William's big brother and big sister

One thing I've really been thinking about lately is how our two dogs, Chewie and Sammy, are going to handle our new addition. I'm pretty sure they know he's around, but I'm not sure exactly how they are going to react to new noises and routines. The good news is the dogs are being really good about leaving the baby stuff alone. They like to smell his little toys, clothes, and sit in his room and that's about it. Sammy hasn't decided to claim any toys for her own yet, so that's good!

This picture captures my prediction on how these two will react to the baby: Sammy (yellow lab) will just love the baby, think he's hers, and will be his first best friend. Chewie will practice constrained ambivalence, but when no one is looking make sure his little brother is doing just fine. We'll see if I'm right!

School's Out for Summer!

Or until October for me. :)

We've got three weeks until our life changes for the better, and I've got some things to accomplish before the little guy comes!

My to do list:

• Organize the pantry
• Put up some glasses (we have waaaay too many margarita and wine glasses on hand) so we can make room for bottles 
• Finish some decorations I'm making for above William's crib (when they're finished and put up, I'm going to do a post of William's nursery)
• Make some exchanges to Target, Buy Baby, and Babies R Us
• Go to infant first aid and CPR class and breastfeeding class
• Get some grooming done!!! I really need a hair cut, pedicure, and maybe a massage 
•  Make and freeze some meals to have on hand
• Try to clean the house (I'm thinking of getting a cleaning service to do a deep clean!) 
• Finish organizing William's room
• Get hospital bags packed for me, William, and David 
• And, most importantly, enjoy some time with friends! 

David's dad was here the last few days and they got some things accomplished, mainly putting together baby "stuff." I'm running out of room! Right now our dining room is housing a stroller, car seat, and swing and the guest bedroom has an exersaucer on the bed and a play gym in the chair! Yeesh! I know all this is just going to multiply, too. :/

Wedding fun!

Memorial day weekend my first cousin Price married his perfect match, Kickie, in New Orleans. Unfortunately, David and I decided to sit this Ward wedding out because it's getting so close to William's arrival, plus NOLA is so hot, humid, sticky, and full of alcoholic temptation!!:) But we did go to our lifelong friend, Chris' wedding to HIS perfect match, Kristin, last weekend. It was a lot of fun, not to mention in town! William and I even danced! Here's a picture of me for posterity, about three weeks until William's birth day!

Three weeks and two days!

I can't believe it, but William is going to be here on June 26th, which is three weeks and two days from today! School got out on Friday and all I have left to do is take it easy, finish finding room in our home for him and his cute little baby things, and enjoy these last weeks with David as a family of two (plus two big stinky dogs!)

I've been a bad blogger, but the past month has been super busy! We've had three wonderful showers and are so thankful and blessed to have such wonderful family and friends! William is already spoiled rotten, and David and I are so grateful for the help by way of gifts and kind words we have received!

I've been getting extra sonograms due to my hypertension, which has been fun because we've been able to see the little guy growing bigger and bigger! The last sonogram was on Monday, May 21st. I was 32 weeks, and I expected Rebecca, our sonographer, to estimate William to be around 4 and a half pounds or so. He's been in at least the 90% for the past two sonograms, so I figured that would be the same for this visit. NOPE! She told us she figured he was about 5 lbs. 3 oz. and I think that was almost as shocking to me as finding out I was pregnant! (Maybe not THAT shocking, but still!) She said she's usually accurate within a half pound. Woah, we have a big guy on our hands! We also got to see him yawn, practice breathing, and moving his eyes during the sonogram, which was really neat to see! Also, I'm happy to report that my BP last week was "beautiful" in the words of my doctor, so that was good news. I have yet to develop preeclampisa, but they are still watching just in case.

Here are some third trimester notes I want to document:

• How I'm feeling: Like a turtle on its shell most of the time. It's hard to get out of bed with a five pound brick inside me! He also likes to be on my right side and it's putting pressure on my right hip; I've been getting adjustments with the wonderful Dr. Viehbeck at Watters Creek Chiro if you need a good prenatal adjustment! It can be pretty painful to walk at times, but the adjustments have helped a lot plus being out of school should help too.
• Swelling: my hands and feet are swelling pretty much every day, but the same amount each day. The doctor says it's the normal amount, so that's good. 
• Hands: my awesome onset of Carpel Tunnel is really picked up lately. Waking up with numbness and tingling in both hands is a daily occurrence. I am SO ready for that to go away!!!

