Co-Sleeping

So I want to hear all of your opinions on co-sleeping. I'm just curious.
Cameron has never spent more than about 10 minutes in our bed with us. First of all, when he was 5 months, we let him start crying it out. It took about 3-4 days and he was awesome. He has been sleeping 12-13 hours a night ever since. BUT he has to be put in his bed and left alone. He won't fall asleep in our arms or anywhere else (unless he's sick, or in the car). When he was a new newborn, he slept in his carseat, mostly. Or his bouncy chair. But even then, we kept him in his own bedroom. I knew if he was in our room, I would wake up at every single noise he made, and I wanted every morsel of sleep I could get!
Nate and I were always against sleeping with our kids. We aren't against other people doing it, but for us, personally, we've always wanted our bed to ourselves!!!! I've always wanted my kids to sleep in their own beds. And they always will!!

A Belly Shot

Karen, this is for you!

Sorry about my head being cut off.....I had Nate snap this before he ran off to work this morning, and I looked awful. Plus I was just wearing a tank top, so I told him to only take my belly!

I woke up this morning with quite the belly for only being about 11 weeks! I grew a ton overnight! I absolutely LOVE it though. I am not one to whine about gaining weight or curves during pregnancy. That's what our bodies are supposed to do! I haven't checked my weight since my 8 week appt, and at that appt I had only gained 2 pounds. But I cannot believe the pooch that has shown up over the past few days. I have another appt on July 14, so it'll be a fun one to see a good ultrasound, get a solid due date and see how I'm growing.

I Love....I Hate....

I LOVE:
1. Phenergan. It has been my saving angel the past few weeks. Hopefully only 2 more weeks of nausea to go.....fingers crossed!
2. SOBE Drinks. Especially the raspberry/blackberry flavor. They are like $1/each, so we don't buy them often, but they always taste SO refreshing. Especially cuz it seems like I'm thirsty all the time lately.
3. Taco Bell. I haven't eaten Taco Bell in probably over a year, but the past few weeks, I haven't been able to get enough of it.
4. Nate. Don't you love how he's 4th and not 1st!! Oops, sorry Babe!! I just really really love this guy. The past few weeks have been stressful for him. It's hard on him when I don't feel well because he feels pressured to do all the chores. He is such a sweetheart. Yesterday he was holding my friend Amber's little boy and he goes, "I'm so glad we're having another baby. This little guy is the cutest baby ever." The other day he was rubbing my tummy and it tickled and so I pulled away and he goes, "Hey, get back here, that's my baby too, you can't hog it." Haha, Nate, you're so funny, I love you!!!!!!
5. My Scrub Pants. I loved wearing scrubs to work when I worked in doctor's offices. Seriously the best work wardrobe EVER. So comfy! I miss working sometimes. But I'm glad most of the pants had drawstrings because they are perfect for this "in-between" phase that I'm in.

I HATE:
1. All of my Pants right now! Nothing fits. The rubberband thing didn't work.
2. The Joys of Pregnancy.....the bloating, nausea, sore boobs and the gas....sorry, had to mention it!!! You all know what I mean.
3. Being Tired. I miss having energy. I don't babysit today, so I want to go play with my Cameron, but I just don't feel like moving a muscle. Plus Nate always wants me to stay up late with him, but I just can't lately!
4. Belly Touching. I hate it when people rub pregnant women's bellies. Maybe some women like it, but it always bugged me. Atleast ask first!!!
5. Doing Laundry. I usually don't mind it, but right now it hurts to carry the basket up against my abdomen, and I'm too weak to carry it away from my body!! Nate is starting a new work-out program, maybe I should join him!!!

I'm Curious......

Just go with me on this.......
Okay, so Nate's little sis, Mallory, told me about this Chinese Gender Prediction chart. I had never heard of it before, but I was checking it out a few days ago. I was testing everyone I could think of and it was ALWAYS RIGHT!!!!! So I want you guys to test it out with your kids, your friend's kids, your sister's kids, etc. You just have to put in the age of the mom at conception, and the month of conception. Let me know how accurate it is for you guys.

http://www.fortunebaby.com/chinesegenderpredictionchart.html

I'm NOT one to believe in stuff like this, but like I said, it was pretty darn accurate!!! So weird!! So according to this, I'm having a BOY!!!! So test it out and let me know!!! I'm curious!!! Thanks!!!

