Today is THE day on the calendar that has a little heart on it.  It is 10-10-10 which has been my due date since my first ultrasound all those months ago!

Let me tell you, I have been in denial about having a baby.  Today was the day I was REALLY hoping to have my son so that he could have an awesome birthday.  It doesn’t look like that is going to happen.  I have had contractions today since 12:45, every 15 minutes apart.  No pain, just tightness.  And they don’t seem to be getting any closer together.  Being that it is almost 4 pm it is unlikely things are going to get going fast enough to have this kid by midnight.

In my head I am suffering from the mainstream medical notion that I should have had a baby by now.  Logically, I know this is not the case.  It is an “estimated due date” and not an “expiration date.”  I don’t need an induction or a C Section because baby isn’t here yet.  He is working on things so hopefully I meet him soon.  Still, I can’t help wishing he were here! (and as I type that I get another contraction, woo hoo!)

I will be sure to let you know how things progress.  We might have a baby by tomorrow.  Or maybe this will all evaporate and he will come later.

Full frontal, stretch marks and all!

Side View: Shirt is working hard!

Taken Today: 40 Weeks!

As my due date approaches I decided it would be fun to take guesses on when Shrimpy will make his appearance!  I have set up an ExpectNet.com Poll where you can play the game to guess the weight, gender (boy, you already know!), and Delivery Day.  Sounds like fun, right?

The winner (closest to the actual stats) will win 10 extra entries into any giveaway!  You can bank those entries for one of the super giveaways coming up in November also!  So, go take a guess.  Have fun!

After some thought I did decide that I will be live tweeting my homebirth! Due to the unpredictable nature of labor I don’t know when/ how often I will update.  I have told my husband what I want done and he will take over updates once I get to a point where I would rather not be tweeting.

So, here are the details:

Follow me on Twitter if you aren’t already. @KimRosas

Watch my updates.  When I do go into labor, I will begin tweeting with the #twitterbirth hashtag.  If I am lucky, no one else will be tweeting their birth with this hashtag as well.  This way, you could search for it (or just read my stream) to see all of my updates.

Not on Twitter and you don’t want to join?  I will be choosing some updates to also be shared on my Facebook Fan Page (Facebook.com/dirtydiaperlaundry). If we update with less frequency I may share them all.  I just don’t want to overtake anyone’s feed!

In addition, I will post to the blog once I go into labor (a pre-written blog post will go up just reminding you to follow Twitter/Facebook for the updates.)

I will be signing my updates as -K, my husband will be -S, and if my doula gets in on the action she will be -M.

You are welcome to root me on by tweeting back at me or by commenting on a facebook update.  I will keep Tweetgrid open to view replies for a good morale boost if I need it!

Less than 2 weeks until my due date, so let’s just say I should definitely have a baby within the next 4 weeks!

Today I am 37 weeks pregnant.  I am full term.  The baby *should* be fully developed, lungs mature, ready to meet me whenever he is ready.  I am hoping for later rather than sooner.  He seems pretty cozy in there for now.  I had to reach 37 weeks in order for me to give birth at home and today is the day.  Holy Crap.

Hi Belly!

I am stressing because now my house has to stay clean.  Try telling that to my husband and son!  While I am going to admit that I feel pretty darn good for 37 weeks, picking toys up off the floor, constantly washing, drying, folding, putting away clothes, and washing dishes is not as easy as it was a few months ago.  I tried to convey this to my husband but I still see a sink full of dishes.  I tried to tell my son and he still threw a bunch of books on the floor.  *sigh*

My back up birth tub will arrive tomorrow according to UPS.  I am aiming to rent an AquaDoula but if the mother currently renting it doesn’t deliver in time before me then I have a back-up Fishy Pool.  My birth kit is pretty much stocked except for paper towels (we don’t use them anymore so I have to remember to buy them!) and a naturally sweetened Gatorade alternative since I cannot have the real stuff with Gestational Diabetes.  My tiny diapers are laid out along with a tiny t-shirt and a tiny blanket and a tiny hat.

