Baby 3.0: 40 Weeks & Waiting.

40 weeks pregnant with Crosby

I'm feeling: Pretty down. I waited 50 minutes at the doctor's office today. It is so disheartening to wait and wait and wait. I know it happens. I know to expect it. But every damn week? It makes me feel unimportant. And a little honest communication along the way goes a LONG way, if you ask me. I go up to the window after waiting so long to see if I should reschedule and of course, they get me back to ultrasound right away after that. So... I'm thinking they forgot about me? I'm not sure what happened. Not to mention after my ultrasound my doctor barely saw me. He didn't check my cervix or measure my belly or anything this week. Thankfully, my fluid levels are good-ish. They're a little on the borderline low side so that means drinking more water for me. I don't think I've really had many contractions so far so I suppose maybe that's why he didn't check my cervix. I know there is not much to be done about waiting for Crosby to come BUT it would make me feel much more comforted if I felt like my doctor was doing everything he could to be there for me. Support. Encouragement. Empathy. Reassurance. I didn't feel much of that today. So... that's why I'm feeling a little bit down.

Baby's size: We are officially at the watermelon stage. I've been feeling some major round ligament pain lately and as my doctor so empathetically put it... "your belly isn't exactly small at this point" - so he's getting big.

High of the week: My little sister was in town this weekend and it was nice having her here. We got pedicures and that was so relaxing. After that we went to see some friends from high school and I can't even begin to say how great that was! I laughed... so much!! And got to catch up with some really great people. We made some fun trips out to the zoo this past week. I've loved having my brother-in-law in town and getting all together.

Had to take a family siblings photo while we had the kids' aunt and uncle in town!

Tony with his brother & dad

Low of the week: Feeling not great after my doctor's appointment today.

What I'm excited about: I'm so bummed right now and just frustrated with the waiting... it's hard for me to summon some positive feelings right now. There's only so many times I can share my excitement to meet this little guy and have my spirits crushed a little bit each day he stays put. I'm very grateful he is healthy and safe. But I'll be grateful when he's here and I can stop the second guessing, worrying, and anxiety revolving around his well-being and labor and delivery. 40 week is already a long time to wait. So yes, I have so much to be thankful for. I have so much to look forward to. I have so much to feel excited about. I know he will be here eventually. I know I can't and won't be pregnant forever. I know how I should feel or how I could feel but right now I'm just feeling a bit worn down.

Once I'm feeling a bit more upbeat I'll write again, but that's it for now. Hope everyone's week has started off on a good foot and if it hasn't - it can only get better from here, guys. 

Baby 3.0: 39 Weeks ...& 3 days

*Caution* Just in case you don't want to hear about cervixes dilating or any other details of that nature, go ahead and just stop reading to be on the safe side. You've been warned.  But if you've ever read a pregnancy book in your life or learned the biology of pregnancy, I'm sure you won't hear anything you haven't heard before.

39 weeks pregnant with Crosby!

So, let me start out by saying I've never been this pregnant before! I had Presley at 39 weeks & 1 day and seeing as I had her at 6am and was in labor for a few days prior to her birth - I didn't experience much pregnancy past the end of week 38. With Molly I was set to be induced 11 days early and ended up having mild, regular contractions all day prior to induction. I got to the hospital and they administered the cervidil and by that point my body was already rocking & rolling & I had Molly about 10 hours later! I remember towards the end of my pregnancy with Molly I was feeling pretty miserable and I'm sure the gestational diabetes had something to do with it. 

This time around I am still feeling pretty wonderful (all things considered) and I'm shocked to have really NO signs of labor! Last week at the weekly appointment my doctor checked my cervix and I was about 2cm dilated, 50% effaced, and baby seemed to be head down in good position. That was excellent news and even though I know better... I definitely got my hopes up! Even though I was still pregnant at 38w4d at this point, I thought FOR SURE there was no way I'd make it to my next doctor's appointment still pregnant... which is.... tomorrow. Bummer. Another funny thing? Tony guessed our previous two children's birthdays on.the.nose both times so this is the first time that hasn't happened! (His guess was September 25th which has so clearly come and gone.) Now we wait to find out if Cros will be a September or October baby!

