BB3.0 What?!

I can't believe the last time I blogged was February 5!  A lot has happened in the past 8ish months.  For one thing, right before Craft's first birthday we discovered that we were expecting a third little bundle of joy (Surprise!  For all involved!  Seriously.).  Sorry, Baby Boy, that I did not announce your pregnancy on the blog, but it honestly took me almost the entire 9 months of pregnancy to wrap my head around the fact that you were going to be joining our family (but boy are we glad you did, I promise!).

In an effort to make it up to the baby that I did not blog weekly or even monthly pregnancy updates (oops), here is what pregnancy with number three looked like:

4ish weeks

8ish weeks

12ish weeks

13w4d

13w4d

15ish weeks

19ish weeks

21ish weeks

25ish weeks

26ish weeks

30ish weeks

32ish weeks and first NST

35 weeks and all cheeks!

35 weeks

35ish weeks...HOLY BELLY!!!

36ish weeks and mama's last workout before Ward's arrival

37 weeks on the dot..."Labor Day!"

We found out in May that BB3.0 was a BOY!  Big sister Lillian really wanted a baby sister, but quickly got used to the idea that she was going to have a brother.  She dubbed him "Hootie," (pronounced Hoo-Tay).  Sorry in advance, buddy, if that one sticks...

As with my two previous pregnancies, I had some pregnancy-induced hypertension that snuck up on us around the 32-week mark (see above for a pic of the first of what felt like a million NSTs to check in on baby).  I was very lucky in that I was able to avoid bed rest, but I pretty much lived at the doctor's office with twice (sometimes three times!)-a-week visits, ultrasounds, NSTs, etc.  Baby boy was measuring ahead, per the usual, and so the decision was made to induce at 37 weeks.

More on his birth story later (hopefully), but after a long couple of days filled with a LOT of (im)patient waiting, we welcomed Edward David Baum ("Ward") to our sweet family on Friday, September 11, 2015.  Ward was born at 3:52 pm, weighing 8 lbs 9 oz and measuring 21.25 inches long.  Big Sister Lilly and Big Brother Craft were (and continue to be) so sweet and so proud, and we are all so in love.

Sweet Ward

Big sister Lillian loving on her new Baby Brother

Big Brother Craft and "My Baby," as he calls Ward

Baum Squad, Party of 5

Welcome to the world, my sweet boy.  Life as we know it is going to be a wild, crazy ride, but I promise you that it will be so much fun and filled with so much love.   I also promise to try to blog at least twice this year so you don't feel TOO left out on the Baum Squad blog.  :-)  

Ward, I am so, SO blessed that I was chosen to be your mama.

BB2.0: 37 Weeks

Hard to believe, yes?  If this were last pregnancy, I would be considered full-term as of today, but they recently changed the guidelines so that now you're not considered full-term until 39 weeks.  Also, during my last pregnancy, 37 weeks was the last update I wrote and tomorrow we would be meeting sweet Lillian Grace (who was at that time still unnamed).  It's all so hard to believe - I have mentioned in the past several posts that we have been busting our tails to get organized for this baby and it is making it all seem so real.  I have some thank-yous to write tonight, so I'll go ahead and get to the stats.

Size of Baby Boy:  6 1/3 lbs (wrong) and a little over 19 inches (maybe), aka the size of a whale/elephant hybrid (otherwise known as a whalephant) bunch of swiss chard:

via

I guess there's not much going on development-wise this week (except the continual weight gain) because the only thing my pregnancy e-mail discussed related to development is that many babies have a head full of hair at birth.  I actually am excited to see whether this is true, or whether baby boy will be bald forever like his big sister.

Weight Gain So Far:  +33lbs.  My girl scout cookies arrived this week so I don't expect that to last for longer than a day.  :-)

Cravings:  Do girl scout cookies count?  

Aversions:  Not a thing.

Symptoms:  Frequent urination, insomnia is back, a LOT of lower back pain and just general discomfort.  For some reason my chair at work hurts my back SO MUCH, I can barely walk when I get up to go to the bathroom 80 times/day.  Sign from God to stay home?  Maybe.  Also inconsistent contractions and heartburn, which is funny since I haven't experienced too much of it this time around.

