29 Weeks & Dr.'s Appointment

I feel like because this is a singleton pregnancy and not my first, that doctor's appointments are more annoying and a waste of time, rather than exciting.  My appointment this morning was at 8:30...but I didn't get home until 10:15 because the doctor had forgotten to give me a prescription to pick-up my RhoGan injection, and so after my appointment I had to speed-walk to the hospital's lab, who informed me that my doctor's office (Surrey Prenatal Clinic) had given me the wrong patient's information...but they had my information in the system so it wasn't too big of a deal, and then speed-walk back to the doctor's office to get my injection.  She was totally trying to make things comfortable for me but I told her that needles and injections don't phase me as I had given myself plenty for in vitro.  And then I reminded her that I had told her that I would be her easiest patient.  Which, I think I am.

Things are still going well with Baby Struik.  My blood pressure was 110/60, and Baby Struik's heart rate was around 145 bpm.  I'm measuring 30 weeks...which is dead on with my ultrasound measurements as my last ultrasound dated the baby 6 days ahead.

It's crazy to think that Baby Struik is almost full-term in length...s/he just needs to fatten up now.  

I've gained 31 lbs so far.  Yikes.  I dread weighing myself all the time!  I swear I've been eating what I normally do when I'm not pregnant...NOTHING like what I was eating with Matthew and Kayla's pregnancy...but I just can't stop gaining weight!  Here's hoping that either a) I stop gaining so much weight and b) it's easy to lose this weight after again.

I'm really starting to grow out of my clothes...tops in particular.  Nothing fits the same any more and everything is too short...maternity clothes included.  That's the problem when you're tall...it's hard to find clothes to fit properly!

I failed to mention in my 28 week post that one of my major symptoms this pregnancy is the swelling of my ankles/feet on days that I work.  I remember it only happening at the end of my pregnancy with Matthew and Kayla...but this time, on the days I work, it hurts to walk when I get home because my ankles are all puffed out.  That's the problem with a desk job, I guess.  

Anyways, all is going well.

Hugs for Baby Struik.  I guess that makes up for all of the times they're jabbing their elbows into my tummy!

Kayla's Random Thoughts

As we pulled out of my parents' driveway after spending the day there, Kayla's first three comments (in the first 30 seconds we were driving) were:

1.  "Love being at Grandma's house."

2.  "Grandpa loves greenhouse."

3.  "Candice works at Mom's work."

So random - so my daughter.  :)

28 Weeks

*There's another new entry below this one*

It's actually quite amazing how much you forget what it's like to be pregnant.  While, at least I've forgotten.

The amount and strength of movement boggles my mind.  I think overall, Baby Struik moves less frequently than Matthew and Kayla...but that was two babies potentially on different schedules moving.  I think Baby Struik is stronger though, because s/he has more room.  I have a really sensitive spot on my right hip that when touched, causes me to do a super-flinch...and Baby Struik managed to kick me there which made me do a super-super-flinch.  It was pretty funny.

I've forgotten how much a stomach can stretch.  I don't have any new stretch marks (yet), and my existing ones seem to be holding up just fine (for now).  I believe my 'linea nigra' appeared around week 29 with Matthew and Kayla, so I'm wondering when (if?) it will make its re-appearance.

Matthew and Kayla definitely know which bedroom is "Baby's bedroom" and mentioned today that Baby Struik can lay in their doll cradle and they will rock the baby.  It's cute.  They have no idea that their world is about to be rocked.

Anyways, all is going well.  Less than three months to go!  Not that I'm counting down...I'm okay with just being pregnant right now and not having a newborn...but I'm definitely looking forward to not having to work :).

28 Months Old

Gosh I don't even know where to begin with this.  Be ready for random thoughts!

Matthew:
- Weighs 25lb 5oz and is 34.75" tall.
- Has really started to talk lately.  He's definitely stringing a few words together at a time, so before long, he'll be caught up to Kayla.  His most commonly used words/expressions are:
"Yo Yo" - means "Carry me".  I think he says it like this because Kayla always used to say "carry you" instead of "carry me".
"Yook Mom" - means "Look, Mom"
"Dophine" - means "Vacuum"
"Big One"
"Yawn More" - means "Lawn Mower"
"Seep" - means "Sleep"
"Yacey" - means "Lacey"
"Han" - means "Hand"
"Yord bess dis food, Mamen" - means "Lord bless this food, Amen"
"Mom hup" - means "Mom help"
"Bue" - means "blue"
"Osh" - means "orange"
"Geen" - means "green"
"Right Dair" - means "Right There"
"Over Dair" - means "Over There"
"Da" - means "Kayla"
- Is super obsessed with the vacuum cleaner.  I've finally started telling him that the vacuum cleaner has to have a nap or he'll vacuum all day long (I'm dead serious).
- Is super easy going, but is also super stubborn.  He will only listen to you/obey you if it's in his best interest or he's being bribed.
- Loves lawn mowers.  He knows that "Grandpa" and "Great-Grandpa" keep theirs in their small garages, and mentions it every time he's at either house.
- Loves fruit...especially strawberries and blue berries.
- Loves black ju jubes.  If you tell him he can have three, he'll choose three black ones.  My Mom loves it because she used to throw the black ones out because no one would eat them.
- Has become super interested in Lacey.  He has learned how to walk her, and Lacey knows to control herself.  He loves giving her hugs and laying on the ground beside her to pet her.  She would let Matthew do anything to her.
- Loves the swing.
- Is full of expression
- Still smiles with his eyes.
- I often call him "handsome" or "my little boy"
- Loves getting bear hugs from Jon.  He knows that as soon as he says "I love you, Dad", Jon will give him a big bear hug.
- Will often refuse to drink his milk.  So so so frustrating.  He sits there until it's gone though...
- Can recognize and name the colours blue, orange, green, black.
- Prefers to cut paper than to colour.  He's actually quite good with scissors!  He knows exactly where to put his fingers and makes snips all around his paper.
- LOVES swimming.  He'll never agree to come out - he always says, "not yet."  He starts out being very hesitant and cautious, but within the first five minutes he's like a fish.
- LOVES plugging in cords to laptops and to the wall.
- LOVES playing with any small tool, such as a screw driver.  He'll walk around the house fixing everything.
- Can put on his own crocs (not necessarily on the correct feet though).
- I gave him his first piece of gum a few weeks ago, and he has become really good at chewing (and not swallowing) it!  He made his piece last today for well over an hour, and then spit it out into my hand so he could have a snack.

