a new perspective and Easter

I am 35 weeks now and I feel like the baby is coming so soon now! I feel enormous and the baby has dropped and it feels like he is sitting on my bladder. I also am starting to have some lower back pain when I walk or stand too much. I know it sounds like a lot of complaints but I am very happy and content that Elias is where he is! Over the past couple of weeks a few things have happened to us and friends that has given me a new perspective. One of my friends lost her baby, another gave birth to a preemie at 32 weeks, and we also found out officially that we will only be here in Australia for 2 years. These things have made me realize that my baby is exactly where he should be and he is growing the way he should (or he would not be giving me the pains he does). I have also tried harder to slow down and enjoy the experiences that I have here. I have made some wonderful, supportive friends here and I live in a beautiful country and now that it is fall going outside is stunning with all the fall colors!

Brian has a much deserved 5 day weekend now. The Australian government celebrates Good Friday, Easter Monday, and Anzac day (their version of veteran's day) this weekend. The last 2 months have been very busy for Brian at work. He has had a lot of extra work and had to work longer hours. So hopefully he can relax a good bit this weekend. That being said, we decided to use a lot of the time to get ready for Elias's arrival. We finished the nursery today, and did a couple loads of baby laundry. Tomorrow we are dropping off my car for some routine maintenance, so we don't have to worry about that later. We are also going to install the infant car seat and move more toys/organize the toys in the playroom. We are also going to try to go on a hospital tour tomorrow, they only run them when they have adequate nurse staff to spare. The last 2 weeks we have tried to go they said it was too busy and they could not do it. Hopefully it will be on tomorrow! It sounds like a lot of work but we have a bit of fun planned too, we are going to go bowling while the car is being worked on and Brian is going to watch Caleb while I get a pedicure one day this weekend too :)

This weekend more importantly is also Easter. We are having a family over from the embassy, "the girls" as Caleb calls them for Easter dinner. I am going to cook the traditional Easter ham with au gratin potatoes and whatever green vegetable looks good in the store this afternoon when I pick up the other stuff. I am happy to have a full house for Easter, it is such a joyful holiday! It does not seem to be a big celebration here. I asked the ladies in my Bible study how it is celebrated here and they did not really have an answer. They did say that they eat chocolate eggs and have Easter baskets. Also the stores have been selling hot cross buns for a couple of months now, which by the way are delicious! They have a lot of different flavors, raisin, chocolate, chocolate coffee, yum! It is not a big church holiday, they don't dye eggs or dress up. But they do get a 5 day weekend and school holidays are on now (they last 2 weeks) so a lot of people go away.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend, remember to celebrate the true meaning, the resurrection of our Savior!

Here are some pictures of the nursery. Elias will be in the pack and play for a month or so while Caleb still occupies the crib, but as you can see it has a bassinet, so it will work out fine. The decorations are all decals since we can't paint. Brian picked the theme this time :p

mothering confusion

These last few weeks have been tough in the Charmatz household. Brian has had a busy month at work, I have been on restrictions, and Caleb has picked up on the differences in the house.

Brian has been wonderful helping around the house when he can. He has done all the laundry and cleaning. He even took over Caleb's swim lessons for a couple of weeks. Caleb loves swimming with daddy! I have felt really bad for him, he has had a lot going on at work and then he has to come home and do extra work at home. But he has not complained once, he is amazing!

The restrictions have worked. I have not had any contractions since I was in the hospital, so it has been about 5 weeks now! I tried to hire a mother's helper to come in on Friday mornings, but I don't think it is going to work out, we can't seem to sync up our schedules. I have been able to keep up most of our activities since I can sit most places we go. So we still do playgroup on Mondays, Bible study on Tuesdays, and MOPS or library on Wednesday. I have another appointment tomorrow. At my last appointment the OB was very happy with how things were going and said that I should be off restrictions at 32 weeks. I will be 32 weeks Wednesday :)

Caleb unfortunately has felt the changes the most. Ever since I was in the hospital he has been very clingy. He does not want me out of his sight and when he is approached by new people he cries. The worst is at MOPS. He does not want me to leave him in the toddler room and will cry continually after I leave. The last 2 times he has come out and sat on my lap for the majority of the time. Last week has has started getting restless in the house and his new favorite activity is throwing his toys. He has also started screaming at me/Brian when he is angry. I know these are all phases, but it is tough to deal with. We are also having more potty confusion. But I won't go into that now. Hopefully as time goes on and things continue to calm down so will Caleb. Being a mother can be quite confusing!