Just some Baby Babble!!

I know I write a lot on this blog, but I'm just home ALL DAY with the kids. Blogging keeps me sane! The 2nd Summer Semester just started, so Nate is even busier than before. We knew this summer would be rough on him, but he wants to get through as many classes as he can. Plus I told him he has to take a lighter class load for the Winter 2009 semester so he can be around a little more with the new baby. I just hope he doesn't miss the delivery. That's the only tough part about delivering in Provo. More on that later.
Anyway, so I put up a new poll about how many kids you guys want (or have, if you're done). Nate and I want 4 kids. We'll have the 2 kids now, and then we'll wait 4 or 5 years until Nate is through school, we have a job, we have a house and enough money to buy a bigger car. Then we'll have 2 more. I've always wanted 2 boys first and then 2 girls. I'm really glad Cameron was a boy. I like the thought of the oldest sibling being a protective big brother.
Yesterday I met with our Stake Primary President. She has a 5 yr old, 3 yr old, 18 month old, and she's due in 2 weeks with her 4th. Wow, that's so impressive! I could never! But Nate and I both feel that there are more than Cam and this baby in heaven waiting to come to us. I will feel relieved after this baby comes though because then I can relax for 4 or 5 years before I have to do this again! I am only 27. I don't want to be done having kids already. And with Nate being 2 years younger than me, I don't want to have an empty house too soon!!!
When I think of how many kids I want, I picture Christmas Morning. There are 5 kids in my family, and Christmas mornings were always SO fun. I know that the infant/toddlers years are tough, but I try to think forward to the future of family trips and holidays together.
So anyway, I'd love all of your opinions/thoughts on all of this. It's fun to hear what different couples are planning. Everyone is different, and the Lord has different plans for each family. I'm just very grateful for the Spirit and the fact that the Lord can truly communicate to us as parents. Nate and I both felt SO ready for this 2nd baby. I almost felt more inspiration to have this baby than I did with Cameron! With Cameron, I just knew it was time for me to be a mom. I had done the school thing, the mission thing, the working thing....it was time for me to take that next step. I'm glad the Lord knows each of us individually and guides our lives, as long as we let Him!!!

Am I 14 Again?

I didn't have this problem with Cameron, and maybe it isn't pregnancy-related, but I am totally breaking out all over my face. I haven't had acne in YEARS. Atleast 10 years. I rarely wash my face, it's a bad habit of mine. I'm too lazy. But I don't wear make-up either. I probably should.....but I don't. I do like a tad of eyeshadow and some mascara and lip gloss, but that's it. I NEVER wear foundation, blush, powder, eyeliner, lipstick. etc. I'm just not a girly girl. Sometimes I wish I was..... Last night I was hanging out with some friends and they were asking me if I get uncomfortable wearing high heels. I said, "No, because I don't own any." They were shocked. Why is that shocking? Anyway, hopefully the acne isn't going to be a permanent new issue.

It Has Begun

This morning I could not button my pants. It has officially begun. I have a pooch now! Looks like I'll be wearing my scrub bottoms and jammie pants for the next few weeks. It's annoying when maternity clothes are big, but your normal clothes are too small! I'm excited though. I atleast have something to show for all of my nausea and exhaustion! I swear I want a shirt that says "Don't mess with the pregnant lady" so that as I shuffle through the grocery store trying not to puke, people atleast know what is wrong with me!!!!!!!

Big Boy Bed

Those of you who have older kids, will you answer my poll and then leave a comment with your advice? When/How did you move your toddler to a big bed? We are thinking of attempting this maybe in October/November-ish. But I'm so nervous! Cameron has always been an awesome sleeper, and I'm scared to mess that up!

Normal Name in Hollywood???

Jamie Lynn Spears had a baby girl today and named her Maddie Brianne.....FINALLY a normal celebrity baby name!! I'm not a fan of the Spears Girls (is anyone??), but both of them atleast had the decency to name their kids normal names!! But I'm NOT going to discuss the fact that Jamie Lynn is SO young....Immorality in Hollywood (and everywhere else) is disgusting nowadays. The way sex is thrown around like it's nothing is a really sad message we are sending to young girls. Really....I hold a lot of passion (no pun intended!!) for this subject. This is something that Nate and I plan on teaching our children right from the start!

So close....yet so far.....

