Max's Story Part 2: D-day

The week between our first and 2nd ultrasound was fairly easy in retrospect. I was anxious and nervous until I finally got an appointment set but really tried to stay positive. We decided to still announce that we were having baby boy #3 and celebrate that Max was here with us that day. We were trying to be very open with some close friends and family that something may not be right. I even remember saying how honored I would be if God chose me to be a mom of a child with special needs. The idea of a disease that was incompatible with life was on my radar but I quickly dismissed it that Max's condition couldn't be that severe. I told my co-workers on the 29th that I had my ultrasound tomorrow morning but would be back hopefully by 11:30 am.

The night of the 29th Andrew and I sat watching some TV after our boys went to bed. Max was moving and kicking and I had Andrew come sit with me and feel all the life Max had. We talked about the ultrasound for the next day and I remember saying "See Andrew, he is so alive, there can't be anything wrong. My mom intuition says we're just fine".

The next morning we arrived promptly at 8:30 am. The sonographer began her scan. It was very quick, she talked throughout and I had a feeling that everything was fine. She left and said the doctor would be in to talk to us soon. Dr. Thorson was the perinatologist who came to speak with us about 15 minutes later.

That's when our world ended as we knew it....

Dr. Thorson asked us what was the reasoning behind us coming here? Andrew and I explained we were told our baby's femur and humorous was possibly "short and bowed". She nodded and began to explain that Max's long bones (Femur, humorous, rib-cage) were are measuring at about 14 weeks gestation (I was 21 +1) and that she was extremely concerned. She went onto explain that Max's skull was indeed irregular shaped and measuring 23 weeks. His vertebrae were irregular shaped, his hands we flat and his fingers much more short and stubby than normal. She said all of this didn't necessarily mean "fatal" but there was one last big issue. His chest cavity was extreme small (measuring 14 weeks), and was not allowing his lungs to develop. When he was born at full term he would not have the lungs developed enough to breathe or receive any breathing assistance. He was only surviving on the inside while I would breathe for him. As soon as he was born he was going to die.

 Max's diagnosis was fatal.

We were officially diagnosed with a rare skeletal disorder called Thanatophoric Dysplasia. It was caused by a simple fluke in the system. So simple in fact it was just 2 amino acids that swapped places and told Max's bones to stop growing.

 The chances of having a child with this disorder is something close to 1/50,000 and ours was not hereditary, just a mistake in the system.

Seriously, what the hell?

All I remember doing is breaking down and crying my eyes out, Dr. Thorson tried to be as comforting as possible and had the genetics counselor come and meet with us.

We were told that we had a few options, but none involved anything that could save our son. Those options were to deliver now or later. There was no rush and the staff encouraged us to take our time with the decision. Should we choose to carry full term however we would need to elect a c-section due to the irregular growth and shape of Max's skull that would not allow him to pass through naturally and that he would be immediately put into neonatal hospice care if he survived delivery. There is often other complications that arise in TD pregnancies that did pose some risk for mom as well.

We decided to not make any choices that day.

We left the perinatal clinic in shock and confusion. A part of me couldn't stop crying and screaming while another part of me didn't even know what just happened. It felt like a nightmare, except it was real--too real. I just wanted to go to sleep and wake up again hoping it was all a dream.

We went home and immediately called our family and some friends and went to visit our church's Pastor.

The next few days were met with a lot of stress, panic attacks, and haze. I do however, vividly remember waking up in the middle of the night the day after Max's diagnosis. I was laying in bed with my eyes wide open thinking to myself, "something is wrong". I was so groggy though I really could not figure out what was wrong. Then it hit me again like a freight train. This sweet little baby who was moving and kicking was not going to come home with me.

 I went through a lot of limbo with reality. Some days I could not even tell you what was real and what was not anymore. Our church, family, and friends really stepped up for us. Our pastor guided through our decision making process, our friends brought us meals and took our boys to the park while Andrew and I sat and discussed what we wanted to do. Andrew's mom came down on Sunday, June 1st to help us with the boys. My mom came up on Monday, the 2nd to help me cope.

