Carter John Battermann

Friday, January 29, 2010 at 7:54am via c-section our handsome little man, Carter John, arrived. He weighed in at 9 pounds 7 ounces and 21.5 inches long. Had he 'cooked' as long as his big brother he may have shared the same stats as Logan.

Carter does not have Logan's cheeks, but he does have about 3 times more hair than Logan! Carter has an amazing head of hair - it is stick straight, thick and already hangs over his ears and the back of his neck....he even has sideburns!

I will post more pictures later after I get them all organized....until then, here are a couple:

37.5 Week Carter Checkup

This morning we woke up and jumped into action to drive a half hour to meet with the doctor that will be the 'lead' surgeon for my c-section. I was told it was important for me to meet with her and the assisting surgeon before my c-section so they could answer any questions I had and explain things. Today I met with Dr. F and next Monday I will meet with Dr. A (I really tried to get Dr. C to do the c-section, but she was not available either day and I did not want to go a few more days if I didn't 'have' to.)

Well, the appointment was pretty uneventful. I learned that if you have a c-section scheduled they do not continually examine you to see how far dilated you are (which did bum me out...I'd like to know if I have progressed). I thought they still would just in case I went early (and boy do I pray that I do!!!!!). Otherwise, really what is the point of checking anybody if it doesn't matter. Whatever. I was hoping to see if I had in fact dilated more, but I guess I will never know...

She was having trouble with the computer playing nice with her - and that seemed to occupy her train of thought. I joked with her that if she felt like taking him early, then she could go right ahead - especially since he's already so big. Nope - they will not move my date. I simply mentioned that since my due date was moved 10 days at the beginning, I thought perhaps it was too many days to have moved it. Nope - apparently the 6 week ultrasounds are super accurate and if it had not shown me more than 5 days difference, they wouldn't have moved it. (So I wondered to myself why if they allow a 5 day variance couldn't they have just moved it 6 days....or why is it 'such' a big deal to not allow me to go any earlier for a c-section....I am sure she had the answer and I'm sure I know the answer, but really didn't care to hear it).

She said well he (pointing to my well-behaved child, Logan) was 10 pounds, are you really surprised that this baby is big. No, I am not. She said if we were to take him early, sure he'd be a more normal sized baby, but he may not be done 'cooking' developmentally and such. Yeah, yeah, I get it.

It seemed no matter what I 'joked' with her about or asked her she was very matter of fact and 'this is why'. Look, lady - I get the textbook reasons why. Just humor me okay? Dr. C would have been on the same wavelength as me. So I told her that I was feeling some groin pain and it was uncomfortable. Yep. Okay, thanks for any sympathy that you could have offered. Thankfully my mother-in-law was a baby nurse for 30+ years and told me that it was likely ligament pain and why I am feeling it more the 2nd time around.

So, the appointment was fine and she gave me all the textbook answers that I 'knew', but gave me zero warm fuzzies. I actually wanted to just cry - and you must know that between my 2 pregnancies, I have probably cried a handful of times...pregnancy does not make me emotional (frustration or hurting my feelings, does). I think it all started when they weren't even bothering with how far dilated I may or may not be (and honestly, it doesn't matter...if I 'knew' I was not dilated anymore or another cm it is not like Carter will actually come early...it is just fun to know and with a scheduled c-section I kind of feel robbed of that excitement).

She did not offer any thoughts as to how the c-section would go (and it is not like I am worried or nervous in any way, shape or form, but a mention besides, 'it will be me and somebody else; - yes Dr. A is what I told her). I did not ask questions because I was just kind of done - and honestly I don't know what questions I have.cx

Anyway, I am sure it will be just fine - she does c-sections every week and I do not question her ability at all. I just wish she hadn't been as flustered with her computer problems and could have concentrated a bit more on me and the reason I was there (and drove a half hour to see her instead of another doctor that is 5 minutes from my house). But whatever. John said that I should switch, but again, even if she wasn't the leading surgeon she'd still be the assisting surgeon on either the 28th or 29th - so no I couldn't switch. They said 39 weeks and I don't want to go over by a few days just for a doctor that will be just as qualified, with some warm fuzzies.

