Getting ready for baby sister

More and more people are asking me when is my due date.  When I let them know I still have 1 more month they look surprised.  I don't know why.  (hee hee)

Even though I have 5.5 weeks left, I do feel like the time is getting real close, so this past weekend we spend a good chunk of time getting ready for baby sister.  On Friday, Alisha and I moved Alisha's room into Gwenevere's room and Gwenevere's room into Alisha's.  Thanks Alisha for all your hard work.  I wouldn't have been able to do it by myself.  When James came home Friday night, he set up Alisha's new bed.  Since her room is smaller she needed a smaller bed. 

Alisha's new room

 

I was kinda nervous to see how Gwenevere would do in her new room.  But she thought the move was GREAT.  At first she tried going into her old room (Alisha's room)  and laying down on Alisha's bed when I said it was time for bed.  But once she realized her bedroom was now Alisha's old bedroom.  She jumped right into bed and it wasn't a problem at all.  Yippee!

On Saturday morning.  James and Gwenevere set up Baby Sister's crib.  So that Gwenevere could get use to it being in her room before baby sister comes.  Gwenevere was so excited to help Papa.  And I really think she's starting to get the whole baby sister is coming soon, Idea. 

 

So this is Gwenevere AND baby Sister's new room

 I still need to hang up pictures and move curtains, but I've unpacked baby clothes, had a chance to inflate the birthing tub to see how big it is and started gathering birthing supplies.  We all feel ready for baby sister's arrival.

 When I asked Gwenevere how excited she is for Baby sister, this was her response

"This much"

 

  Gwenevere took this picture of Papa's excitement for Baby sister

 And this is my excitement for Baby Sister

Actually it's my excitement for new eyeliner. 

But I'm really this excited for Baby Sister to come too.

 

30 weeks and Counting

So I'm 30 weeks along.  

About 10 more weeks to go. 

Yippee. 

Baby is still very active and I'm starting to feel big.   Trying to tell Gwenevere I can't pick her up because my tummy is so big is the hardest part so far, although sleep is beginning to get difficult as well. 

As for my prenatal appointments.  They are going well.  I love my midwife, but I might not be able to stay with her.  My platelet count dropped again and it can be difficult to increase it at this point in the pregnancy.  I have another appointment with her  on June 15th.  We'll do another blood draw and see if all the protein I'm trying to consume is helping.  If not, I'll probably start looking for another Doctor who can handle high risk pregnancies.  I really want to have a home birth so please keep me in your prayers.  As much as I want a home birth I want a safe birth, so that is why I'm looking into transferring care if my platelet count doesn't increase.

background on platelet count:  if you're not interested in reading skipped down to the next paragraph.  So a normal blood platelet count is between 450-150.  I've always been on the lower side of things.  At the beginning of Gwenevere's pregnancy my platelet count was 144.  By the end of that pregnancy it was 115.  Platelets help with the blood's ability to clot properly.  Sometime low platelet counts mean there is something wrong with your liver.  Other times it's caused by some rear genetic diseases.  Sometimes when undergoing  radiation therapy for cancer your platelet count will drop. We think the cause of my platelet count has to do poor protein intake and a distressed liver.  That is why I have been working to increase my protein.    Anyway, with this pregnancy my platelet count started at 124, low to begin with.  two weeks ago I had another test to see what my level was at it was 101.  If at my next appointment my platelet count has dropped again my midwife will do some genetic testing to see if that might be what's causing the low count.  

James was saying that if a patient's platelet count drops below 80 they stop physical therapy until it increases because it's very dangerous.  My midwife says if platelets drop between 50-20 a blood transfusion is needed.  and it's easy to drop once your platelet count gets low.   I don't think I'll need a blood transfusion but it's good to know when one would be needed just in case. 

With Gwenevere's pregnancy I wasn't allowed to have an epidural because my platelet count was below the recommend 120, the lowest safe number.    With my platelet count already at 101 it doesn't look promising.  But my midwife who is LDS said to get a blessing, eat  lots of protein 100-150 grams a day and drink an herbal tea that is very good for the blood.  Miracles do happen, and I'm not afraid to ask for one, so we'll see.  I'm trying to stay optimistic and realistic at the same time. 

As for weight gain: So my goal at the beginning was to stay under 150.  I started at 127.  Right now i'm at 148 and so I don't really think it's realistic to stay under 150 but possible 155.  That would be nice.  I've been a big slacker with my workouts lately, mainly because apartment complex stuff has increased and I've been doing a lot of crafts lately.  I have been going on walks with Gwenevere and James whenever it's been convenient just to keep moving.   James' school has open swim starting June 20th so Gwenevere and I hope to go swimming a lot this summer.  Until than I'll keep walking and try to eat healthier. 

