Tuesday, December 31, 2013

20 Week Update

With all the busyness of the holidays can I cannot believe I am already 20 weeks. Over halfway there if we deliver at 37 weeks! Little guy is growing and growing and growing! It is so much fun to compare him to the girls and see who he might resemble. So far we are pretty much right on track as far as how Collins' pregnancy went. He is measuring a week ahead and so far so good as far as my cervix goes. The last time I was at Dr. Font's office, my cervix was measuring 4cms and was closed from the inside. The baby was just about 10oz so almost to a pound!

 
 
This picture is Sloane, Collins, and now all exactly a 20 weeks. I am of course my own worst critic but I am the biggest this pregnancy although I haven't gained as much as I did with both Sloane and Collins at this time. However with Sloane I was just freshly married and a lot thinner from after my wedding:) My boobs are also a bit bigger (thank you to all three babies :).
 
Sloane, Collins and baby boy all at 15weeks in 3D ultrasound
 
So far no bed rest which is great because it would be damn near impossible with taking care of Collins. However I have had to slow down. I do know when I have done too much and need to lay down and rest. My back will start to hurt and I get a little crampy. I have been experiencing some Braxton Hicks which I did with Collins. Those make me nervous and that's when I pick up my feet, chug water and relax. Thank god those haven't made a difference when it comes to my cervix, but Dr. Font did stress that the bigger this baby gets the harder this is all going to be. So I am trying not to be surprised once he tells me bed rest but I am ever so hopeful we can wait it out at least 10 more weeks. We are at the scary point in all my pregnancies when shit hit the fan with Sloane. I pray everyday god will get us to 24 weeks with no problems like he did with Collins. I don't speak a lot of my nerves but everyday is a struggle not to be worried. Ill feel a little better at 24 weeks and ill be able to breath a little at 30 weeks. Of course not until this little guy is in my arms healthy will I finally not have a care in the world. When it comes to pregnancy that is because as women we all know, MOTHERS NEVER STOP WORRYING! For the past few New Year's its been sober sally for me and tonight is no different. We are going to be going out to dinner with the Fair's tonight as a family to Cooper's Hawk (with all the other geriatrics who eat dinner at 5pm) haha Collins has her glitter tights on and is ready to hit the town! At least until 7pm and then she will probably turn into a little beast. But fingers crossed she will be a big girl in her high chair at the restaurant and live it up a little for the rest of 2013. My next big appointment is with Dr. Font on Monday the 6th for an eco and survey ultrasound. This will check the baby's brain, stomach, lungs, heart, legs, arms everything to make sure everything is perfect, and is going perfectly. Please pray for us that the next 4 weeks go by fast and safe. Little miss Sloane is of course looking down on her brother helping us each step of the way so I have faith in her and the big man upstairs that they will take care of us :)
 
 
 
Happy New Year! 2014 you have some big shoes to fill!!


Holy Hiatus

Oh hey, remember us?! I definitely let time pass me by these past 4 weeks without blogging, however apart of me questioned who really reads this still anyway. However for those of you that do here I am!! So I will cram in everything into one short long post to catch you all up.

After finding out about baby Mitchell #3 being a boy the holidays were right around the corner. We started off with Collins' first Thanksgiving.
 
We spent the day over at my parent's house stuffing our faces with food and going through black Friday ads, our favorite. After Thanksgiving it was time for Collins, Mommy, and Daddy to do some holiday shopping for the next few weeks. And of course turn our house into a winter wonderland for Collins' first Christmas. We of course made sure to take Collins to meet Santa and like a pro we got this...


From there we had lots of Holiday Parties, get togethers, and a lot of family time since Marty is lucky and gets time off to spend with us! Since I last blogged Collins had turned 7 months and then 8 months! My little girl is not so little anymore (except in weight) she has her own personality and is the queen bee around here!