I'm excited to meet the little guy in three short weeks, and while I'm a little uncomfortable now (and yes, I know it's just going to continue!) I know it's all well worth it! :) 

June 27th

My blood pressure was elevated and at times high during my first trimester but went down to normal (at some times it was pretty close to perfect!) but at my last appointment it was high again. I knew they had me on the short list for preeclampsia (I already got to do a 24 hour urine test! FUN!) but with my blood pressure potentially rising again, my doctors have decided to be on the safe side and schedule to deliver William two weeks early to ensure that my placenta isn't harmed because of my blood pressure. That means that I have been scheduled to be induced at the end of June. While this seems a little scary, I'm trying to remain calm and be thankful that I have a really great team of obstetricians who are watching me and William and making sure that this fairly dangerous condition doesn't develop.  I must mention again how much I love Craig Ranch OB-Gyn and highly recommend it to anyone who needs a good team of obstetricians or gynecologists. Thanks again for the recommendation, Kate!
Of course I'm doing things like watching my blood pressure, salt intake, swelling, and fatigue to make sure I'm doing everything I can to not develop the condition, but I must say it's hard! Especially when I work with 160 high schoolers. They can really raise your BP from time to time, especially when this is a stressful time of year for them.
One positive thing about this seemingly scary development is that I get extra sonograms! We got to see William on Monday, April 9th and he's looking great, perfect even.

 He's still head down, back towards my belly, and his umbilical cord and my placenta look great as of last week. And my super sweet (and very talented!) sonogram tech cheated and showed me William in 3D:

She said that if they were ordering sonograms throughout the third trimester, by the 38th week we would really be able to see his face like it will be when he's born!

I know I'm a little biased, but I think he's got a super sweet little face. I think David and I are in love already! :)

Notes on the Second Trimester

I started my third trimester last Wednesday, and I can't believe in less than three months we're going to be holding sweet little William Hodum in our arms! David and I can't wait to be parents and feel so blessed already to have been given such a gift.
My second trimester was so much fun and exponentially better than the first! My nausea and morning sickness went away (bless mothers who have to deal with it the whole nine months!!!) and I felt like I had regained some energy. All in all, it was fun!
I've been careful about what I'm eating, making sure not to take in more calories than I really need so I don't gain too much weight. My doctor says I'm doing a good job!

Second trimester, I really had no serious cravings, but I really eat a lot of the following:

• Chocolate almond milk (I think someone might be a little lactose intolerant! I can't seem to keep down dairy products well, with the exception of hard cheese, light yogurt, and frozen yogurt)
• Strawberry banana smoothies from Smoothie Zone! Those are probably William and my favorite treat currently. Not too bad! 
• Ham and cheese sandwiches
• Trail mix
• Fruit salad 
• Raw broccoli and carrots 
• Garden Salsa Sun Chips 
• Caffeine- I still need a little bit during the day, and I'm really liking little baby cans of Coke Zero! 

I've really enjoyed feeling William move and kick more and more, and probably one of my favorite moments happened a couple weeks ago when David got to feel him for the first time. Right before bed, William was kicking pretty hard in the same spot on my right side, so I put David's hand where he had been kicking. In no time, David felt his son for the first time! He thought it was really cool and was really surprised by little Will's strength. I like to feel him during the day, he seems to respond to the students in my class and can hear them when they are fairly loud. I think he wants to get out and play with the big kids! 

Spring Break results!

We got a ton of stuff done around the house during Spring Break. Here are some pictures of William's room. I can't wait for him to see him space! It's really sweet and calm in person.

When you walk in the room, his dresser/ changing table is on the right with our glider:

 And on the left is his beautiful crib: 

We've added a mirror and are hanging art, crosses, etc. on the walls!

I was thinking of making bedding for his crib, but it's really hard and I'm too much of a perfectionist to get it done the way I want it to look. So, I think we're going with this precious set from Pottery Barn Kids:

It's not quite woodland animals like I wanted, but it's cute and the colors are great!

David and Gene also made this beautiful built in cabinet, which I am still working on decorating:

We're getting William's room together slowly but surely, not to mention the rest of the house!