Gender Announcement

It's a BOY!! I was shocked and scared when she said boy. I know nothing about boys. Oh well, I was still excited and got teary eyed. It'll be a fun experience.

I was 18w5d when we had the u/s and the boy measured 19w5d in his legs, arms, and head, but his stomach measured 16wks. I will talk to the doctor on Wed. at my 20wk appointment.

Ellie is doing great, turning into a little toddler. She's having temper tantrums, LOVES her grandma's, and has words now. She understands so much more than she can say though. She is such an amazing little girl, most of the time, just those tantrums can be so embarrassing.

I'm doing great, a bit hormonal/emotional though. I am senstive and cry easier now. Oh well, must be the pregnancy. LOL, it's kinda funny though since I'm anti showing emotion. It's almost a fun way of being, to actually cry. But then I turn around and laugh at myself because there really is no need for the crying.

I'm going to call an endocrinologist. My mom has hypothyroid hoshimotos disease or maybe it's disorder. Anyway, I've been tested for hypothyroid before but never hoshimotos. I was going to wait till after the pregnancy, BUT I have read 2 totally different things today w/out even looking for it. I wasn't fishing for thyroid problems during pregnancy, but accidently fell across it. One was in relation to labor and delivery that the baby will often times not be in position for delivery thus resulting in c-sections. I think it's important I explore this if I'm going in for a VBAC. Also apparently it also affects milk supply. YIKES!!! More so than wanting a VBAC I want to be able to breastfeed successfully meaning only breastmilk for 4-6months. So if I find out I too have thyroid problems then it may give me a better chance at a VBAC and allow me to be more successful at breastfeeding. Fingers crossed.

So, I think that's all the important stuff for now.

The news

It has been one interesting week, to say the least. Ellie, my mom, and I went to NC then GA, then back home to TN in 3 days. We drove nearly 1000miles. While we were gone, Simon was stuck at home because his truck was in the shop. Now if we knew that he wasn't going to be going out, either he would have went with us or kept Ellie, but there is simply no way we can know things like with this tucking career.
While I was gone, Simon did all the final things to make that 2006 Kia Sedona ours. So now sitting in our driver we have 4 cars, one being my nice minivan. Now we need to fill it up with kiddos. Ok, not really, just this 2nd baby. We are now faced with what 2 cars to sell. We can agree on my 2000 Saturn SL1, for whatever little bit it will sell for. However Simon is kind of sentimental about it and hesitates to get rid of it. It's easier for him to sell that one though. It was my first car I went out and bought on my own. The other 2 cars, is a 1997 Buick, it's big, leather interior 60,000miles on it, drives great, air condition needs to be checked out, but it may just need refridgerant, it needs new tires, the cruise doesn't work. It could probably sell for $3000 or a little more if we got the air working. My grandfather gave us the car. The other car is a 2003 Dodge Stratus, it's Simon's first car that he went out on his own to get. It has 170,000miles, the trunk will not stay open unless you hold it open with one hand, which you try to put a stroller or double stroller in the car w/ one hand. Little bits and pieces of the car are messed up, like the bumper is held together w/ duct tape, thanks to my MIL. The passanger's door automatic lock doesn't work, the door behind the passanger's door is messed up. When we lived in our apartment, somebody hit the car at that door, we had to get it fixed but it was no time before it was messed up and at times the door wont even open. As far as the way it runs, it runs ok however for a long time when you are stopped at a light or stop sign or in traffic it will accelerate just a tad while you are breaking so I have learned to keep a distance between my car and the car in front of me. Simon wants to keep the dodge and get rid of the buick. I think personally the buick will make a better 2nd car. I think we are going to get Simon's brother to look at both cars and advise us as far as the condition. The dodge had a rebuilt transmission put in at 100,000miles too. So which do you think we should keep and which she we get rid of?

Breast pumps

I know I'm early, but not really. I'm in the 2nd trimester now which IMO, it's a time to start thinking about things like this.