Andrew and I had to make the hardest decision ever.

We decided to go to get a second opinion on Tuesday June 3rd. If the second opinion came back as fatal we were going to induce the pregnancy. There was ALOT of information gathering and understanding that went into this process. A few things we had to understand about carrying Max to term was that if we elected a c-section there was no guarantee I would be able to hold him right away. Considering that he may only have minutes after surviving delivery I did not want to meet him in a cold OR. We also had to make the decision to basically "not resuscitate". Because Max would be born without properly developed lungs there were no breathing machines that could make him more comfortable. Bottom line, if he was born alive he would suffocate to death and nobody could/would help him. (Please understand, there was a lot that went into our decision, these were some of the big issues but really only the tip of the iceberg for us. I can only speak for what was the right decision for our family.)

I just couldn't do it. As a mom I knew watching my baby fight to breathe would be too much. I knew in that moment I would scream for people to help him, and I didn't want my baby to see me like that.

I felt helpless; we felt helpless. There were no options, there was no way out of this mess.

I struggled to understand what could I ever do for Max. How could I make sure he knew I loved him so much and that when he died I wouldn't love him any less? For me, it was the opportunity to labor with him, give birth to him, name him, hold him, kiss him, and love him for just a short amount of time here on Earth. We decided that my mom, our pastor, our doula, Katie and of course Andrew would all be there for delivery. (More on their amazing impact later).

On June 3rd, the perinatal  group at Abbott gave us the same fatal diagnosis so we decided to schedule induction for June 4th.

Andrew and I left Abbott that day and went to Mesa pizza for lunch where we met. We knew this would be the last day Max would be home with us so we tried to make it special. That night we made sure his brothers gave him lots of love and enjoyed laughter and playing with our other 2 sons. Jack came over to me after Parker was put down and asked, "Mommy, can I fall asleep in your arms?" Jack fell asleep with his hand right on my belly. I had never been so at peace. Andrew and I stayed up feeling Max move and kick and told him how much we loved him. That day was filled with laughter, lots of tears, and lots of prayer.

Max's Story Part 1: The Ultrasound

Max was (a bit of) a surprise baby #3. We found out we were expecting a third baby at the end of January 2014. I was surprised yet not really that surprised. I started to feel funny about 1 week before finding out and after getting nauseous while eating lunch one day, tested that afternoon. Andrew came home that night and I had made a card that said: Congrats!!-Love, Baby Scott #3. Andrew was beaming with excitement. I remember sinking into reality with him that night that we would have 3 children under 5. We needed to finish our basement asap for extra space, I would be staying home again this fall, so many things to do in a short 9 months. I was filled with love and a bit of intimidation as I thought about how I would be able to handle it all. I quickly began to settle into the pregnancy and knew this (bit of a) surprise baby was meant to be and everything would work out just fine.

I had a relatively normal (for me) 1st trimester that included vomiting all day everyday and extreme exhaustion. I would easily be in bed at 8:30 pm, up by 7 am and ready for a nap again at 10:30 am. When we first told Jack mommy was having another baby he exclaimed that we were having 2 girls. I was slightly concerned he would be right with the way I was feeling. I went to my initial prenatal appointment at 11 weeks, heard (and saw!) 1 baby and remember looking at the ultrasound and thinking immediately it was another boy. My eyes welled up with tears as my excitement for another squishy baby was becoming more real.

 Fast forward some more, I left my position at the CAP agency and took a temporary but better paying position at Lifetime. I was really torn about my decision but felt that the opportunity to make some better money before the baby arrived was important. I settled into my new position, really liked the team and was excited that my position would be ending at the end of August, giving me at least 6 weeks at home with my boys before Max's arrival. Life continued as normal. I had my 16 week check up, recorded Max's strong heartbeat on my phone and set the date for my 20 week anatomy scan, May 23rd, 2014.