I've been drinking raspberry leaf tea like CRAZY for the last week (thanks Aida!) and hoping with each passing day that I'll wake up to contractions... but lo and behold there has been a whole lot of nothing going on.

Baby's size: According to my favorite pregnancy app, baby is the size of a small pumpkin this week... which is so perfect because we've just started decorating our house with a few Fall/Halloween decorations here and there! He's also likely to be anywhere from 19-21 inches tall and  7-8 pounds.

39 week's pregnant at 24 years of age carrying Presley vs. 39 weeks pregnant at 28 years of age carrying Crosby

Cravings: Cheeseburgers!!! There were two nights in a row this week that I ate a big, juicy burger for dinner and it was so fantastic. Carrots & ranch have been my jam lately. Oh and speaking of jam... PB&J sandwiches have been a craving this last week! Tony and I had Pyro's for the first time last week and ever since then I have been craving their BBQ pizza... still craving it...

High of the week: I loved having one on one time with Tony after my appointment last week. We had a day date and got lunch together at Pyro's. It's so, so wonderful to just have that time with him... especially amidst all the changes and the huge life change soon to come. He is still my best friend and spending time with just him will always be something I love, enjoy, crave, and will never get tired of!  And thank goodness for Grandmommy for watching my sweet babies while I visit the doctor on my own and have grown-up time for lunch, too! Tony and I love and adore our kids but it is so nice to take a breather just the two of us every now and again.

Presley took this photo of us on her own and I just LOVE it.

There were several really happy moments this week: the girls & I took a trip to the Memphis Zoo that  ended up being so much fun thanks to a really active & friendly hippo, we had a great time at Everett's 2nd birthday party, and Tony's brother Sean is in town visiting for a while and it was so good seeing him again and knowing he's not far!!!

It was 94 degrees outside while we were at the zoo but thankfully there were fans with mist coming out of them right here to cool us down!

Definitely one of the best zoo animal interactions, ever.

Happy birthday, Everett!

This is Marsha & I - she's about 15 weeks pregnant and is married to one of Tony's good friends, Tyler. Seems like not that long ago Kristen & I took a photo like this when she was pregnant with Everett and I was pregnant with Molly!!!

The gang is all here! That's Selena, Tony & Presley, Sean, Me, Molly, & Mike - all the Duggans!

Low of the week: Making eggplant parmesan from scratch - using tons of good groceries, time, and effort for this one meal... having it smell and look amazing but then the eggplant just not tasting great to you! BUMMER!!!! I know it seems silly but thankfully that was the lowest for the week! {Side note: I followed the Scalinis Restaurant recipe perfectly... it is known for putting very pregnant women into labor within 48 hours of eating it. I had it for dinner Monday night around 8pm or so... so we're over 24 hours into the countdown and no sign of Crosby yet!}

What I'm excited about: I'm really, really looking forward to my doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon. Like... I just can't wait. I'm absolutely going to talk about the possibilities of induction and what exactly the game plan will be if I don't go into labor anytime soon. My doctor is a natural kinda guy and pretty darn laid back so it will be antsy me wanting to go ahead and get things going more than him, I'm sure. Either way it will just be nice to have the conversation, to see if my doctor sets an expiration date for me, and to see if my body is any more progressed than last week!

That's it, everybody! Hopefully the next pregnancy update will include a picture of Crosby!!!!! (Everyone cross your fingers!)

34 Week Pregnancy Reflection {Baby #2!}

How far along?:  34 weeks along in my second pregnancy.  Of course, that means only 6 weeks to go!