So I'm about 9 or 9 1/2 weeks now. With Cameron, I started feeling better right at 12 weeks. I hope thats the case with this baby too. If so, then I only have about 3 more weeks of yuckiness. That feels far away, but I'm sure it will fly.
So I'm trying to decide what to blog about today. I am back to babysitting Ashlan now that I've been feeling a little better, and she has been SOOO moody lately. She's sort of making me NOT want a girl! Cameron is extremely laid back as far as sharing his toys.....he does like to steal them from her (causing a complete meltdown on her part), but if she steals his toys, he doesn't ever seem to mind. He is also a lot nicer about giving back whatever he may have stolen if I tell him to. I've always wanted to have 2 boys, and then 2 girls.....so does this mean I'm now hoping for a boy? I don't know.... I still can't believe how many of you are voting for a girl!
So I'm going to write about pregnancy cravings/aversions. What made me think of this is that I just put on some hand sanitizer, and the smell of it is making me gag. I think for me, I have more aversions than I do cravings, and smells bother me more than anything. With Cameron, people ask me if I had cravings and I usually say no. There was never any food that I just HAD to have. Fresh fruit was always something that I could eat a TON of though. Cam was born in July, so during the early summer months before he was born, I could not get enough watermelon, apples, canteloupe, etc. But that stuff always tastes good, so I don't think it was a craving. But as far as aversions, I had some with Cam. One of my favorite meals is to saute zucchini, mushrooms & onions, and then eat that over hot rice. But when I was pregnant with Cam, I couldn't not even think about mushrooms without wanting to throw up. It was weird.
With this pregnancy, the only thing I have craved is Taco Bell Supreme chicken gorditas. Last Saturday I had one for lunch, and then I also went back and got one for dinner. Yum! I love being pregnant because I don't feel guilty about eating whatever I want!!!!! I have noticed though with this pregnancy that smells are WAY more bothersome to me than they were with Cam. I can ALWAYS smell our garbage can, even if it's just been emptied. Cam's dirty diapers are okay, but Ashlan's and Ethan's are a real struggle! I have to stick my nose in my shirt!!! And seriously, I'm about to toss this hand sanitizer!!!
So let's hear all of your stories!

Thanks

Hey everyone, I'm hanging out with my friend in Logan for a few days, so I don't have time to post, but I just wanted thank all of you for how much fun you are making this blog. A few of you have mentioned how you are enjoying it, and I'm so glad! I was so worried about being annoying on this blog, rambling about pregnancy and baby stuff.....but you guys are being so great with lots of comments and stories and advice....I love it!! I will have a huge store of info and advice to fall back on when I need it now! Too bad I didn't do this with Cameron. I just wanted to say thanks. And be sure to let me know if there is anything you'd like me to blog about in particular. I have a few more topics up my sleeve to discuss. I need to stop blogging so often though because I'm going to run out of topics when I'm like 15 weeks along at this rate!!!!!