The days approaching May 23rd were met with a lot of name and gender debate between Andrew and I. We wanted to have a name picked out for either gender before we were told what the baby was. Andrew thought girl, I thought boy. We easily had a girl name chosen but struggled with our 3rd boy name. One day it suddenly came to me, "Max" or Maxwell just in case he wanted to sound mature and professional at some point. Also, I believed it was the perfect littlest brother name. When I asked Andrew we both agreed it was indeed perfect.

The morning of May 23rd, 2014 started like any day. My ultrasound wasn't until 2:30 pm so I went to work and left with Andrew for an early lunch and a swing through Buy Buy Baby before our ultrasound. Things went downhill from there. We were called about 30 minutes prior to our appointment and told that our OB was taken into an emergency situation at the hospital and we needed to reschedule our ultrasound. After some phone calls back and forth we had an appointment that day instead with the sonographer at 4:30pm. We went into the ultrasound and the sonographer started to ask me over and over about our due date and if we were positive we were 20 weeks along. Being a 3rd time mom, I knew something was up. I also noticed that Max's arm's and leg's looked so chubby, like extra folds of skin. I also noticed that one side of his head jutted out a bit and looked irregular shaped. The sonographer became more and more concerned about things as time went on. She only mentioned however that the baby's femurs and humorus looked "short and bowed". Finally after over an hour we were told it was another boy. I tried to be happy and even remember laughing a bit but I was still SO worried something wasn't right. She asked us to stay and speak with the on call OB about her findings but by 6:30 pm no one had been able to come over and we were mentally and physically exhausted. We elected to leave and have our OB call us instead.

I remember getting in the car and breaking down into tears, knowing something wasn't right. Andrew calmed me down and after talking with my doula, Katie and our family, we felt that we still needed to be positive. Even my OB called me that evening to reassure me that this could really be "nothing".

In my mind, Max was moving, his heart-rate was strong and if it was life-threatening we would have surely been sent to Labor and Delivery. I kept looking at my ultrasound pictures with so much love and hope that our 3rd little boy would be okay. We were urged to make an appointment with a perinatal group to follow up on the findings and make sure everything was okay. Our level 2 ultrasound was scheduled for May 30, 2014.

Parker's Birth Story--We are now a party of 4!

Andrew and I were blessed to welcome sweet Parker Glen on 8.7.2012. See his emotional and healing birth story below. I knew the decision I made to have a natural waterbirth VBAC was the right one. I was even more amazed how with a strong mentality and preparation--mind can truly conquer matter.

****There are some pictures below of me laboring in the birth tub. I happened to find the lavender lighting extremely calming during my birth. While there is nothing inappropriate shown below, I do want to forewarn anyone who is about to read a look at some of the pics.****

Sweet Parker, 12 hours old

Parker’s Birth Story!

I am delighted to share with you that our son, Parker Glen Scott was born in the water on 8-7-2012 at 2:33am. He weighed 7lbs. 4 oz. and was 22 inches long. His birth was so special for his father and I since not only was he a successful VBAC water birth but it was also the first birth his father and I were present to witness.

Our journey to our VBAC water birth began back in 2010 with a very traumatic emergency c-section we had with our first son. I was considered a high risk pregnancy due to two open heart surgeries I received as an infant. Throughout my pregnancy I was inactive, hypertensive, and was scared to death about giving birth. When it became time to have my baby, I was 39 weeks along and was pushed into an induction after coming in with what I now see in hindsight as very mild/irregular contractions. After getting multiple high blood pressure readings in the 160’s the induction was started and then began the cascade of interventions. I had prostaglandins, pitocin, epidural (at 1 cm) and baby’s heart tones were horrible the entire active phase of labor. Only once were we told to think about a c-section before it was too late. I dilated to 10cm gave one push and baby’s heart rate dipped to the 50’s. I was immediately thrown onto all fours and rushed in the OR. I was completely knocked out and my husband was not allowed in.