On the positive side we finally have a name for the baby! We are going to name him Elias William. Elias is a variation on the name Elijah, meaning The Lord is my God. William is my Grandfather, Dad, and brother's middle name. Now that we have a name I have started ordering decorations for the baby's room. I am not ready for him to come yet, but I am getting closer! 8 more weeks!

Here are some recent pictures of the family. The first 2 are Brian and Caleb enjoying March madness (Brian has his hand up so he cannot see the score of the game, the video was on delay). Some people have asked for a bump picture, so here I am at 31 1/2 weeks. I am frightened that I will still get a lot bigger! eek!

26 week curse

So as many of you already know I was put into the hospital this week with contractions. On Thursday morning, while I was feeding Caleb breakfast I started to feel some cramping. I decided to pay closer attention and time the cramps and realized that they were coming every 5 minutes (so not cramps, contractions!). They also started to get stronger and I realized I had to start breathing through them. At that point I decided to call Brian and my OB. The OB said to come in and she would see me first thing. She checked the baby and everything was fine, but she did say that my cervix was soft. Since I have been seeing her all along she knows that our family is not in the area. So she called the hospital and had me admitted. She knew sending me home and telling me to go on bed rest was not going to happen. So Brian picked me and Caleb up and we went to the hospital. They gave me meds to stop the contractions and steroids for the baby's lungs just in case the baby was adamant about coming out. We called a friend and she came and picked up Caleb for a few hours while Bri and I got things sorted out at the hospital. After things started to settle down some Brian picked up Caleb and went home. The night did not go well, after the contractions stopped I started getting horrible constant abdominal pains. The nurses tried to give me meds to help but they did nothing. I only got about 3 hours of sleep. But the next morning I started to feel better. Gradually the abdominal pains went away. The nurses monitored the baby the whole time and he did not seem to realize anything was going on. They just kept commenting about how active he is. Friday early evening my OB came to the hospital to check on me and since my contractions and pains had gone she let me go home. She knew Brian would be home the next 2 days.

I am calling this the 26 week curse because the same thing happened with Caleb at the same time. After a very long work day I started contractions at 26 weeks with Caleb. My OB did not put me in the hospital, but I was put on the same meds to stop them. I was on them for 5 weeks and they made me sick. I was also on restricted activity, I had to teach from a chair, and I was not allowed to do any housework at home.

This time it is a bit harder. The system is a bit different here, they will only give you the meds in the hospital so they can monitor it. I have been put on restricted activity again, which makes sense. I am not allowed to carry Caleb any distance, but I can lift him into the crib, car, etc. I am allowed to cook, but that is about all the housework I can do. I am allowed to go to playgroup, MOPS, and Bible study. But no swim lessons for awhile.

Luckily Caleb decided to stay for a lot longer and ended up coming 4 days early. Hopefully this baby will do the same. I have come to the conclusion that since it has happened twice now at the exact same time I don't think it is the baby. I think for some reason my body decides that at 26 weeks it is done being pregnant and I need to remind it that we still have awhile longer.

Since I left the hospital I have continued to feel better. I have not had anymore contractions and am in no pain. If however they do come back, my OB said I will be back in the hospital.

Brian has been wonderful through all of this! He has fully taken over the housework. He took 2 days off work to be at home with Caleb while I was in the hospital. He has been playing with him so I can have time off my feet. He is such a great father and husband. I am so lucky to have him!

Thanks for all your prayers and support! 13 weeks to go!

Happy Birthday Caleb!

I love a busy week, so last week was wonderful for me! We kept up our normal routine and saw a lot of friends as well!

Wednesday evening my parent's next door neighbor, her daughter, and daughter's boyfriend came down to visit us and Canberra. They were here until Friday afternoon. It was a wonderful visit! Caleb loved all the extra attention he got, especially from another male who was willing to rough-house with him! We took them to Tidbinbilla on Thursday morning and Parliament house in the afternoon. I had not been there yet, it is really nice. We had to go after Caleb's nap, so we got there just before it closed. But they have tours all day long, so we will have to go back sometime. On Friday we went up the Telstra Tower. It was so nice to catch up with old friends!

On the weekend we started birthday celebrations for Caleb. He will be 2 on Thursday! This weekend coming up is President's Day, so we knew people would probably be going out of town. We are not sure if we are yet. On Saturday I baked and decorated my first birthday cake for Caleb. Last year, a really good friend of mine made the cake. She is extremely talented and did an amazing job. My cake did not compare to hers, but I was still proud of myself. I was surprised at how much I remembered from working at Cake's Plus in college!

