I've written so many blog posts lately. What? You haven't read them? Oh, that's because I have been composing them in my head on the way to work and procrastinating on actually writing them.
So, backing up a few weeks . . .
The Big Ultrasound
On February 16 (President's Day), we had our big ultrasound. Our appointment was two-fold. First we met with a genetic counselor who seemed to find our family history quite boring in genetic counseling terms. Then we had the ultrasound and met with the perinatologist. Everything with Piccola looked great. I believe the words "perfect" were uttered more than once.
It was extremely emotional for me. I finally felt connected to this baby. A few weeks later, I have to remind myself of the thrilling moments when I stared at her little profile on the screen as we waited for the perinatologist to review our results. Unfortunately, I still rarely feel movement and so the ultrasound was a critical experience and one that, with time, has sadly faded in it's impact. I just have to keep reminding myself of how special that moment was.
At least we were able to determine the cause of the lack of feeling of movement -- and it's definitely not that Piccola isn't active. Quite the contrary, we saw her giving several swift kicks. Swift kicks to . . . the placenta. Yep, the placenta is covering the entire front of my abdomen. The perinatologist commented that it not only came down very low, but also extended up quite high in my uterus. Basically, as far as I could see, there wasn't a single part of Piccola that didn't have placenta in front of it. Sigh. It's hard enough to connect to a second baby, but much harder when you don't feel her very often. I guess I'll just continue going in to the midwife every two weeks for heartrate checks.
February 18
February 18 marked milestones for all. It was Ben's 32nd birthday. Greta turned 23 months old and the countdown to her 2nd birthday began. Piccola turned 21 weeks in gestation and I, consequently, turned 21 weeks pregnant. It felt like a big turning point for all of us -- to be so decidedly on our way to our family of four.
Nesting
Nesting with a second child is still a completely bizarre experience for me. With Greta, we were mostly focused on making appropriate purchases. And then as those purchases were researched and made, we created space in our home for them, assembled them, read instruction booklets, etc.
With this new baby, especially after we found out that she would be a girl, we keep telling ourselves, "Well, we have everything we need!"
This is true and it isn't.
It is true in that we have everything that we used with Greta.
It isn't true in that Greta still uses some of those things. Like her crib. And her dresser. And her stroller. So while we have everything we would need if we were having another first child, we aren't having another first child, we're adding a second child to our family -- of which, Greta is still an active member.
It's also not true in that some items need replacement or re-purchasing. Like pacifiers. And likely bottles -- or at least nipples. And since we don't use cloth, of course we will need to buy new diapers in the appropriate size.
And the final point is that, even if we "have" everything we need (which we don't, as stated above), we still need to remember what needs to come out of storage and set it up.
I have a feeling that I'm going to keep saying, "Oh, I'll do that once school is out and I have more time," for the next several weeks. And then before I know it, I will be very uncomfortable, hot, and tired . . . and re-assembling a swing in a panic while I stress out about whether I'm having labor contractions or Braxton Hicks.
When does one get the house prepared for a second baby? Next week Piccola reaches viability. Is that the best time to start getting prepped for this baby's actual, you know, arrival?
Big Purchase
The biggest purchase we've made for Piccola's arrival is a double stroller. After stressing about it for weeks and freaking out over the expense, size, and functionality of every double stroller I searched for, I found a Craigslist post for one of my top picks at half the price of a new one. We checked it out yesterday and paid cash for it.
I'm insanely happy with the purchase. I feel like it's such a load off of my mind to have gotten a good deal on something I really wanted. I really wanted a full double stroller, even though I knew that it would be tough to predict how much Greta would be using the stroller by the time Piccola arrives and there were some potential advantages to a sit-and-stand. Ultimately, though, I knew that if I had a double stroller that was comfortable for the kids and that I found comfortable and enjoyable to use, I would be much more inclined to take the girls out and get some exercise in those early weeks when I need endorphins more than anything. Yes, I will admit it, this stroller is more for me than for Greta or Piccola. I want to be able to walk at my own pace and zone out a little on a nice walk. I don't want to have to chase after Greta when she refuses to hold my hand. I don't want to have to "wear the baby and push the toddler" in the hot and humid summer. I don't want to have to walk like a cowboy because my toddler is standing on a ride-along attachment between me and the handlebar. I want the possibility that the kids could nap while on the go. I just want a reliable method of transporting two kids comfortably and safely without having to load them into the car. Sitting in a stroller may no longer be Greta's favorite activity, but it's not like she hates the experience either. I don't feel bad at all about making her do it now and then so that I can get in a nice walk.
Oh man, I am so ready for spring. I need a walk right now. The second trimester was really made for springtime.
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