Movement:  Still moving around, although I'm not sure how he has room to move.  And he gets the hiccups a lot!

What I Miss:  A repeat here: sleeping.  I so wish that I could rest up before baby gets here and I lose even more sleep!

Signs of a Bump:  Is that even a question at this point?

Baby Boy: 37 Weeks + a weird back fat-looking pants indention???

Lilly: 37 weeks

What I'm Thankful For:  My sweet husband. He has been busting his tail and working tirelessly alongside me to help me feel more prepared for this baby (and it has paid off because I'm finally to the point where I feel like if this baby came today, I'd be ok with it).  He painted the nursery and assembled all furniture all by himself over the weekend and has been helping me organize all of our clothes and baby items.  He has also been running bottle parts, breast pump parts and anything else that needs to be steamed through the dishwasher (and he even cleaned out a cabinet to make room for them all without me asking!).  He is beyond wonderful, and I don't know what I'd do without him.

First load that was run through the dishwasher.  I forgot how much of this stuff we have!!!

First load put away in the newly cleaned out cabinet.  Eeek!  Can't believe I'll be using this stuff again soon!

I am also grateful for sweet Carney, who not only takes excellent care of Lilly every day (and to say that Lilly adores her would be the biggest understatement I could ever even fathom), but today surprised me by finishing all of the laundry I was working on for baby boy (including folding and organizing by size!).  She is amazing - I truly believe the Lord was looking out for us when he put her in our lives, and we are so grateful.  I don't know what we'd do without her!  Now to find a place to put everything in our closet-sized(without an actual closet) nursery...

What I'm Looking Forward To:  The end of the week and the upcoming weekend!  Lilly's second birthday is on Friday.  I know, I can't believe my baby will be two!  We have a small celebration planned at school, and lots of friends and family are coming to celebrate our sweet girl on Saturday at her gymnastics party.  We can't wait!

Doctor Appointment Update:  All is well in pregnancy-land.  My blood pressure is still perfect - 118/70 this morning.  No protein in my urine, my strep b came back negative, and my platelets, while on the low side, are fine (hooray epidurals for ginormous-headed whalephant babies!).  Doctor said that I look great and so does baby, and I was in and out pretty quickly.  I told her I felt like a first-timer - since I was induced last time around I'm not really sure what to expect, so she went over signs of labor, when to call, etc.  Eek!  I also asked when they'd check me - mainly so I know how much work I have to do next week to evacuate this baby - and she said it's up to me.  I mean who really WANTS to be checked, it is severely unpleasant.  BUT sometimes it starts the labor process...so bring it on, doc.

Next Doctor Appointment:  Next Tuesday, the 28th.  

This is another one of those "if you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen this" photos, but it's too cute not to share.  Lilly wanted to love all over Layla tonight, and the following series of photos has made me laugh SO hard all night.  Poor Layla looks terrified!

We are allegedly experiencing snowmageddon over here tonight.  I did actually see snowflakes and it was actually accumulating a little when I was outside a little while ago to let Layla out, so we'll see what happens.  I hope L still has school tomorrow, she hasn't gotten to go in hat seems like forever (knee injury/doctor appointment Friday and Holiday closure Monday) and she's going a little stir crazy from being cooped up!

Tomorrow is hump day, hooray!

Sarah

BB2.0: 20 Weeks

I am pretty sure I wrote the same thing during Lilly's 20-week pregnancy update (just confirmed, it was actually the title of the post) but I have had Journey playing in my head as my background music all day (Woahhhhhhh we're halfway there...).  I seriously can't believe it, I feel like I just found out I was pregnant and then I blinked and here we are.  Honestly I am starting to get a little stressed, we have SO MUCH to do to prepare for Baby B 2.0.  Essentially our entire house needs to be cleaned out and reorganized (including Lilly's clothes SIGH), which was bugging me before but it's way worse with the impending birth.  Additionally, we have a construction project that requires a contractor (Daddy, are you there?  Hehehe!) so that Baby B 2.0 has a place to sleep.  Not to mention a crib.  Oh, and we need to figure out how to make our guest bedroom into a guest bedroom that also functions as a playroom (I don't want a murphy bed and Dan doesn't want a sleeper sofa).  Ideas welcome.  And lastly, I know that we will never agree on a name.  OY.  I'm going to have to panic later, though, because you guessed it...Mama's tired.  :-)  Now for the stats!

