Post Pregnancy Wardrobe

The dreaded deflated belly will return next week! I've been swapping out some things to make room for the "I'm not pregnant but I'm still too big to fit into my other clothes" look I will be sporting. Here are some of my favorites.

This is the type of skirt I LOVE to wear post pregnancy and well all the time! After having Moses I bought a lot of similar ones from Old Navy. They have a lot of elastic waist band skirts that are very flattering. Shirts were easy to get back into, but my thighs and hips could not fit into pants that I already had and I am just NOT a shorts girl anymore.

I have also already bought two of these dresses from Target. Lucky for me Kimono dresses are in fashion this year. I have bought a pair of leggings as well to go with some tunic tops to make the transition from Spring to Summer.

I have great nursing bras from last time. That was one of my big splurges! I knew I wanted to try to nurse for a year and I wanted to be comfortable. I went to Nordstrom where they will have someone actually fit you. (Oprah doesn't lie on this one folks, it will change your world!) I bought an Elle McPherson bra similar to this and LOVED it. I would also recommend J. Alanes which has moved to Cary from North Hills. Ask for Justin Anne. She rocks!

I am also trying some new things this time around. I hear people swear by Spanx after pregnancy so I have bought one pair to give them a whirl. I think I might try to hit up TJ Maxx to see if they have the generic option if I like them. I have also purchased a new nursing tank top and I am in search of another one that I can use.

The one downer is that I will be hitting bathing suit season very soon after giving birth. BLEEECCCCHH. I'm thinking only a tent would hide this problem! (In case you are wondering, a c-section scar is completely hidden when you have on a two piece bathing suit.)

Anyone else have any suggestions? Any must haves that I am leaving out? I only have one more week to plan!

The HBBC Consignment Sale

Twice a year, I become consumed with the Kids Stuff Consignment Sale at our church. I'm on the committee and this Fall I am helping chair the event (EEK). I talk about this project all the time, so I thought I'd give a very small glimpse inside. These not so great iphone photos were taken the night before the sale when we still had some work to do. But you can tell the MASSIVE amount of items inside. We use the church gym and it is filled to the brim!

This area was pretty much cleared out on Saturday afternoon. Can you tell how nice some of this stuff is? Most of it was in great condition and even better it was a great price! We had one of our biggest sales to date and I feel like it went smoother than it ever has.
Our church is so pleased that we are able to serve our community and the children't ministry so well with this sale. I love being a part of this and love the people I get to interact with. I really encourage everyone to find an area (or two or three) to serve in your church. I have been able to meet so many people this way! I'm already getting excited for the Fall!

C-Section/Baby Sutton Questions Answered!

(A completely unrelated belly/Moses picture after we'd both sacked out)

I love questions! It gives me something to blog about that might not totally bore the people who read it. It is also a huge distraction these last few days before Sutton arrives.

Q1. Did you consider a vbac?

I knew after Moses was born that if we had another baby I would have another c-section. The problems I had are likely repeat ones. Meaning I would go through labor and end up right back on the operating table. Also, the vbac statistics are scary. You literally have to sign your life away and have force your way down that road with your doctor. I do have one friend who has successfully gone through a vbac. She told me she had to be very insistent about what she wanted and her doctor tried to talk her out of it. I just don't feel as strongly as she did about it. I feel very comfortable about my decision!

Q2. Are you scared about the surgery?

Not yet. I'm getting a little nervous though. I had a fantastic appointment with the nurse practitioner/mid-wife last week which was a huge help. She and I sat and talked for about 30 minutes about what happened last time and what will be different this time. I have my pre-surgical appointment at the doctor's office tomorrow with the doctor that will be delivering Sutton. I really like this doctor and I feel very comfortable with him. I'd say my current biggest fear is going into labor early and getting one of the doctors I'm not so crazy about. Oh, and the fact that Friday and is April Fools Day and My dad is going to Houston for two days this week. Minor stressors!

Q3. When can we see belly, nursery, or other pictures??!!

Have no fear, that post is coming. My mom was here this weekend and let me tell you that woman can get more done in an hour than I can do in a week. Before we finished one task she's thinking of the next. She also has an uncanny ability to get my husband to do things that he just won't do for me! So the nursery is very close to being done and as soon as I have a day to put some make up on and something that looks some what cute I'll snap some pictures. (Mom also cut everyone's hair this morning too so that we will not look like vagrants when we are taking new family photos next week. I TOLD you she was busy!)

Q4. How are you feeling...really?

I'm not going to lie. AWFUL. This pregnancy is so completely different than Moses. For some reason even though I have gained less weight and I think this baby is much smaller, I am in pretty much constant pain. My muscles are just done with carrying this baby. The mid-wife also told me his head is very low which is to blame for the shooting pains I've been experiencing. At this point with Moses I was out walking in about a mile in the August heat. No way will that happen now!