L: 34 weeks pregnant with Presley Rose :) January 14, 2012
R: 34 weeks pregnant with Molly Lou :) May 28, 2014

I am feeling:  Thank the Lord, I am feeling really great still.  My hips are sore throughout the day - but nothing too bad.  I can also feel the results of the extra relaxin in my system - the arches of my feet feel like they are literally shredding sometimes. (I remember this from my previous pregnancy.)
Size of baby:  Molly is somewhere around 5 pounds & 20 inches now.  Seems so unreal!  She is about the size of a pineapple this week.

Movement:  Uh, hello dancing queen!  Molly's been jumping around in there lately and must be running out of room because it is getting uncomfortable.  I feel like she is in the transverse position... I hope it's not for long if I'm right!
What I miss most:  Sleeping through the night.  I'm really not complaining, because it seems like I am able to sleep better at night than when I was pregnant with Presley, but it is just striking to wake up from a full nights sleep and still feel exhausted due to waking up several times.
Cravings:  Really been wanting Panera lately!

Presley wanted to take a picture with daddy next... so he's holding his 34 week belly... lucky guy!

Best moment of the week:  Definitely the relaxing Memorial Day Weekend we had with framily.
What I'm excited about:  I can't remember if I talked about it on my blog or not, but a couple weeks ago I entered into a contest for the chance to meet Mike Miller of the Memphis Grizzlies at the Memphis Zoo.  Seriously?!  Sounded like the most ideal situation!  Went on about my life and maybe a week after entering, they contacted me to let me know I won and that I could bring 5 guests to the event with me.  Looks like it will be a very Duggan night - it'll be Tony, Presley, myself & my in-laws!  I am SO excited!  And then tomorrow is my next doctor's appointment... it'll be great to talk to my doctor again and see how things are going.  I feel like she should be checking my cervix already, but that's not for another two weeks.  I'm also looking forward to asking her how they plan to regulate my blood sugar levels during labor/delivery since surely I won't be allowed to eat anything.



Any other news for the Duggans?  I'm looking to get my haircut soon.  If not a huge chop, at least a trim.  Ideas welcome for a good new mom haircut - which means something low maintenance that can (hopefully) still fit into a ponytail!  I've been so bad about getting my hair cut regularly that I wouldn't be surprised if I don't yet have the 8 inches without several inches being full of split ends... we'll see tomorrow though!

The Italian Festival is in town this weekend and we're hoping to check that out as well. 

Oh, and today is my brother-in-law's birthday - HAPPY 24th BIRTHDAY, SEAN!  We love & miss you and are soo proud of the man you are today.

 

My Big Ole Blogger Crush.

So much for blogging every day in May, huh?!  Well, to be honest, I never expected (or wanted to) blog EVERY day but rather participate as much as I could and get to know other people in the blog world!  So far that's worked out pretty well.  I participated in one of the challenges and stumbled across a blogger that shares a lot of the same views that I do but she is 10x's the writer!  I can't wait to see what the rest of the months brings with this fun blogging challenge.  :)

Today's focus is about professing your love to one of my blogger friends.  I have gotten SO extremely lucky and have really gotten to know a small handful of women through blogging that I feel extremely fortunate to have been introduced to them via the internet, for there is no way I would have met any of them otherwise.  One in particular - for whatever reason - I have just come to absolutely adore and always find myself saying, "Dammit! Why can't we live in the same city?!"  because I know she would be THAT friend... the one for play dates with the kids, date nights with the husbands, or just girls night and a bottle of wine.  It helps that we have a lot in common - both got married to such hunky men in May 2011, pregnant newlyweds, both have the cutest girls imaginable who are just a few months apart in age, we both love wine (okay, well, I only like cheap, sweet wine...) and who knows what else but that is a pretty substantial start!  I've been following her blog back before we were parents, when we were both pregnant and I really wanted to hate her because she was such a gorgeous pregnant woman with the absolute cutest nursery for her soon-to-be baby Natalie!

Somewhere along the way, Sean stopped being just another blog I follow and really got to know her as a friend.  And I'm lucky because she is freaking awesome.  This really does sound like a true profession of love, and maybe it somewhat is, but I just hope she knows how much I love her friendship and can't wait to keep up with her and her preshy-presh family throughout the years!

