Bren got a new computer game last night. It’s a 4 CD Jumpstart Preschool set. It includes JS Toddler, JS Preschool Advanced, JS Language Club and JS Art. I installed the Toddler CD last night and Bren has been exploring it. On it there is a simple coloring and drawing game. Bren drew this just a few minutes ago and I quickly hit print:

I realize some squinting may be involved but let me tell you what he said as he drew each part.
1. He drew the curve along the bottom and then the top left circle. He looked at it critically for a second and then called me over. “Hey Mama- check it out! It’s happy!”
2. Next he drew the sorta flattened circle to the right of the first circle. “An eye…”
3. Finally he drew the long heart shape that runs over the last circle. “And a nose!”
Tada! A smiley face! Before I got to print it, he had added the line between the 2 eyes. 😀
Then he proceeded to draw a new pic with a wavy up and down line. “It’s swim!” 😀
Then he went on and taught himself the “fill-in” tool and has been coloring pre-designed pages with it since.

1 month to go!!! 😀
35w4d. Just days shy of entering the official 9th month. We went to HEB yesterday and a woman in the parking lot took one look at me and asked, “July or August?” Hahaha. I really stick out now.
—><--- This close to finishing the handpainting in the nursery. I had to take a week off because my in-laws came for a visit and they needed that room. My FIL called last night in a semi-panic (unusual for him). He finally realized just how much we are depending on them to get down here and watch Brendan before/ when I go to the hospital. It'll be a real race! I am hoping to have an exam one of these weeks where she pronounces me 3 cm and 75% effaced or more. I know that doesn't necessarily mean I'll go into labor any time soon after that but perhaps I will be able to convince my MIL to come down and stay then. At this point, however, they are more panicked than I am. The way I see it, DH is always here. He may somehow miss the birth (if it's an emergency c-section) or Bren might get to see the birth (if I progress quickly) but I know Bren will be watched. I am not worried about laboring alone as long as I am left alone and things are progressing as they should be. I'd be utterly bummed if Darrell missed the birth, but I am not worried that Brendan won't be cared for by someone. KWIM?
I’m having a lot of cervical twinges but no real contractions lately. It’s bumming me out. Baby is moving less and I totally understand why, lol. Brendan did the same at this stage. I had been thinking that this baby was smaller than Bren was at this time but I think he has caught up now. I really “feel it” when I do simple things like grocery shop. Wears me completely out!! On the other hand- I don’t yet have the hip pain every single night and my back is behaving nicely. I can breathe fine. I really am not miserable yet. Yay!
My fingers swelled up pretty badly yesterday so I removed my ring. By bedtime my hands were perfectly fine again- better than they had been in weeks. Now they are tight again. They don’t look bad, just feel very stiff. To be expected. My ring lasted longer than last time.
OB appt with first internal exam and GBS test is on Tuesday. I am still hoping for no panicking big baby predictions which tend to lead to (in my case) utterly wrong ultrasounds. It’d be cool to see an actual contraction on a NST though I want to avoid every test I can. I am walking softly on my toes to avoid anything and everything that could possibly change my OB’s opinion about this VBAC. Shall we start with whether or not he’s head down?? I swear he was transverse the other day for a few hours but I think he is back to head down now. Head down, measure no more than 2 weeks more than last time & either slightly effaced or slightly dilated would be grand, grand news.

Apparently, if your son is going to swallow a squirt of something poisionous, Resolve carpet cleaner isn’t a bad choice. **Rolls eyes** We were both standing in the kitchen and quick as a flash I saw him reach up, grab the Resolve and squirt it in his mouth!!! I stood there dumbly trying to interpret what I just saw before I made him chug some water out of the kitchen sink sprayer. Then I called poison control and all he said to do was to give him juice to drink because the main ingredient is rubbing alcohol and when it is digested it can lower your blood sugar.
Now I really, really wish he’d quit pooping in his diaper and then taking it off and dumping the contents on the floor. Hence the reason the Resolve was out. Fun days, I tell ya.
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I asked Bren if he wanted pizza with circles tonight (pepperoni) and he told me “no, pizza with triangles.” LOL.
Also, Bren has been acting out scenes from favorite movies. He likes to come up to Darrell when he is sitting on the floor and push him over and then hop onto his belly. It’s very similar to Tigger “bouncing” Pooh over. They have a whole back and forth spiel they say to each other straight from the movie… it’s so cute!
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35 weeks today! I started oral EPO a week ago (1300 mg) and started Red Raspberry Leaves capsules (2 a day) yesterday. My next OB appt is on Tuesday and I plan to start the vaginal EPO that night. I have had a lot of cervical twinges this past week- every day. Some belly tightenings as well but only 1 time did I have menstrual type cramping and no more of those freaky up & down rolling pin contractions. Darn. I am going to guess that I am a fingertip dilated and very soft on Tuesday. That may be me hoping though!
Baby shower thrown by Darrell’s work is set for July 25th! 😀

DH has taken a few of the videos that are often in the bonus features section on kiddo DVDs and put them on “Bren’s” computer so he can play them when he wants. Right now he is playing one from Tarzan– it’s the video of the song that goes “I wanna know, can you show me….” There is a part that goes “take my hand” and shows Tarzan and Jane putting the palms of their hands together. Every time it comes to that part Bren runs over and puts his palms to mine. And I cry. Doesn’t help that he keeps playing it over and over.
Thank heavens, he’s moved on to “I like to move it, move it” from Madagas… never mind. I need more kleenex.