Size of Baby B 2.0:  Baby boy weighs about 8.5 ounces and measures about 6 inches from head to bottom, aka the size of an heirloom tomato.

Developmentally, a lot is going on this week.  In a nut shell, his brain is developing hardcore (mainly sensory development) and he may or may not be able to hear my voice now.  Kidneys are functioning, hair on his scalp (if any) is sprouting, and vernix (the nasty stuff that makes babies look like discolored aliens when they first come out) is forming on his skin "to keep it from pickling in the amniotic fluid (source: Babycenter)."  Ew.

Side Note:  Uncle Tracy has dubbed this baby "Terminator" and I think I kind of like it.

Weight Gain So Far:  Per my official weigh-in at the doctor, I am up 8 lbs from where I started.  Four of those have been gained in the past four weeks.  Whoops.  

Cravings:  Golden Grahams (seriously).  And still loving some soup (really any kind but this week tomato or lentil) and grilled cheese.  Re: Golden Grahams and grilled cheese, I think I might be trapped in a 12-year-old's (or maybe even 20-month-old's - L loves both of those) body. 

Aversions:  Nada.

Symptoms:  Same old.  Tired, pipes are clogged, peeing all. the. time.  I have also been experiencing some cramping this week as well as some headaches.  More on that in a minute.  Oh and also I can't remember whether I've mentioned the weird ring/skin symptom yet (forgive me if I have), but I haven't been wearing my engagement and wedding ring for a few weeks.  I think pregnancy has somehow made me allergic to jewelry (Whatever you do, DON'T tell Dan!!!!).  I have this nasty rash (it starts out as a rash, pretty much rubs my skin raw and then starts getting dry and flaky and gross)on my ring finger that develops when I wear them.  It seems to heal when I don't wear my rings, so I've been leaving them off, but it feels so strange.  I read that this is common during pregnancy, but I don't think I've met anyone else who has experienced it.  So weird.

Movement:  I'm getting some more frequent movement but still not a ton yet.  The nurse at my doctor appointment yesterday assured me that this is totally normal.  In fact, she told me that if people say they are feeling a lot of movement at this point in time, she doesn't believe them (okay maybe those weren't her exact words but it's close enough).

What I Miss:  I was really digging the idea of a pumpkin beer last Friday evening when we were tailgating for our concert.  The weather was perfectly fall-like.  I had an O'Douls, which I like a lot more than I thought I would and surprisingly isn't too bad, but it's not the same.

Signs of a Bump:  Ah yes.  Large and whale-like in charge.  Although I feel like it is somehow distributed very differently this time.  Dan agrees.  My maternity clothes from Lilly's pregnancy don't fit very well, and in weird places.  The upside to that is that I get to do a little shopping.  Don't worry, I'm not going crazy (sort of).  :-)

BB2.0 20 weeks

Lilly 20 weeks

What I'm Thankful For:  A so-far great and very smooth pregnancy.  Although Lilly's pregnancy was still sunshine and daisies at this point last time around as well (for approximately 10 more weeks in fact), but let's not dwell on the details.  No worrying here!

What I'm Looking Forward To:  Two mini vacays in the next two weeks!  We are spending this weekend with Dan's parents at the beach since I will be there for work on Thursday and Friday, and then we are going to the beach with my family for a long weekend next weekend.  So much fun (and hopefully relaxation, and a tan wouldn't hurt either!)!

Doctor Visit Update:  Everything is fine and dandy!  My blood pressure is still totally normal and in fact is lower than it was at this point in Lilly's pregnancy (106/62 yesterday).  Once the doctor came in, he checked for the heartbeat, which he found immediately and was clear and strong at 150 bpm.  He said that I am "textbook" and was literally in my room for maybe 2 minutes and then I was done.  I mentioned my headaches just because they were a problem last time, and he said not to worry because tension headaches are common and every pregnancy is different, and since my blood pressure is perfectly fine he's not concerned.  Fingers crossed it stays that way.  All in all, an excellent pregnancy progress report for our little man, hooray!