With Ellie I rented a hospital grade pump, but had very little luck. It was medela. I just got maybe 4oz total from both breast, and that was after nearly an hour of pumping. My SIL said she never got an electric pump that from her experience manual was just as good, I heard the same from somebody else. So I eventually bought a cheap manual with even less luck. I seemed to consistently have low supply despite blessed thissle and fenugreek and some kind of compound med. the dr. gave me. Who knows if my PCOS affected my milk supply. Or maybe the stress of Simon having broke his leg days after Ellie was born. I don't know which it was. Maybe even a combination. Or maybe I just didn't have what it took to breastfeed.

Now I am faced with the desire to make breastfeeding work way better than it did with DD. In fact, if ok with a lactation consultant I plan on taking fenugreek and blessed thissle to the hospital when I deliver. I would like a good breast pump, but I really hesitate to invest much over $100 since I am afraid it will be a waste of money. I mean seriously, why buy a $300+ pump when you have a history of pumps not working and supply problems? I'm really hoping things will be way different this time around, but seriously what makes me so sure it will be to go out and make that kind of major purchase.

I think maybe I can wait and see if I will be able to breastfeed successfully this time, and if so I'll buy a good pump. That would be an option, especially since I do still have the manual one I can use for the time being. I will hopefully be starting school Mon-Fri 8am-3pm when the little one is 6 months. So I will be needing a pump that will work good for me at that time.

I would love opinions and input. Hold off and don't buy anything until I know I'm going to be able to do it, then invest in a good one. Or buy a half decent one to have from the start, but may not be best.

Update to van shopping

I took the buick in for trade in but they couldn't give me near what we needed nor what we could sell it for. We decided w/out hesitation it would be best to get as much out of the buick as we can. We'll be putting it out for sale and when we sell it we will check back with the same dealer and others and even private sellers until we find a van of similar mileage and condition. This kia sedona has really raised the bar as to what I will find acceptable. At least it means we wont be jumping into anything since it does require quite a bit of looking around to find the RIGHT thing.

Van shopping

After years of no car payment it looks like we will be sucked into one. :-( But we need a van for obvious reasons. While we haven't had a car payment, we sure have been driving around a couple old beat up cars. It's time for change and a better vehicles. I've done so much looking for the right vehicle. I found the one I REALLY want. Simon isn't quite as fond of it, as he would rather buy it out right, and with the trade. I want it, even if we have to get into a small monthly payment. It's way more reliable, nice, and just perfect for my needs and wants even. He got preapproved for the loan yesterday so now it's a matter of seeing if the buick my grandfather gave us will trade for what we know it's supposed to, give them a check, and get the loan completely taken care of. Not much left, HOPEFULLY it'll happen today. Fingers are crossed. Ellie loved the rear air condition when we test drove it. She was happy as could be, pointing to the air and laughing and clapping. I've gone for the extended rear facing for saftey, but poor kid doesn't get air blowing right on her being rear facing, plus our air only works most of the time. When it doesn't we don't drive at all and cancel anything we have because lately the heat index is over 100. As you can see a new vehicle would be a very positive purchase. I think Simon's hesitation is because like I said pay it off, but I don't want to drive around in another 130,000+ mile vehicle, that's the same thing we have now. What I have found for a killer price is a 65,000 mile Kia Sedona and it nice!! I love how the back seats go down into floor, as we don't have room for storing them. It will help make transferring the huge double stroller mega easy. I also didn't know that vans these days have a special mirror that you use just to see the kiddos. Pretty nice, if I should say so myself. All in all the van is nice. If we get it I'll post pics. Oh and the reason I really want this one, is because in our price range I'm not finding multiple deals like this one. If it looked like we could find similar deals in a few months, then we would wait, but it's just not very promising. We're in TN and I found a similar deal in Florida and another in New York so what I found isn't common at all. Like I said what I'm find is 100,000miles. A lot of people get rid of their vehicle around 100,000miles because they know that the transmission is unreliable, the timing belt is iffy, and other things are likely to go out. Then you have the 130,000mile cars that the transmission will go out if it hasn't already, then you have the 190,000mile ones that the transmission has been replaced, the only concern now is the engine and the fact the car is considerably old. In "my" van it's on the newer end of what I've been looking at, with way less miles and we have a 1yr warranty. This would be the best birthday present EVERY...just a week early, lol.

