Apple Update

Wow!

Apple you are growing and growing and I have to admit that I haven't been as diligent at writing up your progress as I was with your big brother (curse of being the second child I guess - but you are not loved any less)!! 

Currently we are at 26 weeks and we had a check-in with the midwives this week after a long 6 week break from them.  Why the break you ask?  Because we were very busy the month of July.  You and I had a few trials and then we had to attend a Bachelorette Party, Nolan's first birthday and finally, Auntie Cathlin's Wedding!

Your first and (likely only) Bachelorette Party 6.15.13 - 20 weeks 

Aunties!

You weren't a big focus at Auntie's single night celebration but by the time her wedding came around a month later you wanted the world to know you were here!  You are a BIG time mover and shaker and together we shook up the dance floor and had a wonderful time celebrating the newly married couple!

Wedding Day Bump - 24/25 weeks

Auntie's going to the chapel and she's gonna get married!

Mommy, Auntie, and Sweet Apple

Auntie and the new Uncle!

our first picture with Apple!

You are growing quite well.  All tests are coming back with great results and while I am on the lower end of the weight spectrum right now I am certain that you will catch up to your brother in those last few weeks.  Your heartbeat is quite strong and your Auntie Sarah got to hear it this week as she is up visiting and went to your appointment with me.

Your brother is in love with you and often wants to touch you and talk to you through my belly button.  He likes to blow raspberries on my stomach and I can only imagine what you are thinking when you hear that noise.  He talks about you a lot and thinks there is a baby in everyone's tummy which is really cute. 

Giving you kisses - 23 weeks

Loving you - 25 weeks

Right now we have moved out of our home in E.W. and are staying at grandpa's house while we wait to see if we can move into our new home in K.  I hope that we are able to move soon so that we can slowly get things ready for your arrival - we have one more appointment in August and then after that we move to every 2 weeks because your arrival will be in less than 100 days now!!  YIKES!!!!!

Besides moving around a lot (which Conor didn't do) you are so different from him in almost every way.  You constantly put pressure on my skin with your body and your moving (sometimes I swear your foot or knee is going to pop right out) but I have far less heartburn than I did with your brother.  You are sitting much lower than he ever did and I find it harder to get up from sitting down because of how you like to settle right into my pelvic area when I have been sitting too long.  You are active the most in the evening hours (which worries me that you are going to be as difficult a sleeper as Conor) and so I have had trouble sleeping at night because all your moving around causes heartburn at about 2am every morning.

Keep growing strong in there little man because we can't wait to meet you (and pick a name for you)!

xoxo
Mommy

PS.  Conor wants to name you Elmo or Ernie or Grover - how do you feel about those names?

Four Things They Don't Tell You

This post really isn't for Conor but is really to document those things they don't tell you before or even while you are pregnant. 

#1: Morning Sickness
You have this belief that morning sickness will only occur in the morning and that it only lasts a little while.  The truth is that morning sickness can occur at any time during the day and that it doesn't only involve the occassional vomit.  First off, it seems to start with a general feeling of needing to be sick that lasts ALL day.  This means that you barely want to eat anything and so you end up eating lots of pretzels and crackers which leads to bloat (which I will talk about later).  Then, when you finally think you have managed to control that feeling and you can trust that you don't need to know where every public restroom in a ten mile radius is - you start throwing up.  This throwing up is NOTHING compared to what you experienced as a child when you had the flu.  This is such violent puking that you honestly feel that your insides are going to come out and that you are doing harm to your fetus.  This is such violent puking that you can't control the tears and your husband apologizes for anything and everything he has ever done wrong because he just wants you to stop getting sick.  Its the kind of puking that leaves you with wet underwear (more about that later too) and a desire to never eat again.  Thankfully, this too passes and I am certain it takes place towards the beginning of your pregnancy so that you forget about it when it comes time to think about the next child.

