The Merfett

NewMerfbaby is a Grapefruit

April 2, 2015 The Merfett

NewMerfbaby is 23 weeks :)

I went with Grapefruit this week because my other chart wanted to keep him at a baseball mitt…I don’t think so, buddy. He’s growing, I can feeeelll it.

How I’m Feeling: I had some round ligament pain on my right side – middle of my stomach, so that’s new. I asked my OB about it and she explained that your uterus isn’t “locked down” (oh.) and the ligaments run from the bottom of your ribcage area all the way around your sides and down into your lady area. Good to know. So, nothing crazy – just something I hadn’t experienced before.

Belly/Weight: Up 19 lbs total so far. My doctor did the required “try to keep your weight gain to .5 – 1 lb a week” statement. I said – yep! This next week I’m going to try eating less gluten and more veggies…swap a hamburger bun for a lettuce wrap, that kind of thing. Sort of in the spirit of Whole 30, but nothing at strict. I know I’ve been relying on too many starches, so there’s my 19 lbs. Minus a little bit of baby and stuff ;)

Life Changes: I’m feeling like my belly is much bigger at this point than it was with Riley. Which makes sense, but I’m still not used to it so I bump into things – and have to rethink squeezing through parked cars with a belly + toddler on a hip.

Movement: Kelly got to feel him kick for the first time the other night! He probably could have felt it a few weeks ago, but the timing was finally right when he was home and the baby was active!

Sleep: I’ve been waking up with horrible congestion and a dry mouth – gross. I think it’s all from the cold I had last week. Today I finally noticed some improvement.

Cravings: Full disclosure: I drove through a McDonalds and got a large order of fries. Yea – worth every salty bite. What do they put in those things?! I never want McDonalds, but man they do make special french fries. Not In – N – Out special, but McDonald special.

Exercise: Back into the swing of things this week! Took Riley to the beach today (his first trip!) and we played in the water and walked on the sand for over 2 hours. It was a blast, and he had so much fun.

Favorite Pregnancy Moment this week: I went to Hobby Lobby to get Riley an Easter basket. I wanted something I could reuse year after year so I got a cute wire one. Then I thought about NewMerfbaby…and I wanted them to have matching Easter baskets for every Easter until they get married (maybe beyond – creepy? no. never) So my first official purchase for NewMerfbaby – an Easter basket. That he won’t use for a good year. Yes! Totally nesting correctly.

On My Mind: Nesting projects. Easter. Having Kelly around for the long weekend (Good Friday tomorrow). Some upcoming events and a vacation we have planned. Buying a new baby monitor so we can move Riley into his Big Brother room…I think we’ll try to attempt it this month, then if it doesn’t go well we can take a break and try again in May.

Family

NewMerfbaby is a Baseball Mitt

March 26, 2015 The Merfett

NewMerfbaby is 22 weeks! For the next few weeks (22-24) he’ll be the size of a baseball mitt!

How I’m Feeling: I came down with a cold earlier this week (thus the late post) so I’ve been down for a few days. It was just a sore throat and massive fatigue so Riley and I spent some quality time at home on the couch watching way too much Curious George. To cap off the week – I took Riley to the Pediatrician this morning. I noticed some green gunk in his eye yesterday late in the day, and by bedtime it was in both eyes. I talked to Kelly and we agreed to take him in, just in case – and to get anything treated before the weekend came. I knew Riley was a champ – and he’s been especially content this week, dealing with my sad state – but when the Doctor looked in his ears he was amazed at how bad they were. Poor kid has a bilateral ear and eye infection. Both ears were red and full of puss :( No fever. No tugging or pulling on his ears. So glad I took him and he’s getting better!!

Belly/Weight: I’m starting to feel bigger. I can tell the baby is growing because I’ve been a little achy and I feel like I have a giant side stitch on one side.

Life Changes: Maternity shorts. They aren’t as terrible as I feared. It was 90 today so I had to give in and come to terms with the fact that summer is here. I’m still bitter, but I’m happier in clothing that fits my growing belly.

Movement: Lots of kicking. Hopefully Kelly can feel it soon :)

Sleep: So thankful Riley is sleeping in later these days. I feel like a champ when I get to sleep in past 7am. I feel like it’s my reward for months of 4:30am/5:30am mornings with him.

Cravings: Smoothies have sounded good this week so Riley and I made some for lunch. He loves them, and I like knowing that I’m getting in a good amount of fruit/veggies for him and me.