Whew....what a long post just to basically say that he is STILL in my belly and things are still scheduled for the 29th! But I needed to vent.

I did proceed to go to the mall at the Children's Place (to get a security tag removed from Carter's coming home outfit) and they were having an excellent sale, so I bought Logan and Carter some matching shirts for next fall/winter (since it was those types of shirts that were on sale). Here's to hoping I picked the right size for both of them! Eh, if they are a little big, who cares - they will still look super cute!

Growth Ultrasound

On Tuesday morning we had a growth ultrasound. The appointment was at 9am, a half hour away. I was told to empty my bladder at 7:30am and then proceed to drink 32 ounces of water and hold it. I almost 2nd guessed these instructions as when you are this far along I didn't think you needed water to help with the clarity of the ultrasound. I should've....

So I follow those ridiculous instructions and John, Logan and I headed to the appointment. What an uncomfortable ride!!!! ugh.... It took me a solid two minutes to get out of the car and come to a full standing position. You try riding for a half hour with an extremely full bladder and a huge child sitting on your bladder and then try to quickly stand without worrying about doing something embarrassing like peeing on the pavement! We got inside the pretty building, which of course, all pretty buildings have water fountains! Oh come on! Okay, we headed downstairs and while John and Logan admired the pretty fountains, I checked in...and waited about 5-10 additional minutes! I wanted to yell at somebody, but kept my cool and did not sit down...I would not have been able to get back up without peeing! Jon, the ultrasound tech comes to get us and we head back - naturally, the LAST room down a LONG hallway. He tells me to lay down on the table and I contemplated just how I was going to do this, again, without peeing! He asks if I have a full bladder and I said 'goodness, gracious, YES!'. Then he looked at the pure size of my belly and asked how far along I was. I told him 36.5 weeks. He quickly shoved me out the door and took me to the bathroom next door and said 'oh, I'm so sorry - you don't need a full bladder at this stage in your pregnancy for an ultrasound. I wanted to hug him, but instead bolted inside to pee. Oh My Gosh....SOOOOO much better!!!

I walked back into the room and told him that it would have made for a MUCH more comfortable morning. :) Okay, so we proceeded...my mind now on seeing my little guy and less on needing to pee.

Jon (the tech, not my hubby) furiously took measurements of all kinds. I asked if he was going to be able to share the results and he said absolutely yes at the end of all the measurement taking. John and Logan watched Carter on the screen (I couldn't see the screen at this time). I did request that he show me the screen when he was all done - he did and even snapped a couple pictures, which printed on real photo paper in 4X6 size...not like the normal, paper ones. Sweet!

The results were in......give or take 1 pound, Carter currently weighs 8 pounds 5 ounces!!!!! AHH! He is measuring at 38 weeks 2 days and I am only 36 weeks 5 days. (If you remember, at the very beginning of the pregnancy they moved my due date back 10 days...had they not done that like I said, he would actually be right on schedule).

I meet with the doctor next Monday morning and we will see if anything changes. Dr. C. previously made it sound that things would not change, it would just be good information to have in case I went early. Honestly, at this point I would love for him to come early as my stomach just feels so heavy.

So there you have it...another Big Battermann Boy is on his way!!!

Logan's in a Toddler Bed!!!

So, we did it. I know it is not super-common to transition a 14-month old to a toddler bed, but we did. On January 1st we decided to at least give it a try and it has gone surprisingly well. Many would say it was done very early, but since he was such a good sleeper we thought why not try it. Plus we've been having trouble figuring out what to do for a bedroom set for either son. Do we get another crib set? Do we get bunk beds? We decided that as we don't know what to do, we'd go for a cheaper option. We ordered Logan a cool race car bed and a dresser. We are soon moving him into the 3rd bedroom (current guestroom, previous office). So we are keeping the bookshelf in there, which is good since we will have more shelf space to store his books and other knick knack items. Both the bed and dresser should arrive before Carter, but we'll see. For now, we have removed the crib side and put on the toddler rails.

