It has been quite some time since I have updated this blog... I am glad to be back.
Life update...
Craig has been going to CRNA school, it is a 2.5 year program and we are down to 1 more week! It has been quite the journey with a two month rotation in San Diego and a one month rotation in Napa, which he got home from just a couple weeks ago. He really enjoys everything he is learning and is very excited to work as a CRNA. The current plan is to take a job at Arrowhead and start in June. We are so proud of him and all his hard work over the past 2.5 years, it has not been easy balancing family and school, but he has done an amazing job.
Kylie is almost 6! We are doing home school kindergarten and she is doing really well. In the past 4 weeks she has started reading, she is constantly carrying a book around with her and if she is not reading herself, she is asking to be read to. I am so glad she has such a love for reading, my mom has certainly been the one to nurture that. My mom has read her almost every American Girl series, the Laura Ingles Wilder books, and a whole bunch of classics like Charlotte's Web, Little Women, Stewart Little and many more. Kylie is currently in the middle of a series about three girls named Betsy, Tacey and Tib, she not only loves the stories, but has been reenacting her favorite parts. Aunt Jess gave her the book for Christmas, thank you Jess! Kylie has a very fun and unique sense of style, it is a joy watching her put together her outfits everyday. She LOVES to tuck her shirts in to her leggings and wear very high socks. She is also all about layering and wearing very bright and busy patterns. She often has a least a couple necklaces on and sparkles on her cheeks, lip gloss on and chewing gum. I can't tell if she is 15 or 5, but I am loving every minute.
Cooper is 3.5 years old now. He is loves to play with little figurines, Legos, super heroes, Paw Patrol and dress up. His imagination is expanding like crazy, he loves to make believe with Kylie, Emery and Owen. Cooper has such a sweet and sensitive side, he is quick to get upset but also very empathetic. He is still nursing (although it has been very painful during this pregnancy) and over the past couple weeks we have decreased to about once a day, although I anticipate it will increase again once the new baby is here. Cooper has been attending a parent participation preschool two days a week. I take him with Sheridan, Emery and Owen (Kylie sometimes comes along too). It is the perfect speed for him, he gets to enjoy all the fun that preschool has to offer while I am still there with him. He is not yet interested in potty training, we are just being patient and letting him lead, I anticipate he will regress once the baby is here so I have very little desire to make any big changes at this point in time.
I have continued to work my many jobs, I am teaching for the Birth and Beyond Education Center (childbirth, breastfeeding and newborn classes), I run breastfeeding support groups, teach dance at the Brandin' Iron, photography and run my Plexus business. Although I am busy, I love every minute of it. I am home with the kids the majority of the time and still able to contribute to our income (mostly from Plexus). This pregnancy has gone SO fast! I knew it would, given the time of year and the busy schedule we have, but I am NOT at all ready for it to be over. Craig thinks this will be our last baby, I am still not sure. I LOVE being pregnant and I am having a very hard time thinking this could be the last time I get to experience pregnancy. I am trying to enjoy every minute, taking tons of photos, spending time preparing for birth and spending time with my belly, but I am still sad. I love feeling this baby move in my belly, I love watching my belly grow, I love how I feel when I am growing a child inside, and I am NOT ready to never experience it again.
The past couple days I have had A LOT of Braxton Hicks contractions. I feel like this might have happened with Cooper, but I honestly don't remember. I'm sure many women would welcome the activity, but it is only making me stressed. I want this baby to hold on until Craig is done with school and we can have a couple days together to talk about this big transition. But as we all know, babies come when babies are ready and all this crampy activity is not very reassuring. I also had a tiny bit of dark blood colored discharge early today, there has been nothing more (thank goodness) but for a moment I thought I might be losing my mucus plug, and that thought totally freaked me out. Hang on baby, just one week more, please.
The baby is doing really well. We are receiving our care with Karen Baker again. She is just so amazing and I can not imagine birthing a child without her. We had our 39 week visit on Monday and everything was looking good. The baby was well engaged in my pelvis, facing a good direction and the head was well flexed. The heartbeat was strong and increased a little bit as Cooper and Kylie rubbed my belly, this baby already knows it has siblings that love it. Kylie got to hold the doppler (which she loves) and Karen showed the kids how the baby is positioned in my tummy. I have not measured very big this whole pregnancy, at least 2 weeks behind at each visit. This week I only measured 33. I had a moment of worry, confused as to why I look so big, feel so big, weigh so much but measure so small. But of course Karen was not at all concerned, the baby is so low and when you palpate my belly you can feel just how big this baby is. It is doing great and will probably be big just like the other two. I am so glad she trusts my body and takes multiple pieces of data into consideration, I worry that I would get diagnosed as IUGR if I was in our typical medical system. Feeling thankful for the amazing care of an incredible midwife. Our next visit is at 40 weeks and Craig will be able to join me! He has only come to one visit so far, since school has been so crazy, but my mom and Sheridan have joined me for some of the other visits which has been wonderful.
I feel like I could write forever, there is SO much more I want to document, but it is late and I need sleep. I am hoping to blog almost everyday and through my labor as I did with the other two, so I am hoping to have time to catch up even more.
So glad to be back,
Natalie
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