Next Doctor Appointment:  I go back in four weeks, October 22, to meet with the nurse practitioner.  I'll also get info about my glucose test at that visit.  Blech.

That's all for tonight!  I think sweet Lilly bean may be getting sick, she has been running a fever this evening.  I'm bummed, because that means I can't send her to school tomorrow so she'll miss two days this week since we'll be out of town on Friday.  I'm sure she will not know the difference, but she loves school!

Today, my sweet Lilly is 20 months old.  And tomorrow is hump day.   HOORAY!

Sarah

Pregnancy Musings

written on June 10, 2013*

I was writing these posts in blogger and saving them for later instead of publishing, but I am scared to death that I am going to accidentally hit "publish" before we're ready to spill the beans, so I moved them to a Word document for safe keeping until our secret is out.  Sneaky sneaky.

Life has been keeping us so busy.  Just in the past two weeks alone I helped to throw a baby shower for my middle sister, Katy, and then our youngest sister, Sydney, graduated from high school.  How’s that for making me feel OLD?  On top of it all, work has been insanely busy, so there hasn’t been a lot of time to really think about anything other than getting through the day.

This pregnancy somehow still doesn’t quite seem “real” to me yet.   I keep wondering if it’s because the timing was surprising, or maybe it could be because I have no idea how far along I am (hence the lack of “update” posts) combined with the fact that I don’t go to the doctor until next week (hurry up June 17^th!).  I am so excited to meet our little babe, see him/her for the first time, hear his/her heartbeat, and get a due date.  Let’s do this thing.

I can’t wait to tell our family and friends the news.  I keep wondering if anyone will be surprised, or if they’ve all been expecting it (or in my family’s case, suspecting it, since we’ve seen them a good amount recently).   In keeping with the theme of my last pregnancy, we have already told Chris and Andrea (last time, Andrea helped me decipher the pregnancy test).  This time, there was no mistaking the outcome of the test, but we dropped by for a visit a few weekends ago when we were in the area and I couldn’t eat anything for fear of barfing.  Hilariously, the resulting conversation ensued:

Chris (jokingly): We have other stuff if you don’t like what I made, but tell me, how old will Lilly be when her sibling arrives?

Dan (or Sarah, I can’t remember):  I am not exactly sure of the timing, but I am betting they will be right at 24 months apart.

Chris:  Seriously?  Wellllllll that joke went horribly wrong.

Ha!  My plan at this moment in time, unless I come up with something better, is to have a shirt made for Lilly that says “I’m going to be a big sister!” and let her wear it around family (or while FaceTiming) and see how long it takes them to notice.  My goal is to wait until after July 13^th to tell, if possible.  My sister is due 7/5 and I am helping to host a baby shower for Meredith (Dan's sister) on 7/13, so if I can celebrate those two special events before spilling the beans, I’ll be happy.  Birthing babies and baby showers should be all about celebrating the mommy-to-be!  Although, if I’m being honest, considering we’ve been with my family for the past three weekends, two of which I’ve known I was pregnant, I am shocked that no one has asked why I haven't been drinking wine. 

So far, I haven’t really felt very differently, other than constant nausea.  Luckily, I have only actually thrown up a handful of times, but the feeling is not pleasant all the same.  I’m also generally tired, but honestly not as exhausted as I thought I’d be (or as I remember being the last time around).  Maybe that part is yet to come.  I just remember when I was pregnant with Lilly falling asleep on the couch every night at approximately 7:30 pm and sleeping through the night with no problems.  So far, this time around, I have actually had trouble sleeping as opposed to falling asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.  I’m not sure whether I’m subconsciously worrying about what the heck I’m going to do with two kids (house space and daycare to name a few worries!), or whether it just hasn’t hit me yet.  Anyway, aforementioned weird sleep issues are making me miss Diet Coke that much more.  I may have to take up drinking coffee or tea for a caffeine boost!  I have also noticed a few headaches so far, but I am praying that they are a result of normal pregnancy in conjunction with quitting Diet Coke cold turkey.  Lord knows we do not need bed rest this time around.

Anyway, so far so good.  More updates to come!