Sean & her daughter, Nat.  They dress this cute everyday.  Just kidding.

If you'd like to follow her and her family - I've linked her blog several times above but she writes over at "A Mad Girl's Lovesong" about her family and their happenings.  I bet you won't be able to help but love her as well, make sure to tell her who sent you! ;)

Happy FIRST Birthday, my BEAUTIFUL baby!

That is my big, beautiful, 12-month-old girl right there.  She has proved herself to be so tough all while having such a sweet heart.  Presley is so independent and wants to prove she can do things on her these days.  But there are those moments, usually just before bedtime, where she will snuggle into my shoulder as I sing to her and she will let me hold her like the little baby that she still is to me.  I never understood how vulnerable being a parent could make you, but it really is exactly like they say... having a child is like letting your heart walk around outside of your body.  It's terrifying and completely satisfying at the same time.  From the day that we have our babies, we are constantly learning to "let go" a little more by the day (just like my mama friend, Sharon said in one of her blogs months ago, yet is still fresh in my mind) and while each milestone feels like such a momentous experience... it really is just a drop in the bucket (like my mama friend, Sean said in one of her blogs that has really stuck with me)!

I tried to convince myself that this would be nothing but "another day" or "just another experience" but to be honest, Presley celebrating her first birthday has really affected me.  I've been going through tons of pictures from my pregnancy to the day I gave birth to Presley and beyond.  It's all so life altering; I don't think I'll ever view what's happened to us within these last two years as anything short of amazing.

So here we are.  How did we get from here to this point?  All three of us somehow SURVIVED this first year as a family of three!  Not only that, but I feel like we hit our stride and we are in such a great, loving, and comfortable place together with some unbreakable bonds.  I love my little family so much more than I ever imagined possible.  It's the kind of absolute love that you just have to experience and feel first hand to understand and appreciate it's magnitude.  For those of you mamas and dadas out there who know what I mean, bless your heart.  And bless your little family!

Now, let me tell you what Presley has been up to lately...

• We went to the doctor today for her twelve month check-up and shots - and let me just say that this was definitely an emotional experience!  Instead of getting the vaccinations in her legs, they were in her arms this time and boy that must  have really hurt because there was a lot of tears... poor girl.  Presley's height was 28.25 inches (25% for height) and she weighed in at 18 pounds 9 ounces which put her in the 10% for weight... I was a whole POUND off when I weighed her at home last week!  Oh, and her head is staying strong within the 75%!  So far, she's lean like her daddy, about average height like her mama, and a huge ole head like her Uncle Sean.

• Presley is still a great eater and will try anything at least once!  She makes the funniest face while she chews lately... even if it's one of her favorites she will make a face as if you're feeding her lemons!  Carrots and bananas are still her favorites.
• She's standing up on her own and will shuffle-step around her musical activity table, but she's not really doing any walking on her own yet.  Though, she is a super fast crawler... especially if you do the whole "I'm gonna get you!" thing (which she thinks is so hilarious).
• Night-time routine is still the solid "Night Night Little Pookie" followed by tunes from her Twinkle Twinkle Little Scout then she snuggles up with mama and listens to me butcher songs such as "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Edelweiss" from the Sound of Music (her favorite!).  There is no other place I'd rather be at night than tucking Presley in.  Literally, no where.  It makes me wonder what bedtime in our house would be like if we ever had more than one!
• Last month, I talked about Presley not yet having her first "big" injury.  Well, sad to say, she has had it.  While it shook up the entire house, we all survived and I don't specifically want to talk about it because it still upsets me!  What is truly comforting is reading blogs written by other mommies with kids around Presley's age who are going through the same stuff right now - the first big bumps/bruises/burns/injuries - and knowing we aren't alone!  I'm also very fortunate to have a strong husband and some of the best friends in the world who are always there for me - so thank you guys for helping me see that the things that feel like "BIG" things are actually just small things that are being magnified under a microscope.
• Still making baby wipes at home and that is going very well!  Highly recommend trying it out to see how you like it because it is so simple.
• No imminent end in sight just yet when it comes to breastfeeding.  The plan is to wait for cues from Presley that she is ready to end the breastfeeding relationship.  Until then, we are both content with our extra special bonding time.  What was once something that I once resented is something I will be sad to see go.
• She's saying words all the time - some of which we don't yet understand.  Others are clear as day such as "hi" "dada" and "mama" are the words she says regularly.  Her favorite phrase is "Hi dada" and she says it to Tony all the time.  Melts.  My.  Heart.  She is so sweet to him.
• She responds so well to our cues now... such as "Can I have a kiss?" to which she responds with a kiss; "Can you say YAY?" to which she starts clapping; "Presley, say HI." to which she starts waving and saying "Hiiiii".  There are a few other "tricks" of hers that are so cute, but those are my absolute favorites.  She also kisses her stuffed animals, babies, and even her blankies now.  (I die!!!!)