On Sunday we had a small party for Caleb. We went to church in the morning and then had 2 families over for a bbq in the early evening. Brian grilled chicken and hamburgers. Our grill is very small, so he grilled for about 2 hours! He did a great job, the food was great! It was a really nice day, so we spent almost the whole party outside. The kids loved playing with the rugby ball and other outdoor toys and the parents sat around and talked. It was lovely! Then it was time for cake and presents. I think Caleb enjoyed his party!

Today our playgroup had a little party for Caleb as well! We made brownies, Caleb helped! He put in the ingredients (expect for the eggs, I did that part :) and stirred it all together. This was the first time we cooked together. He did a great job! The other mums brought muffins, fruit, cookies, and bread. One of the the mum's brought balloons, party hats, and noisemakers too! We played ring around the rosy and then the kids played with the balloons and other toys in the playhouse. It was so sweet that the mum's did this for him! My little boy is very loved!

I don't think we will do too much on his birthday. We have swim lessons in the morning and then we will have lunch with daddy at work. I also think we will skype with both sets of Grandparents that day too, so they can wish him a happy birthday.

MOPS starts this week. I am excited to go for the first time! I also have a 26 week appointment with my OB this week. After this week I start going every 2 weeks. It is crazy how fast this pregnancy is going. No news on the name front. It is driving me crazy! 3 months to go!

Finally February

We made it through the last week of nothing and we are looking forward to all that February has in store for us! We went to playgroup on Monday, had friends over on Tuesday, went to the library on Wednesday, swim lessons on Thursday, and Questacon on Friday.

This week I am starting prenatal yoga. I have never taken yoga before but I am excited to try. I am hoping it will help me become more flexible and get me ready for a v-bac. So I will have to get dinner ready early, but then I get 2 hours to be with other adults! Granted we will be talking about babies, but still, I will be with other women and I won't have to constantly looking over my shoulder for Caleb and I won't have to worry about him since he will be with his daddy.

On Wednesday, my childhood next door neighbor is coming to visit. I can't remember this family not living next door to me, I grew up with their kids playing in their house and yard. Their second daughter lives about 5 hours north of us, so I have not been able to see her since we have moved here. But her mom is here visiting and they thought they would come down and visit us! I am so excited! It will be so nice to see a piece of home!

I will be 25 weeks this week, getting toward the end of my second trimester! But as I get closer to the end I start to worry. With Caleb at 26 weeks I went into pre-term labor. I know every pregnancy is different, but I still worry about going into pre-term labor again. I keep telling myself I have a lot less stress during this pregnancy since I am not working and the labor started with Caleb after a 12 hour work day. But I know that there is no use in worrying and that God is in control of this pregnancy and loves this baby more that I could ever love him.

Caleb is a very big cheerleader right now and cheers for me, Brian, or whatever we say. So I will end with a Caleb cheer. Yaaaaay February!!!

January blahs

Oh January, you are so boring! Caleb and I struggled this week to find things to do. We had 2 things planned with friends, but the other 3 days were tough. We tried to fill our time by going to the library and running errands. But it also rained all week, which is hard for a 23 month old (Can you believe he is 23 months! In a month he will be 2 - wow!). Caleb loves to be outside and run around. On Wednesday we had morning tea with some ladies and their kids from church. It was the first time that I saw them outside of church. It was really nice to get to know them a little better. The ladies are very nice and friendly. I also found out last week that I got into the MOPS group at church as well! MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) is a Christian group that meets every other Wednesday morning. I am really looking forward to it because there is childcare, so it will be an hour or so where I can just socialize and worship with other moms and not have to worry about Caleb. I also think it will be good for Caleb to be without me for a bit, he is getting very attached and throws fits when I leave him now. MOPS like everything else here starts up in February. By Friday Caleb was running around the house and tearing it apart. I don't mean this figuratively, while I tried to fold clothes he was taking everything he could out of the closet, off the shelves, and if he could break/tear anything he would. I tried to distract him by drawing, which he instead chose the tear the paper off the crayons and then break them. Luckily we had already planned to meet a friend at the pool, so Caleb was able to get his energy out there. Swim lessons start up again this Thursday - Thank goodness! At least we have 1 normal part of our schedule returning!