After the birth I felt like a complete failure and helpless. I felt guilty for putting my son, Jack through so much and was left with hearing the, “thank goodness baby is okay” phrase over and over again. Shortly after the birth I fell into a deep depression and put much strain on my new family. Thank goodness I was able to pull myself out of it through exercise and ICAN support.

Fast forward to 11/29/2011, the night my husband and I returned from our honeymoon. I found out I was pregnant. We were thrilled! I immediately made an appointment with Dr. Hartung—the only local OB who would allow VBAC water births and was determined to have success. I stayed active, hired a doula, and had amazingly supportive husband. During my birth itself we laughed, we walked, ate and drank, but most of all I trusted my body to birth my baby completely naturally.

Throughout this entire second pregnancy tried to maintain a healthy attitude, accept the past for what it was and get excited for the future. No matter how determined I was though I had my times of self doubt. Even all the way up to the day my second son, Parker was born I was worried about the possibility of a traumatic 2^nd birth. These times of doubt though forced me to lean on my husband and myself for support since no one else in my family thought my VBAC idea was any good or “realistic”.

At 39 weeks I became especially worried when I found out I was only 2 cm dilated and less than 50% effaced. While I told myself this was way more progress I made before my induction with my first baby, I was nonetheless terrified of an induction or c-section. My husband calmly reminded me I still had a whole more week and what if my body worked so well that baby came on his due date?! I laughed it off and again became grounded in my confidence and relaxed (a bit).

I tried to keep my mind off things by planning special activities for my toddler and I the last week of my pregnancy. Finally, Sunday, August 5^th was the day before my due date. I began having waves of cramping while at church which continued throughout the day. While the waves were consistent (about 10 minutes apart) nothing ever intensified. Since I was still doing yoga, Zumba, and staying active, I dragged my husband on a 3.5 mile walk that evening. Things slowed however, and I went to bed that night with the thought that I better enjoy my rest.

My amazing doc!

Monday, August 6^th was my official “guess date” I began having more cramping at 5:00am and told my husband, Andrew to stay home and plan on driving me to my scheduled appointment at 11:00am since I was not confident about driving 45 minutes on my own. Before my appointment we took another 3.5 mile stroll. My mother in law was there to take care of our son, Jack and also convinced us to bring our belongings with, “just in case”. At my appointment my OB asked if I thought I was in labor. I finally admitted that things felt different but I didn’t want to get too excited about it. Who would have thought!? My due date? Baby could really be coming?! I asked to be checked and broke down in tears (I mean lots of tears!!) of joy when I found out I was 4cm dilated with a bulging bag of waters. My doc calmly passed me his Kleenex box and told me to cry away. He told me today was probably the day! My body was working!!

My OB told us to stick around the area for a while so my husband, Andrew and I decided to go pre-register at the Birth Center and head out for some shopping and lunch nearby. The whole day I was beaming with confidence and excited as could be! I wanted to shout at the top of my lungs, “Look at me!! My body is working!!” Come 4pm we arrived back at the Birth Center. I was still having contractions now about 5 minutes apart but pretty tolerable. We first agreed to stay as an outpatient and monitor contractions for an hour to and then decide what to do for the night. After an hour I had made no change we decided it would be best to go home for possibly one last night in our beds. All of a sudden I had a huge contraction and baby’s heart rate dipped. I immediately had old feelings and memories come rushing back as nurses ran into my room to see what was going on. Baby’s heart rate quickly recovered and my nurse asked to check me. I was suddenly at 5cm dilated and decided to stay for good. I agreed with my OB to maintain a hands off approach and have only a hep-lock in case of emergency because of my heart conditions.