OMG, I had a serious contraction this morning!! I want to ask someone “was THIS a contraction?” but there isn’t any other explanation so it had to be! I definitely never had anything like this last pregnancy! I’ve had the all over belly tightenings but this was so different! Tightenings are annoying and slightly painful at times. I mostly get them when walking around stores and stuff.
This contraction I got when I was just waking up this morning and I was lying on my side. It felt like a round rolling pin (except I never felt the back portion) around the top 3rd of my uterus rolling up and down- but staying in the top 3rd portion- for about 30 seconds (?? sense of time escaped me, honestly) and then suddenly slamming downward while tightening in one big swoop into the middle 3rd portion. Then it was over. What took me by surprise was the constant rolling up some then down some, up some then down some. While I wouldn’t say it was any more painful than an overall tightening contraction, it definitely took all my concentration to get through.
So are tightenings Braxton-Hicks contractions and these more like what I can come to expect? If so, I am grateful I got one early so I can practice relaxing to what this felt like. I can imagine this getting a lot more powerful!!
Also, I had the “upper 3rd rolling sensation” once last night and “mini rolling tremors” of it both before and after the contraction this morning. I was kind of unsure whether or not it was the baby moving weirdly until I had the one that lasted so long and slammed down at the end.
I’d like to know when in the spectrum of labor stages do you feel contractions like these? It really took my concentration and all I could think of while it was going on was that chart they always show you in labor classes of how the mother’s expression changes from smiley to a straight line to a frown. This was definitely a straight line moment but I can learn to relax during it now that I know what to expect. But I don’t think the duration was more than 30 or 45 seconds so that makes me think earliest labor. Is it okay to have contractions like this now? Is this what you can have 4 an hour of and not be in labor? OMG, bless you poor people that have these for weeks before birth! If it got much tighter, it would have felt like an abdominal charley horse!!
And God am I hungry now!!! LOL.

Smooch! 😀

Gotta be something weird to every appt, right?! ::rolls eyes::
I measured right on 2 weeks ago… 32 cm at 31w4d. This time I measured at 39 cm/weeks– 5 weeks big. I said “No way!!!” and she measured it again. LOL. And he wasn’t even sticking his rear up!
And she still didn’t ask for an ultrasound!!! YAY! She either didn’t think of it or remembered I asked that an U/S growth assessment not be done.
Everything else was great. B/P was excellent at 126/70. No excessive swelling (even though my hands are still stiff), lost a pound, no spilled protein or sugar, good heartbeat…. yaddie yaddie.
I skip next week and then go weekly. I do believe the first cervical check and baby’s position check will be next time. My next few appts are:
July 18, 3:20 (Tues)
July 24, 2:50 (Mon)
Aug 1, 3:20 (Tues)
Aug 7, 2:30 (Mon)
Oh, and I scored an Avent bottle warmer (don’t know how often it’ll get used but I am sure I’ll want to go out or have someone feed him a bottle at least once in a while) for $5.50! It costs $40 in stores. Heh.
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Little Gym was the same- participated some, ran off a lot. He missed about 20 minutes today because he didn’t want to go in the gym and was being stubborn. Sigh.
Here’s Bren with his “odd toy of the week”- baby spoons!! 😀

Darrell with tonight’s snack- a diet strawberry soda & a not so diet strawberry fried pie. Hahahaha.

Dad: Bren, do you want to go to gym today?
Bren: No, I get a “brudder”!
Dad: I don’t think your brother is going to be at gym today.
😀 Haha.

No proper southern lady would dream of serving those store bought pucks of sponge with their strawberries. Frankly, they suck. And while there is a place for cake with strawberries and creamy frosting, real strawberry shortcakes are made with biscuits. And this is a darn good recipe for them. It’s worth the work to do it from scratch! No flouring of the counter necessary here!
Strawberry Shortcakes
1 lb strawberries
1/2 c sugar
whipped cream
1/4 c powdered sugar
Biscuit ingredients:
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 T sugar
1 T baking powder
1/4 t salt
6 T unsalted cold butter cut into pats
1/2 c heavy cream
1/4 c sour cream
1 t vanilla extract
Wash and cut the tops off of the strawberries, slice and put in a bowl. Stir in the 1/2 c sugar and a T of water. Allow to sit on the counter while preparing biscuits.
Preheat oven to 400. Sift the flour into a medium mixing bowl. Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter or two forks to cut the butter into the flour until the butter pieces are pea sized.
Combine the cream, sour cream and vanilla in a measuring cup. Mix. Add to the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Gently knead the dough by hand about 5 or 6 times in the bowl until you have a ball of dough. Do not over knead or you’ll get tough biscuits. Shape into a 1 inch thick square and cut into 4 pieces. Pat the edges smooth and place the biscuits on a greased cookie sheet. Bake until lightly golden- about 20 minutes. Allow to cool a few minutes.
To assemble, place a hot biscuit on a plate. Cut off the top. Sprinkle powdered sugar on both inner sides. Top the bottom half with a spoonful of strawberry juice, a scoop of strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream. Add the top half of the biscuit, more strawberries and more whipped cream. Eat immediately.
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Oh yeah… have you heard? I am having a baby next month!!!