The funny thing is, I have NO CLUE what this kid is going to look like.  I dreamed about my first son.  We had a few 4D ultrasounds and could tell he had pouty lips and a tiny chin like me.  This boy hasn’t even let us see a profile when we had ultrasounds.  I can’t even guess what nose and chin he has.  Will he have dark hair like Daddy, or will he have my blonde hair like my son?

I can’t say I am feeling excited, or nervous, or dread.  I am trying to relish the time I have left as a mother of one.  I am giving extra cuddles to my boy and loving on him like there is no tomorrow.  I keep telling him about the baby in my belly, which he likes to blow raspberries on, roll his toy cars over, and lift his shirt to bump his belly against.  Sometimes, he points to his belly and says “baby.”  He might be a little confused.  Hey, he is only 22 months!

I keep trying to imagine what the birth is going to be like.  I don’t know if that is a good or bad thing.  In my mind, I will go to 40 weeks or later.  I will have a long labor, but I will have a lot of support.  But what if I go next week?  And what if my labor isn’t that long?  I kind of want a somewhat long labor since I have to get my midwife here (1.5 hour commute).  I need time to make sure my house is ready in case it wasn’t before.  I need time to mentally prepare myself to give birth again!  This time, drug free!

Then what?  I will have a new nursling and a rambunctious and lovable toddler.  I want to think this is my last baby.  I feel like it is.  We will see.

In case you are wondering, I do plan on Tweeting and Facebooking during my labor.  My husband or doula will likely take over as things progress and I want to throw things.  I will use a #twitterbirth hashtag.  If it is me tweeting I will sign “-K” and if it is hubby, he will be “-S.”  If my doula decides to take a turn expect an “M.”  There may or may not be non graphic photos involved.  I might tweet often, I might only tweet every hour or longer.  I don’t know how this whole thing is going down!  If you aren’t already, follow me on Twitter- @KimRosas- and “like” me on Facebook – Dirty Diaper Laundry Fan Page- so you will get an update as I go into labor.

If you read everything on this page, congratulations, you just read a stream of consciousness, unedited blog post from the brain of a pregnant lady!

The trouble with adding a new member to the family, along with the adjustment period with a new baby and a toddler, is mainly: where  am I going to put all of this baby crap? I recently washed most of the baby’s new clothing and folded it (or, I should say the babysitter did it for me!) but I had no clue where it was going to go.  In my mind I am not even sure where the baby is going to be getting changed or dressed.

The plan is for the baby to sleep in bed with us at first for nights, and I will put the baby in the Hushamok hammock for naps.  And hey, if the baby really loves the hammock, I will throw him in there at night too.  It will be right next to my bed so I can get him whenever I need to nurse him .  He will need changing in the middle of the night but I won’t want to wake my son, so I am going to not only need somewhere to change him (on the bed?) I need a place to put his diapers.  I will also need a wet bag for our room.

During the day I will change the baby on the changing table in my son’s room, most likely.  Unless my older son is napping.  Then bedroom again.  I feel like a nomad of diaper changing and he isn’t even here yet.

Same goes for clothing changes, which I am sure will be frequent.  My first son had massive spit ups until he was 10 months old!  No, he did not have reflux or food/ dairy allergies.  I was just lucky I guess.  We went through gobs of outfits and burp cloths.  I feel like I need 2 wardrobes; 1 for our room and one for “playroom” bedroom.  Same for a stash of burp cloths.  ACK!

As it stands, the changing table in my older son’s room is stuffed with diapers and inserts.  I have 6 baskets, 3 full of diapers, 1 full of extra inserts and cloth wipes, 1 with the “overflow” of diapers, and one with newborn diapers and wet bags.  But I need the newborn diapers in the top basket, not the bottom one.  I have to rearrange my whole system to accommodate.  At this time my top 3 baskets are arranged, left to right: Daddy Friendly Diapers, Daddy “meh” diapers (he can use most but he doesn’t like to), and Daddy Don’t Touch (diapers I need to review or ones he sucks at putting on).  Now one needs to be Newborn Diapers. (I included my changing table tour from a few months ago)

I am also unsure where I am going to put the Mamaroo, which I am so excited to be reviewing!  Will the livingroom be good for it?  If the baby naps in it will the livingroom be too noisy or unsafe (think- toddler who likes poking eyes).  Then, should the bedroom be a good home?

