Momma's Monday Check-in: 17/40

Note: McFatty Monday's is no longer! Instead I will post Momma's Monday Check-in. Join me as I eat and exercise my way through the next 23 weeks.

Due Date: April 8, 2011

Total weight gain: 6

Cravings/Aversion: None to think of.

Sleep: It was a tough week. Not a lot of sleep for me.

I can't live without (or at least I don't want to): Roscoe's nanny.

I miss: Having the option to sleep on my stomach. Some nights that just sounds so comfy and preferable to side sleep.

I am looking forward to: The Bradley instructor course starts this week on Thursday!

Aha moment: I am privileged to know Roscoe and to have the opportunity to parent him.

Best moment this week: Hearing the baby's heartbeat was nice. Even though I'm obviously pregnant, confirmation never gets old.

Milestones: 17 weeks feels so close to halfway!!

Movement: I've had a few episodes of distinct activity, but Little Sears doesn't seem as active as I remember Roscoe being at this stage.

Gender: We find out in 9 days! The menu is set, and the decorations have been chosen! I'll be wearing blue to the party.

Exercise: I boxed on Monday, ran 5 miles on Tuesday, and then went to boxing on Friday. Despite my best intentions I never made it on my second run, nor did I lift any weights. Boo.

Diet: We bought some Irish Butter during our weekly grocery spree. It is SO delicious that I devoured several loaves of bakery bread just so I could eat more of it. Halloween is over too, which is a good thing.

Goals for the upcoming week: I'll be staying at a hotel Thursday through Sunday so, realistically, I'll get two or three days of cardio in. Hopefully at least half of those days will be for running.

Belly Shot:

Labor Signs: None

Happy Halloween 2010!

Morning Treats

Pumpkin Painting Craft

Skunky

Trick or Treating (at Grandma's)

Seventeen weeks

Our midwife resides in Maryland and travels to her clients who live in the surrounding area. I love home visits but the nature of the profession sometimes complicates scheduling.

At 12:30 this morning Susan delivered a baby and didn't make it back home until 5 am. Then she slept, woke up, and made the trip back to Virginia to begin her prenatal rounds. Our appointment was scheduled for 10, and then rescheduled for 11. In some ways I love when this happens because I get a first person account of her baby catching adventures, and I enjoy every opportunity to hear about recent births.

Roscoe and Susan were reunited for the first time since he was a newborn. It was an event that I've been looking forward to for a long time. Roscoe woke from his nap and was a little shy at first. Once fully awake, he began demonstrating his physical tricks: jumping, climbing, coloring, chewing a whole starburst. He seemed interested in Susan only after some time had passed, offering up one of his cars and also bringing books to her.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, or why I was left feeling a little disappointed. Maybe I was hoping for something along the lines of, "Oh my, you delivered me! And changed my Momma's life forever! I've been saving this hug just for you!" Ha. Perhaps next time.

Little Sears is growing right on track. The top of my uterus is almost to my belly button now. We heard the heartbeat on Doppler very clearly (in the 140's), but my attention was diverted by a suddenly tearful Roscoe, who seemed especially empathetic and concerned for the duration of the visit. It's a good thing that he'll have plenty of appointments between now and April to get to know Susan a little better.

We spent most of the hour talking about how I am feeling these days, discussing ways to alleviate exercise induced SPD, weaning, and my mini fear about precipitous labor. It's our time spent talking that I savor most about my appointments with Susan.

In other news, we stumbled on a boys name last night that hit us in the same way that Roscoe did. So, I think we have our final two contenders! One for a boy and one for a girl. And we have just 12 more days to wait.

Pumpkin Cake

The annual pumpkin cake was baked and devoured last weekend. As sophomores in college, a girlfriend of mine introduced me to this moist and spicy cake topped with fluffy cream cheese icing. Her dad, a former chef, frequently invited us to his home for fancy coursed dinners complete with candlelight and appetizers. We were in heaven.

Somehow, I was able to get my hands on the recipe for this ah-mazing cake and it has been an integral part of our Fall festivities for the past 8 years. I bake it only during the season, and while people have begged me for the recipe, I don't dare. It's really not mine to share. I do bake it on request, however!

As the Sous-Chef De Cuisine Roscoe gave five stars to the batter, the icing, and the final product.

What are your favorite Fall treats? Do you share your "secret" recipes with people who ask?

Momma's Monday Check-in: 16/40

Note: McFatty Monday's is no longer! Instead I will post Momma's Monday Check-in. Join me as I eat and exercise my way through the next 24 weeks.

Due Date: April 8, 2011

Total weight gain: 6

Cravings: Hmm, Halloween candy!

Aversions: None.

Sleep: Sooo tired. I sleep on the couch in the loft now to avoid extra nightly disturbances since I'm still having a really hard time falling back to sleep if I wake up.

I can't live without: Our extra deep, super comfy sofa, three pillows, and my favorite quilt.

I miss: The satisfaction that comes from crossing items off my to-do list. I don't even make to-do lists anymore. That's just weird.

I am looking forward to: My second prenatal appointment is this Thursday. I'm ready for some face time with my midwife, and to hear the baby's heartbeat again.

Aha moment: Roscoe's spontaneous kisses are the best pick-me-up.