Exercise: Nope. Bailed on my workout last Friday, Tuesday and tomorrow. Sickness!!

Favorite Pregnancy Moment this week: Sitting in the Pediatrician office today. Strange? It was cute seeing all the older siblings with the new babies. Crazy to think that’ll be us soon!

On My Mind: Nesting? I think. There’s not too much to do, but we would like to make some improvements to our backyard for the summer. Riley and I spend a lot of time out there during the day, and I know that’ll be helpful when the baby comes – just having more space for Riley to play when we’re at home. I also have a few items I’d like to purchase for the baby so I’ve been thinking those over, and working on our budget more. I’m determined to nail it down in the coming months so we can finally shake our last 2 debts!

Family

NewMerfbaby is as long as a Beer?

March 18, 2015 The Merfett

NewMerfbaby is 21 weeks today! And about the length of a beer bottle. Cheers!

How I’m Feeling: A little fatigued and run down. It’s probably the warmer weather we’ve been having – and the very active toddler in my life…I took a massive mid-morning nap on Sunday and felt so much better.

Belly/Weight: Not sure on the weight, but my belly is getting bigger! I’m starting to fill out my maternity tops, and finally feeling “cute” pregnant. My belly has started to itch a little – so it’s growing!

Life Changes: Got an awesome gift card to StitchFx for my birthday, and since they do Maternity clothing now I love them even more. I got a cute maxi dress and shirt that I kept. I’ve been much less reserved about investing in maternity clothing this time around. I know I’ll have friends in the future that might appreciate the clothes – and I can always sell them back. A maternity consignment store opened here in Burbank, and ThreadUp also pays pretty well for used Maternity clothing

Movement: Lots more movement! At my Chiropractor appointment today when she was done adjusting my pelvis he started kicking. I moved my hand down to my tummy and my Doctor asked if he was moving more because she gave him some more room! Ha, how crazy is that?

Sleep: Sleeping harder this week. With the time change it’s darker until later in the morning so Riley and I both sleep until about 7:00am/7:30am – it’s heaven. I don’t remember many times in my life I’ve been able to sleep in until 7:00am.

Cravings: Sweet stuff. I’ve been having frosted mini-wheats in the morning for breakfast – such a throwback to Jr High! I’ve also not been super into water. Not sure why, I’ve always been a big water drinker but since I have Dysgeusia (my mouth tastes like I’ve been sucking on pennies) water hasn’t been cutting it so I’ve been drinking flavored water (I heart La Croix!) to kick the taste, it doesn’t fix it totally but it helps a little.

Exercise: Back to my workouts. If it wasn’t for my trainer I probably would easily skip traditional workouts. Playing with Riley and working in my garden keeps me active, but I know it’s good to focus on strength too.

Favorite Pregnancy Moment this week: The Anatomy Scan Ultrasound. Everything looks great, and he’s growing right on track. He wasn’t into having his picture taken so we didn’t get a good keepsake shot – but it’s ok. I sort of think the 3D photos are creepy. Especially since he was moving around, so they look sort of crazy.

On My Mind: This toddler of ours! I’m making more preparations for him, and reading/researching more for him than NewMerfbaby! Normal, right?! I finally had a “duh moment” and ordered Secrets of the Baby Whisperer for Toddlers and started reading it last night. I wish I would have read it months ago! I gained so much confidence reading her other books, and I’ve recently felt like parenting a Toddler is so much harder than figuring out a Newborn. I hit a breaking point last week and felt like such a Mama failure. I was struggling with losing my patience with Riley, and starting to doubt what I know to be true about his personality. Little background: the Baby Whisperer uses 5 types of babies/toddler personalities and by knowing which personality your child identifies with most it can help you better communicate with them. I LOVE personality quizzes – I think they are awesome! When Riley was little I was sure he was a Textbook baby. So I learned his cues, and with the exception of teething and massive growth spurts we navigated that first year pretty well! Textbook babies hit development milestones on track, and thrive on routine and consistency. They will be social, but he need some time to warm up to a group or new situation. As Riley became a Toddler I started to doubt his personality type, and thought maybe he was more Touchy or Spirited. Last night I took the personality test for his toddler age and 14 out of 20 questions identified him as a Textbook Toddler! Kids can be a mix of 2 types, but they mostly fall into one category. I had been right all along – I just need to amend my skills to adapt to his Toddler personality. I already feel better and I’m excited to read more of the book, she even has a chapter on preparing your toddler to become a big sibling. Eeek!