My doula and cheerleader, Ashley

Slowly but surely over the evening, our doula, Ashley came to join us. I walked, lunged, squatted, ate some supper (fresh fruit and yogurt—yum!!), bounced on the exercise ball, and watched the Olympics. At 11 pm I had progressed to 6cm and my OB had arrived. He came and said hello and asked how I was feeling. By this point I was working through my contractions but totally pleasant the rest of the time. He said we would reevaluate at 12am and start thinking about when I wanted to get into the tub.

Something triggered inside me at that point and by 11:15 I had “the contraction”. Things started moving faster and were way more intense. I immediately requested to be checked again and found out I was at a 7. I knew it was time to get in the tub. I got into the tub at 12am and labored until about 1am. The contractions were coming closer together and the pain never went away but the water made it so much more manageable.  I started pushing when I felt the urge around 1 am. I was still at an 8-9, but couldn’t help but push. I begged my OB to break my water (the only intervention I ever had) and finally I got to 10.

Pushing in the Birthing tub

I was pushing for an hour and a half. Through this time I would scream “Make it stop!!” when a contraction came, then fall asleep afterwards. I vaguely remember much but the room was very peaceful. Nurses and staff moved about quietly, the room was dark, and something must be said about an OB who will hold your foot whilst you push and wipe your face with a cold rag.  My husband held my other foot while my doula, Ashley and the nurses coached me on my breathing and relaxation.

Everything was so primal—like I was in a quiet cave, in darkness, waiting for the arrival of my baby. Just like my childbirth educator said I would want it. I ironically found the most comfort pushing semi reclined. I tried hands and knees but found any other position completely intolerable!

Finally, by 2:33 am, Parker entered the world. I remember Andrew saying to me, “Alexis, he has tons of black hair!” I looked down to see my sweet baby’s head was out, gave one last push and my OB said, “Open your eyes, look what’s happening”. I instinctively reached down and pulled my baby up and out of the water. I kept screaming, “Hi baby!!”  I couldn’t believe that he was coming out and that I birthed my baby all on my own.

This experience was so empowering and healing for Andrew and I. We are now proud parents to two sweet boys and I would never birth any other way again! I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to have #3!

Summer update: 36 Weeks

So if I don't already sound like a broken record I'm sure I will very soon! Again, we have gotten caught up with a very busy summer schedule and my blog updates have severely lacked. Let me get you up to speed with everything going on.

I joined a women's Bible study group with my neighbor, Katie. I had never done a Bible study before but it has so far been an awesome experience. We are so lucky to have a very diverse group of women that meet every Tuesday night.

Andrew's summer softball league also is still on our weekly agenda. Although there is only a few weeks left, I enjoy going to "watch" the game and catch up with some other awesome mom's from our church.

Besides that we have just been getting prepared for baby..((oh yeah, I keep forgetting we will have a new little one joining us soon...VERY soon!!)) I am proud to say that Zumba and Yoga are still a regular part of my week but I will admit I can't shimmy as gracefully anymore!

Baby's pack n' play, swing, clothes, and burp clothes are all ready to go. We just got a going home outfit last week and are still on the hunt for a perfect "big brother gift" for our sweet, Jack.

Finally, we were asked to be Godparents to Andrew's best friend from college, Derek and his wife Emily's baby boy due in October. We are beyond thrilled and honored to have this opportunity and are ecstatic to become even more of a "family" with this wonderful couple whom already are Godparents to our Jack.

That about does it for our summer so far. Andrew and I have enjoyed a few last days alone when Jack went to visit his family over the 4th but otherwise I promise, we are quite the busy little family this summer!

36 Weeks

We had some awesome maternity/family pics taken on Sunday, July 8th. So here is me at 36 weeks pregnant!

How far along? 36 weeks

Total weight gain? About 30lbs. Put it this way, although I am still doing Zumba and yoga, Andrew and I weigh the same. It looks like I may easily surpass him by the end of this week!

Maternity Clothes? Yes and no. Yes, I am still trying to wear maternity clothes, but no since many of them are starting not to fit.