Sarah

Soooooooo this happened.

originally written on May 30*

Yup.  I am starting all over with the super secret blog posts...at least for a few weeks until I can publish them.  

I'm sure we will get this question a lot, so I'll just go ahead and address the elephant in the "room": no, it was not "planned," per se.  I say "per se" because it wasn't really not planned either, if that makes sense.  Obviously, we knew it was a possibility, I just mean that this timing was not what we thought it would be.  Let me back up.

It seems like once your oldest child turns one, the only way people can think to start a conversation is, "So, are you ready for number 2?"  It's crazy because we always said we thought we wanted our kids to be pretty close together, and we thought we'd start "trying" again when Lilly turned one.  But then Lilly turned one, and we changed our minds.  She was such a good, easy (for the most part) baby, and she was becoming so. much. fun.  Don't get me wrong, she's normally fun and I've enjoyed every stage with her, but right around the time she turned one (maybe a little before), it's like she grew up overnight and was able to start interacting with us and we have just been having a blast.  In addition to that, since I didn't stop nursing until L was almost 13 months old, I wanted my body to myself for at least a few months.  I was just telling some girlfriends last week that due to all of the above, for the first time in my life I didn't really have a "plan" (those of you who know me will understand that this is extremely abnormal) in place related to timing for Baby Baum number two.  In recent weeks, Dan and I had just started having the conversation of "when” (literally, we’d maybe discussed it twice), and decided that maybe we'd start trying somewhere in the fall/early winter and shoot for a late summer/early fall 2014 baby (at the earliest).  I am here to tell y'all that the Lord had different plans for the Baum Squad, and we are so excited!

I didn't really have much of a reason to take a test this morning other than the fact that I have just been feeling weird - that's the best way I can describe it.  TMI alert here - I am late for my period, but by only a few days, and honestly that is totally normal for me - my cycle is so crazy that sometimes I'm “late” by 2-3 (and sometimes many more) weeks.  For whatever reason, though, something told me to take a test this morning.  I assumed I was overreacting as usual, until those two lines showed up mid-stream.  Seriously, hadn't even finished peeing on the stick before it was positive.  I think I was in a state of shock for the rest of the day.  Things were crazy at work, so I was distracted, but I still can't believe I kept it to myself all day.  I was so desperate to tell SOMEONE and was tempted all day to text Dan the photo of the test, but I stayed strong (secrets are SO HARD!!!).  

Speaking of announcing the news to my Baby Daddy (he was already at work when I took the test), I wanted so badly to do something cute to let him know that I'm once again, as he says, “knocked up.”  My original plan was to try to keep it a secret until Father's Day, which I thought was only two weeks away.  Then reality hit...he would for sure notice me not drinking wine (oh, how I will miss wine again).  Additionally, I thought he may want to go to my first doctor appointment since I'll have an ultrasound, and that is currently scheduled for June 12 (before Father's Day).  Plan B was to have Lilly in a "big sister" shirt when he got home from work tonight and see how long it took him to notice (I know for a fact that it wouldn’t have taken long because my husband is extremely observant.).  I left work an hour early (didn't take a lunch) and went to four baby stores, and no one had any shirts like that (Why do stores not keep these in stock?!  All of the sales associates told me that on the rare occasion that they do have shirts like that, the shirts fly off the shelves, so you would think they’d keep them in stock.  Nope.).  Soooooo I had to improvise and be boring.  We came to Charlotte tonight for the weekend because Katy has two baby showers, so I just put the positive test stick in Dan's suitcase and he found it when was packing.  His reaction was priceless.  I heard a lot of exclamations coming from upstairs...he was very surprised, of course, and came flying down the stairs for a hug and a kiss and to tell me how excited he is.  So sweet, that man.

I am already wrestling with a tad bit of anxiety/Mommy guilt.  Don't get me wrong, I am ecstatic about this pregnancy.  I know that we are so blessed, and I cannot wait to get my hands on Baby Baum 2.0, but I found myself worrying today about whether we've had enough time with just Lilly.  Poor Baby Baum 2.0 (Knowing my husband like I do, I'm sure there will be a better nickname before too long!) won't get any alone time, and plenty of people have children much closer together than 24 months, but still.  Not to mention, what are we going to do with two kids?  And where are we going to put them?!  What can I say?  Worrying is my thing.