Age: 7 & 8 months
Stats: 14lbs 8oz (6th percentile), 26 inches (28th percentile)
Clothes: I finally put away all 0-3 clothes and she is starting to wear 6 month clothing and some 9 month pajamas :)
 
 
Favorite Activities: I say this and cringe at the same time, Collins LOVES the little time she gets to watch TV. I won't lie either, she watches more than she should so that mommy can rest like she should. She has a crush on Wyatt from Super Why, loves Sid the Science Kid and unfortunately adores Caillou. Since Christmas with all that everyone spoiled her with, she has been playing drums, talking on her phones, (yes plural) and rolling around in her pink car.
Favorite Words: I have been trying since 4 months to get her to say momma, no bueno, YET! But my girly girl still screams her heart out!
 
 
Least Favorite Activities: When it comes time for nap time or bed time, Collins is a schedule baby. 10am, 2pm and 7pm lights out. And to make matters worse, if you are playing with her and she just thinks you are the bees knees right when that time comes around you are nothing to her anymore and all she wants is her mommy. (I love every second of that)
 
 
Mom's Favorite Moment: Anytime she looks for me, needs me, cries for me, kisses me. (which Marty says is all the time) She is a mommy's girl but I bet once her little brother comes around Daddy is going to be super cool again :)
 
Shopping with Mommy in below degree weather
 
Dad's Favorite Moment: We started to have her feed herself and we have been giving her yogurt melts and little cereal puffs. I was so excited the first time she was able to pick on of them up herself and put it in her mouth like a big girl.
Other Milestones: Collins can sit up all on her own for as long as she wants, she can also stand while holding on to the ottoman. If that wasn't enough, my sassy little girl is starting to scoot around as well.
 
 

 
 
 
 
Better late than never right!? Collins had a wonderful first Christmas and was SPOILED by everyone! But I am ok with it because it was not only her first but last Christmas that it was only her, so she deserves it. With not being on bed rest just yet, we were able to spend a lot of time with family during the holiday.
 



 
 
From Our Family to yours, We hope everyone had an amazing Christmas!
Love The Mitchells
Marty, Ashley, Sloane, and Collins
 


 


Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Even out the playing field...

Ashley, Sloane, Collins, Lola, Lucy and then there is Marty. Poor Mart lives his life full of estrogen, even his dogs are ladies. Ask him if it bothers him and he wouldn't change it for the world, "I'm good with the ladies" is what he usually says :) Before we announce just what this little nugget is lets see what the old wives tales tell us...
Pink will show its a girl, blue with show its a boy. If underlined that is what this baby has been.

Baby's heart rate: above or below 140
Did you have morning sickness: yes or no
Chinese birth chart: boy
Blemishes or beauty
Craving sweet or salty
Sleeping on the left or right side
Are you moody or happy

6 out of the 7 wives tales say girl...

However, after two sweet little girls, the Mitchell Family is finally welcoming a little boy to the mix. That's right, we are expecting a BOY!!


We went to Peek-a-Belly in Lockport where we went with both Sloane and Collins. Like I mentioned before at 13 weeks our doctor had taken a peek and told us that it was a boy, however I did not believe it! I didn't think we could make boys! But sure enough Marty did it! haha We are beyond excited and Collins is going to make such a great big sister. We are slowly but surely giving the boys a chance in the Mitchell household, however girls still rule!

Profile

Easy Ladies, that's his pee pee pointing left

Sucking his thumb


3d photo sucking his thumb :)

Mitchell Family Fall Photos

Photo bombing coming your way! Thought I would share our favorites from Collins' six month photos and our family photos. We hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving, and get to eat lots of good food. I'll be eating for two so I'll make sure I get more than enough :) Enjoy! (Our amazing photographer can be found at www.kristinagerrishphotography.com)











Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Every experience is different

Well we did it! Second cerclage surgery complete! Going into it the night before I got nervous all of a sudden. It cant be that bad, I have already been through it. I knew what to expect. But that was just it, I knew what was going to happen. Leaving Collins too was hard for me. Those of you that know me personally know I do not leave without my little girl beside me. She was in great hands though, my mom came to spend the day with her and she even got to spend time with Pop Pop and her Uncle Zeke before he left for a work trip. She had a ball and was a perfect angel while we were gone. Let me tell you though she got a million kisses as soon a I came into that door!