Logan has been in his toddler bed for 3 weeks now and it is still going well. The first problem we ran into is that he knows how to get out of the room. We have door handles, not knobs. While we have received advice that we could convert his to a knob, or turn the door locks inside out, or put a door-handle protector we are not ready to do that just yet - I kind of want to take steps to this transition.

For probably the first 2 weeks, we sat in his room, either in the recliner or in front of his bed with our back turned until he fell asleep. We also purchased the twlight turtle which projects a bunch of stars (either green, blue, or amber) on the ceiling (not sure how much he really notices though as he almost always falls asleep on his stomach). We also brought his caterpillar back out (it was tucked away with other baby toys as this is a toy that attaches to an infant carseat). This caterpillar, while it plays cute short tunes about colors and numbers, it also plays 3.5 minutes of classical music (Bach, Mozart, etc.). Since we played this often as a baby, he seemed to recognize it right away and I was hoping it would provide comfort.

If he got out the first time we'd say 'back to bed' and he'd crawl back in. The rest of the times, we would just put him back or block him from getting out. Honestly for the most part, as long as he was being put to bed when he was truly tired, he wouldn't really get out and we could leave the room within 10 minutes. However, there were times we'd be in there for a half hour.

Let's hope it continues to go as well. Yay for such a big boy!!!

36.5 Week Carter Checkup

Today I met with Dr. J for my 36.5 week checkup. I measured 37 weeks. I told her that last week, I measured 39. She said that depending on how full my bladder is, if I had to go to the 'bathroom', how the baby is positioned...are all things that could affect measurement. So phew...I am not measuring that big! Granted, that pretty much all means nothing....as Logan measured right along schedule as well.

Carter's heartrate was 145 - still love the sound!

I don't think there is much else to report. I did not get examined this week.

My ultrasound is still scheduled for tomorrow morning...we are excited to see Carter one last time before we get to hold him in 2.5 weeks!!

I called to pre-register for the c-section and put all my other appointments and dates in the calendar/phone. I am trying to keep everything in check. This weekend I organized more of the upstairs - I think we will try to have Logan and Carter share a closet as I really just hang up dress clothes and sweatshirts/sweaters, since they are so bulky. We still have to buy a dresser and bed for Logan in his 'new' room. Hopefully we can do that this weekend as I have a guest bed FULL of baby clothes that are all ready to be washed. It is hard to believe that a tiny little person will be in those little clothes so soon.

I am excited as I am counting down the 2.5 weeks left (it has already flown by so much already)...but sometimes I still don't think it has hit me that after that 2.5 weeks I will have another son...another little person to care for....and start all over with figuring out sleeping, eating, general behaviors. Will he be similar to Logan? Will he be completely different? I am excited regardless to welcome this little guy into our home; he is so loved already.

35.5 Week Carter Checkup

Tuesday, I had my 35wk, 5 day checkup with Dr. C (who was one of two docs that delivered Logan...and my favorite doc).

As usual as soon as I walk in the door, the receptionist says I'm checked in and tells me to head to the back to provide my urine sample (to check for protein, which would be bad and other stuff I'm sure). On the way back Logan likes to stop and look in their breakroom and we walk by the doctor who is almost always on the computer charting or some other important stuff. The nurse weighs me (after I take off my shoes and jacket and anything else I can) and then we head into the room.

The nurse mentioned that they'd be testing me for Group B Strep since I'm '36 weeks'. I kind of though that if you had it once (which I did) then you always do...apparently not the case. Had I known this was going to happen I probably would have asked my friend to babysit as the only seating in the office (where I needed to sit Logan since I don't bring in the stroller anymore) has a clear shot of 'me being examined/tested'. Eeks...thankfully he is too young to be scarred. And thankfully he did really well. I gave him a book to look at and his juice and he was occupied and didn't misbehave at all (phew).