Here she is giving her puppy a kiss!

•  She's gotten so good about holding her sippy cup herself lately to take a drink.
•  Still has a bit of cradle cap (which isn't noticeable) which we got a great tip from my older sister to try a little of dandruff shampoo when showering her and it has really worked wonders!  Thanks for that tip, Amanda!
• Absolutely refuses bows on her head these days... so we got silly and when she ripped her bow off, Tony put it on Teddy Mosby, to which Presley responded unkindly to Teddy!

Pulling off her bow...

Daddy puts it on Teddy...

So Presley takes back her bow & slams Teddy's face to the ground!  So hilarious.

As you may recall, on Presley's birthday we asked our friends and family to send birthday videos for Presley - we got some really fun videos and I strung them together, check it out (shout out to Sean from A Mad Girl's Lovesong! Loved the video of you & Nat!)



In other news, I'm wanting to get into some sort of regular mommy playgroup so if any of you Quad City moms know of anything or would like to start something up - let me know and we will happily get something going!  (As you could guess we are certainly missing our weekly playdates with Molly, Alli, and Megan!!!!)

And this entry wouldn't be complete without telling you guys how much I love you all... thanks for being a part of our journey.  This year started out to be so tough for me as I battled what I assume was post-partum depression and your support and love and encouragement helped me to move mountains in my life.  I hope that all the struggling new parents who find themselves in a similar boat that I was in are lucky enough to have some real help in the form of family, friends, and even complete strangers!  You guys absolutely rock and I am forever in awe of humanity because of you guys.  Thank you for the jokes, listening ears, and empathy when I needed it most.

Birthday Party!

Wow.  First, let me start off by saying my family and I are so supremely blessed with family members who are friends and friends who are extended family members to us.  The gift of their time and love is better than anything and that was more evident tonight then ever before.  Second, we survived the party!  And we all had a fantastic time!  Until the end of the party, at least... right before we left, Presley really got upset because she was SO exhausted.  She skipped her nap today (must have been excited for the party!) and thus, her nighttime crash came a little sooner and was a bit stronger!  I felt so bad for her because we still had to pack up the car and go home before I could feed her and put her to bed.  She was such a trooper, though, and really went along well with everything today, whether it was running pre-party errands or the different aspects of her party, she did great!

I felt too busy occupied (if that makes sense?) at the party to really think about the implications of Presley turning one - and I don't think the reality of it all will hit me until her real birthday or maybe even after that.  I haven't even stopped to think about the fact that Wednesday will be my last "monthly" birthday update for Presley.  Just thinking about that makes me want to cry a little bit!  I have really enjoyed watching her grow so rapidly and can't believe on all the "lasts" that have just slipped right past us without realizing it would be our last.  (For example:  Last time she napped on me regularly... at the time I worried too much if she would ever be able to nap in her crib - so much so that I didn't soak up those little moments enough.  Last time I could set her down without her moving.  Last time she fell asleep while I was rocking her in church while at mass... etc.)  I will definitely have to find a way to keep documenting the new things she learns as time goes on.