We got to the hospital a little after 8:30am to check into our room and get prepped. Things took forever, they didn't start putting my information into the system until about 9:30am so there Marty and I sat in L&D in the exact room we were in when we first met Collins :) Once they started asking all the usual questions that's when I felt like a side show in a circus because everyone was coming in to take blood, anesthesia to talk about the process of the spinal, about 3 people trying to put in my IV (which I have never had a problem before with my veins but this time was different). They said my veins were too small and that they couldn't find a good enough vein. Finally a first year resident who was brand new came in with a smaller needle and was able to put my IV in. From there we had to travel down to Dr. Font's office to get an ultrasound.


Baby was upside down relaxing, and we even got to take a little peek down below :) However we aren't 100% and I'm not telling! Side note-Saturday night I had some spotting when we had gotten home from the city. If this would have happened with Collins we would have been to the hospital immediately however we were calm this time. I laid down for the rest of the night and drank plenty of water. I never bled again and we said that if I did we would then go. So back to Monday, after checking me on ultrasound he said that my placenta was covering my cervix and that was why I had a case of spotting. Apparently normal at this stage and no cause to worry, he would just need to be careful when stitching me up. The baby is wonderful and actually measuring a whole week ahead! Heartbeat was 167 too :)




November 18, 2013
                                          
November 19, 2012
 
We of course had to reenact our picture from last year, because if this whole situation isn't crazy enough, my cerclage procedure from last year was almost to the day a year ago, well a year ago today! So only a difference of a day! We didn't actually start surgery until about 11:15am when we were supposed to start at 10:30am. So at that point I was more than ready. Why was every experience different, because I shouldn't have expected everything to be exactly the same. Out of the 3 spinals and 1 epidural I have already had this one was the worst. They couldn't get the needle to where they needed it to go in my back because all of a sudden I have a mild case of scoliosis? So weird and probably untrue however that's why they said they had to dig around in my back with the needle for 10 minutes to even get the spinal started. I was yelling of course haha "Why is it taking so long!" "Its never taken this long" "My right side is hurting" "Now my left!" At first they wanted the first year resident to do it since she was learning. Well I politely said no thank you but now I am kind of thinking she may have done a better job...or not? Anyway once that was finally taking effect they hoisted up my legs and Dr. Font got to work. It took longer this time too because what's left of my cervix is really nothing. The best way to describe it is when you are going into labor you will hear the doctor said she is __% effaced or thinned. Meaning there cervix is thinning and preparing to dilate. You want to be at 100% meaning no more cervix exists. Mine yesterday was at about 90%. Your cervix has an outside part (that's what they stitch) and an inside part. The inside part should never start opening to dilate until labor begins, which is what happened once my stitch with Collins was cut. It never opened so that was great. So that's what we want to happen this time because the inside part of my cervix is long, however the outside is minimal and the cerclage really isn't holding on to much. 
 
After surgery it took a good 6 hours of waiting to feel my lower part of my body and be able to use the restroom before we could leave. By 4pm (sorry TMI) I was just sitting there on the toilet praying to god to let me pee. Drinking ice cold water, and dipping my hand in warm water trying anything! ha I just wanted to go home. Finally we were able to and I have been resting ever since. My wonderful husband and mother have been on Collins duty/housewife duty and will be until my appointment with Dr. Font on Monday to let us know of a game plan. However I was instructed to be on as much bed rest for the week as I can, so that's what I am doing. It's only been not even 24 hours and I already miss my job as a mom. I know I am here and Collins can sit with me but not being able to feed her, and do all the things we have been doing is killing me. Marty reminded me, I still am a mom, just right now I am being a mom to our other child right now keeping him/her safe and Collins will understand. Actually Collins doesn't even care I'm sure nor will she remember, its just hard on this momma's heart :( 

Monday, November 18, 2013

Cara Box

This was the second time doing Cara box and if you remember the last time, I was partnered up with two more amazing ladies. And the theme was FALL! Ahh my favorite time of year. 