I think that about covers it! Thanks for the great questions. Be prepared for more posts this week. I have a lot to catch up on from being slammed with volunteer work and meetings. I am so hoping I have time to blog after Sutton is born so I can capture those first sweet weeks!

Birth Plan, Take 2

The saying, "We make plans, and God laughs" is never more true than when you make a birth plan. NOTHING ever goes as planned. However, knowing I will have a c-section makes things a little easier to map out. Also, knowing what went wrong the last time will make it easier to prepare.

The day I am scheduled to have Sutton, Moses is in school. This will make life much easier for me! I know that he will be busy and happy that day. My plan is for him to have a "Big Brother Day" since his birthday is during the summer and he doesn't get a class party. He'll come home and have a nap and get a snack and then go meet his new brother. If for some reason I go into labor before then, I do have a back up plan. A sweet friend who lives near the hospital and has a child Moses' age that has offered to be on call for me. This is a relief because we do not have any family in town!

As far as the hospital goes, we have talked extensively with my doctor about what happened last time. I was very sick during the entire surgery and after. Later that night I passed out and was given two units of blood the next day. We have a plan to combat all of this and I know to be more vocal about my needs. Brett also has a greater understanding about what I need medically (a traumatic event can do that!). I have also asked my parents to be at the hospital on stand by to support Brett and I. My mom can pretty much look at me and know what is wrong and that puts me at ease.

The biggest thing I can and WILL control is when everyone gets to see the baby. I have NO memory of the moment our family and friends met Moses the night he was born. I do remember a sweet friend holding my hair back as I got sick. I REALLY do not want to miss these moments. I also feel that Moses should meet his brother first and our family should have sometime alone together. There will be NO pictures sent out via phone or Facebook before we have the honor to do so. (Yes, this did happen last time.)

My advice for first time mommies is to have a birth plan, but also have a post birth plan. Do NOT let family or friends pressure you into something you are not comfortable with. You are the one in the hospital essentially having a medical procedure performed. Do not feel guilty about being "unfair" to someone. Your health and little family is what comes first. Guard it! Besides, no one can be upset with you when they are holding a sweet baby!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Whew! I know I've been really slack these last few weeks, but it's because we have been super busy. Moses was sick about two weeks ago with a sinus infection. He had to take antibiotics for the very first time. He was such a big boy about it. Luckily he felt better last week because while Brett was out of town, Nana and Pops came to visit. We had big plans to get some serious shopping done. As you can see from the above photo we accomplished a lot. I feel much better about Sutton having what he needs. And Moses got a few things too.
One of the side effects from the medicine was a loss of appetite. This was so strange for me because Moses is such a good eater. We took him to the new Andy's at Crabtree the day he started feeling up to eating again. There was a cheeseburger on this plate at one point! I laughed so hard after I looked at this photo. The kid in the background is totally jealous of the milkshake Moses is having!
One of the most important things we did was build Sutton a bear from Moses and Nana. He really had a good time picking out everything for the bear. He did NOT like the machine that stuffed the bear and preferred to sit with me. He wanted two hearts for each bear which I thought was so sweet. I kept asking him what he wanted to name the bear. He wouldn't tell me anything! Finally I asked him what the name should be and he said "Six!" I didn't question it. The bear's name is Six.

I am working on our church's HUGE children't consignment sale all this week. It is seriously a tremendous undertaking and I am helping chair next fall so I am trying to learn as much as I can. So, if you are in Raleigh PLEASE come to the Hayes Barton Baptist Church Kids Stuff Consignment Sale! You can find all the info at www.hbbc.net

Since life is so hectic, I'm going to do my pregnancy update now instead of tomorrow. Sutton has DROPPED. My belly is in my lap! These last three weeks are not going to be pleasant physically. I have bad inner thigh and pubic bone pain. It's a nerve condition that sometimes happens during second pregnancies. Not fun! Poor Brett has had to hear me whine a lot especially in the middle of the night when I can't sleep. I've just been a big ball of cranky nerves! At least we don't have much longer to go!

34 Weeks

Pretty much more of the same this week. My doctor's appointment is not until Thursday, so nothing medical to report just yet. I feel like I'm growing, mainly because of my ligament pain. I also think I am starting to drop because I sometimes feel my belly trying to poke out under my shirt! I have also lost sight of my belly button. It has moved further down!

Mainly I'm dealing with third trimester tiredness. My mind has a million things I want to accomplish and my old body says NO WAY! When I do get some energy, watch out. I've cleaned out and reorganized a lot of kitchen cabinets and and my pantry. I needed a three hour nap the next day though.

The only new thing is I think I have acid reflux. YUCK! This will end my orange juice habit before bed. I have never had this before and it is not pleasant. I am hoping I can just watch my acid intake with food and it will go away.

Just a few more of these updates! Sutton will be here in a little over 5 weeks!