My Baby is Half Baked!..... OK.... and thoughts on breast- feeding.

MY GROWING BELLY

Things are finally going downhill! Which is a good thing:) This means we have passed the 20 week mark and time should start flying by now. Right? Actually, today marks the 22nd week of my womb- baby, so about 18 weeks to go. Give or take a few days. Maybe the kid'll be a couple weeks early, which would be fine by me! I'm already facing the "uncomfortable stage" which seems to have dawned earlier this time around than it did with CR. I'm turning into a pillow freak. I need a pillow behind my back at all times- have even considered bringing one to church! When I sleep I need one under my stomach to prop it up. And I'm not even huge yet! Also, I have difficulty transitioning from laying to sitting and rolling over. ALREADY:( Oh well, everything else is going pretty darn well, so I won't complain. We had our Baby Debut ultrasound 2 weeks ago. It was amazing! The baby moved the whole time, sucking it's thumb, waving, playing with it's feet, and even smiling for us! Already seems to have a huge personality, which it's gonna need if it's going to live under the same roof as CR. We are still determined to remain clueless about the sex until the baby is born. It's been difficult. It would be so much easier to know what I'm preparing for, and to refer to it by it's name. But I really want that special moment when the baby comes out, and they put her or him into my arms, and I get to see for myself. So we will wait.
Here's 22 weeks:)

How your baby's growing:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

On a side note: I've been having the biggest cravings for cheddar ruffle chips. And yes, they MUST have the ruffles!

MY DAUGHTER

CR is.... really there are no words to describe her. She's a character, a ham, a pistol. She does something new every day. She has boundless energy and is constantly chattering (in baby language). She is usually happy, but that can instantly turn to whining. She likes to carry purses around, but she won't let me put bows in her hair. She is obsessed with paper and tissues. She will grab a Kleenex out of the box, then run as fast as she can before I can take it from her. A couple Sundays ago, Corey stayed home with CR since they were both sick. He was letting her run around without a diaper because she had quite a rash. He wasn't watching her closely, but noticed when she stumbled up next to him, grabbed a Kleenex from the box, and scampered off. He looked over to see what she was doing, and she was squatting over a puddle, trying to clean up her "mess" with the Kleenex! She's growing up. *Tear*. Well, looks like she's ready to begin potty training. 


LIFE NOW VS. THEN
About this time a year ago, I had a 3 month old and a deployed husband. And LOTS of stress. CR hadn't quite gotten the hang of sleeping through the night, and it was just about that time that she began losing weight. She was constantly eating though! About every hour and half she would want to nurse, but then just fuss and fuss- I was worried sick. Finally I wondered if maybe I wasn't producing enough so I gave up and began feeding her formula. Miraculously, she became happier and fatter. I felt like such an awful mom! I had every intention of breast- feeding the first year, and here I was almost starving my baby. I talked with the pediatrician at the next appointment, expecting her to criticize me or look down on me for not realizing what was wrong. Instead she told me how common it was for new moms that have a deployed spouse to actually lose milk due to stress. She was so reassuring about it, and just told me to keep feeding CR formula and keep track of her weight. After that. CR was the happiest baby in the world. I still have moments of regret about not being able to bf, but I don't beat myself up over it. It wasn't selfish reasons for formula feeding her, and was outside my control. Also, it was a learning experience. Now I know that this time around I'm going to nurse as much as possible, but I will also pump, as a way to make sure the baby is getting enough. My goal is once again set for at least a year of breast feeding, and with Corey home, I shouldn't have the stress I had last year. In all, I'm super excited to look back on everything I did "wrong" with CR and formulate a plan on how to be better for this baby. Other things I'm changing- 
Cloth diapering! I've now come to realize not only the health benefits of it, but also money saving and earth saving.  I was a year late with CR, but I hope to be fully cloth diapering by the time this baby comes! 
Baby wearing- I used a sling for CR every now and then, but I wasn't very educated about them. I have now purchased and won more slings that, not only are they more comfortable, it'll be a huge bonding benefit with a newborn. Also it'll make my life easier with having two kids:)
And the best change of all (that wasn't in my control)- There will be a dad in the picture for this newborn! Corey had to leave right after CR was born and didn't really see her again until she was 9 months. So this is the first baby he gets to experience all the really new developments with.