Yummy Mummy

I have felt SO much better these past couple of days. The nausea still hits in the evenings, like I mentioned, but that's been about the worst of it. I'm so glad! I have missed hanging out outside with everyone.
So I think that is awesome how many of you have been able to breastfeed your kids. I think that even breastfeeding for 2 weeks is SOO beneficial. With Cameron, I was completely caught off guard by how difficult nursing was. It was the biggest stress of having a newborn for me, and I almost quit about a million times. I kept telling myself to just keep going for one more week, and once I got there, I'd keep going. One week at a time. I knew it was SO good for him (and for me), and I probably felt somewhat pressured because I worked in pediatrics and just knew how healthy it was for Cameron. Luckily things clicked when Cam was about 5 months old, and nursing him was a breeze until he was a year old. I was tired of nursing him by then, so I tried to wean him at a year. He wanted nothing of that, so it seriously took about 4 months to completely wean him. I had to heat up his whole milk in the microwave for several months after that as well! I was always amazed at how much milk I always had (is that too much info?). I'm rather small-chested, and I swear I could have nursed triplets and still had some left over! Goes to show that size does not matter....haha!!!
I worry about this next baby. I don't know that I will have the patience or time to devote to successfully nursing if it doesn't come easier than it did with Cam. I think that this time, I will get some help too. I really should have meet with a lactation consultant or something with Cam. We are on WIC now, so I will have access to some help if I need it.
I am 100% for breastfeeding. I think that mothers should be able to nurse their babies anytime, anywhere. I never mastered the art of using a blanket with Cam (he always pulled it off), so I usually tried to avoid nursing him in open public, but when I do see a mother nursing her baby in a mall or at an airport or wherever, I am proud of her, and I commend all mothers who nurse. I understand how difficult it can be......latching problems, engorgement, leaking/spraying milk (ooh I hated that!), keeping track of which side to start on, how long you nursed on each side, lopsided boobs (hated that too), buying boxes and boxes of nursing pads, etc etc etc! AND to top that all off, I got a nasty mastitis infection when Cam was 14 months old!!! Wow, I didn't know you could get that so late into nursing! Usually that hits right towards the beginning, doesn't it? It was awful. Overall, breastfeeding is definitely NOT as easy as it looks, atleast not for me!! On the flip side, because I know how hard it is, I NEVER look down on women who are unable to breastfeed. It is a personal decision. I'm trying not to dread it with this baby....I just really REALLY hope that it goes smoother this next time around!
I worked 2 days a week for the first year of Cam's life. I HATED pumping, but looking back, I'm glad I did it. Like I said, I worked in pediatrics, so obviously the office 100% supported my pumping breaks throughout the day, but it was still a huge pain! I shouldn't have to pump like that with this baby, but I did tell Nate that I am going to pump bottles so he can help me out during the night. I made him promise to take ONE night a week to be his night with the baby (we'll see if this actually happens.....a mom can dream......)!! I will discuss sleepless nights in a later post.
I'd love to hear all of your experiences with breastfeeding, if you'd like to share..... I actually think it's important for women to talk about this subject. We can offer SOOOO much support to each other. I remember talking to my sister-in-law, Andrea, was SUCH a big help for me. So please, if any of you (now or in the future) need someone to vent and cry to about this subject, PLEASE call me because trust me, I sooo understand what you're going through!!!

New Poll

On the new poll, you can choose more than 1 answer if you have more than 1 child....just so you know! LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Finally.....

Last night I ate a bagel for dinner, took a Phenergan, went to bed early....and woke up feeling good....FINALLY!!! Well, when I say 'good', I don't mean great. Basically I DON'T feel like I'm going to die at the moment, so that's good to me!!! I'm not going to push it though....I'm still going to have someone take Cam and try to rest all day. Nate works most of Friday and Saturday, so I don't want to relapse and have to find more people to take Cam all weekend. I honestly think it was a flu bug more than the pregnancy. I think the pregnancy made it worse....but I don't think that pregnancy was the whole culprit. Well, hopefully I"ll be back to "just" nausea and being tired!!!
Okay, so my diaper bag poll is retarded, I took it off. Sorry....I'll blame my loopy state of mind..... I'll have to think of another poll. My friend Lesley was helping me think of good polls the other night while we were chatting on MSN, but I'm going to save some of them until it's closer to delivery, since that's what they are about.
Sorry this blog doesn't have any fun pics yet. I don't have a scanner here to scan in my ultrasound pic (which wasn't much to look at yet anyway), and I haven't taken a 'belly pic' yet because that's not much to look at yet either! Plus I haven't actually put anything but pajamas on or brushed my mop of hair in like a week...... I did take a bath the other night and shave my legs....Nate was grateful!! :) Oh the joys of men trying to understand how we feel during pregnancy.....DON'T get me started! And I even think Nate is being VERY understanding.....I just get really annoyed that men will NEVER full appreciate or understand what pregnancy, labor, delivery, nursing, etc etc etc is really like! Ugh, nursing was awful for me.....even though I nursed Cam for 16 months!!! I'll discuss that later.....

On to diaper bags.....

You guys are making this blog SO MUCH FUN!! Thanks for all the comments, I'm very impressed!!!
So I put up a new poll. I didn't use an official diaper bag with Cameron. We had a backpack that we used. It was nice cuz it freed up both hands (& hips!) to carry other things. But I didn't like not having compartments or as easy access to stuff at the bottom. Plus it wasn't waterproof. I'm thinking about getting a real diaper bag this time.
The Phenergan helped a bit.....I'm just REALLY weak. ZERO energy. Nate's been around today, so he played with Cam all morning while I slept. After Cam's nap, I have to drag myself over to the hospital to get my prenatal bloodwork done.....hope I don't pass out! I don't mind getting blood drawn....I spent 9 months in school learning how to draw it on other people!!! I just hope that losing even that small amount doesn't affect me right now! I would wait, but I promised I'd do it this week. Our Relief Society Compassionate people called and arranged chilcare for Cam tomorrow, along with dinner. How great are they? I'm just glad Cameron is so easy-going. He could care less who is watching him. He never really has cared if I'm around or not.....some kids go into complete panic mode if Mommy isn't in sight. Knowing that Cameron is happy & content no matter who has him, it's made this easier on me. I am able to rest better not having to worry about him too!

