Oliver is a walking maniac. After just 4 short weeks of practice, Oliver is a little dude on the move. I wouldn't be surprised if he'll be running by the end of next month. Oh good, he'll be ready to really tear up the house just in time for the new baby to arrive! I have to say though, I am thankful that I don't have to carry him all over the place while my own body is so burdened down right now.

Only 16 days remain until the big due date. Baby #2 could arrive ANY day now (most babies are born two weeks before or two weeks after their due dates). I've been feeling really good- just more tired and achy than usual. A head cold that's been lingering since Christmas has been a little annoying, but nothing to write home about.

I still haven't tipped the scales at 200 lbs. like I did with Oliver, but I'm getting pretty close. That sounds so wacky to me- I never imagined weighing over 200 lbs. I don't FEEL like I weigh that much, and my friends (yes, even the honest ones) tell me that I don't look like I weigh 200 lbs. Guess I should be lucky I'm tall.

The old nesting instinct is in full-effect right now. I'm always tired but I can't help but constantly tidy things up. It's hard for me to sit still knowing there's a stack of half-opened mail on the dining room table, a basket of baby clothes that need to be hung up, an array of dishes on the kitchen counter, and a smattering of toothpaste on the bathroom mirror. It must be done NOW!!! What if the baby decides to arrive today? I'll never have time to do this stuff later! It's frustrating to see Miller totally unaffected in this manner. How can you just sit there and relax when there's all this stuff to get done? How lazy are you? I have to remind myself that he doesn't have crazy hormones screaming in his ears that the inevitable deadline is looming closer with every passing hour. Besides, it's the holidays. Normal people actually relax during the holidays. We've had an occassional tiff, but overall Miller has been generous with his patience. I just hope it holds. Once the 24-hour feeding marathons begin again, I'm sure my sleep-deprived-self won't be the easiest to get along with. Hopefully we've both learned a few things since Round 1. When the bell signals the opening of Round 2, at least I'll be up and at them- gritting my teeth or not.
- posted by Ma @ 9:56 AM

 
From here on out, I'm in new pregnancy territory. It was at this point in my pregnancy with Oliver that labor was induced. I'm really starting to feel loaded down lately. My joints are aching a lot and I feel like my tailbone is going to split down the middle. I'm having mobility issues and Miller told me tonight that the floor shakes when I walk(?!). Overall, my spirits have been high though. When I became pregnant this time around I was really nervous about having the strength to take care of little-man Oliver throughout the entire ordeal. Although it hasn't been easy, I'm hanging tough. Dare I say I'm actually enjoying this journey. I think I've been doing far less complaining than I'm entitled to. Pregnancy is rough, but it's such an incredible (yet completely ordinary) miracle that I can't help but enjoy the ride. Life is being created here, yet the whole thing is basically on auto-pilot. A little food, rest, and time and ta-da, baby!

The fact that we're finally in our house is a huge help this time around. It's quiet, comfortable, and OURS! However, I've been exhausting myself trying to get everything in order before #2 arrives. Try going through the nesting experience in a big 'ol brand new house. Anything that needs to be done is pretty much taken care of, but I can't stop myself from trying to tackle all the details. The clock's a-tickin.

The little peanut is doing a lot of stretching lately- she seems to be getting really strong. I can't imagine how she's going to have enough room to keep up all this movement for another 4 weeks. Also, I'm starting to wonder with a good degree of anxiety how large she's going to be at birth. Just think, Oliver was a healthly 7 pounds 2 ounces and born a whole month early. However, they say that every baby is different. Let's hope she's a healthy, reasonable size!

Oliver got socked with a fever twice this week. The first stretch was on Monday through Tuesday. Then he had a check-up on Thursday with a round of immunizations (he's now 23 pounds and 32 inches). Thursday evening his fever returned and lasted through Saturday. He was one unhappy little dude. I spent much of the past week just cuddling him- neither of us would have it any other way. Saturday afternoon/ evening his fever broke and he was back to his unsual jolly self. Today he played hard- lots of laughing, singing and walking all over the house. Tomorrow we should be back on our usual routine.

Only two more weeks of work until the holiday break/ maternity leave!!!
- posted by Ma @ 7:43 PM

 
One small step for mankind:






- posted by Ma @ 8:48 PM

 
…and we’re back! Sorry to have left you hanging for the past 9 months with the dispirited message that Ollie and I were sick. No worries, all is well! We’ve had all sorts of distractions and hiccups over the past year- just enough busyness to use as an excuse for not updating “Hotdogs”. But no longer! Onto the updates….

