The Stress Equation

In several weeks our second child, Wyatt James Seal, will arrive...possibly before the end of the year.

PLUS

In several weeks, we will celebrate Christmas and exchange gifts with family friends.

EQUALS

So much joy and thankfulness, coupled with overwhelming anxiety, sprinkled with panic.

RESULTING IN

Family fun, quality time with friends, endless lists, sleepless nights, emotional eating, short tempers, lots of money spent.

Can I get an "Amen"?! This little equation above is part of the reason I called my OBGYN last week with some concern over being in pre-term labor. That and the fact that B made a grand entrance three weeks and two days before his due date. 

My doctor, Crista Thomas, has been great. She was not privy to my first delivery, so I have filled her in on the fun and we have adjusted my appointment and testing schedule accordingly. But last week I had some pinching pains in my lower abdomen and tightening around my belly; I felt short of breath and just "not right." I called the office and they told me to go ahead and come in. I was hooked up to the fetal monitor and told to rest for 20 minutes. Instead of resting, I snapped a pic, texted Dad, and answered emails. I was laying down; that counts as relaxing, right? 

The bottom monitor is for Wyatt's heart and the top is for my "contractions" (there were none).

Then I got to see Dr. Thomas. And my suspicions were shot down (thankfully)...not pre-term labor. Probably some gas pains, coupled with second pregnancy and some anxiety. 

1. The gas pains were a result of a MASSIVE friends-giving meal and being pregnant in general can cause some digestive discomfort. So the pinching question was answered. And the meal was totally worth it. 
2. Second pregnancy means a looser pelvic floor. Dr. Thomas put it this way - for your first pregnancy, the pelvic floor is a like a hard bowl. By the second, it is more like a hammock. This means the baby feels heavier against your pelvis and can lead to the tightened feeling around your belly. #Awesome #pelvicfloor #onlypregnantwomencare 
3. Throw some anxiety over the thought of going in to labor early (and the holiday season) and you get a paranoid pregnant woman panting in your office. There is my shortness of breath. 

Doctor's orders - Miralax twice a day and try to sit on the couch, snack and relax. A week later and I am feeling better. Relaxing has been penciled in for some time around April. 

There's a boat in the camera!

Recently we had some family photos taken. It was long overdue, considering the last photos we had done professionally were in May 2014 and didn't include Dad! So we enlisted an old friend, Meredith Carroll, to get some family of three (plus) shots. We had about an hour and decided on a natural setting at Ross Bridge. Per usual, I was anxious about these pictures weeks in advance...

What will I wear? What should B wear? Should we match, coordinate or just see what happens? What if I don't sleep well the night before and look puffy? What if B doesn't behave and we don't get any good shots of him? Is the time frame OK? Should he nap before or after? Should we eat before or after? We all need haircuts immediately. Do I even remember how to put on real make-up? 

Normal concerns; they all seem valid. Luckily, my MIL is a mind-reader and found something for B to wear (for these AND Santa pictures). She is a saint and we are so thankful for her initiative when it comes to things for B, our house, and just life in general! 

B learned the word "reindeer" that day. 

The week of, I made it to the Swanky Stork to pick something out for myself. I quickly found two things that I couldn't part with, so I was set. Now it was time for Dad to select his attire. He went through several rounds of options before finding something just perfectly "Fall" that coordinated.

Coordinating greens throughout, subtle but effective.

Whew! Now it was all down to the day. We got an early start to the morning, thanks to B, but ended up rushing out the door - how does that happen?!? B slept in the car and woke up when we arrived, not in a great mood, but he perked up with some gummy snacks. So we were off. It took Mom and Dad some time to warm up for the camera and focus. Meredith instructed us not to look at B and try to make him smile, but to look at the camera and focus on smiling ourselves! Great advice. This is why half of our every day pictures turn out with one of us looking drunk and the other talking. To get B to smile and focus, you have to get creative. 

Show me your teeth! Cheeeeeeeeessse! Look here at the camera! Do you see yourself in the camera? If you look at the camera you will see a boat! There is a boat in the camera! Do you want some crackers? Give us one more smile and you can have some crackers! See how Dad is smiling, smile like Dad! 