I was partnered up with two ladies both named Ashley! I sent a box over to Ashley at Wanna Be Green who has three amazing little girls who I swoon over at every picture she posts on Instagram. She is such an inspiration, eating healthy, running marathons, and being such a wonderful mom! I caught up with her during training for a marathon and moving all in the same month! Talk about multitasking :) 

I received my box from Ashley over at A Nelson's Nest who just had an adorable little boy named Anderson. Her older daughter Autumn is just as adorable and has been a wonderful big sister. I love catching up with her on her blog and Instagram watching Autumn with Anderson I can't help but think of Collins and her soon to be little brother or sister. 

I was gone on our Miami trip so missed my package when it arrived on Saturday. However coming home to such wonderful, thoughtful gifts on that Tuesday night was just perfect. She thought of not just me, but Collins and the new baby too! 



Kleenex fall inspired-for all those nasty allergies that come with the seasons changing. 
Fall towel-to add a little decoration in my kitchen. 
Giraffe rattle-for Mitchell baby #3, however Collins called dibs and has already stolen it and plays with it non stop :) 
Apple butter-which I have already put on toast a good part of the month of November 
Pumpkin Fudge-that I have shared with my fudge loving mother, so I didn't really get a lot of it haha. 
Section fall plate-for sweet Collins of course! 
Can't buy me love-because who doesn't like a good 80's movie for those chilly fall nights. 

Amazing package right! I was completely spoiled as I was the time before :) 

Monday, November 11, 2013

Collins' BIG Annoucement

I have been "dropping" hints on some type of news that November would bring and we are finally able to announce it. With help from my husband, we are expecting again. Collins is going to be a big sister...already :) We were just as surprised as you all may be reading this right now, for Marty and I weren't really sure if we wanted to expand our family at all considering what we go through. However as Marty and I learned the hard way through the loss of Sloane, it is out of our control and God mad that decision for us, so the Mitchell's are expanding by one more!


Wait, it gets better. We are due the day before Collin's due date. Meaning we could quite possibly have Irish twins on our hands :) For those of you who cannot remember the details of Collins pregnancy (I mean it was only months ago) her due date was May 20th. This babies due date is May 19th. I am currently 13 weeks along. We found out at 6 weeks, when one morning I was feeling a bit under the weather. Keep in mind I have been exclusively breast feeding since Collins was born. I haven't had a period so knowing when I ovulated or if I even did was unknown. Breast feeding is 98% contraceptive, so I'd like to introduce you to the 2% minority, US :)

Thanks Taryn :)


That morning like I said I was feeling under the weather and something (mother's intuition maybe) told me to take a test. I yelled down to Marty who was downstairs with Collins to come upstairs because I was going to take a test. He laughed, but felt like we might as well get the test out of the way. After 30 seconds the three of us, Collins, Marty and I sat staring at the test and what I thought was the control line, popped up and very faintly another line showed. I looked at Marty saying do you see that? He looked at me like I was nuts, he said how do you not see it, it was the first thing that popped up and has taken all the ink from the control line. What I thought was the control line was in fact the positive line all bright and bold and red! We were for sure pregnant, and probably farther along than we thought. I mean who knew how far along I was, there was no way to tell. I won't lie, after the crying, shock, and what did we do, we got excited after a few weeks. Babies are a blessing! And to be quite honest, having to go through all this again I might as well do it right away before Collins is more mobile, and before I lost all my baby weight and got pretty again, ha joking but for real.

To put it into perspective, I have been pregnant since October 2011. I haven't had more than two months worth of a period since then, what is a tampon?




Baby Mitchell #3 at 6weeks

Everything will be the same as far as I have been already taking progesterone cream since 6 weeks. Surgery at 14 weeks, P17 shots at 16 weeks. The only difference is bed rest. After the cerclage placement I will have to be on bed rest for a few days. After that Dr. Font is comfortable with me resting as much as possible. Meaning staying off my feet, not lifting heavy things (Collins alone is ok), and stairs obviously a no. He will monitor me and make sure that my cervix has no changes like he did last time. Crossing our fingers that I do not have to go on bed rest as soon because taking care of Collins would be quite hard. So Collins and I will be home bodies for the winter. Unless of course anyone wants to pick us up and take us to a sit down lunch :)



10 weeks

We are extremely excited! Actually we are over the moon happy, excited, so unbelievably ecstatic! Collins is going to make an amazing big sister, and Sloane is definitely looking over this baby as she did Collins. We find out boy/girl on November 26th, I have my intuition and so does Marty. He just might have his hands full-full of estrogen :) So here we go again! I hope you all are ready for another 6 month adventure with us. As always I will blog when I can with updates. Dr. Font is today with cerclage scheduling, and then Dr. Khater is in a week.

