Why the next 4 1/2 weeks DO matter ...

... and why its so important I behave and stay on bedrest:

SuperBoy - my 38 weeker

Healthy as can be, weighed 8lbs 11oz, and he came home from the hospital with me, just like babies are supposed to!

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Next was Princess, my 35 weeker

Only 5 weeks early, and weighed 5lbs15 oz, but her lungs collapsed. She was on the vent, dosed with lung surfactant, had jaundice, and couldn't breathe enough to even cry.  She was in the NICU for a week, then home with an oxygen tank for 2 months.  We've been so blessed that she's now a very healthy 7 year old!

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AngelBaby, my 36 weeker:

She was only 4 weeks early, and weighed 7lbs 2oz ... but her lungs collapsed too.  On the vent, dosed with lung surfactant, a little bit of jaundice, and some traumatizing experiences with one particular nurse.  She was in the NICU for less than a week, then came home with an oxygen tank for 2 weeks.  

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Dear Little SweetPea 

... stay in there and cook, okay?  I'm gonna be good and stay in bed and fight this pre-eclampsia as best I can. I'm going to go to all these non-stress-tests and ultrasounds and doctors appointments, and even though it seems like a bit much, I'm gonna do it all for you.  I'll do my best, and you do yours.  I want you to be nice and healthy, and I want to hear you scream and cry and show off your lungs when you're born, okay?  Deal?  I love you Little Sweet Pea!

Some weeks are rough!

Got to hang out at labor and delivery for monitoring 2 times last week, put on bed rest (darn BP is already grouchy), and got a sinus infection, complete with bronchitis, and can't breathe through the yucky coughing.  24 weeks pregnant, and its gonna be a race to the finish already.  Hopefully we can make it to April ... although May would be wonderful.

However, enough whining!  

We got to see SweetPea today via ultrasound ... after all these ultrasounds,  I was wondering if it would get less exciting, but it was still amazing to see our little miracle on the screen.  We were also told for the 4th time that she is *certainly* a little girl.  Good, because I've really gotten attached to her already ;)

Ultrasound pictures always look like a cute little alien, but as far as aliens go, she's pretty darn cute ...

Happy New Year!

It's been a busy holiday season, and its nice to be getting back into the routine of regular life.  I loved Christmas, but there's something calming about having a schedule again!

Little Sweet Pea is due in May, and we're getting excited.  We've had a lot of doctor appointments, perinatologist appointments, and ultrasounds the past month, but everything is looking good, and Sweet Pea is just darling in-utero!  At our last ultrasound, we got to watch her grabbing her toes, drinking amniotic fluid, and trying to eat her fist.  I'm just over half-way through this pregnancy now - and we have high hopes for a full-term baby this time around!

The other "baby" in our house is Dakota, our Bernese Mountain pup.  Koda is 5 months old now, and is turning into a pretty good dog.  She's nearly 100% house trained, and has learned not to nibble on people.  Her baby teeth are almost all gone, and her favorite thing to do is lay on our feet ... which can be pretty nice in the winter!  We are going to start some training soon ... she is being a pill with jumping up on us ... which wouldn't be as big a problem, except she's a BIG dog!  She loves to train though - especially if bacon treats are involved.  So far, she can "Sit", lay "Down", get "Off" the furniture, and go to "Bed" (her kennel).  Not too bad for a 5 month old ;)  Now we just have to figure out how to teach her to not walk up and lean on our legs ... its endearing, but she's so big that I have to fight not to fall over, lol!

Anyways, that's about it for us right now!  Hope you're having a great beginning of 2011!

We're having a girl!

Yep, little girl #3!

We're very excited!

Heartbeat

We had a little scare, so the Dr had us come in for a 9w ultrasound.  I was stressed and worried, until I heard the quick "whoosh-whoosh-whoosh" of the baby's heartbeat.  Everything is perfect, no concerns, and there is one gorgeous little baby in there!  I wish I'd had my iPhone in my hand instead of tucked in my purse - it would have been so nice to have voice recorded the heartbeat sound.  Seriously, there are few things more reassuring to me than hearing that heartbeat!

One tired mama!

I think that having babies when you are in your early 20s is much different than when you're 30 (my youngest was born when I was a whopping 24 years old!)  I can't believe how nauseous and exhausted I am this time around! Princess keeps crossing her fingers for twins, but I think these intensified symptoms are due to my age ... because there's most likely just ONE peapod in there.

I finally am wearing a maternity shirt today.  Kind of pitiful for 2 months along, but I'm happy to be pregnant, and grateful for this little baby growing inside me.  I just can't do the skin-hugging look - it drives me crazy, and my shirts are starting to roll up, leaving me looking like winnie the pooh, *sigh*  Oh well, bring on the maternity clothes, lol!

4 little monkeys jumping on the bed!

Yep, it's true!  We have a fourth little one joining our family in May 2011!  So far, pregnancy is doing well, lots of nausea and exhaustion, but those are just reassuring me that the little pea-pod is doing okay, right?

Our first appointment is in a couple weeks.  We told our three monkeys, and they are very excited.  My sister-in-law is expecting her 6th baby three months before me, and my cousin is expecting her 5th baby two months before me!  I'm so excited for all these little cutie bugs to join our families!