Anyway, that's all for now.  I wanted to write everything while it was fresh, for "baby book" purposes.  I will try my hardest to be diligent about pregnancy updates like I was with L (Finding the time will be another issue all together, oy!).  I can't wait to see what is in store for our little family!

Sarah

Things I will (and won't) miss.

Howdy, readers!  Hope everyone is feeling chipper and refreshed today after a fabulous weekend and that you didn't all stay up too late watching football.  :-)  Although, the weather here is so yucky that if you have a case of the Mondays I wouldn't blame you.

I called the doctor first thing this morning hoping they would tell me to come on in ASAP, but the odds was not in my favor SIGH.  Our appointment is at 2:50.  I know I will spend the day in a fit of anxiety!  I joked with Dan that perhaps I'll clean the house today so I'll be nice and swollen by the time we go...KIDDING.  I promised him that  I would sit on the couch and rest.  I may even write some more thank you notes if I'm feeling frisky (even though I have so many to write that the thought of doing it is enough to make me not want to, ha!).

In honor of a possible induction this week, I thought I would post about things I will (and will not) miss about being pregnant.  Disclaimer: Please do not misunderstand and think that I am complaining.  All pregnancies have fun and not-so-fun times, and anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar (ha!).  For the most part, I have been blessed with a wonderful and easy pregnancy, and I have really enjoyed it.  But there are still things that I could do without in a perfect world.  So here goes:

Things I will miss:

• The knowledge that I am growing a little tiny human being, which Dan and I made, inside of me.  A woman's body is truly incredible!
• Sweet little baby girl movements - even the hard punches and jabs.  It is so cool to feel her moving around in there and to know that she's okay - even cooler still when I can see it!  Some people find that weird and alien-like.  I will admit that I used to as well, until I experienced it.  There's nothing like it!
• Sweet little baby hiccups.  Even when they happen 5 times a day for no less than 30 minutes at a time.  They are so cute!
• Semi-normal sleep, and nap time that is acceptable pretty much whenever.  :-)
• Being able to consume vast quantities of chocolate that is hidden behind my belly and doesn't immediately show up in my rear.  Ha!

Things I will NOT miss:

• The aches, pains and general discomfort that comes with late pregnancy.  My body has had to work hard to do the incredible things it does to sustain this baby, and by the third trimester you can reallyyyyy feel it.
• My husband's new favorite past times, which include but are not limited to: "I spy with my little eye...A BELLY!!!" because mine is so big that sometimes my shirts are too short; hysterical giggling instead of help at the sight of me attempting to put on socks and shoes; more hysterical giggling at my whale-ish self trying to roll out of bed (or off the couch, even) rocking back and forth like a turtle stuck on its back.
• Bed rest.  Ohhhhhhh bed rest you are my worst enemy.
• Heartburn, constipation, swelling, nausea, headaches, frequent urination, and sleeping on my side.  Oh, and preeclampsia.
• My maternity clothes.  I was so excited to be able to wear them, but now I'm at the point where only a few things fit and I feel like I'm wearing those few things all the time.  I'm hoping my old clothes will feel like I just went on a shopping spree once they fit!

With all of that said, I am looking so forward to meeting this little girl (maybe even this week, fingers crossed!).  I can't wait to see what she looks like!  I watched the wedding slide show that Mere and Mikey made for us for our wedding so that I could see our baby pictures, and it made me even more excited.  I can't wait to watch her grow and develop a personality, and I can't wait for her to meet all of our wonderful friends and family and realize how truly loved she is.  I can't wait to watch Dan with her - he's wrapped around her tiny princess fingers already and doesn't even know it yet.  I can't wait to grow with her and learn from her (hopefully she'll learn a thing or two from Dan and I as well).  I can't wait to see how Layla is with her, and for her to meet her grandparents and all of her aunts and uncles (both blood and honorary!).  Most of all, I can't wait to love on her and snuggle her and drown her with kisses.  So, seriously: come on out, baby girl!  We're ready to meet you!

Updates to come this afternoon after our doctor appointment.  Thanks again for all of the love, prayers, words of encouragement and support! 

Sarah