It was exhausting. But Meredith assured me by the end we had some good shots. And she was right!

The framers... 

"There's no boat in that camera, but I'll grin anyway."

Just like Dad.

B loves his boots.

We love our sweet B.

And the outtakes...

B is five, Dad is asleep and Mom looks like she hasn't slept in days.

What happens after an hour and you say "Cheeeeeeeese" for the 400th time.

"Kiss Mommy!" or eat her face...

Mid "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"

"No, I will not hug baby Wyatt" - B
"Please get your hand out of my crotch" - Mom

Are you going to eat that?

Since becoming pregnant for the second time, I have noticed a lot of differences from the first go-round. Some of them include: 

1. I am significantly more tired. 
2. I am significantly more hungry. I would like for most of my meals to consist of junk...cinnamon rolls, waffles, pizza, hamburgers, pasta, chicken fingers, french fries, cookies, ice cream, cake. I wouldn't even call them cravings. But I am trying to hold on to my health-eating habits to give the baby the nutrients he needs. 
3. My body hurts. Is it the fact that I am a couple years older, or that the past three years have seen so much change? Like the fact that I don't sit down other than when I am at work or after B has gone to bed. 
4. I tend to forget I am pregnant. Maybe forget is the wrong word, but I don't expect people to treat me differently or notice and comment on my belly. 
5. My belly is bigger and it happened faster. I was in complete denial about this happening to me. I was in better shape before this pregnancy than the first...how is this possible?!? And I have only taken one belly photo. Need to get on that. 

   

   Week 23 while pregnant with B.

6. I forget to mention things about how or what I am feeling, like telling Dad when the baby is kicking so he can enjoy it as well! 
7. My doctor's appointments are much shorter; there is no laundry list of questions. 
8. I haven't bought anything...not, one, thing. Oh, but we did decide on a nursery theme.

   

   Something like these will be featured in the nursery, thanks to my talented cousin, Kate!

9. I actually know EXACTLY what I need to put on a registry. But can I make a registry or is that tacky for baby #2? 
10. I look at B differently. I remember him as a little tiny baby and am astonished at how quickly the time as gone by. I feel so grateful for the infant that he was and the toddler he has become. Sure we had our ups and downs with breastfeeding...and today with real food; he had seemingly senseless crying fits and now has pointless tantrums; he has always been a mommy-leach and is terrible at sharing with other children. These are normal things, nothing crazy, he is such a sweet kid. 

    

    Sweet, tiny B with such a serious face. 

11. I am excited about giving birth to another child. What is that about?! I actually enjoyed the experience of giving birth the first time around. I am interested to see what is in store for us this time! And now I realize, I never blogged my birth story. That will be coming soon...

    

    One of the first pictures after delivery.

12. Seeing the picture above reminds me that I need to pack better PJs and accessories for the hospital. Well, not just pack them, I will have to purchase them first!
13. I have concerns about maternity leave. Last time I was excited and, to be honest, I didn't particularly enjoy maternity leave. I felt trapped (see previous post), useless and bored. Now that I know what to do with myself, I am anxious to see how this one goes. I am determined to take the full time allotted in the U.S. (12 weeks, which is crap) and to make the most of the time with my new son and expanded family. I am also worried because it will be the DEAD of winter! I had beautiful blue skies and warm temps last time.
14. I could just really use some wine, damn it.
15. All food is fair game. No, I don't eat raw sushi on a weekly basis, but I am not going to shy away from it. And that list of fish you aren't supposed to have? Everything in moderation, including a raw oyster or two. 

    

    Steak Tartare from Doris Metropolitan in NOLA. I couldn't pass that up! 

16. It's hard for me to imagine what baby #2 will look like, without picturing B. Now that I have a child that looks a specific (adorable) way, what will the next one look like?

    

    THAT FACE.

17. I haven't read many pregnancy articles...OK, any. I do have the app that gives me weekly updates on the babies growth and development. I look at it every other week...usually. And we won't do a baby class. 
18. I realized last week that we have little time to do activities just the three of us. So this weekend we went to Auburn to take B to his first football game, just the three of us. Because next year, it will be all four of us!

    

    Tailgating in the fall of 2011.

B was not impressed by this week's performance.