That's my pregnancy update in a nutshell.  I've been going crazy cleaning house and sewing stuff.  I want to get as much done as I can before I hit the "I'm so pregnant, I can't do anything" feeling.

Once I finally finish some of my many started projects I'll do a post.  I'm so excited.  It's so fun getting ready for another baby.  Although to be completely honest I have thoughts of "What was I thinking, getting pregnant again, I already have the perfect baby."  And yes we still call Gwenevere our baby.  

Gwenevere is excited for her baby sister but I can tell she is in for some growing up.  I think she can feel the time is getting closer.  Gwenevere has never had an issue with Nursery but the last two weeks she has cried both times we took her to nursery.  She has also been super attached to me, begging to be held, rocked, cuddled, read to and so on.  She's beginning to be very winey at times.  I feel for her,  it must be hard wanting to grow up and be big yet be a baby still. I still feel that way sometimes.    

okay so I wrote more than I thought I would, and now I really have to get of the computer and get to cub scouts.  Wish me luck.

A glimps of the future

 Last week we watched baby Elizabeth for our friend.  Baby Elizabeth just curled up on James and fell fast asleep.  Gwenevere wanted to get in on the cuddling.  And I couldn't miss an opportunity to take a picture of the precious moment.  Soon James is going to be a Papa to TWO girls and lots more cuddle time is around the corner. 

I also had a chance to go through Gwenevere's old baby clothes 0-3 months and wash them to see which had stains and which ones where ready for baby sister.  This was the end result.  I think we're ready. 

24 weeks

Over the last two weeks I have tried and tried again to get a decent pregnancy picture but haven't been pleased with the outcomes.  I really need to pluck my eye brows,  but that's another day's project.  Until than here are the best of my attempts.

 Laughing is okay.  

I'm still trying to find my funky free love for my growing belly. 

I have a hunch this baby will be early.

If it's like any of my other intuitions it's probably wrong.

But none the less here is my rationalizations to this hunch.

1. She sits super low and my pelvis is already super loose.

2. She is very active and I can't imagine her wanting to just hang out in a crowded belly for weeks on end

3.  James' internship ends two days after my due date and it would be very convenient for her to wait til he is finished before coming.  But  when does a baby wait for things to be convenient. Hence the reason I think she'll be early.

4. I wouldn't mind enjoying a few more days of summer un-pregnant.

"Plans are meant to be changed"

I once was given a blessing where I was told by my Heavenly Father, that "plans are meant to be changed".  I have often wonder what that means, and I guess it just means we need to willing to accept the Lord's plan even though we are told to plan and be prepared. 

With that being said, 

James and I have been planning a home birth.  We have told some, but we haven't really shouted off the roof top our plans.  

When we have shared our plans we have had several negative and sometimes hurtful comments and remarks.  These remarks, said with good intentions, have left us at times confused and concerned.  Today my sweet sister asked me "Why we wanted a home birth?"  And for the first time I was able to express what I wanted to say.  So thank you.  

This is my response to her questions

I don't know if I can really explain why I want a home birth.  To me, it's very personal and I don't feel like I should try to explain because it's a personal thing, between my heavenly father, James myself and our child to be born.  I've tried to share my thoughts with others and whenever birth stories are brought up, it seems like the worst horror stories are told.  I've been judged by many and I've felt hurt and confused.  That is when the Lord has stepped in and has taken my hand in the processes.  He has confidence in my choices and I must have the faith to believe in him. 

I want the baby to come into this world in the most comfortable environment I can create and the home just seems to be the right place for us.  

To be perfectly honest, I really don't like hospitals.  And on a somewhat selfish response  I don't want to have an IV, I don't want to be monitored by machines, and I don't want the after birth screenings that are required at hospital.  I HATE the security chips, the 24 hours observation afterward, and I Hate the feeling of bring a prisoner.  I guess my feelings of a hospital are a little bit different than (some). 

With Gwenevere I was so uncomfortable being in the hospital that I didn't eat and couldn't sleep and my body yearned to go home, but I was told I had to stay at least 24 hours.  It wasn't fun, and I missed my home more than any other time in my entire life.  And on top of that I missed sleeping in the same bed as James.  I felt so out of place, I wasn't able to really rest and recover like some.  And the Recovery is so important. 