Today so far has been wonderful! It is MLK day, so Brian is off work. There is a channel here that plays gridiron (American) football on delay. So Brian is able to see all the playoff games. So he got up early to watch football/be with Caleb, which meant I got to sleep in :) And really sleep in since we had no morning plans since the football games would be on until noon. Then I got to get out of the house on my own to get a pedicure. I was supposed to take in Brian's car for an oil change, but they were booked up (oh darn!). It was so nice drinking an iced coffee, reading trash magazines, and having a pedicure. I even treated myself to lunch!

I don't think the rest of this week will be as relaxing as today has been so far. But like I said, swimming starts on Thursday. It also looks like a beautiful week for weather, sunny and high 70s - low 80s. So I think we will try to go to the zoo and a few parks.

On Wednesday I have my 20 week OB appointment (I will be 22 weeks). This will be the first time I will see my OB since I was 12 weeks. For my last appointment she was on holiday and I saw a substitute Dr. It will be nice to see and hear the baby. We also have a lot of questions for her. We will be able to talk a little about the birth since I am further along. This Dr. is in favor of me having a v-back (Caleb was a c-section - my fault, not his). This was news to me because my OB from the States told me this was not possible. But my Aussie OB has looked at my file and said that she would like to give it a try if I am up for it and it is possible. Of course we will not know anything for sure for awhile, but at 20 weeks we can begin talking about it. I have a scheduled c-section for May 17 just in case. I would like a v-back too, who wants to go through major surgery again?! I think the recovery would be a lot harder this time. With Caleb, all I had to worry about was 1, 7 lb baby. This time I will have a baby and a 25+ lb toddler who will not understand why he cannot jump on me and why I cannot pick him up. But maybe my US OB was right and it is not possible for me. Hopefully we will have more answers after Wednesday, but I doubt it.

We still don't have a name for baby boy #2. We have 2-3 we are considering. But none that we love. When Brian chose the name Caleb we both loved it and knew that was the name. That is not happening this time. We have looked at list after list. We even looked at a list of 700 boy names and came up with nothing. Finally we made our own list and decided no more searching. We have to decide between the 3 we had. But again it is hard, we like the names, but we don't love them. I am hoping that as time goes on and as we choose a name we will begin to love it. I hate being in limbo, I know we have 4 months before this baby comes, but not having a name bothers me. Unfortunately it only bothers me, Brian is perfectly ok with it. I am hoping in the next month this will be resolved!

1/2 way there

I will start with the exciting news first! On Thursday we found out we are having another boy. We were both shocked, Brian and I both thought we were having a girl. This pregnancy has been very different from Caleb's, so we assumed it was a girl. So when the ultrasound technician told us it was a boy we both just stared at her and she said "These things are not 100% but I am really sure this is a boy." We had/have not come up with a boy name. We had the girl name we were both happy with, but no boy names at all. At this point we have 2 that we are thinking about, but it has been difficult for us.

The rest of the week was pretty boring. Caleb and I struggled a bit to find things to do since things are closed down in January. On Tuesday we went to a play place which has a pretty large ball pit which Caleb loves! He loves to run and slide on the balls from one side to the other. Wednesday we got together with a friend from the embassy. It is always nice seeing them, the mom is really nice and her girls are really sweet. I love those playdates because Caleb is excited to play with the girls and their toys so the mom and I just get to talk. On Friday we went to Questacon and Caleb saw his first puppet show. He was so good during it! It was 1/2 hour and he sat the whole time, pretty impressive for a 22 month old! Bri and I decided to take it easy this weekend since we just had a busy month. We cleaned, took down Christmas decorations, and played around the house.

I know I talk about Caleb all the time, like what we do, but I thought I would share some of the cute things he does. First he is talking up a storm now and is starting to be a mimic. Like, when I tell him "no" he says it back to me. When he is really mad at me or Brian he will say "bye", wave and walk out of the room. It is hilarious, usually he walks through the dining room and back into the kitchen or living room smiling saying "hello"! He has learned that when he falls or hurts he will get a kiss. So now when he hurts something he will tell me the body part and "kiss" in a very pathetic voice. Then usually he will pick out a few other places that need kisses too. He continues to love music and now he sings along with the songs we sing. His favorite is wheels on the bus and if we ask will always request that one (even if he does not really want to sing it). He does the motions and says "beep, beep, beep" for the horn. He also loves Old MacDonald and when asked what is on the farm he will always say duck. We sing Bingo but change Bingo to Caleb and when we get to that part of the song he loves to spell his name (as well as he can).

Well I think I have bragged about my son enough for now. He is so much fun right now I can't wait until he has a little brother. I can't wait to see how this little boy is going to turn out! By the way when we told him he was going to have a little brother he said "yes" and nodded, like he knew all along.