Now, onto the party! 

We had her birthday party at a local pizza parlor and invited some of our friends and family members.

Presley's Invites from Shutterfly

Most of the guests lived in town but we also had a few from out of town - my cousin Breanne, her husband Dustin, and their son Emory (who we are going to spend Father's Day with this year) came from Milwaukee to party with Presley and my aunt Jill and uncle Chuck (who we love to visit every Easter/Thanksgiving) came from Huntley!  We felt so lucky to have them there with us.

I also got crafty and made a few decorations from ideas inspired from Pinterest!  What did parents do for fun and creative ideas before this website?!  I bought 3 packs of party hats on clearance at Jewel Osco a few weeks ago.  They had an okay design to start out with but I bought them so I could make Minnie/Mickey party hats.  This required spray painting them black, cutting circles & bows out of cardstock, adding ears and bows to the hats, and they went from this...

To this...

Awesome tutorial found here!

I also crafted together a "chalkboard" poster board full of Presley's stats.  It didn't turn out anything like what I initially envisioned, but I do like how it turned out (for the most part).  But I definitely had fun making it, that's for sure!  It was nice to just sit for a moment and think about the things Presley most enjoys.

Original inspiration for this found here

At the party, Presley had her first taste of pizza!  I think she liked it but it was hard to tell since she will pretty much eat anything we give her these days.  She also had her first real dessert and had it all to herself!  I say "dessert" since her cake turned out to be more like pudding than anything else!  I tried to make it as "healthy" as possible (bananas instead of eggs and apple juice concentrate instead of sugar) but it just didn't turn out so much like a cake after all.  Nonetheless, she seemed to really like it - which is no surprise because she has always loved bananas.  (Maybe we will have to make her a better cake for her actual birthday this Wednesday.)

Presley with my mom & her #1 balloon!

Presley and Jaime - a friend of mine from high school

Presley and Megan - another friend from high school!  Presley and I miss our weekly play dates with Megan and her nieces.

Beautiful smiles!

 

Presley and her daddy!  This is the only picture I got with Presley's party hat on - she didn't care for it.  You can also KIND of see the dirt cake cups I made for dessert for the party guests, idea from here.

Hat is gone!

Me and Presley!  She's also wearing the tutu I made for her. :)

Presley getting out of her cake-covered clothes

Dressing her in her back-up clothes... she looks pretty tired already!

We can never seem to get all six of us looking at the camera at once!  Almost!
L to R:  Megan with Alli, Me with Presley, and Erin with Molly.

We take turns looking away/looking at the camera!

Presley and Becca - a former work friend of mine from the YMCA who was also in our wedding party!

Presley and my best friend, Betsy, from high school.

Presley with Ashley & Jake - a great friend from high school and her fantastic husband.  They're expecting a baby boy this summer!  Couldn't be a more deserving couple.  :)

This is when we were saying goodbye to everyone and the long day started to hit Presley!

Presley with her Grammy - this picture is hilarious.

Presley with Jess - one of my very sweet friends!

And man, did Presley get some spectacular gifts - her friends really do know her well!  From adorable outfits to interactive toys (and several awesome Disney gifts!) she is going to be a busy and happy bee.  My cousin took video of Presley digging into her "cake" so I will need to cut it down a bit and then upload a portion to my blog.

Ending this hectic but very awesome days feeling so lucky.  Thank you to everybody who came out for our little baby girl's first birthday party - you guys make our lives so much happier and bless us with all you are!  And to everybody reading this, we certainly love you as well -  thanks for being such a special part of Presley's first year as a baby and our first year as parents!!!  Well... almost a complete year... still a few more days under that year mark. *sigh*  But like my friend Sean said... it's really just a drop in the bucket in the big scheme of things!

****update****

Here are a couple still shots from the cake video!

Her reaction just after the first bite!