Best moment this week? A great photo session with my family, signed my consent form for my waterbirth.

Miss anything? Ummm..walking without my swollen feet jiggling would be nice.

Movement? This is by far the most active baby I've ever been pregnant with. Now I know I'm partial since this is only my second one but, Jack was not nearly as active this late into the pregnancy.

Food cravings? Culver's creamy custard!

Gender? It better still be a boy! However, I still have the thought in the back of my head with "what if"?

Labor signs? Yes!! I am delighted to say yes finally!! I have been have regular daily contractions with a lot of cramping and back pain. Looks like my body is getting things going because during my exam today I was told things are definitely moving along!

Wedding ring on or off? On! My hands are not nearly as swollen as my feet.

Happy or Moody? Happy!! The heat really hasn't bothered me that much and I am really getting excited to meet my new baby, who could be crabby about that?!

Something I can't live without? Don't get me wrong, I love the heat and summer time but I can't live without A/C and fans.

Looking forward to? We have another meeting with our doula, Ashley this Saturday to create our birth plan and discuss techniques to cope with labor. I'm excited to learn and become more prepared to meet Baby Scott #2.

Mother's Day Belly Mapping: 28 weeks--Hello 3rd Trimester!

**I have no idea why the text in this post is outlined in white...sorry!

Andrew and I at the Twins Game

So last week was quite hectic and crazy with Mother's Day, Belly Mapping, and New Orleans all wrapped together. First, Mother's Day, Andrew took me to the Twins game against the Toronto Blue Jay's. We had a great time, great seats and I even got a new Twins tank top and frozen yogurt :). 

Andrew, I, and Gail Tully

That night we went to a class I was so excited to attend, Belly Mapping. Belly Mapping was held at the studio where I do prenatal yoga, Blooma. The studio has amazing yoga, amazing staff, and one-of-a-kind classes for mama's. This class was held by Gail Tully, a world renowned midwife for more than 30 years, she has pioneered the importance of fetal positioning during pregnancy and birth (she's from the Twin Cities too!). I use her website, SpinningBabies to get some tips on what do to keep baby in an optimal position before and during birth. You see, when Jack was being born he was in a posterior position (facing the ceiling) and was presenting with his chin extended up and not tucked. Most likely the reason he could not come down the birth canal after I dilated to 10cms was because of his poor positioning and inability to turn. My OB at the time never mentioned his positioning as an issue but I have heard that posterior babies in general are very hard to push out because the position does not allow baby to get the room he or she may need to come out. 

Gail finding baby's position

I followed Gail's instructions and have been doing stretching and inversions almost every night to try and keep everything as "open" as possible. That with a combination of yoga, cardio, and a chiropractor has made me feel exceptionally strong, positive, and energetic entering my 3rd trimester. I was even more delighted though when I found out she was making a stop here in the Twin Cities to talk about fetal positioning and do Belly Mapping. I immediately signed Andrew and I up for the class.

Belly painting

When we got there Andrew wasn't too convinced this hippie, baby position stuff was for him but it was Mother's Day and he was a trooper. We learned so much about positioning, VBACing, what to do to prepare, and got some great tips on what stretching I needed to be doing more of to keep my hips open and loose. Andrew ended up really liking the class since the bodywork part really applied to his back ground of personal training. He has been really great at helping do the bodywork at home. 

All finished!

After Gail talked for a while she had us poke and prod our bellies (there were about 10 couples total) to try and see if we could figure out babies position. Andrew and I got it right and it was so cool to be able to feel baby's head, hand, knees, and feet. Finally, we got to the fun part of letting Gail poke and prod and then paint baby's exact position on my tummy. 

28 weeks

Weekly Questionnaire:

How far along? 28 weeks 0 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss? Still about the same, 18-20lbs.

Maternity Clothes? Yep! I was able to snag at Target for a few maternity tops but I'm hopping everything will last me.