None of these things were issues with my first son.  I could do whatever I pleased and I had a wonderful 9 months of nesting!  Now I don’t feel the need for any nesting.  I have no desire to wash and fold tiny baby clothes and I certainly don’t feel like rearranging furniture or drawers of clothing.  My birth kit still needs some things and I am slacking.

With Fletcher I was very excited about the “stuff” and arranging it (and of course having a new baby).  With this baby I am excited about the birth and how my son will bond with him.

As an organized person, this drives me nuts!  I need order!

Any tips on having 2 young children, 1 “bedroom,” and no storage space?!?

Bonus:  33 Weeks Pregnant

My next baby will be here in a few short weeks and I am feeling the anxiety.  I don’t have a baby bath tub, or enough swaddling blankets.  I have to pull out all of those fun things like burp cloths and my handy Nose Frida (no bulb syringe here, this thing works great!).  I also need to get a new dresser to hold enough clothes for 2 children.

What I won’t be preparing: bottles.  Won’t use them.  Pump: probably won’t be using that either, though I may grab it in a moment of engorged desperation.  Nursery: baby will be either sleeping next to me in bed or next to our bed in our Hushamok hammock.

What I hope not to prepare: a hospital labor bag!  I will find out very soon if homebirth is a possibility for us.  Since the MMA (Midwifery Modernization Act) passed and Certified Nurse Midwives have the right to practice homebirths in the state of NY without a signed practice agreement with an OB, there is hope.  The only foreseeable block is that my potential midwife already has a mom due at the end of October and she also wants to take some time off that month.  If she can get coverage from one of the other midwives in Ithaca then I should be good.  The next hurdle would just be meeting with her and making sure I am comfortable with her.  It looks like my insurance does cover homebirth, at least 70%.  NY State does have a law stating a woman has the right to choose her birth setting and doctor and insurance must cover it.  Strange that NY is great for Homebirth in terms of insurance, but it took so long for homebirths to be practiced without the legal tape and hoops.

Besides my obvious reasons for wanting a homebirth, the main perk would be not having to scramble for childcare when I go into labor.  Living far from friends and family is very hard, and even harder when you need to leave your house in a relative hurry with short notice.  Grandma’s are good for that, “friends” are not.  Especially those with jobs and children.  I would still want to have someone come to help with Fletcher depending on the time.  But at least he wouldn’t have to pack up and come to the hospital with us, which is what I am afraid of.

If things don’t pan out then I will be ok, but only because I do love my current midwife.  She is caring and competent and will make my birth experience as close to a home birth as possible.  I would actually be sad to lose her if I get my homebirth.  I only wish she could deliver me at home!

Pregnancy wise, this has been a breeze compared to my first.  With my first I weighed close to what I weigh now before I even got pregnant.  And I kept gaining.  I had constant hip pain very early on.  It hurt to walk up and down stairs.  I ran out of breath, my Gestational Diabetes had me on far fewer carbs than I can eat now, and I was generally pretty miserable.  These days I forget I am pregnant.  While I am beginning to experience trouble sleeping and some hip pain at night, during the day I am comfortable.  My GERD has settled down thanks to my Gestational Diabetes diet and I stopped taking any medications for it besides the occasional Tums.  I do have to pee a lot but I don’t think there is a way to avoid that at this point.  I am also getting a little lazy.  My floor hasn’t been mopped in a couple of weeks!  The only reason it isn’t coated with crumbs is that I have a Roomba.

I am getting more and more excited about meeting my next son.  I am also starting to dread the impending loss of sleep that I have only recently started getting.  I am afraid two children will kill me, especially since the one I have keeps me busy enough.  Still, I will be happy to have him here with us!

In my ongoing mission to make this next baby sleep better than my first child (we can dream, right?) I am reconsidering my position on swaddling.  My son loved to be swaddled.  He only slept in his crib when he was swaddled, and slept for the longest stretches when wrapped tightly.  But he didn’t want to give it up.  Once he was rolling we had to cut him off cold turkey because frankly my nerves couldn’t take it.  At the time he was *gasp* sleeping in his crib the majority of the night and I checked on him constantly for fear he rolled over and couldn’t breathe.  But the problem was that we lived in an apartment with squeaky floors.  No matter how lightly you stepped you hit a creaking floorboard and it often times that woke him up.  It was awful.  After we stopped swaddling him he woke up every few hours again, down from sleeping in 6 hour stretches.  And it just went downhill from there…. we were laying him in his crib and he fell asleep watching his aquarium, he regressed to nursing to sleep.  Then he just started sleeping with us because I was exhausted.