33w0d. I think I am carrying lower now. The breathing issues of the last 2-3 weeks are pretty much gone and I’ve been peeing less but more often- very frustrating at night! Last night I stopped drinking at 10, peed at 11 & 12, went to bed and got up to pee at 1, 5, 6 & when I woke up too. Sooooo not helping when Bren also has been pulling stunts like waking up early or waking up in the wee hours terrified because he somehow managed to creep UNDER our bed.
My OB says I am more like a new preggo in that I’ll probably drop 2-4 weeks prior to delivery this time instead of a 2nd timer who’d drop just a few days to a few hours prior to labor. I am not predicting I’ll go into labor in 2-4 weeks, haha, just hopeful that Andy is getting nestled in the correct head down, back up position and is fitting better. If I had to guess I’d say he is diagonal, facing right & to my back some with his head down. I feel a very smooth, somewhat curved part that I assume is his side/back just off center to the left. He has actually been there awhile now and all the movements I feel are really high (complete with under the boob kicks) or really low- not on the sides at all. A day or two ago I felt this smooth curve jut out and I swear I felt him making rhythmical breathing movements. It was so weird and definitely not hiccups.
Been trying to chug the water and it seems to be helping my salt/fluid retention. I had been gaining weight pretty fast lately and have had somewhat swollen feet and stiff hands. I have lost about 4.5 pounds in the last 3-4 days! I am certainly not eating any less but am cooking at home more so that probably means less salt intake too. I am sure some will creep back by Monday though.
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Brendan seems to be at an all-time high for fruits and veggies though he is by no means an herbivore. I though I’d make a list of what he’ll eat in case Andy is this way.
apples
bananas
strawberries
canned mandarin oranges
watermelon
juices
green beans from Bill Millers
tomato soup
spaghetti sauce
pureed carrots in mac n cheese
minced onion on McD’s burgers
pumpkin pie
carrots, green beans and potatoes in vegetable soup
Not a whole lot, I know. He is actually at least trying new things though. Twice now he has tried raw carrot and even though he didn’t like it, he was open to them. He also tried my potato salad yesterday. That’s a nice change.
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Bren also loves to sing now too. He comes up with all kinds of songs and doesn’t mind if we sing with him either. Lots of theme songs like Pooh, Wonderpets (seen all of twice? but it’s a common commercial), Blue’s Clue’s, plus old stand-bys like Twinkle, Twinkle (which he is getting pretty clear with!), Itsy-Bitsy Spider & Old MacDonald. He even tries to sing “You’ll be in my Heart” from Tarzan and it makes me cry.
With his watching Tarzan lately, the phrase “elephant hair” has stuck in his head. It springs into many conversations… “Mama, I play with the blocks and the flashlight and… elephant hair!!” lol I may have to “lose” Tarzan like we “lost” Tom & Jerry because now everything that can be bent into a 90 degree angle is a gun. Sigh. Darn you, Clayton!!! Straws are very exciting these days.
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I’ll leave this with a little funny thing that happened last night. DH and I were both grumpy last night. He laid down on the couch and I thought he was sleeping so I laid down to rest on our bed. Bren kept coming in and bugging me every few minutes. Finally I started telling him to go give Daddy a kiss every time he came in. Turns out DH was telling him to do the same thing to me!! Haha.

Brendan has taken to running around with a piece of paper and a pen or a handful of jumbo crayons lately. He still won’t touch a coloring book though he owns at least 5 of them. I tried once again to sit down and color in a coloring book with him yesterday and he’d have nothing to do with it. His drawing skills hadn’t progressed beyond scribbles and circles until today.
Bren was in a particularly receptive mood this afternoon so I showed him how to draw a simple “pod person” (okay… we drew Daddy, lol). An oval for the whole body with 2 dots and a smile for the face, some squiggles for hair and 4 straight lines outward for legs and arms. Simple as it gets. So then it was Bren’s turn and I asked him to draw Brendan. He made a circle, put 2 lines underneath (one got away a bit) and put 2 dots for eyes (one also got away which he later claimed was the nose). I helped him add 2 arm-sticks and then I reminded him about hair. He started to add more but then stopped and said “Teach me hair?” Teach me?!!! So I put my left hand over his left hand and we made some hair. He was happy. Then I helped him write out BRENDAN and MOM, again with my hand over his. Then he asked me to write Daddy. So I helped him write DAD and sounded it out slowly “Duuuuh-aaaaaa-duuuuuuh”. And he added, “and E says Daddy”. LOL.