Dr. C came in the room and said so you are 35 weeks 5 days, but when I saw you walk down the hall, I thought you looked around 39 weeks. Um....thanks.?.?.?.? So she measured me and sure enough, I my belly/uterus is measuring 39 cm and I should be 36 cm to match the week # I am in. Oh. I get measured every week and they all mention a 'big baby', but they've never told me that I was truly measuring 'big'. With Logan, I measured a week or two big at the beginning of the pregnancy, but always measured right on target towards the end (which is part of their shock that he was 10 pounds).

So she said that we should do a growth ultrasound (even though we were already planning on it). So that is scheduled for next Tuesday. My next appointment is next Monday though, so I am really hoping that the ultrasound tech can tell me how big he is measuring and I don't have to wait for the following visit to hear how big he is. Dr. C. also mentioned that I should not go beyond 39 weeks since she is assuming that he is big. So she gave me the number of the c-section scheduler.

In the meantime, while I was on the table, she also checked his heartrate and it bounced around 125-130ish, which she said is normal (however I am noting that it is the lowest it has been so far). She had a hard time getting it because he kept moving away - so he was still very active. :) She also asked if I would like to be checked for dilation...sure, why not?!? I am already 1-1.5 cm dilated. I just checked my blog and it wasn't until week 39 that I was dilated 1-2 cm...so who knows. Granted, I didn't move much past that until I was induced, so I don't expect much, but I guess all those braxton hicks contractions I've been having have paid off. I am not effaced at all. She said she touched his head, but he retracted immediately.

So I think that pretty much sums it up. It was a very exciting appointment!

I did call and schedule the c-section. Jan. 28th is 39 weeks, but they were pretty booked, so our scheduled date (if Carter doesn't come on his own) is Jan. 29th at 7:30am. We are very excited! All of a sudden though...there is a deadline date...he will be here in 3.5 weeks!

My next stop was Babies R Us, where I did by my 'boys' a couple of matching outfits...can't wait to see them both in them.

We do still have quite a bit to do to prepare, but nothing that is earth-shattering. I do hope to accomplish a bit this weeked though. Exciting!!!

Mother of the Year award goes to....

LIKELY NOT ME!

Today, I was fixing Logan a sippy cup for lunch. I chose a straw sippy cup which he has mastered. I poured in the juice and mixed it with water. There are 2 straws to the sippy cup...a sturdy straw that goes in the bottom and a flexible straw that goes on the top, so the lid can close. Okay great. I couldn't find the sturdy straw...finally in a basket of random sippy cup lids, I found it.

I assembled the cup and thought, for some random reason, that I would test it out. I was curious how hard he had to suck through this valve-straw. This really is random for me as I really don't make it a habit to test out his sippy cups. So I sucked on the straw...nothing. I thought, man alive, this kid really has to work hard to get this juice! I tried a few more times. Okay, something MUST be wrong. I took it all apart. I couldn't figure it out. I then looked through each straw to see if something was clogged. Nothing in the flexible straw. But alas! The sturdy straw was a lot more sturdy than I anticipated as the sturdy straw was actually a hot glue gun stick!!!!! Go figure that it would be the same exact size and look. Oh man - egg on my face!

I then put the hot glue gun stick in the appropriate place (not in the sippy cup basket) and searched for the actual sturdy straw (which had fallen into the bottom of the dishwasher, hence why I couldn't initially see it). So I cleaned it off and re-assembled the cup and voila - it is really not that difficult to suck through his sippy cup.

What a random day for me to test his cup out! Imagine if I would have given it to him and he would've tried to use it and then got frustrated. I probably would have wondered what on earth he was whining about. Way to go Mother of the Year!

(in the meantime, I posted this on Facebook and some of my other Mom friends made me feel better by telling me their 'Mom Brain' stories!)

Christmas Morning

Logan woke up around 8am on Christmas morning. Knowing there were several gifts to open and we had to be to my parents house around 11am, we opted to get showered and ready before heading downstairs (we are lucky this year since he had no clue).