Kayla:
- Weighs 27lb 2oz and is 36" tall.
- Is now stringing about six words together.  She's quite clear, and it never ceases to amaze me what expressions she comes up with.
- Has hit the terrible twos.  She will have huge meltdowns if she doesn't get her way.
- Has a super good bladder.  It's good...but frustrating at the same time.  Potty training is going really well.  She's great at telling me when she has to poo...but doesn't tell me when she has to pee.  I can read her cues if I'm watching her...but if I'm not and don't think to put her on the potty on a regular basis (every couple hours or so) then she's bound to have an accident.  She went to church a week and a half ago in her big girl underwear, and now sleeps in big girl underwear all the time.
- Doesn't really like Jon at the moment.  She won't listen to him and won't do anything he tells her to...she just starts crying and says "Mom".
- Loves choosing which hair clips/ponies to wear.
- Prefers to colour than to cut paper.  She's really starting to 'see' pictures in her colouring book and colour each picture.  To put the lid on a marker, she puts it on, and then bangs it down on the table - she totally got that from my Mom.
- LOVES swimming.  She likes to just float around with her puddle jumpers, and has mastered the back float (with puddle jumpers).
- Can pull her own pants and underwear down and pull them up, and can also put on her own crocs/sandals (not necessarily on the correct feet though).
- If Matthew is carrying/holding something and she isn't, but wants to, she'll look at her hands and say "nuffing" (nothing).
- "Needs" to wrestle/roughhouse at some point in the day with someone.  I usually try to send her to Jon or Candice to get this out of her system.  I'm just not that good at it.
- Loves to be a mother to Matthew and help him when he needs help.  He was crying upstairs the other day because I wouldn't help him brush his teeth, and I heard her say to him "No cry, Ma (Matthew).  I read you book."  And then she came down, grabbed a book, and brought it to him.  He threw it down, and so she said, "I get you toy."  She came down, grabbed a toy he likes, and brought it up to him.  So cute.
- I gave her her first piece of gum a few weeks ago, and she still hasn't mastered the art of not swallowing it.  She only manages to keep it for about five minutes before she ends up swallowing it.
- Can count to ten

Weekend of Injuries

**There's also a new post below this one**

Kayla was helping Jon organize the garage yesterday and accidentally dropped one of the five-pound weights on the tip of her pinky finger.  I need to take a picture...the entire finger from the top joint up is purple.  It's crazy.  It's not slowing her down, but I know it hurts her.  

And then today, Matthew went outside my parents' front door while we were in the kitchen making lunch and all of a sudden started screaming.  Jon ran to get him and he quickly realized that he had been stung by a bee.  First bee sting for our family!  His foot is nice and puffy now :).

All Moved In...Well, Almost

It has been a crazy two weeks.  With an extremely fast closing/possession date we were busy getting our financial affairs in order, while meeting with the inspector, the lawyer, and frequent communication with our realtor.  It all came together though!  The initial plan was to move in on Saturday, June 29, but we didn't realize that when you get your carpets cleaned it takes 8-10 hours to dry so we moved over one BLG truck full of furniture/boxes, put it in the garage, scoured the super-disgusting, grime-filled kitchen and pantry, and then called it a night and slept at my parents'.  The next day (Sunday) we skipped church (tsk tsk) and finished our move.

Matthew and Kayla transitioned easily to the 'new' house.  The only set-back is that we've moved them into their big-kid beds, and so they enjoy the freedom they have of being able to climb in and out of their beds at nap/bed time.  That would have been expected, regardless of when we made the switch from cribs, so I'm glad we did it at the same time we moved.  I didn't intend to move them out of their cribs until September, but it seemed pointless to set-up two cribs again.

It has been wonderful having more than one bathroom.  You no longer hear me threatening to go pee in the kitchen sink if Jon doesn't hurry and get off the toilet :).  And now with Kayla using the toilet too...well, that just wouldn't really work well to all share one toilet.  On the downside...I was having trouble keeping one bathroom clean and now I have four...yikes.  Can't wait 'til I'm not working and have tons of free time (haha...I may be underestimating how much time a newborn takes...it's been a while!!).

We're nicely settling in, trying to make it smell like 'our' home rather than someone else's.  We still have a few car-fulls of stuff to take out of my parents' crawlspace, but we'll do that each time we visit.  Most of it is just baby-related stuff anyways.

It's been a busy weekend, filled with a lot of cleaning and family functions, so I'm going to try to nap now while Jon, Matthew, and Kayla are so that I can get through the evening without yawning.  This week will be busy...working Monday and Tuesday and then leaving for Cultus Lake Wednesday morning...so I have a lot to do between now and then.