Best moment this week? There are so many things! Belly Mapping, New Orleans, and seeing my sweet boy's face after being gone for 5 days!

Miss Anything? Andrew and I missed Jack like crazy! We couldn't wait to get home and see him this past Friday

Movement? Lots of movement, kicks, punches, and some strong knees. Now that I know baby's position it is fun to know exactly what I'm feeling where.  

Food Cravings? Medium vanilla crunch cone from DQ...straight up!

Anything make you queasy or sick? All the fried food and Bourbon street in general down in New Orleans

Have you started to show yet? I sure hope so...

Gender? Just started pulling out Jack's old clothes, so I guess I'm still thinking it's a boy!

Labor signs? Some Braxton Hicks...same ol' same ol'.

Belly Button in or out? Still very flat!

Wedding Ring on or off? On, but the heat in New Orleans got me concerned I was cutting off circulation.

Happy or Moody most of the time? The heat made me slightly moody but the beautiful days outside planting flowers and taking walks have been awesome...

Something I can't live without? A pillow between my knees at night and a fan. Most nights I am sleeping on top of our covers now. 

Looking forward to? Planting my garden and finishing up my last week of M.A. class on Friday the 25th!

25 Weeks

When I was pregnant with Jack, I took a picture and journaled every week. Well this pregnancy I have done a very poor job with regard to pregnancy pics or any journaling for that matter. I decided to find some general questions and do some pregnancy journaling every couple of weeks for the remainder of this pregnancy.

How far along? 25 weeks 5 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss? So far 18lbs. but that was the day after coming home from AZ where we were eating out everyday so I feel that was a bit on the higher end.

Maternity Clothes? You betcha! My favorite capris and shorts have the long elastic band that goes up to your boobs. While they fit the best I am trying to figure out how they are going to be bearable in the summer heat.

Best moment this week? I was able to hold and cuddle our neighbors one week old baby girl! I totally forgot how little they are and how quickly they change! I am still enjoying my baby from the inside though!

Miss Anything? I hadn't attended Zumba in almost two weeks with traveling and being busy so I decided to drag myself in for a much needed cardio. Zumba has become increasingly difficult with all the quick dancing and hip shaking and I find myself quite sore after a workout like that. I finally went yesterday and it was AMAZING! I called Andrew immediately after leaving the gym and gushed about finally being back to Zumba!

Movement? Lots and lots of kicks, somersaults, and dancing! I'm beginning to notice times of baby's increased activity and it looks like he is starting to get himself on more of a schedule. I did mention to my chiropractor that I felt way more movement this time around than with Jack. She said that subsequent pregnancies and already stretched muscles allow mom to feel way more each time she is pregnant than the previous time. The only downside to this is that many women start feeling more and more pressure on their cervix earlier than first time mom's...that sounds uncomfortable!

Food Cravings? Nothing in particular. I've always loved sweets so it doesn't surprise me that occasionally I want a DQ Cookie Dough blizzard with chocolate ice cream and extra cookie dough!

Anything make you queasy or sick? Last night Andrew and I stayed up later than usual, almost 12 am and I started to get sick from my prenatal vitamin. I try to always eat when I take it at night and usually fall asleep before it starts to hurt my stomach but last night that was not the case.

Have you started to show yet? Apparently, yes! I've had more people ask me about my due date and what I am having in the last week than throughout my pregnancy to this point.

Gender? Still a boy I hope!

Labor signs? Nope. Occasionally when I workout or am active for a while I may get a Braxton Hick. I am still enjoying my pregnancy and and perks of the second trimester and hope it continues for a while!

Belly Button in or out? Is flat an option? Just like with Jack, my bellybutton never popped out it just got flat.

Wedding Ring on or off? It's still on!

Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy I would say. This pregnancy makes me a little weepy occasionally but never really moody like with Jack. I will also credit my prenatal yoga and Zumba for keeping me level.