FIL's joke

My FIL has this joke that he dreamt he was awake then woke up and found out he was asleep. I had a dream exactly like that recently. I could have swore I was awake, until I woke up and realized I was actually asleep. Talk about weird.

VBAC vs. repeat c-section

I see a new dr. on August 3, for a consultation to get their opinion.

My dr's reccommendation is to get a repeat c-section. His reasons are, 1. They don't do them because there are several hospitals women deliver at in the county. By law the dr. must remain on the L&D floor at all time while a woman is laboring during a VBAC. He can't promise the on call dr. can do that because somebody else may go into labor somewhere else, and it's just an inconvenience for them to have to be glued to the hospital. 2. He can send me to the university doctor's, they have residents and doctor's overseeing them at all times. I could switch and see them, however that would mean my dr. would lose a patient and money so he's not advocating that. 3. The reason he's giving for not being a fan of that option is because at 38w3d when I was induced for several days I hadn't made much progress. I wasn't even quite to 3cm yet, even after they broke my water that morning. He says my pelvic opening must be too small causing me not to progress.

My opinion, is 1. Rememeber the amniotic fluid was dwindling for about a month and it got too low, so they had to induce. I was 38w3d when we had the c-section. I was still somewhat early, especially considering a pregnancy can be up to around 42wks. I was also tracking my ovulation via fertility friend and I know based on ovulation signs CM and temps that I ovulated a week late. I just so happened to always measure right based on my LMP. I don't know, but I think my EDD was really a week later so it made me more like 37w3d and I just don't think my body and the baby was ready to come out. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe regardless of how far along you are your body should respond to the oxytocin...

That's why I'm getting a 2nd opinion. I'm living in the county beside the county we used to live in the one that has 3 different hospitals. So where we are now we have 1 hospital and I found a doctor (a female dr. yay) that takes my insurance and does VBACs and has been recommended. I will just have a consultation with her and I have tons of questions to ask her, both specific to my situation and also questions I've found online. I was going to go with a midwife but they said that a doctor has to be there at all times anyway so I might as well just go straight to the dr and especially since it hasn't been a real long time since I had my c-section. I think it's probably best anyway. I'm thinking about looking for a doula, especially if Simon is still over the road trucking because there is a chance he misses the birth if we let the baby come on his/her time schedule.

Before the appointment I need to tour the hospital I will be delivering at and make sure I like it. I also want to tour the hospital I will have a repeat c-section if I stay w/ my current doctor. It's closer to where we live and a lot nicer and newer than where we delivered Ellie at. I know I'm still in my 1st tri and its a little early to be touring hospitals. But I currently have a wonderful dr. and the office is super nice as are the staff. This new doctor's office and doctor has a lot of impressing to do. Plus the place I deliver at is really important to me. When I had Ellie since she was ok, they didn't wheel her away from me. She stayed in the operating room while they sewed me up then in the recovery room I was able to hold her and nursed her. I've heard from a lot of people that they generally take the baby to the nursery to do all the testing and bath. People complain because other family and friends get to see the baby better first before the mom sees and bonds. It's really important that whichever hospital I deliver at can grant me the same experience as long as there are no complications. So you see there is a lot for me to think about right now.

Slight change of subject...I have a friend selling their van, about the year we are probably looking for and it's a Honda so we like that. I asked how much so we'll see if we're going to follow through. I will feel so much better if we had a van or suv w/ 2 rows of back seats. Right now we have an older car that isn't perfectly reliable anymore. We'll see if this will be our van or if we will have to begin a search.