Best moment this week: I went to a baby shower over the weekend and it made me really excited to pull out all the new-baby gear that we have in storage, and to inventory Roscoe's layette. I have great memories washing and folding newborn clothes, and organizing them in the nursery.

Milestones: I think my feet are starting to swell already...what!? They've been really tight at the end of the day for the past two days. Nooo, it's way too early!!

Movement: The last few days I've felt more little bumps, but not as often as I'd like. They are definitely getting stronger though.

Gender: We find out in 16 days! The menu is set, and I've moved on to the decorations. I haven't thrown a party in a while, and even though this is going to be low-key, I have a few (probably considered dated) ideas that I've really been wanting to try. Tissue pom poms anyone?

Exercise: I ran 4 miles on Sunday, 3 miles on Friday, and boxed on Wednesday. I meant to run a five miler last night but it got dark before I got home so I rescheduled it for this Tuesday. I'm trying to coordinate my long runs with a girlfriend of mine, which is so much better than running alone.

Diet: With Halloween candy overflowing a bucket downstairs, and a few festivities centered around food, I'm all sugared out. The number on the scale's moving up too.

Goals for the upcoming week: Two days of running, two days of boxing, and ugh I need to figure out how to fit in two sessions of weightlifting (three would be better, but I know that won't happen).

Belly Shot:

Labor Signs: None

Bradley Halloween

The Annual Bradley Babies' Halloween party was today!! Remember last year? (scroll to the bottom for pictures)

For 2010 the boys dressed as bam-bam, a giraffe, and a skunk, while our girl Lillian brought the spirit of the season with her adorable orange and black ensemble.

Cornbread, chili, cider, and pumpkin cake were abundant. As always, it made me feel warm to catch up with the girls, and it just felt good to have our group together again, even though two of the original b-baby families weren't able to attend.

Roscoe melted my heart as a little skunk.

Life after work

As I prepare to carve out a new life for myself as a stay at home mom, I'm also preparing to embark on a new professional path.

My passion for the last decade has been reproductive and sexual health education. In this time I have accrued thousands of volunteer hours centered around improving the health of the people that live in my community. I have a bachelors degree in Biomedical Engineering, and a masters in Public Health Epidemiology. Since graduating I've held two professional positions, neither of which have fully utilized my expertise, nor have they struck gold in my heart of hearts.

The past four years spent behind a desk, first in DC, and now from home, have given me the time and opportunity to reflect on what I really want from my career. I've come to realize that content trumps most everything else. Better than prestige. Even better than money.

I miss grass roots community health. I ache to find work that connects me face to face with real live people, and challenges me with opportunities to educate and empower individuals to improve their health and their quality of life.

In November I will begin the process to become certified to teach natural birthing classes. I have chosen the Bradley Method because of the enormous impact that it has had on our family. I also appreciate the comprehensive nature of Bradley instruction and its emphasis on preventive measures to help pregnant women remain low risk and avoid unnecessary intervention.

I am delighted at the chance to advocate for and empower couples and families about issues centered on birth. The transition of pregnancy and birth provide extraordinary opportunities to learn, grow, and fully realize our power as women, mothers, and partners. Giving birth was transformative for me, and I hope to inspire and support couples as they prepare for a birth experience that is both positive and meaningful.

While my primary focus will remain the ever-growing Sears brood and family life, I'll have an outlet through which I can pursue my personal interests, apply my professional knowledge and experience, and perhaps build a bridge to future work that will fulfill me in ways that can only be found in passion and purpose.

Love and Marriage

I've been feeling so odd lately. Odd like indifferent. Odd like blah. Odd like I can't muster the energy or interest to do much of anything anymore. Drained.

I think the prospect of parenting two babies is sending me into a panic. With Roscoe's birth I reluctantly succumbed to losing all control over my time and my life as I knew it. The first few days after Roscoe's birth were bliss. Day 3 to month 10 can aptly be described as chronically intense. However, we eventually found our rhythm as a family and settled into a familiar routine content and happy just the same. Then, as we started to truly LOVE our life again, we decided to get pregnant.

Boy was I thrown for a loop.

At the root of all evil lives sleep deficiency. I am convinced. I keep telling myself that if I think this is tough, just wait until Little Sears is nursing every 1.5 hours around the clock, and Roscoe remains a dynamo. What then? If I were giving myself advice I would say that the transition will likely be demanding on many levels, that it will require concession and adjustment, but that like all life events we will navigate the new terrain just fine, and that our days will resume a new normal that we will love equally as much as we did the old.

I think I believe this.

Maybe my real fear is that somehow in this effort to be the best parents we can be, that we are giving away to Roscoe everything that we have to give, leaving just a sliver for ourselves, and only a shred for our marriage. What will happen to us when there are TWO babies?! That is the question.

I've heard some speak of the importance to put relationship before kids, which makes sense in theory but what about practice? Does this mean we carve out one night a month for "date night"? That we protect a certain amount of designated Andy and Jacqueline time each week? I'm sure the answer is different for every couple but somewhere in all of this baby making and raising, we've undeniably lost something (and gained some things too).

The conundrum is that we WANT to give Roscoe everything we possibly can. That's why he's so incredible, no?! But obviously we can't do this alone, we need each other. And we both know it. So I guess this is the signal to add "relationship" to our to-do list.