Oh FANTASTIC news. I already did my 3 hour gestational diabetes test. They wanted to do an early test like we did with Collins, and I passed! So just like I did with Collins I do not have diabetes just yet :) Fingers crossed, when I re take it at 28 weeks I still pass :) Also because I let you all know of everything, I already have a UTI. So I bit the bullet and have been taking Macrobid. (You all know my fuss with Medicine). But we needed to get rid of it before surgery.

HERE WE GO!!

For real Mom and Dad?


Sunday, November 10, 2013

Baby Food Making

Today on this lovely Sunday Fall day, I spent my morning making Collins "hopefully" a month or so of baby food. I know when I started researching baby food finding other women's blogs on how they did it really helped me so I thought I'd do the same for those of you that read mine :) Let me say that I don't pretend to know what I am doing, I researched how to's and based most things off of the pamphlet that came with my baby bullet. Some veggies I bought organic and some I didn't. My reasoning behind that was because of the pesticides that I read about online. I am learning as I go and hope that this might help another fellow momma out there that might be in the same boat as me. Oh and I only burned myself once.

I went to our local Caputo's and bought some new fruits and veggies and some that I already know Collins loves from the past few weeks. I bought organic peas and carrots, leftover butternut squash (her favorite), sweet potatoes, avocados, peaches, apples, pears, and bananas.

 
The 2 bags of frozen organic peas were 2.99$ a bag, I got the 2 sweet potatoes for .48$, the bananas (4) for .56$, the organic carrots that came in a bunch of 7 for 2.99$, 3 pears for 1.11$, 3 peaches for 1.37$, 2 butternut squashes for 2.62$, and the 3 apples (Michigan Gala) on sale for .53$. My total was less than 20$.
 
 
The only two vegetables I cooked in the oven were the sweet potatoes and the squash. I cleaned the sweet potatoes and made tiny holes through out with a fork. Then wrapped them in tin foil and had them cook for 50 minutes on 450 degrees. At the same time I cooked the squash sliced in half, with the seeds taken out and laid upright on a cookie sheet for the same time and temp. After they were done, I skin them and place in the baby bullet for processing. I am not sure how much water I add but enough to get the consistency that I am looking for. Right now we are doing more of puree to get her used to eating. She is still using her "nursing" tongue and a lot of it comes out so we have to make sure we are there to help her, obviously.
 
The avocados and bananas are simple because you do not need to cook them. Same as the sweet potatoes and squash, enough water to get that puree consistency.
 
For the remaining vegetables and fruits I peeled the skin and then steamed each one by itself. Except the peas, those I just placed in the steamer obviously unpeeled (because I'm not even sure if you can peel peas hahaha) Steaming at least from what I read is better, as far as keeping the nutrients from the fruits and veggies and you can also use the water from steaming it to puree which I did with each food.
 
I was able to make a total of 143 ounces of baby food in 3 hours. 4 hours if you count the shopping part of it.
 
Three Pears-17oz of food
Three Peaches-17oz of food
Three Apples-6oz of food
Two Avocados-6oz of food
Seven Carrots-15oz of food
Two Squashes-24oz of food
Two Sweet Potatoes-28oz of food
Four Bananas-10oz of food
Two frozen bags of Peas-20oz of food
 

 
Most went into my freezer. Baby food stays good in the freezer for 30 days, and good in the fridge for about 3-4 days. I used my baby bullet storage cups, some glade cups, and other baby storage containers that I received from my baby shower. It is very time consuming however I was able to do most of it while Collins took her morning 2 hour nap. So far Collins is loving momma's home made food, and I cannot wait to experiment putting foods together and giving her different fruits and veggies. Big girl status in full effect :)