and went into the room with a tech. I guess that for this genetic screening they send you an actual perinatologist's office for a high-tech ultrasound - not just the regular one at the lab.

Anyway, we got in the room and the tech started taking some pics of some fluid measurement at the back of the babies' neck. She was having a hard time getting a consistent number, not really concerning to us - we realized the baby was just laying in a position not conducive to this measurement. After about 30 minutes she went to show her pics to the doc. Guess they weren't good enough cause the doc came in a few minutes later to get the measurement herself. Within a few minutes - done.


Then...she asked us if we were interested in knowing the sex of the baby. Um...yes - we were, but you can't tell this early, right? She said "well - you can't be 100% certain at this stage but I have a pretty good guess." When a doctor says that she has a pretty good guess, I know that I would tend to believe her. Especially when it was not prompted. We didn't say "can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?" I mean, she does this for a living, right? So, we promised not to go out and buy bedding on her guess but said "sure, we'll take the news now."

We don't really care what we have either way. I've been thinking that a girl would be easier because we have all the stuff already. Steve is such a great "girl dad". I know how to do "girl" having done it once already. but then, a boy would be wonderful too. The nuclear family - Dad, Mom, Daughter, Son. Exactly like my family. She could torture love her little brother just like I do. ...back to the story...

The doc pulled up a picture on the ultrasound machine and said "see this swelling between the legs here?" We said "sure." (Do you ever really know what you're looking at in an ultrasound?) She said "well, when boys and girls develop they all have some swelling here, but at this far along in gestation this amount of swelling is probably not going to go away." Probably not? So that means ... BOY?

Yup - it meant boy.

So...we'll find out for sure in about 7 weeks, but we got a pretty good guess from the doctor that Allyson is going to have a little brother. We are off to find names for Baby #2. We're focusing more on little boy names - obviously - but we'll have a few girl ones picked out too. Just in case the next ultrasound comes back with something different. You never know.

~Becky