I had spent most of Christmas Eve searching for my camera charger, but hadn't found it so I had to take pictures and video somewhat sparingly. Luckily since it was bright outside, our iPhone could work (they don't take stellar pictures in the dark). I ran downstairs to catch Logan's reaction to what Santa left him (a tunnel and tent). He had a stunned look on his face and threw out a few 'oh wow's'. John set him down near the tunnel and he bent down to look inside...so cute! John put his head in the tent to try to coax Logan through. I sent one of Logan's trucks through to try to coax him to crawl through. He thought it was all neat to look at, but not so much to go in. He ended up going in the tent for a little bit, but still has yet to crawl through the tunnel.

We had Logan open up his stocking. He would take out a present, hand it to John. John would rip a little piece of paper and then Logan would open the rest. Every so often he'd say 'oh wow' or 'oooo'. It was very cute. He'd stop to play with a little truck or train, but we had to keep him moving. I'd say his favorite gift of the morning was the Learning Lawn Mower. He pushed that toy around with such pride - it was very cute. Logan helped hand John and I our gifts, then we finished getting ready and headed down to my parents. It was a great Christmas morning! I just know that it will get better each year as he and his sibling(s) grow and get older and understand what is going on. :)

35 Weeks

This picture was taken at 11:55pm on New Years Eve...so I tried my best to look peppy!

34.5 Week Carter Checkup

Today I had my last 2 week appointment...as I now move on to weekly appointments (exciting!).

My appointment today was with Dr. T (no relation to Mr. T.....haha). I oddly enough have met with him a lot this pregnancy despite my not being a huge fan of him last pregnancy. I thought this appointment was with Dr. C, but that is next week. (Both Dr. T and Dr. C delivered Logan)

So he asked if I had any questions and checked the heartbeat. All was well. He asked if I'd made a decision on the method of delivery and if I'd signed the consent form either way (stating that I knew of the risks of attempting a vbac or if I knew that I at least had the option and everything was explained and still wanted to do a c-section). As I had not yet done this, he had the nurse give me the form, which I read while sitting there and signed it stating that as of this moment, while I understand there is a 1% chance of my uterine lining rupturing and it can lead to bad things, that I would still like to try a vbac. This is simply to sign it in case I go into labor early, they have it on record so they don't get sued if something were to happen; however, it is important to note that by signing this, nothing is set in stone and I still have every right to change my mind.

In the meantime, I asked Dr. T what he thought. I told him that I met with Dr. S 2 weeks prior and he was clearly wanting me to have another c-section. He said, yeah, that's him. So, it did make me feel better knowing that the pressure I had received from that doctor was not the way they 'all' felt. Right before he checked Carter's heartbeat, he did poke my stomach twice and said that he does 'feel big'. Oh goodie! He too mentioned a growth ultrasound in a couple weeks, but also mentioned that they were not that accurate - they recently estimated a baby to be around 9 pounds...and he came out 7 (pretty big difference). And one of my friends, sister's babies was predicted to be in the low 7's...and he was 10. Ugh, so I am really starting to wonder if this growth ultrasound is even worth it! That is where my conversation with Dr. C next week will help. Dr. T and Dr. S (and the other bunch of docs I met with) give me the information, but there is something about Dr. C that I trust more-so. She has more of a conversation with me and I never feel that she is cutting me short. Man, I hope she doesn't let me down next week! :)

In the meantime, I have had several braxton hicks contractions in the last couple weeks. Nothing regular, but exciting to have nonetheless.

I am still torn about a c-section versus vbac. Honestly, signing that form, while I know it is not set in stone, was still kind of nerve-wracking. What if I do go through attempting a vbac anyway and still end up an emergency c-section? I guess this time it will be different as they will not induce labor, so essentially if I do decide to wait it out...if I come to a date (let's say past 40 weeks) and he 'needs' to come out...I will have a scheduled c-section anyway. But then, I wonder...will I be frustrated with myself if I end up with a c-section anyway to not have done it sooner? Granted, anytime that I wait, is time with just Logan and I....however, I must admit that I am getting more and more uncomfortable. My stomach feels so heavy (which also makes me wonder about his size); nights are harder to 'toss and turn'....some nights I feel like going into Logan's room where the recliner is...and I really don't know what I'd do without my pillow wedge! Carter also moves around a lot...tonight at dinner Logan was whining while I was making dinner and Carter was beating me from the inside. :)

So I guess I will still stick with my thought of 2 weeks ago, that I will schedule a c-section at the end of January (just after 39 weeks) and if it has the chance to happen before, I will give it a try. It is just the unknown that is killing me and weighing on my mind. I am starting to think that by having a scheduled deadline, that will make me feel better. We'll see next week when I schedule. If possible, I'd like to have Dr. C deliver Carter.