I can tell you all the reason I don't want a hospital birth but the choice for a home birth is more than that.  I just don't know how to really explain it.  A home birth is somewhat different and therefore not as easy to explain.  Especially because many of my friends and family members have had complicated births and wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for the medical technology and hospital systems that we have today.

But with that said, a home birth is going to be a LOT of work, and I want to make sure that the work is worth it and if not, than I'll give up some of my wants and go with a hospital birth. 

I also have some health concerns and I don't want to put my baby at risk so if it's better for me to be at a hospital, that's were i'll be, but the Lord is by my side and I'll follow him.  If he believes I can have a healthy home birth, than so do I. 

Like I said earlier, I really don't know which way the Lord is leading me.  A week ago I got a strong impression to visit another hospital.  So yesterday James and I took another hospital tour.  And now the Lord is telling me to get to the temple.  I don't know the meaning of all this but I know He's by me, leading me in this process and teaching me each step of the way.  I can almost hear His voice.

I still feel comfortable pursuing a home birth at this time.  The end result isn't as important as the lessons I'm learning in this process.  I'm very humbled by this process and I'm grateful for my Heavenly Father's active parenting.

It's been a great testimony building process and I'm happy to have the faith to follow.  I'll plan all that I can and than the rest will be in the Lords hands.  

Ideas for Baby Names and their Meanings

Alice-  A name Gwenevere called the baby once or twice. She's also called the baby Ashley and Ada before but we figured we would add Alice to the list just for fun.
The meaning of the name Alice is Of A Noble Kin (which I really like since we are the Royal Roemhildts, King James, Queen Elizabeth, and Lady Gwenevere)
The origin of the name Alice is English
Most popular in 1950
Ranked 258 in the US

Lynden Rose-  Lynden is little German settlement town we honeymoon at in Washington.  and Rose because of Rose Bowcutt one of the greatest women we know.  Besides it just sounds so good together.  Lynden Rose.  Lynden was not on the babycenter.com name list however Google suggests the name comes from Linden: A handsome tree (Tilia Europaea), having cymes of light yellow flowers, and large cordate leaves. The tree is common in Europe.

Evelyn- A name I really like.
The meaning of the name Evelyn is Beautiful Bird
The origin of the name Evelyn is English
Most popular in 2009 Ranked # 39
Today Ranked 39 in the US

Adelaide- Alice comes from Adelaide
The meaning of the name Adelaide is Of A Noble Kin
The origin of the name Adelaide is German (which I really like)
Most popular in 2008 Ranked 551 in 2009
Today Ranked 567

Grace Kahana- Kahana comes form Kahana Bay in Oahu, my personal paradise.  And my little sister is named Grace after my great Grandma Grace who was known for her energy for life, and her love for sweets.
The meaning of the name Grace is Grace Of God
The origin of the name Grace is Latin
Most Popular in 2009 Ranked 13
Today ranked 17

Moon Star Sunshine- James' number 1 choice  not found in the babycenter.com name search however Sunshine was
The meaning of the name Sunshine is Sunshine
The origin of the name Sunshine is English
Most popular in 1975 (ranked 537)
Today Ranked 805

Eleanor-
The meaning of the name Eleanor is Of Unknown Meaning
The origin of the name Eleanor is French
Most popular in 1950 (199)
Today Ranked 218
In an Australian Baby name book we had in Hawaii Eleanora means White sea shell.
Google suggest Eleanor to be of Greek orgin and mean Sun ray or shining light.


Nancy-
The meaning of the name Nancy is Grace
The origin of the name Nancy is English
Most Popular in 1950 (ranked #6)
Today Ranked 469
James' Grandma is named Nancy, she is his second Mom.

Olea-
Is found in the Pearl of Great Price Abraham 3:13 "Olea, which is the moon".
Wikipedia says
Olea (pronounced /ˈoʊliːə/)^[2] is a genus of about 20 species in the family Oleaceae, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of southern Europe, Africa, southern Asia and Australasia. They are evergreen trees and shrubs, with small, opposite, entire leaves. The fruit is a drupe.
For humans, the most important species is by far the Olive (Olea europaea), native to the Mediterranean region.


I'm sure we'll add more to our list before we pick.  After all Gwenevere wasn't on our list until two weeks before she was born.  But it's fun to think about.

Pregnancy Progress

Since I've been constantly thinking about my pregnancy and our baby girl I figured I should blog about it.  After all my blog is our family journal.