Something I can't live without? I created this question because throughout this pregnancy I am always finding things and scream "Why didn't I know about that last time??!" This week I can't live without Trader Joe's Coconut oil. Thanks to my husband and our friend Ashley for bringing this awesome product to my attention. I started using this to help moisturize my skin and prevent (more) stretch marks. I'll be the first to honestly say yes, I have stretch marks. Luckily, they have all been lighter ones and no deep purple ones that make you look like you got clawed by a bear. I've also been cooking with it and occasionally taking a spoonful or two for health benefits. I recently found a blog that listed 50+ things to do with coconut oil. You can check it out here.

Looking forward to? I am really looking forward to a class called Belly Mapping on Mother's Day...stay tuned!

Our Trip to Arizona

We decided to tag along last week on Andrew's business trip for Lifetime to Phoenix, AZ. We figured we could get away one last time as just the 3 of us and would probably have no other reason in the future to travel to Arizona. We initially intended on visiting the Grand Canyon but after finding out it would be about 6 hours each way and that there was a heavy snow storm mid-week, we opted for something easier--a trip to Tucson, the Phoenix Zoo, a wildlife center, U of AZ, ASU, and finally hung out by the pool.

A few things I learned on this first BIG family trip:
1) Never take a moment of silence and togetherness with just your spouse for granted while on a family vacation. Sure Andrew and I traveled together with Jack, but I assure you we did not get anytime to unwind and relax at the end of the night
2) Eating out for almost every single meal sucks, and sucks even more with a toddler
3) Just because we looked like A+ parent's for having a content and sleepy toddler on our flight down to AZ did not guarantee us the same results on the way back
4) Maternity swimsuits may or may not be on my list of pregnancy necessities, this week it was not
5) Sharing a king size bed with a toddler who is not accustomed to sleeping in the same direction as his parents leads to late-night head bumps and startling kicks to the face!

Besides the things I learned on this first big family getaway, we really had a great time. Sure we were more tired after a week of vacation than when we left but it was truly all a great experience.

First, we headed to Tucson, AZ. It was about 2 hours away from Phoenix and with two well-rested parents just beginning vacay we decided to attempt the trip. We had fun visiting a great Mexican restaurant called El Charro. They are rumored to be the oldest Mexican restaurant in the entire United States going back to the 1920's and I promise the food was amazing. We then headed to the University of Arizona to walk around, it was a gorgeous campus!

The second day we had what I like to call an 'expedited' trip to the Phoenix Zoo. We were torn on whether or not to go because it was the nicest day in AZ and we really wanted to hang by the pool too. Andrew and I decided Jack probably would really enjoy the giraffe's, elephant's, and rhino's (things we just don't have at the MN Zoo). To be quite honest with you it was so hot and humid I don't think Jack cared one bit about seeing the animals and didn't once ask to get out of his stroller to see them. After about 1 1/2 hours we headed back to the resort for some R&R at the pool.

Our last full day in AZ was filled with a trip to a wildlife center about 40 minutes outside Tempe. It was well worth the drive  and money because it was such an interactive place. We went for a chairlift ride above the animals, a train ride through some exhibits, fed the giraffes, petted the wallaby's and even fed giant tortoises cucumbers and zucchini. We really enjoyed our time there and got up close and personal with some animals usually kept at a distance. Later we hit up Mill Ave and ASU to have some lunch. It reminded me a lot of Dinkytown by the U of M but way less ghetto and more family friendly.

For our final night of eating out Andrew and I were desperate for a kid friendly establishment, even if that meant Chucky Cheese. We found one close to our hotel and headed there for some not so great pizza and  quite the amusing crowd. Chucky Cheese showed me a whole other side of parenting I hope to never see again and also was the only place I have ever seen Mexican Cola on tap.

Finally, our trip came to an end with a very difficult plane ride home. By the time it was all over, Andrew and I were exhausted and Jack had finally fell asleep at baggage claim. All in all we had a wonderful family trip and will always cherish the memories we made with our sweet Jack.