Diapers

So most of you use Huggies! That's what we use. Cameron always got a rash with EVERY other brand. We do use the Sam's Club wipes though, so we can save some $$ there. Here's my advice: if you call the 1-800 # on the Huggies package, you can ask them to send you coupons. I do it ALL THE TIME! Just call and say that you love their diapers, and they will send you coupons...works everytime!!!
My dad called me in some Phenergan today, so Nate is bringing that home from work. I hope that helps. I threw up during the night and felt awful today. Luckily my sweet friend Kristen came and got Cam around 8 am and kept him until noon. She also took a bunch of our dirty dishes over to her apartment to run through her dishwasher (we don't have one), and she is bringing dinner in a few hours. What an angel!! I am very humbled by the outpouring of help that has been offered to us this past week. I can't wait to feel better so I can return all these favors! Nate and I always felt good about moving to these apartments, but we have been amazed OVER & OVER at how many blessings have been poured over us since we've lived here.

Seriously???

I just read that actress Jessica Alba had a baby girl and they named her Honor Marie. HONOR. That is NOT a name!!! All I can say is that poor baby girl is going to have to live a very honest life.....haha! I can't wait to see a picture of her baby though, she is going to be gorgeous!!!
I woke up feeling AWFUL again today. I was hoping I was doing better.....but no. I'm not. I really enjoyed my pregnancy with Cameron. I hope this yuckiness passes sooner than later so that I can enjoy it again.

7 Weeks 4 Days??

The ultrasound measured me as being due on January 21 instead of January 17. My uterus was tipped back though, so he had a hard time getting a really clear image. The heartbeat was strong though, so we're very happy about that. And there's just one baby!! :)
We will do another ultrasound in 4 weeks, and then we'll know a lot more. It was just a blob today, nothing too exciting!! Next time we will see arms and legs moving! I don't mind if my due date is a few days later than I thought.....the more nights of peaceful sleep I get until this baby comes, the better!!! haha!

Morning Sickness

So the big question right now is how is my morning sickness? With Cameron, it started way early. Probably around 4 weeks or so. Nausea is the reason I took a pregnancy test!! But with this pregnancy, it didn't kick in until about a week ago. I thought I was going to get by without any nausea because I was feeling SO great for the first few weeks after the test. Unfortunately I'm not that lucky, and it has settled in to stay for awhile! But it really isn't "morning" sickness. It hits me about 5 pm every evening and lasts until I go to bed. Not too bad. I've been taking Unisom and Vit B6, which I think is helping me sleep better. I feel like the nausea is stronger than with Cam's pregnancy also. With him, I was working full-time, and I don't remember having to miss more than a day or 2 of work. With this baby, the nausea seems to be a lot more overwhelming. Maybe it's also due to the fact that I'm exhausted anyway from chasing Cameron and babysitting all day? My nausea with Cam stopped RIGHT at 12 weeks, so I'm really hoping this one does the same.

8 Weeks

Hi Everyone! I'm excited to have a place to just write whatever I feel like about this baby. I don't know why I felt like I couldn't do this on our family blog. This baby is a part of our family, but I just didn't want posts like the one I just did to overwhelm it, know what I mean?
So here I want to write about how the pregnancy is going, how I am feeling (physically & emotionally), how the baby preparation is going, etc etc etc! Plus I want to do fun polls, ask for advice, etc.
As of today, I am 8 weeks along. According to the "pregnancy due date calculator", I am due on January 17, but an ultrasound will tell us more accurate dates. I'm quite shocked to see a "pooch" already. Everyone says you show sooner when it's not your first baby, but it's a bit depressing that some of my pants are already snug!!
Thank you all for your love, support & advice on the wonderful world of motherhood! More to come.....