Before getting pregnant I weighted 127.  Now that I'm 20 weeks pregnant I weigh 135.9.  I haven't been good about working out and I really want to make sure I stay fit for the birth and recovery so I found a great workout program just right for me.  Usually I like to walk for my workout but it's been so rainy and with colds, I just haven't seemed motivated to take Gwenevere out in the rain to go walking.  Well, the other day I found a Leslie Sansone Walk at home workout DVD and I bought a pair of 3 lbs weights (which I've wanted since I return Jenni's wieghts.  Thanks Jenni for letting me borrow your weights.  I use the 3lb weights while I do the walking DVD and I love it.

The DVD allows me to walk 4 miles with a warm up and cool down in 56 minutes.  I know this isn't Zomba or Yoga, or P-90-X but I love it.  It's the prefect cheesy workout for the me, the woman who hasn't been working out like I should.

So now that I'm motivated to work out more, I have set a goal to stay under 155lbs for this pregnancy.  We'll see how I do but If I can stay under 150 that would be even better.  With Gwenevere I walked into the Hospital ready for labor at 149lbs and I walked out about 148 lbs. This gives me a goal of gaining about 1lbs per week from here on out.  Fingers crossed.

Other than weight gain and food intake which I could talk about for another 30 minutes I'll get to the really fun stuff.  Baby Clothes.

So we found out that we are having a little girl and yesterday I bought her a blessing dress.  My Friend Rachael knitted some cute booties for the baby and when I found the blessing dress it all came together.

I can see our baby girl in this dress with a beautiful purple flower in her hair and wrapped in a soft purple blanket being blessed by James.  Awe.  I'm so excited. 

The sale was buy one get one free so I got this cute dress 

It's hard to tell by this picture but the dress is a soft pink knit.  

I'm so excited.

And this is my first Maternity shirt for this pregnancy.

And now that we know it's a girl, it's time for a list of baby names.

Yippee

A list of names will appear on the side bar and you can vote for you favorite.

Our Lucky Day

Today was by far the best St. Patrick's day ever.  We had two appointments one with a nutritionist and one with the Doc for an ultrasound.  James got up early and biked ahead to the Doctor's office and enjoyed his 17 mile ride.  Gwenevere and I followed behind.  We meet with the Nutritionist first and that went great.  Then it was time for the Ultra Sound.  Gwenevere was super good.  She cuddled up next to James and watched the ultrasound until she fell asleep.  The Ultra Sound tech went through and examined everything before we found out the gender.  I really liked that.  With Gwenevere the first thing we saw was her gender, and I don't remember much more than that.  So to enjoy seeing my baby's brain and arms and fingers and toes and kidneys and tummy before finding out the super exciting news, was pretty amazing.  The Doctor was so impressed with our baby's heart, she kept saying  this is textbook material.  Meaning, "Super good footage."  Our baby was so calm and easy to examine.  Here is just a glimpse of our excitement.

Our little button

The Profile and fist

The much talked about heartbeat

The Doctor actually had video footage that showed all four chambers of the heart and the two valves between.

Baby's feet are my favorite

Gwenevere was right.

She has a baby sister on the way.

I can't hide it anymore

James surprised me with a new pair of shoes for the summer.

 I love my man

Guess the baby's gender

I always find it amusing when people tell me they think I'm going to have a boy or girl baby.  Lately i've had a lot of people say they think it's a boy.  Then there are times when people ask me what I think the baby will be and I honestly have no idea.  I keep thinking it's a boy but i'm not sure if that's because so many people say they think i'm going to have a boy or not.

With Gwenevere I was so sure I was having a boy and instead I had a little girl.  So who knows.  either way, we are super excited.  I love the idea of a boy, James would love to have a son, and Gwenevere loves Thomas the train and tools and other fun boy things, I'm sure she would get along great with a little brother.  Besides, my heart just melts every time Gwenevere says the name "Thomas".  It's my maiden name and I've always thought it would be fun to name a boy Thomas.  

But having a little Girl would be wonderful too.  I didn't go over board with the whole girl theme when Gwenevere was born, (I think it's the fact that I was still hoping for a boy).  but this time around I'm getting so excited for all the girlie things about having a baby girl.  I've already designed a new car seat cover for a little girl. I have plans for cute matching bedding for Gwenevere and her sister's room. And I want to make matching dresses for Gwenevere and the baby.  And there are about a hundred other girly things I want to do.  I love my sisters and I would love for Gwenevere to have a sister close in age.

So either way we are very excited.  Now tell us what you think we're going to have.  vote on the side of our blog.   

15 weeks and counting

Each Wednesday morning when I check my e-mail I get a letter from babycenter.com.  These are probably my favorite e-mails all week.  Except for Grace's mission letters.  Here's what today's e-mail said.

Hello, Elizabeth!
      Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam.