Gray and Yellow

 Care to join me for a little tour of the nursery?

Three Percent

Here's a little trivia for you to close out your week. Did you know that only three percent of babies can't manage to get themselves head down by the time they are full term? After all, head down is the most comfortable position for them (and mama). Gravity gets to do its work on their heads, the largest part of the baby. And 97 percent of them figure this out. Violet had it figured out - she was head down from the get go and never budged.

Ah, but this second child of mine... Apparently in a quest for some attention, she has decided to sit herself upright. Breech, they call it. Terribly inconvenient and uncomfortable, I call it.

We went in on Wednesday for an ultrasound. My doctor ordered it because at my last appointment, I went from measuring perfectly to measuring two to three weeks ahead of schedule. There were concerns that I was growing a 10-pounder. So bonus pictures were ordered.

Well, lo and behold, the ultrasound showed a big girl, to be sure (already seven pounds!) but nothing on the mammoth scale. The doctor is predicting in the eight pound range, totally doable. But the bigger news was the revelation that the baby is head up, the little stinker.

When the doctor found out I wasn't overly keen to volunteer for a c-section, she suggested we try to flip the baby. It's called an external cephalic version (ECV). It basically involves the world's most unrelaxing stomach massage as the doctor literally tries to push, flip and turn the baby 180 degrees. If you're grimacing right now, you're giving me the same reaction most people have when they hear the news.

The procedure is about 60 percent effective. But it does involve a trip to the hospital just in case the pushing and prodding sends the baby into distress and earns me a one-way ticket to an emergency c-section. And of course, it might not work, leaving me with a breech baby and, of course, a c-section anyway. Or we could be successful, and girlfriend might manage to flip back before delivery.

Then again, it could totally work.

Last night I started googling and found all sorts of helpful home remedies, from crazy positions to get in (lay head down on a tilted ironing board) to ancient Chinese wisdom (massage the outside of your pinky toe while burning some special herbs). One involved putting an ice pack near the baby's head (they naturally avoid cold) or shining a flashlight where you want to the head to end up (follow the light!) I did try some hip rolls and a bag of frozen broccoli on my stomach, until Violet pitched a fit that she couldn't eat the broccoli. And I found some youtube videos that made the entire procedure seem pretty breezy - at least, no one was screaming in pain, so...

Anyway, next Friday, week 37 day 1, will find us in the hospital, awaiting our ECV. My doctor said the goal was to send me home still pregnant, be it head up or head down. I figure it's a pretty reasonable goal. At least I'll know we tried our best. Such a drama queen, this one.

Just a Sprinkle

This weekend my sweet neighbors threw a little "sprinkle" for me. I didn't need a full-on shower for baby number two, especially considering we're having another girl. So a sprinkle was just right. They did an awesome job with the gray/white/yellow theme, and then gifted all the decorations to me for the nursery, win-win!

And even though I don't need a lot of new stuff for this baby (thank goodness), it still felt so wonderful to be surrounded by friends and family. I might have been sprinkled with gifts, but I definitely felt showered with love for this new sweet girl of ours!

From yellow cherry tomatoes to banana pudding cups, even the food fit the theme!

I didn't have the cute little number stickers to count the months with Violet, so score one for little sister!

Party decor turned nursery art - love!

And while us ladies were getting our party on, the kids were hanging out with Matt and the other dads. Baby Will and Violet were quite entranced with each other. Violet kept going in for a kiss, Will kept trying to pull her hair... Ah, young love!

Exhausted

We survived the first day! Yay! We have to go back tomorrow. What!?!

Here We Go Again!

Welcome to First Grade! (Can you guess which theme goes with my classroom?)

It's here! The first day of school is a mere handful of hours away! It will be a weird year, considering I'll be leaving my kiddos in the middle of it, but I'm still excited to get it underway.

The fabulous first grade team! Love these girls!

Violet started her new school this Monday, and it has been a great move. Of course, it helps that her two BFFs switched to the same school we did, and they put all the girls in the same classroom. (Hopefully that won't turn out to be a mistake!) The teacher reported that Violet hasn't quite come out of her shell yet. To which I replied, "enjoy that while you can!" So far I am extremely pleased with our experience there, from the facilities to the staff to the level of communication. We already have our spot reserved for Little Miss number two!

First Day of School picture. Nice.

Seriously, this girl will not pose for me anymore!

Had to suck up to the teachers a little bit!

Coming Together

My mother-in-law might not be thrilled that I'm showing you her unfinished work, but I'm just too excited not to share. I am loving the way the new baby blanket is coming together! She used the same dimensions and style as Violet's, so there will be no jealousy. But with these colors, the two will look completely different. I can't wait to see the finished product!

By the way, I had another appointment today and baby girl is measuring perfectly. She is jumping around like a crazy woman (there go my hopes for a calm, quiet girl!) and the doctor seems pleased with how things are going. Boring, routine appointments equal a healthy baby and a happy mommy, so I'm not complaining.