In related news, our Christmas decorations are put away and the baby clothes are down from the attic. I usually like to keep my Christmas stuff up through the first week in January...and snowman stuff up through February, but considering that we have a beautiful baby to prepare for, I just needed to end the festive decor and get my house back in order. We are putting more things into our storage unit and then soon we will look at new bedroom furniture for Logan.

Time is flying by!!!

Christmas Eve

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve, despite the bad weather and that we weren't where we typically are....Typically we spend Christmas Eve with John's family, however plans changed a bit this year and we are celebrating with them this weekend. So, in the 10 years we have been together, this was the first Christmas Eve at 'our' house. For the first time, we attended our church for the family worship - it was so cute. The weather outside was truly frightful (as the song goes...); we had freezing rain almost all day. Personally, I think rain of any type (regular or freezing) should be banned from the winter months...I love snow!

Anyway, we relaxed in the morning and then got ready for the 3pm service. As the children walked in the door, they were handed a bag. Its contents were; a cloth, a rope or string and a glowstick. At the beginning of the service the children's director told the congregation that the children were all going to be shepards, so each child put the cloth on their head and tied the rope around their heads...it was very cute! Logan, naturally wouldn't even let me get as far to tie the rope. Oh well. The director then showed the children specific hand motions they'd have to do each time a certain prayer was mentioned throughout the service. I helped Logan with it each time; again, very cute. It came time for the children's talk part of the service and for the first time, I took Logan up to the front. He did very well; he even let me put the shepard's hat on for a few minutes (I then adjusted it and he realized that it was on his head and took it off). He listened to the pastor talk; he tried getting up to walk and I wouldn't let him get very far...he got a little bummed about this and plopped himself on the ground and then bonked his head on the chair I was sitting on (if I were to sit on the floor it may have taken forever to get up, with being 34 weeks pregnant and all...). I thought there was going to be tears, but thankfully, he didn't cry. Later during the service they dimmed the lights, we cracked our glowsticks and sang Silent Night. It was a very nice service. Logan received a couple compliments after the service about how well-behaved and adorable he was! :)

We came home from church, Logan napped and we made an Angel Food Cake, which we later lit 4 candles to represent the 4 members of our family (John, Logan, Buddy and I) and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, as he truly is the reason for the season. We opened up a couple of presents and skype'd with John's family. We set out cookies and milk for Santa and we put Logan to bed. Unfortunately, we thought we had carrots for the reindeer, but apparently we ran out...ah well, next year.

Sometime during the night, Santa came and left Logan a gift and filled his stocking...and ate the cookies and drank the milk!

32 Week Carter Checkup

Yesterday I had my first 2-week appointment for Carter. I am measuring fine and the heartbeat was nice and strong.

The doctor (I typically see a different one each time as I have to meet with each of the 8 docs) said so this is your 10-pounder (patting Logan on the head). Yep! Then he proceeded to say 'Are you SURE you don't want to schedule a c-section'??? Out of all the doctors he seems to be the pushiest about it...the others have asked me if I've made a decision and every time I say the same thing....I would like a growth ultrasound to determine how big he will be. So seeing as how this doctor was a little opinionated I thought I would pick him brain with 20 questions to see what he'd say as I do want to hear all opinions. Here is what I learned:

- if I schedule a c-section the pain and discomfort will apparently be less than if I have to have another emergency c-section. I guess it is because my body will not have gone through so much rigamarol.
- if I have a VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section) the recovery time is less than that of a c-section (regardless if it is schedule or emergency)
- if I have a VBAC I will not have to stay in the hospital as long
- if I schedule a c-section the experience will be much different than that of an emergency section as the doctors will not be as concerned about the baby losing fluid or being in distress...there will be no rushing down the hallway...no rushing to get the baby out - it will be a calmer experience and I will have Carter in my hands at a guaranteed time.
- if I schedule a c-section I can do it as early as one week prior to my due date, which puts Carter arriving Jan. 28
- I asked if I can schedule an induction and he said 'no' (I thought maybe if I could induce him to come out early, he'd weigh less than going to 40 weeks or beyond). They do not do inductions on previous scars. He said if I went naturally on my own, that is one thing, but the medical professionals will not make that happen.
- one of my concerns with having another c-section is that going forward that is pretty much all I'll be able to do. He said with having 1 section, the risk of the inner scar rupturing is 1% (that one percent has very high risks associated with it). That percentage will increase will each following section, however there are not enough studies to show how high the percentage is as there are not many women that do a VBAC after 2 or more c-sections.
- I asked how many c-sections a person can have (as John and I want more than a couple of children if we can). He said that 3 is normal, 4 is definitely doable, he has done 5, but it is a bit more rare. I told him of a gal I'd recently met that is having her 6th c-section and he thought that was way too much. He then voiced his opinion about large families and I was able to clearly tell that he thought 6 kids was way too much anyway. John and I don't know how big we want our family to be, but we are both in agreement that we would like more than 2 if possible.
- I asked when a growth ultrasound could be performed. He said between 36-38 weeks, as close to the due date as possible. He said that they are not 100% though. They can give us percentages as to how big they 'think' he will be...but he has had circumstances where they thought the baby would be 7 pounds and it was 9 pounds...or thought they would have a 9.5 pounder and it was 8.5 pounds. So apparently they can try to estimate as best as they can, but it is not exact so we need to take it with a grain of salt. In all honesty, as Logan measured in my belly perfectly up until the very end, it is so hard to tell how fast he grew...was it gradual or did he shoot up in the last couple of weeks?

I think that pretty much sums up our conversation. In the end we kind of decided that at my next appointment I will most likely schedule my c-section, if anything as a 'just in case'. Apparently as it gets closer, time in the O.R. can be harder to schedule. So for now my thinking is that I will schedule the c-section and see what happens. If I go into labor beforehand, then I can give VBAC a try. If I do not go into labor on my own, perhaps there is a bigger reason and c-sections are meant to be for me. I will continue to mull this over as I really do want to try a VBAC, but if I am 'afraid' that Carter is huge or his head too is crooked in the canal, then I don't want my mind to play games with me while trying to push. I know that other people have delivered big babies so I know it is not impossible...it is just that I did really give it my all with Logan and it just didn't happen for me.

My next appointment is the Tuesday after Christmas and is with the doctor that was with me the entire time of my delivery with Logan. She is very sweet and I look forward to hearing her opinion as I don't think she will be as pushy, but informative (not that this doctor was not informative, I just wonder if anything he said was a bit biased towards section).

If you have thoughts about it, please leave a comment...I enjoy reading them and weighing my options with others thoughts in mind. John is very much for a c-section, but is at least saying he is understanding that it is my body and he will support me with whatever I decide.

Carter's 3D/4D Ultrasound

Today was so exciting...we had Carter's 3D/4D ultrasound! Both sets of grandparents came up/down to join us. Logan wore his Big Brother shirt (which fits him a little better than it did several months ago when he first heard the news of being a big brother).

The ultrasound went great. With an exception of literally the last 30 seconds, Carter had his hands in his mouth the ENTIRE time! The technician jiggled my belly for all she was worth to try and move his hands, but he just thought they were sooo yummy! She did get several great pictures and we have a 10 minute DVD as well of everything she was doing. His heartrate was 158 bpm, which is pretty high...normally it is around 140 (must've been the mountain dew I had before I went to the appointment so he'd be active...although to be honest, he's pretty active without caffeine too!).

He is still very much a boy! I will not post the picture, but boy oh boy there is NO mistaking him for a girl...way to go Carter!