#2 Peeing Your Pants
This is by far the most humiliating thing associated with pregnancy.  First, violent throwing up leads to peeing your pants.  When your muscles are contorting in such a fashion as to violently expel anything you ate your body forgets to contain its urine and out it comes.  Second, you find yourself leaking pee when you cough or sneeze.  Normally this wouldn't be a big deal except you sneeze and cough a lot more because your organs are squished and you are dealing with reflux.  Along with Peeing your Pants is the feeling of almost doing it.  When pregnant you are supposed to intake much more water than the "normal" person would (keeps your skin hydrated and your body as well) and this leads to needing to go to the bathroom a lot more.  Sometimes you just get this urge and then all of the sudden its a demand - a demand that says if you are not in the bathroom in the next 10 seconds this urine is coming out.  Once again you are thankful for knowing where every bathroom in a ten mile radius is.

#3 Heartburn
Oh, they tell you about this one but what they don't tell you about is how much it can hurt and that there is very little you can do to make it go away.  Sure you can cut down on carbonated beverages, not eat chocolate, not sit or lay down for 30 minutes after a meal but - the heartburn comes at any time and with such severity somtimes that nothing helps.

#4 Baby Movement
Everyone and everything you encounter says that baby movement feels like "flutters".  Well, this is not exactly true.  For the first couple of times it really feels like a gas bubble and then it starts to feel like someone is giving you a little poke with two or three fingers.  They also don't tell you that there is often a pattern to when you will feel the movement.  Conor tends to move a lot in the morning (when I am still in bed and haven't had breakfast) and then he moves a lot again as I am trying to settle in for bed.  He does move during the day but these times are less intensive.  In talking to my other friends, they too found that their babies had a pattern to when they would move.  At first the movements feel weird but as the weeks pass you start to wait for them because its a way for you to know that your baby is still ok inside you (though it is weird to see your stomach move!).

Those are the top 4 things I can think of right now but I am sure there will be others and I will update as I discover them.

xoxo
Erin

A Name other than Avacado

Dear Avacado,

Today's post is the last one in which I will call you Avacado because we have selected a name for you.  Over the years I have heard many children ask their parents - "what would you have called me if I was a _____ instead of a ______?" and "what were some of the other names you were thinking of?"

Because of this (and partly to be able to look back and remind myself) before I announce your name I'll share with you the answers to these questions.

1.  What would my name have been if I was a girl instead of a boy? 
ANSWER:  If you were a girl we would have named you Kayleigh Elizabeth.  Kayleigh because it's a name I have loved forever and Elizabeth because (a) it's my middle name and (b) it was liked better than Barbara or Margaret by Josh.

2.  What are some of the other names you thought about before you picked my name?
ANSWER:  Before being pregnant or even married I always said that I would name a little boy Patrick Thomas if I ever had one.  But - I have since learned that coaches, teachers, and peers take it upon themselves to give children nicknames and neither Josh nor I liked the nickname Pat.  So, we had to start thinking of some other names.  Conor and Keegan have always been two of my other favorite Irish names and so those two names became the ones that we talked about.  We also had to talk about how to spell Conor because in Ireland its spelt Conor and here in America it is more often than not spelt "Connor". 

So, without further delay........the name we have chosen for you is:

"Conor Thomas"

Conor was selected because it was the one that Josh and I could agree on (he wasn't a huge fan of Keegan).  We decided on the spelling because Josh said that I am usually right when it comes to many things and this was probably one of those times.  Also, I had spent some time writing out your name both by hand and on the computer and I simply do not like it spelt with two "N"s. 

Thomas was selected as your middle name for a few reasons.  The first is that it is your grandfather's name.  The weekend we were prepared to announce your impending arrival to your grandparents (and before we even knew if you were a boy or girl) your Grandpa Tom became very sick and had to go to the hospital.  It was very scary and at that moment I decided that if you were a boy you would be given his name as your middle name to both honor him and encourage him to get better (which he has!).  The second is that I have always liked the name Thomas and since it sounds good with Conor it was the winner!

As I have said before - naming a child is a huge responsibility and I truly hope that we have given you a name that will serve you well through your lifetime. 

xoxo
Mom