Ginger Kids!

Our holidays were good. We did the usual family stuff and had a great time being together. It was fun watching Gwen enjoy Christmas this year. I would say, being three years old, that this was really the first Christmas she understood. We also experienced a lot of sorrow this holiday season watching friends and family go through some devastating losses. It's so heartbreaking watching those you love go through so much grief and it also conjured up so much emotion for me by remembering everything with Olivia. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her.

Lewis is now four months old. He is so fun and really starting to express opinions and personality. He LOVES Gwen and loves to watch her do just about anything. His eyes rarely leave her! He is:

20 pounds 28 inches
giggling
rolling over
"talking"
starting to get into a sleep schedule
tolerating the car more
playing with toys
a total momma's boy
my favorite little dude ever!

The day we came home from the hospital vs. 3 months!

'Nuf said!

The Incredible Growing Boy!

I bought this onesie at Target a while ago for, like, $1.74 and thought it would be a great monthly picture for my little dude-one each month until his first birthday. I forgot all about it the first month but I guess 2 months is still an ok place to start.

Our mini-man turned two months on Oct. 31st and he was all but 26" long and a hair under 16 pounds at his check up!! The onesie is size 18mos and, as you can see, is definitely big but not swimmingly so! I actually got his six month clothes out this past weekend and they are a perfect fit! Needless to say the little guy is a tiny giant! We compared him to Gwen AND his daddy at the same age and he has far exceeded them both! My doc said that I was "making butter" and someone else said "magic milk"! Ha!

Lewis is amazing! I love him so much and he has definitely brought us much joy! I can tell he is going to be a tender hearted little guy and probably a momma's boy-well actually he already is a momma's boy! You know what, though? I don't care! I love that he wants me more and that he lights up when I'm around! The fact that he wants me so much makes me feel all warm and gooey inside and I'll snuggle him all he wants!! I love my little/big Incredible Growing Boy!

I'm so in love with this little guy!

I really am! If you remember when I first posted that I found out we were having a boy I had mixed emotions about it. I had wanted a girl and I didn't know what on earth I would ever do with a boy! As my pregnancy went on I was totally fine with the idea and even excited but, as a lot of you know, you don't really know your capacity to love your children until the minute they are out and in your arms! Truth is I can't imagine him not being here!

My little dude is:
a cuddle bug
loves kisses on his forward and sticks his little face out for more
a great sleeper
a great eater (a Fretz for sure!)
already in size 3 mos clothes (some brands)
pretty chill most of the time (unless is time to eat)
born to a mom, dad, and sister that love him more than we will ever be able to express.

Irene

Not that I have anything major to say about Hurricane Irene, but since this is kinda like my journal I thought I would post about the damage to our place. As you can see it's very minimal and for that I'm grateful. This poor apple tree has been standing and rotting since we moved here a couple of years ago and I've often wondered why the landlord hasn't taken it down. Well I guess he'll be around soon enough to finish the job.
Andy and I got our porches ready for the storm yesterday morning and had a lazy day at home waiting for it to come. We decided (prompted by a friend) around 8:00 pm to take Gwen and Winnie over to his parents house for the night just in case I were to go into labor. With all the talk I heard about barometric pressure inducing labor and the fact that I'm due tomorrow we agreed the last thing we would want to do in that event was brave the storm on the way to their house and then the hospital. We dropped them off at around 9:00 pm and came home and started a movie. Around 11:00 pm our power went and boy was that weird. Every house on our street was black. I wasn't scared but I didn't like it with what was going on outside. His parents still had power so we went over for a sleepover too. I guess the change in barometric pressure never got low enough because I'm certainly still pregnant!
The power was back on this morning when we came home and no flooding! I was concerned about those two things-that we would have some flooding in the basement and/or be out of power long enough to lose food in the freezer. I'm so grateful that neither of those things happened and I'm definitely thinking about those that did have hardship with this storm.
Tomorrow is house cleaning day! Maybe if I run up and down the stairs enough something will happen! I'll let you know!

waiting waiting waiting...

I had on my to-do list to make a blog update today but I really have nothing to say. Been to the doc a couple of times since my last post and we have come to a decision to induce on the 31st of this baby doesn't come before that. I don't LOVE the idea but the Doc was very firm with me that this baby is big and he doesn't want to be sitting with me in the office at 41/42 weeks with a baby that could be, at that point, between 11-12 pounds! I have to let myself believe that I made the best decision. I really don't want to be induced (and maybe I won't be) but the doc insisted that we have a plan so that's our plan.
This week has been pretty normal. Just maintaining the house, keeping busy and on my feet (to help things out of course) and entertaining Gwen. I did catch a bit of a stomach bug or something in the beginning of the week that hung on right up till today. I actually went to the hospital upon the nurses encouragement to make sure I wasn't in labor. I didn't think I was but I also know that I shouldn't take any sort of minor GI distress lightly when I'm this far along!
So for now I'm sitting on the couch watching "Gone With the Wind" (it's been on my list to watch since I finished the book several months ago) and hoping that Irene has her way and induces me herself! I've heard several times today that those sort of things are common! I really don't care if the weather is bad, I just want this kid out!!!

I'm ready!

I AM ready! A week ago I was still panicking. The baby's beds were not set up, clothes not washed or put away, bags not packed, no organization...but I worked my little (ok, big!) tail off and within a couple of days I am SO, and probably overly, prepared for the coming of this little one. I was also able to catch up and get the rest of my house in order and have come up with a weekly schedule of what I need to do daily to keep it that way! Sounds a bit dorky, yes, but it's working and it feels good knowing that if I have to drop everything and leave for a couple of days I'll come home to a house that's ready and welcoming!
Until then I just stay as active as possible glad for the distraction and hoping my activity will bring on labor! I'm also anxiously awaiting another Doc appointment today which should be quite interesting. I am 38 1/2 weeks now and this is the point they will start checking me and encouraging inducing early. My gargantuan kid was estimated to weigh about 8 pounds 3 weeks ago so of course we are all expecting at least a 10 pounder! I know these end ultrasounds are routinely inaccurate but I still don't doubt for a minute this kid is big! I'm actually battling with this a lot. I've been doing some research and talking to friends and I'm not yet convinced that inducing early is the best option for me. Reason being that I've been induced before (with Gwen) and it was certainly NOT an ideal experience. I had little choice in that situation because I had a bit of high blood pressure at the end my pregnancy with her so they induced me when I wasn't even close to going on my own. Much harder than an ordinary induction/delivery.
The second reason is that there are no concerns they see specifically in me that would cause complications, it's just an "across the board" thing-"these are the complications we can sometimes see with having big babies". Well, here's a news flash-I'M NOT A SMALL PERSON AND THIS ISN'T MY FIRST RODEO! Honestly though, if it's truly baby time won't he, for the most part, come naturally and MORE easily than if I was induced?!?! I am open to your experiences and advice so bring it on!
I suppose I'll know more at 12:10 today! Until sometime, as you can see in the pic, all my bags are packed...