Carter appears to also have big cheeks like Logan...and hair already like Logan. You can see for yourself, but all of us in attendance think that Carter looks like Logan, which is a very good thing as Logan is such a cutie pie!

This is the BEST picture...his hands aren't in his face and he is smiling a bit.

Here Carter is resting his head on his hands...so cute!

In this picture it looks like he is laughing and giving a thumbs up!

Here his mouth is open...getting ready to eat his hands again...

It kind of looks like he's giving us the finger here...although, I don't think it is 'thee' finger. :)

This picture is kind of cool, but also kind of creeps me out..his eyes are OPEN!! I know they can open their eyes, but to see it was kind of interesting. :)

Here is a picture of his cute little (big) foot! (I have no idea what the other stuff is surrounding the foot, but it is kind of gross looking...sorry)

Experiment

Since Logan is walking, walking, walking without help now, I decided to experiment at Target by not putting him in a cart. All you experienced Moms are probably laughing at me!

We were in the music/movie/book section getting some gifts and I let him loose. He was up the aisle, then down the aisle. I was near the end of the aisle while he was at the end display and all of a sudden I saw a calendar whip across the aisle. Yeah...he thought it was so funny! So I picked it up and he decided to take another calendar and walk around with it...then he was done with it when he saw that he could try to climb the dvd racks. No, no, no.... So we walked to a different aisle where there was another fascinating end rack that he started plucking the plastic holder-thingy off. No, no, no. So we walked to a different aisle (naturally, I couldn't 'easily' find the items I was looking for...I realized that Target doesn't have that big of a section as I had hoped). So as we walked past one final aisle of shiny, gleaming gift cards that just called his name...I swooped him up and threw him in a cart.

I thought that he would be upset with me for making him sit instead of being free to roam and explore this truly wonderful store, but to my surprise he was fine (again, what a great child!). We zoomed around the store in an annoying cart that bumped every spin of the wheels, but oddly enough he thought this was super fun (and we have been to 2 other stores since then and he starts bumping along since apparently now all carts do this... :) ).

So it was a fun experiment that ended shortly after it started...but it was fun to watch him explore.

Carter and a Funny...

I had my 30 week appointment today and all is looking great! As I hadn't gained any weight in the last 2 months, it looked like Thanksgiving was enough to push me over that hump. It's okay as I am still right on track (unlike last time...). Carter's heartbeat was good and strong and he even kicked while the doc was checking the heartbeat. I am measuring right on schedule, as I did with Logan. We again discussed vbac vs. c-section and I still said just hang on...I want a growth ultrasound to see if I have a 'shot'. We'll see...I have a feeling I will end up with a scheduled c-section, but don't want to say 'yes' to it just yet. The doctor said, well he is not measuring big....I said, yeah well Logan didn't either. :) And somehow a 10 pounder was stuffed in there!

I now start going every 2 weeks, so my next appointment is the 15th. How exciting to be on a 2 week schedule already!!! With the holidays coming up, they scheduled all my appointments until mid-January! The nurse mentioned that doing Non-Stress tests is not in my plan, so that is good to know. Otherwise I would have to get a babysitter for Logan since that appointment lasts over a half hour.

Now the funny... Logan and I were waiting for the doctor. Logan was in his umbrella stroller with his sippy cup. He took a drink of water and started babbling, without swallowing. He had never done this before and it threw him off as he basically just spit water out. Oh man, I nearly lost it. I tried to remain straight-faced to tell him that we don't spit, but I just bust out laughing - and so did he! Naturally he did it a couple more times and just had such a hearty laugh. I think he just loved that he got me to laugh hard too - I had tears in my eyes; he was being just adorable. I then did stop the fun and got a paper towel to wipe the puddle on his shirt. We moved on...I thought he just may put up a stink about me taking his sippy cup away, but he didn't. Oh, gosh, it was just so funny!

We then left to go do some Christmas shopping and he did so well. I am so blessed that he is so well behaved in stores (for now....I am aware that someday, possibly soon he may change....or who knows, Carter may be a pickle).