I am terrified the next baby will rely on swaddling and the transition will ruin him too!  In my son’s baby book he started “sleeping through the night” at a fairly young age.  Til we stopped swaddling.  Then it took him until he was a year old.  Then he stopped again.  I just can’t get an 8 hour stretch of sleep!  I understand newborns aren’t meant to sleep all night, I am ok with that.  I just want to begin healthy sleep habits to hopefully have an easier time of it this go around.  So, do I swaddle this baby and stop sooner, or stop when they are “ready,” or just not swaddle past a couple weeks?

And, what blankets should I choose?  There are a lot on the market, some which profess to be “miracles” so I am lost!  I tried two brands with my son and we liked one of those.

The Organic Woombie

Pros:

Easy to use. Highly rated.

Coms: $$$, looks like you have to remove all the way for diaper changes

The Miracle Blanket Swaddler

Pros: Supposed to hold in the wriggliest baby. Well rated.

Cons: $$$, complicated

Kiddopotamus & Co. Organic Cotton SwaddleMe

Pros: My son’s favorite, simple, inexpensive.

Cons: Velcro tabs wore out from drying.

aden + anais Swaddle Blanket

Pros: lightweight, beautiful, well rated.

Cons: $$$, traditional swaddling blanket so you actually have to “swaddle” lol

Go Mama Go Designs Snug and Tug Swaddling Blanket

Pros: cute, breathable, choice of materials

Cons: $$$, have to wrap around and then under baby

Cozy Cocoon® Organic Baby Bunting

Pros: Super adorable designs, matching hats

Cons: $$$, Put on like a sock for some models, not as easy to change diapers with,

So, any ideas?  I am so not prepared for another 2 years of sleepless nights!  I swear, 2 kids is my limit, I don’t think I can do it 3 times!

Links to DDL Affiliate Amazon.com

I have not been to a blogging conference yet.  Do you know why?  Because I either procrastinate and don’t buy my ticket in time (Blogher) or I am too pregnant.  Blissdom 2010 is being held at the end of October in Toronto.  Toronto is a 4 hour drive for me and the date is over 2 weeks after my due date.

I have decided that I am going to go, but I can’t do it alone! I am looking for a few sponsors who would be willing to help with the cost of a ticket and hotel. No need for airfare because I will be driving.

As a sponsor companies will be featured on my website and my other social media outlets as well at the conference itself.  I am looking specifically for sponsors that I can easily promote at Blissdom.  And here is what I am thinking…. I will have my adorable newborn son with me.  I will be wearing him and diapering him and breastfeeding him.  Wouldn’t it be awesome for a baby carrier company, diaper company, and/or breastfeeding company to help this mama out? I will also be carrying a diaper bag, so those companies can apply too!  I will be with lots of mamas who will see me around so this is already great exposure!

If I could I would pay for my own ticket and lodging to avoid “begging” for a sponsor.  Bu frankly, I can’t.  Plus I have a lot to offer to a sponsor who fits my readership. I wouldn’t agree to be sponsored by a company I wouldn’t promote anyway so you can rest assured I won’t be going thanks to the P word (rhymes with Hampers).  I’d love to learn how to make my blog better.  My mission has always been to promote cloth diapers, babywearing, breastfeeding, and other “crunchy” topics close to my heart.  If I can reach more readers that is even better.  I am kind of amazed at how far my website has come since it began over a year ago.  I didn’t think I would have ten readers, yet alone the 1,000 plus a day who make it here.  I love every one of you guys and I am so glad you stop in.  Plus, I love drilling you for advice!

So, if you are out there sponsors, contact me so we can chat about a possible working relationship! I promise my baby will look good in your product.  Have you seen my first baby?  He is adorable!  Lightening will strike twice!