Highlights of the past several months:

- Post-partum depression?/ thyroid imbalance

o Returning to work after my maternity leave was the worst. In retrospect, I was both physically and mentally unprepared to return, but I felt pressure to get back on the saddle (mainly self-imposed pressure). My employer was gracious enough to let me change my position, but it did not alleviate my discomfort. It was sooooo hard for me to leave Oliver and I felt sad all the time. I felt like a wimp- afterall there are working moms all over the place. I did my best to pull it together, but felt like everyday was an impossible uphill battle. I spoke to my doctor and we discussed the issue of post-partum depression. I decided to take some additional time off of work to get myself back on track. In the meantime, my doctor issued a thyroid test which revealed that my thyroid levels were low. Apparently many women suffer from low-thyroid levels post-partum, resulting in increased feelings of fatigue and depression. This is usually an acute, temporary situation but is often undiagnosed. After a few weeks of taking the meds, I felt a huge difference. I felt like my old self again, but with a baby! The gloom left and my energy and joy returned. Unfortunately I had to stop breast feeding due to the meds, but this probably helped me to feel more normal again. Oliver did just fine with the switch to formula.


- Surprise!

o Two months after I stopped breast feeding, I still hadn’t gotten a period. I thought this was odd and on a whim thought I’d better try a pregnancy test. One thin pink line later, our fate was sealed. New baby on the way! The initial shock passed quickly and we became excited about having another child. We know now that Oliver is going to have a baby sister. Baby #2 expected to drop mid January, which means that I’m already well into the third trimester (33rd week). This pregnancy certainly was not chronicled via 'Hotdogs' the way the previous one was. Things have gone extremely smooth this time around- much less anxiety about every new sensation and fewer complications overall. Let’s hope the delivery will follow suit.


- New house

o We were finally able to move into our new house at the end of July. All of the waiting was worth it. We have tons of space and great neighbors. Lots of space for the kiddos to play and explore. A note to friends and family: we love having visitors!


- Return to work P/T

o Shortly after moving into the new house I returned to work. However, with a baby at home and one on the way, I knew I wouldn’t have much energy to spare. I worked out a temporary part-time position with my employer which has worked out fabulously. After the baby is born I plan on staying home with the kids for quite a while (TBD).


- Oliver turns 1
Our little man is growing fast. He turned 1 on 9/4/06. We celebrated with the family in Wisconsin. He didn't like the birthday cake, but loved his new toys.

o Grub: Oliver is eating like a champ. He’s gone from breast milk to formula, then single-grain cereals, then pureed solid foods, and finally to regular ol’ chunky table food and whole milk. This boy will eat just about anything.

o Chompers: His mouth reluctantly pushed out two bottom teeth just before his first birthday and then four top teeth all at once in the past few weeks.

o Communication: Mostly babbling still going on, but we’ve got the basics covered: mama, dada, kitty, tane (train), bompa and ama (grandpa and grandma), die-die (diaper), and bah-bah (bottle). Ollie is also waving hi/goodbye and pointing at objects of interest.

o Relationships: Once Oliver learned how to smile he smiled at strangers and friends alike- everywhere, all the time. Now that he’s learning to discriminate a bit, he’s a bit more hesitant on showing affection to just anyone. However, the nickname “Smiley” has stuck with him at daycare. When he’s at daycare he tends to play solo more often than not. Although he’s usually pretty content he freaks out with a “nails on the chalkboard” scream when another child takes his toy away and is quite irritable when he’s hungry (just like Mom).

o Locomotion: Oliver scooted around for quite a while until he finally discovered crawling. He took to it quickly and started motoring everywhere. A couple months later he started to pull up to standing, and before long took those first steps while holding onto objects for support. This week he just started walking unsupported! He falls often but is a persistent little guy. His eyes just light up when he toddles around.

For those of you wondering, Miller is doing great as well. As usual, he's been very supportive and helpful (once baseball season was over that is- cough). Speaking of baseball, Oliver made over 20 Sox games this season. Miller did not miss a single home game! Oliver was a trooper at the ballpark. He loved watching people and bouncing around to the music at the games. When I was sick one day, the boys went to a game together and caught a foul ball hit by Iguchi right up to their seats. Great souvenir, eh? We'll see how next season will unfold.

Thanks for hanging in there with us all this time!!! New pics coming soon.
- posted by Ma @ 7:53 PM